BIOGRAPHIES

Source: 
A Portrait and Biographical Record of Allen & Van Wert Counties, Ohio
Publ. Chicago: A. W. Bowen & Co.
1896

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Alexander F. Irick

ALEXANDER F. IRICK, one of the pioneers of Marion township, Allen county, Ohio, is a native of Rockingham county, Ohio, is a native of Rockingham county, Va., and was born Oct. 2, 1810, a son of Jonathan and Mary (Boston) Irick.  The mother, Mary Boston was born Dec. 17, 1793, and was a daughter of Philip and Susan (Walters) Boston, the former of whom was born Apr. 13, 1764.  Jonathan Irick was a gunsmith, was married in Rockingham county, Va., and had born to him eight children, in the following order:  John F. May 22, 1813, George W., Oct. 1, 1815; Alexander F. as above; Isabelle, Dec. 10, 1817; Diana, Mar. 19, 1821; Elizabeth, Oct. 3, 1824; Julia, May 3, 1827, and Pollly, Oct. 3, 1829.  Jonathan Irick was a soldier in the war of 1812, and after carrying on his trade in rocktown, Va., until 1824 or 1825, came to Ohio and located in Pleasantville, Fairfield county, where he followed his trade until the end of his days.      Alexander F. Irick was between five and six years of age when brought to Ohio by his parents, and was reared to manhood in Pleasantville.  He is a natural mechanic, but early began work as a farmer.  When about twenty years of age he went to Mercer county, Ohio, and was there married, Feb. 10, 1839, to Elizabeth Kiggins, who was born in Miami county, Ohio, Sept. 18, 1821, a daughter of Jonathan and Elizabeth (Boyer) Kiggins, the former a native of Washington county, Pa., and of Irish descent.  Mr. Kiggins came to Ohio when a young man, located in Mercer county, was there married and became the mother of ten children, viz: Lewis, Minerva, Mary, Rosina, Jennie, Elizabeth and Margaret twins), Catherine, Harriet and Charlotte.  Mr. Riggins died at the age of fifty-five years, and his wife at about the same age —members of the United Brethren church.  Lewis Boyer, the maternal grandfather of Mrs. Irick, was a native of Rockingham county, Va., and came to Mercer county, Ohio, after having served in the war of the Revolution, which lie entered at the age of twelve years, becoming one of Washington’s body guards.  He lived to be eighty years of age.  His wife was of Holland Dutch descent and bore the maiden name of Rosen Kerns.      After their marriage, Mrs. Irick lived in Mercer county for three years, then moved to Fairfield county, where they lived five years, and where Mr. Irick was employed as a carpenter.  In 1845 they returned to Mercer county, where they lived until November, 1845, when they came to their present farm in Marion township, Allen county.  At that time Mr. Irick had a wife and four children, and a capital of one cent, which he still retains as a precious memento, and which bears the date of 1814.  Mr. Irick here rented a farm, which he worked until about 1852, when he bought eighty-four and one-half acres of his present farm, then all m the woods. He now has 134½ acres in this tract and 179½ acres on the line of Putnam county, near Delphos, and all has been made by his own labor, assisted by his faithful wife.      The children born to Mr. and Mrs. Irick numbered twelve and were born in the following order: John F. (deceased), William L., Mary C., James I., Margaret T. (died at two years of age), Arminda, Alexander F., Frances C. (died in infancy), Lizzie, Davisa A., Jackson and Eliza E.  Of the above, John F. Irick served in the Civil war, havinging enlisted in 1862, for three years, in the first squadron Ohio volunteer calvary, under Maj. Richard Rice and Capt. John Dalzell; he died of smallpox, Dec. 31, 1863 and was buried on New Year’s day, 1864.  William L. Irick married, first, Mary Canada, who died in childbed, and for his second wife married Ellen Alspaugh, Mary C. was married to Sebastian Alspaugh, and is the mother of three children; James I. married Melvina Ditto, and has had born to him six children; Arminda is the wife of Charles Peltier; Alexander _. married Rebecca Holmes and has three, children; Lizzie is now Mrs. John Ludwig and is the mother of six children; Davisa A. is married to David Hoffman and is the mother of five children; Jackson married Louisa Hoffman, and is the father of six children; Eliza _. is the wfe of Emanuel Tucker and is the mother of two children.  The venerable parents of the above vamily have forty grandchildren and four great-grandchildren, and have led a life of domestic felicity for over half a century, honored and beloved by all who know them. Source:  A Portrait and biographical record of Allen & Van Wert Counties, Ohio - Publ. Chicago: A. W. Bowen & Co., 1896 - Page 333

JAMES I. IRICK, one of the most practical farmers of Marion township, Allen county, Ohio, is a son of the venerable Allen county farmer, Alexander F. Irick, whose biography appears above, and to which attention of the reader is invited.      James I. Irick, our subject, was born in Mercer county, Ohio, July 29, 1845, and in September of the same year was brought to Allen county by his parents.  He received a good common school education, was reared to farmer, and to his own industry and thrift does he owe his success in life.  He early began the work of clearing off land, becoming an expert chopper; many a giant of the forest in Allen county has fallen before the sturdy strokes of his ax, and he has proven his ability to cut and split five cords of wood in one day.  Sept. 6, 1866, Mr. Irick married Miss Melvina Ditto, who was born July 16, 1845, a daughter of William W. Ditto, a sketch of whose life will be found on another page.  After marriage, Mr. and Mrs. Irick settled on their present farm, which then consisted of forty acres, all, with the exception of eight acres, deep in the wild woods.  But, Mr. Irick was a skillful woodman and, as seen, an adept at chopping; with the assistance of his good wife and faithful helpmate, he cleared up his original tract, and has added to it until he now owns 120 acres of good farm-land, cleared and well improved in every respect.  The union of Mr. and Mrs. Irick has been made the more happy by the survival of six of their ten children, viz: Emma A., born May 22, 1868, William W., born Jan. 6, 1870, Franklin F., born July 9, 1874; Stephen D., born May 16, 1877; Albertus J., born Nov. 22, 1879, and Arthur E., born July 19, 1884— the other children having died in infancy.  Mrs. Irick is a devout member of the Methodist church and has reared her children to lives of morality and industry.  In politics Mr. Irick was formerly a democrat but is now independent, having shaken off all party shackles; fraternally be is a member of the Odd Fellows’ lodge at Delphos, and is in good standing.  As a farmer, Mr. Irick has few equals in his township, and his farm is a model in all particulars.      William W. Irick, son of James I. Irick, our subject, married Miss Nettie Waters Feb. 26, 1891.  This lady comes from Amanda township and is a member of a highly respected family.  Mrs. Ditto, the venerable mother of Mrs. James I. Irick and the maternal grandmother of William W. Irick, still remembers her journey, at five years of age, from Brown county, Ohio, to Allen county, which is strengthened by a reccollection of the fact that, between Lima and Elida, she fell from the wagon and was nearly crushed to death by the hind wheel passing over her body which caused quite a delay in the journey, she also remembers the old log school-house in which her parents lived until their cabin was erected — and a hundred pioneer incidents are still fresh in her memory.  William W. Irick is a very sturdy and hardy young man, who has never felt the sensation of fatigue in his life.  Like his father, he has made quit4e an enviable reputation as a citizen. Source:  A Portrait and biographical record of Allen & Van Wert Counties, Ohio - Publ. Chicago: A. W. Bowen & Co., 1896 - Page 334

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