Bio-Bateson, Fred-Shell

Frederick Bateson
(1864-1948)

Frederick Bateson was born on Feb. 8, 1864 during the Civil War near Millersport, Fairfield County, OH, the son of Samuel and Emeline (Keller) Bateson. He was a longtime farmer in Fairfield County and developed part of the family farm as beachfront property along Buckeye Lake, and a beach today is named for the family -- "Bateson Beach." The Lancaster (OH) Eagle-Gazette newspaper once dubbed him the "duke of the south Side of Buckeye Lake."

Fred's first wife was Mary Shell (1860-1898), who brought to the marriage a daughter born out of wedlock, Stella Shell. They had two daughters, Bertha Bugh (born 1889) and Florence Bateson (born 1891).

A newspaper article states that Fred "was a lifelong resident of the lake vicinity and one of the early dealers in real estate for summer homes in the locality. Bateson Beach was developed from farm land which had been in the Bateson family for several generations and when the addition was plotted, it was sold to a number of Columbus residents."

Mary Shell Bateson, left, with daughters Florence and Bertha. Florence died in 1898 at the age of six.

Tragedy struck twice in 1898, when Fred lost both his daughter and his wife. On Jan. 27 of that year, six-year-old daughter Florence died, of unknown causes. Later that year, on Nov. 23, Mary herself passed away, at the age of 38.

The grief-stricken Fred in turn married his step-daughter, Stella (1880-1952). They went on to have one son, Frederick Raymond Bateson (born 1912). Baby "Freddie" and his proud mama Stella are seen at left.

In the summer of 1906, Fred took formal action to subdivide the family property for development. According to an article in the Aug. 23, 1906 issue of the Newark Daily Advocate, "A plat of sixteen lots, laid out by Fred Bateson, has been filed in the auditor's office of Fairfield county. The plat is known as the Bateson Beach lots, and is situated on the south side of Buckeye Lake."

Fred also hosted the "Bateson and Hupp Reunion" one September day that was covered by a local newspaper. The torn and yellowed clipping reads:

On Sunday, September 6 ... the Bateson and Hupp families gathered at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Fred Bateson at Buckeye Lake.... After the dinner hour a boat was chartered and all enjoyed a boat ride to Buckeye Lake Park. At a late hour all departed to their homes saying they had enjoyed the day.

Fred and Stella's home, where the reunion was held, is seen here. In addition to his son Fred, family members there included Mr. and Mrs. W.E. Hupp and daughter Louise of Toledo, OH; Mr. and Mrs. Samuel J. Hupp and son Billy from Detroit; Mr. and Mrs. William Hagenmeyer, daughter Marjorie and son Owen James of Pemberton, OH; Mr. and Mrs. Gordon A. Barnes and sons Gordon and Edgar of Sylvina, OH; Mr. and Mrs. Eli Hite, Mr. and Mrs. Glen Davis and sons Lawrence and Billy of Thurston, OH; Mr. and Mrs. Murray Lidey and daughters Bertha and Rachel, son Murray, and Mrs. Rachel Lidey of Millersport; Mr. and Mrs. James Bateson and daughters Dorothy, Anna K., Rose Mary and Jane of Columbus; and Miss Jennie and Ella Hupp, Mr. Charley Hupp, Mr. and Mrs. Harry Bugh and daughter Mildred and sons Fred and Robert, of Salem, OH.

Fred and Stella are seen at right later in life. Tragically, they suffered the death of married daughter Bertha Bugh on July 12, 1927.

Fred was widely known in the region for his knowledge of Buckeye Lake. In the dead of January in 1920, he visited Lancaster, the county seat of Fairfield County, and told a newspaper reporter that the lake was covered with 10 inches of ice. "He started in with a gang that morning to fill his ice house which held about 150 tons," said the Eagle-Gazette. The following month, he reported that the ice on the lake now measured 20 inches in depth. "Most of the houses along the banks of the lake were filled with 12 and 14-inch ice," said the Eagle Gazette.

In the early 1930s, during the Depression, Fred and others helped haul stones and construct a masonry wall at the Union Cemetery, formerly the Shale Hill Cemetery, where his grandparents and great-grandparents are buried.

In the summer of 1932, Fred traveled to Arcola, Illinois, to visit his elderly great-aunt, Nancy (Bateson) Warner, who had settled there in 1869. A local newspaper, the Arcola Record-Herald, noted that he still lived on the farm where she had been born.

Stella outlived him by four years, and suffered a stroke in the fall of 1951. After lingering for several months, she died on March 26, 1952, at the age of 71. They are buried in the Millersport (OH) Cemetery.

Daughter Bertha Bateson (1889-1927) is seen at right, in a portrait taken at the W.A. Syx studio in Newark. She married Harry Bugh (1887-1943) on March 15, 1913. He was the son of Martin and Mariah Bugh, "born in the Bugh homestead south of Thornville," said the Newark Advocate and American Tribune. they had three children -- Mildred Elizabeth McNaghten, Fred Martin "Cocky" Bugh and Robert Stratton Bugh. After just 14 years of marriage, Bertha succumbed to acute nephritis, and passed away at Grant Hospital on July 12, 1927, at the age of 38. She was laid to rest in the cemetery of New Salem Methodist Episcopal Church in Thornville. She left behind her husband and three children ages 13 to three. Harry lived for another 16 years. He died on Oct. 25, 1943, at the age of 57, with burial in New Salem. His obituary was published in the Advocate and American Tribune.

A painting by family friend and famed Ohio artist John J. Barsotti, named "Of Wandering Forever and the Earth Again," is said to be based on a view of the Bateson farm. In 1942, the painting won the "Most Meritorious Work" award in the 32nd Annual Exhibition by the Columbus Art League. It was reproduced in the Columbus Gallery of Fine Arts' Monthly Bulletin in December 1941. Barsotti sent a copy to Freddy Bateson, inscribing it: "To Freddy Bateson, the guy who's driving the horses."

Bateson Beach and Buckeye Lake today are thriving tourist and residential areas providing entertainment, relaxation and recreation for thousands of Americans each year.