Daniel Christopher Clifford

Daniel was the second son of John and Margaret (Milliman) Clifford. Daniel built the first farm building in the Wellington settlement. One day he invited all the men to assist in raising his new barn. In the brick oven, built on the brow of the hill, near the small log house, were baking a liberal supply of beans, corn bread, pies and cakes, prepared by his sister Theodocia. However, the ground suddenly caved in and precipitated the oven and its entire contents down the hill. The raisers' dinner that day was a "straight boiled dinner, without trimmings."

Knowing that her brother wanted a wife, Hannah (Clifford) Knox introduced Daniel to Sarah Hall, who had come to Brecksville in 1824. They were married at her parents' house in 1825 after their second meeting. He rode the only horse in Wellington the forty miles to Brecksville, and brought her to his little cabin, 16 x 24, with its puncheon floor, swinging crane, and bake pan. The area surrounding the cabin was full of bear, wildcat, deer, and also Indians, who scared Sarah dreadfully, but she never let them know it and she always fed them and treated them kindly. While her first child, Edward, was still a baby, an Indian stepped through the door, grabbed up the baby, and pretended he was going to dash his brains out against the log walls of the cabin. She made no outcry of any kind and he finally put the baby down and walked out and told her husband that he had a "Heap brave white squaw." Sarah did all the work for her large flock of children, made all the clothing, besides being a constant attendant at church. She was remembered as one of the remarkable pioneer women, full of energy, with a courage equal to all difficulties of existence in an unsettled country, and always cheerful and happy in every circumstance.

Daniel was a good farmer, blacksmith, wagon maker, carpenter, cooper and shoe maker. He was a strong man physically. Not one of his sons could cut off the small end of a log as soon as he could cut the large end. On his 85th birthday he was still so vigorous that he chopped a whole cord of wood. Daniel and Sarah lived to celebrate their Golden Wedding, and lived together eleven years after that. Four of their children also celebrated their Golden Weddings: Edward, Christopher, Harriet, and Charles. Sarah Hall descends from William Hall who emigrated from Wales and settled at Wallingford, CT in 1638.

Source: IGI. 1850-1880 census, Lorain Co., OH. 1900 census, Medina Co., OH. Lorain Co., Ohio Marriages. Ohio, the Crossroads of our Nation, Vol. 23 p. 178. Pioneer Women of the Western Reserve. History of Lorain County. Writings of Charles Thomas Clifford. Atlas of Medina Co. Information from Judith Noah-Summers and Mrs. Naomi T. Taylor, who has Sarah's name as Sarah Jane Hall, and her birth as 9 June 1802.