BIOGRAPHIES
Source:
Centennial History of Butler County, Ohio
edited by
Hon. Bert S. Bartlow, W. H. Todhunter, Stephen D. Cone, Joseph J. Pater,
Frederick Schneider and Others To which is appended
A Comprehensive Compendium of Local Biography and Memoirs of Representative
Men and Women of the County.
Illustrated
Publ. B. F. Bowen & Co., Publishers
1905
<
RETURN to LIST of BIOGRAPHICAL
INDEXES >
<
RETURN TO 1905
HISTORY CONTENTS >
|
|
HENRY S. EARHART was
born near Franklin, Warren county, Ohio, Feb. 17, 1800. He was the
son of Martin Earhart and Catherine Site, who were among the
first settlers that came to Ohio. His grandfather Earhart
was a Revolutionary soldier. Henry S. Earhart first came to
Hamilton on a visit, about 1815, but did not reside in the county until
1822, when, in conjunction with his uncle, John L. C. Schenck, of
Franklin, the leading merchant of this section at that time, he
established a store at Jacksonburg. After remaining there a few
years he returned to Hamilton, and continued to reside there until his
death, Dec. 4, 1886. For a time he was associated in business with
George W. Tapscott, but later gave it up for civil engineering,
for which he was peculiarly fitted, and he projected the hydraulic works
and the Cincinnati, Hamilton & Dayton Railroad. He was married
Mar. 10, 1823, in Franklin, to Elizabeth Tapscott, daughter of
James and Mary (Hendrickson) Tapscott She was born in
Allentown, Monmouth county, New Jersey, Sept. 15, 1796. Mr. and
Mrs. Earhart have five children, of whom George T. Earhart,
of Hamilton, is one. Henry S. Earhart was one of the
leading citizens of Hamilton; for six years he was a member of the
city council and was identified with every movement of his time
calculated to further the well--being of his home city and county.
Source: Centennial History of Butler County, Ohio - Publ. B. F. Bowen &
Co., Publishers - 1905 - Page 985 |
|
|
JOHN EARHART.
The well-known gentleman to a brief review of whose career this article
is devoted enjoys distinctive prestige among the representative farmers
and stock raiser of Milford township, while his high standing as a
progressive and up-to-date agriculturist has also won him a conspicuous
place among the leading men of his calling throughout the county, in
which all but nine years of his life has been spent. Jacob
Earhart, the subject's grandfather, was a native of Germany.
He came to America in an early day and settled in Lancaster county,
Pennsylvania, later removed to Preble county, Ohio, where he cleared and
otherwise improved a good farm on which the remainder of his life was
passed, he and his good wife dying there many years ago. Jacob
Earhart, Jr., son of the above Jacob and father of the
subject, was born in Pennsylvania, and at an early age accompanied his
parents upon their removal to Ohio, and grew to manhood on the family
homestead in the county of Preble. Subsequently he came to Butler
county, where in due time he became a prominent farmer and stock raiser,
taking possession of the place in Milford township now owned by the
subject, in 1846, and living on the same until 1857, when he purchased a
farm, one mile south, where he made his home until called from the
scenes of his earthly toils and successes, dying at the age of
eighty-three years, his wife being seventy-nine years old at the time of
her demise. The maiden name of Mrs. Jacob Earhart was
Matilda Newport, and she bore her husband one daughter and two sons,
the former deceased, Richard, a farmer of Milford township, and
the subject of this review being the representatives of the family now
living.
John Earhart, whose birth occurred in Preble
county, Ohio, Sept. 3, 1837, was seven years old when his parents moved
to Butler county, and from 1846 to the present time he has been an
honored resident of Milford townships. Reared to habits of
industry on the farm, he early acquired a practical knowledge of outdoor
labor, and while still a youth was able to do his part in the fields
with those of more mature age. By reason of his services being
required at home, his education was limited, but a naturally studious
and inquiring mind and a retentive memory enabled him in after years to
make up in large part for this deficiency, and he became an intelligent
and remarkably well-informed man. From his childhood he has been
fond of study and a great reader, and as he grew to maturity all the
leisure at his command was devoted to the perusal of such books, papers
and periodicals as he could procure, the information thus derived, with
the practical knowledge acquired by mingling with men in various
business capacities, giving him precedence as a leader of thought in his
community. Mr. Earhart's early training on the farm was the
means of developing a strong, vigorous physique, and he grew to maturity
a well-rounded man, plentifully endowed with good common sense and a
laudable determination to overcome the obstacles by which his pathway
was beset, and if possible carve out a career of honor and usefulness.
He continued agricultural pursuits until May, 1864, when he enlisted
Company H, One Hundred and Sixty-seventh Ohio Infantry, for the
hundred-day service, during which time he was in West Virginia, where
the regiment was principally engaged in guard duty. At the
expiration of the period noted he returned home and resumed farming,
which, with stock raising, has since occupied his attention, his
progress and success the meantime being such as to win for him a
prominent place among the leading agriculturists of Butler county.
His farm, consisting of one hundred and nineteen acres in section 4,
Milford township, is in an excellent state of cultivation and otherwise
highly improved, the buildings of all kinds being first-class and
up-to-date, and everything on the place indicates the presence of an
enterprising agriculturist of mature judgment and progressive ideas and
progressive ideas, who cultivates the soil and manages his affairs
according to the most advanced methods. Mr. Earhart has
made agricultural science a special study reads all the best papers on
the subject and by practical experience demonstrates the values of the
theories advanced by leading writers of the day. His work and
management are strictly systemized, and the prevalence of good order,
even in the smallest matters, attests the care with which he prosecutes
his interests so to obtain the largest possible results. He keeps
a correct account of all his products and sales, which, with his stock
books, constitute a full and complete record of the farm and everything
pertaining thereto. As a breeder and raiser of fine live stock
Mr. Earhart enjoys an enviable and wide-spread reputation and he
stands today among the leading stockmen of his part of the state.
His specialties during the last twenty-five years have been the Poled
Durham breed of cattle, and he has also given much attention to the
Duroc and other fine quality of hogs, the greater part of his income
being derived from the sale of his domestic animals. By
persevering industry and good business management, he has placed himself
in independent circumstances and is now one of the well-to-do men of the
county, his income being more than sufficient to meet his comfortable
manner of living, while the ample fortune at his command insures him
plenty and ease during the remainder of his days.
Mr. Earhart is a Republican in politics,
and for many years has been a zealous worker for the success of his
party, not only in Milford township but throughout the county.
Being a wide reader, he is well posted on current events and his
knowledge of the great questions and issues of the day, both national
and international, enables him to form intelligent opinions and
conclusions, in both of which respects he is often deferred to by many
of his fellow citizens. His relations with his neighbors and
friends and with the public generally have always been of the most
agreeable character his influence has ever made for the good of those
with whom he associates, and the high esteem in which he is held shows
that the confidence reposed in him by his fellow citizens has not been
misplaced.
Amanda C. Shanklin, who became the wife of Mr.
Earhart on Jan. 22, 1869, was born in Butler county, Ohio, in the
year 1848, being a daughter of Andrew and Esther (Cooper) Shanklin,
the father a native of West Virginia and the mother a descendant of an
old North Carolina family that left that state in an early day on
account of opposition to slavery. After receiving a preliminary
education in the district schools, Mrs. Earhart entered
the female college at Oxford, where she was graduated in 1864, following
which she taught with marked success for a number of years, and still
later became governess in a wealthy Kentucky family, where her services
were also greatly appreciated. She is a lady of fine mind and
excellent character, her culture and varied attainments making her for
many years a favorite in the social circles with which he was wont to
mingle.
Mr. and Mrs. Earhart have three
children, the oldest of whom, Rev. Linn J. Earhart, was born Jan.
14, 1870. He received his literary education in the Miami
University, of which he is an alumnus, and later was graduated from the
McCormack. Theological Seminary, Chicago, and is now pastor of the
Presbyterian church at Republic, in the state of Washington. He
married a young lady by the name of Martha Brinkmire, and is the
father of three children, and stands today among the leading divines of
his denomination in the West. William S., born Apr. 12,
1871, was also graduated from the Miami University at Oxford and is an
electrician by profession. His wife was formally Miss Florence
Homsher, and his home at the present time is in Camden, this state.
Esther C., the youngest of the family, was born on Sept. 14,
1877, and, like her brothers, is well educated, graduating in her
girlhood from the Somerville high school and in 1899 she received the
degree of Bachelor of Sciences from the Oxford Female College. In
addition to her intellectual attainments and other accomplishments, she
is especially proficient in music, having received instruction in the
art under the direction of some of the most accomplished teachers of
this country.
Mr. and Mrs. Earhart are members of the
Presbyterian church, and since the year 1874 he has held the position of
elder in the congregation to which they belong. The children are
also identified with the same religious body, the oldest, as already
stated, being a minister of distinguished ability and wide influence.
Source: Centennial History of Butler County, Ohio - Publ. B. F. Bowen &
Co., Publishers - 1905 - Page 536 |
|
|
JOHN S. EARHEART was
born in Jacksonburg, Butler county, Ohio, Mar. 10, 1824, and accompanied
his parents to Hamilton when but two years of age. After having
completed the course in the common schools, he attended the Hamilton
Academy and later the Ohio Farmers' College. He made a study of
civil engineering and assisted his father in the construction of
turnpikes and the Hamilton hydraulic canal, also engaging in land
surveying and railway construction. The Ohio division of the
Junction Railway was under his supervision and he also constructed the
viaduct through the first ward of Hamilton. He was appointed chief
engineer on the first section of the Miami and Erie canal, but on the
outbreak of the Civil war resigned and was instrumental in the
organization of the Thirty-fifth Regiment. He was appointed captain of
Company C, which he commanded until 1863, when he was appointed
topographical engineer on General Steadman's staff,
afterwards being transferred to General Brannon's staff,
where he served until his death, on Aug. 10, 1863.
Source: Centennial History of Butler County, Ohio - Publ. B. F. Bowen &
Co., Publishers - 1905 - Page 873 |
|
|
CHRISTOPHER L. EBERLING
Source: Centennial History of Butler County, Ohio - Publ. B. F. Bowen &
Co., Publishers - 1905 - Page 435 |
|
|
OTTO I. EHRESMAN
Source: Centennial History of Butler County, Ohio - Publ. B. F. Bowen &
Co., Publishers - 1905 - Page 706 |
|
|
ARTHUR ELLIOTT.
For many years prominent in the affairs of Liberty township are
distinguished as a citizen whose prestige and influence were felt far
beyond the limits of the community honored by his residence, the late
Arthur Elliott stood out a conspicuous figure among the successful
farmers and representative men of Butler county. Characterized by
remarkable breadth of wisdom and strong individuality, and in all of his
enterprises and undertakings actuated by noble motives and high
resolves, his success and achievements but represented the result of fit
utilization of innate talent in directing effort along those lines where
mature judgment and rare discrimination lead the way. He was one
of the strong, forceful men of his day and generation, a leader in
movements having for their object the material advancement of the
community, while his influence in directing and controlling enterprises
for the social and moral welfare of his fellow men was second to that of
none of his contemporaries.
Arthur Elliott was born near the old Spring
church, in Liberty township, Butler county, Ohio, on the 2d day of
March, 1817. His parents, Joshua and Betsey (Hughes) Elliott,
were natives of Maryland and from them he inherited many of the sturdy
characteristics and sterling qualities which made his life such a
conspicuous example of usefulness and his influence so strong in
moulding and directing the careers of others along the lines of
honorable achievement. His uncle, Rev. Arthur W. Elliott,
was one of the pioneers of Methodism in southern Ohio, and did as much
as any minister of his day to establish the church upon the solid
foundation which made its early growth and subsequent history in the
middle west so bright and illustrious.
Arthur Elliott was reared in a comparatively new
and undeveloped country and experienced the various vicissitudes
incident to clearing and developing a farm from the virgin forest.
He was taught the necessity of industry from his youth, and grew to the
full stature of manhood with a proper appreciation of the dignity of
toil and of responsibilities which every one must meet and overcome who
would make life a success. On arriving at manhood's estate he
chose agriculture for his vocation and during the remainder of his life
followed the same with most gratifying results, as is attested by the
fact of his having accumulated large and valuable tracts of real estate,
reduced to a high state of tillage and improved with fine buildings.
Enterprising and progressive in all the words convey, he was one of the
model farmers of his day and his aptness in business as well as in labor
and management made him in due time one of the wealthiest men of his
township.
In the year 1840 Mr. Elliott and Miss
Emmeline Van Gorden were united in the bonds of
wedlock and during the eight years following they lived on the old
homestead in Liberty township. In 1848 Mr. Elliott
purchased the farm inthe same township on which he laid the foundation
of his subsequent success and on which he reared his family and spent
the remainder of his days. During his active years he devoted his
attention very closely to agriculture and stock raising and while thus
engaged added to his means until at the time of his death his estate
amounted to eight hundred acres of fine land in Liberty township,
besides a large amount of valuable personal property which was the
legitimate result of his energy and well-directed toil. The real
estate was in a high state of cultivation.
Seven children were born to Arthur and Emmeline
Elliott, only three of whom survive, namely: James C. and
E. T. are residents of Butler county and B. F. resides in Los
Angeles, California. Arthur Elliott possessed many noble
traits of character and was always distinguished for strict integrity,
upright conduct and a high sense of personal honor. Among his
other pronounced characteristics may be noted his sobriety, morality,
prudence and punctuality in business, temperance and devotion to family
and friends. He donated the ground upon which the old Spring
church was erected, and contributed liberally to the building, besides
giving a lot for cemetery purposes. In politics he was an
enthusiastic Republican. His ideas were always clear and explicit;
his opinions carried weight and commanded respect, and among his fellow
citizens he was regarded as an adviser and counsellor in business
affairs. Mr. Elliott was intensely and enthusiastically an
American and the love of country and its institutions was to him
paramount to nearly every other consideration. He discharged the
duties of citizenship as became a broad-minded man, with the good of the
state and nation at heart, nor was he ever negligent in his obligations
to the community in which he lived, but encouraged to the extent of his
ability every enterprise and progressive measure which made for its
interest. As a neighbor he was obliging, kind-hearted and
generous; liberal almost to a fault, he gave freely of his means to the
needy, assisted to carry out undertakings for the public good which
necessitated the expenditure of considerable sums of money, and in
religious and charitable enterprises his name generally headed the
lists. Mr. Elliott's life was replete with good to his kind
and blessed by his presence. He lived to a good old age and died
greatly beloved and deeply mourned by all who knew him, on the 24th of
April, 1898. in the eighty-second year of his age.
Source: Centennial History of Butler County, Ohio - Publ. B. F. Bowen &
Co., Publishers - 1905 - Page 785 |
|
|
REV. ARTHUR W. ELLIOTT
a native of Maryland, came to Butler county and settled in Liberty
township in the year 1807 or 1808. He immigrated here from his
native state nearly at the same time with the Curtises, Slades,
Hughes, Murphys, Clarks, Williamsons, Flennards and others of
the first residents of the township, with most of whom he was connected.
Here he resided for nearly forty years on the farm which he purchased
when he first arrived in this county. About 1850 he purchased a
farm and built a house, about one mile west of Hamilton, where he
resided for a few years, and in 1856 he removed with his family to
Paris, Edgar county, Illinois, where he breathed his last, on January
18, 1858, aged seventy-five years. From the time the deceased
became a resident of Butler county until his death he was connected with
the Methodist Episcopal church as a preacher. He was a man of
genius, and great power as a speaker. His early educational
training had been neglected, but his intuitive perceptions and native
powers of eloquence surmounted ever obstacle thrown in his way by this
neglect, and he could captivate his hearers at will. The spirit of
his genius awakened all his features. His countenance shown with a
nobleness and grandeur which it had not before exhibited, and he was
able to exert a power over his auditors that all who heard him
acknowledged. He was a great man naturally. He had been a
soldier under Harrison, in the war of 1812, and he felt in duty bound to
support him for the presidency, and in the heated political contest of
1840 he accompanied General Harrison to a number of of meetings
in the Miami valley, where he made speeches, and it was said at the time
that his addresses were the most able, effective and satisfactory of any
of the speakers. General Harrison said himself, "He is the
strongest and most useful on the stump of any of us." General
Harrison was the presidential candidate and the chief, but Rev.
Elliott was the second man in notoriety and consequence. His
march through the Miami valley was a triumphal one, and was marked by
every consideration of love and admiration. In the spring of 1840
he, with two or three hundred citizens of this part of the country, paid
a visit of congratulation to General Harrison at his residence at
North Bend. They were marshalled in front of the General's house,
when Rev. Elliott advanced in front and addressed the General in
the most affecting, eloquent and interesting manner, to which the
General replied in his wonted felicitous and forcible style.
Rev. Ellliott was blessed with a strong mind, robust body, and
habits of industry and frugality. He was for many years a member
of the Free and Accepted Masons, and was much attached to the principles
of the order, was grand chaplain of the grand lodge of Ohio for the
years 1839 and 1840 and was the speaker at numerous celebrations of St.
John the Evangelist and other occasions.
Source: Centennial History of Butler County, Ohio - Publ.
B. F. Bowen & Co., Publishers - 1905 - Page 963 |
|
|
ELMORE T. ELLIOTT.
The record of the subject of this review is that of an enterprising
gentleman who worthily upholds an honorable family name and whose life
has been very intimately associated with the material prosperity and
moral advancement of Liberty township during the most progressive period
of its history. E. T. Elliott, the youngest son of
Arthur and Emmeline Elliott, is a native of Butler county, Ohio, and
was born on his father's homestead in the above township, Jan. 24, 1852.
During his boyhood and early youth he manifested a livelyinterest in the
work of the farm and while still a mere lad took a pardonable pride in
keeping pace with much older and more experienced person in all kinds of
manual labor in the fields. At the proper age he entered the
district school, where his young and naturally strong and inquiring mind
began to unfold and to give promise of the intellectual advancement
which he subsequently made under more favorable circum stances in higher
institutions of learning. Finishing the elementary branches in the
country schools, he spent the sessions of 1869-70 in the Seven Mile
Academy, after which he yielded to a laudable desire to in crease his
scholastic training by entering Miami University at Oxford, where he
pursued his studies from 1871 to 1873 inclusive. His during which
time he acquitted himself creditably and earned an honorable reputation
as a diligent, enterprising student. father having large landed
interests which held out flattering inducements to one desirous of
living an independent life and achieving a useful career, young
Elliott chose agriculture in preference to the honors and emoluments
of a learned profession and, leaving the above institution at the time
noted, he returned to the farm and assumed the duty and responsibility
of its management. On Nov. 10, 1875, he contracted a matrimonial
alliance with Miss Margaret M. Withrow, the accomplished daughter
of John L. Withrow, a prominent farmer and influential citizen of
Wayne township and a descendant of one of Butler county's oldest and
most highly esteemed families. Mrs. Elliott was born in the
township of Wayne, Mar. 16, 1856, received a liberal education in the
public schools and the high school of Jacksonboro and intellectually as
well as in other respects is admirably fitted to be the companion and
help meet of the husband of her choice. The Withrows have
figured quite prominently in the affairs of Butler county and the name
is also widely and favorably known in other parts of the state, a
brother of Mrs. Elliott, Dr. John M. Withrow, being a man of
commanding influence in the medical circles of the city of Cincinnati.
The marriage of Mr. and Mrs. Elliott has been
blessed with two children, Mabel, born July 11, 1877, and
Edith, whose birth occurred on Aug. 9, 1879. The former, after
finishing the public-school course, entered the Hamilton high school and
was on her second year's work in that institution when prematurely
stricken by the cruel hand of death in 1891. Edith attended
the public schools, spent one year in the Western College, Oxford, Ohio,
and the same length of time at Walnut Hills, Cincinnati, after which she
became the wife of Eugene Hunter. She is still an inmate of
her father's beautiful home and the happy mother of a bright and
promising son by the name of Elliott Hunter, who was born
on the 21st day of December, 1898, and who is the pride and delight of
his grandparents and the sun shine of the household.
For a number of years following his marriage Mr.
Elliott devoted his attention very closely to agricultural
pursuits and in due time became one ofthe leading farmers and
representative citizens of his township. His farm, consisting of
two hundred and fifty acres of fine tillable land, is in an excellent
state of cultivation and, being admirably situated for agricultural and
live stock purposes, it returns him the handsome income, which, with his
earnings from several other enterprises in which he has been and is
still interested, has made him not only independent but one of the
financially strong and reliable men of Butler county. While still
residing on his farm, where he has one of the most beautiful and
attractive rural homes in the county, Mr. Eliott has
retired from active life, though he still retains his interests in the
Black & Clawson Company, of Hamilton, and the Sidney Steel
Scraper Company, of Sidney, this state, with both of which concerns he
has long been identified and from which, as already indicated, no small
share of his liberal income is derived. Mr. Elliott
is an optimist and has always looked on the bright side of life and
received therefrom all the pleasure obtain able as well as a goodly
share of profit. He has been judicious in expending his means for
wise and useful purposes; has not been sparing in beautifying his home
and supplying it with needed improvements and comforts, and in a much
wider scope he has aided and encouraged all worthy enterprises, besides
lending his influence and financial assistance to measures and movements
having for their object the educational and moral welfare of the people
among whom he lives.
Like his father before him, Mr. Elliott is first
of all an American and the love he bears his country is second only to
that of the strong and abiding religious convictions which have ever
been among his most pronounced characteristics. A firm believer in
Christianity and the church, he gives to each an earnest and intense
devotion, being a Methodist in belief and an active member of the
congregation and one of its most liberal contributors. A
Republican in the full sense of the word, an uncompromising supporter of
the principles upon which the party is founded and a believer in the
great mission which called it into existence, he has persistently
refused to enter the political arena as an office seeker, nor has he
ever permitted his quiet to be disturbed by dreams of public honors or
aggrandizement. His chief aims have been to dignify and make
successful his chosen calling and to live so that the title of citizen
may mean something higher and nobler than a mere empty sound.
Mr. Elliott is a clever gentleman, popular with a large circle of
friends and acquaintances, and he embodies in his make-up the sterling
qualities and sturdy characteristics of the broad-minded, enterprising
American who hopes for the best and strives with might and main to make
these hopes vital and real. Of pleasing personality and dignified
presence, he is easily accessible and the high esteem in which he is
held proves that the universal confidence with which he is regarded has
been worthily bestowed.
Source: Centennial History of Butler County, Ohio - Publ.
B. F. Bowen & Co., Publishers - 1905 - Page 789 |
|
|
EZRA TAYLOR ELLIOTT.
Prominent among the foremost pioneer families of Butler county is the
one of which the subject of this review is a worthy representative.
For nearly a century the name has been a familiar sound in this part of
Ohio, during which time its honor has remained bright and unsullied and
its standing such as to commend its various members to the confidence
and esteem of their fellow citizens. Major W. W. Elliott,
father of the subject, was born in Baltimore, Maryland, July 24, 1800,
the son of William and Rachael (Bosley) Elliott, both natives of
England. In 1810 these parents migrated to Butler county, Ohio,
and settled near Princeton, in what is now Liberty township, where the
father purchased land and cleared a farm, on which he and his good wife
spent the remainder of their days W. W. Elliott was a lad of ten
years' growth when the family moved to butler county, and he spent his
youth and young manhood on his father's farm, in the development and
cultivation of which he took an active part. In the year 1823 he
married Miss Sarah Mutchner, of Maryland, following which he
purchased of William Henry Harrison, afterwards President of the
United States, a tract of land in Union township and at once addressed
himself to the task of its improvement and cultivation. His first
dwelling, a small log structure, answered the purpose for which intended
for a number of years, but in time it was replaced by the substantial
brick residence which the family occupied until his death, in1889.
Major Elliott was a man of sound, practical intelligence, mature
judgment and high social standing, and for many years was a prominent
factor and influential leader in the civic affairs of his township and
county. He took the initiative ina number of internal
improvements, especially roads and highways, was one of hte original
constructors of the old Cincinnati and Dayton turnpike and for a period
of fifty years served as superintendent of the same. He was for a
long time one of the trustees of Union township, in which capacity he
did more than any of his predecessors in the matter of public
improvements, and to him as much perhaps as to any other individual is
due the credit of laying the foundation of the prosperity for which his
part of the county has since been noted. Major Elliott
always manifested a lively interest in the history of Butler county and
was well informed in the same and an authority on all matters pertaining
to the early settlement and subsequent development of the country.
He was a leading spirit and prominent figure at all of the old settlers'
meetings, frequently made addresses to these large assemblages, and for
many years was president of the Pioneer Association of Warren and Butler
Counties, the success of which organization was greatly promoted by his
able and judicious management. He was also an influential church
worker of the Methodist denomination in this part of the state, being
especially effective in establishing Sunday schools, a branch of
religious endeavor for which he seems to have been peculiarly adapted.
He was a clear, forcible and logical speaker, and his services in this
direction were in frequent demand. He made many addresses in
churches before Sunday school associations and other public assemblies,
and in this way did much to counteract some of the prevalent evils of
the times and arouse a healthy moral sentiment in different communities,
much of his life having been freely devoted to the good work of winning
men and women to a higher plane of living.
Major Elliott served his day and generation ably
and faithfully and left the impress of his strong personality upon the
community in which he had so long been a leader among his fellow men.
His upright conduct, unimpeachable integrity and sterling worth
were appreciated by all who came within the range of his influence and
in his death, at the ripe old age of eighty-nine years, Butler county
suffered the loss of one of its strong characters, whose influence is
still felt among the circles in which he moved, and whose place in the
hearts and affections of the people constitutes his most enduring
monument.
Ezra Taylor Elliott, son of Major W. W.
Elliott and Eunice (Hunt) Elliott, was born Sept. 26, 1847,
in Union township, Butler county, Ohio, having first seen the light of
day on the paternal homestead, near the town of West Chester. His
boyhood was spent on the farm and after receiving the usual education
which the public schools afforded, he assumed much of the labor and
responsibility of cultivating and managing the home place, his duties in
both these capacities being ably and faithfully performed. He
remained with his father, looking after the latter's interests, until
his twenty-first year, when he took charge of the farm and began life
for himself. He met with encouraging success as a tiller of the
soil, soon won a conspicuous place among the leading agriculturists of
his township and in due time acquired a comfortable competency, which
enabled him to discontinue manual labor and devote his attention to more
sedentary pursuits. Mr. Elliott, in the year 1877,
entered the marriage relation with Miss Anna A. Parker, of Butler
county, who has borne him three children, two living, the older of whom
is a son by the name of Walter P., whose birth occurred on Feb. ,
1882, and who is now an employe of the Mill creek Street Car Line in the
city of Cincinnati; Jessie Marie, who was born on Feb. 27, 1889,
is a young lady of intelligence and at this time a student with bright
prospects before her.
Mr. Elliott remained on the farm until
the year 1890, when he turned it over to other management and moved to
West Chester, where he has since resided. Not caring to lead an
inactive life, he accepted a clerkship in the Van Hise general
store, but after four years in this capacity resigned his position and
in 1897 entered upon his duties as postmaster, to which office he was
appointed by President McKinley, on July 1st of that year.
His administration thus far has been eminently creditable and
satisfactory and officials of the department authorize the statement
that he is one of the most capable, systematic, and all round efficient
postmasters in their jurisdiction. He is kind and obliging, ever
ready to do a favor, and his relations with the public are of the most
agreeable character, his popularity being circumscribed only by the
limits of his acquaintance. Mr. Elliott is essentially
progressive in his attitude and this is not only exemplified in the
ability and success with which he carried forward his farming
enterprises, but also in the deep and helpful interest he has ever shown
in all that tends to the material, social and moral advancement of the
community. though he has never been an aspirant for public office,
his signal eligibility as well as his efficient political service led to
his appointment to the responsible position of the postmastership, which
he now so ably fills, his high standing in the Republican party giving
him a prestige in political circles second to that of few of his
compeers.
Mr. Elliott is interested in various lines of
benevolent work and gives a willing and generous support to all his
fellow men. He holds membership with Bethany Lodge, No. 202,
Knights of Pythias; is also a leading worker in the Junior Order United
American Mechanics, and in religion subscribes to the Cumberland
Presbyterian creed, his wife and himself being faithful and constant
communicants of the church and keenly alive to its various benevolent
and charitable enterprises.
Source: Centennial History of Butler County,
Ohio - Publ. B. F. Bowen & Co., Publishers - 1905 - Page |
|
|
COL.
GEORGE E. ELLIOTT born in Liberty township, Butler county, Ohio,
April 8, 1826, the son of Rev. Arthur Elliott, of
Maryland. At the age of fourteen years George removed to St. Clair
township, where he engaged in farming work, attending such schools as
circumstances permitted, though the greater part of his education was
acquired in the school conducted in the basement of the old Episcopal
church at Hamilton. At the outbreak of the Civil war he, almost
entirely unaided, raised Company C. Sixty-ninth Ohio Regiment.
He was appointed major in August, 1862, and lieutenant colonel in the
following October. His military record at the battle of Stone
River was crowning event of brilliant career as soldier. Just be fore
the close of the war his wife’s illness caused him to resign and return
home and he conducted the homestead farm until 1866. During the
next three years he engaged in the distillery business in Hamilton and
in 1873 he retired from business life and at the same time began his
career in public service. He was made member of the state board of
equalization and in 1881 was nominated by the Democratic party for state
senator, being defeated by small margin. In 1883 he was again
nominated for the senate and was elected, making long record of
distinguished service in behalf of his district. Among his
successful efforts in the assembly, the passing of the first
appropriation bill for the Miami University was not the least important.
In 1889 he was appointed to place on the soldiers’ relief commission and
was also member of the United States land commission, whose function was
to recover abandoned or swamp lands and in 1888 he had jurisdiction over
the states of Oregon and Washington. He was director of the Second
National Bank in the years 1868 and 1869 and was always an active member
of the Grand Army of the Republic. In 1854 Colonel
Elliott was married to Miss Eleanor Hueston,
and his death occurred on the 13th of May. 1896.
Source: Centennial History of Butler County, Ohio - Publ. B. F. Bowen &
Co., Publishers - 1905 - Page 874 |
|
|
HARRY H. ELWOOD
Source: Centennial History of Butler County, Ohio - Publ. B. F. Bowen &
Co., Publishers - 1905 - Page 389 |
|
|
HARRY E. ENGLE
Source: Centennial History of Butler County, Ohio - Publ. B. F. Bowen &
Co., Publishers - 1905 - Page 750 |
|
|
VINCENT D. ENYART
Source: Centennial History of Butler County, Ohio - Publ. B. F. Bowen &
Co., Publishers - 1905 - Page 948 |
|
|
JOHN
W. ERWIN was born in New Castle county, Delaware, September 8,
1808, and was of Quaker stock. In 1828 he started westward on foot
and stopped at Richmond, Indiana, where he prepared himself as civil
engineer and for five years acted as engineer on the west division of
the national road, extending from Indianapolis to the state line on the
east. In the winter of 1835 and 1836 he located the Hamilton,
Rossville, Summerville, Newcomb and Eaton turnpike, the first public
work of the kind built of gravel west of the mountains. This was
followed by other works of the same character. The hydraulic works
at Hamilton, Middletown, Franklin and Troy were located by him, as were
also works of like character at Goshen, Elkhart and Bristol, Indiana,
and Constantine, Michigan. From 1837 for many years he was
resident engineer on the Miami and Eric canal, being during his later
years in charge of the third division of these works. In 1839 he
was employed by the city to superintend the reclamation of a large tract
of land known as the “Big Pond,” in the southern part of Butler county,
and was identified with nearly all the public works of the city of
Hamilton. He also assisted in the erection of the first paper mill
there in 1847 and assisted in building the first flouring mill run by
water furnished by the hydraulic works of Hamilton. He made the
preliminary surveys for the Cincinnati, Hamilton & Dayton Railway, and
superintended the construction of the hydraulic works in Middletown and,
in company with his brother, erected two paper mills at that place.
He was also one of those who secured the tract of land that is now known
as Greenwood Cemetery. He was an ardent Democrat and during the
Civil war was identified with the war faction of that party, being known
as a friend of the colored race, when Ft. Sumter was fired upon he
united with the Republican party and remained so affiliated until his
death. He was a member of the Free and Accepted Masons,
belonging also to the chapter, council and commandery of that order.
He was also member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and sat in
the grand lodge of that order. On May 12, 1833, Mr.
Erwin was married to Miss Ann Eliza Chadwick, of New Jersey,
and to them were born five children, Henry, Charles, Frank, Lutie and
Mary. Mr. Erwin died April 17, 1889.
Source: Centennial History of Butler County, Ohio - Publ. B. F. Bowen
& Co., Publishers - 1905 - Page 877 |
|
|
EVAN EVANS was born in
Morgan township, Butler county, Ohio, May 2, 1816. His parents
were William and Jane Evans, natives of Wales, who emigrated to
America early in 1800, and settled in Morgan Township, Butler county,
Ohio, about one mile south of the present site of Okeana. The
father of Evan Evans died soon after his son's birth, and
thereafter the son resided with a brother-in-law, Morgan Gwilyin,
an early pioneer and a most excellent man, until he became of age.
He was married May 28, 1844, to Miss Anna Mering, and soon
thereafter purchased a farm on the Dry Fork of Whitewater. On the
death of his father-in-law, in 1850, he purchased the Mering
homestead and thereafter he resided there. Mr. Evans
was a successful farmer, and an active, efficient business man, with
rare good judgment, firm in his convictions, courageous and bold in
their defense. He was unselfish and was at all times ready to
assist and advance the interests of his neighborhood. Numbers of
young men can thank him for success in business, for kind and strong
words of encouragement when needed and for the free use of his purse
when required. He was a good director for thirty years, a member
of the Butler county agriculture board for twelve years and a trustee of
Morgan township for several years, all of which positions he filled with
ability and credit. He died Aug. 24, 1895, in his eightieth year.
He left to his family a good home and what is far better - the
inheritance of a good name.
Source: Centennial History of Butler County, Ohio - Publ. B. F. Bowen &
Co., Publishers - 1905 - Page 959 |
|
