Lewis S. Gurney
Lewis S. Gurney was born in Belfast, Me., on June 26, 1837, and when still a boy made the journey west to Ohio, which has become his native state. At the age of fifteen years he began to work as brakeman on the passenger trains of the Mansfield, Sandusky and Newark, which has since become a part of the Baltimore & Ohio railroad system and is known as the Lake Erie division of that road. He tells many interesting stories of railroading in those days. The passenger trains ran from Sandusky to Newark and return, but it took all day to make the trip one way. The train would leave Sandusky at 7 o'clock in the morning and the passengers would take dinner at the Depot restaurant, which stood about where the water works pumping station now is. He served about a year as brakeman and then went to work as a bridge carpenter for the same road. After working at this for about a year, he journeyed farther west to Iowa, where he met his future wife. Mrs. Martha Culver Gurney was born in Napoleon, Ind., on Feb. 14, 1838. Her parents later removed to Iowa, where she resided until her marriage. Lewis S. Gurney and Miss Martha Culver were married at Bloomfield, Ia., on March 17, 1856. They lived at that place until 1861, when they came to Ohio, taking up their residence at Bellville In the spring of 1886 they moved to Mansfield, and have since that time made their home in this city. Six children were born to the happy couple, but one J.F. Gurney, who died at Birmingham, Ala., Feb. 1, 1901, having departed from this life. Twins, W.C. Gurney, agent for the Adams Express Company at Delaware, O., and E.C. Gurney, with the National Biscuit Company, at Pittsburg, Pa., were born to the couple, while the other children were: Mrs. G.D. Cunningham, of Bellville; Mrs. A.H. McFarland, of Crestline, and Harry M. Gurney, ticket clerk at the Erie railroad office in this city.
From The Bellville Messenger, March 23, 1906, Vol. 14, No. 8