Hambleton
Businesses

The Hambletons worked as farmers for a longtime after first arriving in North America. The success of these farms can be seen in the and from these early years. When James Hambleton passed away in 1751, he had enough land that he felt comfortable his family could still thrive after requiring his son, Stephen, to sell 200 acres.

Part of this restrained success was due to the family’s Quaker heritage. This became especially apparent in the 1820s when the religion divided into two sects: Orthodox and Hicksites. The Hambleton family primarily fell into the newer Hicksite line. This branch of the church feared focusing too much on market economies would weaken community and family bonds. Cognizant of this fear, the family used their faith and love to guide them in their business. The strength of this belief is most apparent in the lives of Benjamin K Hambleton and his brothers. In 1813, the brothers purchased property in Iowa. The brothers set to work and watched as their investment grew to include three different types of mills (saw, grist, and oil), and a general store. However, the economic benefits were far from the brothers’ greatest accomplishment with this particular venture. By the time Benjamin returned to farming in 1838, the mills and store created and sustained the Sprucevale, Ohio community, thus showing the Hambletons’ ability to succeed while maintaining a strong focus on their beliefs.