Jonas Henry Childs
1791 - 1875
Jonas H. Childs later known as Deacon Childs was born in Becket, Berkshire county, Massachusetts, February 18, 1791. In 1812 he was drafted into the army, and went to Boston; was soon discharged and returned home. In 1816 Jonas made a trip from Massachusetts to Ohio, making most of the journey on foot, Jonas arrived in Ohio and decided to buy a farm and land for his family in Geauga County. He purchased land from E. Wadsworth, in lot fifteen, tract two, to which he removed his family, in the winter of 1818. The family consisted of himself, wife and two boys, the eldest about three years old.Later in 1818 Jonas and his wife Lydia made the trip west from Becket using an ox cart and moved the family to Ohio. They and their sons, Jonas Milton and Albert Henry settled in Bainbridge, Geauga Co. Jonas was 3 years old and Albert was only a year old at the time. On their arrival here they occpied the house of Enos Kingsley (a half brother of Mrs. Childs) while a cabin was being built on their place, to which they removed in the spring, and occupied several years, when a large brick house was erected on the corners nearly opposite the residence of C. S. Sanderson. They resided in the new resifence until the marriage and removal from home of all their children.
Being left alone, and unable to do the work of the farm, Mr. Childs, in 1852, sold the house and removed to the center of the township, where he resided about fifteen years, when he went to live with his daughter, Mrs. A. Howard, on the homestead where Mrs. Childs died, August 4, 1868. Two years later he went to Kirtland to live with his youngest son, where he died, March 18, 1875, at the age of eighty four.
