Sept 4, 1893
Sharon, Penna.
Memorandum
and some of the most important incidents of my life. I was born in France on the
18 th day of June 1828 and at the age of four years in the year 1832 my parents
emigrated to America. As told by my parents we come by wagon to Havre, and
thense by sailing vessel to N. Y. and were 65 days on the ocean, during which
time several of the passengers died of colery. When landed in N. Y. we were put
into quarentine for disenfecting and cleaning up before we dare proceed further.
The
family consisted of five children, four are living at the present time and their
ages range from 65 to nearly 80 years. One child died on the voyage between New
York and Buffalo and was buried there to be forgotten by these that loved her.
From N. Y. to Buffalo our journey was made by slow mode of travel, the state
canal. At Buffalo we remained for a few weeks, while father looked for a
location in this land but finding nothing to suit him and that part of the
country being infested with several tribes of Indians we set sail for further
west and come on a sailing vessel to Cleveland, Ohio and from there we come on
the Ohio canal to Massillon, Ohio. In the fall of the same year and being
strangers in a strange country, my Father did not know what was best to do and
we remained in Massillon by the advise of these that had been in this country
for a while and thought they had become wise. This in time exhausted most of the
gold that was left after the voyage and it was found necessary to do something
to save what was left so Father rented a small farm near Massillon and commenced
farming in the old country style and as soon as I was able to carry a basket of
eggs, butter and garden produce my sisters and I made trips to Massillon for the
sale of same. Made from one to three trips a day while the season lasted. As
soon as I was able to do some work which was when about twelve years old or the
year 1840, I worked for other parties for four dollars a month and took all the
money home to my mother. At the age of fourteen I went on the Ohio Canal as
driver at $8.00 per month during the summer season and in winter got a little
schooling in a little log house about three miles from home and in 1843 or 4 I
was sent to learn the shoemakers trade at the cross reads in the country. This I
could not stand, sitting and leaning foreward did not agree with me and I had to
quit it. The next move I made was to learn the blacksmith trade and after a few
months took sick and went home, when well again went on the Canal for a short
time and then went back and apprenticed myself for three years at 40.00 per
year. I this time stayed my full time and during that time my employer concluded
to come east to Sharpsville, Pa. and I come with him and finished up my time
with him from 1846 to 1848. In the winter of 1848 I felt anxious to see my
parents and other relatives who then lived near Ada, Ohio and I started from
Sharpsville in the month of Jan. to walk the whole distance between two and
three hundred miles. I stayed with them till spring in April and then walked to
Findlay and Tiffin where I had relatives and from there I walked home to
Sharpsville. On my arrival home I engaged to work at the Bell Furnace. The wages
was $l.OO per day and board which was big money at that time. I remained with
this company intill the spring of 1850 and then made another trip west. This
time I rode out in a wagon and walked back. On my return home I started a smith
shop for custom work in Sharpsville and in the same year get married to Adeline
Dunham who lived but a mile or so from Sharpsville. This union resulted in
twelve children being born to us of whom four are now living, two girls and two
boys. In the spring of 1852 I bought a piece of land on the road leading from
Sharpsville to Trout Corners being near where my wife was born. I done so by her
request. Here I built a smith shop and continued in the business for ten years
or till the spring of 1862. I found out the first year that I must do something
more to draw trade so in the spring of 1853 I put up a small wagon shop and
hired a wagon maker. This brought me trade and in the course of a year or so I
run quite a business and employed several men. The times were hard most of the
time and money come slow and some of it was not good when it did come but I made
a practice of saving state bank money and when I accumulated $100.00 I put a
label on it and marked it 100 and this I would never open again but kept it in
the dresser drawer in my bedroom for then there were no banks near to deposit it
in and when I moved to Sharon in the spring of 1862 I had 25 of these packages
worth $2500.00 and had my land and building all paid for. This was making money
slow but it was sure. Wages were low and everything else low but we all lived
well and were happy. In the spring of 1862 I moved to Sharon and bought the
corner on Dock st. opposite Walace and Carley Planning mill and started in wagon
making, smithing, building small coal cars and general jobbing. After two years
I sold a half interest in the business to C G Carver for 2500.00 and after one
year more we sold a third interest to M C Trout for 4OOO.OO and started the
Empire Planning Mills known as Runser, Carver and Trout. This partnership lasted
till the spring of 1868 at which time I sold my third interest to Carver and
Trout for 12,.500.OO and left the business.
During the term of our partnership, we done quite a business building and
furnishing lumber for buildings much as Mercer Court House, the Shenange House,
Thompson Block and Kimberly house. In the spring of 1868 I associated myself
with James Westerman, Wm. McGilvery and S. Kimberly and started what was known
as the Sharon Boiler Works of S. Runser and Co. The first contract was for
Mercer County, putting in 105 tons of iron in jail for doors, cells, ceilings
and shutters and grating. This job amounted to over 20.000.00. We next built the
Keel Ridge Furnace for S. Kimberly which was at that time one of the most modern
in the valley. Also built the first stack for the Valley Furnace and all the
boilers for Otis and Thomas of Cleveland. Also built 20 large upright boilers
for Coleman Westerman and Co. Built the Red Jacket Furnace in New Castle for
Wise and Co. Built the Lamont Furnaces for Ewing Boyle and Co. Uniontown, Pa.
and after built several large oil tanks in Butler Co. Pa. In 1869 or 70 I was
one of the operators of the Sharon Savings Bank and was elected one of the
Directors and served as long as the bank was carried on and I lost considerable
money by the bank being badly handled by those in charge. In 1871 or 2 I
associated myself with C. Porter and Baldwin West Co in the saw mill enterprise
in Indiana and in the final winding up of matters also lost money. In 1871 I
bought an interest in some furnaces in New Castle known then as the Crawford
Furnaces. My interest consisted of 156 shares of 100.00 each and I kept this
interest for seventeen years without dividends or interest and then sold it for
10,000.00 on three years time. In 1875 I sold my interest in the boiler business
to my partners and started in the business of making Iron from furnace slag or
cinder. The company consisted of myself, Wm McGilvery and James Westerman. We
located in Bazill, Ind. and during the summer of 1876 we made a360 tons of iron.
Had the iron been sold as soon as made we could have made a little money out of
it. We could then get from 18 to 20 dollars per gross ton for it but my partners
were for seeing men and kept the iron for several years and paid interest on a
large debt and then sold it at 9.50 a ton thus entailing a large loss. I came
home from Indiana and was idle for a short time and then engaged with Kimberly,
Cams and Co to inspect the iron daily at the different mills, Sharon, Greenville
and New Castle and hand in the reports to the Sharon office each day. After
about one year I was sent on the road to sell iron and did so for some time,
traveling mostly west as far as Wisconsin and Missouri. During this time I
invented a cotton tie. which I sold to Cook of the City of Washington for
2000.00. Got 250.00 cash down on same from cook and took other parties
obligations for the balance but in 1878 parties became embaressed and I never
got the rest of the claim. In the same year I engaged with Sam Kimberly to put
up some mining and crushing machinery in Colorado. I bought three car loads of
machinery in Nibs, Cleveland and Pittsburgh and had them shipped to Denver and
followed the same and from there I had them shipped to Boulder at the foot of
the mountains and then had them hauled twelve miles up till near the snow range.
After
machinery was erected and put in operation we found that the ore was not rich
enough and plant was not one of the proper kind to do the work and the scheme
failed. I left the plant up in the mountains and on the 4th day of July 1878 I
started for Leadville which was then just a new camp. I walked most of the way
and was seven days going over. In and around Leadville I spent the balance of
the year prospecting without success. I came home in the spring of 1879 after
spending a very cold winter in the mountains. I then leased ground and built a
shop to do general smithing and repairing and also added the sale of wagons and
agricultural goods to it but I soon found out that I could not make a success of
it and in 1881 I gave it up and closed up the business and started on the road
to buy scrap and iron for P L Kimberly and Co. and followed this for some time
traveling mostly east untill I was called home and sent to Greenville to assist
in erecting some new boilers and machinery. In the fall of l884 when this was
completed the firm become embaressed and the mill closed for some time and I was
idle till the following spring at which time he mill started again and I was put
in charge of the mill and managed same till July 1891 at which time my health
failed and I resigned my position and located in Sharon once more, A year or two
before this I made some improvements in boilers for puddling furnaces and
obtained a patent on same but they did not prove a success and I took them out
and converted them into an other kind which proved a success and I obtained
another patent on them and I now have eight of them in successful operation in
the Greenville Mills. The whole of them are 1000 horse power. For the last two
years my health has been so poor that I have not been able to do any labor and
have been experimenting on some improvements on boilers and steam fixtures and I
also have the models of three drawheads and have spent considerable money in
patents and experimenting. The time has seemed so long to me that I had to
employ myself at something to pass the time and make the dull moments pass
along. Viewing all matters in there true light in the course of human nature I
have now come to the conclusion that my course in this world is drawing to a
close. The disease that is praying on the constitution will sooner or later
compel me to surrender all earthly claims and launch into the unknown eternity
and take me from labor and trials to rest. In looking over my past life I can
see many sad mistakes I have made and many short comings but on the whole I feel
satisfied that matters stand as fair as they do with me for I feel that I have
never intentionally wronged anyone out of one dollar and I have enough of this
worlds goods to support me as long as nature will hold the spirit in this feeble
tenement of clay and I hope I will never be dependent on any of my friends or
relatives for support during my natural life for charity in many cases is
limited. I have not only tried to provide for myself but am carrying at this
time something over 12,000.00 life insurance for those that will be left behind
me and have paid premiums yearly for over 25 years on some of them. This will
demonstrate that I am not selfish or living wholly for myself or my own comfort.
Some of these whose duty should compel them to show more of the respect and
attention to me than they really do. I consider I have done my duty towards them
all as well as I could under the circumstances, considering the fact that there
were twelve children born to us of which eight have died as well as my wife. We
must consider that there has been some doctor bills and funeral expenses paid
during that time besides the hundreds of dollars I have spent for medical
treatment for myself in the last few years and am still compelled to do so daily
but still I have reason to be thankful that matters are even as favorable to me
as they are for many in this world are in worse condition than I am for they
have stood all the hardships that I have and have nothing left to support them
in their old days and are dependent on their children or friends for their
support and comforts in their last days. Were this the case with me it would
make me feel gloomy indeed for the poor health I have is as much as I can stand
without anything else to trouble me. I believe and trust by careful management
that I will have enough to keep me in comfortable shape as long as I will be
spared in this world and may be able to leave something for those that are left
after me whether it will be appreciated or not. I have always made it a rule in
my life to deal fairly with all parties and to be kind and courteous to all that
were to me and love those that loved me and with my enemies and those that
consider themselves far above me in their station in this life I passed them
unharmed. My faults have been many and I can see many places where I could make
improvements had I my life to live over but there is one consolation that I have
and that is this, I always guarded against letting my faults work injury to
those around me.. I am writing this sketch for two reasons. One is to put in the
time in my last moments and the other is that it may be of some interest to
these left after me and I hope it may be a benefit to some and injure no one. I
am naturally sensitive and often feel that some that are bound by nature have
not the feeling, love and respect for me that they should have but perhaps I am
mistaken, hope I am. I wish I could think so, it would relieve my mind to some
extent. Thus they know best themselves and I may never find out the true state
of things. I am well aware that the disease that has held of me will bring
matters to a close sooner or later but this does not make me shudder or
melencholy for I know that the common course of nature is death in the end. Let
it be by accident, social disease or a disease from some epidemic but while we
have our health we think but little of death but it will come to all sometime no
difference what our stations is in this life. The tall, the wise, the reverant
head must lie as low as ours. I have been afflicted for years and thought death
stared me in the face but yet I live while many have died during that time. More
are created to die and not live, hence, we should all make up our minds to that
effect and deal justly with our fellow men, be kind and courteous to our friends
that we may live in their memory after we have passed away. These are pleasant
thoughts to ponder over while we live and should possess the minds of all good
citizens to some extent. Let us live while we live for these that love and
respect us and pass our enemies by unnoticed and unharmed should be the motto of
all and then we could avoid many trials and troubles that daily attack mankind.
If all would adopt this motto there would be but few lawsuits and few disputes
and all would pass in more harmony and peace than under present make of doing
things. Mankind seems to be naturaly selfish in their nature and look too much
to their own interests regardless of the effects it might have on those that
surround them. Let us do good to all as far as it is in our power and harm to
none and in the end it will be a consolation to us.
S.Runser
was born near the city of Bail on the river Rhine, province of Alsace. Fathers
name, Seraphin Runser, Mothers name, Catherine Wickey, buried at Ada, Ohio.
Signed
Sebastian Runser