BIOGRAPHIES
A CENTENNIAL
BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY
OF
CHAMPAIGN COUNTY, OHIO
Illustrated
New York and Chicago
The Lewis Publishing Company
1902
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Robt. Sanders |
ROBERT SANDERS.
It is with satisfaction that the biographer adverts to the life
history of one who has attained the maximum of success in any
vocation to which he has directed his thought and effort,
whether it be one of calm but consecutive endeavor or of
meteoric accomplishment, and such a life must ever offer both
lesson and incentive. The subject of this review is a
native of that fair land of hills and heather, bonnie Scotland,
and that in his character abide those sterling traits which mark
the individuality of the Scottish type is manifest when we come
to consider the more salient points in his life history, which
has been one marked by constant application, invincible spirit,
sturdy loyalty and unwavering honor. - attributes which have
most naturally eventuated in securing to him a high place in the
respect and esteem of his fellow men and in the attainment of a
definite and worthy success in connection with the practical
activities of life. He is known as one of the
representative citizens and business men of the progressive city
of Urbana, Champaign county, where he has maintained his home
for nearly half a century and where he has been consecutively
identified with an industrial enterprise of no secondary scope
and importance. He has achieved success through his own
efforts, and now, as the shadows of his life begin to lengthen,
he rests secure in the confidence and good will of those who
know him and in the tangible rewards of honest toil and endeavor
protracted over the course of many years.
Mr. Sanders is a native of Linlithgow,
Scotland, where he was born on the 24th of January, 1826. being
the son of Robert and Elizabeth (Forgie)
Sanders, who passed their entire lives in Scotland.
There the father of our subject followed the vocation of a glue
manufacturer, and this fact had unmistakable influence in
shaping the future career of his son and namesake, who learned
the business in all its details, becoming identified with the
same when but twelve years of age, so that it may be inferred
that his early educational advantages were some what limited in
scope.
In 1849, at the age of twenty-three years, Mr.
Sanders severed the ties which bound him to home and
native land, and valiantly set forth to seek his fortunes in
America. He first located in Chillicothe, Ohio, where he
remained two years, having there built and supervised the
operation of a glue factory, which was owned by Alexander
Fraser. Thence he proceeded to the city of
Columbus, where he was identified with the same line of
enterprise about one and one-half years, and in 1853 he came to
Urbana, which has since been his home and the field of his
honorable and successful business operations. Here he
became associated with Messrs. Moore and
Mosgrove in the establishing of a glue factory, the three
being thus concerned in the enterprise for a period of two
years, at the expiration of which our subject became the sole
proprietor, and thereafter continued the business until 1900,
when he ceased the manufacture of glue, but continued the
production of soap, which had been made an important adjunct of
the enterprise a score of years ago. The present factory,
which is finely equipped was erected in 1884, and here Mr.
Sanders continues to give his personal attention to the
business, through the medium of which he has attained a
competency, while the undertaking has been of signal benefit in
connection with the industrial activities of the city. The
enterprise had a modest inception, but correct methods of
business and careful management have brought in their train a
consecutive growth, and the attending results have been most
gratifying from every standpoint. In 1885 Mr.
Sanders completed the erection of his handsome brick
residence in College Way, the same being one of the most
attractive homes in the city.
In his political, allegiance Mr. Sanders
is arrayed with the Republican party, but has never had time or
inclination to enter the domain of public life in any official
capacity. More than half a century ago, on the 26th of
February, 1850, while still a resident of Scotland, Mr.
Sanders became a member of the Independent Order of Odd
Fellows, and he still retains his vital interest in the affairs
of this fraternity, being an honored member of Urbana Lodge, No.
46. in Urbana.
Mr. Sanders has been twice married.
In 1853 Maria Andover became his wife, she having
been born in America, of Scotch ancestry, and her death occurred
in 1869, there having been no issue of this union. In 1871
Mr. Sanders was united in marriage to Miss
Christina McDonald, who was born in Scotland,
whence she accompanied her parents on their emigration to
America, the family locating in Chillicothe, Ohio. Our
subject and his wife are both devoted members of the
Presbyterian church, taking an active interest in its work.
To them were born two daughters: Jessie, who died in
infancy; and Olive May, who is the wife of
Charles Ernest Affeld, of Chicago.
Source: A Centennial Biographical History of Champaign
Co., Ohio - Illustrated - New York and Chicago - The Lewis
Publishing Company - 1902 - Page 374 |
John C. Sceva |
JOHN C SCEVA.
Mechanicsburg is fortunate in the possession of citizens who are
themselves not only creditable acquisitions to their respective
financial, professional, industrial or commercial environment,
but who have the added incentive of nativity, and are stimulated
to precedents established by pioneer fathers who, with splendid
zeal, worked out their destinies in the self-same surroundings.
Such a one is John C. Sceva, president of the Farmers'
Bank. and born in this city Nov. 21, 1838.
His parents, Nathaniel and Rosalin (Woodard) Sceva,
were born near New London, New Hampshire, the latter being a
daughter of James and Dollie (Dale) Woodard. After
the marriage of the parents they determined to seek the supposed
larger opportunities in Ohio, and, Champaign county, where the
latter lived for a few years, but passed their last days in
Mechanicsburg. Nathaniel Sceva was a carpenter by
trade, and was thus employed up to his fortieth year, thereafter
turning his attention in various directions. He possessed
marked executive ability, and was a man of progressive thought
and action. As a stanch upholder of Democratic principles
he left his impress upon several political offices, among them
that of county commissioner, which he held for one term.
During the presidential administration of Buchanan he
served a postmaster of this city. He died in 1872, at the
age of sixty-two years, and was survived by his wife until 1896,
at the age of a little over eighty. Both were members of
the Baptist church, and they were the parents of several
children. One of the sons, Benjamin F., was a
graduate of Union College, and served for four years in the
Civil war as a soldier in the Tenth New York Cavalry rising from
the rank of private to that of colonel of his regiment.
After the war he engaged in the practice of law in Washington,
D. C., in which city he died in 1876. John C. is
the second child in his father's family; James H. is a
farmer of Madison county, Ohio; Jennie is the wife of
Dr. A. L. Sidner, of Mechanicsburg; Horace M. is a
resident of Mechanicsburg and is engaged in dairy farming; and
Lewis C. is a lawyer of this town.
After completing his education in the public schools of
Mechanicsburg John C. Sceva spent two years at the Ohio
Wesleyan University at Delaware, Ohio. His first business
experience was acquired as a clerk in his father's general
store, and later in a dry-goods store, after which a partnership
was formed with his brother-in-law, C. W. Williams, in a
dry-goods business, which was amicably continued from 1865 until
1875. He was elected a director in the Farmers' Bank of
Mechanicsburg, which position he held for some years. Mr.
Sceva was made vice-president. and in 1901 succeeded to the
presidency. Through his marriage, in 1865, with Ella J.
Williams, who died in 1897, two children were born: Anna,
wife of F. M. Clements, of Mechanicsburg; and Hattie.
wife of E. A. Roberts, of Cleveland, Ohio. In 1899
Mr. Sceva married Mrs. Lida S. Hinckle, nee
Sanford. Politically a Democrat. he is yet liberal
enough to vote for the best man, but it cannot be said that he
has to any extent identified himself with general political
matters. He was postmaster under Cleveland's first
administration and held the office nearly five years.
Since 1857 he has been a member of the Methodist Episcopal
church, of which he is an official, and for eight years was
superintendent of the Sunday-school. He was a member of
the building committee of the church and has been treasurer of
the church a number of years. Mr. Sceva is one of
the substantial men of the city, and for his pronounced business
ability and many fine personal attributes deserves and receives
the appreciation of his community.
Source: A Centennial Biographical
History of Champaign Co., Ohio - Illustrated - New York and
Chicago - The Lewis Publishing Company - 1902 - Page 388 |
C. Shanely,
John Shanley,
Isaac Shanely,
Jacob Shanley,
David Shanely. |
CHRISTIAN SHANELY.
Among the early settlers and representative farmers of Harrison
township, and a veteran of the great Civil war, is Christian
Shanely, who was born in the southeastern part of
Indiana, about thirty miles west of Cincinnati, November 5,
1826, the third son and fifth child of John and Catherine (Haisch)
Shanely, whose history will be found in the sketch of their
eldest son, Jacob Shanley, in this volume.
When a small
boy our subject was taken by his parents to Shelby county, Ohio,
and a short time afterward the family came to Champaign county.
He received his education in the old-time log school houses of
the locality, with their greased paper windows and slab seats
and desks. After putting aside his text-books he assisted
his father in the work of the home farm until 1850, when he made
the journey to the Golden state, going direct to Sacramento
City, and about six months were spent on the road from St. Joe
across the plains with an ox team. After seven months
spent on the Pacific slope as a miner he returned by the water
route to New York City, whence he went to Albany and Buffalo and
finally reached his old home in Champaign county, where he
resumed the quiet pursuits of the farm. After his marriage
he located on a farm in Adams township, where he was engaged in
general farming and stock-raising until the Civil war prompted
his enlistment in the Union cause. In 1864 he became a
member of Company H, One Hundred and Thirty-fourth Ohio
Volunteer Infantry, entering the ranks as a private, but was
soon afterward promoted to the position of sergeant, and for
four months he served in the National Guards, under Colonel
Armstrong. They went to Cumberland, Missouri,
thence to Washington. thence to Petersburg and remained there
until discharged in the last part of August.
Returning to his home with a creditable military
record, Mr. Shanely again took up the quiet duties
of a farm life, and since that time has given his undivided
attention to the work of the fields. About 1890 he took up
his abode in Harrison township, where he now owns three hundred
acres of land, all of which he has placed under a fine state of
cultivation, and on this valuable homestead he has erected a
commodious and attractive residence. In addition to the
farm which he now owns he has also given two hundred and forty
acres to his sons and son-in-law.
In 1853 Mr. Shanely was united in marriage to
Susanna S. Calland, a daughter of William and Mary
(Armstrong) Calland, who came from Scotland to America in
1817, and they became prominent early settlers of Adams
township, Champaign county. In that locality Mrs.
Shanely was reared and educated, being the youngest in a
family of nine children, four sons and five daughters.
Mr. and Mrs. Shanely became the parents of three children, -
Mary C., the wife of L. A. Kumler; John W.,
who married Miss Lucy Alice Pierce; and Edwin, who
married Anna Sager. The loving wife and mother was
called to her final rest in 1879, and she was buried at Spring
Hill cemetery. In politics Mr. Shanely is a
Republican, he having cast his first presidential vote for
Lincoln in 1860, and he has continued to vote that ticket at
every presidential election since. He is a prominent and
worthy member of the United Brethren church, has always clung to
whatever is of "good repute," and his name is a synonym for all
that is honorable and straightforward.
Source: A Centennial Biographical
History of Champaign Co., Ohio - Illustrated - New York and
Chicago - The Lewis Publishing Company - 1902 - Page 640 |
* |
DAVID SHANELY.
In an enumeration of the prominent and successful farmers of
Champaign county a place of due relative priority must be given
to the gentleman whose name appears above and who is one of the
sterling citizens of the county, where he has passed his long
and useful life, being a representative of the honored pioneer
families of the county. He has a well improved and
valuable farm, which is located on section 2, Adams township,
and he has here devoted his attention to the great art of
husbandry from his childhood days, when he began to assist in
the work of clearing and cultivating the paternal homestead.
Mr. Shanely was born in Adams township on the
20th of June, 1830, being a son of John and Catherine (Haisch)
Shanely, to whom more specific reference is made in the
sketch of our subject's eldest brother, Jacob Shanely, on
another page of this work, so that a a recapitulation is not
demanded at this point. Our subject was reared on the old
homestead and there continued to devote his attention to its
work until his marriage, in 1860, when he began operations in
the same line on his own responsibility. \V hen the
integrity of the nation was menaced by armed rebellion Mr.
Shanely abandoned the plow for the sword, and in 1864
enlisted as a private in Company H, One Hundred and
Thirty-fourth Ohio Volunteer Infantry, with which he was in
active service for a period of about four months. At the
expiration of his term he returned to his home and resumed
farming, and to this industry he has ever since continued to
give his attention, also raising a high grade of live stock, and
has been very successful in his efforts, his landed estate now
comprising two hundred and twenty-seven acres, the greater
portion being under a high state of cultivation, while the
permanent improvements are of the best order, including a
commodious and attractive brick residence, which was erected by
Mr. Shanely in 1876. He has practically
retired from the active duties pertaining to the farm, but still
maintains a general supervision of his fine estate. He has
taken a lively interest in all that concerns the progress and
material and civic welfare of his native county, and is one of
the honored pioneer citizens, the family having been one of
prominence in the county from an early epoch in its history.
Mr. Shanely’s first presidential vote was cast for
Pierce in 1852; his next for Buchanan and the
third for Lincoln in 1860, since which time he has
remained a stalwart supporter of the Republican party, having
voted for every one of its presidential candidates from the time
of its organization. His religious faith is that of the
United Brethren church, and he has been an active worker in the
same, as has also his wife.
Mr. Shanely's first marriage was
solemnized in the year 1860, when he was united to Miss Sarah
J. Henry, and they became the parents of four children,
namely: John W., a farmer of Adams township, married
Cora Scoby; Alice is the wife of William
Long; Charles, who is a prominent physician and
surgeon at Sedgwood, North Dakota, and where he is also largely
engaged in agricultural pursuits, stock-raising and mining,
married Capsola Shopsher; and Lydia A. is
the wife of W. E. Pardington, of Shelby county, and a
member of the Ohio legislature. Mrs. Shanely was
summoned into eternal rest in 1872, and our subject subsequently
married Miss Lydia A. Wright who was born in Henry
county, Indiana. They have two children - Trina,
who is the wife of John Dormire; and Barbara C.,
who remains at the parental home. Mr. Shanely has
many times been offered official positions , but he has steadily
declined, as the emoluments of office have had little attraction
for him.
Source: A Centennial Biographical
History of Champaign Co., Ohio - Illustrated - New York and
Chicago - The Lewis Publishing Company - 1902 - Page 649
NOTE: See Christian Shanely for photo |
* |
ISAAC SHANELY.
The subject of this review is an honored hero of the Civil war
and a man who for many years has held a leading place among the
agriculturists of Champaign county. He was born on the
farm on which he now lives, Oct. 20, 1832, the youngest child of
John and Catharine (Haisch) Shanely, whose history will
be found in the sketch of Jacob
Shanley in this volume. When the country became
involved in civil war Isaac Shanely left his home and
went to the front as a defender of the Union cause, enlisting
Nov. 21, 1861, as a member of Company I, Forty-second Ohio
Volunteer Infantry. Entering the ranks as a private, he
was soon promoted to the position of quartermaster, and in that
capacity participated in many of the hard-fought battles of the
war. In the engagement at Port Gibson he received a Rebel
bullet in the neck and shoulder, and for a time thereafter was
confined in the hospital at Grand Gulf, but on the 21st of June
following he rejoined his company and was present at the siege
of Vicksburg. On the 2d of December, 1864, he received an
honorable discharge and returned to his home. He now
receives a pension of six dollars in compensation for his
services.
Throughout his entire life he has resided on the old
Shanely homestead, which was entered by his father in 1820,
and he still has in his possession the original patent from the
government. In 1874 he erected one of the finest
residences in the county, at a cost of five thousand dollars.
His farm contains three hundred and twenty acres of rich and
fertile land. He has always followed advanced and
progressive methods of agriculture, and his place is neat and
thrifty in appearance, owing to his consecutive labors and
careful supervision. In 1868 he was united in marriage to
Barbara A. Shaffer, a daughter of John and Catherine
(Howard) Shaffer natives of Germany. Mrs. Shanely
was also born in that country, but when four years of age was
brought by her parents to America, the family locating first in
Logan county, Ohio, and afterward came to Champaign county.
She is the eldest child of her mother's first marriage, and she
was reared and educated in this county. By her marriage to
Mr. Shanely she has become the mother of five children,
namely: L. Grant, who married Josephine C. Staley;
Callie C., deceased; Elizabeth Jane, also
deceased; George C. who was born in 1875 and is still at
home; and Isaac N., also at home. The family are
members of the United Brethren church, in which Mr. Shanely
has served as a trustee for forty years and is an active worker
for the cause of Christianity. Since returning from the
war he has given a stanch support to the Republican party, and
in his social relations he isa member of the Grand Army of the
Republic. In the growth and upbuilding of Champaign county
he has ever borne his part, has been honorable in business,
loyal in friendship, faithful in citizenship, and now in his
declining years he can look back over the past with little
occasion for regret.
Source: A Centennial Biographical
History of Champaign Co., Ohio - Illustrated - New York and
Chicago - The Lewis Publishing Company - 1902 - Page 651
NOTE: See Christian Shanely for photo |
* |
JACOB SHANLEY.
Many years have passed since this gentleman arrived in Champaign
county, and he is justly numbered among her honored pioneers and
leading citizens. He was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, Apr.
27, 1822, a son of John and Catherine (Haisch) Shanley,
natives of Wittenberg, Germany. The father was a soldier
under Napoleon Bonaparte and was with him on his
march to Moscow. Out of the twenty who enlisted with him
from the same town he is the only one who returned from the
fatal march. In 1816 they left their little home across
the sea and came to America, locating in Cincinnati, Ohio, and
on their arrival they were in debt to the amount of sixty
dollars. For the following five years the father worked as
a laborer in Cincinnati, after which he removed to Indiana, but
two years later came again to this state, and from that time
until 1830 farmed on rented land near the town of Miami.
In that year they took up their abode on a rented farm in Shelby
county, but a short time afterward came to Adams township,
Champaign county, where Mr. Shanley had previously
purchased one hundred and sixty acres of land, and here they
spent the remainder of their lives, the father passing away in
his sixty-seventh year, while the mother reached the good old
age of seventy-nine years, both passing away in the faith of the
United Brethren church, of which they were worthy and active
members. The church in which they worshipped was built on
their land. A little log cabin first served as their
meeting place, but this was later replaced by a more pretentious
frame structure, and the latter was succeeded by a brick church,
all built on the same site. This worthy couple became the
parents of seven children, five sons and two daughters, namely:
Catherine, deceased; Sophia, also deceased;
Jacob, of this review; John, a resident of Adams
township, Champaign county; Christian, who makes his home
in both Adams and Harrison townships; David, of the
former place; and Isaac, also of Adams township.
Four of the sons were loyal defenders of the Union cause during
the war of the Rebellion, and as a partial compensation for the
trials which they were called upon to undergo in that terrible
struggle they are now drawing pensions.
Jacob Shanley, of this review, was about
ten- years of age when he was brought by his parents to
Champaign county, and in a primitive log school house in this
neighborhood he received his early mental training. The
teachers at that time were paid the munificent sum of ten
dollars a month. In 1846, in company with a friend, he
drove to the present site of Dubuque, Iowa, but at that time
this now flourishing city had not been organized, and during the
following summer he was there employed at farm labor.
Returning thence to his home in Champaign county, he spent the
winter in attending the district school, and in the spring made
the journey to Iowa, where he remained but a few months and then
returned to his Ohio home. In 1849 he started on the long
and arduous trip to the Golden state, the journey being made
with ox teams, and on his arrival at Salt Lake City a halt was
made of one week. While there he had the pleasure of
hearing Brigham Young preach, and also saw all of
his wives in a group, he having been invited to the July
celebration, the second anniversary of the arrival of Brigham
Young in Salt Lake City. Continuing his journey to
the Pacific coast, he mined for a time on the Yuba river, and
after two years spent in California he returned by the water
route to New York City. He crossed the isthmus of Panama
on foot. From New York City he made his way to Pittsburg
and thence to Philadelphia, where he disposed of his gold dust
for three thousand dollars. Resuming his journey to the
Buckeye state, he remained for a time in Cincinnati and Piqua,
and on his return to Champaign county he purchased the farm on
which he now resides, which at that time consisted of one
hundred and twenty-five acres. In addition to his valuable
homestead Mr. Shanley also owns two farms in
Shelby county. one of one hundred and seven acres and the other
of one hundred and sixty-five acres, thus making his landed
possessions to consist of nine hundred acres.
On the 24th of' February, 1853, Mr. Shanley
was united in marriage to Caroline Dormire, who
was born in France Dec. 20, 1833, a daughter of Christian and
Magdalena (Baron) Dormire, also natives of that country.
They came to America about 1840, and after their arrival in New
York they made their way to Shelby county, Ohio. They,
too, were very poor when they arrived in Ohio, and they were
twenty dollars in debt. They succeeded in borrowing
seventy dollars, and with this amount purchased twenty acres of
land in Shelby county. They were the parents of six
children, but two of the number died in infancy and the
remaining four accompanied them on their journey to America.
The mother was called to her final rest at the age of
seventy-four years, but the father survived until his
eighty-first year. Mrs. Shanley is their
third child in order of birth and is the oldest now living, her
brothers and sisters being: Margaret, the wife of
Lewis Bailar, who resides in Glenwood Springs,
Colorado; John, of Portland, Indiana; and David,
of Shelby county, Ohio. Mrs. Shanley was
about seven years of age when she came with her parents to
America and she was reared in Shelby county. this state,
receiving her education in its district schools. Two
children have blessed the marriage of our subject and wife, -
David, who was born in 1854, and is still at home; and
Laura E., the wife of Emerson E. Gard, of Clark
county. He is a prominent grain dealer near Tremont City,
where he also owns an elevator and is engaged in the coal, oil,
lumber and hardware business. They have two children,
Frank J. and Mary C. At the present time Mr.
and Mrs. Shanley are residing on their old homestead in
Adams township and are one of the oldest couples in the
township. They are active members and liberal supporters
of the United Brethren church, and Mr. Shanley is
a lifelong Democrat, although he has been the only one of his
father’s family to vote that ticket. Highly esteemed by
all who know them, the uniform regard in which they are held is
a tribute to upright lives, - well worthy of emulation.
Source: A Centennial Biographical
History of Champaign Co., Ohio - Illustrated - New York and
Chicago - The Lewis Publishing Company - 1902 - Page 644
NOTE: See Christian Shanely for photo |
* |
JOHN SHANLEY.
This honored veteran of the Civil war, who has now reached the
seventy-eighth milestone on the journey of life, is one of the
honored pioneers of Champaign county. He was born in the
southeastern part of Indiana, near Cincinnati, Aug. 4, 1824, and
is the second son and fourth child of John and Catherine (Haisch)
Shanley, whose history will be found in the sketch of
Jacob Shanley in this volume. Our subject was about
six years of age when he was brought by his parents to Adams
township, Champaign county, and the educational advantages which
he enjoyed in his youth were received in its public schools.
He remained at home until his marriage, and soon afterward, in
December, 1861, he offered his services in defense of the Union
cause, entering Company I, Forty-second Ohio Volunteer Infantry,
in which he served for three years. During his military
career he participated in eleven of the important battles of the
war, including those of Middle Creek, Vicksburg. Grand Gulf,
Thompson’s Hill, Cumberland Gap and Pain's Gap. During the
engagement at Vicksburg he was struck in the cheek by a spent
ball, in 1864 he received his discharge, and with an honorable
military record he returned to his home.
Previous to entering the army Mr. Shanley
had followed the wagon making business, and after his return
home he resumed that occupation, but soon afterward sold out and
purchased the farm which he now owns. His landed
possessions now consist of one hundred and sixty acres of well
improved and productive land, where he is engaged in general
farming and stock-raising. From a very early period he has been
prominently identified with the history of this section of the
state. Wild was the region into which he came when a boy
of six years; its forests stood in their primeval strength, and
the prairie land was still unbroken, and throughout the years
which have since come and gone he has nobly borne his share in
its progress and upbuilding. Throughout the years of his
manhood he has given an unwavering support to the principles of
the Republican party, and religiously he is a member of the
United Brethren church.
In 1864 Mr. Shanley was united in
marriage to Fatima Henry, who was born and reared
in Shelby county, Ohio, and is a daughter of Richard and
Barbara Henry, prominent early settlers of Shelby county.
Four children have blessed this union, namely: R. Mark,
who is engaged in
the oil business at Jennings, Louisiana; David D., a
grain dealer of Mendon, Ohio; Lola, the wife of George
Wirick, of Adams township, Champaign county; and
Estella, the wife of Harvey Princehouse, who
follows the teacher’s profession in Shelby county. Mr.
and Mrs. Shanley also have four grandchildren, - Laura,
Ethel and R. Emmitt Wirick and Jessie
Princehouse. The family are among the best known
citizens of Champaign county, and their friends are legion.
Source: A Centennial Biographical
History of Champaign Co., Ohio - Illustrated - New York and
Chicago - The Lewis Publishing Company - 1902 - Page 647
NOTE: See Christian Shanely for photo |
Mr. and Mrs.
Winfield T.Shrigley
|
WINFIELD T. SHRIGLEY.
For many years W. T. Shrigley has been identified with
the agricultural interests of Champaign county. He was
born in Coshocton county, Ohio, on the 31st of August, 1847, son
of James and Eliza (Shaffer) Shrigley. The former,
a coal miner by occupation, was a native of Ohio, of Dutch and
Irish descent, and was a soldier in the war of the Rebellion.
The mother was born in Loudoun county, Virginia, and was of
German descent. In their family were three sons and two
daughters.
W. T. Shrigley, the eldest in order of birth of
five children, enjoyed the advantages afforded by the common
schools of his native county, and during the summer months
assisted in the work of the home farm. On the 4th of
April, 1883, he arrived in Champaign county, and immediately
located on the farm on which he still resides. He has ever
been an active worker in the ranks of the Republican party.
In 1892 he was elected to the office of township trustee, and
for six years served in that position, while for many years he
has been a school director. At one time he enlisted in the
independent militia, and later re-enlisted for a three years
term, but on account of his age and size he was rejected, and he
now holds an honorable discharge. In his social relations
he is a member of the Junior Order of American Mechanics.
On the 19th of October, 1880, Mr. Shrigley was
united in marriage to Mrs. Rebecca (Loder) Williams, a
native of Coshocton county, Ohio, and a daughter of Aaron and
Rebecca (Darling) Loder. Aaron Loder was born
in Pennsylvania and remained there until the age of twelve or
fourteen, when he removed to Coshocton county, Ohio, where he
became a successful farmer and died at about the age of
seventy-six years. His wife was born in Coshocton county,
her father being James Darling, a farmer and
stock-raiser, who achieved great success in that line of
business. Mrs. Shrigley, the youngest of the
ten children of Aaron and Rebecca Loder, was born in
1848, and in her native county she was reared to years of
maturity. By her marriege to Mr. Shrigley
she has became the mother of two children, - Winfield L.,
born Dec. 30, 1882, at home; and Leatha May, born
September 25, 1891, who is now eleven years of age. No one
in the community enjoys a better reputation, for word or deed
than Mr. Shrigley, and when a man stands high in
the estimation of the people who have known him during the
greater part of his life no greater testimonial to his worth can
be given.
Source: A Centennial Biographical
History of Champaign Co., Ohio - Illustrated - New York and
Chicago - The Lewis Publishing Company - 1902 - Page 68 |
M. M. Snodgrass |
MORTON M. SNODGRASS.
From out a childhood heavy with responsibility, and brightened
by few of the helpful and encouraging smiles of fortune,
Morton M. Snodgrass, one of the well known grocers of
Mechanicsburg, has evolved a thrifty business and good name and
gained a fair competence. In this town, which claims him
as an honored citizen, he was born June 23, 1861 and the Civil
war then thundering at the gates of peace brought desolation and
loss into the humble home where there were four other sons and
two daughters. The father, Henry Milton
Snodgrass, left his native state of Virginia when a young
man, and after settling in Champaign county married Amanda
Shepherd. a native of this section and daughter of
Joshua Shepherd, one of the early pioneers of
Champaign county. The elder Snodgrass was a
blacksmith by trade, and with his country's need of strong men
exchanged his musical anvil for the deadly armament of war.
As a soldier in Company I, Sixty-sixth Ohio Volunteer Infantry,
he served until the memorable battle of Lookout Mountain, from
which field of carnage he was conveyed wounded to a hospital in
Philadelphia, where his death occurred in 1863. He was
brought home for burial, and almost immediately want and
deprivation settled over the hitherto happy home.
With the other children in the family Morton M.
Snodgrass was introduced to labor as soon as his growing
strength permitted, and his opportunities for acquiring an
education were hampered by the necessity of providing his share
towards the family maintenance. Nevertheless,
in his environment of work he gained much that the schools
cannot give, and at the age of fourteen had a fund of common
sense of invaluable use in his capacity as an employe in a
hardware establishment in Mechanicsburg. At the end of six
years he resolved to try his luck in Wisconsin, where he
remained for three years as a clerk for a large lumbering
concern. Upon returning to this town he embarked in a
small way in the grocery business, and his honest methods and
fair treatment of the public have won a deserved patronage.
His experience in his chosen occupation was acquired first as a
clerk, and during the four years in this position he learned the
business from the bottom up.
In 1883 Mr. Snodgrass married Anna
Williams, and of this union there has been a son and
daughter, the latter of whom is deceased. Mr.
Snodgrass is a Republican in political affiliation, but has
so devotedly attended to business that no thought of political
honors have entered into his calculations. Fraternally he
is associated with the Royal Arch Masons and with the Knights of
Pythias. He is also a stockholder and director in the
Central Bank. In April, 1902, he was elected president of
the board of education after having served for three years as a
member of the board.
Source: A Centennial Biographical
History of Champaign Co., Ohio - Illustrated - New York and
Chicago - The Lewis Publishing Company - 1902 - Page 368 |
James P. Spain |
JAMES P. SPAIN.
The spirit of a pure and noble life burn-ed within the earthly
tenement of the man of whom we write, and when the soul took its
flight to purer regions and a better state those who mourned
most deeply were those who knew him best. Mr.
Spain died in the prime of a prolific and useful manhood,
and though more than thirty-five years have passed since he
journeyed to "that undiscovered country from whose bourne no
traveler returns,” his name is still held in grateful memory in
his native county, while appreciation of his loyal services as a
surgeon in the Union ranks during the war of the Rebellion, that
greatest of all civil and internecine conflicts, will not be
forgotten by his old comrades in blue or by others cognizant of
his loyal and devoted service in a cause whose victory he did
not long survive.
James F. Spain was born in the village of
Mechanicsburg, Champaign county, Ohio, on the 26th of June,
1832. He was reared in his native town, securing his early
educational discipline in the local schools and preparing
himself for the vocation of a teacher. He took up the
study of medicine and finally entered one of the leading medical
colleges of the city of Chicago, where he was graduated,
defraying his expenses by teaching and being principal of the
Mechanicsburg public school at the time of his marriage, his
wife having been simultaneously a teacher in the schools of that
village. He was in the active practice of his profession
for only a comparatively brief interval and was incumbent of the
office of treasurer of Champaign county in 1865, when his
patriotism led him to enlist as a surgeon in the One Hundred and
Thirty-fourth Ohio Volunteer Infantry, with which he served
until the regiment was mustered out, when he resumed his
official duties as treasurer of his native county, being
re-elected to this office, of which he was incumbent at the time
of his death, which occurred on the 4th of October, 1867.
He was a member of the Masonic lodge at Mechanicsburg and at the
time of his death a Knight Templar, always being very zealous
and enthusiastic in the cause of his order. He was a
Republican in his political views, and his religious faith was
that of the Presbyterian church, of which his widow is also a
devoted member. He was a man of high intellectuality and
inflexible integrity, his untimely death ending an honorable and
useful career.
On Christmas day, 1855, Mr. Spain was
united in marriage to Miss Ellen R. Wilson, an associate
teacher in the Mechanicsburg schools, as has already been
stated. She was born in Geauga county, Ohio, the daughter
of S. L. and Lydia Wilson, natives of New York.
Mrs. Spain completed her education in the Ohio
Wesleyan University, in the city of Delaware, and thence removed
to Mechanicsburg to engage in pedagogic work, in which she was
popular and successful. She became the mother of one
child, Lydia A., who was but seven months of age at the
time of her father's death and who is now the wife of John R.
Ross, a representative business man of Urbana, in which city
Mrs. Spain has maintained her home since the death of her
husband. She takes an active interest in the work of the
Presbyterian church, is a woman of gentle refinement and
gracious presence and retains the love of a wide circle of
friends in the community where she has so long made her home.
Source: A Centennial Biographical
History of Champaign Co., Ohio - Illustrated - New York and
Chicago - The Lewis Publishing Company - 1902 - Page 520 |
|
FERDINAND F. STONE.
A work of this nature exercises its highest function when it
enters a memoir of a man who stood representative of the best
citizenship and maxims of usefulness in connection with the
practical activities of life and whose lineage was of that
distinguished order which can not but be a source of pride and
satisfaction to every worthy scion. In the envious and
laborious struggle for an honorable competence and solid career
on the part of the average business man, fighting the every-day
battles of life, there is but little to attract the idle reader
in search of a sensational chapter; but for a mind thoroughly
awake to the reality and meaning of human existence there are
noble and enduring lessons in the life of a man who conquers
fortune and gains not only the temporal rewards of his toil and
endeavor, but also that which is greater and higher, the respect
and confidence of those with whom he has come in contact.
Ferdinand Fairfax Stone was an able
business man, a public spirited citizen, a loyal friend and one
who enriched the world by his services and his example. In
noting those who have been prominent and honored in the business
and social circles of Urbana there is imperative necessity that
due tribute be paid to one whose life was of so signal honor and
usefulness. As detailed record concerning the genealogy of
Mr. Stone is entered in the sketch of his brother,
S. L. P. Stone, on other pages of this work, it will not be
necessary to recapitulate at this point, since ready reference
may be made to the article mentioned.
Ferdinand F. Stone was born in Hampshire county,
Virginia, on the 2d of April, 1841, the son of Ferdinand and
Mary (Pigeon) Stone. He continued to reside in his
native county until he had attained the age of seventeen years.
After duly profiting by such advantages as were afforded in the
common schools he pursued his studies for a time in the college
at Emmitsburg, Maryland, thus securing a good practical
education as the basis for an active business career. He
was employed as clerk in a mercantile establishment in 1858, and
resigned this position to accompany his parents on their removal
to Urbana, Ohio, in that year. Here he soon afterward
secured a clerkship in the hardware establishment of William
M. Young, but in 1863 he went to the far west, becoming one
of the pioneer hardware merchants of Colorado and Montana, which
were then on the very frontier of civilization, and remaining in
that section until 1868, when he returned to Urbana, where he
remained until the fall of the following year, when his marriage
occurred, and soon afterward he removed to Mansfield, Ohio,
where he was successfully engaged in the hardware business until
1872, when he came again to Urbana and here associated himself
with his brother, Samuel L. P. Stone, in the establishing
of a hardware business, under the firm
name of Stone Brothers, which has been continued
to the present time, the enterprise having grown to be one of
wide scope and importance and being one of the principal ones of
the sort in this section of the state. Our subject gave to
the undertaking the benefit of his mature judgment, practical
and effective methods and inflexible integrity of purpose, and
through his efforts to a large extent was gained the high
reputation which the house has ever enjoyed, his interest in the
same being still retained by his family. Mr.
Stone continued to be actively identified with this
enterprise until the close of his useful and honorable life, his
death occurring on the 30th of August, 1898. He was held
in the highest esteem in the community and was one of the
popular citizens of Urbana. In politics he gave his
allegiance to the Democratic party, but never consented to
accept official preferment of any sort. He was prominently
identified with the Masonic fraternity, in which he rounded.
the circle of the York Rite, having been a member of the local
commandery of Knights Templar.
On the 12th of October, 1869, was solemnized the
marriage of Mr. Stone to Miss Agnes A. Lee,
who was born- in Livonia, New York, the daughter of Dr. Enoch
M. and Mary (Chamberlain) Lee, who became residents of
Urbana in 1858, and here the father continued in the active
practice of dentistry for two score years, his death occurring
on Dec. 23, 1889. Mr. and Mrs. Stone became the
parents of two children, - Montana, who is the wife of
Dr. E. W. Ludlow, of Urbana; and Lee Ferdinand,
who married Miss Catherine Squares and who
is identified with the business of the firm of Stone
Brothers, being, one of the able and popular young business
men of this city.
Source: A Centennial Biographical
History of Champaign Co., Ohio - Illustrated - New York and
Chicago - The Lewis Publishing Company - 1902 - Page 588 |
S. L. P. Stone |
SAMUEL L. P. STONE.
In this age of colossal enterprise and marked intellectual
energy the prominent and successful men in any community are
those whose abilities, persistence and courage lead them into
undertakings of large scope, and to assume the responsibilities
and labors of leaders in their respective vocations.
Success is methodical and consecutive, - the result of the
determined application of one's abilities and powers along the
rigidly defined line of labor. Prominent among the
progressive and representative business men of the city of
Urbana is numbered Mr. Stone, who stands at the
head of the extensive hardware house conducted under the firm
name of Stone Brothers and who has been
consecutively identified with this enterprise for more than a
quarter of a century, the interest of his deceased brother, the
late Ferdinand F. Stone, being still retained in the
business, which involves both wholesale and retail operations
and which is one of the most important of the sort in central
Ohio. Indefatigable, honorable and well directed industry
has been the conservator of the marked success which has
attended the efforts of our subject, and he has long been a
factor in the commercial and civic life of Urbana, where he
commands unequivocal confidence and esteem, by reason of his
sterling manhood and useful life.
Samuel Lukins Pigeon Stone
is a native of the Old Dominion, having been born in Hampshire
county, Virginia, on the 24th of July, 1838, the son of
Ferdinand and Mary (Pigeon) Stone, the former of whom was
born in Pennsylvania, of German lineage, and the latter in
Lynchburg, Virginia, her ancestral line tracing back to English
origin, while both were birthright members of that gentle and
noble religious sect, the Society of Friends. They became
the parents of five children, namely: John H. P., a
prominent citizen of Urbana; Joseph S., who was a leading
physician of Denver, Colorado, and who is now deceased; Sarah
E., who died at the age of eight years; Ferdinand
Fairfax, who was associated with our subject in business and
who died in 1898; and Samuel L. P., to whom this sketch
is dedicated. The father was born in 1803 and died in
Urbana in 1874, his widow, who was born in 1804, passing away in
1884. They came to Urbana in July, 1858, and here passed
the remainder of their lives, the father having been engaged in
the milling business here during the entire period of his
residence. He was a Democrat in his political
proclivities, and his religious faith was that of the Lutheran
church, while his wife, though a Quaker by birth, became a
devoted member of the Presbyterian church.
Samuel L. P. Stone was a youth of nineteen years
when the family came to Urbana, and his educational discipline
involved the curriculum of the public schools of the day, and
this was effectively supplemented by a course of study in
Edwards College, at Piedmont, Virginia, where he was graduated
prior to his coming to Ohio. He learned the milling trade
under the effective direction of his father, being connected
with the enterprise in Urbana for four years, at the expiration
of which he here engaged in the grocery business, under the firm
name of Stone & O'Connor, thus continuing one year, aiter
which he individually continued in the same line of enterprise
for the ensuing decade, from 1862 to 1872, in which latter year
was given inception to the important business of which he is now
the head. He was associated with his brother Ferdinand
in the establishing of a hardware business, under the firm
name of Stone Brothers, which has ever since been
maintained, the enterprise being cal-ably managed and expanding
in scope and importance with the development of the city and
county. It is now one of the best equipped concerns of the
sort in this section of the state and the business has extensive
ramifications, being both wholesale and retail in character and
implying the handling of a most complete and comprehensive
stock, including heavy and shelf hardware, glass, paints and
oils, builders' supplies, implements, glass, etc. The
commodious headquarters are most eligibly located at 107 North
Main street. where three stories of a substantial business block
are utilized, and also a two-story warehouse. giving an
aggregate floor space of sixty-one thousand square feet, from
which statement may be gleaned an idea as to the stock carried.
As has been well said of Mr. Stone, he "has during
his active business career won a measure of popularity,
confidence and respect in Urbana that is second to that of no
other member of the commercial circles of this progressive
city." He has other important local interests aside from
that already mentioned, being a member of the directorate of the
Citizens' National Bank; treasurer of the Perpetual Building &
Loan Association, of which he was one of the organizers; and is
treasurer of the Urbana Art Ice Company.
Ever alive to the duties of citizenship, and
maintaining a distinctive interest in all that concerns the
progress and material prosperity of his home city, Mr.
Stone is known as a thoroughly generous and public spirited
citizen. He gives an uncompromising allegiance to the
Democratic party and has been an active advocate of its cause.
He was appointed postmaster of Urbana during Cleveland's first
administration and served in that capacity for nearly five
years, doing much to promote the efficiency of service and
giving an able administration of the affairs of the office.
In the spring of 1902 Mr. Stone received the
Democratic nomination for mayor of Urbana and was elected by a
majority of sixty-three votes, and when we revert to the fact
that the average Republican majority in the city is about four
hundred votes, the significance of Mr. Stone's
election becomes the more pronounced and indicates the strong
hold he has upon popular confidence and esteem in his home city.
During the war of the Rebellion Mr. Stone
was a member of Company A, of the Ohio Home Guards, with which
he continued to be identified for a period of five years, his
company having been in active service at the time of Morgan's
memorable raid. Fraternally he is prominently identified
with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, holding member
ship in both the lodge and encampment and having represented the
same in the respective grand bodies of the order in the state,
while he is also a member of the lodge and uniform rank of the
Knights of Pythias.
On the 27th of September, 1871, Mr. Stone
was united in marriage to Miss Julia F. Geiger, daughter
of the late Judge Levi Geiger, one of Urbana's
distinguished citizens, and they have four children living:
Ida May the wife of George McConnell, of Urbana;
Levi G. and Ferdinand F., who remain at the
parental home, being able assistants in the store of their
father; and S. L. P., Jr.
Source: A Centennial Biographical
History of Champaign Co., Ohio - Illustrated - New York and
Chicago - The Lewis Publishing Company - 1902 - Page 480 |
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