Finding aid for the Ellsworth, Forbush, and Boyd families papers

Biography of Ellsworth, Forbush, and Boyd families

John Ellsworth (1762-1875), son of Thomas Ellsworth (1735/36-1815) and Hannah Eaton Ellsworth (1729-1769), was born in Torrington, Connecticut. He served in both the Revolutionary War and the War of 1812. He moved to Hudson around 1820. In Hudson, he was a merchant in the firm Hamlin and Dawes, which later became known as Hamlin and Ellsworth, and later, Ellsworth and Buss. John, Sr., married Anna Birge Ellsworth (1764-1828), and they had nine children.

Elisha Ellsworth (1785-1859), son of John Ellsworth (1762-1848) and Anna Birge Ellsworth, was born in Torrington, Connecticut, and moved to Hudson, Ohio, with his parents, probably before 1820. In Hudson, Elisha worked as a customs agent. After falling into frozen Lake Erie while pursuing smugglers, Elisha had to have both of his legs amputated. Elisha married Elizabeth Oviatt (1786-1859) of Goshen, Connecticut, and together they had five children: Harriet A. (1809-1893), Augustus (1812-1892), Edgar Birge (1815-1883), Cynthia (1817-1819), and Marcus (1825-1898). Edgar Birge was the father of Hudson benefactor James W. Ellsworth (1849-1925).

Elisha's oldest son Augustus (1812-1892) was in the coal business. Augustus married Harriet Newell (1817-1899) in 1836. Harriet's father was Aaron Wilcox (1772-1827), one of the twins for whom Twinsburg, Ohio, is named. Augustus and Harriet had five children: Charles (1838-1905), Elijah (1842-1865), Edwin (1844-1845), Harriet (1853-1910), Elisha M. (1855-1929). Augustus' daughter Harriet married John Harter (1851-1910).

Elisha M. Ellsworth married Emma Bishop (1857-1930) and they had one child, Grace Emma (1881-1903). Grace Ellsworth married Elmer (Wallis) Forbush (1872-1937). Elmer Forbush was born to parents Levi and Clora Wallis. When his mother died at the age of three, he went to live with Jonathan and Elizabeth Forbush in Hudson. Grace and Elmer had two children: Scott (1904-1984) and Louise (1906-1996).

Scott Forbush attended Western Reserve Academy in 1920 and went on to get a degree in science from Case Institute of Technology in 1925 and later earned a Master of Science degree at Johns Hopkins. After graduation, he took a job with the Department of Terrestrial Magenetism, where he was stationed in Huancayo, Peru, and was responsible for measuring electric currents within the earth. His research led him to observe that a powerful electrical current encircles the globe along the magnetic equator. This research would eventually lead him to discover solar flares, which became known as a "Forbush decrease/effect." He married Clara Lundell (d. 1967) in July 1932. During World War II he was the head of the Naval Ordnance Laboratory and also served in the Office of Scientific Research and Development in Washington. In 1970, he married Julie Daves. Throughout his career, Scott was the recipient of numerous awards and honors for his scientific research. He lived for most of his life in Chevy Chase, Maryland, and then moved to Charlottesville, Virginia, where he died in 1984.

Grace and Elmer Forbush's daughter Louise married Morris "Mike" LaRue Boyd (1905-1986) in 1930. Except for their first year of marriage, Louise and Mike lived in Hudson for their entire married life. Louise attended Western Reserve Academy and later went to Oxford College for Women. She also studied at Spencerian Business College in Cleveland. She was a lifelong Hudson resident and took a personal interest in the history of Hudson. Mike was born in Missouri. He was enrolled at the University of Missouri, but eventually left to go work for Davey Tree in Kent, Ohio. In 1928, he took a job with Ohio Bell as a telephone installer where he worked for 38 years. He was active in the community and ran for township trustee in 1953, and won. After retiring from three terms as trustee, he was elected to the Ohio House of Representative, serving for three terms.

Scope and Content

The Ellsworth, Forbush, and Boyd families papers consist of correspondence, collected documents, diaries, photographs and writings of several generations of this family. The collection has been organized into five series, primarily organized by family: Ellsworth family, Harter family, Forbush family, Boyd family, and unidentified photographs.

Statement of Arrangement

Restrictions on Use

The collection is open for research use.

Restrictions on Access

The collection is open for research use.

Indexing Terms

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

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Preferred Citation

[Box number], [Folder number], Ellsworth, Forbush, and Boyd families papers, Hudson Library & Historical Society

Processing Information

The collection was processed by Alexandra Coley and Polly Reynolds in 2010.

Detailed description of the Ellsworth, Forbush, and Boyd families papers