Nathaniel Gaskill (1774-1841)

Class of 2026 – Founder

Nathaniel “Nathan” Gaskill laid out the village of Lexington in 1807 along with Amos Holloway.  Located at the intersection of the diagonal roads from Salem to Cleveland and from Deerfield to Canton, the settlement and the township took their name from the battle of Lexington in the Revolutionary War.  The settlement was on the banks of the Mahoning River, which was a grand waterway at the time, as it was declared navigable by act of legislation. 

The son of Daniel and Huldah (Mott) Gaskill, he was born in Burlington County, New Jersey, in 1774, A Quaker farmer, Nathan Gaskill married Hannah Owens (1774-1845) in Burlington County, New Jersey, in 1797. They were among five families that originally settled in Lexington. They had 10 children, including Martha, Joseph (1798-1866), Elizabeth Hamlin (1801-1876), Daniel IV (1802-1854), Israel, Abigail Wood (1807-1869), Abraham (1808-1895), Levi, Mary, and Wesley.

After its formation in 1807, Nathan Gaskill became the first justice of the peace of Stark County in 1812. He also served a second term in 1817.

Gaskill died in 1841 and is buried in Canal Fulton.

Amos Holloway (1759-1842)

Class of 2026 – Founder

Amos Holloway was credited with platting the village of Lexington, along with Nathan Gaskill. The village, which does not exist today, was the first settlement in Lexington Township – both named after the Battle of the Revolutionary War.

Holloway, was born on September 7, 1759, in Burlington County, New Jersey. He married Hepzibah Stanton (1770-1824) in October 1785 in Lynchburg, Virginia. The Quaker couple had several children and were among five families that located to present Lexington Township in 1805-06 to live in a state that did not allow slavery.

Holloway, a farmer, was credited with building the first house in Lexington Township with a shingled roof. That structure later became the village’s first store.

Amos Holloway died in December 1842 and is buried in Lexington Quaker Cemetery.

Listed among his children are Phebe Holloway Frey (1787-unknown), Stephen Holloway (1789-1877), Rhoda Holloway Burden (1789-unknown), Job Holloway (1793-1824), Aaron Holloway (1795-1873), Huldah Holloway Hatfield (1798-1863), Jason Holloway (1801-1884), Anna Holloway Rockhill (1803-1870), Elizabeth Holloway Gaskill (1805-1875), Margaret Holloway (1808-1855), Zebulon Holloway (1810-1810), Lydia Holloway Buckman (1812-1906), Sarah Holloway Pellett (1814-1857), and Amos Holloway Jr. (1816-unknown).