Early Settlers' July 22, 1901. The annual meeting of the Early Settlers' Association of Cuyahoga County was held at Association Hall, July 22, 1901. The meeting was called to order by the President, Hon. Edwin T. Hamilton. The chaplain, Rev. J. D. Jones, offered the following prayer: OPENING PRAYER BY CHAPLAIN JONES. Our heavenly Father, we thank Thee for all Thy blessings; we thank Thee for the enjoyment of Thy love; we thank Thee for Thy Son, our Saviour the Lord Jesus Christ; we thank Thee for what the gospel of Christianity has been to these venerable people who are assembled here today, and to those that have already gone before who had their homes upon this Western Reserve. We thank Thee, our Father, for their precepts and example; we thank Thee because through them we have been led to know Thee and love Thee; and we pray Thee that Thou wilt grant the richest benedictions of Thy love to rest upon this body of venerable people, and that their last days may be their sweetest and happiest in the experience of Thy love. We pray Thee that Thou wilt bless this organization, its officers and its members, and we pray to Thee this day that Thou wilt grant us while we have convened together here a special presence of the Spirit. We ask Thee, Father, that if there be any here that know Thee not, that Thou wilt so move upon their hearts by Thy spirit, that they shall make their calling and election sure. We thank Thee because Thou knowest no respect of persons, and that Thou hast promised that whosoever cometh unto Thee, Thou wilt in no wise cast out. We ask Thy blessing upon our sick members, wherever they may be today be Thou with them. Bless our city, our city officials and our State officials; bless the President of the United States, and all of our officials; prosper our country, and grant that we may become a people known more and more for Godliness and righteousness. We ask in a special manner that Thou wilt remember the Young Men's Christian Association, in whose hall we meet today; bless our churches and revive Thy work and work of Thy Son and the gospel throughout the length and breadth of our land. We ask the forgiveness of all our sins and for grace for every trial and every demand, and every victory of the cross of Jesus Christ that we may be permitted to participate in. Hear us, our Father, for Christ's sake. Amen. Mrs. Beatty, organizer of the Floating Bethel, and assistant to Chaplain Jones, then sang "The Beautiful City of Gold." The Ionic Quartet then sang "Auld Lang Syne." President Hamilton then delivered his annual address as follows: ADDRESS OF PRESIDENT HAMILTON. My Friends: In 1879 a few of the early settlers of this county organized The Old Settlers' Association, whose twentysecond annual meeting has now convened. From its organization to its present time its regular membership has increased from year to year, until its roster, as printed in its last year's annals, numbers of its living and dead 1,306 names, and during that period of twenty-two years the same record shows that death has diminished our ranks by the number of 649 persons. Assuming that the deaths of all who have passed away have been reported to our Secretary or otherwise come to his knowledge, which is quite uncertain, owing to removals from this locality or other causes, there now remains among the living barely one-half of all those who have been enrolled as regular members of this Association, but, assuming our records to be correct, there still remains of our living membership 657 persons. Since our last annual meeting, one year ago, 30 of our members have died. Of that number 10 of them deceased at between 80 and 87 years of age, and 16 between 70 and 80, leaving but 4 who had not reached the age of three score and ten years. No one of us who has been accustomed to attend the pioneer meetings of this Association will fail to remember the tall form and genial personality of John Walworth. Nothing ever prevented his attendance at our meetings, unless his presence was impossible. He was as usual present at our annual meeting last year, but on the 11th day of October last, with the departing rays of the setting sun, the earthly life of this veteran pioneer terminated at his home on Euclid Avenue, East Cleveland, in his 80th year. He was born in this city, August 11, 1821, in a small frame house on Superior Street, on a lot where the Leader Building now stands. From a notice of his death published in the Cleveland Leader, I learn that his paternal grandfather, John Walworth, came from New London, Conn., and settled at Painesville, Lake County, Ohio, in the winter of 1800, and erected the first house in that place, and soon after, in 1806, having received the appointment of Clerk of the Courts at Cleveland, removed here with his family and purchased and located on 300 acres of land now in the First Ward of this city. He also became Collector of the Port here, and at the time of his death in 1813 was postmaster of Cleveland. One of the sons of this elder John Walworth was Ashbel W. Walworth, the father of our deceased friend John Walworth. This Ashbel W. became also quite prominent in the early life and times of this city, and for fifteen years was superintendent of river and harbor improvements, and during that period is said to have obtained, in 1824 or soon after, the first river and harbor improvement for this port from congress, amounting to $5,000, and with it opened up the present mouth of the Cuyahoga River. He also was for a time Cleveland's postmaster. It is said also that he sold to Leonard Case one acre of land a part of which is occupied by the present post office building for the sum of $75.00, the buyer, however, advising him that he had better keep it, as he thought it might some day be worth $400 or even $500. The subject of this brief sketch was educated mainly in the schools of this city, with short terms at an academy at Elyria, O., and one at Strongsville in this county. He was an active member of No. 8 Cleveland Volunteer Fire Co. from 1852 to 1855. This company used the double-decked Agnew hand fire engine and was noted for its efficiency and the activity of its members in fighting fire whenever its services were needed. From 1845 to 1856, when it was disbanded, Mr. Walworth was a member of the Cleveland Light Artillery. In 1855 he bought and moved to his late home in East Cleveland. Prior to that time he was a constant resident of this city. For many years and up to the time of his death he was an active and valued member of the Executive Committee of this Association. From his birth when Cleveland held a population of less than 400 people, John Walworth was continuously in close touch with and has personally noted the rise and progress of Cleveland to the position of the metropolis of Ohio with a population of a little less than 400,000. He was indeed an observant pioneer in all the progressive growth and good works of this fair city. His has been a familiar form to all Clevelanders, as boy and man, for over three-quarters of a century, faithful to all his duties, a patriot in the midst of war, modest to a fault, never seeking preferment, and just, kind and lovable in all the varied relations of life and commanding the respect and veneration of all good people while living, he has in death left his descendants the valued legacy of a revered name, and as to this Association, which he so much. cherished, his name will ever remain upon the roll of our honored dead. At our last annual meeting at the earnest solicitation of your committee, we were privileged to listen to a very full, instructive and interesting address by Mr. R. T. Lyon of this city, but he, too, is now no more, having departed this life at his home, No. 60 Streator Ave., in this city, on March 1, 1901, at the age of 82 years. Born in Illinois in 1819, he came to this city in 1824, when five years of age, and has continuously resided here since. 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