This daguerreotype portrait of Aaron Aldrich II and Elizabeth Winsor Aldrich was taken on April 27, 1854, on Aaron’s birthday. The case made for the daguerreotype was inscribed “A- Aldrich age 62 / April 27-1854 & Mrs. / E- Aldrich age 60 / December 22 – 1854 / Dover Ohio.” However, this contradicts the date of birth given on his grave (1795), which would have made him 59 when this photo was taken.
Aaron Aldrich III
b. 27 Apr. 1795 (?), Smithfield, Rhode Island
d. 27 May 1856, Dover Township, Ohio
Aaron Aldrich III, was the son of Aaron Aldrich II and Mary (Marcy) Waterman. He married Elizabeth “Betsy” Windsor on September 11, 1814 in Smithfield, Rhode Island. The two moved to Dover Township, Ohio in 1816 with their one year old son, Aaron Aldrich IV, and a year later had another son they named William Waterman (frame #21). The family did not settle permanently in Dover until 1829 when Aaron purchased a 140-acre farm along Lake Erie. There, Aaron set up a tannery and made furniture. He was elected as a magistrate in the township for many years and helped form the First Baptist Church of Dover. Aaron lived to be 61 years old and is buried in Lakeside Cemetery.
Elizabeth “Betsy” Windsor Aldrich
b. 22 Dec. 1794, Smithfield, Rhode Island
d. 28 Dec. 1869, Dover Township, Ohio
Elizabeth “Betsy” Windsor was the daughter of Augustus Winsor and Nancy Waterman. She married Aaron Aldrich III and settled with him in Dover. They had five children together. Betsy lived to be 75 years old. She is buried in Lakeside Cemetery.