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CHAMPAIGN COUNTY, OHIO
History & Genealogy

   

BIOGRAPHIES

A CENTENNIAL
BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY
OF
CHAMPAIGN COUNTY, OHIO

Illustrated
New York and Chicago
The Lewis Publishing Company
1902

A B C D E F G H I J K L M
N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

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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) LoderAaron 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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