Finding aid for the Heman Ely Papers

Biography of Heman Ely

Heman Ely (1775-1852) was born in West Springfield, Massachusetts, on April 24, 1775, to a family which first came to Massachusetts from England in the seventeenth century. Though Ely apparently did not attend college, he assumed an active role in family business affairs traveling widely, for instance, in Europe on business with his brother Theodore. One of his journals written while residing in Paris in the years 1809-1810 remains a valuable account of France in the Napoleonic Era.

In 1811 he traveled to Ohio to inspect tracts of land in the Western Reserve owned by his father, Justin Ely. This done, Ely returned to Massachusetts. Five years later, however, he returned to Ohio and made arrangements for settling there. During this visit he had built the saw mill and grist mill that he would run as commercial enterprises. After seeing to these affairs Ely went back to Massachusetts for a short period. There would be one more round trip in 1817-1818 during which he married Celia Belden in West Springfield on October 9, 1818. The two left for Ohio and settled permanently in 1818.

Settling in what is now Elyria, Ohio, Heman Ely owned twelve thousand acres in and around the town. Ely played an important role in Elyria's growth. When the post office was established in 1818 Ely became the town's first postmaster. He also proved instrumental in getting the Ohio legislature to create the county seat in 1822.

In the 1820s and 1830s Ely expanded his commercial ventures. In addition to operating the saw mill and grist mill he became a partner in a store with Norris O. Stow and Theodore W. Ely. In 1829 Heman Ely founded the Lorain Gazzette, the first newspaper in Lorain County. On of his few unsuccessful ventures came in 1832 when in conjunction with Isaac Johnson he founded the Lorain Iron Company to smelt iron ore. The enterprise failed, and Ely lost over $12.000. Apparently, this proved no great setback for in 1845 he was one of the founders and the first president of the Lorain Bank in Elyria, a post he retained until 1849.

While engaging in commerce Heman Ely did not neglect public duties. In 1830 he became one of the incorporators of Elyria's first high school. Also in that year he began to sit as a judge on the bench of the Court of Common Pleas, retaining that position until 1845.

Heman Ely married three times. His first marriage to Celia Belden produced three children, Heman, Albert, and Mary. In 1828 he married Harriet Salter of Mansfield, Connecticut; their only child was Charles Arthur. Ely's final marriage was to Cynthia Sergeant of Stockbridge, Massachusetts, in 1848; the couple had no children. Heman Ely died in Elyria on February 2, 1852.

Scope and Content

The Heman Ely Papers, 1809-1850 and undated, consist of a personal diary and typescripts of that diary; letterbook, outgoing and incoming correspondence; estate books; legal documents; tax lists; post office accounts; and other personal accounts kept by Ely. Other materials relate generally to Ely's commercial concerns such as store accounts and day books, ledgers, and an index to a ledger. Also included are the accounts of the saw mill and the grist mill; and day books and other records of the Lorain Iron Company.

The papers in this collection relate primarily to the early history of the Western Reserve, particularly to Elyria and Lorain County. Much of the material pertains to business practices and industry during the early to mid-nineteenth century. Of special interest are the materials relating to the Lorain Iron Company, an early industrial venture in Lorain County. Also of importance is Heman Ely's Paris diary which provides insight into conditions in Napoleonic France during the years 1809-1810. Those studying the history of business, industry, and entrepreneurship in Elyria, Lorain County, the Western Reserve, and Ohio will find this collection useful.

Statement of Arrangement

Restrictions on Access

None.

Indexing Terms

The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the library's online public access catalog.

Subjects:

Preferred Citation

[Container ___, Folder ___ ] MS 2390 Heman Ely Papers, Western Reserve Historical Society, Cleveland, Ohio

Acquisition Information

The provenance of this collection is largely unrecorded, with the exception of the Paris diary which was a gift of Arthur P. Williamson in 1969.

Processing Information

Processed by Robert Johnson-Lally in 1978.

Detailed Description of The Collection