< BACK TO 1902 BIOGRAPHICAL INDEX >
< BACK TO BIOGRAPHICAL INDEXES >
 

W. J. Abbott	WILLIAM J. ABBOTT, a farmer and representative citizen of Concord township, Champaign county, and one of the leading farmers of the county is numbered among Ohio’s native sons, for his birth occurred in Shelby county, Jan. 13, 1836.  His paternal grandfather, William Abbott, was a native of Pennsylvania and in pioneer days took up his abode in Shelby county, Ohio, 'taking an active part in the work of improvement and progress there.  His political support was given the Whig party.  His son, James Abbott, the father of our subject, was a native of Pennsylvania, but when a boy left the Keystone state and came with his parents to Ohio, the family settling in Shelby county, where he was reared, acquiring his education in the district schools.  He was married there to Susan Schlusser, a native of Shelby county, reared and educated within its borders.  Her death occurred about four years after her marriage in 1839 and in 1840 the/father was again married, removing thence to Champaign county in 1845, his home being in Johnson township.  There he remained until his death, which occurred in 1853.  Unto the parents of our subject were born two children, the younger being John, who is now deceased.  The second wife was Matilda Beach, a native of Shelby county, while her parents were natives of Virginia.  There were six children born of this union, of whom three have passed away.  All of the number were born in Champaign county with one exception.      William J. Abbott acquired the greater part of his education in this county, completing his studies when twenty-one years of age.  He engaged in teaching school for twelve years, first in Shelby county and afterward in Champaign county.  He had begun his work as an educator before he completed his own education.  At length he turned his attention to farming, renting a tract of land in 1864 and in 1872 removed to the farm of James D. Powell, which was his place of residence until 1877.  With the capital he had thus acquired through his industry and economy he purchased a farm of eighty acres and made most of the improvements thereon, ditching, draining and clearing the land of timber.  He remained thereon until 1883 and then came to his present home in Concord township.  He makes a specialty of stock raising and in his business affairs is meeting with creditable and deserved success.      Mr. Abbott was married in Champaign county, in 1858, to Emily V. Compton, who was born in Virginia but became a resident of Champaign county when twelve years of age.  Her father had died in the Old Dominion, after which her mother removed with her children to Ohio.  The family are all now deceased with the exception of Mrs. Abbott.  Unto our subject and his wife have been born five sons and five daughters, all natives of Champaign county, namely: Charles M., who is engaged in the clothing business in Chicago, Illinois; John H., at home; Anna, who is the wife of Walter S. Wilson, a farmer of Champaign county; Minnie A., the wife of Dr. W. H. Himkle; Emma Maude, the wife of D. H. Taylor, a farmer of Champaign county; Oma J., the wife of Dr. C. E. Stadler of West Cairo, Ohio; Ora M., the wife of Frank J. Barger of Champaign county; and Chester P., at home. Two of the sons died in infancy.       Mr. Abbott has served as township clerk for a number of years and in his political affiliations is a Republican, taking an active and helpful interest in the work of the party.  Both he and his wife are members of the Concord Methodist Episcopal church and their labors have contributed to its upbuilding and growth.  Mr. Abbott is a representative farmer, whose progressive methods, unremitting diligence and resolute purpose have been salient features in his success, enabling him to win a place among the substantial men of his community.  He now farms two hundred and seventy-eight acres and is one of the leading farmers of Champaign county.  Since 1882 he has, in addition to his' own land, been cultivating the Oliver Taylor farm. Source:  A Centennial Biographical History of Champaign Co., Ohio - Illustrated - New York and Chicago - The Lewis Publishing Company - 1902 - Page 166
	JAMES W. ANDERSON.    Mr. Anderson was born in Augusta county, Virginia, on the 6th of November, 1827, being the second in order of birth of the eight children of John and Fannie (Clark) Anderson, the former of whom was born in the same county of the Old Dominion state, on the 12th of December, 1788, while the latter was born in Clarke county, Virginia, on the 4th of August, 1804.  John Anderson was a son of James and Isabella (King) Anderson, the former of whom was born in the picturesque Shenandoah valley of Virginia, in 1749, while his wife was a native of Pennsylvania, where she was born in 1 758.  James Anderson was a son of James, Sr., who married a Miss McLanehan.  He was born in Ireland, being of Scotch-Irish lineage, and came to America in his youth, his parents having removed from Scotland to the north of Ireland in 1665.  Upon coming to America he located in Pennsylvania, where his marriage occurred, and thence he went on an exploring expedition through the Shenandoah valley, having organized a company for this purpose and having started from Philadelphia about the year 1725.  After making due investigation he returned to his home in Pennsylvania, whence he later removed with his family to the Shenandoah valley, being one of the first settlers in that beautiful section of the Old Dominion.  During the early days there he was an active participant in many sanguinary conflicts with the Indians and there he passed the remainder of his honorable and useful life.  His son James, grandfather of our subject, served with marked distinction as a soldier in the Continental line during the war of the Revolution.  His wife. Isabella (King) Anderson, was a daughter of John and Isabella (Christian) King, of Scotch-Irish stock.  Fannie (Clark) Anderson, mother of the subject of this review, was a daughter of Joseph and Mary (Reynolds) Clark, both natives of Maryland and the latter being a daughter of John Reynolds.  Her maternal grandfather, John Reynolds, was captain of the first company organized in Washington county, Maryland, at the inception of the war of the Revolution and held this office in the Sixth Regiment of Maryland Volunteers.  He was killed by Indians on the Ohio river in 1799.  His father, John Reynolds, a son of a Scotchman, emigrated to America in 1714, and was the original progenitor of the family in the New World.  He was a Presbyterian of the stern and unbending Scotch type and his wife was a member of the established church of England, she having been 'born in Ireland, of Welsh ancestry.  They were married in Ireland in the year 1681, and came to the United States in 1714, locating in Pennsylvania.      John and Fannie (Clark) Anderson became the parents of eight children, namely: Mary H., deceased; James W., the subject of this sketch; George D., a resident of Augusta county, Virginia; Jane C., the widow of Henry Coyner and now residing in Augusta county, Virginia; Isabella A., deceased; John J., of whom specific mention is made elsewhere in this work; Norval W., who was a valiant soldier in the war of the Rebellion, in which he sacrificed his life in defense of the Union, having been killed in the battle of Stone River in 1863; and Sarah M., the widow of Captain George H. Killian, who served on the staff of Stonewall Jackson.  The parents of this family passed their entire lives in Virginia, where the father devoted his life to farming.      James W. Anderson was reared and educated in Virginia, where he secured such advantages as were afforded in the common schools, so fortifying himself as to become eligible for pedagogic work, having been a successful teacher for some time in his youthful days.  He devoted his attention to agricultural pursuits in his native state until he had attained the age of twenty-nine years, when, in 1856, he came to Champaign county, Ohio, and took up his permanent abode in Urbana, where he established himself in the drug business, in which he continued for the long period of forty years, being one of the pioneer business men of the city at the time of his retirement, in 1896, and having attained a competency through his able and discriminating efforts. A man of marked intellectuality and unswerving integrity in all the relations of life, he has commanded the unbounded confidence and esteem of the community in which he has passed so many years of his life, and here, in well earned retirement from active business, he rests secure in the regard of old and tried friends.  Though he has never sought the honors of political office he has not been unmindful of his civic duties and has given his support to the Republican party since 1861, and prior to that time was a Whig.  He and his wife are zealous adherents of the Methodist Episcopal church and are members of the First M. E. church of Urbana, with whose work they have been identified for many years.      On the 19th of December, 1872, Mr. Anderson was united in marriage to Miss Caroline Baldwin, the daughter of Judge Samuel Vance and Catherine (VanMeter) Baldwin. Our subject and his wife have no children.      Samuel V. Baldwin, father of Mrs. Anderson, was born in Hampshire county, Virginia, being a son of Joseph and Elizabeth (Wilson) Baldwin, the latter of whom was a granddaughter of Captain Wilson, who distinguished himself in connection with the Indian wars both prior and subsequent to the war of the Revolution.  Samuel V. Baldwin was a lad of ten years at the time when his parents removed from the Old Dominion to Clark county, Ohio, where they were numbered among the early pioneers.  Here he was reared to maturity, having such educational advantages as were afforded in the primitive schools of the locality and period and effectively supplementing this by a most devoted and careful self-application and study.  He studied law and ably fitted himself for the practice of his profession.  He came to Urbana about the year 1835, becoming one of the distinguished members of the early bar of the county, where he was held in the highest esteem.  He held preferment as prosecuting attorney of Champaign county and for eleven years was incumbent of the office of probate judge of the county, being the first probate judge of the county after the office was created.  His administration was one of signal ability and honor, and his death occurred just after his re-election.  His political support was originally given to the Whig party, but he became a loyal adherent of the Republican party at the time of its organization and was thereafter an uncompromising supporter of its principles and policies.  Judge Baldwin entered into eternal rest in 1861, at the age of fifty-five years, his widow surviving until 1881, when she passed away, at the age of seventy-one years.  Of their eight children seven attained maturity and four are living at the present time. Source:  A Centennial Biographical History of Champaign Co., Ohio - Illustrated - New York and Chicago - The Lewis Publishing Company - 1902 - Page 160
	JOHN J. ANDERSON.  Champaign county. Ohio, contributed to the federal armies many a brave and valiant soldier during that greatest of internecine and fratricidal conflicts, the war of the Rebellion, and among the honored veterans who remain to recall the incidents of the struggles on many a sanguinary battle-field, yet holding at bay that one invincible foe, death, which is fast disintegrating the noble ranks of the Grand Army of the Republic, stands the subject of this sketch, who was loyal to his country in her hour of peril and who has remained her loyal supporter in the “piping times of peace," in which he has likewise won decisive victories.  He is numbered among the representative business men of Urbana and his high standing in the community entitles him to distinctive representation in this compilation.      Mr. Anderson is a native son of the Old Dominion state, having been born in Augusta county, Virginia, on the 9th of March, 1835, the son of John and Fannie (Clark) Anderson.  John Anderson, Sr., was born in the same county, on the 12th of December, 1788, being a son of James and Isabella (King) Anderson, the former of whom was born in the beautiful Shenandoah valley of Virginia, in 1749, while his wife was a native of Pennsylvania, where she was born in 1758.  James Anderson was a son of James, who was of Scotch-Irish lineage, having been born in Ireland, whither his parents had emigrated from Scotland in 1665.  He emigrated to America in his youth and here married a Miss McLanehan. About the year 1725 he went from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to the Shenandoah valley, Virginia. as the organizer of an exploring party.  He returned to his home and later removed with his family to this famous valley, being one of the first to make permanent settlement there.  He was an active participant in many of the Indian conflicts in the early days and he continued to reside in that section of Virginia until his death.  His son James, grandfather of our subject, served with distinction as a soldier in the war of the Revolution.  His wife, Isabella, nee King, was a daughter of John and Isabella (Christian) King, who were of Scotch-Irish lineage.  Fannie (Clark) Anderson mother of the subject of this review, was born in Clarke county, Virginia, on the 4th of August, 1804, the daughter of Joseph and Mary (Smith) Clark, both of whom were born in Maryland, the latter being a daughter of James Smith.  John Reynolds, great-grandfather of our subject in the maternal line, was captain of the first company organized in Washington county.  Maryland, at the inception of the war of the Revolution, in which he served as captain in the Sixth Maryland Regiment of Volunteers, and he met his death, at the hands of the Indians, in March, 1799, on the Ohio river.  His father, John Reynolds. came to America from Ireland and the latter's father was born in England, the religious faith of the family being that of the Presbyterian church and of the rigid Scotch type.  The wife of the last mentioned ancestor was of Scotch ancestry, was born in Ireland and was a member of the church of England.  They were married in the Emerald Isle. in 1681, and came to America in 1714, locating in Pennsylvania.      John and Fannie (Clark) Anderson became the parents of the following named children: Mary H., deceased; James W., to whom individual reference is made on other pages of this work; George D.; Jane C.; Isabella A., deceased; John J., subject of this sketch; Norval W., deceased; and Sarah M.   Norval W. was a Union soldier in the war of the Rebellion and was killed in the battle of Stone river, in 1863.  The parents passed their entire lives in Virginia.      John J. Anderson was reared and educated in his native state, where he remained until he had attained his legal majority, when, on 1856, he came to Champaign county, Ohio, where he has ever since made his home.  Here he devoted his attention to carpenter work until the outbreak of the war of the Rebellion, when his intrinsic loyalty and patriotism were quickened to definite action.  On the 17th of April, 1861, he enlisted as a private in Company K, Second Ohio Volunteer Infantry, and at the expirations of his three months' term he re-enlisted, becoming a member of Company G, Third Ohio Volunteer Cavalry, in which he served as a private until the close of the war, his service thus covering practically the entire period of this great civil conflict.  Mr. Anderson participated in many of the most notable battles of the war, among which may be mentioned the following: Bull Run, Bowling Green, siege of Corinth, Munfordville, Beardstown, Lexington, Chickamauga, McMinnville, Shelbyville, Decatur, Moulton, Kenesaw Mountain, Vining Station, Peach Tree Creek, Lovejoy Station, Franklin (Tennessee), Selma (Alabama), Columbus and Macon (Georgia), besides many other skirmishes and minor engagements.  With his command he performed arduous and faithful service in supporting the Union cause, and his military record is that of a gallant son of the Republic, for he always evinced the highest soldierly qualities, was ever found at the post of duty and bore uncomplainingly the hardships and vicissitudes which attended the progress of the most notable civil war in the annals of history.  At the battle of Murfreesboro Mr. Anderson received a gun-shot wound in his left shoulder, and from the effects of the same he was confined for a brief interval in the field hospital. returning to his command at the end of four weeks, and this being the only occasion on which he was incapacitated for duty during his long and faithful service.  He received his honorable discharge at Edgefield, Tennessee, on the 4th of August, 1865, victory having then crowned the Union arms.  He retains a lively interest in his old comrades and this fraternal spirit finds definite manifestation in his identification with the Grand Army of the Republic.  He is a prominent and popular member of W. A. Brand Post, No. 98, department of Ohio, and has held all the offices in this post.      After the close of the war Mr. Anderson returned to Urbana, where he followed contracting and building until 1872, in which year he was elected city marshal of Urbana, an office which he retained consecutively for a period of twelve years, proving a capable and popular official.  After his retirement from this position Mr. Anderson engaged in business, his enterprise being the handling of coal, lime, brick and building material, and in this line his efforts have been attended with gratifying success, the business having shown a continuous growth and being one of the important enterprises of the city.  In politics he has ever given a stanch allegiance to the Republican party, and fraternally, aside from his member ship in the Grand Army of the Republic, he is identified with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows.  He and his wife have been for many years zealous members of the First Methodist Episcopal church.      At Urbana, on the 18th of September, 1868, Mr. Anderson was united in marriage to Miss Harriet E. Kimber, who was born in Miami county, Ohio, the daughter of Emor and Phoebe Kimber.  Our subject and his wife have no children. Source:  A Centennial Biographical History of Champaign Co., Ohio - Illustrated - New York and Chicago - The Lewis Publishing Company - 1902 - Page
	Source:  A Centennial Biographical History of Champaign Co., Ohio - Illustrated - New York and Chicago - The Lewis Publishing Company - 1902 - Page 205

.