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Jacob Horr

JACOB HORR.    An enterprise in Mechanicsburg which represents in its rapid growth a vast amount of well directed energy and pronounced business sagacity is the lumber and coal business of Jacob Horr, one of the well known citizens of the town.  Owing to his honest and careful methods of dealing with the general public Mr. Horr finds himself the recipient of a patronage gratifying from both a personal and financial standpoint, and a continued demand for his necessary commodities is a prediction justified by the success of the past.  So nearly were his first business expectations realized that in 1889 he broadened his interests to the extent of operating a well equipped saw and planing mill, and the combination thus effected has materially augmented the output of the yards.      With the exception of temporary absences, Mr. Horr has spent his entire life within the radius of his present surroundings, and he was born not far from Mechanicsburg, Mar. 13, 1844. His parents, William and Mary (Coan) Horr, were born in Carthage, Jefferson county, New York, in which city they were married, and from there removed to Goshen township, this county, in 1837.  As early pioneers of their locality they contributed much to the agricultural prosperity, and their well tilled farm continued to be their home for the remainder of their lives.  Not the least meritorious of their many claims to the consideration of the community was the rearing to lives of usefulness of seven children, two of whom are now deceased.  The children were taught the dignity and utility of a model farming existence, and educationally were permitted every advantage at the disposal of their parents.  With his brothers and sisters Jacob Horr attended the public schools of Mechanicsburg, and further qualified for the future by taking a course in the Ohio Wesleyan University at Delaware, from which he graduated in the spring of 1866.  His career at the university was interrupted in the spring of 1864, at which time he enlisted in Company C, One Hundred and Thirty-fourth Ohio Volunteer Infantry, with the rank of corporal, and served until October of the same year. Although, not a long service, he gained a fair knowledge of the horrors of war, and of the character of that grand and silent soldier, Grant, with whom he fought at and around Petersburg.  Since the war he has been a member of the Stephen Baxter Post, No. 88, Grand Army of the Republic.       After completing his education Mr. Horr taught school for about four years, and then turned his attention to farming in the vicinity of Mechanicsburg until 1886.  During that year he saw an opening for a live business in coal and lumber, and wisely devoted his energies to the building up of his present lucrative industry.  A large measure of success he attributes to the assistance of his wife and helpmate, who was formerly Sarah Magruder, and whom he married in Mechanicsburg in 1871.  Of this union there is one daughter, Nellie, who is now the wife of John B. Outram, of Lippincott, Ohio.  Mr. Horr is a Republican in national politics, but has never desired or accepted official recognition.  He is a member of the generous contributor to the Methodist Episcopal church.  This farming and stock-raising enterprises to which he devoted several years of his life are still maintained on a large scale, but in other respects he is identified with the energetic and resourceful life of the town which has benefited to no slight degree by his admirable citizenship. Source:  A Centennial Biographical History of Champaign Co., Ohio - Illustrated - New York and Chicago - The Lewis Publishing Company - 1902 - Page 118

BENJAMIN F. HULL.     Though himself a native of the state of Illinois, the subject of this sketch, who is one of the progressive and representative farmers of Union township, Champaign county, is a member of one of the pioneer families of the old Buckeye commonwealth, as will be noted further on in this context.      Benjamin Franklin Hull was born in DeWitt county, Illinois, on the 22d of February, 1848, and thus he has the distinction of having been ushered into the world on the anniversary of the birth of the immortal Washington, while the further distinction is his of having been named in honor of his grandfather and Uncle Franklin.  Alfred Augustus Hull, the father of our subject, was born in Madison county, Ohio, on the 18th of January, 1821, from which fact it is evident that the family was here located in the early pioneer epoch.  He was reared and educated in his native county, where he remained until some time in the 40s, when he removed to DeWitt county, Illinois, where he was engaged in teaching until 1849, when he returned to Madison county, Ohio, and in 1855 took up his abode in Champaign county, Ohio, locating on a tract of land at the head waters of Buck creek, in Union township, where he maintained his home until his death, which occurred Feb. 2, 1886.  He was a man of distinct individuality, noble character and high intellectuality, having been for a quarter of a century a successful teacher in the district schools, while for nine years he was a member of the school board of Union township.  He was a zealous advocate of the principles of the Democratic party and was influential in public affairs of a local nature.  For three years he was incumbent of the office of justice of the peace, and also' served several years as township trustee, commanding the unqualified confidence and respect of all with whom he came in contact in the various relations of life.      On the 9th of March, 1843, Alfred A. Hull was united in marriage to Margaret Kirkley, who was born in Madison county Ohio, on Sept. 5, 1818, the daughter of William and Mary Kirkley, natives respectively of Virginia and Maryland and honored pioneers of Madison county.  Mr. Kirkley assisted in raising the first log house erected in what is now the city of Urbana, Champaign county.  The cherished and devoted wife and mother was summoned into eternal rest on the 26th of December, 1886, and three of her children yet survive, the subject of this review having been the second in order of birth.      Benjamin F. Hull was but one year of age when his parents returned from Illinois to Madison county, and was eight years old when, in 1855, they came to Champaign county, as has already been mentioned, so that he has here passed practically his entire life, receiving his educational discipline in the public schools and so applying himself as to become eligible for pedagogic honors, as is evident when we revert to the fact that he was for nearly twenty years a successful teacher in this county, gaining marked prestige in this profession.  His marriage occurred in 1873, and he continued to teach for nine years thereafter, then locating on his present finely improved farmstead in Union township, the same now comprising four hundred and fourteen acres and being one of the best properties of the sort in this section of the state.  Here he has a fine modern residence and other excellent buildings, while his progressive methods and marked business discrimination have enabled him to attain exceptional success in his farming enterprise.  He is one of hte substantial and influential men of this locality and is held in the highest esteem as a man and a citizen.  In politics he accords a stanch allegiance to the Democratic party, though he has no political ambition in the matter of desiring official preferment.  He has been a member of the board of trustees of the Champaign County Children's Home for thirteen yeas, and is a director of the Farmers' Bank, at Mechanicsburg.  Fraternally he is identified with both the lodge and encampment of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows.      On the 24th of December, 1873, Mr. Hull was united in marriage to Miss Sarah J. Ropp, who was born in Virginia May 2, 1850, the daughter of John W. and Almira V. (Penhorn) Ropp, who came to Clark county, Ohio, when she was a child of four years and settled in Champaign county in 1882.  Mr. Ropp and his wife there spent the remainder of their lives, the former passing away in 1894 and his wife in 1890.  They were the parents of three children, namely: George E., Sarah J., and Camelia.  Mr. and Mrs. Hull have one son, Esten C., who was born Sept. 6, 876, and is now a traveling salesman for the celebrated concern of W. H. Baker & Company, manufactures of cocoa and chocolate, of New York City.  He attended the Willis Commercial College, at Springfield, Ohio, and the Literary College situated at Ada, Hardin county, finishing his education in 1894, then came home and has been a commercial salesman since, being at the head of his class in the state. Source:  A Centennial Biographical History of Champaign Co., Ohio - Illustrated - New York and Chicago - The Lewis Publishing Company - 1902 - Page 571