Kendal, Ohio
Encyclopedia
The plat for the town of Kendal, in Stark County, Ohio
was entered on April 20, 1812. It was named by its founder, Thomas Rotch (1767–1823), after the town of Kendal
, in Cumbria, England. Kendal was absorbed into the town of Massillon, Ohio
in 1853.
in 1811, bringing with them over 400 head of merino
sheep. It was Thomas' intent to create a manufacturing town with a woolen factory as a primary industry. They settled in the western part of Stark County
near the Tuscarawas River
and along a stream known as Sippo Creek. The Rotches were both from respected Massachusetts Quaker lineage and several New England families to followed them to their new settlement.
On April 20, 1812, Thomas Rotch entered a plat for the town of Kendal. He named it honor of a town of the same name in England's Lake District
for its significance to the Society of Friends and its renowned textile industry. It was oriented on the cardinal directions (due north, south, east and west) and made up of 102 lots and two greens. In April 1813, United States Postmaster General Gideon Granger
, granted a post office to Kendal, with Rotch as the postmaster. In 1815, Rotch expanded the town with an addition of 45 lots. Between the years 1813 and 1823, Kendal grew to include a sawmill, woolen factory, pottery, general store, brick yard, tannery, grist mill, powder mill, blacksmith shop and Quaker Meeting House.
Among Kendal's Quaker residents was former ship captain Mayhew Folger
and family. Folger's sister, Anna, and her husband Thomas Coffin also intended to settle in Kendal. The Coffins were the parents of Lucretia Coffin Mott
. Thomas Coffin visited Kendal in the fall of 1812, and in partnership with Mayhew Folger, signed contracts with a local resident to plant 50 acres of wheat. Coffin returned to his home in Philadelphia and died in 1815 before making the move to Kendal.
Thomas Rotch died in September 1823 and Charity died less than a year later. In June 1826, the Rotches' executor, Arvine Wales (1785–1854), arranged for the sale of the following property to an Owenite
society known as the Friendly Association for Mutual Interest:
Plans for the Ohio and Erie Canal
encouraged investors to establish the town of Massillon in 1826 - immediately southwest of Kendal, along the proposed canal route and Tuscarawas River. Massillon grew quickly, and the post office was transferred there in 1829. In 1853, Kendal was absorbed into Massillon as part of its village incorporation.
Stark County, Ohio
Stark County is a county located in the U.S. state of Ohio. As of the 2010 census, the population was 375,586. It is included in the Canton-Massillon, Ohio Metropolitan Statistical Area....
was entered on April 20, 1812. It was named by its founder, Thomas Rotch (1767–1823), after the town of Kendal
Kendal
Kendal, anciently known as Kirkby in Kendal or Kirkby Kendal, is a market town and civil parish within the South Lakeland District of Cumbria, England...
, in Cumbria, England. Kendal was absorbed into the town of Massillon, Ohio
Massillon, Ohio
Massillon is a city located in Stark County in the U.S. state of Ohio, approximately 8 miles to the west of Canton, Ohio, 20 miles south of Akron, Ohio, and 50 miles south of Cleveland, Ohio. The population was 32,149 at the 2010 census....
in 1853.
History
Thomas and Charity Rotch migrated to Ohio from Hartford, ConnecticutHartford, Connecticut
Hartford is the capital of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The seat of Hartford County until Connecticut disbanded county government in 1960, it is the second most populous city on New England's largest river, the Connecticut River. As of the 2010 Census, Hartford's population was 124,775, making...
in 1811, bringing with them over 400 head of merino
Merino
The Merino is an economically influential breed of sheep prized for its wool. Merinos are regarded as having some of the finest and softest wool of any sheep...
sheep. It was Thomas' intent to create a manufacturing town with a woolen factory as a primary industry. They settled in the western part of Stark County
Stark County, Ohio
Stark County is a county located in the U.S. state of Ohio. As of the 2010 census, the population was 375,586. It is included in the Canton-Massillon, Ohio Metropolitan Statistical Area....
near the Tuscarawas River
Tuscarawas River
The Tuscarawas River is a principal tributary of the Muskingum River, 129.9 miles long, in northeastern Ohio in the United States...
and along a stream known as Sippo Creek. The Rotches were both from respected Massachusetts Quaker lineage and several New England families to followed them to their new settlement.
On April 20, 1812, Thomas Rotch entered a plat for the town of Kendal. He named it honor of a town of the same name in England's Lake District
Lake District
The Lake District, also commonly known as The Lakes or Lakeland, is a mountainous region in North West England. A popular holiday destination, it is famous not only for its lakes and its mountains but also for its associations with the early 19th century poetry and writings of William Wordsworth...
for its significance to the Society of Friends and its renowned textile industry. It was oriented on the cardinal directions (due north, south, east and west) and made up of 102 lots and two greens. In April 1813, United States Postmaster General Gideon Granger
Gideon Granger
Gideon Granger was an early American politician and lawyer. He was the father of Francis Granger.Born in Suffield, Connecticut, Granger attended and graduated from Yale University and became a lawyer. He was considered a brilliant political essayist...
, granted a post office to Kendal, with Rotch as the postmaster. In 1815, Rotch expanded the town with an addition of 45 lots. Between the years 1813 and 1823, Kendal grew to include a sawmill, woolen factory, pottery, general store, brick yard, tannery, grist mill, powder mill, blacksmith shop and Quaker Meeting House.
Among Kendal's Quaker residents was former ship captain Mayhew Folger
Mayhew Folger
Mayhew Folger was an American whaler who captained the sealing ship Topaz that rediscovered the Pitcairn Islands in 1808. Only one of 's mutineers was still alive: Alexander Smith, whose alias was John Adams....
and family. Folger's sister, Anna, and her husband Thomas Coffin also intended to settle in Kendal. The Coffins were the parents of Lucretia Coffin Mott
Lucretia Mott
Lucretia Coffin Mott was an American Quaker, abolitionist, social reformer, and proponent of women's rights.- Early life and education:...
. Thomas Coffin visited Kendal in the fall of 1812, and in partnership with Mayhew Folger, signed contracts with a local resident to plant 50 acres of wheat. Coffin returned to his home in Philadelphia and died in 1815 before making the move to Kendal.
Friendly Association for Mutual Interest at Kendal
Thomas Rotch died in September 1823 and Charity died less than a year later. In June 1826, the Rotches' executor, Arvine Wales (1785–1854), arranged for the sale of the following property to an Owenite
Robert Owen
Robert Owen was a Welsh social reformer and one of the founders of utopian socialism and the cooperative movement.Owen's philosophy was based on three intellectual pillars:...
society known as the Friendly Association for Mutual Interest:
"2103 acres of land and 50 lots in the town of Kendal which included sawmill, woollen factory and one unimproved mill seat of 7 feet fall, a good brick house, buildings for a pottery establishment, one two-story house in Kendal more 150 acres improved near 100 more grubed and one good frame house and barn, two cabin houses, one small frame house"The trustees for the group, also known as the Kendal Community, signed a three-year mortgage for $20,000, for which they paid a $5,950 deposit. Ultimately weakened by debt and discord, the group disbanded in 1829 and its assets in Kendal were sold.
Absorption into Massillon
Plans for the Ohio and Erie Canal
Ohio and Erie Canal
The Ohio Canal or Ohio and Erie Canal was a canal constructed in the 1820s and early 1830s. It connected Akron, Summit County, with the Cuyahoga River near its mouth on Lake Erie in Cleveland, Cuyahoga County, and a few years later, with the Ohio River near Portsmouth, Scioto County, and then...
encouraged investors to establish the town of Massillon in 1826 - immediately southwest of Kendal, along the proposed canal route and Tuscarawas River. Massillon grew quickly, and the post office was transferred there in 1829. In 1853, Kendal was absorbed into Massillon as part of its village incorporation.