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BIOGRAPHIES
Source:
Centennial
Biographical History of Hancock Co., Ohio
Pub: New York & Chicago by The Lewis Publishing Company
1903
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SOLOMON N. ROBERTS.
This name has long been a familiar one in Hancock
county, and its representatives, commencing in
pioneer days, have at every period since their
settlement been influential in connection with the
general development. David and Fannie
Roberts, whose births occurred in Fairfield
county, Ohio, about the closing of the first decade
of the nineteenth century, came shortly after their
marriage to Hancock county, where they located on
forty acres of land in Big Lick township. The
warrant for this land was signed by no less a person
than General Andrew Jackson, better known as
"Old Hickory," who was then serving his second term
as President. As times prospered with the
newcomers they saved money and eventually added to
their original little farm one hundred and twenty
acres more. David Roberts,
besides being a good farmer, was a pious Christian
and a man of most exemplary life. He was a
leading elder and trustee of the Christian Union
church and donated the land on which the local
building of that denomination was constructed.
His influence for good in his community was great
and his active benevolence, constantly exerted where
it would do the most good, made David
Roberts a useful and indeed a model citizen.
A good neighbor, a progressive farmer and a friend
of every worthy cause, he enjoyed and well deserved
an esteem and consideration which is seldom bestowed
upon a private citizen. The long and blameless
life of this worthy man terminated in 1887, when he
was seventy-seven years old, he being born in 1810.
By two marriages Mr. Roberts had
twelve children, nine by the first and three by the
second, of whom eleven grew to maturity, seven are
still living, and four of these are residents of
Hancock county. David Roberts's
second wife was Mary (Plummer) Rickets, a
widow, and only one of her children survives.
David J. died in February, 1890. Our
subject's mother died when he was four years old,
and six of her children survive her.
Solomon N. Roberts, the subject of this sketch,
was the son of David and Fannie Roberts, and
his birth occurred in Hancock county, Ohio, Apr. 14,
1852. He was brought up on the paternal
homestead in Big Lick township and went through the
usual experiences of farmers' boys, attending school
in winter and working on the farm in summer.
He inherited some land from the estate of his father
after the latter's death and to this he added one
hundred acres, which constitute his present holdings
in Big Lick township. His whole life has been
devoted to agricultural pursuits and his farm,
consisting now of one hundred and thirty acres, has
been well cultivated. As a general all-around
farmer he ranks among the first in his community,
his ideas being progressive and his methods
up-to-date. Personally he is quite popular with his
fellow citizens, who elected him township assessor,
and like his father his life has been moral and
upright. Apr. 10, 1873, Mr. Robert was
united in marriage with Miss Susan D. Swihart,
member of one of the old and strongly established
families of the county. Her parents, Aaron
and Christina D. Swihart, came to Hancock when
it was still little more than a primitive
wilderness, and they bore their full share of the
burdens incident to pioneer life. Aaron
Swihart, who died in August, 1893, aged
seventy-seven years, was a man of great worth and
most excellent character, whose vigorous mind and
enterprising disposition overcame all difficulties
and enabled him to accumulate a fine body of land,
ornamented with a handsome brick residence, in which
his widow still resides. The latter was born
in Wurtemberg, Germany, and was one year old when
brought to this country. The union of
Solomon N. and Susan (Swihart) Roberts proved
congenial and fruitful, and eleven of their thirteen
children are still living, named as follows in order
of birth: Rosetta M., born Sept. 22, 1876;
Elma L., born Aug. 26, 1878; Lucy A.,
born Jan. 19, 1880; David J., born May 2,
1882; Alton D., born Apr. 1, 1884; Bertha
L., born Mar. 13, 1886; Cora D., born
June 28, 1887; Edna L., born Jan. 12, 1890;
Aaron J., born May 10, 1892; Nellie S.,
born May 13, 1896; and Lola D., born Sept.
16, 1898. The oldest child, Christina L.,
was born May 21, 1875, and died Sept. 19, 1875.
Charles C., the eleventh child, was born June
25, 1894, and died Apr. 22, 1897. Mrs.
Roberts, who was born on her father's farm in
Big Lick township, Mar. 20, 1856, has proved a most
affectionate companion as well as wise adviser of
her husband and is fairly idolized by her children.
They are strict members of the Christian Union
church, in which Mr. Roberts has held the
position of first elder and is trustee at the
present time. George Swihart,
the grandfather of Mrs. Roberts, who
was a farmer and blacksmith, died at an advanced
age.
Source : Centennial
Biographical History of Hancock Co., Ohio - Pub: New York &
Chicago by The Lewis Publishing Company - 1903 - Page
134 |
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FRANK RUSSELL.
This well known and highly respected citizen of
Jackson township, who is successfully engaged in
agricultural pursuits, is a native of Ohio, his
birth having occurred in Bloom township, Wood
county, on the 1st of September, 1853. His
parents, John and Lois (May) Russell, were
natives of Ohio and New York, respectively, but were
married in Pennsylvania. They made their home
in Wood county, this state, where the father entered
forty acres of government land and later secured
additional land to the amount of two hundred acres,
which was all wild and unimproved when it came into
his possession, but which he transformed into a good
farm. As one of the prominent and influential
citizens of his community he was called upon to fill
the office of county commissioner and justice of the
peace, the duties of which positions he discharged
in a most capable and satisfactory manner. In
politics he was first a Democrat, but when the
Republican party was formed to prevent the further
extension of slavery he joined its ranks, and
continued one of its stanch supporters throughout
the remainder of his life. He died upon his farm
Dec. 24, 1884, at the age of seventy-one years, and
his widow survived him until Jan. 17, 1890, when she
passed away, at the age of seventy. They had
eleven children. Caroline died of
typhoid fever while young; Benton died in the
service during the Rebellion; Mary and
John reside at Bloomdale; Homer lives in
Hancock county near Bloomdale; Pierce was
killed by the shears while shearing sheep; Frank
is noticed below; James died of inflammatory
rheumatism; Lois died of typhoid fever;
Adaline lives at Youngstown, Ohio; Lorinda
Jane died of diphtheria while young.
Until twenty-six years of age Frank Russell
remained at home giving his father the benefit of
his labors upon the farm. He was then married
on the 27th of March, 1880, to Miss Catherine
Elizabeth Blair, of Wood county, who was born in
Maryland, but grew to womanhood in Seneca and Wood
counties, Ohio, her family having removed from
Maryland during the Civil war. She became
self-supporting at the early age of eight years and
being a very industrious and capable woman she has
been to her husband a faithful companion and
helpmate. Unto them have been born nine
children, as follows: William L., Charles,
Lulu, Orville, Berl, Harry,
Nellie, Maud and
Dewey J. All are at home with the
exception of Orville, who died Feb. 14, 1902,
at the age of fourteen years and six months, his
death resulting from blood poison contracted from
verdigris from a mouth organ. His system had
previously been weakened by la grippe and death
ensued.
Prior to his marriage Mr. Russell had purchased
eighty acres of land from his father and in five
years' work had paid five hundred dollars on it, but
still owed two hundred dollars at the end of that
time. During the winter months he devoted his
attention to cutting the timber off the land and
converting it into staves. His first team was
a yoke of oxen and with teams he performed his farm
work for a year after his marriage. When he
brought his bride to her new home he had only five
acres of his land cleared and the only improvement
in the way of buildings was a log house, but he was
able to make a living off his land, supplementing
his income by the sale of the timber on his land and
by working his father's lands. During the
eight years he resided upon that farm he cleared
twenty-five acres and placed it under cultivation.
As it was flat country in the Black Swamp, he had to
pay a heavy ditch tax, amounting to over four
hundred dollars. Gas and oil were finally
discovered in the vicinity of his farm and as
property rose in value he sold out for six thousand
dollars and bought his present farm in Jackson
township, Hancock county, which is pleasantly
located four and a half miles southeast of Findlay.
His first purchase consisted of one hundred and one
acres, for which he paid seventy dollars per acre,
and he has added to this tract until he now has one
hundred and thirty-one acres, on which he has made a
number of useful and valuable improvements,
including the erection of a barn and the remodeling
of his residence. He has also laid
considerable tiling and now has one of the best
farms in Jackson township, whereon he is
successfully engaged in farming and stock-raising,
making a specialty of Shropshire sheep. Since
attaining his majority he has always affiliated with
the Republican party, and has been a delegate to its
conventions, but has never been a politician in the
sense of office seeking. He is one of the
representative men of his community and is held in
high regard by all who know him.
Source : Centennial
Biographical History of Hancock Co., Ohio - Pub: New York &
Chicago by The Lewis Publishing Company - 1903 - Page
222 |
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ROBERT B. RUSSELL.
Old men for wisdom, young men for action. We
here present the name of one of the young and
prosperous farmers who is aiding in maintaining the
reputation held by the agricultural class of Hancock
county. He resides in Big Lick township, where
he owns a farm of eighty acres of valuable farming
land, and upon which he has two producing oil wells.
Mr. Robert B. Russell claims nativity in the
township in which he resides, where he was born May
13, 1865. He is the son of William Russell
and Eliza Taylor. His life,
which has been an uneventful one, has been passed in
Hancock county. His education was received in
the common schools of his own district. He was
born and bred a farmer, and adopted that occupation
as his life work. The vigorous manner in which
he has conducted his farm has made him pre-eminently
successful, and he bids fair to become one of the
leading agriculturists of northern Ohio. The
event of his life which he considers of most
importance, occurred the day following Christmas of
1886, when he was joined in marriage to Miss
Flora A. Stahl. Miss Flora was the
daughter of J. F. and Mary Stahl, and is a
lady of many accomplishments and of a refined and
gentle nature. The happy union has been
blessed with three beautiful children: Franklin
L., Nov. 1, 1887; Etta J., Dec. 22, 1889;
and William C., Mar. 6, 1894. The
family of which Mrs. Russell is a
dutiful daughter is an old Buckeye family.
The family of which Robert B. Russell is an
honored representative, have been for long years
residents of the state of Ohio. William
Russell, his father, was born in Jefferson
county, Ohio, Apr. 14, 1826. Eliza
Taylor, his mother, was a native of Washington
county, Pennsylvania, where she was born Nov. 28,
1826. William Russell came to
this county in 1840, when but a boy of fourteen
years. When he grew to maturity he purchased
ninety-four acres of land, to which he soon added
enough to make three hundred and eighty-six acres.
It was in two bodies, eighty acres being located in
Putnam county, Ohio. William Russell
was an active, energetic man in business, one of the
practical kind of farmers, who looked closely after
his own interests. He was a faithful member of
the Methodist Episcopal church, and the party of
Lincoln suited him politically until the
breaking out of the Civil war, at which time and for
a period thereafter he gave his support to the
Democracy. Later in life his convictions
concerning the prohibition question were such that
he turned towards that party and acted with it until
his death. For some time he was a member of
the Grange and was earnest in his efforts for its
advancement. He held many of the offices of
trust in his township, and for a number of years
administered the duties of trustee. His
marriage to Eliza Taylor occurred June 1,
1850, and there were nine children born to him,
eight of that number now living: George,
Martha J., John W., William T.,
Sara C., Alfred L., Robert B. and
C. W. Mr. Russell is at present a
resident of Findlay, having accumulated sufficient
competence to live a retired life. His wife
died some years ago. Her father, William
Taylor, was a pioneer resident of Hancock
county, where he married Cassandra Bell.
The original entry of his land was made in 1835,
shortly after they came to Hancock county. He
was a native of Ireland. Their family
consisted of eight children, three of whom still
survive. They were highly respected in the
community for their worth as good citizens.
Source : Centennial
Biographical History of Hancock Co., Ohio - Pub: New York &
Chicago by The Lewis Publishing Company - 1903 - Page
53 |
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