Rotch, Thomas, 1767-1823

Thomas Rotch (1767-1823) was a merchant, wool manufacturer, and Quaker minister from Massachusetts who was an early settler of Massillon, Ohio.

Rotch was born July 13, 1767, to William Rotch Sr. (1734-1828) and Elizabeth Barney Rotch (1735-1824) of Nantucket. His father was part of a prosperous family mercantile firm, which Rotch joined upon coming of age. Soon thereafter, in 1790, he married his sister-in-law Charity Rodman of Newport, Rhode Island. In 1791 the Rotches left Nantucket for New Bedford. There Thomas joined another branch of the family firm led by his older brother William Rotch Jr. The couple's only child was born in New Bedford in 1791, but died before reaching six months old.

Late in the year 1800 the Rotches moved to Hartford, Connecticut, where Thomas operated several factories. After a number of years there, in 1808 he began to raise Merino sheep and manufacture woolen cloth, pursuits which engaged him for the rest of his life.

The Rotches left Connecticut late in 1811 and moved west to Stark County, Ohio. They founded the town of Kendal (later absorbed into the city of Massillon) in 1812, and which attracted a number of other Quaker families from the east coast. Rotch built a woolen mill there and engaged in a variety of business ventures. The couple was also involved in the area's religious life as very active participants in their local Quaker meetings and Ohio Yearly Meeting. Thomas died of bilious fever on September 14, 1823, shortly after reaching Mount Pleasant to attend yearly meeting.