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BIOGRAPHIES
Source:
History of Noble
County, Ohio
with portraits and biographical sketches of some of
its pioneers and prominent men.
Chicago: L. H. Watkins & Co.,
1887
For Reference: Noble County was formed in 1851
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Noble Twp. -
THE RICH FAMILY.
The Rich Family are of German and Scotch extraction.
Jacob Rich, the progenitor of the family in this
country and the father in this country and the father of the
pioneer Abraham Rich, was born in Germany and came to
America with a brother about 1740, settling in
Massachusetts, where the brothers separated never to meet
again. Jacob removed to Greene County, Pa., and
settled upon the farm, where he died. He was a
successful man and acquired a well won competency. He
married a Miss Craft. Their children were
Thomas, George, Daniel, David, John, Abraham, Peter, Ann
and Catherine. Abraham was the youngest
of the family and was born in Greene County, Pa., in 1792.
When two years of age he was taken to Miami County, Ohio,
with his brother's family. There he remained only a
short time when he was taken by another brother back to
Pennsylvania. His brother returned by way of Columbus
and Zanesville, swimming the Muskingum River at the latter
place, with Abraham upon his back. where
Zanesville now is there was then but one log cabin. In
1810 he came with his brother, John to what is now
Buffalo Township, Noble County, where he remained a short
time and had many rough experiences. He was drafted in
the War of 1812, but before reaching the seat of war, ,peace
was declared. In 1813 he married Annie Thompson
and settled in Seneca Township. By this union he was
the father of Ten children, five of whom are living -
Jacob, William, Thomas, Abraham and Mehitable.
His wife died in 1844; she was a member of the Presbyterian
church. After her death he visited the place of his
childhood in Miami County, Ohio, and in 1848 he married
Mrs. Catharine Stevens (nee Johnston, Jessie,
Louis and Catharine Abraham Rich, Sr.
was a hunter in early years. He was a successful
farmer and a prominent member of the Methodist Episcopal
church. He died in 1873. His widow still lives
upon the homestead. He entered in Seneca Township 100
acres of land, on sections 20 and 31, to which he added
until he had 432 acres in this county and 276 acres in
Guernsey County.
In many respects he was more than an ordinary man.
He was of medium height, but possessed of an iron
constitution and wonderful endurance; he was thought to be a
man of excellent judgment and unspotted integrity. He
was a peacemaker, and was consulted on all important
matters. He was one of the early Methodists, and
contributed liberally to religious and educational projects.
He built saw-mills and instituted many substantial
improvements, especially the opening and development of
roads. He died in 1873 and was buried on the old farm.
He had a family of ten children: James, Ann, Rebecca,
Jacob, William, Mary, Thomas, Abraham, Mehitable and
Elvira A.
The latter died in infancy. Jacob, the oldest
son of Abraham Rich now living, was born in a log
cabin in Seneca Township in 1824. Early in life he was
inured to all the privations and hardships of pioneer life.
After the death of his mother he was the eldest of the
children, and the care of teh family devolved upon him.
In this school of toil and hardship he was reared. At
the age of twenty-six he married Miss Jane, daughter
of Abraham Miley, one of the pioneers of this
township. His children are Mary I. (Miley), William
H., Rachel (Talbott), and Abraham M. The
family are members are Methodist Episcopal church, in which
Mr. Rich has been class-leader for forty years.
Mr. Rich commenced upon 120 acres, which is a
part of his present farm. The land was only slightly
improved, all of which he was in debt for. To this he
added from time to time until he was the owner of 600 acres
of valuable land. In 1862-3 he made an extended trip
to the far West, visiting Nebraska, Colorado, Nevada, Utah,
Oregon, Washington Territory, Idaho, Montana, British
America and California. He traveled over 3,000 miles
and had some lively adventures. On one occasion he was
captured by Indians, and came near losing his life. On
the Borsha River his boat was capsized, and by his presence
of mind and courage he rescued some of the party that
otherwise would have been lost. He had a similar
experience on the Platt River, where he again came near
losing his River, where he again came near losing his life.
The culmination of his misfortunes was a shipwreck on the
Pacific Ocean. He is a Republican in politics, and one
of the representative men of Seneca Township.
Source:
History of Noble County, Ohio - Publ. Chicago: L. H.
Watkins & Co., 1887 - Page 581 |
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GEORGE
RICH,
one of the earliest pioneers, was a native of Virginia.
He died in 1818. His children were Sally, Ann,
Jane, Polly, and Jeremiah. Jane and
Jeremiah are still living. The latter is among the
oldest native residents of the township. He was born
on the farm where he now lives, in 1815. He married
Lovina, daughter of James Reed. Three of
their children are living. Mr. Rich taught
school in early life. He has been a member of the
Methodist Episcopal church for fifty years.
Source:
History of Noble County, Ohio - Publ. Chicago: L. H.
Watkins & Co., 1887 |
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JOHN
RICH,
soon after he settled, lost a couple of horses. After
searching all around in vain he heard of some horses that
had swam the Ohio River in Moundsville, and went in search
of them. He went back to his old home in Greene
County, Pa., and found them there. They had found
their way home through the almost trackless wilderness,
alone and unaided.
Source:
History of Noble County, Ohio - Publ. Chicago: L. H.
Watkins & Co., 1887 |
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JOHN and ABRAHAM
RICH were noted hunters.
They kept dogs and hunted through all the surrounding
country, killing many bears, wolves, wild cats, panthers and
deer.
Source:
History of Noble County, Ohio - Publ. Chicago: L. H.
Watkins & Co., 1887 |
John W. Robinson |
JOHN
W. ROBINSON. The Robinson family
are of English extraction. Richard J. Robinson,
the father of the gentleman whose name heads this article,
was born in Virginia in 1812, where he grew to manhood and
married Miss Nancy Hook. He acquired
the trade of millwright, and was also skilled in wagon
making. In 1854 he removed to Noble County, settling in
Sarahsville, where he died in 1886, aged seventy-three
years. John W. Robinson was born near
Winchester, Va., Jan. 28, 1843. Early in life he
evidenced a decided aptitude for mechanics, and when but a
mere child was able, with the few Rude tools at his command,
to construct almost anything, from a toy wagon to a
miniature steam-engine. His youthful imagination was
highly wrought up by some telling him that huge fortunes
awaited him if he could discover "perpetual motion."
He immediately commenced a series of experiments with
wheels, buckets, elevators, etc., only to have his hopes
blasted by the information that the same experiments had
already been made by others and that he was laboring with an
impossibility. At the age of sixteen his mind was
directed toward educational matters. His facilities
were, of course, quite limited, but by the aid of private
tutors he studied history and the classics. He entered
the Marietta College, but ill health prevented him from
pursuing a collegiate course. In 1862 he began life as
a teacher at East Union, Noble County, where he taught one
term. The war was in progress, and he was so
thoroughly impressed with his duty to his country, that
after teaching a second term at his home in Sarahsville he
joined Company E, Eighty-eighth Ohio Volunteer Infantry, as
a private soldier. At the expiration of a year he was
detailed a clerk in the Commissary Department, where he
remained until honorably discharged by special order of
General Hooker, when he returned to his
home and resumed his former vocation. His profession,
however, then as now, was illy remunerated, and not wholly
congenial, and he next turned his attention to the
introduction of improved textbooks for schools, and for four
years he traveled the eastern part of the State as the
representative of Ingham & Bragg,
Cleveland, Ohio, at which time traveling agents in this
capacity were discontinued by the "Publishers' compact."
He next engaged in the drug and book business in Sarahsville,
but the business was too slow and tedious for one so
impulsive and energetic, and he removed to Indianapolis,
where he became associated with Messrs. Martin &
Hopkins, State agents for the Northwestern Life Insurance
Company of Milwaukee, as a solicitor. In this, as in
other enterprises, he was successful, and in two years we
find him occupying the responsible position of special agent
for the same company, working in Indiana, Kentucky, and
Michigan.
In this department he
soon evinced his marked ability as an insurance man, and as
evidence of their appreciation of his services the company
offered him the State of Kentucky, which he accepted.
For one year he took the sole charge of the business.
Being ambitious to control the largest agency the company
had, he associated himself with General B. R. Cowen
(Assistant Secretary of the Interior during General
Grant's administration), taking, under the firm
name of Cowen & Robinson, the States of
Ohio and Kentucky. This connection was highly
successful, and continued for nearly four years,
General Cowen retiring.
Under the able management of Mr. Robinson,
the company's business has not only been built up from
$1,500,000 to over $4,000,000, but has commanded the
confidence and patronage of the best men in the State; and
it can be truly said that no agency is in a more healthy and
prosperous condition than this. One of the officials
of the company, in speaking of Mr. Robinson, says: "Mr.
Robinson has been in the employment of our company
for many years, and is likely to continue in such employment
much longer. We have found him a thoroughly competent
and reliable man and we commend him to you as a gentleman
who enjoys our confidence." Dec. 24, 1867, Mr.
Robinson was married to Miss Olive B.
Dilley, of Sarahsville. He resides in
Louisville, Ky.
The career of
Mr. Robinson is one worthy of emulation.
Starting in life with only his natural resources as his
capital, he has, by individual effort, acquired an enviable
position in the business world, and the esteem and regard of
all his acquaintances.
Source:
History of Noble County, Ohio - Publ. Chicago: L. H.
Watkins & Co., 1887
(Portrait available) |
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