GEORGE W. RATHBUN, a venerable citizen of Conneaut, is one of the oldest native residents of the town.  Of his life and ancestry we make the following record:
     At an early day three Rathbun brothers came to America, landing at Plymouth Rock.  Two went back to Liverpool, whence they came.  The other remained, and all the Rathbuns of the United States are supposed to be descendants of his.  George W. Rathbun's grand parents, Joseph and Olive (Pearson) Rathbun, had a family of five sons and eight daughters, all of whom lived to be married except one.  Joseph and Edmund (the latter died in Cleveland some years since) were both Revolutionary soldiers.  Joseph lived to be ninety-three years old and Edmund was nearly a hunndred when he died.
     Our subject's parents, Erasmus and Sallie (Lilley) Rathbun, natives of New York and Vermont respectively, were married in New York in 1815, and came direct to Ohio, settling in Newburg.  For many years Erastus Rathbun was engaged in milling in Ohio, having learned that trade after he came to this State.  While in New York during the war of 1812, he enlisted in the service of his country and was called out at Buffalo.  He was taken sick about that time, however, and never saw any active service.  His wife was a member of the Free-will Baptist Church.  She died at the age of sixty-three years.  Of their children we make record as follows:  Sylvester L., the oldest, married Fanny E. Kent, reared a family, and died in Amboy, Ohio, Aug. 6, 1885, aged sixty-eight years; Lavina and her husband,,,, William Tinker, are both deceased, their only child being William Tinker, Jr.; George W., the third born; Joseph, who died at the age of three years; and Adelia M., wife of L. L. Skinner, Pierpont, Ohio, has two children, Edger R. and Lillie L.
     George W. Rathbun was born at Conneaut, Jan. 15, 1825.  He began milling in Monroe and Sheffield townships, this county, and, like his father, was for many years engaged in the milling business.  In February, 1861, he moved to Conneaut and has continued to reside here ever since, being now retired.  He owned the Union Mills of Conneaut until 1892.
     Mr. Rathbun was married June 15, 1851, to Miss Maria Collins.  Her father, Thomas Collins, a native of England and a shoemaker by trade, came to America during the war of 1812, as a solder of the Crown.  He was taken prisoner and held at Cleveland, and after he was exchanged never returned; really, he deserted, preferring to remain in the United States.  He was married in Newburg to Susan Rathbun, and lived in Cuyahoga county the rest of his life.  His death occurred in 1835.  Some time afterward his widow became the wife or Ambrose Lockwood.  Both are now deceased.  She passed away in 1870, aged seventy-one.  She was a member of the Disciple Church.  Mrs. Rathbun is the only one now living in a family of eight children.  Four of the oldest died in infancy.  The fifth, Milton, was drowned, at the age of eight years, while out skating on the canal.  Mrs. Rathbun was the sixth born.  Orley, the seventh, died at the age of two years.  Mary Jane, wife of George Skinner, died at the age of twenty-five years.  Mrs. (Collins) Lockwood had two children by her last husband, - Clark I., of Illinois, and Sadie, who died in childhood.
     Mr. and Mrs. Rathbun have two children , namely: Mary Eleanor, wife of W. S. Montgomery, of Conneaut, has two children, Carl F. and Ernest O.; and William Ernest, who married Minnie Reels, has two children, George W. and Florence E.
     He and his wife have been members of the Christian Church for over twenty years.  He has also long been a member of the Masonic fraternity, having taken the degrees in the blue lodge, chapter, council and commandery.  In all these he has held official position, and for the past two years has been General-issimo in the commandery.  He was a delegate to the Grand Council which met at Chillicothe, Ohio.  Politically, he is a Democrat.
(Transcribed from Biographical History of Northeastern Ohio embracing Ashtabula, Lake and Geauga Counties; published in Chicago: Lewis Publ. Co., 1893 - Page 431)

WILLIAM J. RAYNOR, locomotive engineer on the Nickel Plate Railroad, Conneaut, Ohio, was born in Painesville, Lake County this State, Oct. 17, 1859, son of William E. and Ann (Finneran) Raynor, natives of New York and Ireland respectively
     William E. Raynor was one of the pioneers of Painesville, at which place he was married.  For nearly thirty-five years he has been a railroad engineer, and now, at the age of sixty years, is still in railroad employ, running a switcher.  He and his wife are both members of the Catholic Church.  Following are the names of their children:  Mary Elizabeth, wife of John Garvey, foreman in the Nickel Plate shops at Buffalo, New York; William J.; Charles, an employee on the Nickel Plate, made a misstep between the cars in the dark and was instantly killed, May 10, 1886; Louis has been employed as engineer on the Nickel Plate the past three years; Nellie, wife of William J. Leyer, foreman and bookkeeper for the Erie Show Printing Company, at Erie; Anna; Mamie; John, who died of black diphtheria in October, 1892, at the age of nine years; and three others who died in early childhood.
     William J. Raynor started out in life as a plumber and worked at that trade three years.  Since then he has been engaged in railroading.  He began as fireman on the Philadelphia & Erie, was thus employed on that road for five years, and June 14, 1882, was promoted to the position of engineer.  He came to Conneaut in October, 1883, and has made this place his home ever since.  He began service with the Nickel Plate at the time he located here, and his efficiency at once brought him into favor with the company and gained for him a permanent position.
     Mr. Raynor was married May 2, 1882, to Mary Foley, daughter of Thomas and Mary Foley, of Painesville, she being a native of Massachusetts.  Her parents were born in Ireland, came to America in early life and were married in Boston, where they lived for many years.  Her father, a tanner by trade, lived to be fifty-four years of age and died Nov. 9, 188, and her mother is still living aged sixty, an honored resident of Conneaut.  Mrs. Foley is a devout Catholic, as also was her worthy husband.  Four of the Foley children died in early life.  Nicholas Henry died Oct. 4, 1885, aged twenty-eight years.  Mrs. Raynor and her two sisters, Lizzie and Nellie, are the only ones of the family of eight who are now living.  She was the second born.  Mrs. and Mrs. Raynor have six children, William Erwin, Frances Mary, Louis Henry, Leo, Thomas and Charles Edward.
     He and his wife are members of the Catholic Church.  He is a member of the B. of L. E. and also of the C. M. B. A., being president of the latter organization.  He affiliates with the Democratic party, while his father was a Republican.
     Mr. Raynor has a splendid record as a good citizen as well as a skilled engineer.  He has made his own way in life.  He, like a very large number of other engineers as well as conductors, of the Nickel Plate, when in Conneaut have but little time to spend elsewhere than at home.  This is best accounted for by the fact that they have such cozy, well furnished and comfortable homes, such pleasant, refined and winsome wives whose highest ambition is to make home a little more pleasant than any other place, and that their children, too, always loving and affectionate, are pleased to see "papa" return in safety, and to meet him with a smile and a kiss.  The engineer and conductors of Conneaut, for the most part, have homes that are models in neatness, and impress the stranger favorably as places well deserving each the name of home.  The same thing obtains with the Nickel Plate shop men.  They seem to be persons who have come to stay and have thought it best to fix up a place worthy to be called home in a town that can show as much good citizenship to the square foot as any town in the State.
(Transcribed from Biographical History of Northeastern Ohio embracing Ashtabula, Lake and Geauga Counties; published in Chicago: Lewis Publ. Co., 1893 - Page 719)

JOHN W. REDINGTON - Among the countless occupations which men lend their time and energies there are a few that are fraught with greater responsibilities or that demand a more perfect mental and physical balance than that of the locomotive engineer.  A grave responsibility rests upon the shoulders of him who essays the duties of such a position, and careful preparation and discipline are demanded.  John W. Redington, of Conneaut, Ohio, is one of those clearheaded men to whom as come such preferment as a result of unmistakable ability and fitness for the work, and he now holds a desirable position as engineer on the Nickel Plate Railroad.  Mr. Redington was born at Salem, Columbiana county, Ohio, May 5, 1864, his parents being Michael and Ellen (Burke) Redington.  The father was born in Ireland and the mother in England, though she also was of Irish descent.  They were married on "the ould sod," and while still in the fresh vigor of their young life turned their faces toward the land of promise and came to America in 1862.  They located at New Haven, Connecticut, where, for a time, Mr. Redington followed his trade, that of stone mason, subsequently being concerned as a railroad contractor, and having charge of the construction of the roads.  He removed, after a few years, to Salem, Ohio, and for twelve years gave his attention to railroad contacting.  He held various offices in the gift of the people of Columbiana county, having served two terms as County Commissioner.  He has ever taken vital interest in the political affairs of his adopted country, having, in early years, been a member of the Democratic party, but for the past eighteen years of the Republican.  He is now retired from active business, and at the mellow age of sixty-eight years abides in well-earned repose at his pleasant home in Salem.  Mr. Redington has been twice married, and two children were the result of the first union and six of the last.  The second wife, a gracious helpmeet, is still living, at the age of forty-six years, secure in the love of husband and children.  Of the eight children death has claimed not one, and it is but consistent that we make the following record concerning them:  Mary is the wife of William O'Brien, who is a resident of Kinsey, Kansas, and is Roadmaster on the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railroad; Stella is the wife of John McGlyntcy of Salem, Ohio; Maggie, the oldest of the second family, is the wife of Jefferson Crouch, and resides at Salem; our subject; John W. was the second-born of the second family; Patrick; Michael; Sadie and Alice, the tree youngest of the family, are still at home.  All with but one exception, are devoted members of the Roman Catholic Church.
     John W. Redington, to whose life this sketch has particular reference, learned the machinist's trade in the engine works at Salem, Ohio, continuing his connection with that concern for about three and one-half years.  He then found it to his advantage to make the change, and accordingly he resigned his position and accepted on in charge of the machinery utilized in the operation of extensive coal mines in the Ohio coal fields.  In this connection he remained about two years, then went to Alliance, Ohio, and took charge of the great engine of the Alliance Hammer Works.  After six months, and looking to ultimate results, he accepted a position as fireman on one of the engines of the Cleveland & Pittsburg Railroad.  After about three years, and again descrying an opportunity for a better field of labor, he came, in 1886, to Conneaut and took position as fireman on the Nickel Plate Railroad.  Eight months of faithful and capable service in this connection resulted in his promotion to the position of engineer, and he has remained thus employed ever since.  Each of the changes made was purely voluntary on his part and each was the result of a wise discernment.  Good luck, so called, has attended his labors as engineer; he has never met with any accident.  It is fatuous to ascribe this condition to luck, for, rather, it is the result of constant care and practical ability on his party.
     Mr. Redington was married Oct. 16, 1889, to Miss Ida, daughter of Benton and Julia (Joseph) Smith, residents of Columbiana county, Ohio.  Mrs. Redington is the younger of the two children, her brother, John, being a prominent farmer of Columbiana county, Ohio.  He is happily married and has two children: Nellie and Lida.
     Mr. and Mrs. Redington have one child: Sophronia Juliette, a precocious and winsome little maiden, about two years of age.  Mr. Redington and his estimable wife are consistent members of this Congregational Church, and he is prominently identified with the Masonic and other civic societies.  He is a member of the blue lodge, chapter, council and also of Cache Commandery in the Masonic order; of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and the American Protective Association.  In politics he is a Republican.
     Mr. Redington is a man of fine physique, tips the beam at about 210 pounds and has a pleasing address.  He is a man who has made it a point to require a broad intelligence upon general affairs, and he is especially well informed in regard to all matters pertaining to his line of work.  He is one of the eighty-four individuals who compose the local Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers at Conneaut.  It is somewhat doubtful whether there exists in the State another organization, of equal membership, representing but one line of occupation that can show a better class of men, nor those who, as a rule, are better versed in their profession; have better information in regard to the general topics of the day, or who have more just cause for being proud of their organization.
(Transcribed from Biographical History of Northeastern Ohio embracing Ashtabula, Lake and Geauga Counties published in Chicago: Lewis Publ. Co., 1893)

JOHN P. REIG, a newspaper man of Conneaut, was born at Baldenheim, Canton de Markolzhiem, France, Apr. 18, 1840, was an only child, and was left an orphan at the age of fourteen years.  He attended the public schools the number of years required by law, and afterward was placed under a private tutor to fit himself for college.  Becoming restless, and having an uncle living in Warren, Pennsylvania, he conceived the idea of coming to America.  At the age of fifteen years he found himself in Warren, possessed of a fair education in German and French, but entirely ignorant of the English language.  He attended the public schools for six months, in the meantime looking about for some kind of employment that would suit his taste, when he finally entered the printing office of D. W. C. James, and learned the "art preservative of arts."  In 1861 he purchased the office of the Conneaut Reporter, and has ever since been at the head of that office and been a resident of Conneaut.
     June, 12, 1861, Mr. Reig married Julia K. Brooks, of Erie, Pennsylvania, and they have four children: Frank F., born May 8, 1863; Mary S., Dec. 15, 1865; John B., Dec. 5, 1872; Florence F., Oct. 28, 1881.
(Transcribed from Biographical History of Northeastern Ohio embracing Ashtabula, Lake and Geauga Counties; published in Chicago: Lewis Publ. Co., 1893- Page 764)

E. RISDON, a venerable citizen of Conneaut, Ohio, was born in Genesee county, New York, November 20, 1820, son of Almore and Cyhthia Risdon, both natives of that county.
     Almore Risdon was a man of prominence in his day.  He filled the office of County Sheriff in Genesee county.  In 1833 he came West and settled in Vermillion, Erie county, Ohio, where he opened up a farm and was engaged in agricultural pursuits the rest of his life.  He was accidentally drowned in the Huron river in 1835, aged forty-four years.  His first wife, the mother of our subject, died in 1822, at the age of twenty-five, leaving three children:  George, and E. and Eliza, twins.  George, a prominent farmer of Erie county, Ohio, died January 26, 1893, aged seventy-five years, leaving a widow, Charity (Goldsmith) Risdon, and four sons and five daughters.  By his second wife, Elcina (Lewis) Risdon, the father of our subject had two sons and four daughters, all deceased except one son.  The mother of these children died some time in '50s.
     In early life, Mr. Risdon sailed the lake and superintended a dredging-machine in the employ of the United States for four years, and for Her Majesty's Government in Canada for a little more than twelve years, performing faithful and efficient service.  He took out every coffer-dam from Ogdensburg to Montreal.  After leaving government employ, he located at Conneaut, and engaged in ship carpentering.  This was in 1858.  He worked at that business for a period of thirty years, at the same time being interested in farming operations.  Mr. Risdon's first visit to Conneaut was in 1835, and since 1837 he has called this place his home.  For fifty years he has voted the Democratic ticket here.  For the past five years he has conducted the Street Commissioner twelve years, and was Marshal about six years.
     Mr. Risdon was married in 1844, to Miss Lucretia M. Fredericks.  Her father, John Fredericks, a Hollander by birth, was a soldier in Bonaparte's war.  He went on board an English vessel came to America, and at New York deserted.  He lived to be ninety-three years of age, dying about 1867.  His wife died twenty years before.  They had a family of four sons and three daughters, six of whom are now living.  Mr. and Mrs. Risdon five daughters,, namely: Harriet, wife of Glover Ashley, has three children.  Frederick, Lulie and Freddie; Emma Jane, a member of the home circle; Mary, wife of John Cummins, of the Conneaut Canning Factory, has four children, Thomas R., Mabel, Margaret and Robert; Clara, wife of Burton Thayer, has four children, Lee, Alice, Hazel and Harry; and Helen, wife of Burt Capron, has one child, Bertha.
     Mr. and Mrs. Risdon are attendants of the Presbyterian Church.  He has long been identified with the Masonic fraternity, being a member of the blue lodge, chapter, council and commandery; has been Tyler in the four bodies for twenty years, and during all this time has never missed more than half a dozen meetings.  He has attended all the conclaves until the one at Denver last year, and has been in all the State conclaves.  Mr. Risdon is also a member of the Knights of Honor, of which organization he is second officer and a Steward.  Few men in Conneaut are better known or have more friends than Mr. Risdon.
(Transcribed from Biographical History of Northeastern Ohio embracing Ashtabula, Lake and Geauga Counties; published in Chicago: Lewis Publ. Co., 1893 - Page 810)

Dr. C. F. RODGERS, a dentist of Conneaut, Ohio, was born in Hamilton county, this State, June 16, 1863, son of Robert E. and Clara R. (Allison) Rodgers, natives of Ohio and Virginia respectively.
     Robert E. Rodgers started out in life as cashier of the First National Bank of Ironton, Ohio, of which institution his father, James Rodgers, was president.  James Rodgers died some time in the early '60s.  After leaving the bank Robert E. turned his attention to the wholesale grocery business in Cincinnati, in which he was engaged previous to the war.  When President Lincoln called for 75,000 soldiers he enlisted as a private for three months, and at the end of that time returned and raised a company of his own - Company C, which was a part of the Fourth Ohio Cavalry.  With that company he served until late in 1864, when, having contracted chronic diarrhea and being unfitted for service, he returned home on furlough.  A few months later he was discharged on account of disability.  He participated in numerous engagements, and a braver and truer soldier than he never went into battle.  He was promoted to the rank of Major and also served as Colonel, but was discharged before he received his commission as Colonel.  Twice he was wounded.  After his discharge he went to Minnesota, hoping a change of climate would benefit his health.  He, however, received little relief and his disease finally merged into consumption, of which he died in 1872, aged forty-one years.  His widow is still living, now a resident of Ithaca, New York.  They had a family of four children, namely:  H. O., manager of the Acme Oil Company at Hazleton, Pennsylvania; Dr. C. F., whose name heads this sketch; Mirina H. and Eleanor, who reside with their mother.
     Dr. C. F. Rodgers received his education in the public schools of Cincinnati.  He spent two years with Dr. Charles Mason, at Wheeling, West Virginia, from which place he went to the Philadelphia Dental College, graduating there in 1888.  After practicing his profession nearly two years in Philadelphia, he entered into a partnership with Dr. W. E. Magill & Son in Erie, Pennsylvania, and remained there until December, 1891, when  he came to Conneaut.  Here he has built up an excellent practice and is regarded not only as a skillful dentist but also as a most worthy citizen.
     He was married July 22, 1891, to Miss Catherine Nellis, of Gerald, Pennsylvania, daughter of P. H. Nellis, of Gerald, Pennsylvania, daughter of P. H. Nellis, a prominent hotel proprietor of that place.  They have one child, Geraldine Allison  Both the Doctor and his wife are members of the First Congregational Church of Conneaut.  He is also a member of the Knights of Pythias, of which organization he is Vice Chancellor.
(Transcribed from Biographical History of Northeastern Ohio embracing Ashtabula, Lake and Geauga Counties; published in Chicago: Lewis Publ. Co., 1893 - Page 856)