Comments on Cleveland Area History: Pioneer Post and Beam House - Threatened

Hi Blake! I changed my profile to show my email ad...

2012-02-02T11:20:54.403-05:00

Hi Blake! I changed my profile to show my email address, and I'd love to hear from you.

Christopher, I don't have much in the way of media, but I have been working heavily on the family tree. I can tell you that Elizabeth McIlrath - sister of the Samuel who married Betsey (Davis) Carlton and owned 15006 Westropp - married Nehemiah Dille. Nehemiah had a brother named Asa, b. 1788, whose wife was named Mary (for which Polly was a common nickname) and their children's names match those you listed above. So, the house was still 'in the family' for those years, for what that's worth.

The "Samuel and Sarah McIlrath" who owned the property between Samuel & Betsey and Asa & Polly are a mystery to me; there are several Samuels, but I don't have one married to a Sarah yet. Was this from a transcribed document, and/or are you able to access the original?

I'm always looking for information, and, as im...

2012-02-01T20:18:24.220-05:00

I'm always looking for information, and, as importantly, visual items that will help tell the story of our area. If you have photographs or other items dealing with the history of the McIlrath family, I'd love to see them.

Hi cousin Lin! How exciting to discover other McI...

2012-02-01T20:14:23.824-05:00

Hi cousin Lin! How exciting to discover other McIlrath descendants. The McIlraths were monumental in early Cleveland history and I'm equally as sad to see these old family houses in such disarray. Maybe we can swap some information sometime?

What a fascinating article. I too am a McIlrath de...

2012-01-29T00:02:08.482-05:00

What a fascinating article. I too am a McIlrath descendant, although branched off a bit further back - Samuel's father Andrew was the brother of my 4x great grandfather Alexander. I am familiar with the Pioneer Families book, and would be happy to share my McIlrath research. It's heartbreaking to see these old family houses in such a state.

I have been reading through this website - very in...

2012-01-23T22:52:25.171-05:00

I have been reading through this website - very interesting! I especially appreciate all of the history you are documenting about threatened houses. We are privileged to live in the oldest house in Amherst, Ohio, so this is all very interesting to read. Keep up the good work!

Thank you! If you come across anything on any of t...

2011-12-07T10:40:00.490-05:00

Thank you! If you come across anything on any of the other families in the neighborhood, I'd be interested in seeing that, too!

My cousin is the genealogist of the family and I m...

2011-12-07T10:36:39.601-05:00

My cousin is the genealogist of the family and I mentioned your blog to her after I read this yesterday. We're planning on getting together and I will see if she has any further information on the McIlraths. Love this stuff, you never know what you might find.

2011-12-07T10:33:44.420-05:00

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Wow. Do you have any old family documents / histor...

2011-12-07T09:34:06.859-05:00

Wow. Do you have any old family documents / histories / artifacts sitting around? I'd love to hear about them and the stories behind them!

Fascinating story about the early pioneers of Clev...

2011-12-07T09:24:28.383-05:00

Fascinating story about the early pioneers of Cleveland! I am a decendant of Samuel and Elizabeth McIlrath. How exciting to actually read about the family and their beginning. Now I can't wait to get a copy of Pioneer Families of Cleveland.

If you haven't already done so, try contacting...

2011-11-28T21:29:01.573-05:00

If you haven't already done so, try contacting Preservation Ohio (http://preserveohio.com/) or SHPO (http://www.ohiohistory.org/resource/histpres/). Either would probably know where and how to get the word out about these two houses. I know one preservation/architecture magazine I used to read includes a few pages of endangered properties for sale in each issue.

If the posts and beams aren't compromised then...

2011-11-24T08:42:32.155-05:00

If the posts and beams aren't compromised then the house can be saved. Check out timber framing from this old house or there are specialized companies that build tf homes today

What a shame that this home is going to waste. No ...

2011-11-24T00:20:37.275-05:00

What a shame that this home is going to waste. No one can see past the modern excrescences. New Haven was very similar--lots of old homes, but even in "restored" areas, their survival is a struggle. (I just posted about one large home there that didn't make it.)

This is an impressive and thorough research job. The basement and behind-the-front-door shots, with just a little squinting, can put you back in time and show what a quality restoration could be achieved.

Happy Thanksgiving.
--Road to Parnassus

Mandy - The possibility hadn't even crossed my...

2011-11-23T17:25:15.102-05:00

Mandy - The possibility hadn't even crossed my mind. Do you think that there'd be interest outside the immediate region?

Christopher are you cross posting to national webs...

2011-11-23T17:20:10.328-05:00

Christopher are you cross posting to national websites of homes that need to be saved? Would that be helpful or are potential buyers likely to be local? Does such a website exist?