Eliza Rathbone Wetmore, 1791-1853
Eliza Rathbone Wetmore’s father, John Rathbone, acquired 4000 military land grant acres including all of Beechwold and much of Clintonville. John Rathbone gave Ohio a loan to build the Ohio canal and bequeathed 262 acres of land to his daughter Eliza. Eliza married Charles H. Wetmore, a physician, and the young couple settled in Clinton Township in 1819. Her land would eventually be purchased by the Columbus Zoological Company and would eventually become Old Beechwold. Some say that the stone pillars are the remains of the Wetmore driveway. (Courtesy of Columbus Metropolitan Libraries.)
Tags: First families
August 3rd, 2012 at 7:41 pm
John Rathbone’s will is of some historic interest. Having acquired 4000 military land grant acres definitely made him a member in good standing of General Washiington’s club. He never came to the Ohio Country, but accumulated considerable wealth while living in Manhattan and had an extensive estate. He had no sons but a number of daughters, and he specified the division of his estate to them and not their husbands. He did however, grant his son-in-laws the rights to pursue by all means necessary, the recovery of parcels of land in Manhatten he claimed had been stolen from him by Aaron Burr. Those were the days!