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BIOGRAPHIES
 Source:
A Portrait and Biographical Record of Allen & Van Wert
Counties, Ohio
Publ. Chicago: A. W. Bowen & Co.
1896
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ELIHU REED. - The
Reed family is one of the ancient families of the United
States, having come to America, probably from England, previous
to the Revolutionary war. Like many other families of
Allen county, they originally came from Pennsylvania, the father
of Benjamin Reed living on the Shawnee Flats, in the
famous Horse Shoe Bend, on the Pennsylvania railroad, and it was
there that Benjamin was born, probably about 1782.
He was taken by his father when a lad, to Trumbull county, Ohio,
where he was reared and where he received his education, but as
that was before the days of what are now called common schools,
the facilities he enjoyed were not of the best.
It is not now apparent whether any of the immediate
ancestors of Benjamin served in the Revolutionary war,
though they probably did, as he himself, when the war between
the United States and England came on in 1812, gave evidence of
the flow of patriotic blood in his veins by then going into the
service of his country. In April, 1833, Benjamin Reed
settled in Shawnee township, Allen county, Ohio, having made the
entire trip from Trumbull county by means of wagons, reaching
the old Shawnee council house on Sunday, Apr. 10, 1833.
Upon his arrival there he entered eighty acres of land, that
upon which Isaac Hall now lives; but he did not
settle on that piece, but on 160 acres which he
purchased, where Elias Bowsher now lives. This farm
he cleared, improved and resided upon for forty years, and it
was the scene of most of his active labors as a pioneer farmer.
Late in life he sold this farm, and retired to spend the
remainder of his days with his son, Elilhu, dying in
1871.
While yet living in Trumbull county,
Ohio, he married Miss Jane De Courcy, whose
parents were among the early pioneers of that county. By
her he was the father of the following children: Peter,
Sally, Kate, Henry, all deceased; Jane,
deceased wife of Henry Crider; Mellie A.,
deceased wife of Samuel Crider; Elihu, the
subject of this sketch; Thomas and Isaac, both
deceased; and Eliza, wife of Ellis Darling.
The mother of these ten children died in 1851. Both
parents were members of the Shawnee Methodist Episcopal church,
and stood high in the opinion of all their neighbors and
friends.
Elihu Reed, the third
son of Benjamin Reed, was born Sept. 23, 1823, in
Trumbull county, Ohio, and came with his father to Allen county.
In the fall of 1852 he purchased his present farm of 120 acres,
upon which he has lived ever since. This farm he cleared
and improved, himself and his sons doing most of the hard work
necessary to be done. Leaving his sons at home to attend
to the farm and his family, he enlisted in February, 1865, in
company C, One hundred and Twenty-second Ohio volunteer
infantry, and served until the following September, when he was
discharged. Mr. Reed married Miss Margaret
Robbins, daughter of John Robbins, who settled in
Shawnee township in 1839, and by this marriage he had the
following children: Mellie A., wife of Joab
Bowsher; Jane, wife of A. V. Mechling; Benjamin,
deceased; William, John, Lorinda, wife of Theodore
Frisinger, and Charles.
Mr. Reed is thus one of the oldest continuous
residents of Allen county, and ever since his arrival has been
both an interested spectator of and active participant in its
development. He has been an industrious and honest man, of
private enterprise and public spirit, kind and charitable in
disposition, the friend of needy and the upholder of morality
and religion. Now at the age of seventy-three he is
spending the evening of his days in the calm reflection of a
life well spent.
Source: A Portrait and biographical record of Allen &
Van Wert Counties, Ohio - Publ. Chicago: A. W. Bowen & Co.,
1896 - Page 428 |
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HORACE ADELBERT REEVE
Source: A Portrait and biographical record of Allen &
Van Wert Counties, Ohio - Publ. Chicago: A. W. Bowen & Co.,
1896 - Page 429 |
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JOSEPH REIF
Source: A Portrait and biographical record of Allen &
Van Wert Counties, Ohio - Publ. Chicago: A. W. Bowen & Co.,
1896 - Page 434 |
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HENRY REITER
Source: A Portrait and biographical record of Allen &
Van Wert Counties, Ohio - Publ. Chicago: A. W. Bowen & Co.,
1896 - Page 435 |
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CAPT. WILLIAM B. RICHARDS,
one of the highly respected citizens of Bluffton, Ohio, and an
ex-soldier of the Civil war, was born in Chester county, Pa.,
Feb. 28, 1838, and is a son of George W. and Margaret (Burns)
Richards. The education received by Capt. Richards
in his youth was limited to that furnished by the district
schools of his day. When yet young he became a clerk at
McComb, Hancock county, Ohio, in which position he remained for
some time. when the war of the Rebellion broke out, filled
with the fires of patriotism, he enlisted at Findlay, Ohio,
where he was then clerking, in company F, Twenty-first regiment
Ohio volunteer infantry, for three months. This was in April,
1861, under the first call of the president for 75,000 men.
After serving about four months he was honorably discharged at
Columbus, Ohio, and reenlisted at Findlay, in company D,
Ninety-ninth Ohio volunteer infantry, for three years or during
the war, under Capt. James A. Bope. He was promoted
to orderly sergeant, and then for meritorious conduct to second
lieutenant, and still later to first lieutenant, and was
afterward offered a captain’s commission, which he declined to
accept, because he did not wish to succeed an able officer.
He served with his company until the consolidation of his
regiment with the Fiftieth Ohio regiment, and was then assigned
to command company E, and served as captain of his company until
the close of the war, being honorable discharged at Salisbury,
N. C.. in 1865. He was in the battle of Skerry Creek, W
Va., July 17, 1861, at Charlestown, W. V., and at Cincinnati and
Covington, Ky., during the excitement caused by Morgan’s
raid, and in a fight at Cynthiana, Ky. He was promoted to
orderly sergeant for meritorious conduct and was detailed as one
of Gen. Wright’s bodyguards from Cynthiana to
Lexington, Ky., to Louisville, Ky., and thence to Seymour, Ind.,
where the sidewalks had to be cleared at the point of the
bayonet to permit the passage of Gen. Wright.
After this he soon rejoined his regiment near Cynthiana, Ky.,
and with it followed the rebels through Kentucky. He was
with it in many battles and skirmishes, some of which are here
given: Perryville, Ky.; Stone River, Chickamauga, Lookout
Mountain, Missionary Ridge, and all the battles of the Atlanta
campaign, Taylor Ridge, Pine Knob, Nashville, and many others
too unimportant to enumerate. At the battle of Stone River
he was shot through the throat, the ball entering the right side
of the neck and being cut out just under the skin on the left
shoulder. He walked to the hospital where the ball was cut
out, the surgeons believing death would result from the wound.
The ball, which was a round ounce one, the captain yet has in
his possession. While in the hospital at Nashville, he was
looked upon by the surgeons and attendants as one of those who
must die, and but little attention was given him, and though he
suffered intensely, and came near dying, yet his strong
constitution carried him through. Previous to the battle
of Murfreesboro he rejoined his regiment, and was in that
battle. At the battle of Pine Knob he was shot through the
right thigh, was sent to the hospital on Lookout Mountain a
short time, and then was granted a short furlough home.
Recovering again from his wounds, he rejoined his regiment and
was in the battles of the Atlanta campaign, was afterward in the
battle of Nashville, encountering on the forced march from
Centerville, Tenn., to that city a heavy force of rebel soldiers
within eight miles of Nashville. Turning west, they went
to Charlotte and thence to Clarksville and thus on to the Union
lines. Having served his country faithfully three years
and four months, he was at length honorably discharged at
Salisbury, N. C., as stated above.
The war being over, he returned to Findlay, Ohio, was
there a clerk in a store, and was married at that city in
December, 1866, to Miss Phoebe Swartz, born in 1847, of
German ancestry, a daughter of Henry and Margaret (Cribble)
Swartz. Henry Swartz, her father, was an old
settler of Findlay, and for many years a merchant of that place,
his sons now conducting the business. His children are as
follows: Edward, Charles, Frank, Phrebe and Caroline.
Mr. Swartz is one of the honored citizens of Findlay, and
one of the most solid men of tin place.
To Capt. and Mrs. Richards there have been born
five children, as follows: Maggie, Carrie, Edith, Edward
and Elmer. The captain is a member of Robert
Hamilton post, No. 262, G. A. R., and was that post’s first
commander. In politics he is a republican and has been a
member of the board of education. For four years he was in
business at Carey, afterward locating in Bluffton, and buying
grist-mill property, in which he was engaged some twelve years.
He is a member of the Evangelical Lutheran church, and was an
elder for many years. He has filled all the chairs in the
Bluffton lodge, I. O. O. F., including that of noble grand.
He is also a member of the encampment, in which he has also
filled, all the chairs, including that of chief patriarch.
Capt. Richards descends from sterling
German and Scotch-Irish ancestry. His grandfather,
Richard, was a farmer of Pennsylvania, and Ins father,
George N. Richards, was a pioneer of Hancock county, and
reached the ripe age of eighty-four years. His children
are as follows: Sarah, Matilda, Anna,
Mary, William B., Henry, Mark and
Peter. Two of the sons were in the Civil war,
William B. and Peter, the latter going in when a mere
boy, and afterward serving four years in the regular army.
Capt. Richards was a good and faithful soldier,
performed every duty promptly and cheerfully, and was in all the
battles in which his regiment participated, except when on
account of wounds he was unable to be present. He is a man
of high character and sterling worth.
Source: A Portrait and biographical record of Allen &
Van Wert Counties, Ohio - Publ. Chicago: A. W. Bowen & Co.,
1896 - Page 436 |
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WALTER J. RICHIE
Source: A Portrait and biographical record of Allen &
Van Wert Counties, Ohio - Publ. Chicago: A. W. Bowen & Co.,
1896 - Page 437 |
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JOHN
G. RIDENOUR, a very prominent and popular farmer of Allen
county, and justice of the peace of Sugar Creek township, is of
Pennsylvania- Dutch origin. There is a tradition in the
family that long ago seven brothers emigrated from Germany, and
landed in the New England states. They later settled in
New York, Pennsylvania and Virginia, and from them have
descended the numerous families of Ridenours now to be
found in all parts of the United States.
The grandfather of the subject of this sketch was named
John. He was born in Germany, and married Miss
Christine Walters, a native of Germany, and to them were
born John, Henry, Peter, Michael, George, David, William,
Mary, Catherine, Christine, Sarah, Susan, Esther and Elizabeth.
The father these fourteen children was a farmer in
Washington county, Pa., and was a good, industrious citizen.
In religious belief he was a Lutheran, lived to an advanced age,
and died in Fairfield county, Ohio, where he settled in 1809,
becoming a man of considerable wealth.
George Ridenour, his fifth son, and the father
of the subject of this sketch, was born in Washington County,
Pa., Aug. 3, 1794. When he was a child he was taken
by his parents to Westmoreland county, that state, and when
eighteen years of age enlisted in the service of the government
of the United States in the war of 1812-15, serving under
Capt. Spangler and Gen. Hooker, on the lake frontier.
After the war was over he became a farmer, and in November,
1820, he married Miss Conrad, in Fairfield county, Ohio.
She was born July 3, 1802, in Maryland, near Hagerstown, and was
a daughter of John and Catherine (Adams) Conrad. To
George Ridenour and his wife there were born eleven
children, two of whom died in infancy, the others being as
follows: Catherine, Christine, Dorothea, John
G., Sophia, Isaac, Mary, William and Sarah.
Dorothea married and died afterward. Isaac died
a soldier in the Civil war.
GEORGE RIDENOUR
settled on land
which he cultivated, and he also owned a saw-mill, which he ran
in Fairfield county, where he lived until 1829. He then
removed to Sugar Creek township, Allen county, and entered
eighty acres of land, then all in the woods. This land he
cleared and improved, and by industry and thrift he added other
acres until he owned 200 acres in all, upon which he made
important improvements, and made of it one of the best improved
farms of those days in the county. He had a good common
education in German and in English, was an unusually intelligent
man, was very handy with tools, understood the carpenter's
trade, and made many useful articles. Wooden mold boards,
plows, coffins, and many other things were the result of his
handiwork. He also had considerable skill as a surgeon,
and was accustomed to lance his patients and bleed them, as was
then the fashion for any ills. He had also a knowledge of
herbs, barks and roots, and administered them according to his
own judgment. He also acted the part of dentist,
extracting teeth with an old fashioned punch, knocking them out.
Afterward he used an instrument called the pelican. He was
well known among the early settlers and was of great use to them
as long as he lived.
When he removed to Allen county in November, 1829, he
made the journey by wagon and a four-horse team. There was
then no settlement at Lima, not a tree was cut, and the Indians
had a council house at Shawneetown. They however were
always friendly to those whom they could trust. The trail
followed bridle-paths through the woods, and i many places the
road had to be cut through the standing timber from Shawneetown
to where Mr. Jacobs now lives, his father being one of
the early settlers in the county. Mr. Ridenour was
also one of the first settlers, nearly the entire county being a
wilderness when he moved into it. At that time deer and
wolves were plentiful; they were visible around the cabin in the
day time, and the wolves could be heard at night, howling all
around. Mr. Ridenour's family then consisted of his
wife and five children, the youngest member of the family having
been born in Allen county. He and his wife were members of
the Lutheran church, he assisting to establish the Lutheran
church in Elida. The first church edifice of this
denomination was a frame structure, the second of brick.
Before the erection of the frame building, services were held in
the homes of the pioneers. Mr. Ridenour was a
popular man, and held the offices of deacon and elder in his
church. Politically he was a democrat, and was widely
known as an honorable man, and his house was headquarters for
the traveler and the prospective settler in search of land.
His hospitality was unbounded, and in the homely phrase, now so
seldom heard, his "latch string was always out." He died
on his homestead Feb. 25, 1879, and his wife died Jan. 11, 1892,
aged nearly ninety years. She was a woman of remarkable
constitution, and of many virtues.
John G. Ridenour, the subject of this sketch,
was born in Fairfield county, Ohio, Feb. 14, 1827, and was about
two years old when he was brought to Allen county by his
parents. He was reared among the pioneers in the old log
cabin, and thus became a pioneer himself. His education
was received in the log schoolhouse at Elida, then the best
school-house anywhere around. The school was supported by
subscription paid in by the patrons of the school.
David Ridenour, a distant relative of the subject, was one
of the early teachers there. John G. Ridenour
however, did not begin to attend this school until he was
fourteen years of age, and then he attended but two months in
the winter season, the rest of the year having to work upon the
farm. Notwithstanding all these disadvantages he himself
began teaching school when nineteen years of age, and received
$5 per month, finding himself, not even "boarding 'round."
He continued teaching for nine terms, one of which terms was in
Putnam County. His uncle, Hiram Stotts, was sheriff
of Allen county, and Mr. Ridenour acted as clerk for a
term of four years, attending school at Lima at the same time,
and it was there he acquired most of his early knowledge.
In politics Mr. Ridenour is a democrat and was
elected recorder of Allen county in 1857, being re-elected in
1861. He was deputy treasurer of the county for two years,
and was also employed in the auditor's office. In 1854 he
was engaged in mercantile business at Elida, and then removed to
the home farm, where he has since remained. In 1881 he was
elected justice of the peace, and has held this office ever
since. On his farm he is engaged in raising small fruits,
in which he is quite successful. In religion he is a
member of the Lutheran church. He stands high among the
people of his township, and is as popular as an official as he
is a man, his official career having made him well known to all
the citizens of the county. His life is co-extensive with
the history of the county, and his is one of the honored pioneer
families of this section of the country. Mr. Ridenour
is really a self educated and a self made man, and one of the
most popular officials Allen county has ever had, and has a wide
knowledge of affairs.
Source: A Portrait and biographical record of Allen &
Van Wert Counties, Ohio - Publ. Chicago: A. W. Bowen & Co.,
1896 - Page 438 |
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PETER
RIDENOUR, a thrifty and respected farmer of Marion
township, Allen county, Ohio, springs from sturdy
Pennsylvania-Dutch stock, and is a son of Peter and Sarah
Catherine (Conrad) Ridenour. Peter Ridenour, the
subject of this memoir, was born in Elida, Allen county, Ohio,
in 1841, and was but two years of age when his father was taken
from him by death, and this misfortune necessarily resulted in
his receiving but a limited education. In his youthful
days, as he gained strength and experience, he devoted himself
to various kinds of labor, chiefly that of the farmer, and just
before his majority he enlisted, Aug. 8, 1861, at Gomer, Ohio,
in company E, Ninety-ninth Ohio volunteer infantry for three
years, or until the end of the war. He was honorably
discharged at Nashville, Tenn., July 2, 1865, having taken part
in the battle of Perryville, Ky., and in a battle that occurred
between Perryville and Nashville; was also at Stone river, was
at Snow Hill and Tullahoma, and in a dozen or more severe
skirmishes in the surrounding territory. At Chattanooga he
was struck by a piece of shell, which crippled his left him and
caused his confinement at hospital No. 2 for over a year, but
part of this time he was on detailed duty with the invalid corps
at Nashville. He was a good, brave and faithful soldier,
and was never missing from his post of duty, save when disabled
by his wound. July 5, 1865, three days after his discharge
from his military service, Mr. Ridenour married, at
Nashville, Tenn., Catherine Garvin, a native of Ireland,
born about 1844, a daughter of William and Bridget (Gibbons)
Garvin, and the eldest of five children born to her parents,
viz: Catherine, John, Michael, Margaret and Maria.
The father, William Garvin, was an industrious and hard
laborer, and came to America when Mrs. Ridenour was a
little girl, leaving his wife and children in the old country,
and dying in New Orleans, of cholera. Mrs. Garvin
reached America soon after her husband's death, bringing her
young family with her and supporting herself and children by
keeping boarders at Moscow, Tenn., where she died within a few
years after her arrival. On the death of her mother,
Mrs. Ridenour became a nurse in hospital No. 2, was
afterwards transferred to hospital No. 17, and performed her
merciful and tender duties as nurse three years, and while thus
devoting herself to the care of the sick and wounded, formed the
acquaintance of our subject, who in time became her husband.
Of course it would be but an attempt in vain to depict the
sights of horror witnessed in hospitals by Mr. Ridenour
and his wife, resulting from wounds, disease and casualties, but
which they treated with a care and humane tenderness peculiar to
themselves.
After marriage Mr. and Mrs. Ridenour came to
Allen county, Ohio, the birthplace of Mr. Ridenour, and
here the latter engaged in farming, making a good livelihood and
winning for himself and family the respect of all who knew them.
The family that have blessed Mr. and Mrs. Ridenour
consists of nine children, who are named in order of birth as
follows: William, Maria, Edward, Daniel, Matilda, Emma,
Hermie, Harry and Pearl, the last named of whom died
in infancy. Mr. and Mrs. Ridenour are both members
of the United Brethren church and fully live up to the teachings
of the denomination in which they have placed their faith, and
never fail to aid it in a pecuniary point of view, when its
material necessities demand such aid. In politics, Mr.
Ridenour is a democrat; he votes as his conscience tells him
and fought as his conscience told him to fight. Of the
children born to Mr. and Mrs. Ridenour, William married
Anna Laman, is a farmer of Sugar Creek township and is
the father of two children; Maria is married to Oscar
Ludwig, a farmer of Marion township, and the mother of one
child, Edward is a farmer of Marion township, is married
to Matilda Cramer, and the whole family is well
circumstanced throughout the county, as they well deserved to
be.
Source: A Portrait and biographical record of Allen &
Van Wert Counties, Ohio - Publ. Chicago: A. W. Bowen & Co.,
1896 - Page 441 |
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SAMUEL
O. RIDENOUR, one of the most experienced and skillful
farmers of Perry township, Allen County, Ohio, is a son of
Jacob and Catherine (Oats) Ridenour, was born in Allen
County, Sept. 11, 1832, and is remotely of German descent.
LEWIS RIDENOUR, great grandfather
of the subject of this biography, came from his native Germany
to America prior to the Revolutionary war, and during that
gallant struggle was a teamster in the patriot army. His
first settlement was a Virginia, but he later moved to
Westmoreland county, Pa., where he followed farming until 1803,
when he came to Ohio and settled in Perry county, bringing his
wife and children, the latter numbering ten, and comprising
seven sons and three daughters. The sons were named
Matthias, David, John, Jacob, Lewis, Isaac and Martin,
all of whom served in the war of 1812, entering the army as
volunteers from Perry county, Ohio. David, John and
Isaac subsequently came to Allen county and settled in
Perry township, but the other four brothers passed the remainder
of their lives in Perry county. Of the three brothers whom
came to Allen county, David never married, while the
other two were wedded and reared families; but this sketch will
be confined to John and his descendants.
JOHN RIDENOUR, the grandfather of
our subject, was born in Virginia in 1785, accompanied his
father to Pennsylvania and came with him to Ohio. In
March, 1831, having come to Allen county, he entered a half
section of and in section No. 5, Perry township, where he
cleared up a farm of considerable dimensions. He married
Miss Hannah Spahn, who was born in Hagerstown, Md., and
who came with her parents to Perry county, Ohio. To the
union of Mr. and Mrs. Ridenour were born the following
children: Jacob; John, who died in Perry township,
Allen county; Matthias, resides in Paulding county;
George, who also passed away in Perry township, Allen
county; Rebecca, deceased wife of Solomon
Wollet, and Amelia, also deceased. The death of
John Ridenour, the father of this family, occurred on his
farm in Perry township in 1874, and that of his wife took place
in July, 1879.
JACOB RIDENOUR, the eldest
son of John Ridenour, and the father of our
subject, was born in Perry county, Ohio, Jan. 14, 1809, learned
blacksmithing, and in 1831 came to Allen county and settled on
eighty acres of the land his father had entered in Perry
township and on which his son, Samuel O., our subject,
now lives. Here, in the latter part of 1832, he
established his blacksmith shop, and for many years carried on
the trade in connection with farming. He was a stanch
democrat in his politics and took a lively interest in public
affairs. He filled a number of township offices, including
that of trustee, and was an active, useful and public-spirited
citizen. He was a good Christian and was one of the
original members of Saint Paul's Evangelical Lutheran
congregation, aided liberally with his means toward the erection
of its church edifice, and was one of its early trustees.
The first wife of Jacob Ridenour was a daughter
of William Oats, of Perry county, Ohio; she died in 1836,
leaving three children, viz: Samuel O., the subject of
this sketch; Jacob, who was a member of company K, One
Hundred and Eighteenth Ohio volunteer infantry, and who died
from exposure while in the service; and Catherine, who
became the wife of Daniel Losh and died in August, 1860.
The second marriage of Mr. Ridenour was with Mrs.
Lovis Boyer, who bore the maiden name of Mechling,
and to this union six children have been born, named, in order
of birth, as follows: Rebecca, married in
William Verbryke; Phebe, wife of James K. Spear; Emma,
wife of J. G. Barr; Lovis, widow of Isaac Lehman
of Indiana; Knox P., of Dayton, Ohio; and John W.,
deceased. Jacob Ridenour, the honored father of
this family, was called from earth Nov. 9, 1879, and the mother
in 1872.
Samuel O. Ridenour, the gentlemen whose name
opens this biography, was reared from infancy to manhood on the
old family homestead in Perry township, Allen county, which has
never lost its charms for him and of which he has
purchased ninety acres, which, beside being arable land, contain
within their bounds several flowing oil wells. He has this
farm under a rare state of cultivation and keeps it in such a
condition that it is justly called a model farm.
Mr. Ridenour was a patriot in the days when
patriots were most in demand, and in 1864 enlisted in company A,
One Hundred and Eightieth Ohio volunteer infantry, was assigned
to the Twenty-third army corps, under Gen. Schofield, and
was present at the battle of Kingston, N. C., which was one of
the terminally deciding fights of the Civil war, and also took
part in numerous minor engagements or skirmishes, receiving an
honorable discharge at the end of nine months, on account of the
close of the war.
Samuel O. Ridenour has been twice married.
In 1870 he was united in matrimony with Miss Mary C. Sellers,
daughter of John Sellers. This lady died in 1875,
leaving two children - John F. and Hattie (wife of
Morgan L. Harrod). The second marriage of Mr.
Ridenour was with Miss Elizabeth Swinehart,
daughter of Samuel Swinehart, of Perry county, Ohio, and
this union has been crowned by the birth of two children -
Grover DeWitt and Samuel O., Jr. In politics Mr.
Ridenour is a reliable democrat, having always been
faithful to his party, under whose auspices he has served as
township trustee, clerk and treasurer. In religion he is a
Lutheran and a member of Saint Paul's Evangelical Lutheran
congregation, whose house of worship, it will be remembered, was
erected in the days of Jacob Ridenour, the father of our
subject, who contributed so freely toward its construction.
Samuel O. Ridenour is now recognized as one of the most
skillful agriculturists of Perry township, and socially he and
family are respected and welcomed to the homes of not only their
immediate neighbors, but to those of their neighbors living
miles away.
Source: A Portrait and biographical record of Allen &
Van Wert Counties, Ohio - Publ. Chicago: A. W. Bowen & Co.,
1896 - Page 440 |
[portrait -Hon. Theo D. Robb][portrait - Hon. Thomas M. Robb,
deceased] |
HON. THEODORE D. ROBB
Source: A Portrait and biographical record of Allen &
Van Wert Counties, Ohio - Publ. Chicago: A. W. Bowen & Co.,
1896 - Page 430 |
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DAVID J. ROBERTS,
one of the oldest settlers of Sugar Creek township, Allen
county, one of the most substantial farmers, and the honored
head of a highly respectable family, is a descendant of Welsh,
or ancient British ancestry. His great-grandfather of
Robert Thomas, which may appear strange to English readers,
but it should be understood that it was the custom in Wales
generations ago, as it also used to be and perhaps is still in
Sweden, to confer upon the son as a surname the Christian name
of the father. In accordance with this custom the
grandfather of the subject was named Thomas ap Roberts,
or Thomas Roberts, the "ap" meaning "the son of" or
simple "of." The family had for generations lived on a
farm in Montgomeryshire, which from ancient times belonged to
the estate of Earl Powys, and one of the family lives on
the farm at the present day. This farm, it is believed,
belonged in ages gone by to the Roberts family, but in
feudal times was confiscated by the lords of the manor in civil
strife, so that the Roberts family thus lost their
holding.
THOMAS ROBERTS,
the grandfather of the subject, was born on the old
Montgomeryshire farm, married in Wales, and became the father of
Robert, who was a prominent man in his country, and also
of Thomas, David, Elizabeth, Catherine and Mary,
the first two coming to the United States, the rest remaining in
Wales, marrying and rearing families there. Thomas
Roberts was a prosperous farmer and veterinary surgeon, a
highly respectable citizen and a teacher of the Welsh
Congregational church. He lived to the venerable age of
eighty years, and died in Wales, on the old homestead.
Robert Roberts, the father of the subject, was born on the
old farm in Wales. He married Martha Jones, and
they became the parents of nine children, viz.: Richard,
Mary, Thomas, Jane, Edward, Martha, Robert, David J. and
Evan, all of whom were born and reared on the old homestead.
There Robert Roberts passed his life, and died at the
comparatively early age of forty-nine. He was a member of
the Welsh Congregational church, and was a teacher in the Sunday
school.
DAVID J. ROBERTS,
the subject of this sketch, was, as were so many of his
ancestors, born on the old farm in Wales, named "Doley," May 17,
1828. He received a common English education, was reared a
farmer, and at the age of twenty-three, in the spring of 1851,
came to the United States, landing in New York. He went
first to Utica, and remained there until the following fall, and
then came to Ohio, and located in Allen county. Here he at
first worked for his uncle, David Roberts, in his mill at
Gomer for a few years, and then, in 1855, or 1856, he engaged in
farm work. Oct. 2, 1857, he married Elizabeth Watkins,
daughter of Thomas and Jane (Evans) Watkins, the former
being a son of a prominent pioneer of Sugar Creek township.
Mrs. Roberts was born in 1833, and was brought to Sugar
Creek township when but two months old.
After his marriage Mr. Roberts setlled on
a farm in Sugar Creek township, two and a half miles northeast
of Gomer. This farm, which contained eighty acres, he
cleared and improved, and by persistent and patient industry has
made it a good, comfortable home. Upon this farm he and
his family lived until 1876. Mr. and Mrs. Roberts
have had born to them two children, that have grown to maturity,
viz: Martha M., who married John D. Evans, a
contractor of Columbus, Ohio, and by him has two children; and
Jennie E., wife of John R. Jones, of Columbus,
Ohio.
Mr. Roberts enlisted May 2, 1864, in company F,
One Hundred and Fifty-first Ohio volunteer infantry, and served
his country until he was taken ill of typhoid fever, with which
he was taken ill of typhoid fever, with which he lay sick in
hospital at Washington, D. C. His regiment served in the
fortifications around Washington, and through his experience in
the war he has been much disabled. Mr. and Mrs. Roberts
are members of the Welsh Congregational church, in which he has
been a deacon for twelve years, and has contributed liberally
toward its support. He has always been a true and strong
republican, was one of the original republicans of his county,
and cast his first vote for Abraham Lincoln for president
in 1860. He has been honored by his party friends at
different times, having held the office of township assessor for
three terms, and was land appraiser in 1890. He is a
member of the G. A. R. post at Delphos, and is one of the
leading citizens of his township, is well known for his
liberality and generosity, and is highly esteemed by all.
He and his wife are members of the church at Gomer, and are
among the most prominent Welsh pioneers of the county. The
entire Roberts family are descendants from the best Welsh
stock, and have been and are among the best American
citizens. They are a fine illustration of what can be
accomplished by earnest, manly and honest efforts.
Source: A Portrait and biographical record of Allen &
Van Wert Counties, Ohio - Publ. Chicago: A. W. Bowen & Co.,
1896 - Page 443 |
| |
JOSIAH B. ROBERTS,
a wealthy farmer, vice-president of the Ohio National bank, and
a well-known business man of Bath township, Allen county, Ohio,
was born in Greenbrier county, Va. (now W. Va.), in 1822, near
the famous White Sulphur springs, and is a son of William and
Hannah (Morrison) Roberts.
THOMAS ROBERTS,
grandfather of our subject, was also a native of Virginia, and
was the owner of several large plantations in the southern part
of the state; he married Catherine Spurh, also a native
of the Old Dominion and a relative of Martin Van Buren of
Kinderhook, Columbia county, N. Y.., and formerly a president of
the United States. From Virginia Thomas Roberts,
removed to Kentucky, where he died in 1838, a man of much
prominence in the state and of considerable consequence in his
local community.
WILLIAM ROBERTS,
son of Thomas and Catherine (Spurh) Roberts and the
father of Josiah, our subject, was born on his father's
plantation near Winchester, Frederick county, Va., and when a
young man learned the carpenter's trade. On attaining his
majority to married Miss Hannah Morrison, of Greenbrier
county, Va., and in 1828 came to Ohio and located in West
liberty, Logan county, where he followed his trade until his
death which occurred in 1830 a member of the Methodist
church, and in politics a whig. His children were four in
number, and were named as follows: Josiah B., our
subject; Catherine, wife of Jacob Maus, of
Westminster, Auglaize township; Margaret, deceased wife
of C. D. French of Perry township, and Thomas, who
died in infancy. The mother of these children survived
until May, 1877, when she was called to rest on the farm now
occupied by her son, Josiah, our subject.
Josiah B. Robert s, the subject proper of this
memoir, early became a merchant in his native county and state
and carried on a successful trade until he came to Bath
township, in 1839, and purchased 160 acres of land from
Samuel Tingle. On his land he has made all the
improvements upon it and wrought from the wilderness one of the
best farms in the county. In 1840 he married, in Auglaize
township, Allen county, Miss Margaret, daughter of
Andrew Winrot, of Adams county, Pa., and this union was
blessed with six children, viz: William, who is the
owner of a large amount of real estate in Lima, and is also
largely interested in the oil business; Oliver, who died
from injuries received while serving in the Civil war; Lenore,
wife of H. A. Holdridge, of Lima, Allen county; Viola,
wife of J. R. Dunlap, of Hardin county, Ohio; Thomas
of Bath township, Allen county, and Alton, at home.
Mr. Roberts is one of the most energetic and
conspicuous business men of Allen county. He built the
French hotel and Commercial block in Lima, and is now
vice-president of the Ohio National bank of that city. He
owns 1,000 acres of land in Bath, Auglaize and Perry townships,
in Allen county, and stands the peer of any business man in the
county. In religion he is a Methodist, and in politics a
stanch republican; for twelve years he held the office as
justice of the peace, and so keen was his interpretation of the
law that not one of his decisions was ever set aside by the
higher courts. He is a model citizen and an exceptionally
prominent man.
Source: A Portrait and biographical record of Allen &
Van Wert Counties, Ohio - Publ. Chicago: A. W. Bowen & Co.,
1896 - Page 443 |
| |
WILLIAM W. ROBERTS,
a substantial farmer of Sugar Creek township, Allen county,
Ohio, and a soldier of the Civil war, was born Nov. 8, 1837.
He is a son of Thomas Roberts, who was born in
Montgomeryshire, Wales, and was there married to Jane
Williams, daughter of John Williams. He came to
the United States about 1828, and lived for a time in Steuben
and Schenectady counties, New York state. He removed to
Cincinnati was but a small town, located in the woods.
Mr. Roberts was offered one-half of twenty acres of land if
he would cut off the timber for the use of steamboats, but the
offer was not accepted, much to the regret of himself in later
years, and of his descendants to the present time. At one
time he worked for the famous Nicholas Longworth.
To Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Roberts there were born
six children, three of whom grew to mature yeas, viz: Jane
R., John and William W. Mr. Roberts
first settled, in 1838 or 1839, on forty acres of land in Sugar
Creek township, all in the woods. This land, by dint of
hard work, he cleared of its timber, and by his industry and
thrift became able to add forty acres more to it, which eighty
acres made him a good farm and home. He and his wife are
members of the Welsh Congregational church, and assisted in
building it up from its very foundation. In his early life
he was an old-line whig, but later became a republican, on
account of the tendency of the democratic party to favor
slavery. He died an honored citizen in June, 1886, at the
age of eighty years. He was a man of rare strength of
constitution, and his moral character was as invincible as his
physical system.
William W. Roberts, the subject of this memoir,
was born in Cincinnati, Nov. 8, 1837. His education was
received in the common school and he was brought to Allen county
when one and a half years old, in 1839, and was reared upon the
farm. Early in life he learned the carpenter's trade and
has worked at that trade, more or less, during life, finding it
of great use to him on his own farm. In 1863 he enlisted
in company F, One Hundred and Fifty-first regiment Ohio
volunteer infantry, for one hundred days, under Capt. Patrick.
For meritorious conduct he was promoted to sergeant, and served
as such during the rest of the period of his enlistment.
He recruited about sixty men for the service, and served at
Washington, D. C., on the defenses around that city, at Fort
Sumner, at Fort Blair, and at Battery Cameron. He was in
the defenses at Washington when Gens. Breckinridge and
Early made their historic attack on that city, and were so
ingloriously driven back into Virginia. He performed his
full duty as a soldier, promptly and cheerfully, and was
honorably discharged at Columbus, Ohio.
Mr. Roberts was married in Sugar Creek township,
July 20, 1860, to Miss Margaret J. Jones, daughter of
John D. Jones, for fuller particulars of whom the reader is
referred to the biography of Owen A. Jones, elsewhere in
this volume. To Mr. and Mrs. Roberts there were
born six children that have reached mature years, viz:
Charles, Frank, Jennie, Ella, William and Walter.
Mrs. Roberts, who was a member of the Welsh Congregational
church, and a most worthy woman and wife, died Oct. 17, 1881,
aged forty years. Mr. Roberts was married, the
second time, in Lima, Mar. 10, 1882, to Miss Catherine
Hughes, who was born June 8, 1856, in Montgomeryshire,
Wales, and is a daughter of Thomas and Jane (Breese) Hughes.
Thomas Hughes was born in Montgomeryshire, Wales, August,
1814, and was a son of Nathaniel and Mary Hughes.
By trade he was a carpenter, his father having been a butcher.
He and his wife were the parents of six children that
grew to mature years: John, Thomas, Jane, Catherine, Ann
and Margaret. Mr. Hughes has always been a man of
high character, and he and his wife have long been members of
the Welsh Congregational church in Llanbrynn Air. He is
still living in Wales, at Glanrhyd, or in English, "The Bank of
the Brook," at the age of eighty ears and a highly respected
citizen.
After the close of the war Mr. Roberts settled
in Sugar Creek township on eighty acres of land, which he has
very much improved, and cultivated into a good farm.
Politically he is a republican, and is a member of the Welsh
Congregational church. He is a public-spirited man, and
has always taken an interest in having good schools, for the
public generally recognize the fact that the interests of
education are best served by those who believe in the
common-school system. He is well known far and wide as an
honest man and a patriot, and one that desires to see his
country prosper as well as he desired to see it preserved.
Mr. Roberts, by his marriage to Miss
Catherine Hughes, became the father of two children,
viz: Idris E., born in May, 1887, and Gladys M.,
born Mar. 12, 1892. They are now living at Gomer, are
members of the Welsh Congregational church, and highly esteemed
by all their neighbors and friends.
Source: A Portrait and biographical record of Allen &
Van Wert Counties, Ohio - Publ. Chicago: A. W. Bowen & Co.,
1896 - Page 445 |
| |
JOHN W. ROBY
Source: A Portrait and biographical record of Allen &
Van Wert Counties, Ohio - Publ. Chicago: A. W. Bowen & Co.,
1896 - Page 481 |
| |
HENRY L. ROMEY
Source: A Portrait and biographical record of Allen &
Van Wert Counties, Ohio - Publ. Chicago: A. W. Bowen & Co.,
1896 - Page 446 |
| |
JULIUS ROSENTHAL,
one of the well-known citizens and business men of Delphos, is a
native of Nagelsberg, Wurtemberg, Germany, born on July 30,
1857, and is the son of Max Rosenthal.
Mr. Rosenthal received a common-school education
in his hative town, and remained at home until his fourteenth
year, and then went to Stuttgart, capital of Wurtemberg, where
he learned the jeweler's trade, serving an apprenticeship of
four years. Then for one year he was an assistant to the
firm with whom he learned the trade. Leaving Stuttgart he
went to the town of Ingelfurgen, Wurtemberg, where for three
years he was assistant in a jewelry establishment. He then
concluded to emigrate, and in August, 1880, he came to the
United States, landing in New York city on the fourth day of
that month. He went direct from New York city to
Rochester, N. Y., where he had relatives living, and there he
remained for four weeks, seeking for work in the jewelry line.
But being unable to find employment in that city, on account of
his not being familiar with the English language, he went to
Peru, Ind., where he had brothers and sisters living. In
Peru he found work for three months in a bagging-mill, working
for his brother. From Peru he went to Indianapolis and
spent six weeks in that city, working in a clothing store.
His health being poor just at that time, he returned to Peru,
where lie spent about two weeks, and then he went to Tipton,
Ind., and went to work in the clothing business for M. Haas,
his brother-in-law, and his present employer. He remained
in Tipton for seven years, and then, in 1886, returned to his
old home in Europe, where he spent about four months.
After his visit to Europe he returned to the United States and
once more went to work for M. Haas in Tipton, Ind., and
continued there for about two years. In April, 1888, Mr.
Haas determined to start another store, and taking Mr.
Rosenthal in partnership, established the Lion
clothing house in Delphos, under the firm name of Rosenthal
& Haas. When they first opened up in Delphos their place
of business was on the corner of Main and Third streets, in the
building now occupied by the post-office. In 1891 they
removed to the present location on Main street, near Second
street, where they have the largest house in their line in the
city of Delphos. They occupy both floors of the building,
carryrying a full line of clothing and gents’ furnishing
goods. Since coming to Delphos Mr. Rosenthal
has met with success, building up a large business, and
establishing for himself a fine reputation both as a business
man and citizen. Mr. Rosenthal was married
on Sept. 2, 1892, to Miss Mollie Stein, of
Indianapolis, daughter of Abe Stein, of that city.
To their union one daughter has been born, Cora Teckla,
on Feb. 24, 1895. On Jan. 30, 1896, our subject sold his
interest in the clothing store to M. Haas and is now
under his employ.
Source: A Portrait and biographical record of Allen &
Van Wert Counties, Ohio - Publ. Chicago: A. W. Bowen & Co.,
1896 - Page 448 |
| |
JOSEPH ROTH,
one of the well-known and respresentative business men and
citizens of Delphos, Ohio, is a native of Ohio, having been born
in Hocking county on Feb. 20, 1850, and is the son of John M.
roth, one of the leading citizens of Delphos. In 1859,
when our subject was nine years old, he came to Delphos with his
parents, and has resided here ever since. He attended the
German department of the public schools of Delphos until his
fourteenth year, when he left school and went to work with his
father in the meat business, but continued his schooling for a
time by attending night school, and all through his life he has
been a student, and has thereby acquired a good education of
affairs and public questions. October, 1879, when his
father retired from active life, our subject succeeding to the
business by purchase. Later his brothers, John and
Frank, came into the business, and the firm of Roth
Bros. was then formed and has since continued. Their
place of business is on Main street between Second and Third
streets, where they have the largest meat market in the city.
They own their business house, which is a two-story brick
building, the lower floor having been fitted up especially for
their purpose. They also own their own slaughter house and
kill and prepare all their meats. Mr. Roth is one
of the directors in the Commercial bank of Delphos, and is
vice-president of the Citizens Building & Loan association.
Mr. Roth has always taken an active interest in
public affairs, particularly those pertaining to his city and
county. In 1891 he was elected on the democratic ticket to
the city council from the Fourth ward, notwithstanding the fact
that the ward is republican. In 1893 he was re-elected to
the council from the same ward without opposition, his term of
office expiring Apr. 9, 1895. During his term in the city
council he served on some of the most important committees, the
first term being on the finance, improvement and sanitary
committees, and the second time on the finance, improvement and
fire department committees, and on all of them rendered the city
valuable service. Mr. Roth was married, in 1881, to
Miss Lucy Harman, of Delphos, daughter of
Jacob Harman, deceased.
Mr. Roth is a liberal man on all
subjects, whether religious or political. He holds liberal
ideas on the church, belonging to no denomination, and accords
to all men freedom of thought and speech and action, so long as
they do not conflict with the rights of others. In
politics he leans to the democratic faith, but votes rather for
the man than the party. In all matters pretaining
to the development and building up of Delphos he has ever been
found progressive and willing to contribute his share toward the
industries and institutions of the city. He is in fact a
broad and liberal minded man in every way, and as such commands
the esteem and respect of his fellow citizens.
Frank Roth, of the firm of Roth
Bros., of Delphos, Ohio, and treasurer of Marion township,
Allen county, was born in Delphos, June 16, 1862, and is the son
of John M. Roth. He attended the German and English
day and night schools of Delphos, securing a good common-school
education. He left school when about fifteen years of age
and went to work with his father, with whom he continued until
the latter retired from business and the firm of Roth
Bros., was formed, in 1871. In 1891 he was elected to
the office of treasurer of Marion township, Allen county, for a
term of four years, his time expiring in September, 1895.
In politics he is a democrat, and is a member of Saint John’s
Roman Catholic church. He was married in October, 1886, to
Miss Flora Amann, of Sidney, Ohio, daughter
of ex-treasurer Ferdinand Amann of Shelby county,
Ohio. To Mr. and Mrs. Roth three children have been
born as follows: Oscar, born in August, 1887; Ladonna,
born in October, 1890; and Frank, born in November, 1893.
He is a stockholder in the Commercial bank and in the Citizens
Building & Loan association.
John Roth, Jr., of the firm of Roth
Bros., of Delphos, was born in Hocking county, Ohio, in
1853. He came to Delphos with his parents in 1859, and
attended the German school of the city. When quite young
he left school and went to work for his father in the meat
business. In 1871, when his father retired from business,
he became a member of the firm of Roth Bros., and
so continues at the present time. He was married, in 1876,
to Miss Josephine Arenhoebel, daughter of John
Arenhoebel, deceased, a miller of Delphos. To their
union seven children have been born, six of whom are living, as
follows: John, Annie, Willie, Carl,
Eda and Aline. Mr. Roth is a
stockholder in the Commercial bank of Delphos, and of the
Citizens' Building & Loan association. He and family are
members of the Saint John’s Roman Catholic church.
John Roth, retired butcher of Delphos,
was born in Bierne, Bavaria, in 1816, and engaged at butchering
there. In 1842 he came to America and completed learning
his trade in Baltimore, Md., afterward locating in Logan,
Hocking county, Ohio, where he was successfully connected with
butchering for fifteen years. He was married in Logan, in
1845, to Miss Mary, daughter of the late John
Ramser,
a native of Alsace, Germany, and at one time a prominent
merchant of Logan. Our subject had a family of four sons
and four daughters: Mary (wife of Joseph Kindly,
of Delphos), Joseph J. (of the firm of Roth
Bros.), Barbara (wife of George Stevens,
of Delphos), John (also a member of the firm), Henry
(a butcher of California), Kate, Frank (of the
firm) and Julia. In 1859 Mr. Roth
came to Delphos and carried on the butchering business
successfully until his retirement from it in 1879, when he
transferred it to Ins sons, who constitute the firm of Roth
Bros., having a meat market prominent among the leading
industries of Delphos; Mr. Roth, by steadily
working at his business, secured a handsome competence, and he
has lived to see his family occupying good positions in the
social and industrial life of his adopted city. He has
visited the land of his nativity on different occasions.
He and family are members of the Saint John’s Roman Catholic
church.
Source: A Portrait and biographical record of Allen &
Van Wert Counties, Ohio - Publ. Chicago: A. W. Bowen & Co.,
1896 - Page 448 |
| |
PHILIP
ROUSH, a well-known farmer of
Bath township, Allen county, Ohio, is a native of the Keystone
state and was born in Juniata county in 1840 - a son of
HENRY and Elizabeth (Mohart) Roush.
Henry Roush, the father, was born in Dauphin county,
Pa., in 1803, on his father's farm, on which he remained until
his marriage, the union resulting in the birth of nine children,
as follows: George, John, Joseph, William, Henry,
Catherine (wife of Willis Copeland), Franklin, Philip
and Jacob. The mother of this family died in 1843,
and in 1844 Mr. Roush married Susan Winegardner,
of Juniata county, in the same state, who bore four children, as
follows: Theodore, Jane, Emma, and Ephraim.
About the year 1851, Henry Roush came to
Ohio and purchased a farm of 100 acres in Bath township, just
east of the land on which the county infirmary now stands.
This farm he cleared from the woods and improved in every
respect; and, although a practical blacksmith, gave but little
attention to his trade, preferring the life of a farmer, and so
closed it in 1881 on this Bath township farm, in the faith of
the Lutheran church, and in politics a democrat. He was a
man of much energy of character, was industrious and frugal, and
was held in high esteem by the community in which he had passed
the closing years of his useful life. Here, also, his wife
died in 1887.
Philip Roush the subject of this sketch, was but
eleven years of age when he came to Allen county with his
parents. Here he was reared until eighteen years old on
the home farm, learning in the meantime much of the carpenter's
trade. At the age named he went to Orion, Richland
county, Wis., where, for a short period, he clerked in the
brother's store; but he soon tired of western life and returned
to the home place in Bath township, Allen county, Ohio, where he
remained until the outbreak of the late rebellion, when he took
u0 arms in defense of the flag of the Union by enlisting in
company A, Twentieth Ohio volunteer infantry. On the
organization of his company he was elected corporal and later
on, for meritorious conduct in the field, was promoted sergeant.
He was in nearly all the battles fought in Virginia, in which
his regiment had any part, including Fair Oaks, Chapin's Farm,
Petersburg, Drury's Bluff, etc. and in all took a noble and
valiant part, reaping a reward through promotion, as has been
indicated a few lines above.
Mr. Roush was united in wedlock Jan. 1, 1866,
and Miss Nancy A. Mason, daughter of Jarvis and
Elizabeth (Hall) Mason, of Bath township, and the four
children born to the union all died in infancy, only one,
Jessie, the youngest, receiving a name. For a few
years Mr. Roush followed his trade of carpenter, but
preferred farm life and purchased forty-three acres in Bath
township, to which he has added twenty acres, on which he now
lives and which he has improved and cultivated until it is
readily recognized as a model. In politics Mr. Roush
is a republican, but seeks no office. He is a strictly
moral man, and has long been a member of the United Brethren
church, in which he has held the offices of trustee, treasurer
and Sunday-school superintendent. He is a public-spirited
citizen, and never is backward in his aid to matters that are
designed for the public good, and he enjoys the esteem of all
about him.
Source: A Portrait and biographical record of Allen &
Van Wert Counties, Ohio - Publ. Chicago: A. W. Bowen & Co.,
1896 - Page 450 |
| |
DR. WILLIAM
ROUSH - Among the best known and most highly respected
citizens of Spencerville, Ohio, is Dr. William Roush, who
may be conspicuously mentioned. He has been a resident of
this place since October, 1893, and although his stay has been
comparatively short, has been sufficiently long to establish him
in his profession as a physician and surgeon, as well as to make
him many warm and ardent friends and admirers. He is a
native of Amanda township, Allen county, was born December 6,
1864, and is a son of Jacob M. and Elizabeth (Holtzapple)
Roush. The father died in April, 1894; the mother
still survives and resides in Amanda township. The doctor
was a farmer born and reared, and received his education in the
public schools and at Elida, with two terms at the Ada (Ohio)
normal. He lived on the farm until twenty-one years of
age, giving all possible time to his literary education.
He then taught school for four years, reading medicine, the last
year, with Dr. S. A. Hitchcock of Elida for preceptor,
afterward matriculating at the Cincinnati college of Medicine
and Surgery, graduating from there in March, 1891. He
first located in Elida, where he remained two years, when he
removed to Spencerville. His professional education has
fitted him for the general practitioner, being well equipped in
the various department of the healing art, and he has
established for himself a large and lucrative practice. He
is a valuable member of the Allen county Medical society, which
finds him a thoroughly live up-to-date doctor. In June of
1894 he was married to Miss Vada Wright, the accomplished
daughter of W. G. and Louisa Wright. Her birthplace
was Highland county, Ohio. Politically Dr. Roush is
a democrat and has unbounded faith in the future of the party.
In 1893 he was appointed to the pension board of examiners.
He is a member of the Odd Fellows' order of Spencerville, No.
311; also of the Daughters of Rebecca and Spencerville
encampment, No. 279, and is vice-grand subordinate. It is
superfluous to say that the doctor is an altogether very able
young man - just such as the world is depending upon for its
best future.
Source: A Portrait and biographical record of Allen &
Van Wert Counties, Ohio - Publ. Chicago: A. W. Bowen & Co.,
1896 - Page 452 |
| |
MORRIS
RUMBAUGH, who was one of the oldest and most experienced
farmers of Bath township, Allen county, Ohio, was a native of
the Buckeye state and was born in Green county, county in 1817,
a son of GEORGE and Elizabeth (Briton) Rumbaugh.
WILLIAM RUMBAUGH,
great-grandfather of our subject, was born in Germany, came to
America when a young man, located in New Jersey, and was there
married. He served in the Revolutionary war, also had many
exciting adventures with the Indians, and died in Greene county,
Ohio, at an advanced age. His son, Jacob Rumbaugh,
was born in New Jersey, moved thence to Virginia, thence to
Greene county, Ohio, and in1835, came to Allen county and
settled on 200 acres of land in Bath township. His
marriage took place, in Virginia, to Barbara Wikel, who
bore nine children, viz.: George, William, David, Philip,
James, Daniel, and three girls who died in infancy unnamed.
Jacob Rumbaugh was a whig in politics. In his later
years he removed to Missouri, where his death took place, in the
faith of the Methodist church.
GEORGE RUMBAUGH, eldest son of
Jacob and Barbara (Wikel) Rumbaugh the father of our
subject, was born in Virginia, on the homestead, in 1790,
married Miss Elizabeth Biton, and came to Ohio when
twenty-five years of age, and for fifteen or sixteen years
engaged in farming in Greene county. In 1817 he came to
Allen county, and settled on 160 acres, the land now occupied by
the county infirmary. Here he resided for nearly twenty
years, when he removed to Iowa, where he ended his days a member
of the Methodist church.
Morris Rumbaugh, the subject proper of this
biographical notice came to Allen county with his parents and
rendered his father valuable service in clearing up the new
homestead in Bath township, and with him made his home until
nearly thirty-six years of age, when he purchased a farm of 100
acres in Bath township, much of which he cleared up and moved to
Wisconsin, but in the fall of the same year returned to Allen
county, Ohio, and purchased the farm of eighty acres in Bath
township, on which he resided until his death, July 18, 1895.
Mr. Rumbaugh was united in matrimony, in 1835,
with Miss Mary Hanson, a daughter of Benjamin Hanson
of Bath township, the union resulting in the birth of seven
children, in the following order: Lydia, wife of
William McClellan; Milton, deceased; Eliza
J., deceased wife of George Fungate; Henderson and
Holllis, deceased; Lambert, and Cyrus,
(deceased). In politics Mr. Rumbaugh was a
republican, but never sought public office, yet, as a matter of
duty, he felt it incumbent upon himself to fill the office of
constable in Bath township, for two years. A strict ember
of the Methodist church, his life had been such as to show his
fellow-en that he was sincere in his faith in its teachings.
A man of unimpeached honor and a man of generous impulses and
broad-minded views, he had few peers in the regard of his
fellow-citizens.
Source: A Portrait and biographical record of Allen &
Van Wert Counties, Ohio - Publ. Chicago: A. W. Bowen & Co.,
1896 - Page 453 |
| |
HON. WILLIAM RUSLER
Source: A Portrait and biographical record of Allen &
Van Wert Counties, Ohio - Publ. Chicago: A. W. Bowen & Co.,
1896 - Page 452 |
| |
DANIEL
RUSSELL, a well-known banker of Bluffton, and a gentleman
who has been largely interested in the other business interests
of the town, descends from an old Puritan family of New
Hampshire, of English extraction, and was born in Licking
County, Ohio, Nov. 24, 1821.
ELIJAH RUSSELL, father of our
subject, was born in New Hampshire, a son of a Revolutionary
patriot who also bore the name of Daniel. Elijah
was but seven years of age when he lost his father, and ever
afterward cared for himself. He learned cabinet-making at
Norfolk, Va., whither he had gone on a sailing vessel.
While yet a single man he came to Ohio, and in Granville,
Licking county, married Miss Elizabeth Wright, a native
of Shenandoah county, Va., and daughter of Alexander Wright,
who was a blacksmith by trade and who died in Illinois, the
father of nine children, viz: Alexander, John, Burgess,
Alvin, Elizabeth, Catherine, Thomas, Susan and Nancy.
After his marriage, Elijah Russell worked at his
trade in Granville for some years and then bought and cultivated
a farm near that town for some time, thence moved to Hebron,
Licking county, and in later life went to Ligonier, Ind., where
he died at the advanced age of eighty-seven years, in the faith
of the Baptist church, of which he had for a long time been a
deacon, leaving behind him, to mourn his loss, five children,
viz: Daniel, Mary S., Rachael, Burgess and John.
Daniel Russell passed his boyhood on his father's
farm in Licking county, about eight miles out of Newark, the
county-seat, and, besides farming, learned cabinet-making and
also gained a general knowledge of several other trades.
Feb. 11, 1844, he married Miss Fannie Townsend, who was
born in western New York, Jan. 23, 1822, was of Puritan stock,
and a daughter of Appleton and Roxey (Field) Townsend.
After marriage, Mr. Russell lived on the homestead until
November, 1851, when he brought his wife and two children to
Allen county, making the journey in a wagon, his wife, being
sick, lying on a bed. He purchased seventy acres of
woodland in Jackson township, on which was a log cabin, and this
land he cleared up and converted into a fine farm, and when he
moved from it, eighteen years later, he left behind, instead of
a rude log house in a wooded swamp, a fine frame dwelling in the
midst of fields of nodding grain and fruit bearing orchards.
In 1867, Mr. Russell engaged, in Bluffton, in the general
mercantile trade, in partnership with his brother-in-law, I.
M. Townsend, and this connection lasted six years, and for
the twenty years following Mr. Russell carried on a
prosperous trade on his sole account. In 1880, before
relinquishing his mercantile interests entirely, he and Mr.
Townsend being for three years in the lumber trade, Mr.
Russell embarked in banking, in which he has also prospered,
and now, besides other valuable real estate, owns the Commercial
block in Bluffton, a livery barn and three residence properties.
Mrs. FANNY RUSSELL departed this
life, Bluffton, Dec. 12, 1888, a member of the Disciples'
church, and the mother of two child - Mary A. and Orin
J. - and sincerely mourned by her family and a large circle
of friends. In 1889 Mr. Russell chose, for his
second helpmate, Mrs. Martha Cunningham, who had borne
the maiden name of Church.
In politics Mr. Russell has been a life long
republican and voted for John C. Fremont, the first
republican candidate for the presidency of the United States.
Although one of the founders of the republican party in Allen
county, Mr. Russell has taken no real or personal
interest in office holding, yet has been a member of the town
council of Bluffton. He is widely known throughout the
county, is still an active business man, and has always taken a
lively interest in the weal of the public. His integrity
stands unimpeached, and, a well preserved gentleman and an
honored citizen, he is a credit to the business and society
circles of Bluffton and Allen county.
Source: A Portrait and biographical record of Allen &
Van Wert Counties, Ohio - Publ. Chicago: A. W. Bowen & Co.,
1896 - Page 454 |
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