Aurora in Portage County, Ohio — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)
Ebenezer Sheldon
Ebenezer Sheldon (1754-1825) was born in Suffield, Connecticut. On April 19, 1775, he answered the “Lexington Alarm,” fought in the Revolution, and, in 1789, was appointed a captain in Connecticut’s militia. Following the Revolution, Sheldon, like many others, suffered financial hardships and sought a new beginning in the Western Reserve. In 1799, he established a homestead in Aurora and returned to Connecticut the following year to bring his wife Lovee and their six children to the area. A family legend relates that when Lovee saw the family’s home she “shed a few tears over the cheerless prospects” of her new life in the wilderness. [continued on other side]
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Ebenezer Sheldon was an agent for the Big Beaver & Cuyahoga Land Company. In the 1799 lottery for lands in the Western Reserve, the company drew Township #5 in Range #8 (Mantua), Township #5 in Range #9 (Aurora). Sheldon was responsible for the deeding of the land in Aurora. Sheldon’s original homestead was located on the Aurora-Mantua border. Sheldon was the township’s first Justice of the Peace, one of the first township trustees, and a founding member of the Congregational church. Sheldon’s circa 1805 “deed house” was relocated to city owned Pioneer Park in 2016.
Erected 2016 by City of Aurora Landmark Commission, The Ohio History Connection. (Marker Number 15-67.)
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Churches & Religion • War, US Revolutionary. In addition, it is included in the Ohio Historical Society / The Ohio History Connection series list. A significant historical date for this entry is April 19, 1775.
Location. 41° 18.755′ N, 81° 20.68′ W. Marker is in Aurora, Ohio, in Portage County. Marker is on East Pioneer Trail, 0.1 miles east of South Chillicothe Road, on the right when traveling south. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Aurora OH 44202, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 5 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. In Memory of Those (within shouting distance of this marker); The Church In Aurora (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); The Chillicothe Turnpike (approx. 0.3 miles away); Silver Creek Cheese Factory (approx. 0.9 miles away); Geauga Lake (approx. 2.9 miles away); Maple Sugaring (approx. 3.7 miles away); American Indians (approx. 3.7 miles away); Carlton & Flora Lowe (approx. 4.9 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Aurora.
Also see . . . Capt Ebenezer Sheldon. Find a Grave website entry (Submitted on August 19, 2018, by Mike Wintermantel of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.)
Credits. This page was last revised on February 24, 2024. It was originally submitted on August 19, 2018, by Mike Wintermantel of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. This page has been viewed 542 times since then and 79 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. submitted on August 19, 2018, by Mike Wintermantel of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.