The daughters of Benjamin Cahoon (back row) pose with the children of Joel Cahoon (front row) at Rose Hill. The Cahoon Barn (now the Community Center) can be seen in the distance. This group portrait was likely taken at the Cahoon reunion seen in frame #22. Of Joel’s children, only the four sisters and Thomas are seen, placing the photograph between August 1899, when John Marshall Cahoon passed, and December 1902, when Jeanette Cahoon passed. Scroll down to read about Benjamin’s daughters, visit frame #17 to read about Joel’s daughters, and visit frame #25 to read about Thomas.
Daughters of Benjamin Cahoon, back row, left to right: Helen Bullock, Abigail Schneerer, Jeanette Cahoon, and Minerva Hollenbach.
Children of Joel Cahoon, front row, left to right: Martha Cahoon, Lydia Cahoon, Thomas Cahoon, Ida Cahoon, and Laura Cahoon.

Helen Cahoon Bullock
b. 24 Dec. 1836, Elyria, Ohio
d. 19 July 1924, Elyria, Ohio
Helen was the second child of Benjamin and Emma Cahoon. She married Aaron H. Bullock in 1870. They lived in Elyria. Helen lived to be 88 years old and is buried in Ridgelawn Cemetery.

Abigail Frances Cahoon Schneerer
b. 7 Aug. 1852, Elyria, Ohio
d. 13 Aug. 1925, Norwalk, Ohio
Abigail was the eighth child of Benjamin and Emma Cahoon. She married Dr. Frederick W. Schneerer, a Union soldier. She passed away at the age of 73 and is buried in Woodlawn Cemetery, Norwalk, Ohio.

Jeanette Rebecca Cahoon
b. 26 Jan. 1842
d. 18 Dec. 1902, Elyria, Ohio
Jeanette was the sixth child of Benjamin and Emma Cahoon. She never married. Jeanette lived with her cousin, Thomas Cahoon, and his wife, Elizabeth, in Cleveland. She lived to be 59 years old.

Minerva Cahoon Hollenbach
b. 1 Mar. 1838
d. 1 Dec. 1915, Cuyahoga County, Ohio
Minerva was the fourth child of Benjamin and Emma Cahoon. She married Reuben Hollenbach on September 17, 1863 in Lorain County. They lived in Cleveland. She lived to be 77 years old.

b. 1798, Salisbury, New York
d. 1859
Rebecca Cahoon was the sixth child of Joseph and Lydia Cahoon. She came to Dover with her parents when she was twelve years old. She married Jacob Heath on November 16, 1823. The couple had two children, Silicia Heath and Franklin Heath. However, the marriage didn’t last and they divorced. On November 14, 1850, Rebecca married Ebenezer Griffith. Her daughter’s son, Walter Wright, became the Cahoon family’s lawyer and processed the will that set up Rose Hill as a museum. Walter and his family can be seen at the Cahoon family reunion in frame #22 and their daughter, Margaret Wright Glendenning’s portrait is in frame #16.

The Cahoon family gathered at Rose Hill for Joel and Margaret’s golden wedding anniversary on July 14, 1881. In Margaret’s autobiography, she estimates there were 150 guests present. She describes how, that morning, she and Joel exchanged rings engraved with their initials and date of their anniversary. A photograph was taken that day of all the guests. Her children can be seen in the front row, sitting from youngest to oldest.

This portrait of Leverett Judson Cahoon is a carte de visite or calling card print. This type of photographic portraiture was popular between 1859 to the early 1870s.
A four lensed camera could take eight negatives on a single glass pane. The resulting print would be cut into eight individual portraits and pasted to cards. With eight copies automatically made per session, carte de visite prints could be used similarly to calling cards and exchanged socially. They were mailed, given at holidays and birthdays as small gifts, and collected in albums.
However, in the 1870s the carte de visite cards began to be replaced by the larger cabinet cards as technology improved. Large prints were no longer as labor intensive and expensive as they had been. People jumped on the chance to have larger, more detailed photographs of their family and friends.
This carte de visite portrait of Leverett was likely taken in the 1860s. The back is decorated with the studio’s name, Ryder’s, which was located at 239 Superior Street, Cleveland, Ohio.
To learn more about Leverett go to frame #25.

Standing, left to right: Thomas Cahoon, Martha Cahoon, Ida Cahoon, and John Marshall Cahoon.
Sitting, left to right: Laura Cahoon, Lydia Cahoon, and an empty seat likely representing their mother, Margaret Cahoon.

The children of Joel and Margaret Cahoon pose for a portrait in front of Rose Hill. This was likely taken shortly after June 21, 1894, when Margaret passed at the age of 84, outliving all but six of her children. Read more about Margaret at frame #6, her daughters at frame #17, and her sons at frame #25.

Joel and Margaret Cahoon had four daughters who survived to adulthood. All four of them were school teachers in the Cleveland area and never married. All were active in the Commodore Perry Chapter of the Daughters of 1812 as well as the Dover Lake Episcopal Church. They split their time between Rose Hill and their house at 1916 Broadway in Cleveland.
Standing, left to right: Lydia, Laura, and Ida Cahoon. Sitting: Martha Cahoon.

The Cahoon Sisters

Lydia Elizabeth Cahoon
Frames #4, #7, #8, #10, #15, #17, #22, #29
b. 16 Aug 1835, Frederich, Maryland
d. 29 Mar. 1917, Rose Hill, Village of Bay, Ohio
Lydia Elizabeth Cahoon was the third child of Joel and Margaret Cahoon. She was a school teacher in Toledo, at Cuyahoga County schools, and in the Cleveland School System. She was a founding member of the Ladies Aid Society at the Methodist Episcopal Church. Lydia passed away at Rose Hill at the age of 82 and is buried in Lakeside Cemetery.

Laura Ellen Cahoon
Frames #4, #8, #10, #15, #17, #18, #22
b. 12 Dec. 1841, Cleves, Hamilton County, Ohio
d. 2 June 1917, Rose Hill, Village of Bay, Ohio
Laura Ellen Cahoon was the sixth child of Joel and Margaret Cahoon. She taught at many schools, teaching mainly the first grade. She taught for over 45 years. She once gave this advice to young teachers: “Never go into the work of preparing a child for life simply as a means to make a living. Unless you love children and love to work with children, your place isn’t with them. A little girl or boy is the most precious thing in the world.” Laura passed away at Rose Hill at the age of 76 and is buried in Lakeside Cemetery.

Martha Washington Cahoon
Frames #8, #10, #17, #22
b. 22 Feb. 1844, Rose Hill, Dover Township, Ohio
d. 19 May 1903, Rose Hill, Village of Bay, Ohio
Martha Washington Cahoon was born on George Washington’s birthday, which prompted her namesake. She was the seventh child of Joel and Margaret Cahoon. Martha was a school teacher, getting her start in Toledo before teaching in the Cleveland School System. Martha passed away at Rose Hill at the age of 59 and is buried in Lakeside Cemetery.

Ida Maria Cahoon
Frames #4, #8, #10, #15, #17, #22
b. 17 Mar. 1852, Rose Hill, Dover Township, Ohio
d. 28 Nov. 1917, Rose Hill, Village of Bay , Ohio
Ida Maria Cahoon was the youngest child of Joel and Margaret Cahoon. She received her Teacher’s Certificate on April 15, 1871 and taught in the Cleveland School System and served on the Bay Village Board of Education. She was the president of the Cahoon Family Centennial in 1910 while her sister Lydia, served as vice president. She wrote two books. Looking Backwards detailed the history and events of the Saturday Reading Club while The History of Cahoon Family told the story of her family. Ida passed away at Rose Hill at the age of 65 and is buried in Lakeside Cemetery.