Canfield in Mahoning County, Ohio — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)

Elisha Whittlesey

Photographed by Jenn Wintermantel, May 19, 2013

1. Elisha Whittlesey Marker - Side A

Inscription. Side A: On this site stood the home of Elisha and Polly Mygatt Whittlesey and their ten children. Also here was his law office and a records office that was moved in 1965 to Pioneer Village at the Canfield Fairgrounds. Already an attorney in his home state, Elisha (1783-1863) with Polly (1787-1855) emigrated from Danbury, Connecticut in June 1806 to Canfield in the Western Reserve where he was admitted to the Ohio bar and was prosecuting attorney from 1807 to 1823. During the War of 1812, Whittlesey was adjutant to Maj. Gen. Elijah Wadsworth and later a secretary to Gen. William Henry Harrison. Whittlesey opened a law office in Canfield in 1813, specialized in land cases, and was one of the founders of Norwalk, Ohio in 1815. In 1820, he was elected to the first of two terms in the Ohio General Assembly. (Continued on other side)

Side B: (Continued from other side) From 1823-1838 Whittlesey served in the U.S. House of Representatives, representing Trumbull, Portage, Geauga, and Ashtabula Counties. In Congress, he earned the nickname “Watchdog of the Treasury,” led Ohio’s delegation, and established the Whig

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party in the state. President William Henry Harrison appointed Whittlesey the auditor of the U.S. Post Office’s treasury in 1841, resigning in 1843. Appointed First Comptroller of the Treasury, he served from 1849-1857 under Presidents Taylor, Fillmore, Pierce and then from 1861-1863 under Lincoln. Whittlesey was active in the American Colonization Society from the 1820s-1863, helped to found the Mahoning County Agricultural Society (Canfield Fair) in 1847, and was general agent (1847) and later president (1855) of the Washington National Monument Association. He died in office in Washington D.C. and his body was accompanied to Canfield for burial by a wreath from First Lady Mary Todd Lincoln.

Erected 2011 by Canfield Historical Society, Robert H. & Maxine D. Neff and Family, and The Ohio Historical Society. (Marker Number 31-50.)

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Government & Politics. In addition, it is included in the Former U.S. Presidents: #09 William Henry Harrison, the Former U.S. Presidents: #12 Zachary Taylor, the Former U.S. Presidents: #13 Millard Fillmore, the Former U.S. Presidents: #14 Franklin Pierce,

Elisha Whittlesey Marker - Side B image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Jenn Wintermantel, May 19, 2013

2. Elisha Whittlesey Marker - Side B

and the Ohio Historical Society / The Ohio History Connection series lists. A significant historical month for this entry is June 1806.

Location. 41° 1.593′ N, 80° 45.663′ W. Marker is in Canfield, Ohio, in Mahoning County. It is at the intersection of South Broad Street (U.S. 62) and Newton Square Drive, on the right when traveling south on South Broad Street. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Canfield OH 44406, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in the Western Reserve

and in the Mahoning Valley.

It is also in the American Midwest.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Confederacy,

the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

and the Northwest Territory.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Canfield War Vet Museum (approx. 0.2 miles away); Canfield Township Hall (approx. 0.2 miles away); Canfield Green (approx. 0.2 miles away); The Mahoning Dispatch Building (approx. 0.2 miles away); Canfield Congregational Church / Canfield United Methodist Church

Elisha Whittlesey Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Jenn Wintermantel, May 19, 2013

3. Elisha Whittlesey Marker

(approx. 0.2 miles away); The Independent Order of Odd Fellows (approx. ¼ mile away); Canfield WPA Memorial Building (approx. 0.3 miles away); Canfield Christian Church (approx. 0.3 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Canfield.

Also see . . . Wikipedia Article. (Submitted on May 19, 2013, by Mike Wintermantel of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.)

Credits. This page was last revised on June 16, 2016. It was originally submitted on May 19, 2013, by Mike Wintermantel of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. This page has been viewed 1,399 times since then and 32 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on May 19, 2013, by Mike Wintermantel of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.