Linus Reed
Linus Reed, farmer, P. O. Deerfield, was born March 30, 1815, in Deerfield Township, this county, son of William and Mary (Middlesworth) Reed, whose history appears elsewhere in this work. Our subject attended the school taught by his father, and held in the log-schoolhouse erected by the latter, and resided on the old home farm until his marriage in 1838, in Stark County, Ohio, with Sarah B., daughter of David Swaine, and a native of New Jersey. To this union were born two children, Mary A. (deceased) and Ardelia. Our subject is a self-made man; commencing with but $50, he has accumulated a comfortable competency. He taught school for fifteen terms at $12 per month, and from his savings made his first purchase of land at $9 per acre; for his next purchase he paid $30, and the residence which he is now building to replace one destroyed by fire will cost $1,800. When he first settled on his present farm it was covered with woods, which had to be cut away to make room for his log-cabin. His first purchase was twenty-six acres, to which he added seventy-two, and he has also bought lands elsewhere which he disposed of advantageously. Mr. Reed is one of the oldest residents of Deerfield Township. He is a member of the Presbyterian Church.
From History of Portage County, Ohio, Warner, Beers & Co., Chicago, 1885