|
BIOGRAPHIES
The following biographies are extracted from:
Source:
The County of Ross: a History of Ross County, Ohio
By Henry Holcomb Bennett
Published by S. A. Brant, Madison, Wis.,
1902
< CLICK HERE TO
RETURN TO THE 1917 BIOGRAPHICAL INDEX >
<
CLICK HERE to RETURN to LIST OF BIOGRAPHICAL INDEXES & HISTORIES
>
JACOB
BAHR, a civil war
veteran and for over a quarter of a century janitor of the
Eastern school building in Chillicothe, is a native of
Germany but was brought to this country in infancy.
His father, John Bahr, came over with his family in 1848,
and proceeding immediately to Chillicothe adopted that
city as a permanent place of abode. He was a
shoemaker by trade and prosecuted his calling continuously
until his death, which occurred July 12, 1883. His
children, four in number, consisted of three daughters and
one son, the latter being Jacob Bahr, the subject of this
sketch, who was born in Germany in 1843. After the
usual attendance on the city schools he learned the
cooper's trade which, however, proved so injurious to his
health that he was compelled to seek other means of
livelihood. For some years he was engaged in farming
and at other times turned his attention to various kinds
of occupation as they proved convenient. August 14,
1862, Mr. Bahr enlisted in Company F, One Hundred and
Sixth regiment, Ohio volunteer infantry, with which he
served until the close of the war. This was one of
the last of the German regiments raised in Ohio.
September 4, 1862, it was ordered to Covington, Ky.,
to aid in repelling the forces of Kirby Smith. After
considerable marching and countermarching the regiment was
engaged in the unfortunate affair at Hartsville, Tenn.,
where as the result of bad management it was compelled to
surrender, though no fault was found with the men
themselves who fought well. They were detained for
several weeks as prisoners of war at Murfreesboro, and
then exchanged. Subsequently they did a good deal of
work in guarding railroads and chasing guerrillas, which
service at attended with considerable danger.
Altogether the regiment took part in ten or twelve
engagements, and was mustered out of service June 29,
1865, at Nashville. In July, 1876, Mr. Bahr was
elected by the city school board janitor of the eastern
school building, and it is quite a testimonial of his
fidelity and efficiency in that position that every year
since then he has been reelected. October 2, 1865,
he was married to Elizabeth Cook, of Pike county, Ohio,
and they have had nine children, six of whom are living.
These are, Catherine; Elizabeth, widow of Frederick
Winters, who was sergeant major of the Sixth regiment
United States (regular) cavalry; John, a resident of
Cincinnati; Lena, wife of George Bierle, of Chillicothe;
Mary and William. Mr Bahr is a member of the German
church.
Source: The County of Ross: a history of Ross County, Ohio
by Henry Holcomb Bennett -
Published by S. A. Brant, Madison, Wis., 1902 - Page 376 |
CURTIS
BAKER, of Frankfort, Ohio, was born in Clark county,
Ky., Nov. 18, 1847. He is the son of A. W. Baker,
born in Virginia Oct. 9, 1814, whose father was Jacob Baker,
a native of Germany, The latter emigrated to the United States
in the early part of the nineteenth century and settled on a
farm near Charleston, Va. He married a young German woman,
then resident of that locality, and they had five children.
A. W. Baker remained at home until the death of his
father, when he removed to Kentucky and settled in Clark county.
In Irvine, county seat of Estill county, Ky., he learned the
tailor's trade, which afterward was his principal occupation for
a number of years. He married Lucretia Adams, a
native Virginian of German descent, by whom he had ten children.
Of these, Ann E., William, Mary, Martha, Susan, and
Millie are dead. The living are John S., James H.,
Jackson A. and Curtis. In time, the father
bought a farm in Estill county to which he removed and there
remained until the civil war. He enlisted in Company C,
Fourteenth Kentucky, of which he was elected first lieutenant
and later captain. He served two years, took part in several
prominent engagements, was captured and held prisoner for a
short time, but otherwise escaped without injury. Being
discharged at Camp Chase in September, 1865, he returned to
Kentucky and took up his residence on the farm. Later, he
sold this property and engaged in the mercantile business in
Ruckerville, Ky., for several years, after which he removed to
Elwood, Ind., where he lives a retired life. His first wife
dying in 1867, he was married again in 1868 to Margaret
Crow. Curtis Baker remained at home until
he reached the age of twenty, when he came to Ohio and worked on
a farm by the month for some years. Later he returned to
Kentucky, where he learned the blacksmith trade and followed it
for three years in that state, subsequently pursuing it for nine
years at Bookwalter, Ohio. Afterwards he carried on the
mercantile business in that town for fourteen years.
Having bought hotel property at Sulphur Lick, he lived there for
three years, and then took charge of the Concord hotel at
Frankfort, in connection with which he also conducts a bakery
and confectionery store. Mr. Baker served
one term as postmaster of Ruckerville, Ky., under Grant,
and one term under Garfield at Bookwalter, Ohio, and was
reappointed by President McKinley, but resigned
after one year. He was elected trustee of Paint township,
Fayette county, and filled that office for one term. In 1867, he
was married to Samantha Minchall, a native of
Ohio, by whom he had five children, of whom William, the
second born, is dead. The others are Lucretia
Ann, wife of Thomas Griffith, of Madison
county; Nora, married to George Haas,
Madison county; James A., living in Indiana, and Renna,
at home. Mr. Baker is a member of the Odd Fellows,
Knights of Pythias and the Christian church.
Source: The County of Ross: a history of Ross County, Ohio
by Henry Holcomb Bennett -
Published by S. A. Brant, Madison, Wis., 1902 - Page 377 |
THE BALL FAMILY,
of Chillicothe: George T. Ball, who for thirty years past
has filled a responsible position with the Baltimore & Ohio
Southwestern railway company, and its predecessors, during which
period he has been an honored resident of Chillicothe, is a son
of the late Thomas B. and Lydia Ball, of
Blanchester. The name of Ball has been a familiar one in
Virginia from an early period of its colonial history and yields
to no other in patriotic performances. It will be remembered
that it was a Mary Ball who became the mother of
George Washington, the founder as well as the first
president of the nation, and the most illustrious man of the
eighteenth century if not of all time. From the same branch of
the genealogical tree that produced the father of his country
descended Thomas Ball, who was born and married in
Pennsylvania but subsequently migrated to Warren county, Ohio.
After residing in Warren county for some years, he removed to
Blanchester, Clinton county, where he spent the remainder of his
days and died about the year 1867. His wife survived him
twenty-eight years, her death occurring at Wilmington,. Ohio, in
1893. Of their six children, three are living, among the number
being George T. Ball, who was born at Morrowtown, Warren
county, Ohio, October 10, 1848. April 14, 1874, George T.
Ball married Miss Fannie Gustin, daughter of James
M. and Esther Gustin, of Blanchester, one of its oldest and
foremost citizens, and for many years its leading merchant.
Official records and State archives of the colonial period bear
witness to the military service of Miss Ball's paternal
ancestors; being a lineal descendant, in the seventh generation,
of John Gustin, of Reading, Mass., who received in 1678 a
grant of land at Falmouth (now Portland), Maine, for his
military service in the Colony of Massachusetts Bay, during King
Philip's war, 1675-6. Her great-grandfather, Benajah Gustin,
served from 1779 to 1782, with New Jersey troops, in the
Revolutionary war. Her grandfather, John B. Gustin, and
her father, each bore arms for the preservation of the Union in
the civil war. Her brother, Capt Joseph H. Gustin, now on
the retired list, United States army, graduated at West Point in
1875, saw nineteen years of active service on the western
frontier, and participated in military operations against the
Sioux, Bannock, and Ute Indians. Her great-great-grandfather,
Jeremiah Gustin, was one of Ohio's pioneer settlers from New
Jersey, having located in 1797 on eight hundred acres of public
land in Hamilton county, now Clearcreek township, Warren county,
which tract he subsequently purchased and received a patent
therefor from President Madison. A part of this tract
still remains in the possession of a descendant bearing the
family name. Her maternal ancestors, the Wilson family,
have contributed a number of able clergymen to the presbytery of
Ohio, and many have attained more than local eminence as
educators in the higher branches of learning. One of these, the
Rev. Dr. Robert G. Wilson, was the pastor of the First
Presbyterian church at Chillicothe from 1804 until 1825. He was
also the founder of the Ohio university at Athens, Ohio, and was
its first president. Mr. and Mrs. Ball have two children:
Bessie, born February 18, 1879, who is now the wife of
Frank Lovell Nelson, of Chicago, and Lieut. William
Gustin Ball, Third United States infantry, born April 19,
1875, who, after acquiring his preliminary education in the
Chillicothe high school, pursued such special courses of study
and training in eastern colleges as would best qualify him for
his contemplated profession. On May 12, 1898, he was
commissioned by President McKinley as captain and
assistant quartermaster, United States volunteers, with which
rank he was assigned to duty as a brigade quartermaster, Seventh
United States army corps, wherein he served throughout the
Spanish-American war and until his honorable discharge December
31, 1898. On October 15, 1900, he was commissioned a second
lieutenant of infantry in the regular army of the United States
by President McKinley, since which date he has served
continuously in the Philippines, both as company commander and
as battalion quartermaster, and where, already, his zeal and
efficiency have won the commendation of his seniors in rank.
Source: The County of Ross: a history of Ross County, Ohio
by Henry Holcomb Bennett -
Published by S. A. Brant, Madison, Wis., 1902 - Page 378 |
CARL
BALLARD, one of Ross county's substantial farmers,
was born and reared in the county of Franklin, Ohio. His father,
Cyrus Ballard, was a native of the same county and there
spent the greater part of his life. At the beginning of the
civil war he enlisted in Company B of the Fifty-fourth Ohio
volunteer infantry, but died in 1862 as the result of disease
contracted in the service. After Carl Ballard had
obtained such education in Franklin county as was afforded by
the common schools, he removed to Greenfield and engaged in
business. He remained in this enterprising town of Highland
county from 1887 until 1895, at which time he purchased and
removed to the farm in Ross county on which he has since
resided. Mr. Ballard retained and conducted his business
at Greenfield until November, 1901, when he disposed of the same
with a probability of renewing his investments there in another
form. He has in contemplation the erection of a modern brick
plant and the establishment of an up-to-date packing-house,
either of which would make a valuable addition to the business
institutions of Greenfield. In 1880, Mr. Ballard was
married to Pauline; daughter of Charles Riebel, of
Franklin county. The latter came from Germany to the
United States in 1850 and located at Columbus, Ohio, where he
secured his first work in connection with the building of the
state house. Mr. and Mrs. Ballard have the following
children: Lewis, Herman, Carl, Fred, Willie, Francis, Albert,
Bertha and Emeline. Mr. Ballard is a member of
the order of Odd Fellows and of the Union Veterans' Union.
Source: The County of Ross: a history of Ross County, Ohio
by Henry Holcomb Bennett -
Published by S. A. Brant, Madison, Wis., 1902 - Page 379 |
FRANK
BAPST was born in Pike county, Ohio, May 14, 1865.
His father, Lewis Bapst, a native of Germany, came
to this country when quite young with his parents, who settled
on a farm in Pike county, and he remained at home until his
marriage to Lizzie Brust, when he bought a place
of his own. Here he lived, carrying on general farming, until
the time of his death. He left a family of seven children, thus
distributed in the order of their births: Mary and William
live in Illinois, Lena in Chillicothe, Maggie
in Bainbridge, Frank in Union township, Lucy in
Pike and Adam in Ross county. Frank Bapst
received the ordinary education in early life and remained at
home until his twenty-fifth year. On January 23, 1890, he was
married to Mary New, rented a farm and settled
down to hard work. The first location was retained for seven
years, when Mr. Bapst bought a small place in Pike
county. This he soon after disposed of, returned to Ross county
for a two years' residence on a rented farm and from there
removed to Chillicothe. After a brief interval, he purchased the
place of thirty-one acres where be now resides in Union
township. Mr. Bapst has an interesting young family of
three children, whose names are Floyd, Edith and
Ernest. Politically his affiliations are Republican and
his religious connections are with the United Brethren church.
Source #1 - The County of Ross: a history of Ross County, Ohio
by Henry Holcomb Bennett -
Published by S. A. Brant, Madison, Wis., 1902 - Page 380 |
ROBERT S. BARBEE,
of Chillicothe, deserves the credit of having made a success in
life in the face of circumstances exceedingly adverse. In
addition to the poverty which compelled him to do hard manual
labor for a living, he met with a severe accident at the very
threshold of his career which so disabled him as to make him a
cripple for life. Despite this misfortune, however, Mr.
Barbee has managed to overcome all obstacles and after
efforts in different lines finally reached a substantial
position in the financial world. He was born at Byer, Jackson
county, Ohio, in 1854, and spent his boyhood there, but had only
limited educational advantages, as he was compelled to go to
work at a very early age. When only fourteen years old he began
as a section hand and later became a brakeman on the old
Marietta & Cincinnati railroad. In August, 1872, while
engaged in the always hazardous work of "braking," he met with
the accident previously mentioned, which not only put an end to
his career as a railroader but threatened for awhile to
terminate his usefulness for any purpose. He rallied, however,
with the courage and determination of youth, and as the most
available means of support at his disposal sent himself to learn
telegraphy. After mastering this useful accomplishment he worked
as an operator for a year, and then abandoned the "ticker" to
enter the general mercantile business in his native town. Mr.
Barbee continued as a merchant at Byer four years and became
interested in the development of coal and clay lands in Jackson
and Vinton counties. After spending several years in this
venture, he went to Nebraska and reentered the mercantile field
in that state. During the two years of his residence there he
formed what is called the Nebraska & Ohio Coal company. In the
spring of 1892, he returned to Ohio and located at Chillicothe,
where he has since been actively engaged in the real estate and
loan business, in which he has attained a flattering measure of
success. During his career Mr. Barbee has been too busy
to pay much attention to politics and has never been an aspirant
for office, but while residing in Jackson county was elected to
and filled the position of assessor for one term. He is now a
student in the Ohio college of Osteopathy, at Chillicothe, and
expects to make the practice of that profession his future life
work. In October, 1879, he was married to Colista A.
Curry, a native of Wood county, W. Va., at that time
resident in Jackson county. They have an only son, Judson F.
The family are communicants of the Christian church and Mr.
Barbee is a member of the order of Odd Fellows.
Source: The County of Ross: a history of Ross County, Ohio
by Henry Holcomb Bennett -
Published by S. A. Brant, Madison, Wis., 1902 - Page 380 |
FREDERICK G. BARMANN, of
Chillicothe, was born in Scioto township, Ross county, February
22, 1870. His parents were George F. and Elizabeth (Smith)
Barmann, the former a native of Ross county, born in 1845,
and the mother of Dunville, Canada, born in 1844. They live at
present in Clark county, Ohio, where the father is a well-to-do
farmer. During the civil war he was a soldier in the Fourteenth
Ohio volunteer infantry, and served about two years, contracting
a disease for which he is now pensioned. The father of
George F. Barmann was a native of Germany, who came to Ross
county in his youth, was a farmer and one of the first butchers
in Chillicothe, and married Elizabeth Gertheisen. Both
lived to old age in Ross county, the former dying in his
eighty-eighth year, his wife having preceded him several years.
The Smith family, to which Elizabeth Barmann
belonged, were British subjects and spent their lives in.
Canada. Her father met his death in a railway wreck. She was the
mother of nine children, five sons and four daughters, all of
whom are still living. Harry Barmann is married and
employed in mercantile business in South Charleston, Ohio;
Walter is at Chillicothe, in business with his brother
Frederick; Floyd is a student at Springfield, O.;
Nellie is now Mrs. Edward J. Brown, of Chillicothe;
Stella married Harry Sheets, of South
Charleston; Lida is Mrs. Foster Harrison, of South
Omaha, Neb.; Elizabeth and Edna, both single, are
at home. Frederick G. Barmann was educated in the public
schools of Ross county and in the Chillicothe business college.
For about ten years he held the position of bookkeeper for the
Marfield milling company, of Chillicothe. In 1899, he
embarked in the flour, feed and grain business at No. 386 East
Main street. December 7, 1892, he was married to Nellie S.,
daughter of James and Sarah (Kemper) Henderson, the
former a native of Maryland and the latter of Foster, Ky., where
her father was a hotel keeper for forty years. Mrs. Barmann
was born at Foster but reared at Newport, Ky., and St. Bernard,
Ohio. She received her education in the schools of Newport and
at St. Bernard's college, near Cincinnati. Mr. and Mrs.
Barmann have one daughter, Ruth, born January 14,
1899. Mr. Barmann is a member of the Catholic Order
of Foresters and St. Ignatius society. He has been active as a
local Democratic politician and served as clerk in his ward.
Source: The County of Ross: a history of Ross County, Ohio
by Henry Holcomb Bennett -
Published by S. A. Brant, Madison, Wis., 1902 - Page 381 |
HOWARD G. BARTON, M. D., of
Adelphi, Ohio, may be said to come from a family of teachers, as
his father and sisters gained prominence in that noble
profession and he himself contributed six years of his early
manhood to the same cause. He is the son of William Barton,
a native of Perry county, Ohio, who afterward removed to Hocking
county and became prominent in educational circles as well as a
prosperous agriculturist. Having received a good education at
the Ohio university, at Athens, William Barton devoted
twenty-five consecutive years to school teaching and exercised
much influence for good by reason of his unwearied efforts in
the cause. Meantime he owned and cultivated a farm with success
and became one of the independent farmers of Washington
township. He has been a lifelong Republican in politics and an
active figure in Oddfellowship, with which popular fraternity he
has long been connected. He married Ruth Ann, daughter of
Henry and Rebecca (Brown) Hone, early settlers of Hocking
county, where they spent their lives and ended their days.
William and Ruth Barton have a family of four children, of
whom Dr. Barton is the eldest. His sister, Anna R.,
spent seven years at the Ohio university, afterward taught with
success in Logan, Ohio, and later .became principal of the high
school in Spokane, Wash., where she married Robert
Porterfield, a prominent attorney of that city. Elizabeth
R., the third of the family, graduated at the high school in
Athens, taught for many years at Glouster, married David
Lloyd and now resides in Columbus, Ohio. Laura, the
youngest of the family, was educated in commercial schools and
is now at home. Dr. H. G. Barton was born at the
parental home in Hocking county, March 11, 1864. He attended
commercial school, took the preparatory course in the Ohio
university and spent six years as a teacher in the district
schools. He then took up the study of medicine under Dr. H.
G. Campbell in Logan, Ohio, subsequently entering the Ohio
Medical university of Columbus, where he was graduated with the
class of 1893. His first venture as a practitioner was at
Nelsonville, Ohio, where he remained but one year and then came
to Ross county. He selected Adelphi as his location and soon
succeeded in establishing himself there, both as a skillful
physician and congenial citizen of the community. Dr. Barton
is quite prominent in fraternal circles and has long been
connected influentially with a number of popular societies. He
is a charter member and past chancellor of Adelphi lodge, No.
657, Knights of Pythias, and past sachem of Cornplanter tribe,
No. 173, Improved Order of Red Men. He is a master of Adelphi
lodge, No. 527, F. & A. M., and also holds membership in Adelphi
lodge, No. 114, I. O. O. F. He has always taken much interest in
educational matters wherever located and is a member of the
school board in his adopted town. In 1885, Dr. Barton was
married to Elizabeth, daughter of John and Margaret (Burgoon)
Jadwin, of Hocking county, and they have five living
children: William A., Clinton C, Margaret, Robert and
Clara. The family attend the Methodist Episcopal church, of
which Dr. Barton is a member.
Source: The County of Ross: a history of Ross County, Ohio
by Henry Holcomb Bennett -
Published by S. A. Brant, Madison, Wis., 1902 - Page 382 |
JOHN A. BAZLER,
implement dealer at Kingston, though of Ohio parentage, is of
German origin one generation removed. His grandfather and
namesake was born in Germany, July 24, 1795, and in 1818 settled
in Chillicothe, where he pursued his trade as a brickmaker,
spending his last years with his son and dying in 1891. His wife
was Elizabeth Legg, whom he married after coming to
Chillicothe, and their children were John, George,
Andrew, Augustus, Thomas, Louisa,
Margaret, and Elizabeth. Thomas Bazler was
born in Ross county, February 24, 1823, and in early manhood
went to Pickaway county, where he engaged in farming and has
since followed that occupation. He married Eliza Blaine,
who was born in Pickaway county, August 6, 1831, and descended
from one of the first settlers of Chillicothe. Her father was
Henry Blaine, born in 1808, son of a carpenter who worked on
the first public buildings erected in Ross county. Thomas
Bazler has held the office of trustee of Darby township in
Pickaway county for fourteen years and is a member of Derby
lodge, I. O. O. F. He and wife reared a family of ten children,
all of whom are living but William. The others in order
of birth are: Wilson, John A., Alice, Elsworth, Augustus,
Joseph, Albert., Thomas, and Frank. John A.
Bazler was born in Pickaway county, June 23, 1860, grew up
and was educated in the place of his nativity. In early manhood
he came to Chillicothe, where he remained two years engaged in
the railroad business. From that point he went to Madison
county, located at West Jefferson and embarked in the
agricultural implement trade to which he gave his attention for
six years. His next move was to Dayton, where he secured
employment with the Ohio Steel Fence company, which lasted three
years. In 1899, Mr. Bazler established
headquarters at Kingston, where he has since carried on a
growing business in agricultural implements, buggies and wagons.
He is a progressive citizen and always takes an interest in
affairs of the community in which be lives, especially matters
pertaining to education. While resident in West Jefferson be was
a member of the city council and school board, and the latter
position he also holds in Kingston. He is a member of the Odd
Fellows lodge, No. 412, at West Jefferson, and of the Knights of
Pythias lodge at Kingston. December 27, 1882, he was married to
Emma, daughter of G. W. and Ellen (Griffin) Smith,
all natives of Pickaway county. Mr. and Mrs. Bazler have
two sons: Earl, attending the Kingston high school, and
Edgar.
Source: The County of Ross: a history of Ross County, Ohio
by Henry Holcomb Bennett -
Published by S. A. Brant, Madison, Wis., 1902 - Page 383 |
JEREMIAH BEALL,
who departed this life many years ago, was at one time quite a
familiar figure in the city of Chillicothe. He was born at
Hagerstown, Md., January 25, 1796, and when a child had the
misfortune to lose both his parents by death. He and two
brothers, Joshua and Alexander, were kindly taken
care of by Edward Fitzgerald, an uncle on the mother's
side, who brought them to Ohio and did what he could to assist
them on their way in life. Jeremiah was bright and
industrious, and before he reached manhood had mastered the
plasterers trade, which furnished him steady occupation and a
comfortable competence. This trade he followed for many years in
Chillicothe, where he acquired the reputation of being a
reliable workman and was much esteemed as a moral and upright
citizen. He was a consistent member of the Methodist Episcopal
church, and in all the relations of life as husband, father or
friend be was conscientious in the performance of every duty,
and when he died, April 17, 1857, he was followed to the grave
by many sincere mourners. January 11, 1831, Jeremiah
Beall was married to Emeline Cook, daughter of
parents who came to Ohio but a few years after the founding of
Chillicothe. Her father was a Jersey man who settled in Highland
county in 1806, there married Hannah Troth and in
1808 located at Chillicothe where he became prominent as a
carpenter and contractor. They had six children and Mrs.
Beall was one of their two daughters who lived to
womanhood. She was a superior woman as wife and mother,
affectionate and amiable in disposition, and retained the regard
of a host of friends until the day of her death, April 13, 1890.
Jeremiah and Emeline Beall had a
family of nine children, seven sons and two daughters. Most of
these have been called to their last account, including James
H., William T., Albert Alexander, Joshua and Henry.
The three surviving children are Edward, a resident of
Wabash county, Ill.; Mary, wife of Joseph J.
Woods, of Chillicothe, and Laura A. Beall, a teacher
in the Chillicothe city schools.
Source: The County of Ross: a history of Ross County, Ohio
by Henry Holcomb Bennett -
Published by S. A. Brant, Madison, Wis., 1902 - Page 384 |
SAMUEL H. BEATH,
of Buckskin township, is one of the best known of the younger
generation of Ross county farmers, having gained recognition as
a skillful stock-raiser and feeder. The founder of the Beath
family in Ross county came to Ohio in the latter part of
the eighteenth century. He left a son named James, who
was born in 1810 in Paint township and became a successful
farmer. Among his children was a son named Joseph, born
in 1832, who settled in Twin township and married Minta,
daughter of Robert Watson, an old settler of that part of
Ross county. Joseph and Minta Beath had three
children: Nettie, wife of Michael Hennigan;
Anna, wife of Albert Warner; and Samuel H.
The latter, though a native of Twin, was reared and educated in
Buckskin township. As soon as he reached manhood, Mr. Beath
entered actively into agricultural pursuits, making a specialty
of raising and feeding stock. He fair tens cattle and hogs for
the market and is regarded by the best judges as an expert in
that particular line of business. By the exercise of good
judgment and close attention Mr. Beath has been enabled
to achieve a creditable measure of success. He pays some
attention to politics and is not without interest in the public
affairs of his township, though most of his attention is given
to his private business. In 1890, Mr. Beath was married
to Nancy, daughter of Aaron Cox, who died in 1896,
leaving two children, Jessie and Margaret.
Source: The County of Ross: a history of Ross County, Ohio
by Henry Holcomb Bennett -
Published by S. A. Brant, Madison, Wis., 1902 - Page 384 |
WILLIAM S. BEATH
was born in Paint township, Ross county, O., November 28, 1847.
He is a grandson of Joseph and Barbara M. Beath, natives
of Virginia, who came to Ross county at a very early period of
its settlement. They located in Paint township where the father
shortly afterward was killed by a tree falling on him, and his
wife went to live with her son James. They had five
children who grew up to manhood, their names being John,
Joseph, James, Catherine and Aaron. Aaron Beath,
born in Ross county, went to live with an uncle after his
father's death,, and remained there until he was fully grown,
when he married Elizabeth Snyder, a native of Ross
county, and went to farming in Paint township on a place
belonging to the parents of his wife. Subsequently he went to
live on what is known as the Hester farm, where he
remained for several years, and after other changes to different
places, removed in 1870 to the state of Kansas, where he died
about two years ago. Of his eight children, John, Christina,
Julia A., and David are now dead. The living are
William S., the subject of this sketch; Catherine,
now the wife of Charles Hayes, of Bloomingburg, O.;
Nettie B. who married A. Fortman, of Kansas, and
Edgar, of Washington. William S. Beath
remained at home until he was about seventeen years old,
meantime obtaining an education at the district school. He then
engaged work by the month, continuing this line of labor until
his marriage to Catherine Moomaw, which took place on
March 1, 1871. Her parents were Virginians who settled in Paint
township at an early day and died there. After their marriage
the young couple went to housekeeping on a rented farm where
they lived for twelve years. Mr. Beath then bought
fifty-one acres of land, which is his present place of
residence, and to this he subsequently added another purchase of
ten acres. He has carried on general farming, has prospered as
the result of hard work and good management, adding a great many
improvements to his place from time to time. Himself and wife
are members of the German Baptist church. They have six
children, whose names are Maggie A. (wife of. Edward
L. Summers), Edgar H., Clarence, Maud (wife of
Harry Trego), Homer, and Robbins.
Source: The County of Ross: a history of Ross County, Ohio
by Henry Holcomb Bennett -
Published by S. A. Brant, Madison, Wis., 1902 - Page 385 |
ISRAEL BEIDEMAN,
the well known contractor and representative business man, has
been identified with the industrial development of Chillicothe
for more than half a century. Nor is it too much to say that by
his mechanical labors and the unfailing performance of all the
duties of good citizenship he has contributed his full share to
the city's growth and prosperity. He is of Pennsylvania origin.
His grandfather, George Beideman, a farmer of the
Keystone state and a participant in the war of 1812, left a son
and namesake, a weaver by trade, who married Mary,
daughter of Henry Hemsing, who came from Germany and
settled as a farmer in Montgomery county, Pa. George
and Mary A. Beideman became the parents of four sons
and one daughter. The eldest was Israel Beideman, whose
birth occurred on his father's farm in Montgomery county, Pa.,
August 8, 1830. When fourteen years of age his parents removed
to Philadelphia, where he was educated as he grew to manhood. A
circumstance occurring the year after his arrival in the City of
Brotherly Love made upon his young mind such a deep and
indelible impression that Mr. Beideman has always
distinctly remembered it. A bitter religious controversy had
grown up over the question of using the Bible in the public
schools and the Catholics were accused of hostility to the
program favored by the Protestant element. The contest grew so
heated that it bred a riot, and Mr. Beideman says that
though only fourteen years old he was right in the midst of the
row as a representative of the American view of the public
school question. During his early manhood Mr. Beideman
learned the cabinet-making trade and became very proficient as a
workman, especially in the features calling for greatest skill,
such as hand carving, and finishing rosewood and fine parlor
furniture. He worked at his trade in Philadelphia and Boston for
several years, and in 1855 came to Chillicothe where he remained
two years. In the spring of 1857, he went to Chicago, worked
awhile in a mill and then learned the carpenter's trade, in
which he became very efficient. He went to Louisiana in October,
1857, and from there to Louisville and Cincinnati, working as a
carpenter most of the time, and finally, in the summer of 1858,
getting back to his starting at Chillicothe, where he was
destined to remain permanently. Since then, he has been one of
the industrial features of Chillicothe as cabinet maker,
carpenter and contractor and has had no superior in his special
line of work. In January, 1860, Mr. Beideman was married
to Julia A. McAdow, a lady whose family history deserves
more than a passing notice. Her grandparents, John and Nancy
(Johnston) Kirkpatrick, located at the infant village of
Chillicothe as early as 1795 and their daughter Polly was
the first female white child born in the corporate limits. The
second was Margaret A. Kirkpatrick, whose birth occurred
August 31, 1801, and by her marriage with Dr. Samuel McAdow
she became the mother of Mrs. Julia A. Beideman. For many
years Mr. Beideman has been a member of the Methodist
Episcopal church and a supporter of all causes that "make for
righteousness." He is connected with the Independent Order
of Odd Fellows, including the subordinate lodge and encampment,
and is a charter member of Sereno lodge, No. 28, Knights of
Pythias, at Chillicothe.
Source: The County of Ross: a history of Ross County, Ohio
by Henry Holcomb Bennett -
Published by S. A. Brant, Madison, Wis., 1902 - Page 386 |
EDGAR P. BELL,
well known as a teacher and preacher in Scioto township, is one
of the esteemed citizens of Ross county, of which he has been
long a resident. For venerations the Bell family have
been living in Virginia, and the majority of them cultivators of
the soil Robert Bell, founder of the Ross county branch
of the name, was born in Virginia, January 8, 1812. In early
manhood he married Frances Seal and afterward had charge
as overseer of a large Virginia plantation. About fifteen years
after his marriage he came to Ross county and settled in Liberty
township in 1848. Remaining there only a short time, he moved
with his family to Scioto township and located near Massieville.
At this place his wife died after having become the mother of
the following named children: Edgar P., Robert, and
Sample (deceased); Mordecai, of Missouri; John
Waller, Amelia, and Elizabeth (deceased).
The father was a carpenter and worked regularly at this trade in
connection with his farming operations. Several years after the
death of his first wife he married Elizabeth Camlin, a
native of Ross county, and continued business at the same place.
He died February 22, 1888, at the village of Massieville, to
which he had removed a few months previously, and his second
wife survived him but a few years. Edgar P. Bell, eldest
of his parents' children, was born in Caroline county, Va,
August 4, 1834, and came with his father to Ohio when fourteen
years old. In youth and early manhood he gained his livelihood
by daily labor on farms. May 29, 1859, he was married to
Samantha Ruley, a native of Belmont county, O., then
resident in Ross county. Mr. Bell located in Massieville
and for several years after his marriage was engaged in teaching
during the winter and working on farms in the summer. About
1870, he became a minister of the gospel, and for fifteen years
afterward was actively engaged in this calling, but was
compelled to abandon the work on account of ill health. After he
gave up preaching, Mr. Bell embarked in the mercantile business
at Massieville, which he has since continued. Mr. Bell's
civil war experience was confined to service with the troops
called out for a hundred days during the fourth year of the
terrible struggle. May 2, 1864, he enlisted in Company F, One
Hundred and Forty-ninth regiment, Ohio volunteer infantry, and
was sent with this command to guard a fort at Baltimore, Md.
He was assigned to hospital duty for awhile in that city,
afterward was sent to Washington and thence on a long march
through Virginia. They met with no adventures worth recording
and after the return to Washington were sent to Harper's Ferry,
passing en route over the then recent battlefield of Monocacy
Junction. Mr. Bell was left at Harper's Ferry among the
sick and at the termination of his hundred days' enlistment was
forwarded to the convalescent camp at Washington, from which
place he shortly after was sent back to Camp Dennison, Ohio, and
there discharged. As soon as he obtained his release,
Mr. Bell returned home and resumed his occupation as a
teacher. He is a member of the Methodist Episcopal church and
occasionally preaches to local congregations. Mr. and Mrs.
Bell have three children, Brice T., Robert M., and
Sarah I. The first mentioned is a teacher in the public
schools at Jeffersonville, Ohio, and Robert is a druggist
by profession.
Source: The County of Ross: a history of Ross County, Ohio
by Henry Holcomb Bennett -
Published by S. A. Brant, Madison, Wis., 1902 - Page 387 |
HENRY BENNER,
a well-to-do farmer of the Fruitdale neighborhood in Ross
county, comes of a family long identified with the mechanical
and agricultural industries of that part of the Scioto valley.
He is a son of Joshua and grandson of Christian
Benner, both natives of Chester county, Pa. The latter came
to Ross county in 1806, when it was still a wilderness, and
settled in Paxton township. He was a man of mechanical skill in
various lines and proved to be an acquisition of the kind most
needed in the new settlement. He established a blacksmith shop,
besides saw, grist and woolen mills, these being the first
industries of their kind in that portion of Ross county, and
located on Paint creek, where his abilities as a mechanic,
backed by enterprise and industry, made him a notable and
valuable citizen of the infant community. His death occurred in
1841 after a life of great activity and usefulness. After the
death of his father, Joshua Benner remained in
charge of the family mills which he managed with good judgment.
He married Mary Magdalene, daughter of
Christian Shockley, and soon after this event removed
to Paint township, where he lived until his death, which
occurred January 9, 1871. Henry Benner, his third
son, was born in 1844 on the old homestead in Paint township.
He received his education in the district schools and when a
young man of about twenty had the exciting experience of being
with the State militia in pursuit of John Morgan during his raid
in Ohio. In 1867, Mr. Benner was married to
Sarah, daughter of Griffith Ward, member of an old
and well established family of Twin township. Layton W.
Benner, the eldest of their three children, and the only
son, is a young man of popularity and promise. November 29,
1889, he was married to Florence, daughter of John
Milton Dyer, one of the early settlers of Ross county. For
three years he held township office and in every way is an
exemplary young man, holding membership in the Methodist
Episcopal church. Of the two daughters of Mr. and Mrs. Henry
Benner, Lizzie May is at home and Mary
Maud is the wife of John W. Beath, a
resident of Dills Station. Mr. Benner is a member of the
Masonic order. The farm on which he lives, besides its
agricultural value, is pronounced by competent judges to be rich
in mineral deposits. There are evidences of coal and granite in
abundance, as well as strong indications of the presence of oil.
A recent analysis of the oil, sent to Indianapolis, showed it to
be of the finest and purest quality and it is in paying
quantities.
Source: The County of Ross: a history of Ross County, Ohio
by Henry Holcomb Bennett -
Published by S. A. Brant, Madison, Wis., 1902 - Page 388 |
JOHN HENRY BRISCOE
BENNETT, at this date one of the oldest business men
in Chillicothe, was born in Shepherdstown, Va., October 10th,
1821, his parents being Thomas Swearingen Bennett and Lurena
Evans, daughter of Thomas Beal Evans, of Harper's
Ferry. On his father's side Mr. Bennett traces his
ancestry back to Gerrit Van Sweringen, who came to this
country from Holland shortly before the middle of the
seventeenth century, and became sheriff of New Amstel. After the
taking of New Amsterdam by the English he removed to Maryland,
being a friend of Lord Calvert. From Maryland many of his
descendants removed into Virginia, The father of Mr. Bennett
died shortly before the latter was born, and the mother
married a second time. In September, 1831, the family left
Shepherdstown for the west, traveling in their carriage over the
Cumberland, afterward the National road, through Uniontown,
Washington and Brownsville to Wheeling, thence via Zanesville
and Lancaster to Chillicothe. After a week's visit there they
went on through Maysville, Lexington, Louisville and St. Louis,
then a town of only 16,000 people, to St. Charles, Mo. The
cholera, which had been prevalent along the line of the
Chesapeake & Ohio canal when they left Shepherdstown, reached
St. Charles in 1832; and in 1834 both Mr. Bennett's
mother and step-father died. In that year he went to Meramec
Iron Works, as store-boy, Thomas James, a family friend,
being interested in the works there. In January, 1836, Mr.
Bennett went to Chillicothe, by boat from St. Louis to
Maysville, Ky., thence to James's iron works on Rapid Forge,
where he remained some time with his brother, Thomas
Bennett. He came to Chillicothe on May 10, 1836, and, the
next day, entered the dry-goods store of William Y. Strong.
There his chief occupation, instead of being a clerk, as had
been expected, was to saw and split wood. In those days a store
boy was expected to be up at five, to clean the store, to see
that the candlesticks held fresh tallow dips, and to continue at
work until the store closed at ten o'clock at night, when be
made up a bed. for himself, on the counter, with a thin, rag
mattress, and went to sleep. Mr. James took Mr. Bennett
from the store and sent him to school, to W. B. Franklin,
until in 1837, when he went to Buckskin Furnace, in Lawrence
county, Ohio, as storekeeper. In 1838 he returned to Chillicothe
and entered the store of James P. Campbell, with whom be
remained until the age of twenty, when be went to New Orleans,
with Thomas W. King, as general clerk in a commission
business. The business not proving successful, he returned to
Chillicothe, and, in 1845, entered into partnership with
Charles B. Crouse, at Circleville, but, owing to
various causes, returned to Chillicothe the same year and
entered into partnership with his brother Thomas, and
with Judge O. T. Reeves, in the dry goods business. In
1850 he bought out J. & H. McLandburg and went into
business by himself, prospering greatly. In the great fire of
1852 his place of business was burned, but he managed to save
his entire stock, and within ten days was again established in
business. Since then, until 1886, he continued steadily in the
dry good business, long, being one of the foremost merchants in
the city. At one time he was in partnership with his brother,
Thomas S. Bennett, and, again, with Dr. W. A.
Clough, under the firm name of Clough & Bennett. For
a time, after 1886, he was connected with the Zaleski
Iron & Coal Co. He is not now, and for some time has not been,
actively engaged in any business. He married, in Chillicothe,
Eliza Jane, daughter of Judge James
McClintick and Charity Trimble, his wife. Of
this marriage four children survive. These are Miss
Alice Bennett, now president of the Century club and
prominent in musical circles in Chillicothe; Henry
Holcomb Bennett, journalist, illustrator, and writer
of short, stories; John, author of the well known stories
for children, "Master Skylark" and "The Story of Barnaby
Lee," and an illustrator, who married Susan,
daughter of Augustin T. Smythe, Esq., of Charleston, S.
C, in 1902, and Martha Trimble, who, at this time,
is head of the English department of Dana Hall,
Wellesley, Mass. Mr. Bennett's memory of the early
days of the city and county is very clear, and he has rendered
valuable assistance to the editor of this history.
Source: The County of Ross: a history of Ross County, Ohio
by Henry Holcomb Bennett -
Published by S. A. Brant, Madison, Wis., 1902 - Page 389 |
HENRY W. BIGGS, D. D.,
now living in retirement and enjoying a needed rest after a
strenuous life, was the popular pastor of the First Presbyterian
church in Chillicothe for twenty-eight years. During his active
days he did much valuable work in the. cause of religion and
conscientiously discharged every duty devolved upon him. From
his earliest youth he was trained as a servant of the Lord and
had the benefit of parental example, as his father was
distinguished both as a teacher and preacher of theology.
Dr. Biggs was born in Frankfort, Pa., now a suburb of
Philadelphia, in 1828, and when four years old was taken by his
parents to Cincinnati, which; city had been chosen as their
place of residence. The father, Thomas J. Biggs, D. D.,
was appointed professor in Lane Theological seminary, later
elected president of the old Cincinnati college, and after the
destruction of the latter by fire became president of the
Woodward college, now known as the Woodward high school, in
Cincinnati. Henry W. Biggs attended the Cincinnati
college during the presidency of his father and was graduated at
that institution in the class of 1844. Subsequently he attended
the theological seminary at Princeton, N. J., where he obtained
his diploma in 1851, and immediately entered upon ministerial
work. His first assignment was as home missionary in Boone
county, Ind., where he was busily engaged for eighteen months.
In 1853 he was called to his first pastorate at Princeton, Ind.,
where he remained two years and then accepted a call to
Morgantown, W. Va., which was his scene of operations until
1864. In that year he came to Chillicothe to accept the
pastorate of the First Presbyterian church, which he held until
1892, when failing health compelled him to relinquish active
work in the ministry. The fact that Dr. Biggs
served the same church continuously for twenty-eight years is
sufficient attestation of his efficiency and acceptability to
his long line of parishioners, but this is also proved in many
other ways. Since coming to Chillicothe in 1864, he has
officiated at the marriage of over 1,100 couples, and for over
twenty years he was a member of the boards for the examination
of teachers both for Ross county and Chillicothe. In recognition
of his services and abilities, the Wooster university in 1877
conferred on him the degree of doctor of divinity, and, aside
from this official tribute, it is the consensus of opinion among
the thousands who have come in contact with him that the late
pastor of the First Presbyterian church is one of the worthiest
of men. In 1853, Dr. Biggs was married at Cincinnati to
Cornelia Pointer, who, through' a married life of
nearly half a century, has shared with her husband the esteem
and good will of thousands.
Source: The County of Ross: a history of Ross County, Ohio
by Henry Holcomb Bennett -
Published by S. A. Brant, Madison, Wis., 1902 - Page 390 |
JACOB G. BISHOP,
of Huntington township, is a member of a family widely
disseminated throughout Kentucky and Ohio, and especially well
known in Ross and Pickaway counties. The branches in the states
mentioned all sprang from Henry and Catherine (Strawyer)
Bishop, pioneer settlers of Ross county in 1805. They
Drought with them from Berkeley county, W. Va. a numerous family
of sons and daughters, who scattered through Kentucky and Ohio
and became the progenitors of numerous offspring. In this way
the Bishops and blood relations under other names became
extensively distributed and constituted a strong element among
the original settlers of the Ohio valley. Among the children of
the couple above mentioned was David Bishop, born
in Berkeley county, W. Va., in 1785, and twenty years old when
his parents settled in Ross county. In course of time be married
Mary M. Long, daughter of a Maryland immigrant by the
name of John Long, who bad come to Ross county
about the time of the advent of the Bisbops. David
and his spouse went to housekeeping in a one-room log cabin, now
owned by G. Reub, but later built a hewed log house which
was regarded as extra fine in those days. They reared their
family of six children consisting of Elizabeth, Henry, Nancy,
Catherine, Frederick and Jacob G. The latter, who is
the only one now living, was born in the aforementioned log
cabin in Huntington township, Ross county, September 28, 1828.
He remained at the old home until his marriage to Rebecca
Wendell, of Noble county, Ohio, which occurred March 22,
1848. He located on the place which he at present occupies, but
later became an occupant of the house of his parents in order
that he might the better take care of them in their old age.
After their deaths, Mr. Bishop purchased a place near
Denver, in Huntington township, where he lived for ten years.
May 1, 1864, he enlisted in Company E, One Hundred and
Forty-ninth regiment Ohio infantry, for the hundred days'
service and went with the command to Baltimore, Md., where they
did guard duty during the whole term of their enlistment. In
1865, Mr. Bishop returned to the place where he had first
embarked in business for himself and this has since been his
home. In 1875, he was ordained as a minister of the Methodist
Episcopal church at Portsmouth, Ohio, and for a number of years
thereafter did local preaching. He has been a member of the
church for fifty-one years. Mr. and Mrs. Bishop have no
children.
Source: The County of Ross: a history of Ross County, Ohio
by Henry Holcomb Bennett -
Published by S. A. Brant, Madison, Wis., 1902 - Page 391 |
ROBERT BISHOP,
of Huntington township, is the only surviving member of a large
family of brothers and sisters who were the off shoots of
pioneer stock which had ramified extensively throughout Kentucky
and the Scioto valley. The parent stem in America was of German
origin and resulted from an emigration which took place during
the early part of the eighteenth century. One of the
descendants, born in Pennsylvania, was Henry Bishop,
who married Catherine Strawyer and soon afterward
settled in Berkeley county, W. Va. In 1805, they joined the tide
then setting in strongly for the west and eventually found an
abiding place in Huntington township, Ross county, where they
secured land and spent the remainder of their days. The epitaphs
on the moss covered stones in Bishop Hill cemetery record the
fact that Catherine lived to the age of ninety-nine and
that her husband was ninety-seven years old when he died. Their
children, eleven in number, were thus named in order of birth:
Henry, John, George, Frederick, Jacob, David, Robert, Mary,
Nancy, Elizabeth, and Margaret. When the parents came west,
several of the children, including George, Margaret
and Elizabeth, diverged to the south of the Ohio and
sought settlements in Kentucky, where they became the founders
of large families. Henry and John went to Pickaway
county, but the other children remained with their parents in
Ross county. Robert, who was number seven in the
household, had reached his seventeenth year when brought to
Ohio, his birth having been in Berkeley county, W. Va. March 5,
1788. He assisted in clearing and cultivating the farm until the
period of manhood, when he married Sarah Hill, a
native of Maryland, who had been brought to Ross county in
childhood by her parents. He located in Huntington township and
followed the occupation of farming, occasionally filling minor
offices, such as justice of the peace, trustee and member of the
school board. He was fairly prosperous in his business, became
the owner of about 275 acres of land and had reached the
eighty-seventh year of his age at the time of death. His
children, eleven in number, are recorded in order of birth as
follows. Catherine, Phoebe, Elizabeth,
Dorcas, Mary, Sarah, Martha, John, Henry, Robert, and
Jacob. As previously stated, Robert Bishop is the
only survivor of this large family. He was born in Huntington
township, Ross county, April 29, 1828, and spent both his youth
and early manhood at the parental home. In 1865, he was married
to Susan C. Bishop, a second cousin, and native of
Ross county, with whom he settled on the old home place and
.there remained during the ten subsequent years. At the
expiration of that time, Mr. Bishop purchased the place
of 122 acres where he has since resided. The only child is
Edward C Bishop, who married Mollie Ward, of
Huntington township, and makes his home with his parents. He
holds the position of township clerk and is an extensive breeder
of sheep. The family are all members of the Methodist Episcopal
church.
Source: The County of Ross: a history of Ross County, Ohio
by Henry Holcomb Bennett -
Published by S. A. Brant, Madison, Wis., 1902 - Page 392 |
JUDGE
GEORGE B. BITZER,
a distinguished citizen of Chillicothe and ex-probate judge of
Ross county, is one of the most popular officials in the State.
He was born at Adelphi, this county, April 15, 1852, being a son
of Anthony G. Bitzer, a native of Colerain township, Ross
county. Conrad Bitzer, his grandfather, was born at
Buffalo Valley, Pa., and was descended from German ancestors. He
was one of the sturdy pioneers of Colerain township, and
developed a farm in the heart, of the forest; he died at the age
of ninety-two years, retaining almost until the very last the
remarkable vigor of his youth. Anthony G. Bitzer
was the proprietor of the hotel at Adelphi, and also
superintended the cultivation of his farm near that village. He
married Catherine Strawser, also a native of Rosa
county, and a daughter of Henry Strawser, a
Pennsylvanian by birth, of German descent, who was one of the
first settlers of Colerain township, and endured many privations
and hardships of the frontier, but lived to the age of
eighty-nine years. Anthony G. Bitzer died at the age of
seventy-six years. He had eight children, six of whom grew to
maturity. The maternal grandmother of George B. Bitzer
was of English descent, and one of the most remarkable instances
of longevity is found in the history of the family. Of the
parents and grandparents of the subject of this sketch their
ages at their death, including six persons in all, ranged from
seventy-six to ninety-two years. George B. Bitzer,
in common with the other children of the early settlers, did not
enjoy the educational facilities now offered the American youth
in the excellent public system of today; but he improved the
opportunities that came to him, and at the age of fifteen
received a certificate as teacher, and taught For eleven years
he was engaged in teaching, attending the Wesleyan university at
Delaware during his vacations. In his youth he had cherished a
fond hope of entering the legal profession, but by some chance
of fortune he began to read medicine, and for eighteen months
devoted his efforts to a preparation for entering Jefferson
Medical college, Philadelphia. During all this time a strong
regret filled his heart, and finally he took his destiny in his
own hands and abandoned medicine forever. He entered the office
of Van Meter & Throckmorton, Chillicothe,
Ohio, and there began a course of study for the law; this effort
ended in his admission to the bar in 1879. He at once engaged in
the practice of his profession, and in the autumn of 1880 he was
elected prosecuting attorney of Ross county on the Republican
ticket. This was an early recognition of his ability, and he
made a model officer. In 1887, at the age of thirty-five, he was
elected probate judge of Ross county, after one of the most
hotly contested campaigns in the history of the county. He was
elected his own successor in 1890, a testimonial to his merit
and just administration heartily appreciated. Judge
Bitzer has during his term of office made many admirable
reforms and reduced much of the business to a system, all of
which has been warmly commended by the bar regardless of party
lines. He is still engaged in the practice of the law at
Chillicothe. Politically, he adheres to the principles of the
Republican party, a straight departure from his ancestral
example. As a public speaker he has more than a local
reputation, and his services as an orator are always in demand
upon occasions of national and other celebrations. The judge was
married December 15, 1S80, to Louisa J. Grimes, a native
of Ross county. Of their five children, four are living:
Altha M., Edwin S., and George E., the latter
of whom died at the age of seven years; Florence C. and
Clarkson B. Judge Bitzer and wife have been
members of the Methodist Episcopal church from childhood, and
are prominently identified with the church in Chillicothe. Of
marked domestic traits, our worthy subject is devoted to his
family, spending all his leisure in their society. He "is a
lover of standard literature and a wide reader upon many
subjects, gathering the best ideas of the advanced thought of
the times.
Source: The County of Ross: a history of Ross County, Ohio
by Henry Holcomb Bennett -
Published by S. A. Brant, Madison, Wis., 1902 - Page 393 |
WILLIAM BITZER,
residing near Hallsville, has been connected with the
agricultural development of Ross county during a period
embracing all of the great modern inventions relating to farm
work. When he, as a barefooted boy, first commenced to plant
corn, there were no sulky plows or machines for drilling, and
when later he was putting in his own crops there were no
reapers, harvesters, binders and other labor-savers now so
common. He has seen all the "ups and downs" of the business and
in his quiet, unassuming way has done his share to keep Ross
county at the front as one of the great farming regions of the
west. Mr. Bitzer comes of honorable lineage
on both sides, one of his ancestors having been a Revolutionary
veteran and another in the war of 1812. His parents were
Jacob and Rosan Barbara (Metzger) Bitzer, both
natives of Pennsylvania, who came to Ross county in 1812 and
here ended their days, the mother dying at seventy-nine and the
father when eighty-six years old. Of their four sons and three
daughters, only William is now living. William Bitzer
was born in Green township, Ross county, November 30, 1823, and
there he has spent all the supervening years. He obtained but a
scant amount of "book learning" from the rather inferior country
schools of those days, but he learned to do all sorts of farm
work and acquired the habits of industry which remained with him
throughout his future life. Since the beginning of his adult
years he has always owned a farm and is at present in possession
of eighty two and one-half acres in Colerain township. February
14, 1860, he was married to Mary A. Creachbaum, who was
born in Harrison township, Ross county, March 5, 1835. She was
the daughter of John and Catherine (Rowe) Creachbaum,.who
came from Pennsylvania and married after their arrival, having
seven children, of whom five are yet living. William
Bitzer and his wife have four children, who are thus briefly
recorded in order of birth: Leah married Peter
Dumm and has two children, Harrison L. and Cleo
M.; Flora, wife of Jacob Heffner, has
one child dead (Pearl) and one living, Mabel D.;
Mary C. is the wife of C. J. Noble; William R.
married Jessie Dumm and has three children,
Russell E., Nolan D., and Marie. Mr. Bitzer's
grandfather on the mother's side served as a soldier under
Washington during the war for American independence arid his
father bore arms for the government in 1812.
Source: The County of Ross: a history of Ross County, Ohio
by Henry Holcomb Bennett -
Published by S. A. Brant, Madison, Wis., 1902 - Page 395 |
CHARLES R. BLACK is a
native of Buckskin township, Ross county, where he was reared
and educated. He is a son of John W. Black and grandson
of Charles Black, the latter an Englishman who settled in
Buckskin township as far back as 1812. He became a soldier of
the war then prevailing, taking sides with the United States
against his former country, and was wounded during one of the
battles. After receiving his education in the district schools
and at Salem academy, Charles K. Black engaged in farming
and the live stock business. He formed a partnership with W.
L. Stinson, under the firm name of Stinson & Black,
and for years they did an extensive business. In fact, this firm
became the heaviest dealers in live stock in the State and
finally entered the export business, shipping directly to
Europe. Their operations as buyers extended over a large area
and they were the only exporters in their section oŁ the State.
In September, 1901, Mr. Black retired from the
firm after fifteen years of active service. Mr. Black
never allowed politics to distract his attention from business
and has neither sought nor held office. He was too young for
military service during the war, but has a distinct recollection
of the Morgan raid, being used as a messenger on different
occasions during the organization of the militia. In 1869, Mr.
Black was married to Mary A., daughter of Isaac
Hyer, an old settler of Ross county.
Source: The County of Ross: a history of Ross County, Ohio
by Henry Holcomb Bennett -
Published by S. A. Brant, Madison, Wis., 1902 - Page 395 |
DANIEL W. BLACK, a famous
cattle-breeder and feeder, of Ross county, was born in Buckskin
township near Lyndon, being a son of John W. Black, whose
family history is elsewhere sketched. He was educated in the
district schools and early in life began farming on the old
homestead place. His tastes led him toward the live stock
business, especially the fancy breeds, and he was destined to
achieve a marked success in this line. About six years ago Mr.
Black made up his mind that the Herefords were the best
all round cattle on the market, and he determined to devote his
attention to their breeding. Since then he has made a specialty
of Herefords and the Duroc Jersey swine, bringing both to a
perfection that gives him front rank among the breeders.
Starting in a small way, he now has a herd of about thirty-five
pure-bred Hereford cattle. A sample of their quality as well as
value may be gauged from the fact that in 1900, at the Kansas
City thoroughbred stock sale, he received $600 for a nine-months
old calf. Included in his home herd is the thoroughbred cow, "Armel,"
a superb animal bought for $700 from the late K. B.
Armour, for which Mr. Black has since refused
$1,000. At the great international fat stock show in Chicago in
1901, Mr. Black exhibited a carload of fifteen
head of Herefords fattened by himself, which won the grand
championship prize of the world and were pronounced by competent
judges and buyers as the best steers ever sold in the Chicago
market. Mr. Black has been equally successful as a
breeder and feeder of swine. His hogs, like his cattle, are the
best, and show the evidences of skillful breeding and feeding.
In this Mr. Black has no superior anywhere, being
an expert in all that relates to his branch of business. In 1889
Mr. Black was married to Laura L., daughter
of James Q. Tharp. The family are connected with the
Methodist Episcopal church. Mr. Black is a member
of the American Hereford Breeders' association and also of the
Duroc Jersey Breeders' association.
Source: The County of Ross: a history of Ross County, Ohio
by Henry Holcomb Bennett -
Published by S. A. Brant, Madison, Wis., 1902 - Page 396 |
JOHN O. BLACK,
well known in mercantile circles at Kingston, was born in
Pickaway county, Ohio, September 8, 1869, son of Joseph and
Margaret (Hoffman) Black. His grandfather, Joseph
Black, settled in Fairfield county, Ohio, at an early period
of the State's history, embarked in the cattle business and
became noted as one of the pioneer drovers. Mr.
Black's father was a teacher in early life, but afterwards
engaged in farming in Pickaway county, where he located when a
young man. The closing days of his life were spent in Kingston
and there his death occurred October 12, 1897. His widow resides
in Kingston, with her son, J. O. Black. The latter was
brought up on the farm, receiving his education at Mount
Pleasant academy and the Kingston high school. His first venture
in business was as a painter and paper hanger, which occupation
he followed ten years. In 1895 he embarked in the mercantile
business, which he pursued alone for two years and then formed a
partnership with Shannon H. Sibrell. The firm thus
constituted continued until 1901, when Arthur Hickle,
a farmer of Green township, became the junior member in place of
Mr. Sibrell. The firm of Black &
Hickle carries the largest stock of general merchandise in
Kingston and does a thriving business. Mr. Black has figured
conspicuously in local politics on the Republican side and has
held various positions of honor and trust. When twenty-four
years old he was elected mayor of Kingston and served two terms
in that capacity. For three years he held the office of justice
of the peace, was a member of the school board, president of the
board of health and at present is a city councilman. Mr.
Black is quite prominent in Freemasonry, having
membership in Scioto lodge, No. 6; Chillicothe chapter, .No. 4,
Royal Arch; Council No. 6, of Chillicothe and Chillicothe
commandery, No. 8, Knights Templars. He is also a member of
Kingston lodge, No. 419, Knights of Pythias, and Chillicothe
lodge, No. 42, of the Order of Elks. October 23, 1900, Mr.
Black was married to Nellie S. Crouse, a native of
Kingston, and daughter of David and Elizabeth
(Leist) Crouse. They have one daughter, Helen C.
Source: The County of Ross: a history of Ross County, Ohio
by Henry Holcomb Bennett -
Published by S. A. Brant, Madison, Wis., 1902 - Page 397 |
CHARLES A. BLAIN,
a popular young farmer of Scioto township, is a
representative of the fourth generation of his family since its
origin in Ross county. The first one arrived in the same
year that witnessed Daniel Chestnut's advent into advent
into the county and this was at a period when the now populous
and prosperous city of Chillicothe could only show two or three
log cabins as a guarantee of what it was destined to become. The
whole Scioto valley was at that time little better than a
howling wilderness, giving little promise of the high order of
civilization now prevailing throughout that modern "land of
Goshen." The citizen of today who lives in that lovely
land, fruitful of every blessing to mankind, filled with
cultivated fields, gardens and orchards which recall the "vale
of Cashmere," is naturally proud to know that he had an ancestor
among those whose early sacrifices made all this possible. The
story of the old pioneer, William Blain, and his
mysterious fate, also of his son John and his grandson,
James H. Blain, are detailed in the sketch of the latter
which appears in this volume. By way of repetition it is
sufficient to say that John Blain married Eliza
Truitt, settled on the old Chestnut farm in Scioto
township, reared a family of six children and was gathered to
his fathers at a ripe old age. His son, James H.,
joined the Union army when a boy, marched and fought four years,
took part in some of the greatest battles of the civil war, and
altogether made a soldier record of unusual credit and
brilliance. A year or two after his return from the war, he
married Nancy E. Burns, a lady of Southern birth, then
resident in Ross county, and by her had six children:
Charles, William, Harry, James, Mary, and Carrie.
Charles A. Blain, eldest of this family, was born in Scioto
township, Ross county, August 23, 1868. He remained at home
until his twenty-fourth year, during which time he obtained his
education in the district schools and familiarized himself with
all kinds of work on the farm. November 24, 1892, he was married
to Blanche Edwards, of Ross county, after which he
located on a farm in Scioto township and has since been engaged
in the business connected therewith. Mr. and Mrs. Blain
have five children: Ira, Ruth, Edith,
Euphemia, and Howard. The parents are members of the
Methodist Episcopal church.
Source: The County of Ross: a history of Ross County, Ohio
by Henry Holcomb Bennett -
Published by S. A. Brant, Madison, Wis., 1902 - Page 399 |
JAMES H. BLAIN, a prosperous farmer of Scioto
township and civil war veteran with an excellent record, traces
his lineage to one of the earliest settlers of Ross county. This
was William Blain, who came from Rockingham
county, Va., and settled in Scioto township, when there were
only one or two log houses in Chillicothe. He assisted in
cutting the first road leading from the present county seat to
the village of Massieville. Shortly after his arrival in Ross
county, William Blain married a daughter of Daniel
Chesnut and settled down to the grubbing, chopping; burning
and clearing which pre-ceded the rude farming of those days. At
the beginning of the war of 1812 he enlisted as a soldier, went
off to join his regiment and was never again heard of by friend
or family. What became of him and conjectures as to his mode of
death were long subjects of conversation around the lonely
firesides of his neighbors, but no clue whatever could be
obtained and the fate of the old pioneer ever remained one of
the unsolved mysteries of the wilderness. After the death of her
husband, the widow returned to her father's cabin and there
remained until the marriage of John, her only son, to
Elizabeth Truitt. The newly married couple took
possession of the place settled and cleared by the missing
father, and there spent the balance of their long lives. They
had six children, of whom William, Eliza, and
Samuel are dead, the living being James H., Amelia
(wife of John A. Landrum), and Joseph, of Franklin
township. James H. Blain, second of the children, was
born at Massieville, Ross county, about the year 1844. Though
still a youth at the opening of the civil war, he enlisted
October 14, 1861, in Company I, Seventy-third regiment, Ohio
volunteer infantry. This command was first sent to New Creek, W.
Va., and later took part in the following named battles: Bull
Pasture Mountain, Cross Keys, Cedar Mountain, Second Bull Run,
Chancellorsville, and Gettysburg, to say nothing of many
intervening minor engagements. Mr. Blain's
regiment being sent to General Rosecrans in
Tennessee he took part with it in the battles at Raccoon
Mountain and Missionary Ridge. The next service was at
Knoxville for the relief of General Burnside,
after which they returned to Chattanooga. There the regiment
re-enlisted for the balance of the war, and Mr. Blain
obtained a short rest at home on furlough. On his return, the
regiment joined Sherman at Chattanooga and began the Atlanta
campaign, during which they participated in the battles of
Resaca, Dallas, Kenesaw Mountain, Peachtree Creek and the siege
of Atlanta. Subsequently Mr. Blain was one of the
great army on the "march to the sea," with its continual
skirmishing and innumerable incidents of an exciting nature.
Then came the arrival at Savannah, the grateful rest in camp,
the crossing of the river into South Carolina, the fights at
Bentonville and Goldsboro, and lastly the grand review at
Washington which closed the mighty struggle. After reaching Ohio
by way of Louisville and receiving his discharge, Mr.
Blain returned home and resumed work. In October, 1867, he
was married to Nancy Burns, a native of North
Carolina, and settled on the old homestead cleared by his
grandfather, owned by his father, and the place of his own
birth. There he resided about five years, since which time he
has rented and at present is engaged in the peaceful pursuits of
agriculture, cultivating and grazing three hundred twenty-five
acres of land. The names of his six children, all of whom are at
home or living in Scioto township, are as follows: Charles,
William, Harry, James, Mary, and
Carrie.
Source: The County of Ross: a history of Ross County, Ohio
by Henry Holcomb Bennett -
Published by S. A. Brant, Madison, Wis., 1902 - Page 397 |
VALENTINE BLANKENSHIP,
chief engineer of the Chillicothe city water works, is a native
of Scioto county, born on May 10, 1850. He is the only son of
John and Sarah (White) Blankenship, the former a native of
Virginia and the latter of Maryland. His father was an iron
worker during most of the productive years of his life. He
enlisted early in the civil war as a Union soldier in the
Thirteenth Missouri regiment and was killed in the battle of
Shiloh on April 6, 1862, at the age of about forty years. He was
buried on the ground of that sanguinary battle, where his dust
remains, with that of many others on either side, to swell the
list of unknown and unrecorded dead. His widow survives, at the
age of seventy-six years, and is a cherished member of the
family of her son Valentine. The latter, deprived of a
father's assistance at so tender an age, was compelled to face
the world and its hardships when still a mere child. After
picking up a slender education in the schools of Scioto county,
he became an apprentice under competent instructors to the trade
of an engineer at the iron works at Bloom furnace. At the close
of the civil war, when only sixteen years old, he went south and
took charge of the Brownsport & Cumberland iron works, where he
remained for over two years. In 1869, he came to Chillicothe and
was employed for fourteen years as a locomotive engineer on the.
Baltimore & Ohio Southwestern railway. After the building of the
Chillicothe water works, Mr. Blankenship was selected in
1882 as the chief engineer, and he has continued in that
position without intermission up to the present time. In 1877,
he was married to Mary H., daughter of R. J. and
Margaret (Ryan) Gardiner, of Chillicothe, where she
was born, bred and educated. The same family physician who
attended her mother when she was born, has been the attendant
upon Mrs. Blankenship at the birth of all her own
children. The latter are five in number, to-wit: Ada G.,
Clara May, Olive Jean, Walter D., and Marie, all
still at home, the first two mentioned being graduates of the
Chillicothe high school. Mr. Blankenship is a member of the
Masonic fraternity, of the Odd Fellows, Knights of the Essenic
Order, Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers, and the National
Association of Steam Engineers. His political affiliations are
Republican. He has been a member of the city council and of the
election board.
Source: The County of Ross: a history of Ross County, Ohio
by Henry Holcomb Bennett -
Published by S. A. Brant, Madison, Wis., 1902 - Page 399 |
SAMUEL T. BOGGESS, D. D.
S., long and favorably known as a practitioner of
dentistry at Greenfield, Ohio, is a native of Virginia. In 1858
he came from that state to Ohio, where he spent fourteen years
in a dental office as preliminary to more elaborate preparations
for the profession of dental surgery. In 1872, he matriculated
at the Philadelphia Dental college, from which he obtained the
degree of D. D. S. in the spring of 1873. Immediately thereafter
he located at Jackson, Ohio, where he spent fourteen years in
the practice of his profession. In 1887, he removed to
Greenfield where he continued his professional work and thereby
achieved both prominence and prosperity. Dr. Boggess
is popular personally as well as in the line of duty and is
thoroughly informed in the niceties and intricacies of his
useful calling. In 1860, he was married at Athens, Ohio, to
Eliza, daughter of Rev. H. J. Carr, deceased. They
have a bright and interesting family of four children. Minnie,
the eldest, is the wife of Dr. E. J. Martin,
Dr. John S. Boggess, at present assistant surgeon in the
Marine hospital at Philadelphia,, is an accomplished and highly
educated gentleman. He holds a diploma with the degree of A. M.
from the Ohio State university and was graduated as M. D. at the
Miami Medical college. Charles Boggess, D. D. S.,
received his literary education at Portsmouth, Ohio, and in
1897, was graduated as D. D. S. at the Ohio College of Dental
Surgery. Since his graduation he has been associated with his
father in the practice at Greenfield. Miss Martha
Boggess, the youngest of the children, is at home with
her parents.
Source: The County of Ross: a history of Ross County, Ohio
by Henry Holcomb Bennett -
Published by S. A. Brant, Madison, Wis., 1902 - Page 400 |
CHARLES
E. BOWDLE was born in Union township, Ross county,
October 31, 1859, son of William F. and grandson of Edward
Bowdle, both natives of Ross county, the former born in
1830, and the latter in 1804. The great-grandfather was
Wesley Bowdle, a Virginian who came to Ross county in
the latter part of the eighteenth century, when the first
pioneer settlements were being made. William F. Bowdle
has been a farmer in Union township all his life. After he had
received his schooling and grown up to man's estate, he married
Jane Elliott, by whom he had seven children. The oldest of
these is Charles E., the subject of this sketch; the
second was Ida, who became Mrs. Charles Bay;
Nancy, the third child, married George Garrison,
but is now dead; fourth in order of birth was Carrie, who
has passed to her rest; next comes Effie, now Mrs.
Noble Garrison, and after her, Flora, the wife of
M. Garrison; Grace, the youngest, is still at home.
Charles E. Bowdle remained at home attending school and
helping his father on the farm until he was about twenty-five
years old. He then made up his mind to marry and selected as a
wife Miss Clara Beard, one of the
neighboring girls, to whom he was united on November 18, 1891.
After his marriage, Mr. Bowdle lived for a year on
a rented place in Union township. At the expiration of that
time, he purchased and moved to the farm where he now resides.
In addition to carrying on regular farming, Mr. Bowdle
runs a threshing machine, a saw mill and a grist mill, among all
of which he is a very busy man. Mr. and Mrs. Bowdle are
members of the Methodist Episcopal church. They have three
children, Forest, Orrin, and Bernice, the
first two at school and the third still of tender years.
Source: The County of Ross: a history of Ross County, Ohio
by Henry Holcomb Bennett -
Published by S. A. Brant, Madison, Wis., 1902 - Page 401 |
THE
BOWERS FAMILY, of Ross county, dates back to a period
almost as early as the first settlement of that section. The
founder was Adam Bowers, a native of Pennsylvania,
who emigrated to the western wilderness near the beginning of
the nineteenth century. A fine sample he was of the class of men
who were then hewing a path to civilization through the
trackless solitudes of the Ohio valley. Strong of build,
resolute of character, and equal to the most exacting labor,
Adam Bowers soon proved his right to rank with the
sturdiest of the pioneers. He selected the then struggling
village of Chillicothe as the location for his cabin and
commenced the struggle for existence with the hopeful courage
characteristic of the time. Mechanics were scarce in the new
settlements and a skilled workman was at a premium. Being a
millwright and carpenter, Adam Bowers was a
welcome addition to the infant colony and managed to make
himself useful in many ways. He assisted in building the first
grist mill in Chillicothe and also the old block-house which was
erected for protection against the Indians. The tradition in the
family is that Adam Bowers came to the county a
single man and married after his arrival there. However this may
be it is known that his death took place in 1840 and that of his
wife in 1846. They were the parents of Rye children,
Frederick, Margaret, Adam, James, and a
daughter whose name has not been preserved in the family
records. It is known, however, that she married George
Rush; that he afterward settled in central Indiana and that
the city of Rushville is supposed to have been named after him.
Others, however, contend that Rushville and Hush county, Ind.,
were both named in honor of Dr. Benjamin Rush,
the famous physician and scientist of Philadelphia. James
Bowers, who is next to be considered, was born in
Franklin township, Ross county, on August 8, 1825. After
reaching man's estate he adopted farming as an occupation and
followed it throughout his life, which was spent entirely within
the bounds of his native township. There also he found his wife
in the person of Elizabeth Pry, by whom he had the
following named children: Frederick B., George, William H.,
Margaret, and Viola. The two daughters died in
childhood, the mother survived until February 5, 1892, and the
father passed away on September 30, 1895. Frederick B.,
the eldest of the sons, was born January 17, 1851, in the
township of Franklin. He was educated in the district schools
and has spent his life mainly as a farmer and fruit-grower. He
has never been a seeker after office but has filled several
township positions at the request of the voters. February 9,
1896, he was married to Julia A., daughter of David H.
and Mary (Smith) Sheets. Her grandparents (Sheets)
migrated from Pennsylvania at an early day and became part of
the vanguard who were engaged in settling Ross county. Mr.
and Mrs. Bowers have one child, Ruth E.,
who was born May 11, 1897. George Bowers, second
of his parents' children and brother of Frederick B., was
born September 25, 1853. He attended the district schools and
after reaching age adopted the occupation of farming, like the
rest of his family. He has never been married. William H.
Bowers, another brother, was born June 17, 1856non the
old homestead place. Since reaching manhood he has followed
farming as his vocation and has never married.
Source: The County of Ross: a history of Ross County, Ohio
by Henry Holcomb Bennett -
Published by S. A. Brant, Madison, Wis., 1902 - Page 401 |
THE
BRIGGS FAMILY:—Those who bear this name may take pride in
the fact that they had representatives in the very vanguard
which introduced the Scioto valley to modern civilization. As
early as 1798, the year in which Ross county was officially
organized as a body politic, Samuel and Joseph
Briggs located in its confines and became the founders of
families which produced some of the most substantial of the
county's later citizenship. Joseph Briggs,
the younger of these brothers, reared a family of two boys and
several daughters. One of the boys, who was named Charles,
was born near Austin, Concord township, in 1806. He went through
the vicissitudes connected with the life of a farmer's boy in
those days, including irregular attendance at the "old log
school house," doing chores in winter and working on the farm in
summer, and thus grew to manhood. Naturally drifting into the
occupation of his father, he became a farmer and followed that
noble but exacting calling all the days of his adult life.
Charles Briggs married Catherine Mallow,
one of the neighboring Ross county girls, and by her had twelve
children, the second born of whom was given the name of
Allison. Allison Briggs early experiences were
much like those of his father, as he grew up on the old home
place near Austin, and in due time he also followed in the
paternal footsteps in the matter of choosing an occupation for
life. He became a farmer and adhered closely to that pursuit as
long as his life lasted. When he began to think of matrimony his
choice of a helpmeet fell upon Jane Snyder,
daughter of William and Malinda Snyder,
of Fayette county, and to this lady in time he was duly united.
She died in 1860, after bearing him three boys, two of whom,
William and Dudley F., are living, and honored
citizens of their native county. For his second wife, Allison
Briggs selected Mary, daughter of Anderson
DeWitt, of Fayette county, by whom he left three children at
the time of his death in 1890. Dudley F. Briggs, youngest
of the children by the first marriage, was born March 31, 1860,
while his parents were living for a short time in Fayette
county. He was taken to his grandparents in Ross county, by whom
he was reared, educated, and tenderly cared for until grown to
manhood. In due time he adopted the ancestral occupation, became
a tiller of the soil and has devoted the principal part of his
life to agricultural pursuits. Of late years Mr.
Briggs has added stock-shipping to the regular routine of
farm work and has done considerable business in that line.
October 26, 1881, he was married to Eva, daughter of
Abraham Rowe, an old settler of Ross county. They
have four children: Donnie, wife of Lee Putman;
Emma, Jesse and Farrell.
Source: The County of Ross: a history of Ross County, Ohio
by Henry Holcomb Bennett -
Published by S. A. Brant, Madison, Wis., 1902 - Page 403 |
VALENTINE
BROCKMEYER, the efficient chief of the Chillicothe fire
department, was born in Chillicothe, Ohio, March 15, 185S. His
parents were Theodore and Antonia Brockmeyer,
both of whom were natives of Germany and emigrated to America in
1842, and located in Chillicothe, where they spent the remainder
of their lives, the former dying in 1882 and the latter in 1889.
Val. Brockmeyer spent his early youth in assisting
his father and attending the city schools. After arriving at
maturity he was engaged in various pursuits until the 22d of
June, 1881, when he entered the city fire department, and with
the exception of two years' experience as a coal dealer he has
continuously served in the various capacities of the fire
department from a driver to chief. On October 13, 1887, he was
united in marriage with Miss Julia Pickens,
the estimable daughter of Samuel and Susan Pickens, old
and respected residents of Chillicothe, where she was born
December 22, 1866, and reared and educated. Chief
Brockmeyer is a member of the order of Red Men, and in
politics is a Democrat and usually takes an active interest in
his party's welfare. As chief of the Chillicothe fire department
he has proven to be an exceptional officer. Under his careful
supervision lie department is in excellent shape and the pride
of the city. Its plans and up-to-date methods are being
patterned after by other cities. The department is equipped with
the latest improved apparatus, and Chief Brockmeyer
has demonstrated by his long and faithful service that he can
properly handle it. As a means for keeping in touch with the
best thought of the day on fire fighting, as well as to secure
the personal views- of his co-laborers in other cities, he is an
active member of the International Association of Fire
Engineers, and attends its annual meetings. He is one of the
representative, self-made men of the city, and has by strict
attention to his duties gained the confidence and respect of a
host of friends.
Source: The County of Ross: a history of Ross County, Ohio
by Henry Holcomb Bennett -
Published by S. A. Brant, Madison, Wis., 1902 - Page 404 |
CHARLES
W. BRODESS was born in Huntington township, Ross county,
April 24, 1826. He is the son of John Brodess, a
native of Maryland, who came to Ross county about the year 1805.
He had learned the shoemaker's trade before coming west, and
after locating in Ohio he made this the business of his life.
His wife was Mary Williams, also of Maryland, and
they had the unusually large family of twelve children. Of
these, Nancy and Charles W. are the only
ones living, while the list of the dead includes Josiah,
"Wesley, Garrison, William, Linda,
John, Nelson, Henry, Margaret and
Thomas. The father removed from his first location to
Huntington township and subsequently to Twin township, where he
died in 1847, his wife surviving him for many years. Their son,
Charles W., was educated in the district schools and
remained at home until after the death of both of his parents.
In the meantime, his occupation was working by the month on a
farm. In 1861, he was married to Liza Jane
Pierce and settled down to farming on a rented place. A
child named John, who afterward died, was the only fruit
of the union and the mother's death occurred in 1863. Mr.
Brodess made a second matrimonial union, with Hester
Kellough, to whom he was married in 1865. Shortly after
this event, removal was made to the farm where Mr.
Brodess now resides, consisting of nearly five hundred acres
of land. His second wife died in 1900, without issue, leaving
him this fine property, and in March, 1901, he took his third
wife in the person of Eva Depoy. The business of
Mr. Brodess throughout life has been that of
farming and stock-raising, in which he has achieved an enviable
success. His political affiliations are Republican and he held
the office of township trustee for three or four terms.
Source: The County of Ross: a history of Ross County, Ohio
by Henry Holcomb Bennett -
Published by S. A. Brant, Madison, Wis., 1902 - Page 404 |
BROWN
BROTHERS; dealers in groceries, hardware and agricultural
implements at Gillespieville, Ohio, is a firm composed of
Perry D. and Thomas W. Brown. They are the sons of
William and Charity (Graves) Brown,
both natives of Vinton county, Ohio. William Browns
parents were George and Achsah (Dixon)
Brown, the former of New York and the latter of Jackson
county, O. On the mother's side the Browns are descended
from the Darbys, who were connected with the
Revolutionary war. William Brown was born in
Vinton county and educated in the common schools. For fifteen
years he followed the profession of teaching, afterward became a
farmer and merchant at Eagle Mills, but now resides in Ross
county. William Brown and wife had a family of
five sons. Of these, Thurman G. is a clerk for Brown
Bros, at Gillespieville. December 25, 1888, he was
married to Alta May Arganbright, daughter
of Phillip and Sarah Arganbright, of
Vinton county, Ohio. Perry D., senior member of this
firm, was married in June, 1900, to Ella Heed, of
Kingston, Ohio. Thomas W., junior member of the firm, was
born June 11, 1864, taught school for nine years, and engaged in
his present business in April, 1890. In the same year he was
married to Clara Bobbins of Jackson county, O. Of
the other sons of William Brown, Seldon
died when four years old, and Stephen D. is a clerk in
the establishment of Brown Bros. Thomas W.
Brown is the present postmaster of Gillespieville. The
family stand well in the business world and the success they
have achieved has been due entirely to their own efforts.
Source: The County of Ross: a history of Ross County, Ohio
by Henry Holcomb Bennett -
Published by S. A. Brant, Madison, Wis., 1902 - Page 405 |
CHARLES
M. C. BROWN, civil war veteran, farmer and meat merchant
at Clarksburg, was one of the respected citizens of Deerfield
township during his lifetime. His father, William
Brown, was a Virginian who, on account of parental
objection, eloped with the lady of his choice and after marriage
settled in another part of the State. The family records are
somewhat confused as to the "party of the second part" in this
romantic adventure, her name being given both as Eliza Mortimer
and Chairberry. However this may be, the couple soon after
marriage came to Ohio and settled near Goodhope in Fayette
county, where the wife died in a few years. Shortly after this
bereavement, the husband went to Frankfort and engaged in the
merchant tailoring business. At this place he married a Miss
Klein, of Ross county, and in 1855 removed to the west,
where he died about a year after reaching his destination. His
widow returned to Frankfort, where she still makes her home. By
his first marriage, William Brown had three sons,
Francis, Marion and Charles M. C. The
latter, who was the oldest of the children, was born in
Virginia, September 27, 1833, remained at home until about
sixteen years old and then began work by the month on
neighboring farms. He also learned the tailoring trade in his
father's shop and worked at this during the winter months when
there was nothing doing on the farms. September 20, 1855, he-was
married to Margaret J. Houser and located on a farm
between Clarksburg and Frankfort, but during the next six years
several changes of residence were made to different parts of the
township, until finally they settled down in Frankfort. About
this time the civil war had opened and Mr. Brown
enlisted in Company A, Eighteenth regiment, Ohio infantry, as a
private, and served two years, but owing to sickness was
compelled to spend most of the time in hospitals. Feeble health
at last necessitated his discharge from the army and he returned
to Clarksburg, where his wife was living. His time for several
years afterward was spent in farming, in connection with which
he later opened a meat market at Clarksburg. This he conducted
for a few years at that point, but finally went to Frankfort,
where he had a contract to furnish meat for the construction
gang engaged in building the Cincinnati, Hamilton & Dayton
railroad. He died in March, 1877, while carrying out this
contract, and since that time his wife, Mrs. Margaret J.
Brown, has made her home in Clarksburg. Mr. Brown
held membership in the Masonic and Odd Fellows lodges at
Frankfort and belonged to the Methodist Episcopal church.
Source: The County of Ross: a history of Ross County, Ohio
by Henry Holcomb Bennett -
Published by S. A. Brant, Madison, Wis., 1902 - Page 405 |
JOHN
A. BROWN is the most conspicuous living representative of
a family which for many years and in various ways were
influentially connected with affairs in Ross county. George
Brown, the original founder, came from Pennsylvania and
settled in Paint township as far back as 1797. He was a soldier
in the war of 1812 and as a reward for his services received
from the government a title to the 100 acres of land which he
occupied. This document, faded with age, is now in the
possession of his grandson, John A. Brown, and it is
needless to say that it is highly prized. On this farm
William, son of George Brown, was born in
1802, and there lie grew up to manhood amid the rustic
surroundings of a pioneer home. In 1825 he built the first
saw-mill seen in that wild region, and although it would not be
much valued now it was then a very important improvement. It was
one of the old fashioned affairs common in those days farther
east, and popularly known as "up and down saws. "Notwithstanding
its crudeness, William Brown did excellent and
much needed work with his oldtime sawmill. Besides the great
amount of lumber turned off by his slow but sure perpendicular
blade, a grist mill adjoining was a godsend to the neighbors far
and near as a producer of corn meal and the indispensable
hominy. As late as 1871, this industrious and hard-working
citizen still retained charge of his mills and served all
comers, and some years before that date he had introduced the
modern circular saw. During the civil war William
Brown was noted for his arduous and patriotic efforts in
behalf of the Union cause. lie gave, all he had, and borrowed
some, for the purpose of supplying soldiers' families with
provisions and other necessities. He served on the board of
township trustees for many years and was a consistent member of
the Presbyterian church. When William Brown went
to his final rest on March 9, 1885, his death was generally and
sincerely mourned, as all knew the community had lost a useful
and upright citizen. In his youth he married Martha
Writenhouse, by whom he had seven children, three daughters
and four sons, three of whom were soldiers of the Union. His
second marriage was to Mary Edmiston, whose
parents were early settlers of Ross county, her mother being
born on the present site of Chillicothe. John A. Brown is
a son of the sturdy old pioneer and patriot sketched above, and
he was born in 1850 on the site of his present home, at the very
spot where his father had first seen the light of day some
forty-eight years before. Thus the homestead originally gained
by the grandfather for services to the Union, transmitted to his
son William and inherited from the latter by his
grandson, John A., has been in. the family for three
distinct generations. In 1871 John A. Brown was married
to Cordelia Ann, daughter of Robert
Watson, a native of Pennsylvania, They have eight children,
the oldest of whom, Mary Alma, is the wife of H. H.
Davis of Canton, Ohio. The others in order of birth are
Jennie Belle, Jessie Florence, Roy
Alexander, Willie Hays, John
Benjamin, Olive May and Margerie
Lucile. In 1872, Mr. Brown purchased a steam power mill with
all the modern improvements. With the exception of a few years
spent in Kansas, Mr. Brown has been continuously engaged
in the lumber business for nearly thirty years. He has also
operated steam threshers for twenty-three years and in busy
seasons sometimes has three of these machines running at the
same time. Mr. Brown is in no sense a politician,
but has served on the board of trustees of Paint township for
over twenty years. He is connected with the order of Odd Fellows
and since 1864 has been a member of the Presbyterian church.
Source: The County of Ross: a history of Ross County, Ohio
by Henry Holcomb Bennett -
Published by S. A. Brant, Madison, Wis., 1902 - Page 406 |
WILLIAM
J. BROWN is a native of Flemingsburg, Ky., born March 5,
1847. He was the son of Thompson Brown, a native
of Ireland, who came to the United States when twenty-two years
old and settled in Kentucky; was a merchant tailor by occupation
and also conducted a general store, this business constituting
his life work. In 1844, Thompson Brown married
Elizabeth Grain, a native of Kentucky, with whom he
lived happily until his death in 1854. They had four children:
Thompson, who lives at Owingsville, Ky.; Mary F.,
married to Jacob Trumbo, of Mt Sterling, Ky.;
James, whose residence is not known, and William J.,
the subject of this sketch. The latter was seven years old when
his father died, after which time he made his home chiefly with
his grandfather. He went to school in his native state and was
thirty-seven years old when he came to Ross county, where he
rented a. farm and went to work. April 2, 1884, he was married
to Rilla Pancake, after which he lived on the
rented farm for several years, and seven years ago came to the
place where he now resides. They have had seven children:
Samuel T., Forest D., Marie (dead), Willard H., Zoa,
John, and Jane. The only break in Mr.
Brown's occupation of farming were the few months in each
year during which he drove mules across the mountains from
Kentucky to North Carolina. In 1890, he was elected trustee of
Twin township and has held that office ever since to the entire
satisfaction of his constituents. The township is
naturally Republican in politics, but Mr. Brown
succeeded in carrying it, though a staunch Democrat. This was a
well deserved tribute to his popularity, as he is a very popular
man and an excellent citizen in all respects. Mrs.
Brown, who is a descendant of one of the old families of
Ross county, is a member of the Methodist Episcopal church and
interested in all good work. Mr. Brown holds
membership in the Masonic lodge, No. 196, at Bainbridge, and the
Paint Valley lodge, No. 808, I. O. O. F., at Bourneville.
Source: The County of Ross: a history of Ross County, Ohio
by Henry Holcomb Bennett -
Published by S. A. Brant, Madison, Wis., 1902 - Page 408 |
THE
BUSH FAMILY.—The first of this name who located in Ross
county was John Bush, a native of Virginia, who
married Mary Wise and with her migrated to Ohio.
He purchased land from the government in Concord township near
Austin, on which he constructed a one-room log cabin and therein
set up housekeeping in true pioneer style. Amid these homely
surroundings were born nine children, all of whom have long
since passed away, but whose names are thus preserved in the
family records: Solomon, Elizabeth, Mary, Jacob, Jesse,
William, John, Lavina and Julia. Shortly after his
arrival John Bush erected at Austin the first
grist-mill ever seen in the confines of Concord township. To the
operation of this pioneer establishment he devoted all his time
for several years, but later embarked in farming and continued
'that occupation during the remainder of his life. After the
death of his first wife he married a Miss Schofield,
by whom he had two children, Martha and Ada J.,
both now dead. The mother dying shortly after the death of the
last child, John Bush made his third matrimonial
union with Mrs. Elizabeth Ross. He never
moved from the place where he first settled and died there at
the age of ninety-five years, his last wife surviving him for
some time. His daughter Martha married Dr.
Galbraith, and Jacob, his son, was married to Eve
Mallow July 1, 1830. The last mentioned couple had ten
children: Amanda, deceased; Rebecca, wife of
Strawder James; Martha N., wife of Nelson
Young; Sarah A., deceased; Allen, of
Nebraska; Mary, wife of T. N. Peterson;
Lavina, married Jonas Peterson; John,
deceased; Irena, married to John Poster;
Jacob, deceased. The father was a farmer, member of the
United Brethren church and died in 1871, his wife surviving
until 1882.
Source: The County of Ross: a history of Ross County, Ohio
by Henry Holcomb Bennett -
Published by S. A. Brant, Madison, Wis., 1902 - Page 408 |
JOHN
D. BUTLER was born in Union township, Ross county, on
April 20, 1845. His parents were John and Ruth (Dillingham)
Butler, the former of whom was born in Essex county, ]SL Y.,
on October 30, 1810. John Butler received a common school
education in his native county, remained at home until his
marriage and then removed to Ross county, where he bought 821/2
acres of land in Union township. He had nine children, of whom
George H., Mary F., Benjamin P., Sarah A. and Debby,
who married Joseph Brown, of Kingston, are dead. Eliza
is the wife of John Evans, of Chillicothe;
Belle C. is the wife of John C. Templin, of
Concord township; and William lives in Union township.
The father carried on the business of general farming and
stock-raising. He was a Republican in politics, a Methodist in
religion and a good citizen in all respects. He and his devoted
wife have long since passed away. John D. Butler, who was
the fourth child, remained at home until the beginning of the
civil war, when, on May 1, 1.864, he enlisted in Company E, One
Hundred Forty-ninth Ohio regiment. This command was first sent
to Camp Chase, from there to Baltimore and thence to Chesapeake
bay, where they did guard duty. Returning to Baltimore, the
regiment was subsequently sent to Frederick City and from that
point on through Virginia. Soon afterward they were mustered out
at Camp Chase, Ohio, when Mr. Butler returned home
and worked by the month for some time.
December 26, 1871, he was married to Heressa Worley,
a native of Fulton county, Ill. After his marriage Mr.
Butler rented a farm on which he lived for nine years, when
he became heir to 105 acres of land through an uncle. He has
followed general farming and stock-raising ever since he settled
down, making numerous improvements on his place. He is a
Republican in politics, belongs to the Methodist Episcopal
church and is a member of the Grand Army of the Republic post at
Frankfort. Mr. and Mrs. Butler had seven children,
of whom six are living: Harry, Charles, Arthur,
Mary, Chauncey and Laura. Ellena is
dead, and all the other children are at home except Charles
and Arthur.
Source: The County of Ross: a history of Ross County, Ohio
by Henry Holcomb Bennett -
Published by S. A. Brant, Madison, Wis., 1902 - Page 409 |
WILLIAM
E. BUTLER was born in Union township, Ross county, May 9,
1855. His father, John Butler, was born in Vermont
October 30, 1810, and remained at home until twenty years of
age, when, in order to be allowed to leave home before arriving
at full age, he paid his father for a year's time and departed
for the state of New York, where he worked on a. farm at six
dollars per month. This he kept up for eight years and on
December 16, 1838, he was married to Ruth Dillingham,
a native of New York state. About the same time he bought a farm
which, however, he soon sold and removed to Ross county, Ohio,
where he settled in Union township. There he purchased 82˝
acres of land, which was without improvements except the
log-house in which he made his residence. By degrees he
considerably improved his home place. He was a Republican in
politics and a member of the Methodist Episcopal church. He lost
his wife by death in 1890 and his own demise followed in 1892.
Their family consisted of nine children, of whom Debby,
George, Mary F., Benjamin F. and Sarah A.
are deceased. The others are Eliza J., who is married to
John Evans, of Chillicothe; John D., of
Union township; Belle C, wife of John C. Templin,
of Concord township, and William E. The
latter, who is the subject of this sketch, received the usual
common school education and remained under the parental roof
until he reached twenty-one. After that he worked out for about
seven years, and on March 5, 1882, he was married to Emma
Bowdle. Shortly after that event, he removed to Nebraska,
but only remained there a short time and returned to Ross county
where he was engaged in farm work for a while. Changing location
to Paulding, he remained there for a year, when he again sought
Ross county and resumed farm work by the month. At length he
bought a place of his own, consisting of 82˝
acres, upon which he moved and since has made his
permanent place of residence. He farms in a general way and
raises stock, being regarded as an industrious man and good
citizen. He is a Republican in politics and though not an office
seeker, served for five years as constable. He belongs to the
Red Men's lodge at Frankfort, and both himself and wife are
members of the Methodist Episcopal church. The family consists
of seven children, all of whom are at home: George B.,
Amos E., Addie B., Clarence, Elmer P., Forest E., and
Mabel E.
Source: The County of Ross: a history of Ross County, Ohio
by Henry Holcomb Bennett -
Published by S. A. Brant, Madison, Wis., 1902 - Page 410 |
|
