Albert Benson was born in Monroe Center on 12 Sep 1861, the oldest son of Julius and Delia (Davis) Benson.
He grew up in Monroe and played on the Monroe ball team with his brother, Jed, and other young men of the township (see Jeremiah C). On March 21, 1889 he married LaVona Howard, daughter of Lewis and Jane (Southard) Howard who was also born and raised in Monroe Township. They had three children: Clara E, 18 Apr 1890 (m. Herbert W Munger); Julius M, 7 Nov 1891 (m. Florence Evans); Xymenia, 19 Apr 1898 (m. Harold "Tub" Wright).
Albert owned and ran a dairy farm on Turnpike Rd (Stanhope-Kelloggsville) in Denmark Township. He was also an auctioneer and justice of the peace, administering estates, taking care of taxes and insurance, etc., and is said to have been a "no-nonsense" individual and widely respected for his fairness. On one occasion he was asked to marry a couple who wished to exchange wedding vows in front of their barn, the guests of honor being their favorite team of mules!
His wife, Vona, died of blood poisoning when Mena was two years old and Albert was left to raise the children alone, also taking in his niece, Kathy Gee, when her mother died. He reportedly cooked, cleaned, washed clothes, etc., for years, refusing to remarry until the children were grown.
Julius and Mena attended school in Jefferson, their means of transportation being a buggy with Albert's favorite horse, Blossom, hitched to it. Due to the great distance, they boarded in Jefferson during the week. When the children reached school, they would hang a sign on the back of the buggy and turn Blossom loose. Blossom and the buggy would amble the many miles back home, uninterrupted by the passersby who, when they read the sign, "DON'T STOP ME, I'M GOING HOME", let her go on her way. People in the area eventually came to know the horse and empty buggy and paid no attention to it. When Blossom finally reached the farmyard, she would let out a big whinny to let Albert know she was back home.
Ben Talkington, who lived across from Albert's nephew, Rockford, on Route 7, had a scrubby old mule who would wander over to Rockford's garden all the time. Not content to walk through it, he would roll over in the dirt, tearing things up and smashing plants. One night, Pete Brydle and a few others decided to get rid of the problem once and for all so they stole the mule and took it to Albert's barn, tying it in Blossom's stall, hiding her in another spot. Needless to say, Albert was quite shaken up the next morning to see a mangy old mule in the stall instead of his beloved Blossom. The mule eventually ended up at the glue factory after some heated family discussions on how to rid themselves of the problem.
In later years, he is reported to have given his daughter-in-law's mother the nickname Blossom because he said she was "good and faithful" like his horse.
He was known to love food, and would pour the cream from a 10 gallon milk can to drink for breakfast. He would also open gallon cans of pineapple or other fruit and once brought a gallon of fresh oysters to Rockford's house, preparing them himself. He never hesitated to invite anyone who walked through the door to sit down and eat with them, even if it happened to be a salesman who was a complete stranger.
After the children were grown, he married Emma Richardson, whom he had known all his life. Before the marriage, they both agreed to share expenses and keep their property and money separately -- something like the modern-day marriage contracts.
(from "History of Ashtabula County" by Martha Stump Benson, p. 183)
Albert and LaVona's children:
Albert Benson was born in Monroe Center on 12 Sep 1861, the oldest son of Julius and Delia (Davis) Benson.
He grew up in Monroe and played on the Monroe ball team with his brother, Jed, and other young men of the township (see Jeremiah C). On March 21, 1889 he married LaVona Howard, daughter of Lewis and Jane (Southard) Howard who was also born and raised in Monroe Township. They had three children: Clara E, 18 Apr 1890 (m. Herbert W Munger); Julius M, 7 Nov 1891 (m. Florence Evans); Xymenia, 19 Apr 1898 (m. Harold "Tub" Wright).
Albert owned and ran a dairy farm on Turnpike Rd (Stanhope-Kelloggsville) in Denmark Township. He was also an auctioneer and justice of the peace, administering estates, taking care of taxes and insurance, etc., and is said to have been a "no-nonsense" individual and widely respected for his fairness. On one occasion he was asked to marry a couple who wished to exchange wedding vows in front of their barn, the guests of honor being their favorite team of mules!
His wife, Vona, died of blood poisoning when Mena was two years old and Albert was left to raise the children alone, also taking in his niece, Kathy Gee, when her mother died. He reportedly cooked, cleaned, washed clothes, etc., for years, refusing to remarry until the children were grown.
Julius and Mena attended school in Jefferson, their means of transportation being a buggy with Albert's favorite horse, Blossom, hitched to it. Due to the great distance, they boarded in Jefferson during the week. When the children reached school, they would hang a sign on the back of the buggy and turn Blossom loose. Blossom and the buggy would amble the many miles back home, uninterrupted by the passersby who, when they read the sign, "DON'T STOP ME, I'M GOING HOME", let her go on her way. People in the area eventually came to know the horse and empty buggy and paid no attention to it. When Blossom finally reached the farmyard, she would let out a big whinny to let Albert know she was back home.
Ben Talkington, who lived across from Albert's nephew, Rockford, on Route 7, had a scrubby old mule who would wander over to Rockford's garden all the time. Not content to walk through it, he would roll over in the dirt, tearing things up and smashing plants. One night, Pete Brydle and a few others decided to get rid of the problem once and for all so they stole the mule and took it to Albert's barn, tying it in Blossom's stall, hiding her in another spot. Needless to say, Albert was quite shaken up the next morning to see a mangy old mule in the stall instead of his beloved Blossom. The mule eventually ended up at the glue factory after some heated family discussions on how to rid themselves of the problem.
In later years, he is reported to have given his daughter-in-law's mother the nickname Blossom because he said she was "good and faithful" like his horse.
He was known to love food, and would pour the cream from a 10 gallon milk can to drink for breakfast. He would also open gallon cans of pineapple or other fruit and once brought a gallon of fresh oysters to Rockford's house, preparing them himself. He never hesitated to invite anyone who walked through the door to sit down and eat with them, even if it happened to be a salesman who was a complete stranger.
After the children were grown, he married Emma Richardson, whom he had known all his life. Before the marriage, they both agreed to share expenses and keep their property and money separately -- something like the modern-day marriage contracts.
(from "History of Ashtabula County" by Martha Stump Benson, p. 183)
Albert and LaVona's children:
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