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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
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JAMES
E. ECKLE, a resident of
Frankfort, is a native of Fayette county,
Ohio, born Feb. 28, 1871.
His father was John
Eckle, a native of Virginia,
who came to Ohio in 1826 when a young
man and settled in Ross county. He afterwards
removed to Fayette, but later returned to Ross county, in
which he has since resided. When the civil war
commenced, he enlisted in the Seventy-first Ohio volunteer
infantry, with which he served for three years. His
health was broken by his army service to such an extent
that he never entirely recovered.
He married Mary Jane English, a native of Ross county, who died in 1874,
leaving five children.
James,
the youngest of these, is the subject of this sketch.
He was educated in the common schools of Ross
county, and when he reached manhood commenced life as a
farm hand and employee in a diary.
He followed this occupation until 1897, when he
located in Frankfort and entered the
livery business, which he still continues.
Mar. 4, 1897,
Mr. Eckle was
married to Essie
McCollister, daughter of
John McCollister¸
an old resident of Ross county.
They have an only child, whose name is
John.
Source: The County of Ross: a history of Ross County, Ohio
by Henry Holcomb Bennett - Published by S. A. Brant, Madison,
Wis., 1902 - Page 454 |
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SAMUEL
EDGINGTON, veteran of the civil war and successful
farmer, is descended from one of the pioneers who was
identified with Ross county almost from the time of its
organization.
His grandfather,
John Edgington, came from his native state of
Virginia as early as the year 1800 and located
in Huntington
township.
There he cleared land, built a house and reared a family.
His son
Robert was born on this homestead place in 1811, and
in due time became a farmer, which pursuit he followed
throughout life.
His death occurred in 1862, just one year before
that of his father, who survived until 1863.
Robert
was the father of
Samuel Edgington, whose birth took place in
Huntington
township in 1842.
He received the principal part of his education in
the old Baptist school which was at that time one of the
institutions of that locality.
Samuel
had just reached the age of eighteen when the civil war
cloud burst over the country with all its dire
possibilities.
Like many other youth, both North and South, he hastened
to take sides in what was to prove the event of all their
lives. Looking
around for a congenial organization, young
Edgington
selected Company I, Eighty-first regiment Ohio infantry, in which he was duly enlisted.
The command was mustered in at
Camp Dennison
and saw its first service under
Fremont in Missouri.
It was part of the mighty force which afterward
joined in the great battle of Shiloh,
or, it is often called, Pittsburg Landing.
Subsequently,
Mr. Edgington
took part of with his regiment in the
Atlanta
campaign and participated in the severe fighting before
the city.
Mr. Edgington
received his discharge from the army at Camp Chase, Ohio,
in October, 1864.
In April, 1866, he was married to
Jane Ralston,
descendant of a family which dates its residence in Ross
county from the latter part of the eighteenth century.
Her father,
Robert Ralston was born in Huntington township in 1798 on a place settled by
Benjamin Ralston,
one of the earliest arrivals from
Virginia.
Mr. and Mrs.
Samuel Edgington have two children, of whom
Robert remains with his father and
Allan is farming in Ross county.
Since his retirement from the army,
Mr. Edgington
has devoted his life exclusively to agricultural pursuits,
including the raising of stock and fruit.
Source: The County of Ross: a history of Ross County, Ohio
by Henry Holcomb Bennett - Published by S. A. Brant, Madison,
Wis., 1902 - Page 455 |
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ALBERT
L. ELLIS, superintendent of the city schools at
Kingston, Ohio, was born in Vinton county, Ohio, Jan. 15, 1849.
His parents were
Edward W. and Amanda (Crumbaker) Ellis, both natives of Muskingum
county, Ohio.
The subject of this sketch spent his boyhood days
on a farm, attending the district schools in season, and
after acquiring an education sufficient to teach he took
up that profession and taught his first term in 1869.
This he keep up for several years, teaching in the
winter and attending school during his vacations.
He first entered the Ohio university at Athens,
and later the National Normal university at Lebanon, and graduated in the
scientific course from that institution in 1874.
He was then selected as superintendent of the Kingston schools and after successfully
handling them for four years, he decided to return to his
Alma Mater and complete the classical course in that
excellent institution, graduating in 1880.
He was then selected as the superintendent of the
Blanchester schools, where he remained four years, and in
1885 was again chosen as the superintendent of the
Kingston schools, and it is creditable to note that he has
been continued at their head ever since.
Under his able management the schools of Kingston are in excellent
shape and rank as second to none in Ross county.
Mr. Ellis
spends much of the time during his vacations, of late
years, in managing his fine farm of 150 acres near
Kingston.
This affords him much needed rest and recreation
and invigorates him for his scholastic work.
On May 1, 1873,
Mr. Ellis was married to
Hattie M. Orr, daughter of
Jeremiah and Maria
(Kelley) Orr, old and respected residents of the
vicinity of Chillicothe, where
Mrs. Ellis was
born Dec. 1, 1854, and where she was reared, attending the
district schools, also the Chillicothe high school, and
later the National Normal university at Lebanon.
After returning from Lebanon, she
successfully taught for several years.
Mr. and Mrs.
Ellis have had two children,
Romney J., who
died in infancy, and
Albert Dane,
born Oct. 2, 1889, and now a student in the Kingston
schools. Both
Mr. Elis and wife
are active members of the Methodist church, both are
teachers in the Sunday schools and
Mr. Ellis takes
great interest in the Epworth League and its grand work.
He is a member of the Masonic fraternity, having
attained the Knight Templar degree.
Mr. and Mrs.
Ellis stand high socially and are classed among the
first families of the 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 455 |
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MARTIN
ENDERLIN, trustee of Scioto township, is a
contribution from Germany
to the citizenship of
Chillicothe.
His father,
John Martin Enderlin, became involved in the revolutionary troubles
of 1848 which resulted in a loss to
Germany
of many of its bravest men, like
Carl Schurz,
and the consequent benefit to the United States, as most of them
sought refuge here.
The elder
Enderlin went so far as to raise a company of soldiers
for the revolutionary cause, but, as his side was
unsuccessful, he was forced to flee and in 1852 made the
ocean voyage to this country.
He located at Chillicothe, where in 1854 he was joined by
his wife and eight children.
He trade was that of a tailor, which he followed in Chillicothe for several years in connection
with the grocery and saloon business.
His death occurred July 16, 1897, his wife
surviving him only a few months and dying November 18 of
the same year.
Five of their children are living and three of them are
residents of Chillicothe.
Augustus,
the eldest of the sons, came over with his father in 1852
to avoid enforced military service in the German army, and
died in this country July 1, 1860.
Martin Enderlin was born in Germany, July 10, 1841, and was
brought to this country by his mother when thirteen years
old. As soon
as he reached competent age he became an apprentice in the
confectionery business and followed that for several
years. In 1861
he joined Company A, Twenty-second regiment
Ohio
volunteer infantry, with which he served during his term
of enlistment.
After his discharge,
Mr. Enderlin spent six months at Indianapolis
and then went south, where he followed his occupation in
various cities and states, from
Kentucky to South Carolina.
While at Nashville he was engaged in the three days’
fight between Hood and Thomas.
In the latter part of 1865 he returned to
Chillicothe, where he worked in a bakery for a
year, subsequently spending a year each in Waverly and
Jackson, Ohio,
and finally settling at
Chillicothe
in the grocery business with his father.
In 1871, he lived a couple of months in the
Canadian city of Montreal, but not liking the prospects returned to the United States and spent the subsequent eight
years at Oil City, Pa.
Coming back to
Chillicothe
in 1879 he has since made his home in that city, engaged
in various occupations.
In 1885, Mr.
Enderlin was elected city marshal of
Chillicothe.
He served one term in that office, and was also a
member of the sanitary police force for three years.
Apr. 7, 1902, he was elected trustee of Scioto township on the Democratic ticket, receiving a
majority of 283.
He was married at Nashville, Tenn., in 1865,
to Jane Butler
of that city, and of their six children five are living:
John, of
Chillicothe; Mary,
wife of James Tannehill, of Pittsburg;
Lizzie, wife of
James Shears,
of Chillicothe;
Ellen, married
Edward Eddinger, of Chillicothe, and died Oct. 22,
1898; Richard and
Barbara, residents of Pittsburg.
Mr. Enderlin
is a member of the Grand Army of the Republic.
Source: The County of Ross: a history of Ross County, Ohio
by Henry Holcomb Bennett - Published by S. A. Brant, Madison,
Wis., 1902 - Page 456
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HEZEKIAH ENGLAND, for
many years a farmer of Huntington township, is one of the
little army of civil war veterans who did so much of Ross
county’s glory in the days of the country’s need.
He was born in Hocking county, Ohio, Nov. 15, 1835; in childhood lost both of his parents
by death, and when about twelve years of age came to Ross
county to live with uncles in
Huntington
township.
Sept. 8, 1859, he was married to
Deborah Cockerell
and shortly after “set up housekeeping” on a small farm,
by the cultivation of which he was making a living and
doing fairly well at the outbreak of the civil war.
Aug. 13, 1862, he enlisted as a private in Company
G, Eighty-ninth regiment Ohio
volunteer infantry, which served fro awhile in
West Virginia and shortly after the battle of
Stone river was sent to re-enforce
General Rosecrans
at Nashville, Tenn.,
where it arrived Feb. 7, 1863.
From there it moved to Carthage,
and shortly after joined
Rosecrans’ main
army at Murfreesboro.
It next joined in the movement against Bragg, at
Tullahoma, and entered its first battle at Hoover’s Gap, where it had
a taste of war at its worst.
A Chickamauga the
Eighty-ninth was in the hottest of the fight and suffered
severely in killed, wounded and prisoners.
During that fearful engagement,
Mr. England was
struck in the left ankle by a minie ball and received a
wound which completely disabled him, in addition to which
he was struck four times by balls which fortunately were
spent. HE lay
on this field of carnage, surrounded by all its ghastly
horrors, for eight days before he received medical
attention. He
was first spent to the hospital at
Bridgeport, Tenn., and subsequently to Nashville, from which place he was furloughed
home on sick leave.
After a rest from November until March, he went to
Camp
Dennison, where he was
operated on, and May 4, 1864, was discharged from the
service on account of disability, since which time he has
lived continuously at his home in Ross county.
By his first marriage he had nine children, of whom
the living are
Elizabeth, wife of
James Edgington,
Jr.; Delilah,
wife
of Charles Bruff, and Peter.
The mother died in 1889, and on Oct. 20, 1900,
Mr. England
married Elizabeth,
widow of Paul
Hammond, and daughter of
William Wendell.
Source: The County of Ross: a history of Ross County, Ohio
by Henry Holcomb Bennett - Published by S. A. Brant, Madison,
Wis., 1902 - Page 457
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JOHN ENGLAND, stock
dealer and general farmer in Scioto
township, is also one of the successful fruit growers of
Ross county, where he has been known in horticultural
circles. His
grandfather and namesake came to the county early in the
nineteenth century, and, as he used often to say, with all
his worldly goods tied up in a pocket handkerchief.
Before his death, however, this poor immigrant had
accumulated several hundred acres of land and considerable
town property.
The names of his children are thus given in the family
register: Milo, Jesse, George, Lorenzo, Elizabeth,
Manda and
Sydney.
Both himself and wife died when seventy-nine
years old and were interred on the same farm where they
settled on first arriving in the township.
Lorenzo,
the fifth of their children, was born in 1818 on the place
in Scioto
township, where his widow still resides.
He estimated that his attendance at school
altogether would not exceed a period of three months, but
he was an earnest students all his life and so added to
his store of knowledge as to be considered in after years
one of the best informed men of the township.
Though his main business was that of farming he had
other interests, being one of the owners of the old
Schlegle & England toll pikes, and for a short time also
he conducted a brickyard.
He married
Sarah Darby, by whom he had the following named
children:
A. Warner, Alice
and Demetrius,
deceased; John,
subject of this sketch;
Thomas J., of
Madison
county;
Scioto,
deceased; James L.,
of Missouri; Effie,
Emma and Ella, deceased. The
father died in 1871 and his widow resides on the old home
place in a commodious brick house which was erected by her
sons for her comfort.
John England,
fourth of the children, was born in Ross county, O., Mar.
2, 1849, on the Scioto
township farm where he now resides.
July 4, 1872, he was married to
Mary, daughter
of Jacob and
Barbara Esterly, of Chillicothe, and after two
years’ residence in that city they removed to Columbus, O.
He was a practical brickmaker by trade and during
his stay of about eighteen months at the Ohio capital he was employed in his regular
line of work.
In due time he returned to his estate in Ross county and
took up his abode in an old log cabin which, however, he
replaced some years later with a modern dwelling,
up-to-date in all its finishings and equipments.
Mr. England
is both a practical and progressive farmer, believing in
having the best that is going and in keeping abreast of
the times in all respects.
He raises fruit on an extensive scale, having an
orchard covering 10 acres containing the larger varieties
and four acres devoted exclusively to small fruits.
He is an authority in this line, being regarded as
one of the best informed of the county’s horticulturists.
Mr. England has held the position of road supervisor for sixteen
years and was formerly a member of the school board.
Of his four children,
Dorothy and Emma have
passed away, Katie
C. is at home, and
Thomas T. is
living in Scioto
Township.
Source: The County of Ross: a history of Ross County, Ohio
by Henry Holcomb Bennett - Published by S. A. Brant, Madison,
Wis., 1902 - Page 458
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John C. Entrekin |
GEN. JOHN CLAY ENTREKIN
was born near
Kingston, in Ross county, Feb. 11,
1844. His
father, John
Entrekin, was born Apr. 8, 1809, at Kinnickinnick, in
Green township, Ross county.
He was a member of the first board of infirmary
directors of the county, was also captain of a militia
company and served in a Home Guard company in Pettis
county, Mo., in the civil war.
His parents were
Col. John and Nancy (Crouse) Entrekin.
Col. John Entrekin, the grandfather of
John C. Entrekin, was born on the “Hall farm” on
Willoughby
run on the Cashtown road, afterward famous as the place
where the battle of Gettysburg began, in Adams county, Pa.
He commanded a company of cavalry in the war of
1812 and served for twenty years as an officer of the
Ohio
militia, becoming a colonel of the Second regiment.
He was at a time of his death an associate judge of
the Pickaway county in the latter part of his life.
He served as a member of the house of
representatives from Ross county in 1819 and 1820.
His father,
William Entrekin, married
Elizabeth Hall at Gettysburg, Pa., and with his family
afterward removed to Huntington county, Pa., and
afterward, in the spring of 1798, to Ross county, Ohio, to
what is now Hopetown, where in 1800
Elizabeth, his wife, died and was buried on a hill a short distance
east of the residence of
John Umstead.
At that time all the county north from Chillicothe to the lakes
was a vast wilderness inhabited by Indians alone.
William
Entrekin’s parents were Scotch covenanters who
emigrated from Dumfriesshire, Scotland,
in consequence of religious persecutions, to North
Ireland, and from there to Pennsylvania.
They had formerly lived on the “Entrekin
water,” a branch of the Nith river near the pass in the
mountains known as “Entrekin pass,” a description of which is contained in Crockett’s
“Men of the Mosshaigs.”
John C. Entrekin’s grandmother on his father’s side was
Nancy, the
oldest daughter of
John Crouse, who came from Maryland to
North Carolina shortly after the
Revolution and emigrated from there in 1798 to
Kinnickinnick, Ross county, where he operated a mill for
many years. He
served as a private in
Capt. Jacob Reazin
Beall’s division of troops known as “The Maryland
Flying Camp in the American Revolution,” from June 1, to
December 1, 1776, and was in the campaign in which the
British captured New York City.
The mother of
John C. Entrekin
was Frances Moore
Entrekin, who was born on Black Water, Green township,
Ross county, May 20, 1812.
Her parents were
Joseph and Hannah Davis Moore, who came to Ross county in 1809 from
the western part of Huntington
county, Pa.
Joseph Moore
was of Scotch ancestry.
For many years he kept on the main road leading
north from Chillicothe to Columbus the “Rising Sun
Tavern,” and had the honor of entertaining
Henry Clay, Gen. W.
S. Scott, the Siamese Twins and many other public
people. He
served as a quartermaster during the war of 1812, and his
brother Samuel
was killed by the
Indians in western Pennsylvania during the
Revolutionary war.
His wife,
Hannah Davis, was of Welsh descent and was claimed to
be of the same family in Pennsylvania
as the mother of
Gen. U. S. Grant and
Jefferson Davis,
many of the connection residing near
Philadelphia.
John C. Entrekin
on August 12th, 1862, at the age of
eighteen, enlisted for three years in Company A, of the
One Hundred and Fourteenth Ohio Volunteer Infinity, and
was with his regiment the entire time.
He was in the battles of Chickasaw Bayou, Arkansas
Post, siege of Vicksburg,
Graham’s Plantation, Yellow Bayou and the siege at fort Blakely, Ala.
He very nearly escaped honorable wounds, but on the
9th of April, 1865, the very last day of the
war, he was wounded twice at Fort Blakely, and was, in consequence, honorably discharged
at New Orleans,
June 8th, 1865.
After his return to his home, he entered the Ohio
Wesleyan university, and graduated in the classical course
in 1867. For two
years he was engaged in teaching, and from 1869 to 1870 he
was professor of mathematics in the Central Wesleyan
college
of Warronton, Mo.
During that time he read law and was admitted to the bar
in the circuit court of Warren
county, Mo., in January, 1870.
Directly after, he returned to Chillicothe, and in
September of that year was admitted to the bar of Ross
county. He began
the practice of law in the office of
Judge T. A.
Minshall, afterward of the supreme bench, and remained
there three years in which time he built up a good
business. He has
since practiced successfully and has been connected with
much of the important litigation which has been conducted
in the courts in his parts of the State.
He has a keen, analytical mind, a comprehensive
knowledge of the science of jurisprudence and never loses
sight of any point of vantage ground which may advance the
interests of his clients.
He has always taken a great interest in political
affairs. Even as a
boy he was active in the Fremont-Dayton campaign, and when
he attained his majority, he allied himself with the
Republican party and voted for
Abraham Lincoln in 1864, while stationed at Morgan’s Bend, Louisiana.
In January, 1872, he was appointed city solicitor
of Chillicothe
to fill a vacancy, and he was elected to the same office
in 1872 and re-elected in 1874 and 1876.
He was a candidate for prosecuting attorney of Ross
county in 1872 before the people, but was defeated by 60
votes, although he ran 200 ahead of his ticket.
In 1875 he was elected to represent Ross county in
the house of representatives, to serve two years.
He was a candidate for re-election in 1879, but was
defeated by a small majority by
Hon. Wm. H. Reed,
a very popular Democrat.
A month later,
Senator Allison
Brown died, and
Mr. Entrekin was nominated as his successor in the
sixth senatorial district and was elected by 1,500
majority over Hon.
Milton McCoy.
He served two years.
In 1885 he was again a candidate for the house of
representatives and elected by 500 majority over
Dr. Nathaniel Potter. During
this term he was chosen speaker of the house.
While in the legislature he voted twice for
John Sherman for
United States senator and
for James A. Garfield and Stanley
Matthews for the same office.
He was twice a candidate for nomination for
congressman in this district, but was defeated.
His service in the various official positions to
which he has been called has been marked of the people
whom he represented, and as one of the law makers of Ohio he has borne a conspicuous and honorable
part. He enlisted
in the Ohio state militia on
June 8, 1873, as a private in Company A, but was at once
elected lieutenant of the company, after which he was
elected and commissioned captain.
On June 21, 1876, he was elected colonel of the
sixth regiment, Ohio National Guards, to which position he
was three times re-elected, serving in all fourteen years.
During this time he performed the most arduous and
important service for the state, as in 1878, the time of
the great railroad strike at Newark, Ohio,
when the military aid was invoked to quell the riotous
men. He was called
on to defend the city building and the Music hall in
Cincinnati
at the time of the riot when the court-house was destroyed
in April, 1884. He
had his regiment on the field within ten hours after
notification of the trouble had been received.
He was also in command of his regiment at the time
of the strikes in the Hocking valley coal regions and in Jackson county.
As commander of the sixth regiment, Ohio National
Guards, Col.
Entrekin was a prominent factor in suppressing the
disturbance. In
commanding his troops, he displayed firmness, tempered by
justice, power, limited by discretion, and military force
was used only to protect life and property.
His course commanded the respect of his troops and
the admiration of all, and increased the confidence of the
public in the military forces of the country.
In 1892, he was appointed by
Governor McKinley
to the position of judge advocate general on his staff,
and re-appointed in January, 1894.
He is now on the retired list of military officers
of Ohio
with rank of brigadier-general.
He was appointed by
Governor Foraker
in November, 1889, a member of the board of trustees for
the Central state asylum for the insane, at
Columbus, and served two months,
but the senate refused to confirm any of
Governor Foraker’s
appointments, and his successor was appointed by
Governor Campbell.
In the councils of his party,
General Entrekin
has been very prominent and his opinions have been
received with much respect and consideration.
He served two years on the Republican state central
committee, 1882-83, and has served annually as a delegate
to the county, district and state conventions, while for
twenty years he has been a member of the Ross county
executive committee.
In 1892, he was elected a delegate from the
Eleventh congressional district to the national convention
at Minneapolis, and cast
his vote for
William McKinley, as did all the other delegates; and
he was chairman of the congressional convention at
Athens, which nominated the delegates to
represent his district in the Republican national
convention at St. Louis in 1896.
He was an active worker for the party during the
last presidential campaign and delivered many addresses in
support of the dominant measures of the tariff and sound
money. He is a
logical, fluent and forceful speaker, and his addresses
leave a lasting impression upon his auditors.
He served as chairman of the committee on
resolutions in the Republican state convention at Toledo, in June, 1897.
He was appointed collector of internal revenue for
the Eleventh district of Ohio, by
President McKinley, in July, 1897, and is still the incumbent of
that position. He
is a Mason and an Odd Fellow and has passed all the chairs
of both lodges; is a member of the Elks, and an honored
comrade of the Grand Army of the Republic.
General
Entrekin was married July 15, 1875, at Chillicothe, to
Mary F. Bethauser. They have two children,
Helen G., and John C., Jr.,
both grown.
John C., jr., is now
deputy collector under his father in this district.
Source: The County of Ross: a history of Ross County, Ohio
by Henry Holcomb Bennett - Published by S. A. Brant, Madison,
Wis., 1902 - Page
459
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CHARLES Z.
ERDMANN, merchant tailor, of Chillicothe, was
born in Cincinnati, Ohio, January 27, 1860. His
father, Zachariah Erdmann, is a native of Germany
who came to America in early manhood and worked at his
trade as tailor's cutter, first in New York city and
later in Cincinnati. He remained in the latter
city until 1868, when he removed to Chillicothe and
engaged in merchant tailoring in partnership with
Martin Maule. The connection lasted only one
year, after which Mr. Erdmann continued business
alone for many years. In 1886, his son Charles
Z. was taken into full partnership by his father and
Z. Erdmann & Son has been the title of the firm
ever since. The business house is located at No.
12 W. Second street, where they have a full line of
seasonable goods and give employment to about
thirty-five people. This is the largest and most
popular merchant tailoring establishment in the city of
Chillicothe. While living in New York city,
Zachariah Erdman was married to Maria Lippert,
also a native of Germany. They had a family of ten
children, nine of whom are still living. Of these,
Bertha is now married to Adam Falter, a farmer of
Ross county; Katharine Elizabeth, unmarried, is
her father's housekeeper; the third child in order of
birth is Charles Z., the subject of this sketch;
John F. is a physician and surgeon of New York
city, married to Georgia Therese Wright of
Providence, R. I.; Frederick married Cordia
Lee Klinkinbeard, of Winchester, Ky., and is cutter
for a merchant tailoring house in St. Louis; Frank
Richard married Myrtle Hill, of Chillicothe,
and is employed as cutter for Z. Erdmann & Son;
Gustavus Adolphus is a traveling salesman for
E. R. Hawkins & Co., of Philadelphia, living at St.
Louis and married; Edward is a stockholder in and
secretary of the C. L. Bailey Grocery company at
Marietta, O., and William is employed at
Cleveland and draughtsman for the Gary Iron and Steel
company. Charles Z. Erdmann was educated in
the public schools of Chillicothe, learned the tailor's
trade under his father's directions and took special
instructions in Cincinnati in the art of cutting.
He has always been employed in the father's business and
since 1886, as previously stated, has been a full
partner in the firm. January 19, 1898, Mr.
Erdmann was married to Carrie, daughter of
Henry and Helena Sulzbacher, of Chillicothe.
They have two children, Helena Maria and
Elizabeth May. Mr. Erdmann is a member of the
Masonic fraternity, Blue Lodge, chapter, council and
temple, and the Mystic Shrine of Columbus. He also
belongs to the Knights of Pythias, B. P. O. E., and
United Commercial Traveler's association. The
family are attendants of the First 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 |
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FRANK
P. ERVIN is a
native of Buckskin township, Ross county, where he now
resides and has spent all his life.
His father,
Peachy Ervin, was born in Augusta county, Va., and
came to Highland county,
O., in 1831, when only ten years of age.
In 1846 he removed to Ross county and settled in
Buckskin township, two yeas afterwards locating on the
homestead where his son
Frank, now
makes his home.
Nov. 10, 1842, he married
Nancy Lyle,
whose father came from Virginia
to Highland
county in 1815, and by her had three children.
One of this is
Rev. William A.
Ervin, pastor of the Rockwood (Tenn.)
Presbyterian church.
Another son,
Rev. J. N. Ervin, is pastor of the Presbyterian church
at Dayton
(Ky), and professor in the Lane seminary.
Frank P.
Ervin, the third son and subject of this sketch, was
born and reared on the old homestead where he now lives,,,
his education being obtained at the Salem academy.
After leaving school he took charge of the farm
business, which he has managed with success.
In 1876, Mr.
Ervin was married to
Rusha A.,
daughter of J. C.
Pricer, member of one of the oldest families in Paint
township. The
union resulted in the birth of five children,
Floyd D., Charles K., Clyde, Harly,
and Ruth.
Floyd D. Ervin, the oldest son, is a veteran of
the Spanish-American war.
In 1898, on the very day he was graduated from Salem academy, he enlisted in Company E of the
Fourth Ohio regiment.
This command went to Camp Thomas, thence by way of
Newport News to Porto Rico, being four days on the water;
took part in the subsequent campaign on the island,
participated in two skirmishes and remained there about
three months.
They returned to the United States by way of
Jersey City and
Washington, being received by
President McKinley
and give a warm handshake by that great and good man.
From the capital the troops proceeded to Columbus, where they were
mustered out of service on Jan. 20, 1899.
shortly after returning from the war,
Floyd Ervin secured a position as traveling salesman for a wholesale
grocery firm of Dayton, O., and has retained that ever
since. The
entire family are members of the Presbyterian church.
Frank P.
Ervin has been a member of the board of trustees of
the church at
Greenfield, and president of the
board; his father was deacon of the church for twenty-five
years and elder for the same length of time, making fifty
years of service as a church official.
In 1896,
Frank P. Ervin was elected one of the township
trustees and since then he has been twice re-elected.
He has been a member of the school board for
sixteen years and is president of the board of education
of Buckskin township.
He is a member of the Royal Arcanum and his son
Floyd belongs
to the orders of Woodmen of the World and the Redmen.
Source: The County of Ross: a history of Ross County, Ohio
by Henry Holcomb Bennett - Published by S. A. Brant, Madison,
Wis., 1902 - Page 464
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ISAAC STUART EVANS,
late a resident of Buckskin township, was one of the
representative farmers of Ross county, as well as a most
estimable citizen in every respect. He was the
only son by the third marriage of Isaac Evans,
one of the oldest settlers in the county and long
identified with its agricultural interests; was born and
bred in Buckskin township and educated at the old Salem
academy, and married Emma Parrett, member of the
old family of highly honorable lineage, daughter of
Henry and grand-daughter of Frederick Parrett,
the latter a native of Virginia who came to Ross county
in 1806. The great-grandfather of Mrs. Evans
emigrated from Switzerland to Virginia in 1730.
Her father, Henry Parrett, was twice married, the
second wife being Lydia Ann, daughter of Peter
Stout, one of the early settlers of Fayette County,
and also great-grand-daughter of John Eyer, who
came to America with William Penn. The
ancestors of Mrs. Evans were connected with the
early settlement of the colonies and afterwards bore
their full share of the dangers and privations incident
to the Revolutionary war. The marriage of Mr.
and Mrs. Isaac Stuart Evans resulted in the birth of
three children, whose names are Anna Jean, Dean
Peoples and Mary Cornelia. Mr. Evans
died in1899, much lamented by a wide circle of friends
and acquaintances. He was a man of much force of
charter and looked upon as one of the most substantial
of Ross county's citizens. He stood at the front
as a stock-raiser and all-around farmer, being
up-to-date in his methods and quick to avail himself of
the latest improvements. For eleven years he was
an elder in the Presbyterian church at Greenfield, and
his widow is a devout worshipper in the same
congregation.
Source: The County of Ross: a history of Ross County, Ohio
by Henry Holcomb Bennett - Published by S. A. Brant, Madison,
Wis., 1902 - Page |
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JAMES M. EVANS, M. D., of Clarksburg, has been a
practicing physician in that locality over fifty years
and has presided at the birth of more than two thousand
Rose county citizens. His residence embraces a
period of over three-quarters of a century, during which
time he has been in touch with all the movements which
made for the county's growth and development. The
doctor's ancestors were Pennsylvanians.
Grandparents Richard and Mary Evans first located in
Kentucky, but later concluding that the Scioto valley
household goods to Highland county, O., where they made
their home until death. About the same time that
Richard Evans arrived, his father, with three
other sons, also came into Highland county and bought a
large tract of land on Clear creek. Richard and
Mary Evans had several children and among the number
a son named Isaac. In due course he married
Jane Morton, of Ross county, and went to
farming on part of the family estate. In 1826,
they removed to Ross county and settled near South Salem
where they reared their children and eventually found
their graves. Isaac Evans was one of the promoters
and principal contributors to the South Salem
academy, which afterward became such a popular
institution of learning. By his first wife he had
six children, all of whom are dead except Dr. James
M. Evans. The second wife of Isaac Evans
was Mary Wallace, whose six children are all dead
with the exception of Richard S., who lives at
Hillsboro, O. By a third marriage with Jane
Pepples, Isaac Evans had two children, Angeline
and Isaac S., who also have passed away.
This patriarchal citizen, with such a numerous
household, was noted throughout life as a church worker,
being a Presbyterian elder and for twenty-five years
superintendent of the Sunday School. He was also a
life long friend of education, contributing liberally of
his means in that behalf, and retaining his interest in
all good causes until his death in 1875. James
M. Evans was born in Highland county, O., Feb. 2,
1824, and was deprived of a mother's care at a very
early age. He had the benefit of a good education
at the South Salem academy and later studied medicine
with Dr. Israel Evans at Rising Sun, Ind.
This was followed by a course of lectures at the
Cleveland Medical college, after which he spent a year
as assistant to his brother in Clarksburg. Later
he matriculated at Starling Medical college in Columbus,
and there obtained his coveted diplomas in 1850.
In the same year Dr. Evans began practice at
Clarksburg, in Deerfield township, where he has since
lived. He keeps up to date in his profession, not
being afraid to adopt new methods of treatment if
approved by his judgment, and congratulates himself on
being very successful with numerous cases of pneumonia
by application of modern remedies. The doctor has
always been a religious man and a member of the
Presbyterian church since he was sixteen years old.
May 25, 1852, he married Emily P. Yates, by whom
he had four children: Mary E., John T., Chaning
and an infant deceased. The mother died in 180,
and April 17, 181, Dr. Evans married Eliza J.
Caldwell, whose children - were James E., Orin
Chester, Eldora C. and Edwin C. The
second wife dying, the doctor's third alliance was with
Mrs. Mary Brown, widow of r. P. Brown,
whose death occurred several years after marriage.
Source: The County of Ross: a history of Ross County, Ohio
by Henry Holcomb Bennett - Published by S. A. Brant, Madison,
Wis., 1902 - Page |
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GEORGE FARABEE, of
Gillespieville, was born in Liberty
township, Ross county,
Ohio, on Apr. 27, 1856.
His parents were
Dr. Thomas and
Sophia (Dresbach) Farabee.
The father came from Pennsylvania and lived in Ross county until
his death.
George Farabee was reared in Ross county and educated in the public
schools. Oct.
20, 1888, he was married to
Rachael,
daughter of
Jeremiah W. Drummond.
The latter was born in Ross county in 1830, being a
son of Benjamin and
Mary (Cox) Drummond, and died in 1900.
He married
Rachael W. Ratcliff, daughter of
Simon and Rachael (Dixon) Ratcliff, and
had eight children, of whom four are living.
These are
Stella, wife of
Samuel Du Bois, of Liberty
township, Ross county;
Smiley, of
Circleville; Walton,
of Liberty township; and
Rachel, who is
the wife of George
Farabee.
Mrs. Farabee
was reared by her aunt,
Ruth Ratcliff,
who was born in that portion of Ross which is now Vinton
county, Ohio, in 1826, and died
on July 16, 1892.
Mr. Farabee and wife have two children,
Pauline E., born Dec. 21, 1898; and
Ruth R., born Sept. 3, 1900.
Mr. Farabee
has held the office of trustee of
Liberty
township.
Source: The County of Ross: a history of Ross County, Ohio
by Henry Holcomb Bennett - Published by S. A. Brant, Madison,
Wis., 1902 - Page 466
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GEORGE
W. FARLOW, veteran of the civil war and retired
farmer residing at Clarksburg, can look back over a life
well spent both in the cause of his country and his
county. His ancestors were long settled in
Delaware, from which state his grandparents, Archy
and Sarah (Brown) Farlow, came in 1815 to add their
strength and resources to the pioneer forces which were
rapidly filling Ross county. They settled on a
farm two miles west of Clarksburg, which the husband and
bought some time previously, but he died within a month
or two after reaching the county. His widow,
however, continued to live on this place until she also
died, leaving five children, all of whom have since
departed this life - Benjamin, Abigail, Mary, George
and Marion. Benjamin, the eldest, remained
at home until his marriage to Margaret Dennis of
Ross county, with whom he lived several years on the old
home place, and who became the mother of two children,
George W. and Jane, the latter marrying
John Timmons of Missouri and subsequently dying.
Mrs. Farlow died in August, 1839, and her husband
took a second wife in the person of Sophia Adams,
with whom he lived on the home place until 1850, when he
moved to a farm in the same township which he had
recently purchased. The children by this second
marriage were William R., of Indiana; Sarah A.,
of Illinois; Wingate T., of Indiana; and Irvin,
who died in infancy. The mother died in 1853 and
the father's third marriage was to Elizabeth Godfrey
shortly after which event he removed to Illinois, spent
a couple of years in that state and returned to Ross
county, where he died in 1877, his widow still occupying
the old homestead. Benjamin Farlow spent
his whole life in agricultural pursuits and was a
consistent member of the Methodist Episcopal church.
George W., only son of Benjamin and Margaret
(Dennis) Farlow was born in Deerfield township, Ross
county, July 19, 1839, and sixteen days afterward he
lost his mother by death. The infant, thus bereft
of a mother's care, was taken in charge by his
grandmother Farlow, who reared him with tender
solicitude until he reached manhood's full estate.
About that time, the civil war was in progress, and
young Farlow became a soldier of the union in
Company E, One Hundred and Fourteenth Ohio regiment of
infantry, which was drilled at Marietta and sent to
Memphis, Tenn. There the command was attached to
the Thirteenth army corps, with which it went to
Vicksburg, took part in the battle of Chickasaw Bluffs
and later in a severe engagement at Arkansas Post.
Later they moved to the rear of Vicksburg, about
Thompson's Hill and Black river, until a union was
effected with Sherman's forces, incidental to
which movements were many severe skirmishes and minor
engagements. Mr. Farlow afterward went with
his regiment of Louisiana and up the Red river, coming
back from this expedition to Mississippi for a prolonged
stay and then on to Pensacola and Mobile. After a
nine days' siege at the latter city, the command was
sent to Texas and mustered out. Finally reaching
home by way of Columbus, Mr. Farlow engaged in
farming until 1869, when he married Elizabeth E.
Howser and lived at the old home place until a year
ago, when they removed to Clarksburg. There Mr.
Farlow is living a quiet and retired life after many
years of work as a farmer and stockraiser. He has
two children, Archy M. and Margaret; the
former living at Barlow, Ohio, and the latter at home.
Mr. and Mrs. Farlow and Miss Margaret are
attendants at the Methodist Episcopal church.
Mr. Farlow's brother, William R. Farlow, has
a very creditable military record, which deserves
mention in any history of Ross county. Born in the
old homestead in Deerfield township, Mar. 10, 1843, he
was only eighteen years old when he enlisted in Company
C, Seventy-third regiment Ohio infantry, with which he
served gallantly in the engagements in Virginia,
including Bull Run. At that battle he was wounded
and taken prisoner, but was subsequently paroled and
came home by way of the national capital. In May,
1864, he organized a company for the One Hundred and
Forty-ninth Ohio regiment, of which he was elected
captain, and served for three months, being mustered out
at Columbus. After returning home, Captain
Farlow married Mollie McCrum, with whom he
settled on a farm in Deerfield township and after two
years went to Indiana where he now resides.
Source: The County of Ross: a history of Ross County, Ohio
by Henry Holcomb Bennett - Published by S. A. Brant, Madison,
Wis., 1902 - Page 467 |
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JOHN T. FENTON,
member of the firm of Fenton & Bonner, undertakers of
Chillicothe, is a native of Jeffersonville, Ind., born
Oct. 25, 1849. His parents were James and Mary
(Bowman) Fenton, the former born in Virginia in 1800
and the latter in Clarke county, Ind., in 1813.
The father was owner and manager of an extensive lumber
business, with planing mill and other attachments, at
Jeffersonville, Ind., and was well-to-do. He died
in 1855, his wife surviving until her eighty-first year
and dying at Louisville, Ky. Their family
consisted of three sons and two daughters, of whom three
are still living. These are James Fenton,
of Jeffersonville, Ind.; Mrs. S. B. Glover of
Louisville, Ky.; and John T., the subject of this
sketch. The deceased members of the family were
Mrs. Mattie Phillips, who died in New Albany, Ind.,
and William H. Fenton who died at the age of
sixty-seven, in Elizabethtown, Ky. John T.
Fenton was educated at Jeffersonville and New
Albany, Ind. During the civil war he sold
newspaper at Jeffersonville, some of his customers being
soldiers in the hospitals at that point. He spent
five years in railroading, with headquarters at
Lafayette, Ind. In 1873, he came to Chillicothe,
where he entered the employment of the Marietta &
Cincinnati, now the Baltimore & Ohio Southwestern
railway. He remained with this company for
twenty-five years, during most of the time as locomotive
engineer and the other seven years as supervisor of
trains and engines. At length failing health
compelled his retirement from this arduous service, and
in June, 1899, he formed a partnership with W. R.
Lowry in the undertaking business. In June,
1901, this firm was dissolved, and on August 1st of the
same year Mr. Fenton formed a partnership with
Mr. Bonner, which still continues. Both
members of the firm are practical embalmers, Mr.
Fenton being a graduate of the Massachusetts college
of embalming. In 1880, Mr. Fenton was
married to Ida P. Pinto, a native of Ross county.
They have an only son, Marshall Glover, a young
man of sixteen who is a student in the Chillicothe high
school and a member of the cadet corps of that
institution. Mr. Fenton is a member of the
Masonic fraternity, of the Odd Fellows, and the
Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers. In Masonry he
has attained the rank of Knight Templar. He has
been a member of the Chillicothe board of elections for
twelve years and was recently reappointed to serve four
years longer. On the creation of this board, the
governor had the appointing power, and Mr. Fenton
was appointed by Governor Foraker. Since
then, by a change in the law, the mayor is vested with
the power to make these appointments. In politics,
Mr. Fenton is a staunch Republican, and in
religion his inclinations are toward Methodism, though
at present he is not connected with any 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 468 |
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FERGUSON
FAMILY: - James and Rachel (Walker) Ferguson,
with their children Margaret, William, James and
Matthew, came from county Antrim, Ireland, in 1750, and
settled in that part of Hamilton township, Cumberland
county, which is now in the bounds of Hamilton and St.
Thomas townships, Franklin county, to the west of
Chambersburg, Pa. James Ferguson, Sr., was
ensign of Capt. Joseph Armstrong's company of
rangers in active service on the frontiers of
Cumberland county, Pa., in 1755, during the
French-Indian war. He, and his children, attended
the famous Rocky Spring Presbyterian church near
Chambersburg; he died in October, 1772. His wife
died in 1791, and in the same year their children
divided his land in Franklin county. The children
are now to be mentioned. A daughter Margaret
married William Dixon in 1780, who, dying in
1784, left two children, Catharine and Rachel.
In 1782 Catharine married Humphrey Fullerton,
in Franklin county, and moved to Chillicothe, O., in
1804. Her mother, Margaret, followed her to
Chillicothe in 1805 with her daughter Rachel, who
afterwards married Judge William Wilson and died
in 1860 in Newark, O. Margaret lived in
Chillicothe at the northwest corner of Paint and Fourth
streets, where she died in 1835, and is buried in
Grandview cemetery. William, son of
James Ferguson, served in the Revolutionary war,
married Sarah Liggett in 1776, moved to Somerset
township, Washington county, Pa., in 1796, and died in
Monongahela City, in 1833, aged eighty-seven years.
James Ferguson, Jr., married Margery Denny
in Franklin county, about 1776, was one of the justices
of the county, one of the first trustees of Rocky Spring
Presbyterian church, and dealt largely in real estate.
He served in the Revolutionary war. He moved to
Chillicothe in Oct. 1798, and his real estate
transactions in Ross, Pickaway and Highland counties
were numerous and important. He was one of the
nine justices of common pleas in 1798 in Chillicothe;
headed a petition signed by the five trustees of the
Presbyterian church in Chillicothe, addressed to the
territorial legislature in 1801, asking permission to
make a lottery to erect a house of worship; was one of
the incorporators of Chillicothe on Jan. 4, 1802, and
one of the six members of its first "select council."
He was one of the early merchants of Chillicothe and the
affairs of the firm of Ferguson & McFarland,
composed of himself and William McFarland,
husband of his daughter Margaret, were dissolved and
wound up by the latter on May 1, 1803. He died on
September 11, 1806, and his remains now rest in the
McFarland lot in Grandview cemetery. He left a
will in which he names his children: James;
Margaret, wife of Wm. McFarland, she died in
Chillicothe, February 8, 1832; John; Rachel, wife
of Judge John Thompson, she died in Wilkinson
county, Miss., October 20, 1853; and Creaghead,
one of Chillicothe's early merchants who died of yellow
fever in New Orleans about 1820.
Matthew, another son of James, Sr.,
enlisted in Capt. John Williams' company of the
first battalion of Cumberland county militia, Flying
camp, Revolutionary war, in 1777; was at the battles of
the Brandywine and Germantown and afterwards acquired
the title of Captain. He was a pewholder and
member of Rocky Spring Presbyterian church, married
Ann Chesnut in 1782; bought land in Paxton township,
Ross county, east of Bainbridge, on June 21, 1802, and
early in 1806 sold his farm in Pennsylvania, and with
his wife and eight living children moved to Green
township, settling on Black Water creek, about one mile
west of Kingston. "The Pioneer Record County" says
he was "the first distiller" in the county. He
accumulated by deed and patent about 1,000 acres of
land. On April 13, 1810, he was commissioned one
of the three first justices of Pickaway township,
Pickaway county; on May 31, 1811, he with Wm.
Caldwell, Michael Brown and John Entrekin
were elected and on August 7, 1811, were ordained
and installed ruling elders of Mt. Pleasant church.
About the year 1831, feeling the infirmities of his
eighty-two years, and realizing the necessity for
activity in the church, he retired from the active
duties of the eldership, his nephew Mathew
Ferguson, who was installed July 10, 8131, taking his
place. The session, loath to lose the advantage of
his wisdom, counsel and advice, insisted that he
reconsider his intention; but he remained firm in his
determination to be relieved and to hand over the
burden to younger men. At that session meeting,
probably held June 11, 1831, his advise to them was:
"Brethren, take care of the flock. Feed the sheep.
The preacher will take care of himself." He died
on Nov. 2, 1848, aged ninety-nine years, leaving
surviving him as wife and these children: William;
Ann, wife of his nephew, Matthew Ferguson, Jr.;
Margaret, wife of William Cushing, and
Jane unmarried. His wife died Dec. 24, 1851,
aged eighty-seven years and twelve days. They and
their children, John, Rachel, Matthew and
Margaret, are buried in Mt. Pleasant grave yard.
Their children were: James, born June 28, 1783,
died November, 1805; John, born November 21,
1784, died April 7, 1813; Rachel, born
July 1, 1786, died June 17, 1845; William, born
Aug. 16, 1788, died Jan. 28, 1865; Catharine,
born Oct. 15, 1793, died May 14, 1813; Matthew,
born Feb. 13, 1795, died May 3, 1813; Ann, born
August 13, 1798, died Feb. 3, 1882; Jane, born
Aug. 16, 1800, died Apr. 16, 1861.
WILLIAM FERGUSON, the fourth child of Matthew
and Ann Chesnut Ferguson, was born in Franklin
county, Pa., and was about eighteen yeas of age when his
parents settled in Green township. He was one of
the first merchants, the first resident merchant, the
first postmaster and a member of the first council of
Kingston. On the morning of Sunday, Aug. 23, 1812,
he and his younger brother, Matthew, enlisted in
Capt. John McNeal's company of cavalry, Ohio
militia, and went to the famous war of that year from
Mt. Pleasant church. The company consisted of
about 50 men and served until Oct. 14, 1812, when it was
discharged. On Aug. 26, 1813, he joined Mt.
Pleasant Presbyterian church, of which he was one of its
first trustees to hold property in Kingston, in 1837,
and from which he was dismissed on Apr. 13, 1849, to the
Central Presbyterian church of Cincinnati, O. On
Dec. 2, 1816, his father bought from Thomas Ing
and wife, lot No. 30, in Kingston, at the northwest
corner of the Maysville and Zanesville turnpike road and
Ing street. Here he built his store and
house; removed from his father's farm about the year
1818, opened his general merchandise store and kept
"bachelor's hall." Here he lived after marriage
and here all his children were born. He made trips
to Philadelphia, Pa., on horseback and his purchases
were brought across the mountains in large Conestoga
wagons. On April 22, 1819, he took out at
Chillicothe the first license issued to any resident
merchant of Kingston to vend merchandise in that town.
He took out his last license on Oct. 19, 1825. On
Sep. 10, 1822, the office of McCutcheonsville or
McCutchen's tavern in Pickaway county, adjoining
Kingston, where the stage coach stopped, was opened and
he was appointed postmaster. The name of the
office was changed to Kingston Dec. 12, 1825, and he
retained the postmastership until Apr. 25, 1835, through
the presidencies of James Monroe, John Quincy Adams
and into that of Andrew Jackson. In
politics he was a Whig. "He was the first
postmaster in Green township." On Jan. 8, 1824, he
married Eliza Crouse, the youngest child of
John and Catharine Umsted Crouse of Green township.
In 1833 he completed a brick building, fitted out with
machinery, and ran for several years a flour mill, also
a woolen mill, both on the northeast one-fourth of
section 20, which his wife received as part of her share
of her brother Jeremiah's estate. He sold
this property to his brother-in-law, John Crouse, Jr.,
in 1846. On Apr. 5, 1834, he was elected one of
the first councilmen of Kingston, which was incorporated
as a village early that year. On Jun. 28, 1834,
he, with Henry May, Jr., and John M. Brown,
as trustees of the Presbyterian congregation in the town
of Kingston, the first trustees of the Mt. Pleasant
Presbyterian church to hold land in Kingston, received a
deed of lot No. 5 in Duncan and Logan's
addition. The lot was on the westernmost side of
the main road to Lancaster about 264 feet north of
Sassafras alley, was 66 feet wide and 165 feet deep to
Mulberry alley. The trustees of Mt. Pleasant
church deeded this lot on Nov. 26, 1858, thus showing
they were one and the same organization. About the
year 1837 he closed his business in Kingston and in the
December of that year sold his store and dwelling in
Kingston to Robert T. Coburn, taking a mortgage
for the purchase money, which mortgage was foreclosed in
1844, and on Aug. 24, 1845, he deeded the property to
Henry May. After he had disposed of his store
and dwelling in 1837 he settled on the farm in Pickaway
township, which his wife received from her father, on
Congo creek, about a mile and a half north of Kingston.
Here he farmed extensively and also dealt largely in
cattle. His place was a second regular stop for
large droves from Chillicothe to the eastern market, the
first stand being at McConnell's in Ross county,
and the third at Wilson's in Pickaway county. In
September, 1848, he moved to Cincinnati, O. By the
year 1852 he had disposed of the land in Pickaway
county, which he inherited from his father, to
William Raub and George Holderman, and in
that year the farm on Congo creek was sold to John
and William Entrekin. He dealt largely in real
estate in Ross and Pickaway counties, and especially in
Kingston lots. In the autumn of 1855 he moved to
Alleghany City, Pa., and while a resident of that place,
died in Cincinnati, O., at the home of his son Matthew
and was buried in Spring Grove cemetery near that city.
His wife died in Baltimore, Md., June 9, 1889, and is
buried beside him. His children were: Ann
Catherine, born Mar. 30, 1825, married July 22,
1854, to Edward Arthurs, died Oct. 31, 1895;
John Crouse, born Mar. 13, 1827, died Oct. 21, 1849;
Matthew, born Feb. 1, 1829; Sarah Jane,
born June 30, 1834, married Biddle Arthurs, died
Sept. 3, 1860. His son, Matthew resides in
Baltimore, Md., but spends the summer months at his
country residence at Kinnikinnick, part of the home
place of his grandfather, John Crouse, Sr.
Source: The County of Ross: a history of Ross County, Ohio
by Henry Holcomb Bennett - Published by S. A. Brant, Madison,
Wis., 1902 - Page |
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JUDSON
O. FERNEAU, a prosperous farmer of the South Salem
neighborhood in Ross county, comes of an ancestry whose
fountain source was Holland
with an intermediate stage of development in old
Virginia
and later lodgment in
Ohio.
He is a son of
Joseph and grandson of John
Ferneau, the latter being an emigrant from the Netherlands to the Old Dominion
while the Revolutionary war was in progress.
In 1812, he joined the tide of emigration which was
then setting strongly toward the
Ohio
valley and located with his family in Ross county.
His son,
Joseph Ferneau, married
Elizabeth McCoy,
member of a family long and favorably known in Fayette
county, Ohio.
He adopted farming as his vocation and pursued it
steadily until his death in1891.
His only child was
Judson O. Ferneau,
who was born and reared in Buckskin township and educated
in the district schools.
In 1893, he was married to
Anna, daughter
of George Wolfe,
a native of Germany.
Like his ancestors before him,
Mr. Ferneau is
interested in tilling the soil, his line being general
farming and stock-raising.
The farm owned by him near
South Salem, in addition to its agricultural
value, possesses an historic interest.
According to tradition it was there that the first
sermon was preached north of Marietta, at the time when
there were no churches in that region and but few
preachers, even of the itinerant class.
The farm of
Mr. Ferneau is also pointed out as the scene of a
famous reencounter which took place in the long ago
between one Duncan
McCarty and certain hostile Indians with whom he came
in contact.
Source: The County of Ross: a history of Ross County, Ohio
by Henry Holcomb Bennett - Published by S. A. Brant, Madison,
Wis., 1902 - Page 467
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The FISHER FAMILY: - The progenitor of this numerous and
well known family emigrated from Germany and settled in
Pennsylvania during the latter half of the eighteenth
century. There, about the year 1774, a son was born
to him, named Jacob, who was destined to become the
founder of the Ohio branch of the Fisher family. The
parents of Jacob Fisher went from Pennsylvania to
Virginia, where in early manhood he married Barbara
Kyle.
There is a family tradition that the young husband, when
about twenty-five years old, rode on horseback to the
wilds of Ohio to "spy out the land" and ascertain the
feasibility of establishing a home for himself. As
the story goes, he bought land in Concord township, put in
a crop and then returned to Virginia for his wife and
child. However this may be, it is definitely
ascertained that Jacob Fisher and wife became residents of
Ross county as early as 1800 and that from them have
descended a numerous progeny. Jacob's life was
devoted to the clearing and cultivating of his acres of
Concord township, where he lived until his death about the
year 1865. He outlived his wife many years, though
the exact date of her death is not recorded. Among
their children was a son named John, who was born soon
after his parents reached Ohio. He grew to manhood
in Concord township and spent all the days of his life in
the same locality. When he reached the marriageable
age he selected as his life partner Phoebe Briggs,
daughter of a neighbor and early settler. John
Fisher died about the year 1859, his wife surviving him
several years. They became the parents of seven sons
and two daughters, named in order of birth, Samuel,
Clinton, Joseph, George, John
Bunyan, Charles, William Sarah and
Hannah. George Fisher, the fourth of the
sons above enumerated, is still living, the sole survivor
of that family of children. He was born in 1832 and
has followed the occupation of farming from the time of
his arrival at manhood. In 1855, he married Elizabeth, daughter of
Elijah Rowe, a prominent man of
Concord township. They have living three sons and
two daughters, as follows: Louise, the wife of
William H. Thomas, of Roxabell; James, a farmer in Concord
township; William A.; Flora B., wife of Joseph
Irvin, of
Highland county, Ohio; and Isaac, a farmer in Concord
township. One son died in infancy and Francis
Marion, a bright and promising boy, was cut off by
pneumonia at the age of twenty-two. William A.
Fisher, third of the above mentioned children, was born
November 13, 1859, in Concord township. He received
his education in the common schools at home and at the
Normal school at Lebanon. He adopted teaching as a
profession and followed that occupation for seventeen
years. He was ambitious to become a doctor and
studied medicine for a while, but circumstances over which
he had no control prevented him from finishing his course.
In 1897, he embarked in the undertaking business at
Frankfort, carrying a large supply of furniture as a side
line, and has continued this venture up to the present
time. In 1884, he was married to Jessie E., daughter
of John M. Ware, a prominent citizen of Frankfort.
She died in 1892, leaving four children: Glenn D.,
Lee H., Edith L. and Elizabeth J. In 1897, Mr.
Fisher chose a second wife in the person of Elizabeth S.,
daughter of Merritt Jamieson, of Concord township.
Mr. Fisher's religious affiliations are with the
Presbyterian church and his fraternal connections with the
Masons and Woodmen of the World.
Source: The County of Ross: a history of Ross County, Ohio
by Henry Holcomb Bennett - Published by S. A. Brant, Madison,
Wis., 1902 - Page |
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AMOS M.
FISHER is one of the
nine children of Jacob and Eleanor (Wilson) Fisher, of
Ross county, the date of his birth being March 15, 1862.
The family in America started from Philip Fisher, who
emigrated from Germany and first settled in Pennsylvania,
going from there in 1777 in Virginia. In the spring
of 1799, his son Jacob, who was then twenty-five years
old, rode on horseback to Ohio, with a view to finding a
home in the wilderness. He spent the spring and
summer in cultivating a patch of corn near the site of
Chillicothe and in the fall returned to Virginia for his
wife and child. He purchased two hundred acres of
land in Concord township, built a rude log cabin and moved
in with his wife and child. These events occurred in
the early part of the year 1800, and the Fishers became
one of the hardy first families who bore the burdens and
dangers of settling the Scioto valley. Their
experiences were similar to those of many others - a life
of hard work and privation in the lonely wilderness,
surrounded by many dangers, yet not devoid of rude
pleasures. In the course of years, the pioneer hewed
and grubbed himself into possession of a fine farm, and by
degrees the family were enabled to surround themselves
with the comforts of civilization. The head of the
family was called away to the war of 1812, and while he
was serving his country his wife and children underwent
much anxiety, besides positives danger from Indians.
It was customary for the women of the neighborhood for
miles around to assemble at night in a nearby fort, in
order to insure protection from possible forays by the red
men. Jacob Fisher died in 1866, somewhat over
ninety-two years old, and his wife expired in her
seventy-eighth year. They reared a family of four
sons and five daughters, all of whom have passed away.
The youngest of the family, named after his father, Jacob
Fisher, was born February 23, 1819. His earliest
recollections were of the log cabin in which he was born
and the log school house with its puncheon floors and slab
benches. In those days farm boys had little
opportunity to get book learning, their attendance at
school being limited to rainy days in the working season,
and the severe weather of winter. When he became of
age, Jacob Fisher was married on June 3, 1841, to
Eleanor,
daughter of John H. Wilson, who came from Kentucky and was
an early settler of Ross county. They had nine
children: Mary E., born April 8, 1842, died in 1861;
William B., born September 23, 1843, married and living at
Harrison, Ohio; Absalom M., born October 16, 1845;
Albert
H., born July 14, 1847; John E., born April 18, 1851;
Naomi, born August 30, 1854, died December 2, 1887;
Cary
W., born January 1, 1859; Amos M., the subject of this
sketch. The golden wedding of the parents was
celebrated on June 3, 1891, and was a joyous occasion
largely attended. Jacob Fisher, the venerable
father, passed away in 1897, just one hundred years after
the birth of the eldest brother. His widow survives
at the age of eighty-two. Their son Amos M., who was
the youngest of the children, remained at home all his
life, being educated at the district school and at
Lebanon, Ohio. October 23, 1901, he was married to
Maud, daughter of William F. and Patience Metcalfe, of
Twin township, Ross county. They reside on the old
homestead of 166 acres, which Mr. Fisher bought after the
death of his father. He raises stock on an extensive
scale and is regarded as one of the most successful
breeders in the county. He makes a specialty of
swine, dealing exclusively in the Poland-China breed, and
during the past year attracted general attention on
account of the numbers of superiority of his fine stock.
Mr. Fisher's political affiliations are Democratic and his
fraternal connections are with the Masonic order and
Knights Templar 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 |
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NELSON J. FORD,
a popular traveling salesman residing at Kingston, Ohio,
deserves enrollment among the successful young business
men of Ross county. He comes of sturdy stock on
both sides, his grandfather being Enoch Ford, a native
of Ohio, who married Nancy Sewell of
Pennsylvania. The parents of Mr. Ford, John and
Mary A. (O'Neal) Ford, were born in Green
township, the former in 1833 and the latter in 1837.
John Ford was reared in Kingston and learned the
saddler's trade, though he was also engaged in farming.
He was an industrious and worthy man and an exemplary
member of the Methodist Episcopal church. He died
Feb. 14, 1896, since which time his widow has been a
resident of Kingston. The latter's father was
James O'Neal, Jr., a native of New Jersey, born in
1803, who married Nancy Welch of West Virginia.
James O'Neal's mother was Mary Ann O'Neal,
who came to Chillicothe as a widow in 1826, and reared
her four children in Ross county, where James O'Neal,
Jr., died in 1843 and his wife in 1849. They
had seven children: James, John, Eliza, William
H., Mary Ann., Sarah M. and Elizabeth. John
and Mary Ann (O'Neal) Ford were the parents
of eight children: Sallie, Nelson J., John W.,
Jessie, Anna M., George M., Bessie E. and Ethel
G. Nelson J. Ford was born in Green township,
Ross county, Sept. 27, 1862, reared on the farm and
educated in the Kingston high school. After
reaching the age of twenty-one years he learned the
tinner's trade but later drifted into commercial
currents and became a salesman for the Flint & Walling
windmill factory, of Kendallville, Ind. This
position he has since held and filled acceptably both to
his employers and their customers. In fact he is
one of the most popular and energetic of the great army
of commercial travelers who operate through this part of
Ohio. He is a members of Pierson lodge, No. 372,
I. O. O. F., and Kingston lodge, No. 419, Knights of
Pythias, and he and his wife are members of the
Methodist Episcopal church. April 29, 1886 he was
married to Elizabeth Forquer, a native of
Pickaway County, daughter of John and Catherine (Lemaster)
Forquer, natives of Perry county, who came to
Pickaway about 1860 and are now residents of Columbus.
Mr. and Mrs. Ford have four children:
Francis D., Phillis, Louis and Helen.
Source: The County of Ross: a history of Ross County, Ohio
by Henry Holcomb Bennett - Published by S. A. Brant, Madison,
Wis., 1902 - Page 476 |
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THE FOSTER
FAMILY: - The founder of this numerous and
influential family in Ohio was the Rev. John Foster, who
came from near Cumberland, Md., and settled in what is
now Pike county in 1796. He died in January, 1800,
leaving eight children, of whom there were six sons and
two daughters. Among the former was one who became
the Rev. John Foster, No. 2. He was born
Mar. 3, 1771, and died Aug. 22, 1839, in Madison county,
Ohio, while on a visit to some of his children.
Of the latter there were ten in all and among the number
was Thomas C. Foster, born July 2, 1813, in Ross
county. He spent his whole life in Franklin
township and died there Dec. 18, 1882. His wife
was Jane E. Davis, member of one of the pioneer
families of the township, who died July 12, 1852,
leaving six children. Of these, Martha was
born July 31, 1840; James C., May 3, 1842;
Hannah, born Sept. 4, 1844, and died Feb. 25, 1893;
John, born Jan. 4, 1847; William, born Sept.
16, 1850, and died Feb. 14, 1874; George, born June
21, 1852, and died June 23, 1881. Major
James C. Foster, the oldest son in the above
mentioned list, was educated in the public and private
schools of his native county. Shortly before the
civil war he spent a term at a private military school
in Chillicothe, and the experience acquired there proved
valuable in the years immediately succeeding. On
Oct. 17, 1861, he enlisted as a private in Company F,
Fifty-third Ohio infantry, being made first sergeant at
the organization. Jan. 1, 1802, his services and
abilities were rewarded by promotion to the second
lieutenancy, and in the following September he was
transferred to Company I. On June 3, 1863, he was
commissioned as captain of Company A, Fifty-ninth
regiment of colored troops, which had recently been
called into service. On June 18, 1864, he was
given a commission as major of that regiment, in which
capacity he served until the close of the war, being in
command of the regiment for several months.
Major Foster participated in the battles of Shiloh
Falling Timbers, Tupelo, Brice's Crossroads and the
siege of Corinth. At the battle of Brice's
Crossroads, near Guntown, Miss., June 10, 1864,
Captain Foster was placed in charge of the skirmish
line, composed of his own and another company.
They made a heroic fight until dark, when, all the
troops retiring in the direction of Ripley and the
lieutenant-colonel being totally disabled by a wound, he
assumed command of the regiment, from which he was not
relieved until the following September. During his
long army service, Major Foster was often
detailed on important special service. During the
winter of 1862-3 he was a member of the general
court-martial, and he served on courts of inquiry, as
chief of pickets, and in other responsible positions,
which showed his high home and for a time attended a
commercial school at Cleveland, after which he settled
down to a farmer's life near his birthplace, where he
still resides. Sept. 7, 1869, he was married to
Emma, daughter of James and Mary Davis, who
died Aug. 2, 1872, leaving one child, Daisy D.,
born Jun. 7, 1870, who is now the wife of H. J.
DuBois, of Pike county, Ohio. Oct. 19, 1875,
Major Foster was remarried, his second wife being
Mary D., daughter of Joseph I. and Jane D. Vause.
This union resulted in the birth of four daughters and
three sons, all of whom are living: Ada C.,
born Mar. 16, 1877; J. Vause, born Apr. 29, 1879;
Jean M., born July 16, 1881; Harry L.,
born Mar. 14, 1884; James C., born Nov. 25, 1887;
Mary H., Dec. 19, 1889; and Sallie, Sept.
13, 1894. The Major has filled various township
offices and at the fall election in 1901 was chosen
representative in the Ohio general assembly from Ross
county, receiving 5,239 votes to 4,531 for Robert L.
Irvin, his opponent. He is a prominent member
of the Grand Army of the Republic and has been commander
of Joseph Climer, post, No. 6,092, at Omega,
Ohio, ever since it was organized in 1883. He also
holds membership in the other patriotic organization
devoted exclusively to Federal officers and called the
Loyal Legion. His ancestors were mostly
Methodists, but the Major has no church affiliations.
Source: The County of Ross: a history of Ross County, Ohio
by Henry Holcomb Bennett - Published by S. A. Brant, Madison,
Wis., 1902 - Page 477 |
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JOHN FRANCIS,
of Gillespieville, Ohio, was born in Ross county, Aug.
4, 1826. His parents were John and Susannah (Wycoff)
Francis, both natives of Virginia, who came to Ross
county in 1799 and Fannie Francis, of Virginia,
who came to Ross county in 1799 and settled in what is
now Liberty township. They spent the rest of their
days there and had a family of eleven children. Of
these, John Francis was born in 1796, came to
Ohio with his parents and lived and died a farmer.
He left a family of eleven children, of whom eight are
living. Their son John, who is the subject
of this sketch, grew up on the farm and was educated in
the common schools. Farming has been his life's
occupation and he owns a good bit of land, but for about
thirty years he has lived a retired life at Londonderry.
Mr. Francis has never been an office-seeker but
has held the position of township trustee and school
director. In 1848, he was married to Rebecca
Hinshaw, by whom he had one child that died in
infancy. The mother also died, and Mr. Francis,
on Aug. 22, 1888, and married to Mary F. Timmons,
daughter of Azariah and Charity (Dixon)
Timmons, both natives of Ross county, who had ten
children, of whom six are living, the father dying in
1887, and the mother in 1878. By this marriage
Mr. Francis has one son, Chancey J., who was
born July 28, 1890. Mr. Francis is a member
of the Christian church while the wife affiliates with
the Society of Friends. The grandfather of Mr.
Francis cut the first white oak tree ever felled by
a white man on Londonderry flats. He also brought
the first wheat into that section, having it sent from
old Virginia on the Scioto river. When the boat
reached the point where the state dam is now situated,
it sprang a leak and had to be taken out and dried.
This wheat proved very costly in the end, but his
neighbors helped to cut it and he divided with them,
giving each one a teacupful of the grain, which was cut
with sickles and knives. The grandmother of
Mrs. Francis made the first bed-cord of Indian hemp.
Source: The County of Ross: a history of Ross County, Ohio
by Henry Holcomb Bennett - Published by S. A. Brant, Madison,
Wis., 1902 - Page 478 |
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MARTIN FREY,
of Bourneville, Ohio, is a native of Germany, born at
Ortenberg, a village of the state of Baden, Oct. 30,
1833. He came with his parents to America in 1854,
the trip being made in a sailing vessel and consuming
thirty-one days. The emigrants landed at New York
city on the 4th of July and proceeded direct to
Chillicothe, Ohio. Martin was poor and had
no other reliance than his German pluck and ability to
work. He turned his hand at whatever he could find
to do, first working on a railroad, helping to lay track
from Greenfield to Leesburg, on the old Marietta &
Cincinnati, afterward doing chore work for George
Woods, of Chillicothe, about one year, and finally
landing on a farm where he was employed by the month for
about seven years. At the expiration of that time,
he started a huckster wagon and followed that line of
business for eight years. On May 9, 1869, he was
married to Margaret Zink, a native of Germany,
who came to Ohio with her uncle. After marriage,
Mr. Frey lived in Chillicothe for a while but in
August, 1870, removed to Bourneville, where he engaged
in the general mercantile business, also conducting a
pork packing establishment on a small scale. He
now owns 514 acres of good Ross county land, which he
oversees and manages in person. He raises stock
extensively, feeding about sixty head of cattle and
large numbers of hogs during each year. He is a
member of the Democratic party and served as township
treasurer for one term. His religious connections
are Roman Catholic and he belongs to St. Peter's church
in Chillicothe. Mr. Freys marriage resulted
in the birth of three children, as follows:
Mary J., born Feb. 6, 1870, and died in December,
1872; John A., born Aug. 3, 1875; and Martin
E., Mar. 9, 1878. The two sons are assisting
their father in the management of his large business.
Source: The County of Ross: a history of Ross County, Ohio
by Henry Holcomb Bennett - Published by S. A. Brant, Madison,
Wis., 1902 - Page |
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GOTTFRIED FRICK,
an extensive land owner and one of the most successful
farmers in Scioto township, is a man of remarkable
business qualifications. Now contemplating a well
deserved retirement for the purpose of spending the
evening of his life in repose, he can look back
complacently to a long career well spent in the useful
activities of good citizenship. His parents were
Peter and Cathrina Frick, natives of Germany, who
came to this country in 1838. The particulars of
their trip sharply illustrate the changes in modes of
travel from that day to this. It took them nearly
two months to cross the ocean, where as it is done now
in less than a week. They came from New York city,
and from there by canal to Waverly, county seat of Pike
county. This was the destination of the immigrants
and there they bought and settled on a small farm of
about forty acres. The father had learned the
cabinet-maker's trade in Germany and followed it as long
as he remained in that country, but after his arrival in
Ohio he devoted himself exclusively to agricultural
pursuits. They remained in Pike county until 1873,
when they removed to Ross county and lived with their
son and there they died, he at the age of sixty-six and
the mother in her seventy-second year. They had
five children. Appeline, the eldest,
married Jacob Gergens, of Nebraska, and they
celebrated their golden wedding Mar. 20, 1902.
Christina married William F. Young, of
Nebraska; Mary became the wife of Jacob Gahm
and both have since died; Leona, who married
Jacob Grumme of Chillicothe, is also deceased.
Gottfried Frick,next to the oldest of the
children, was born at Rheinbern, Germany, Aug. 28, 1837.
His first business venture after reaching manhood was
with a threshing machine, and this he followed several
years, until his marriage to Mary Gahm, of
Jackson county, Ohio. For awhile after this event,
Mr. Frick lived in pike county and then went to
Ross county where he spent a year in Twin township.
The next move was to Scioto township, where Mr.
Frick cultivated rented land about seven years
and then purchased what was known as the Lunbeck
farm, which he has since added to until his
holdings amount to 280 acres. Included in this
purchase was the old Paint grist mill, which he
conducted for seventeen years and also built. a large
mill at Portsmouth, which he subsequently sold to his
sons. Mr. Frick is a man of
unusually fine business qualifications and has met with
remarkable success in all of his undertakings. He
owns 647 acres of land on the Wabash river, besides
other valuable properties at different points.
He is one of the most prominent farmers in Scioto
township, and one of its most esteemed citizens.
Mr. Frick has always taken especial
interest in educational matters and during his residence
of thirty-one years in the township has been a member of
the school board nearly all the time. He was once
elected to the position of land appraiser but resigned
before the time for taking the office. He is a
member of Chillicothe lodge, No. 84, Independent Order
of Odd Fellows, and politically is associated with the
Democratic party. Mr. and Mrs. Frick have
six children: George resides in Knox county,
Ind.; Adam at Portsmouth, Ohio, and John
in Missouri; Lena married Ellsworth
Kidnocker, of Scioto township; Christina
and Cathrine are at home. The family attend
the Presbyterian church, of which Mr. Frick
has been a member since 1863.
Source: The County of Ross: a history of Ross County, Ohio
by Henry Holcomb Bennett - Published by S. A. Brant, Madison,
Wis., 1902 - Page |
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C. ALBERT FROMM,
publisher and proprietor of the "Unsere Zeit," a German
weekly newspaper of Chillicothe, was born in that city
Mar. 8, 1877. His parents were Charles and
Elizabeth (Ringwald) Fromm. Charles Fromm
was a native of Germany, brought to this country in
infancy and reared in Cincinnati, where he learned the
printing business, and became the publisher of two lodge
journals. He went from that city to Portsmouth and
founded the "Unsere Zeit," which a year later was
removed to Chillicothe, where it is now owned and
operated by the third generation since its
establishment. The grandparents of C. Albert
Fromm died in Chillicothe; his father passed away at
the early age of forty-seven, but his mother is still
living. Mr. Fromm was educated in the
public schools of Chillicothe, began work in his
father's office in early youth and has been connected
with the "art preservative" for the last twelve years.
His plant is well equipped for all kinds of commercial
printing and job work, being supplied with modern
presses operated by electric power. Mr. Fromm
has never married, seeming to prefer the liberty and
independence of "single blessedness." He is a
member of the Eintracht Singing society, and the Ancient
Essenic Order of Knights, Chillicothe senate, No. 32.
His religious connections are with the German Salem
church. Politically he is independent and so is
his paper, the "Unsere Zeit," which is devoted to
general news of interest to the German reading people of
Ross county and adjacent territory.
Source: The County of Ross: a history of Ross County, Ohio
by Henry Holcomb Bennett - Published by S. A. Brant, Madison,
Wis., 1902 - Page |
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JOHN R. FRY,
of Ross county, is a native of Baden on the Rhine,
Germany, born Aug. 25, 1839. His parents were
Richard and Catharine Fry, both of whom were born in
Germany and came to Pike county, Ohio, in1842.
They had a family of four daughters and three sons, of
whom five are still living. Richard Fry
died in 1865, aged sixty-three, and his wife died in
1896, on the eve of her birthday, aged ninety-two years.
John R. Fryand his mother and father were all
born on the same day of the month. John R.
was reared on a farm and educated in the common schools
of Pike county. He has always followed farming for
an occupation and has met with reasonable success in
that line. In 1884 he removed to Ross county,
where he has ever since resided. He has charge of
318 acres of land, which he farms in a general way, but
gives especial attention to the breeding of road horses
of the Hambletonian stock. He has been elected
trustee of Liberty township and is one of the trustees
at the present time. His first wife was
Margaret Armbrust, of Waverly, Pike county, by whom
he had two children, George Fry, of Pickaway
county, and John R. Fry, Jr., who lives at home.
After the death of this wife Mr. Fry married
Mary L. Rader, of Pike county, daughter of Adam
and Nancy Rader. By the second marriage there
are two children. The eldest of these, William
H. Fry, was married Nov. 9, 1901, to Mina,
daughter of George and Mary Dixon, of Athens
county. Her father was killed on the railroad near
Athens, Ohio, several years ago. Ida M. Fry,
the other child of John R. and Mary L. Fry
was educated at Chillicothe and is a teacher in the
public 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 |
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SETH FULLER,
well known in Athens and Ross counties as a dealer in
land and stock, and for years identified with the
agricultural interests of Twin township, can boast a
lengthy pioneer lineage. In fact as the Fullers.
In the person of Joseph Fuller they had a
representative with the Massachusetts colony which
located at or near Marietta, Ohio, in the year 1788,
which was ten years before Ross county was officially
organized as a body politic. He was accompanied by
a brother, whose record has been lost sight of, who
married after his arrival in Washington county and
reared several children, among the number being James
Fuller. The latter was born about eight miles
above Marietta, Mar. 14, 1797, and was married to
Lucinda Pratt Dec. 8, 1822. The records
indicate that she was a native of Washington county and
that her birth occurred Oct. 2, 1799. This couple
settled on a farm near Millfield, in Athens county,
which had been purchased before their nuptials, and
there they engaged in farming and stockraising with
considerable success for those days. James
Fuller died Oct. 8, 1842, his wife surviving until
1885, when she died in Ross county, aged about
seventy-eight years. They had only two children,
one of whom died in infancy and the other was Seth
Fuller, born in Athens county, July 5, 1826.
Schools were few and far between at that period and
young Fuller had neither time nor inclination to
attend had they been numerous. Being the only
child he was needed at home for such work as boys can do
and the death of his father left him at the age of
sixteen years his mother's only dependence as
assistant farm manager. In 1843, at the boyish age
of seventeen, he married Theresa Dean, took his
bride to the old home place and with the help of his
mother made a very creditable record as general
superintendent of farm affairs. From a very early
age Mr. Fuller had been fond of trading, and
traveled a good deal in securing and carrying out deals
in lands and stock. He displayed capacity and
shrewdness in this line and in the course of years
accumulated considerable land and other property.
In 1865, he disposed of his interests in Athens and
located in Ross county, where he continued his
operations as a dealer in stock and real estate.
In 1888 his wife died, leaving six children:
James, Joseph, John, Edward, Mary and Maria.
Subsequently he married Mary Jane Gabriel a
native of Athens county, spent some time leisurely in
Chillicothe and then removed to one of his places in
Twin township. In 1898, Mr. Fuller located
at Roxabell, in Concord township, and that was his place
of residence until May, 1902, when he removed to
Frankfort, where he now resides. He is a member of
the Methodist Episcopal church and Frankfort lodge Free
and Accepted Masons.
Source: The County of Ross: a history of Ross County, Ohio
by Henry Holcomb Bennett - Published by S. A. Brant, Madison,
Wis., 1902 - Page |
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