Who were the Westons of Westlake? As 'second wave,' settlers build lasting legacy

Arthur E. and Clara (Brown) Weston, photographed in the late 1800s, were part of the second wave of settlers to Dover Township. Photo courtesy Westlake Historical Society

Part two of a five-part series.

In part 1 of this series, we introduced you to “Deacon” Asa Weston, who had moved from Massachusetts to Ohio in 1817 after marrying his wife, Thankful Robbins. They settled in Euclid Township. George Weston was born to them there. 

At 24, George moved to Medina County where he met and married Rhoda Allis. Their son Asa Lemuel was born there in 1853.

In 1852 Thankful died and in 1853 “Deacon” Asa remarried. In about 1855 Asa Sr. and his second wife, Mary, as well as George, Rhoda, and Asa L. moved to Dover Township. In 1862 Arthur E. was born to George and Rhoda when they lived in a house near Bradley and Center Ridge.

In 1866 George and Rhoda purchased what is known today as the Lilly-Weston house at 27946 Center Ridge Road from the Lilly family. In 1868 their son Frank was born while they occupied the Lilly-Weston house. In 1872, they sold that property and purchased a 100-acre portion of the Original Lot 48 on the east side of Columbia Road. The land, located south of Center Ridge Road, was purchased from members of the Hall family. At the time of their land purchase, Columbia Road was known as Hall Road and Center Ridge Road was known as the Cleveland Elyria Road.

The Westons represent a second wave of settlers to Dover Township who came after the first wave of pioneers had built the initial homesteads. However, their 150 years of contributions to the community rival those of many of the “first” families. The Weston family flourished on Columbia Road with George and Rhoda Weston’s 100 acres divided between their three sons and their three sons' descendants.

The initial division of land had Asa L. with the northerly portion, on which he built a home in 1883; the structure still survives at 2283 Columbia Road. Arthur E. received the center portion, building a home in 1888, which still stands at 2363 Columbia Road. Frank’s home on the southerly portion at approximately 2535 Columbia Road no longer exists.

The last known “Weston” living on the property was Doris Weston, who died in 2006. She had never married and occupied her childhood home, at 2391 Columbia Road, probably built by her father, Charles, on land he had received from his father, Arthur E. Weston. This home was torn down in about 2000 to make room for the Chapparal cluster development.