05/31/2026
Elihu Terril (Tyrell, Terrell) was one of the founding fathers of North Ridgeville and is also remembered as a soldier of the American Revolution. He was born in 1759 in Waterbury, Connecticut and spent his early years there. In April of 1776 he enlisted as a private in the Connecticut Continental Line, in a regiment led by Captain John Lewis and served eight months-starting at Turtle Bay in New York. Turtle Bay was a strategic location in history. In 1775 it was inhabited by the British and a storehouse for ammunition was built there. When General George Washington and his troops forced the British out of New York the Sons of Liberty were able to take control of Turtle Bay and all the supplies left behind were sent to Boston and Fort Ticonderoga for the cause. (Turtle Bay is where spy, Nathan Hale was tried and sentenced to death and today this location is part of the United Nations complex.). When the patriots took over, a large redoubt was built here- one of dozens that surrounded Lower Manhattan Island as a defensive measure against attack by sea. Later that year Elihu’s regiment fought in the Battle of White Plains- where the British Army forced the Continental Army to retreat.
Elihu was discharged at North Castle on Christmas Day 1776. Imagine what a nice gift that was to both him and his family!
In 1778 he was again called to duty, but this time for just one month. This time he marched to Providence, Rhode Island as part of the Battle of Rhode Island. This battle is noted as the first time the newly arrived French Allies joined the American troops, but a fierce storm damaged both French and British ships-causing problems for both sides and their efforts could not be coordinated. Elihu returned home and would later marry, but had no children.
At the age of 52, he trekked across country to settle North Ridgeville in Ohio. He returned to Connecticut for his wife and both returned by 1812, living briefly in Columbia where he served as a Township Trustee. He would return to Ridgeville and this is where he spent his remaining years. He died in 1844 at the age of 86 and is buried at Fields Cemetery.
