by Kathy Petras
In many ways, Meroa ANDREWS was a typical 19th century Victorian woman. (No photograph has been found of her.)
And as often was the case in this time period, she was often defined by her relationship to others.
She was the daughter of Sheriff Morgan Andrews.
She was the sister to Civil War soldiers, Addison and Morgan Andrews and also to the Girard, Pennsylvania bank president, Fairman Andrews.
She was an employee of A.I. Root.
She WAS all those things. But she was also much more.
She was:
- A teacher
- An inventor
- An entrepreneur
- A Librarian
Some amazing accomplishments for a Victorian era lady.
Let's take a closer look at the life of this remarkable woman.
Meroa was born in 1838 in Schoharie County, New York. She was the fourth child of Morgan ANDREWS (1816-1867) and Esther LEVALLEY (1809-1846):
- Sarah L. ANDREWS (1830-1910) BROOKS
- Addison P. ANDREWS (1833-1896)
- Fairman ANDREWS ( 1835-1910)
- Meroa ANDREWS (1838-1910)
- Morgan ANDREWS ( 1843-1862)
In the mid 1840's the family moved to Hinckley Township, Medina County Ohio. Shortly after that, in November 1846, Esther died. With small children in the household, Morgan quickly remarried to Cordelia BROOKS (1828-1908) in October of 1847. Cordelia was only 2 years older than Sarah, Morgan's oldest daughter.
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1857 Plat Map of Medina County Ohio from the Library of
Congress. This excerpt is from the northwest corner of
Hinckley Township. |
In the 1850 Census, the ANDREWS family is enumerated in Hinckley Township. Morgan's occupation is "tailor".
In that same year, Morgan buys his first property in Medina County, a 1 acre plot.
Sarah ANDREWS married Ransom BROOKS in 1852. Ransom (aka "Doctor") was Sarah's step-mother's older brother!
Two more children were added to the family with the birth of Meroa's half-brothers, Finley in 1855 and Charles in 1863.
The family's residence and fortunes were about to change. In 1858, Morgan was elected as Medina County's Sheriff and they moved to Medina Village. How do you go from being a tailor to being the county sheriff?
The 1860 Census of Medina lists Morgan as the county sheriff and Meroa (listed as Maria) is a "C S Teacher" There are two non-family members listed in the household. Christopher Breeman is a farmer who is listed as "insane" and John Reed is a convict. Unfathomable to modern minds that the sheriff would house these men in his home with his family. Both were probably awaiting transportation to more permanent facilities.
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| 1860 Census for the Village of Medina, Medina County, Ohio. |
While Meroa's occupation may look like "C P Teacher", if you compare the second letter to how "Sheriff" is written two lines above Meroa's listing it becomes obvious that it is "C S Teacher". "C S" stood for common school, comparable to elementary schools today (For more on Medina City's schools see this blog from December 21 2021 Medina City Schools We don't know which of Medina's three common schools Meroa taught at.
We do know that it was far enough away from the Andrews home for her little brother Morgan to drive her during inclement weather. He mentions it three separate times in his diary during the early months of 1862. To find out more about Morgan Jr's diary view this blog from December 2018 Touching History. These rides were probably a very poignant memory for Meroa. Morgan joined the Union Army and died in Cumberland, Maryland of disease in July 1862.
Sometime early in 1867, Morgan Sr. died and was buried in Bennetts Corner. His widow, Cordelia was relatively young at the age of 39 and had small children to raise. She remarried to George Houck in November of the same year.
Sometime during 1860-1870, possibly after her father's death, Meroa had a change of occupation. In the 1870 census, she is living in the household of a very prominent Medina business man:
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| 1870 Census, Medina Village, Medina County, Ohio |
Meroa is working in a "Rings & Chain Factory" and living in the household of Amos Ives Root! They had a business relationship that spanned many years.
In 1872, Amos & wife Susan, named their third child Constance Meroa Root. AND A.I. and Meroa took out patent #128,072 for an improvement in bee hive frames in same year!
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| Patent 128,072 with Meroa's name right next to A.I. Root's |
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Front page of their accepted Patent application
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For those of us who cannot read the design, the Medina Gazette published an article that describes how the improved frame works:
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| Medina Gazette 28 June 1872 p. 1 |
A few short years later, Meroa left the A.I. Root Company:
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| Medina County Gazette June 18th, 1875, page 3. |
Meroa kept busy.
When the Medina Circulating Library Society was formed in 1877, she was among the founding members, serving as the Librarian for nearly ten years (1882-1891) at a salary of $20 per year. She housed the books in her jewelry store.
Then, she sold queen bees, advertising them in the early editions of A.I. Root's Gleanings in Bee Culture:
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Gleanings in Bee Culture Vol 7 issue 6 June 1879 page 4.
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In the same issue, A.I. was advertising that he would buy quality Italian queen bees.The 1880 Census finds Meroa and her niece Carrie (brother Fairman's daughter) boarding in the home of Archibald Matteson, Life and Fire Insurance Agent (later the Ohio Farmers Insurance and currently Westfield Insurance).
And in the 1880's these advertisements were in every edition of the Medina Gazette:
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| 1880 Oct 15th Medina County Gazette Page 7 |
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1880 Oct 15th Medina County Gazette Page 2
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| 1881 Feb 18th Medina County Gazette Page 4 |
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1883 May 4th Medina County Gazette Page 4
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| Medina County Gazette March 23rd, 1883, page 8 |
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Medina County Gazette November 18th, 1887, page 5
Besides serving as the Librarian, Meroa was also
the treasurer. |
When she wasn't busy inventing things or running a library and a jewelry store, or teaching the ladies of Medina how to knit lace, Meroa was busy visiting friends and relatives. Meroa's friends were the upper echelon of Medina society: Cora Munson, the McDowells, A.I. Root, and the Barnards. Among the trips noted in The Gazette:
- 1875 - After leaving the A.I. Root Company, Meroa visited her sister Sarah BROOKS in Mankato, Minnesota from May to September.
- 1885 - Along with Sarah Smith she traveled to West Virginia to visit their friend Josephine Manning, who was dying.
- 1893 - In June she visited her brother Fairman in Girard, Erie County, Pennsylvania. Fairman became the president of The National Bank in Girard.
- 1898 - Meroa joined Cora MUNSON and Bertha BARNARD in an outing to Put-In-Bay. A good time was had by all.
- 1899 - In September, Meroa's sister-in-law died in Pennsylvania and Meroa traveled to the funeral. When she returned, she brought her niece Carrie with her. She sold off her jewelry store stock, intending to move to Girard to live with her brother. Fairman arrived in October to bring Carrie back home. Meroa moved out of her Medina lodgings and visited with friends in Elyria and Berea before moving to Pennsylvania. In November she attended the Opera in Cleveland with Miss Cora Munson, Mrs. Chris Griesinger, Mr. & Mrs. B.L. Wells & Halcyon Wells. Finally she left for her "future home" with her brother.
- 1900 - Meroa again "visited" her sister in Mankato and returned two years later in December 1902.
- 1906 - In October, Meroa joined a "Trolley Party" from Medina to the Hotel Morton in Seville for some fine dining. The party included Mmes. R.M. & O.H. McDowell, H.G. Rowe, Blake McDowell, Bessie Hewes and Hattie Elder.
Meroa has not been found in the 1900 census. Theoretically, she should be living with her brother, Fairman, in Girard, but she isn't listed with him. She also isn't listed with her sister in Mankato, Minnesota. Neither is she in the Medina or Cuyahoga county censuses. The census was taken in the early part of June in 1900.
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| Medina County Gazette, June 28th, 1900, page 3 |
This June 28th article indicates that Meroa did live with her brother for a short time, but returned to Ohio, settling in Berea. It was possible she was traveling at the time that the census was taken and she was missed completely.
In 1903, at the age of 65, Meroa once again set up a business in Medina.
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| Medina County Gazette, May 22nd, 1903, page 3. |
Once she returned to Medina, Meroa resided as a boarder in various homes:1903 -
- 1903 - In February she had rooms at S.G. Barnard's home
- 1904 - She moved into the L.S. Smith house
- 1910 - On 15 April, the census counted Meroa among the household members of Alonzo Case, 412 Lafayette Rd. in Montville Township.
Finally, on May 2nd 1910, just two weeks after the census was taken and after losing her sister Sarah and brother Fairman earlier in the year, Meroa died at the home of Clara Wheatley at 303 East Washington. The Wheatley home is just one block east of the Medina Library, whose genesis Meroa contributed to.
The end of the life of a Victorian Medina Lady who was so much more than what could be found in records.
