Original Furniture Returns to Trumbull Historical Society

WARREN, Ohio – The Trumbull County Historical Society is welcoming home furniture and artifacts once used by the Webb family who purchased the John Stark Edwards House in 1814.

The history society operates out of the  Edwards House, and although Edwards built the home in 1807,  just a few years later lawyer and newspaperman Thomas Denny Webb moved in.

Webb came to Warren in 1807. He lived in the Edwards House with his wife, Betsey Stanton, and their three daughters. Webb started the first newspaper in the Connecticut Western Reserve, The Trump of Fame, the ancestor of today’s Tribune Chronicle.

After Webb died, his daughter Laura and her husband Dr. Warren Iddings occupied the home. Iddings was one of the first doctor’s in the country to have federal permission to experiment with embalming corpses during the Civil War.

Webb’s descendent, Harry Spencer, took care of the family heirlooms, which date between 1840-1860, and cultivated a relationship with the historical society’s board of trustees. After he died in March, his children honored his wishes by donating the furniture to the home where their family lived throughout most of the 19th century. The items include furniture, porcelain, and a portrait of Elizabeth Iddings, who was the first person buried in Oakwood Cemetery.

“I cannot say how honored we are by the Spencer family’s thoughtfulness and trust in us to steward these family items,” said Meghan Reed, historical society director.  “The collection totaled over sixty items and the larger furniture pieces are now on view to the public.”

For more information call the museum at 330 394 4653 or email [email protected].

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