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BIOGRAPHIES
Source:
Caldwell's Illustrated Historical Atlas
of
Adams County, Ohio
Publ. 1880
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Sprigg Twp. -
THE PENCE FAMILY - The ancestors of Alfred Pence
were of German descent. They emigrated to
to this country at an early day and settled
in the Shenandoah Valley, Virginia, but we can gather little
of their history, till we come to the groat grand-father,
Michael Pence. He married in the Valley and raised a
family of children. He, with all his family, left the
Valley and came to Adams county, and settled in Spring
township about 1796. He bought 1,400 acres of land in
Hopkins' Survey, No. 915, on which he immediately settled,
and commenced to clear up his farm. One of his sons,
Peter, had married, while living in Virginia,
Susan Roush, and had two children, but they came with
the family to Ohio. with Michael Pence also
came two families of Roush's, a family named Bryan
and Mr. Crook, who settled in the same neighborhood.
All, except Mr. Bryan, were Germans, and used the
Dutch language, from which circumstance the neighborhood was
called the "Dutch Settlement," a name it retains to the
present day. A few years after Mr. Pence
settled, perhaps about 1808 or '9, he was drowned in the
Ohio river while crossing with his team in a ferry flat at
Henry Gilman's ferry, which was situated just below
the residence of David Pennywitt, at the lower end of
Manchester. His body was afterward recovered, brought
back and buried on the old homestead, the first interment in
what has since become the family cemetery, which now
contains many graves. In crossing the river, from some
cause not know known, Mr. Pence and his team
precipitated into the waters, and all perished. After
Mr. Pence's death his property was divided among his
children, and most, if not all, yet remains in the hands of
his descendants. Peter Pence, previously
mentioned as having been married before he left Virginia,
was the grand-father of Alfred Pence. He raised
a family of eleven children, eight sons and three daughters,
besides one that died in early years. Of these
children but four now survive. One, Lucinda (Mrs.
Lany) lives in Brown county; another, Eleanor (Mrs.
Thompson) lives in Indiana. The other two,
Andrew and Benjamin, live somewhere in the West.
One of the sons of Peter Pence, named Aaron,
born about 1798, married Elizabeth Moore. These
parents raised eight children, seven sons and one daughter.
They were named Alfred, Nathan, David, Daniel, Jacob,
Francis S., Peter and Harriet Two of these
children are deceased, Nathan and David; the
latter was drowned in the Ohio river, opposite the mouth of
Crooked creek, July 1, 1853, while bathing. Daniel
and Harriet (now Mrs. Gilbert) live in Huntington
township, Brown county, O. Francis S. lives in
DeWitt county, Illinois. The other three, Alfred,
Jacob and Peter, live in Adams county.
Alfred, the oldest of those children, is the subject of
this sketch. He was born May 17, 1823, and married
Hannah Evans in 1847. These parents have reared a
family of six children, two sons and four daughters,
Elizabeth, who married Zevorus Roush; Ruth
married Robert Brookover, Rufus, who is unmarried;
Dyas married Ada Parr, Mahala married
Lafayette Roush, and Ida, who lives with her
parents, unmarried. Alfred Pence, by industry
and economy, has accumulated a handsome property. He
now owns the old original homestead of his great
grand-father, Michael Pence, and has built a neat
residence not far from where the first cabin stood. He
grew up and has always lived in the neighborhood where he
was born, and has the confidence of his fellow citizens, who
have elected him Justice of the Peace two terms, besides
filling other township offices. The Pence and
Roush families were among the first, possibly the very
first settlers in Sprigg township, though the probability is
the Edgington families preceded them a year at Bentonville.
When they settled there was not a road or path in the
country, but an unbroken wilderness, which swarmed with wild
animals of every kind. Bears, wolves and panthers
lurked in every covert, while the wild deer, the turkey and
small game roamed at will over the land.
Source: From Caldwell's Adams County, Ohio Atlas 1880 -
Page 53 |
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Manchester -
ABRAHAM PERRY - The subject of this sketch was born
in Washington county, O., Feb. 3, 1808; was married Nov. 4,
1830, to Elizabeth Ellis. They were the
parents of eighteen children, but two of whom survive - one
son and one daughter. He came to Adams county in 1825,
and kept wharf boat, forward carried on the mercantile
business; was extensively engaged in the flour trade, doing
a commission business. He has frequently been called
to fill important public trusts. He was elected the
first Mayor of Manchester; has filled the office of Justice
of the Peace for a number of years; was appointed by
President Lincoln, Deputy United States Marshal for the
Southern District of Ohio, which position he held two terms.
Source: From Caldwell's Adams County,
Ohio Atlas 1880 - Page 35 |
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Manchester -
W. T. PEYTON - The Peyton family is of Scotch
origin. The ancestors of W. T. Peyton, came at
an early day, and settled in Loudon county, Virginia, but
the first reliable account we get, is of the grand-father,
who lived, married and died there. He reared a family
of seven children, three sons and four daughters. Four
of these children, three sons and one daughter, came West,
and settled in different parts of Ohio. One of the
sons, named Lacey, who was born May 5, 1816, married
Eliza Jones in 1838, and a few years afterwards moved
to Adams county, O., and settled at Louisville, a little
village near Marble Furnace. After remaining there a
few years, he removed to North Liberty, where his wife died.
By this marriage he raised four children, three sons and one
daughter, William T., Townsend, Margaret and
Charles. For a second wife, Mr. Peyton
married Nancy Purcell by whom he had a daughter named
Jennie. His second wife died, and he married
for a third one, a lady named Catharine Monroe of
Allegheny City, Pa. He then moved to Manchester, where
he remained a few years, but finally settled in Harrison
county, Iowa, where he yet resides. By this last
marriage, Mr. Peyton has reared a family of eight
children, seven sons and one daughter. Of Mr.
Peyton's children by his first wife but two now survive,
William T. and Charles. William T., who
is the subject of this sketch, was born in Loudon county,
Va., Jan. 13, 1838. He received his education
mostly at North Liberty. In 1855, he commenced the
study of medicine with the Drs. Stableton of
Manchester, but before finishing his full course of studies,
he commenced selling drugs and medicines in a small way at
first, but the sales increased so rapidly, that it soon
engrossed his whole time he has devoted his whole attention
to the business of druggist. He trade has continually
increased, until he now has the largest establishment of the
kind in the county. William T. Peyton married
Jennie Gates, Dec. 31, 1857. They are the
parents of five children, two sons and three daughters,
to-with: Edwin Harold, born Apr. 20, 1850; Nettie
Bianche, born Aug. 27, 1860; Frank Ray, born June
1, 1863; Ada May born July 19, 1865, and Kate
Leonora, born May 5, 1868; all living but the oldest.
Harry as Edwin was called, was drowned, while
bathing in the Ohio river, July 27, 1879, aged 20 years, 7
months and 3 days. He was a devotee of science; was
specially interested in the subject of archeology, and had
gathered one of the best collections of the mound -builders
remains to be found in the State. His untimely death
is a loss to the country and world, as well as to his
relatives and friends.
Source: From Caldwell's Adams County,
Ohio Atlas 1880 - Page 35 |
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Jefferson Twp. -
JACOB PILE -
Henry Pile, father of Jacob Pile, was born in
Somerset Co., Pa., and married Miss Rebecca Sample,
emigrated from there to Adams county in 1800; settled on
Soldier Run where he remained two years, then moved to
Killinstown. He served in the war of 1812 and on its
conclusion moved to what is now Winchester township, where
he died. When Mr. Pile came to Monroe township,
James Carson, was living where Mrs. Black now
resides. He moved into the house with Mr. Carson
until he could build a cabin, which was soon done.
This house is still standing, after a lapse of eighty years.
Mr. Pile reared a family of ten children, of whom but
two now survive, Jacob Pile, the subject of this
sketch, and a daughter. Jacob Pile is a
Postmaster at Blue creek, where he is engaged in the
merchandizing.
The Bear Hunt - In the early settlement of the
country, bears, wolves and wild game of all kinds were
plenty. The settlers supplied a considerable portion
of their provision by hunting, and many ways were resorted
to to obtain it. Bears were sometimes caught in
traps, sometimes followed with dogs that would check them in
their flight, until their pursuers could come up and shoot
them. On one occasion, Mr. Pile with his dogs
followed a bear from Ohio Brush creek, to Scioto Brush
creek, where it was treed on an ash tree. Mr.
Pile came up and shot it. As it was late in the
day he went to the house of Philip Lewis an early
settler, with whom he stayed all night. The next day,
he took his bear home, not forgetting to divide with his
friend Lewis.
The last bear killed in Jefferson township, was
shot by William Williams, near the mouth of Blue
creek, in the fall of 1830.
Source: From Caldwell's Adams County, Ohio Atlas 1880 -
Page 21 |
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