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BIOGRAPHIES
Source:
A Standard History of Springfield and Clark County,
Ohio
An Authentic Narrative of the Past, with Particular Attention
to the Modern Era in the Commercial, Industrial,
Educational, Civic and Social Development
--
Prepared Under the Editorial Supervision of
Dr. Benjamin F. Prince
President Clark County Historical Society
--
Assisted by a Board of Advisory Editors
--
Volumes 2
--
Published by
The American Historical Society
Chicago and New York
1922
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TO 1922 BIOGRAPHICAL INDEX >
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EDWARD H. SMITH, M.
D. For a period of almost forty-five years
Dr. Edward H. Smith has been at the service of the
community of South Vienna as a physician and surgeon.
He is one of the oldest members of the medical profession in
Clark County and also one of the county’s most highly
respected and useful citizens.
He was born on a farm in Franklin County, Ohio, Feb.
15, 1855, son of Josiah O. and Nancy (Lane) Smith,
the former a native of Maryland and the latter of Ohio.
Josiah Smith was born near Baltimore, lived
there until he was fourteen and then came to Ohio, acquiring
his education in both states. He studied law, was
admitted to the bar and for a number of years enjoyed a
successful practice as an attorney. He was a leader in
his locality in the democratic party, was a member of the
Christian Church and the Masonic Order. The children
of Josiah O. Smith and wife were: Mrs. Sarah A.
Worthington, deceased; Dr. Edward H.; Mrs.
Nevel, of West Jefferson, Ohio; Mrs. Louemma Weaver,
of South Vienna; Mrs. Theodosia Brant, of
Springfield; Wade H., of West Jefferson, veterinary
surgeon; Frank H., an attorney at Columbus; and
Alice, widow of James Redmand.
Dr. Edward H. Smith spent
his early life on the farm in Franklin County, living there
until he was seventeen. He acquired his education in
the public schools and normal schools, took up the study of
medicine privately and later entered the Starling Medical
College of Columbus, in 1875, and graduated with the M. D.
degree in 1878. Soon after his graduation he located
at South Vienna and has practiced here continuously.
He is a member in good standing of the Clark County and
State Medical Association, and in a business way is vice
president of the Farmers Deposit Bank of South Vienna.
June 4, 1879, Doctor Smith married Ida
May Ellinger. She was educated in the public
schools at South Vienna. They had one daughter,
Alena Ruth, who was educated in Wittenberg
College and Oxford College for Women, and is now the wife of
H. M. Saylor, cashier of the Farmers Deposit Bank. Doctor
and Mrs. Smith are members and liberal supporters of the
Methodist Episcopal Church and he is a past grand of South
Vienna Lodge No. 345, Independent Order of Odd Fellows,
while Mrs. Smith is past grand of the Rebekah
Lodge. In politics he is a republican.
SOURCE: A Standard History of Springfield and Clark County,
Ohio; Vol. 2; Benjamin F. Prince, 1922 - Page 229 |
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JAMES G. SMITH.
Forty odd years of his life has James G. Smith lived
in Springfield and vicinity. He has been a capable and
trustworthy citizen, a good business man, and is still
active as a cement contractor.
He was born in Monroe County, West Virginia, Apr. 13,
1859, son of Henry and Sarah (Smith) Smith, his
father a native of West Virginia, and his mother of old
Virginia. James G. Smith was educated in the common schools
of his native state and was nineteen years of age when he
came to Springfield. For a number of years he was
engaged in farm work and part of the time he lived in German
Township and was elected and served as assessor of that
township. He is a democrat in politics.
Since 1902 Mr. Smith has lived in
Springfield, was in stone quarry work for several years, and
in the meantime, in 1903, began contracting. His
experience covers all phases of cement and concrete, and he
has the facilities for executing promptly and efficiently
any contracts in that line. He has from five to six
men on his working force practically all the time. His
offices are at 1132 North Plum Street.
On June 30, 1880, Mr. Smith married
Margaret E. Sider, who was born at Terre Haute, Ohio,
daughter of Joseph and Martha (Pence) Sider, a native
of Hancock County, Ohio, and her mother of Clark County.
The children of Mr. and Mrs. Smith are: Harry C.,
of Pasadena, California, who married Dolly West;
Carrie, wife of Fred Doughman, of Springfield;
Myrtle, Mrs. Charles Curry, of
Springfield; Gladys, of Springfield Township; Ned
O., who lives at 1014 Lowry Avenue; Hugh, of
Youngstown, Ohio, who married Catherine Hannon;
Kenneth, of Pasadena, California; Loren, at
home; Mildred, Mrs. Orin Strayer,
of Springfield; and Ivan, who married Gladys
Selders and lives in Springfield.
SOURCE: A Standard History of Springfield and Clark County,
Ohio; Vol. 2; Benjamin F. Prince, 1922 - Page 256 |
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RILEY SMITH.
The work of the real estate man is varied and the
responsibilities resting upon him are frequently important,
for it often lies within his province to foster a local
spirit of civic pride. This accomplished, the
successful realtor reaches out for broader fields and
endeavors to attract to his city new blood and capital.
He in a measure develops the resources of his community,
popularizes it and directs the investment of its revenues
and management of many of its affairs, and much of this is
done through individual effort. Among the younger
realtors of Springfield who have gained positions of
importance through their activities in these directions is
Riley Smith, a real estate dealer and builder
of homes, and vice president of the Avondale Realty Company.
Mr. Smith was born in Ross County, Ohio,
near the Gillespieville Post Office in Liberty Township,
Sept. 3, 1883, a son of Simon Watson and Sarah (Tracy)
Smith, natives of the same county. Simon W.
Smith was born on the above farm, Sept. 15, 1858, and
was in the building and contracting business at Chillicothe,
Ohio, until coming to Springfield in 1916, since which time
he has been identified with his son’s building operations.
His wife, Sarah, was a daughter of William Tracy,
who was a native of Pennsylvania and came to Ross County,
Ohio, with his parents when he was a boy. In additions
to being a contractor at Gillespieville he was a local
minister of the Methodist Episcopal Church. Mrs.
Smith died at Chillicothe in May, 1910, aged
forty-nine years.
The pioneer of this branch of the Smith family was
Michael Smith, who was born in Harrison County,
Ohio, in 1810, one of twelve children who were orphaned by
the death of both parents during an early epidemic of
cholera. He was bound out to a man named Van Gundy,
with whom he came to Ross County, and eventually became
well-to-do, buying what was then the Taylor farm
in Liberty Township, which land had been obtained by
Taylor direct from the Government. This farm still
remains in the possession of Mr. Smith’s
descendants. Michael Smith was twice married,
and had he been living in 1915 would have been 105 years
old, with the following descendants: Eleven children,
forty-three grandchildren, seventy-three great-grandchildren
and one great-great-grandchild. During these 105 years
there have been only thirteen deaths in Michael
Smith’s descendants’ families. Four of his sons
served in the Union Army during the Civil war, and came
through “without a scratch.’’
Riley Smith was reared on the old
homestead in Ross County and attended the Glade District
School. He left the farm when he was twenty years old,
and, going to Chillicothe, learned the building business in
all its details, doing manual labor in the different
building trades and using his powers of observation to give
him all the information that he could secure. When he
was twenty-three years of age he was a full-fledged building
contractor at Chillicothe, due to the care he had taken in
preparation, which included correspondence school courses
and the study of English under a tutor. In 1911 he
came to Springfield and began building and selling homes.
In 1915 he became secretary and general manager of the
Avondale Realty Company, and in 1920 became vice president
of that concern. In addition to his own building
operations and his connection with the company mentioned he
has other important business interests, some of which are
now only in the development stage. Energetic and
progressive, he has always made his mark in the business
world, and is steadily making advancement. Mr.
Smith is a valued member of the Springfield Real
Estate Board and the Springfield Chamber of Commerce.
Fraternally he is affiliated with St. Andrews Lodge No. 619,
Free and Accepted Masons. Mr. Smith is
an active member of Story-Hypes Memorial Methodist Episcopal
Church, in which he is financial secretary to the Board of
Trustees, and has charge of the stewardship department of
the Methodist Episcopal Church in the Springfield District
of the West Ohio Conference.
Mr. Smith married Miss Edna
Ault, daughter of Reason and Elizabeth Ault,
of Gillespieville, Liberty Township, Ross County, who died
in May, 1919, leaving two sons: Hobart R. and
Lloyd S. In June, 1921, he married Joyce E.
Trombley, daughter of DeWayne D. and Mary P. Trombley,
of Springfield, Ohio.
SOURCE: A Standard History of Springfield and Clark County,
Ohio; Vol. 2; Benjamin F. Prince, 1922 - Page 36 |
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JOHN
W. SOWERS. The self-made
man deserves more than passing mention, for his success
proves that he possessed more than ordinary attributes in
order to rise, through his own efforts, to a position
somewhat above that attained by the rank and file. John
W. Sowers is one of the men of this character in
Clark County who, working hard and saving thriftily, become
independent and takes a constructive part in the work of
their community. His finely improved truck farm on Hillside
Avenue, Springfield, shows the results of his hard work and
good management, and he has every reason to be proud of what
he has accomplished. John W. Sowers was born in
Greene County, Ohio, Feb. 12, 1849, a son of John
Hanson and Elizabeth (Coines) Sowers, natives of
Maryland and of Greene County, Ohio. Early in life he was a
carpenter, but later was engaged in farming. His death
occurred at Springfield, Oct. 2, 1862, his widow
surviving him until Feb. 15, 1892, when she passed away
at Springfield. As he was the eldest of six children, after
his father's death John W. Sowers had to go to work
and he had no further opportunity of attending school. For
two years he did farm work on the homestead, and then worked
out by the month for neighboring farmers. Following his
marriage in 1870 Mr. Sowers was engaged in
farming, operating a threshing machine and doing sawmill
work until 1886, when he located at Springfield, and for the
next three years he was engaged in hauling stone. Going then
into the employ of P. P. Mast, of the Buckeye Drill Company,
he continued with him until 1902, when he secured a piece of
land in the eastern part of Springfield and farmed it until
1908. He then bought five and one-half acres on Hillside
Avenue. The subsequent year he erected a residence, barn and
other outbuildings, which are excellent for their several
purposes, and here he maintains a comfortable home and
raises vegetables, which he sells at his stand in the city
market. In August, 1870, Mr. Sowers married
Lydia Jane Shrock, who was born at Springfield, and died
there June 28, 1889. They became the parents of the
following children: Jennie Ann, who is the
wife of Ernest Bennett, of Pueblo, Colorado;
Edward and William, who live at Springfield;
Ottie L., who died in infancy; Harry,
who lives at Springfield; Ollie, who is Mrs. Harry
Webb, of Kalamazoo, Michigan; Frank, who died
in infancy; Roy, who lives with his father; and
Floyd, who died in infancy. Mr. Sowers has
always been a republican, and is active in party matters.
For three years he served on the School Board and for two
years represented Fairfield on the Board of Supervisors.
Fraternally he belongs to Fairfield Lodge, I. O. O. F., and
Springfield Lodge No. 240, J. O. U. A. M. Hard working, thrifty
and careful, Mr. Sowers has made his way in life, and not
only is successful in material things, but stands very well
with his neighbors, who appreciate his excellent qualities.
SOURCE: A Standard History of Springfield and Clark
County, Ohio by Benjamin F. Prince, 1922 - Page 322 -
Transcribed for Ohio Genealogy Express by Cathy Portz |
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MALCOLM EARL SPENCER.
To interpret the law properly in all its complexities and
unerringly to apply its provisions to establish human rights
and defeat injustice demands such a comprehensive knowledge
not only of books but of life itself that he who reaches a
high plane in this profession must command more than
negative consideration in the minds of his fellow men.
It is told both in history and romance that there is a form
of law that is upheld among savages, but when interpreted it
resolves itself into the axiom that might makes right, and
in modern, civilized life it becomes the task of the
exponent of the law to overcome this only too prevalent
idea. Hence, on a solid educational foundation must be
erected a thorough knowledge of what law means to the
present day man and how it can be applied to circumvent
evil, protect the helpless and bring happiness and safety to
the deserving. Among the younger members of the Clark
County bar one who has made rapid advancement in his calling
because possessing a thorough understanding of
responsibilities and opportunities is Malcolm Earl
Spencer, of Springfield.
Mr. Spencer was born at Columbus, Ohio,
Jan. 29, 1893, and is a son of George W. and Amelia
(Strait) Spencer, the former born at Columbus and the
latter at Straitsville, Perry County, Ohio. His
father, who was educated in the public schools of Columbus,
became construction superintendent for the Bell Telephone
Company at Westerville, Ohio, and later at Columbus, Ohio, a
most hazardous position, and one which he filled in various
other parts of the country until meeting his death in the
line of duty Oct. 18, 1904. Mrs. Spencer
survived him only until April, 1905.
Malcolm Earl Spencer was only eleven years of
age at the time of his father’s death, and until that time
had attended the public schools of Columbus. When he was
left an orphan he was taken to the Independent Order of Odd
Fellows Home at Springfield, where he remained until
reaching the age of sixteen years. He then entered
Wittenberg Academy and worked his way through that
institution, from which he was graduated in 1914.
During this time he had applied all his spare time to the
study of law with Donald Kirkpatrick, a
well-known lawyer of Springfield, and upon his graduation
and subsequent admission to the Ohio bar became associated
with Mr. Kirkpatrick, under the firm style of
Kirkpatrick & Spencer. This concern is now justly
accounted one of the strong and reliable legal combinations
of the city and has been identified with a number of
prominent cases.
On June 24, 1914, Mr. Spencer was united
in marriage with Miss Mabel Furlong, who was
born in Cincinnati and, having been left an orphan at a
tender age, was reared at the Ohio State Independent Order
of Odd Fellows Home at Springfield. To this union there have
come three children: Malcolm Earl, Jr., who died in
infancy; Gerald Elden, born May 18, 1920, and
Phyllis Adele, born June 19, 1921. Mr.
Spencer and his family belong to the Northminster
Presbyterian Church, in the work of which he has taken an
active part, and has taught in the Sunday school. A
republican in politics, he has taken little more than a good
citizen’s part in public affairs, but has endeavored at all
times to discharge his duties, and is serving as prosecuting
attorney’s assistant. He belongs to the I. O. O. F.
Encampment and the Rebekahs.
SOURCE: A Standard History of Springfield and Clark County,
Ohio; Vol. 2; Benjamin F. Prince, 1922 - Page 403 |
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DAVID W.STEWART,
a retired farmer residing in the attractive village of
Clifton, is a native son of Clark County and a
representative of one of its sterling pioneer families.
He was born in Greene Township, this county, Dec. 19, 1848,
and is a son of Capt. Perry Stewart and Rhoda (Wheeler)
Stewart, both likewise natives of Greene Township, where
the former was born June 6, 1818, and the latter, Dec. 30,
1824 - dates that show that both families were founded in
Clark County in the early pioneer period, when this section
of Ohio was little more than a frontier wilderness. Captain
Stewart was one of the venerable and honored citizens of his
native county at the time of his death, Dec. 29, 1906, his
wife having preceded him to eternal rest, and both having
been zealous members of the Christian Church.
Capt. Perry Stewart was reared on the pioneer
farm and gained his early education in the schools of the
locality and period. After his marriage he settled on
a farm near Pitchin, in Greene Township, and he continued
for many years as one of the substantial farmers of his
native county, the closing period of his life having been
passed in the City of Springfield. At the time of the
Civil war Captain Stewart recruited and became
captain of Company A, Ninety-fourth Ohio Volunteer Infantry,
and he commanded his company at the front during the greater
part of the year 1862 and also until the autumn of 1863,
when he, physically incapacitated for further service,
resigned his commission as captain and was granted an
honorable discharge. Upon his return home he resumed
the management of his farm, and he remained on the homestead
until well advanced in years, when he removed to
Springfield. The captain was a citizen of marked
loyalty and public spirit, held secure place in popular
confidence and esteem, served as a member of the Board of
County Commissioners, and represented his native county in
the Ohio Legislature in 1868-9. He was a republican in
politics and was affiliated with Mitchell Post No. 45, Grand
Army of the Republic. Of the ten children, seven are
living at the time of this writing, in 1922: Harriet
is the widow of James Hatfield, who was a
prosperous farmer in Greene Township; Julia is the
wife of R. M. Elder, of Clark County; David W.,
of this review, is the next younger; John T. is a
resident of Texas; Charles F. resides at Springfield,
Clark County; Perry M. is a resident of Yellow
Springs, Greene County, and E. W. remains on the old
home farm of his father.
David W. Stewart found the period of his
childhood and early youth compassed by the influences and
activities of the home farm, and in the meanwhile he
profited by the advantages of the local schools. He
was but fifteen years old when he entered service as a Union
soldier in the Civil war. He enlisted as a member of
Company D, One Hundred and Forty-sixth Ohio Volunteer
Infantry, and he served with his command at the front until
the expiration of his term in 1864, when he received his
honorable discharge, his record having been that of a
gallant young soldier of the Union. For many years
thereafter, Mr. Stewart continued as one of
the vigorous and successful exponents of farm industry in
Greene Township, where he had a well-improved farm estate
and where he remained until he retired to his present home
in the village of Clifton. He lived forty-seven years
on his farm, in the northwest corner of Greene Township, and
since that time he and his wife have lived in their
attractive home at Clifton. Mr. Stewart still
retains possession of his fine farm property, which
comprises 100 acres. His political allegiance is given
to the republican party, he is affiliated with Mitchell Post
No. 45, Grand Army of the Republic, and his wife is an
active member of the Methodist Episcopal Church.
Feb. 12, 1874, recorded the marriage of Mr. Stewart
and Miss Amanda McClintick, who was born in
Springfield Township, this county, Nov. 8, 1855, where she
was reared on the home farm of her parents. Of the
children of Mr. and Mrs. Stewart, five are living:
P. M., who is carrier on rural mail route No. 9 from the
City of Springfield, represented his native county as a
soldier in the Spanish-American war; Myrtle is the
wife of Herbert F. Cory, of Greene County; Delmer
married Miss Lina Gram, and they reside in the City
of Springfield; Ruth is the wife of A. S.
McCullough, of Clark County, and Harry M., who
graduated from the high school and attended the University
of Cincinnati, was a soldier in the World war, in connection
with which he was for two years in active service with the
American Expeditionary Forces in France, he being now at the
parental home.
SOURCE: A
Standard History of Springfield and Clark County, Ohio by
Benjamin F. Prince, 1922 - Page 53 |
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E. W. STEWART,
proprietor of the fine Red Bud Hill Farm, comprising 131
acres and situated near the village of Pitchin, in Greene
Township, was born on this farm, which he now owns, and the
date of his nativity was Oct. 27, 1868. He is a son of
Captain Perry Stewart and Rhoda A.
(Wheeler) Stewart, both likewise natives of Greene
Township, where the former was born, on this same ancestral
farmstead, June 6, 1818, his wife having been born Dec. 20,
1824. The captain was a son of John T. and Anna
(Elder) Stewart, the former of whom was born in Dauphin
County, Pennsylvania, Mar. 3, 1781, a son of Samuel
Stewart, whose father Robert was a son of John
Stewart, who was born in Scotland and was numbered among
those who left their native land and established homes in
the North of Ireland on account of religious persecution in
Scotland.
Samuel Stewart (I) came to the United States in
company with his brother Hugh and settled in
Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, in 1735.
Captain Perry Stewart was reared on the pioneer
farm of his father in Greene Township, Clark County, Ohio,
and was numbered among the gallant men who went forth in
defense of the Union when the Civil war was precipitated.
On the 15th of July, 1862, he recruited Company A,
Ninety-fourth Ohio Volunteer Infantry, and he served as
captain of this company until after it had participated in
the battle of Chickamauga in the autumn of that year.
He then returned home, his physical disability having
disqualified him for further service at the front. In
1866-7 he served as county commissioner of Clark County, and
in 1868-9 he represented the county in the State
Legislature, his political allegiance having been given to
the republican party.
Oct. 15, 1844, recorded the marriage of Captain
Stewart and Miss Rhoda A. Wheeler, who was born Dec. 20,
1824, a daughter of Ebenezer and Jemima (Miller) Wheeler,
who were born in New Jersey and whose marriage was
solemnized at Cincinnati, Ohio, in 1803, they having
established their home in Clark County in 1806.
Harriet J., eldest of the children of Capt. Perry
Stewart, was born Oct. 7, 1845, and is the widow of
James Hatfield; Julia A., born July 3, 1847, is
the widow of R. N. Elder; David W., born Dec.
19, 1848, resides at Clifton; John T., born Aug. 21,
1850, is a resident of Houston, Texas; Mary E., born
July 25, 1852, became the wife of Samuel Kerr and is
now deceased her death having occurred July 20, 1907;
Charles F., born Aug. 2, 1856, resides at Springfield
and was formerly county commissioner of Clark County;
Ellen J., born July 16, 1859, became the wife of
George Nicholson, and her death occurred Feb. 15,
1918; Jessie was born July 12, 1861, and died Sept.
23, 1865; Perry M., born July 6, 1866, resides at
Yellow Springs, Greene County; and E. W., subject of
this sketch, was born Oct. 27, 1868.
E. W. Stewart early gained his full share of
practical experience in connection with the work of the home
farm and in the meanwhile attended the district schools.
He remained at the parental home until his marriage, Oct.
26, 1893, with Miss Nettie Shobe, who was born and
reared in Greene Township, and since that time he has had a
progressive career as one of the vigorous and successful
agriculturists and stockgrowers of his native county.
Mr. Stewart is a republican, has served as justice of
the peace and member of the School Board, and he and his
wife are zealous members of the Methodist Protestant Church,
he being secretary of its Quarterly Conference and both he
and his wife being specially influential in the various
departments of church work, including the Sunday School.
Mr. Stewart is a past master of the local
Grange and has served four years as state deputy of the Ohio
State Grange, besides being influential as a member of
Pomona Grange. Mr. and Mrs. Stewart have two
children: Edna A., born Aug. 12, 1894, is the wife of
Howard Price, a farmer in Greene Township; and
Lois S. who was born Sept. 26, 1897, is a trained nurse
by profession, she having graduated in the Nurses Training
School at Springfield, and both she and her sister are
graduates of the Pitchin High School. Helen J.,
youngest of the children, was born June 16, 1903, and died
on the 17th of the following September.
SOURCE: A
Standard History of Springfield and Clark County, Ohio by
Benjamin F. Prince, 1922 - Page 188 |
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FRED G. STEWART
is consistently to be designated as one of
the progressive and successful representatives of
constructive farm industry in his native county and
township, and his vigorous operations are staged on what is
known as the old Estle farm, in Section 21,
Green Township.
On the old home farm of his father, in Section 22 of
Green Township, Fred G. Stewart was born June 2,
1884, and on both the paternal and maternal sides he is a
scion of old and honored pioneer families of Clark County.
He is a son of Charles F. and Clara (Gailough) Stewart,
both likewise natives of Greene Township, where the former
was born on a farm in Section 23 and the latter on a farm in
Section 16. After their marriage the parents settled
on a farm in Section 22 of their native township, and there
they remained until 1918, when they moved to the City of
Springfield, where they have since maintained their home.
Of their five children the eldest is Josephine, who
is the wife of Stephen Kitchen; Fred G., of
this review, was the next in order of birth; Howard H.
is a successful farmer north of Springfield; Samuel N.
remains on and has active charge of the old home farm;
Stephen W. served in the World war as a member of the
Quartermaster’s Department of the American Expeditionary
Forces in France, and his death occurred Mar. 31, 1920,
within a short time after his return to his native land.
Reared on the farm and profiting by the advantages of
the local schools, Fred G. Stewart waxed strong in
mental and physical powers, and he supplemented his
education by a course in Nelson’s Business College at
Springfield. At the age of nineteen years he
successfully passed a civil service examination and was
appointed a mail carrier on rural route No. 11 from the City
of Springfield. He continued his effective service in
this capacity three years.
Nov. 7, 1906, recorded the marriage of Mr. Stewart
and Miss Rachel Estle, who was born on the farm which is
their present place of residence and the date of whose
nativity was Sept. 3, 1883. Mrs. Stewart
is a daughter of Orson D. and Harriet (Anderson)
Estle, and her father was born on this same farm, Mar.
4, 1857, the mother having been born at Clifton, Nov. 7,
1856. The paternal grandparents of Mrs. Stewart
were William H. and Rachel (Farrow) Estle, the latter
having been born in Kentucky and having been a girl when she
came to Clark County, where she was reared in the home of
her uncle, William Johnson. Mr. and Mrs.
William H. Estle became the parents of six children:
William (died young), Edwin, Orson D.,
Henry R., Phoebe, and William.
Orson D. Estle was reared on the old home farm
which was the place of his birth, and received the
advantages of the common schools of the period. He was
a young man at the time of his marriage with Miss Harriet
Anderson, and the surviving children are four in number:
Fred, a graduate of the Clifton High School, is a
successful farmer in Greene Township, near Clifton;
Rachel, wife of the subject of this review, is the next
younger; Bessie is the wife of Walter E. Crossland;
and Ellen is the wife of Orville Shaw.
Mr. and Mrs. Stewart have one child, Harriet L.,
who was born Dec. 4, 1908. Mr. and Mrs. Stewart
are active members of the Presbyterian Church, he is a
republican in politics, and is affiliated with the Junior
Order United American Mechanics. Mr. Stewart
has been retained as the efficient incumbent of the office
of clerk of Greene Township for the past ten years, and is
one of the progressive and highly esteemed citizens of his
native township and county.
Further data concerning the Stewart family are given in
the preceding sketch of this volume.
SOURCE: A
Standard History of Springfield and Clark County, Ohio by
Benjamin F. Prince, 1922 - Page 189 |
| |
PERRY M. STEWART,
president of the Miami Deposit Bank at Yellow Springs,
Greene County, is a scion of one of the honored pioneer
families of Clark County, and other personal sketches in
this volume give ample data concerning this sterling family
which, in successive generations, has been one of prominence
and influence in connection with the civic and industrial
development and advancement of Clark County.
Mr. Stewart was born on the old homestead
farm of his father in Greene Township, this county, and the
date of his nativity was July 6, 1866. He remained on
the home farm until he had attained to his legal majority,
and the education which he gained in the local schools was
supplemented by his attending Antioch College, at Yellow
Springs. After two years of service as clerk in a
general store at Selma, Clark County, Mr. Stewart
was for two years a deputy in the office of the county
auditor. He then received appointment as deputy county
treasurer, in which position he served four years,
1897-1901, under James M. Todd. The record
which he made in this connection was such as to meet popular
approval, as shown in the fact that in 1900 he was elected
county treasurer. At the expiration of his four years’
term in this important fiscal office he became associated
with Robert Elder in purchasing the stock and business of
the Miami Deposit Bank at Yellow Springs. The
institution was at the time in the hands of a receiver, and
its deposits were about $30,000. In assuming control
of this financial institution Messrs. Stewart and Elder
incorporated the same with a capital stock of $10,000 and
opened it as a private bank. Four years later, in
1909, it was incorporated
as a state bank, with a capital of $25,000, its deposits
having by this time been increased to $125,000. In
1920, with increasing business of substantial order, it was
found expedient to raise the capital stock to $50,000, which
is the present base of operations. The bank now
has a surplus fund of $40,000 and deposits aggregate fully
$300,000, each successive year showing an expansion in the
business, which is conducted along progressive but duly
careful and conservative lines. In 1916 the bank
building was remodeled and a modern equipment installed in
the banking offices, which has the best type of vaults,
including one with safety-deposit boxes. The stock of
the bank is held locally, and as its president Mr.
Stewart has given a signally able and effective
administration. He and Mr. Elder have recently
organized and established a bank at South Charleston, Clark
County.
Mr. Stewart is generically a republican
in political allegiance, but has now retired from active
participation in political affairs. In the Masonic
fraternity he is past master of Yellow Springs Lodge, A. F.
and A. M., which he has represented in the grand lodge of
the state, and in the Scottish Rite of the time-honored
fraternity he has received the thirty-second degree.
He and his wife are active members of the Presbyterian
Church in their home city, and here he served several years
as a trustee of Antioch College.
At the age of thirty-four years Mr. Stewart
wedded Miss Irene B. Black, of Ross County, and they
have three children: Mildred, Russell and Mary.
The elder daughter is a student in Antioch College.
SOURCE: A
Standard History of Springfield and Clark County, Ohio by
Benjamin F. Prince, 1922 - Page 416 |
| |
OMAR
W. STOLL when he retired
from the road as a traveling salesman established a
permanent business connection in the village of South
Vienna, where he was born, and is now one of the prosperous
general merchants in that section of Clark County. He was
born at South Vienna Aug. 25, 1887, son of Jacob and
Edith (Perkins) Stoll, also natives of Harmony Township.
His father was reared on the farm, learned the carpenter's
trade and for many years has been a carpenter contractor,
living at South Vienna. They have lived in South Vienna
since their marriage. The mother is an active member of the
Christian Church. Jacob Stoll is a democrat,
has filled the chairs in the Lodges of Independent Order of
Odd Fellows and Knights of Pythias and is a member of the
Elks. He and his wife had five children: Omar W.; Chester
W., a graduate of Springfield High School, now living at
St. Louis, Missouri; Marie, wife of Paul E.
Troxell; Border, a graduate of high school; and
Foster, still attending the Harmony Township High
School. Omar W. Stoll as a boy at South Vienna
attended the public schools and business college, and in
April, 1909, went west to California, where he had an
experience of six years as clerk in a wholesale hardware
house. After returning to Clark County he went on the road
as a traveling salesman for a Dayton house and traveled for
four years and then engaged in business as a general
merchant at South Vienna. Nov. 25, 1916, at Denver,
Colorado, he married Mona Weldon. She was born
at Denver, and was educated in the graded schools of that
city. They have two children, Weldon, born in 1918,
and William, born in 1921. Mrs. Stoll
is a member of the Presbyterian Church. He is affiliated
with Fielding Lodge No. 192, Free and Accepted Masons.
SOURCE: A Standard History of Springfield and Clark
County, Ohio by Benjamin F. Prince, 1922 - Page 226 -
Transcribed for Ohio Genealogy Express by Cathy Portz |
William J. Stuart |
WILLIAM JAMES STUART.
The late William James Stuart was for many years one
of the substantial business men of Springfield, Ohio, and
when he died this city lost one of its most representative
citizens. During the Civil war he did valient
service as a Union soldier, and was equally loyal to his
country during the years of peace which followed.
Mr. Stuart was born in Fairfield County, Ohio,
Jan. 23, 1846, a son of Thompson and Rebecca (Holliday)
Stuart, farming people who both died in Fairfield
County, Ohio. Mr. Stuart attended the
public schools and academy at Bremen, Ohio, and also the
college at Pleasantville, Ohio.
When the war between the two sections of our country
broke out William James Stuart was still residing
with his parents and notwithstanding his youth made many
attempts to enlist but was just as many times refused.
Finally, however, he was accepted and became a member
of Company B, Seventeenth Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry
with which he served until the close of the war and
participated in the Grand Review at Washington, D. C.
His regiment was a part of the First Brigade, Third
Division, Fourteenth Army Corps, and his company was
commanded by Capt. James T. Weakly and later by
Captain Stinchcomb. Following his honorable
discharge at Louisville, Kentucky, Mr. Stuart
returned to Ohio and for a time was engaged in farming and
later, with some of his army comrades, opened a general
merchandise store in Bremen, Ohio.
On May 2, 1870, Mr. Stuart came to Springfield,
Ohio, and on May 3, 1870 he was married to Miss Dora
Francis Hatcher, born at Saltillo, Ohio, Apr. 19,1851, a
daughter of Isaac M. and Mary Matilda (Moore) Hatcher,
natives of Muskingum County, Ohio. For a number of
years Mr. Stuart was employed as a clerk in the
carpet department of a large dry goods store conducted by
Miller and Jones.
He later went into partnership
with Andrew C. Black in handling fine carpets.
The building in which this latter business was conducted
burned down and Mr. Stuart then bought and
established a carpet cleaning and rug factory which he
conducted until he was stricken with paralysis and had to
retire.
He planned and built on a lot at 16 East Ward Street a
fine modern residence, where his widow still maintains her
home, where he died Dec. 28, 1914.
The following children were born to Mr. and Mrs.
Stuart: Ollia Wilbur, born Mar. 3, 1871, and died
Sept. 23, 1878; Vesta Pearl, wife of W. C.
Douglas of New Orleans, Louisiana, and Edna
Rebecca, wife of William N. Kissinger of
Lockhart, Florida.
For many years Mr. Stuart was a valued
member of the Central Methodist Episcopal Church of
Springfield and served on its official board and as a member
of various church societies.
He was a stanch republican. From the time that it
was organized he was zealous in behalf of the Grand Army of
the Republic, and was adjutant of Mitchell Post, at
Springfield, and Mrs. Stuart is a member of
the Woman’s Relief Corps, auxiliary of Mitchell Post G. A.
R. and also of the New Century Club. She was educated
in the public schools of Bremen, Ohio, and in the Young
Woman’s Methodist Seminary of Springfield, Ohio, now the Y.
W. C. A. Building.
As a Mason, Mr. Stuart maintained
membership with the Springfield Lodge, A. F. and A. M., and
lived up to the highest ideals of this order, as he did to
those of his church, and was a noble and sincere Christian,
and the influence of his blameless life remains and will
continue to be felt in the lives of his former associates
for a long time to come.
SOURCE: A
Standard History of Springfield and Clark County, Ohio by
Benjamin F. Prince, 1922 - Page 428 |
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