Mrs. George Thornton, Daughter of Oran Follett

Nancy Filer Follett was the youngest child of Oran Follett and his first wife, Nancy Filer.

In 1830, when young Nancy was just an infant, her mother died. Her father married Eliza Gill Ward on November 22, 1832, so it seems likely that Eliza Follett was the only mother that Nancy Filer Follett ever knew. By 1840, Oran and Eliza Follett and several Follett children, including Nancy, were living in Sandusky, in their lovely home on Wayne Street.

In 1853 Nancy Follett married George Thornton, a successful businessman in Sandusky. George and Nancy Thornton had two children, a son Ralph, and a daughter Mary. Ralph Thornton died in Sandusky, at age 5, and Mary survived until only age 22.  

Nancy Follett Thornton served on the first Board of Managers of the Library Association of Sandusky, known fondly as the "Ladies' Library Association." The December 1900 issue of the Firelands Pioneer stated that Mrs. George Thornton was the kind adviser and secretary of the Ladies Library Association. She made several strong appeals to the residents of Sandusky for financial support for the library. (A brief history of the Sandusky Library is found at the library’s website.) After residing in Sandusky from the 1850's through the 1870's, George and Nancy Thornton moved to the Cincinnati area. George Thornton died in 1890, and Nancy passed away in 1896. They are buried in Spring Grove Cemetery in Hamilton County, Ohio. Nancy Filer Follett Thornton was a vibrant woman, working for community causes, in spite of suffering deep personal losses. She outlived her parents, her husband, and both of her children.