Person:Justus Stearns (1)

1850 Census, Perry, Wood Co., OH (p. 393) 10/9/1850: Sterns, Justice, age 40 b. PA, Farmer

    Eliza, age 29 b. Canada
    Mary J. age 17 b. OH
    Silas, age 14 b. OH
    Harrison, age 12 b. OH
    John, age 11 b. OH
    Orin, age 9 b. OH
    Mary E., age 6 b. OH
    Sarah, age 4 b. OH

1860 Census, Perry, Wood Co. OH (p. 318): Stearns, Justice, age 50 b. PA, Farmer, $20,000 real estate $2300 personal estate

    Mary, age 34 b. OH
    John, age 21 b. OH
    Orrin, age 19 b. OH
    Mary, age 16 b. OH
    Sarah, age 14 b. OH
    Newton, age 10 b. OH
    Josiah, age 8 b. OH
    Benton, age 7 b. OH
    Dawson, age 6 b. OH
    Charley, age 4 b. OH

1870 Census, Perry, Wood Co. OH (p. 20): Stearns, Justice, 45 PA

    Mary, 48 OH
    Sarah A., 23 OH
    Josiah, 18 OH
    Benton, 17? OH
    Dorson, 15 OH
    Charles, 13 OH
    Wilson, 7 OH

Baker, Mary, 9 OH

1880 Census Place: Perry, Wood, Ohio

    Source:   FHL Film 1255078  National Archives Film T9-1078     Page 4C     
         Relation  Sex  Marr Race Age  Birthplace

Josiah H. STEARNES Self M M W 29 OH

    Occ: Farmer    Fa: PA    Mo: OH

Mary E. STEARNES Wife F M W 27 OH

    Occ: Keeping House  Fa: PA    Mo: OH

Emma STEARNES Dau F S W 6 OH

              Fa: OH    Mo: OH

John A. STEARNES Son M S W 2 OH

              Fa: OH    Mo: OH

Justus STEARNS Father M M W 70 PA

    Occ: Retired Farmer Fa: PA    Mo: PA

Mary STEARNS Mother F M W 59 OH

              Fa: ---   Mo: ---

Wilson STEARNS Brother M S W 16 OH

    Occ: Farm Laborer   Fa: PA    Mo: OH

Mima MYERS Other F S W 21 OH

    Occ: Keeping House  Fa: OH    Mo: OH

Isaac KOONS Other M W 25 OH

    Occ: Farm Laborer   Fa: MD    Mo: MDJUSTUS STEARNS (deceased). As one of the pioneer agriculturists of Wood county, a good citizen, and an enterprising and prosperous business man, the subject of this sketch held for many years a prominent place in the community with which his activities identified him. The family of which he was a worthy representative is an old one, and it is probable that the numerous branches in this country could all be traced to three brothers, Isaac, Charles and Nathaniel Stearne, who came from England in the ship "Arabella" with Gov. Winthrop, and landed at Salem, Mass., June 12, 1630. The spelling of the name has been changed by many from the original Sterne to Stearns, Sternes, Sterns, Starns or Stearnes. Richard Sterne, Archbishop of York during the reign of James II, was of this same family in England.

The late Justus Stearns was born in Clifford township, Allegheny Co., Penn., July 8, 1810, where his grandfather, John and William Stearns, Silas Otis and James Stearns, who were natives of Connecticut, had settled in the latter part of the eighteenth century. John Stearns reared a large family, among whom was a son James, our subject's father, who was born August 5, 1777. The family moved to Pennsylvania a few years later, where John Stearns died, his wife surviving him several years, and dying at the age of eighty years. James Stearns was married in Allegheny county, Penn., to Miss Abilene Hardin, a daughter of Amos Hardin, and settled upon the farm where our subject was born, remaining there until the fall of 1822, when he moved to a farm near Bloomingdale, Richland Co., Ohio, his household goods being transported by an ox-team in primitive fashion. He died there of lung disease, May 5, 1837, and his wife survived him until in September 1861, when she died in Berrien county, Mich., at the home of their youngest son. Both were members of the Baptist Church. While he made a comfortable living, he was not a man to accumulate great wealth, nor did he possess the robust physique with which his sons were endowed. Ten children were born to this estimable pioneer couple, the names with dates of birth being as follows: Lydia, January 6, 1804 (married James Wells, and died in Berrien county, Mich.); Amos, January 8, 1806 (he was a farmer in Troy township, DeKalb Co., Ind., where he died); Phoebe, January 21, 1808 (married Hiram Stevens, and died in what is now Morrow county, Ohio); Justus, July 8, i810; William, February 17, 1814 (he was a farmer in Chautauqua county, Kans., and died there) ; Rhoda, February 16, 1817. (married Asa Fields, and moved to Utah, where she died); Masena, March 24, 1819 (married, first, William Hebbert, and, second, Dayton Mills, and died in Berrien county, Mich., November 29, 1895); Wealthy, October 22, 1821 (married William Herbert (deceased), and resides at Bloomdale); Silas, March 15, 1823 (died in Berrien county, Mich.) ; and Otis, in February, 1829 (he is now a farmer in Berrien county). With the exception of Amos, all of the sons followed the political faith of their father, and were Old-line Whigs. Justus Stearns attended school at his native place for some years, but at the age of twelve he came to the new farm in Ohio, where the hard toil of pioneer life occupied his time. He was a strong, robust boy, and, his parents being poor, he often worked hard and late to obtain needed articles of clothing. His only capital was a strong constitution and a mind fertile in resources, but he managed to make his way in life and attain more than an ordinary degree of success. He was married, March 1, 1832, in Richland county, to his first wife, Miss Sarah A. Davis, and in the following year, he moved to Wood county with

576 - WOOD COUNTY, OHIO. his wife and one child, Mary J., and entered land in Section 31, Montgomery township. He made his home there in the midst of the wilderness, building his first cabin on the east branch of the Portage river, and many years of toil and privation were undergone before the forest became a well-ordered farm. Five children were born to his first marriage: Mary J., July 28, 1833 (now the widow of J. H. Bucher, of Perry township); Silas D., August 9, 1835 (resides in the State of Washington); James H., September 9, 1837 (died in Perry township in May, 1860); John A., July 6, 1839 (now resides in Bowling Green); Orrin, May 9, 1841 (died in Perry township). The mother of these died April 12, 1843, and was buried in West Millgrove cemetery. On July 3, 1843, Mr. Stearns was married, near Greensburg, Sandusky county, to Miss Eliza Cross, by whom he had five children: Sarah A., the widow of Wilson Patterson, of Weston, who died July 18, 1894; Newton and Nelson, twins, the former of whom is a farmer in Plain township, the latter deceased in infancy; and two other children who died at an early age. The mother died July 28, 1850, and on October 10, 1850, Mr. Stearns married Miss Mary Hall, a native of Fairfield county, born January 12, 1822, daughter of Joseph and Mary (Mills) Hall. Her great-grandfather came from Ireland at an early date. Five sons and two daughters were born of this union: Josiah H., a prosperous farmer, of Perry township; Benton, a farmer of Weston township; J. D. and C. D., prominent farmers of Perry township, and Wilson E., a well-known farmer of Plain township; Belle and Laura died in childhood. The mother of this family died April 16, 1887, and was buried in Weston. On July 17, 1888, Mr. Stearns was united in the bonds of matrimony for the fourth time, his bride being Mrs. Mary A. Keyes, whose maiden name was Schooley; she had been twice married, first to a Mr. Silverwood, and, second, to Samuel Keyes. She survives, and now resides in Bowling Green, in an elegant residence completed shortly before the death of Mr. Stearns. In the fall of 1850 Mr. Stearns moved to West Millgrove and built the first hotel in that place; but not liking that business he soon gave it up. In the spring of 1851 he traded his first farm to R. W. Kelly for a farm in Perry township, and some money to boot. Here he lived for more than thirty years, adding to his possessions from time to time until he owned over 700 acres. Soon after the completion of the B. & O. railroad through Deshler, Ohio, Mr. Stearns and his sons, J. H. and S. D., became interested in a town site there, and in various industries, mercantile and manufacturing, and also in a hotel enterprise, all of them requiring an outlay of many thousands of dollars. The ventures were attended with success for a time, but later proved a failure, leaving heavy obligations to be met. A forced sale of his extensive property would have caused serious loss, but with rare business sagacity he devised a way out of his difficulty. He sold to his sons, J. H. and S. D., some of his real estate located in Perry township for a good price, taking their notes, and, as they were of the energetic, clear-headed sort who can make the most of a chance when they get it, they promptly paid their notes as they matured, enabling him to pay his debts without serious inconvenience, the whole business reflecting credit on all concerned. Mr. Stearns possessed great foresight, and the debts of his own contracting were never the source of any trouble to him, his temporary reverses being caused through entanglement with the affairs of others. In 1885 he moved to Plain township, where he had bought a large tract of land, which was supposed to be worthless, but he improved it and sold it at a handsome profit. His last years were spent in Bowling Green, where he died September 8, 1888, and his remains now rest beside those of his third wife, at Weston. He was a man of great vitality and strength, and his feats of lifting at "raisings," in his prime, were remarkable. For over fifty years he was a member of the Disciples Church, to which he contributed liberally, and he was throughout his life a leader in any enterprise or movement which appealed to his judgment as likely to benefit the community.