Benjamin C. Faurot
Benjamin C. Faurot was born in the State of New York on the 13th of October, 1829, and came to Lima in July, 1853. His wife is Helen A., daughter of Luke and Samantha Wells. Mr. Faurot's parents are David and Eleanor Faurot. They came to the county in 1861. His brothers and sisters are, Catharine, Harriet, Frederick, Gideon, Martha, Jane, Matilda, Margaret, George and Arthur. Mrs. F. has eight brothers and sisters.
From 1875 Historical Atlas of Allen County, Ohio, by H. H. Hardesty & Co. Publishers, Chicago.
Benjamin C. Faurot was born in New York State, October 13, 1829, and died September 7, 1904.
He was the son of a farmer and he worked on his father's farm in Marion County, Ohio, till he was 21 years old. When 24 years of age he was a hard working teamster in Kenton this was the time the Pennsylvania Railroad was projected through this part of the State. Lima, Findlay and Kenton were asked what inducements they could make to secure the road and, to the great advantage of Lima and Allen County, the great Pennsylvania Railroad was built through Lima. This fact induced Mr. Faurot to leave Kenton and come to Lima. He engaged in the livery business, starting in a barn situated in the rear of the Hume Property on South Elizabeth street, between Market and Spring streets. For 10 years he continued in this business and during the war turned his knowledge of horses to good account, selling large consignments of horses and mules to the government and in this way laying the foundation of his large fortune. In 1865 he was one of the incorporators of the National Deposit Bank, afterwards called the Allen County Bank.
At the time of the suspension of J. Cooke & Company, in 1873, Mr. Faurot was on the way to California. Realizing that this meant a monetary panic, he telegraphed to Lima for intelligence in regard to his bank. He was summoned home, where he found depositors crowding the doors. When the creditors saw Mr. Faurot's determination to carry the bank through the storm, even if he had to mortgage all he possessed, the panic subsided.
At one time Mr. Faurot cultivated 700 acres of land in and about Lima, much of which was later laid out in town lots which became very valuable. In 1882 Mr. Faurot built the Opera House which bears his name, and when completed it bore the distinction of being one of the finest west of the Alleghany Mountains. Mr. Faurot at this time established the Lima National Bank, which formerly was the Allen County Bank; acquired the ownership of the city's first street railway then a horse-car line and secured the exclusive control of the Lima Strawboard Company which was an enormous money maker. He was the president of the Strawboard Association of the United States. In 1885, after Findlay had found the great Ohio gas field, Mr. Faurot brought drillers to Lima, and in sinking a well on the paper mill property, in the hope of discovering gas, the initial oil-well of the Lima field was drilled in. It was not a great success in itself but it was the pioneer stake in an industry that has produced millions for Allen County and Northwestern Ohio.
After years of success, Mr. Faurot conceived the idea of becoming a railroad builder, and this marked the beginning of his long and disastrous financial reverses. He sold the strawboard works for $600,000 and began the construction of what is now the Columbus & Lake Michigan Railway, which, after years of litigation, he saw, before his death in operation between Lima and Defiance. He acquired a land concession in Mexico which placed in his hands the fertile Palomas tract of 2,700,000 acres with a liberal contract from the Mexican government for its colonization. He projected the Deming, Sierra Madre & Pacific Railroad which started in New Mexico, was to traverse the Palomas region, tap the mineral richness of the Chihuahua country and then reach tidewater to the west at Guamas. Before any of these gigantic enterprises were matured and before any of his hopes were realized, Mr. Faurot became enmeshed in endless litigation from which he never fully escaped, though he fought a gallant fight. With financial losses, came the loss of his wife and afterwards his daughter Carrie. He saw all his wealth slip through his fingers the Lima street railway system, the Lima Electric Light Company, the Faurot Block and the land about the city. for 10 years he endeavored to reestablish himself as a financial power, but it was not to be. He has three brothers living George Faurot, of Lima, Arthur Faurot, of Michigan and Gideon Faurot; also one daughter Mrs. Lillie Moore Lauferswiler, of Columbus, Ohio; and one adopted daughter Mrs. Charles F. Donze, of Lima.
Benjamin C. Faurot in the prime of his vigor and manhood was an heroic figure. To Lima he was not merely an aid but a benefactor. Much of his energy, determination and grit have been woven into the growth, development and prosperity of Lima. He could foresee with the eye of the seer the city's needs in the future. He planned and executed the scheme to establish a more commodious and a more beautiful resting place for the city's dead, and the result is seen in beautiful Woodlawn. The extensive park system which Lima will fully enjoy is a result of his plans and designs made, many years before financial reverses came upon him. Mr. Faurot was ever ready and willing to give his time and means for the advancement of the churches of the city, as well as the regular business interests. His charity was well known, and when the good of Lima was at stake he could always be relied upon. Lima needed stalwart men more in the days of his victories than now.
To-day the city has gone beyond the power of any one man. Whatever may have been his shortcomings, the average citizen of Lima will be ready to forget, and in the last struggles of Mr. Faurot to regain his lost financial prestige he will still be remembered as one of Lima's real benefactors.
From History of Allen County, Ohio and Representative Citizens, Part 2, Edited & Compiled by Charles C. Miller, Ph. D.; Richmond & Arnold, Publishers, Chicago, 1906