Source: Centennial History of Coshocton County, Ohio - Vol. II - Chicago - The S. J. Clarke Publishing Co. - 1909 - Page 117

Source: Centennial History of Coshocton County, Ohio - Vol. II - Chicago - The S. J. Clarke Publishing Co. - 1909 - Page 119

Source: Centennial History of Coshocton County, Ohio - Vol. I - Chicago - The S. J. Clarke Publishing Co. - 1909 - Page 346

Source: Centennial History of Coshocton County, Ohio - Vol. II - Chicago - The S. J. Clarke Publishing Co. - 1909 - Page 447

Source: Centennial History of Coshocton County, Ohio - Vol. II - Chicago - The S. J. Clarke Publishing Co. - 1909 - Page 54

Source: Centennial History of Coshocton County, Ohio - Vol. I - Chicago - The S. J. Clarke Publishing Co. - 1909 - Page 307

Source: Centennial History of Coshocton County, Ohio - Vol. II - Chicago - The S. J. Clarke Publishing Co. - 1909 - Page 231

Source: Centennial History of Coshocton County, Ohio - Vol. I - Chicago - The S. J. Clarke Publishing Co. - 1909 - Page 328

Source: Centennial History of Coshocton County, Ohio - Vol. I - Chicago - The S. J. Clarke Publishing Co. - 1909 - Page 472

Source: Centennial History of Coshocton County, Ohio - Vol. II - Chicago - The S. J. Clarke Publishing Co. - 1909 - Page 266

Source: Centennial History of Coshocton County, Ohio - Vol. II - Chicago - The S. J. Clarke Publishing Co. - 1909 - Page 482

Source: Centennial History of Coshocton County, Ohio - Vol. II - Chicago - The S. J. Clarke Publishing Co. - 1909 - Page 322

Source: Centennial History of Coshocton County, Ohio - Vol. I - Chicago - The S. J. Clarke Publishing Co. - 1909 - Page 333

Source: Centennial History of Coshocton County, Ohio - Vol. II - Chicago - The S. J. Clarke Publishing Co. - 1909 - Page 64

Source: Centennial History of Coshocton County, Ohio - Vol. II - Chicago - The S. J. Clarke Publishing Co. - 1909 - Page 103

Source: Centennial History of Coshocton County, Ohio - Vol. II - Chicago - The S. J. Clarke Publishing Co. - 1909 - Page 144

Source: Centennial History of Coshocton County, Ohio - Vol. II - Chicago - The S. J. Clarke Publishing Co. - 1909 - Page 439

Source: Centennial History of Coshocton County, Ohio - Vol. II - Chicago - The S. J. Clarke Publishing Co. - 1909 - Page 110

CHARLES MARION BIBLE.     Charles Marion Bible, who, without any special educational or pecuniary advantages, has worked his way upward to a place of prominence in his native county, is now filling the position of county recorder and has won warm commendation for the prompt and efficient manner in which he has discharged his duties.  His life record began in Keene township, May 23, 1854, his parents being Joseph and Margaret (Courtright) Bible.  The father to Coshocton county by his parents in 1835, when a little lad of five years.  His father, Philip /bible died when the children were yet young and left to the family, consisting of five sons and five daughters, but comparatively small resources of support.  The family home was in Bethlehem township and there Joseph Bible was reared.  Owing to the straitened financial conditions of the family, the educational advantages which the children received were very meager and when in his fourteenth or fifteenth year Joseph Bible began working as a farm hand in Keene township, not only to provide for his own support but also to assist in filling the family coffers.  He continued to work as a farm hand until he attained his majority and always gave part of his earnings to the support of his mother and the other members of the household.  His brothers were Stewart, Adam, Philip and Isaac Bible, all of whom are now deceased with the exception of Isaac who resides in Jackson township, this county.  The sisters were: Dolly the wife of G. W. Havil late of Roscoe; Lana, who became the wife of Henry Strome  and lived at Adams Mills; Mary the wife of F. M. Butler, of Clark township; Susan, who married Zachariah Clark and lived in Jackson township; and Diana, the wife of William Maxwell, of Jackson township.  All are now deceased with the exception of Mrs. Diana Maxwell who is living with her daughter, Mrs. James Davis, in Coshocton.
     Joseph H. Bible was untied in marriage to Miss Margaret Courtright, daughter of Abraham Courtright, in 1853.  After their marriage they located in Keene township, where Mr. Bible engaged in the cultivation of a rented farm for three years.  He then removed to Bethlehem township, where he remained for three or four years, after which he took up his abode in Tuscarawas township, where he remained for three years.  He next became a resident of Louisville, where he was engaged in the grocery business at the time of the outbreak of the Civil war.  Two years later he disposed of his grocery store and rented a farm in Franklin township, thus engaging in the cultivation of the soil through the period of hostilities.  When his economy and industry had brought him sufficient capital he purchased a farm in Bethlehem township, on which he resided from 1867 until the time of his death in March, 1906.  Mr. Bible enjoyed the good will and trust of all who knew him, because his life was upright and honorable, his actions manly and sincere.  He was entirely free from ostentation or display but those who knew him learned of his true worth.  In politics he was a democrat and while never a politician in the sense of office seeking he yet served as trustee in the township in which he lived.  He was an active member of the Methodist Protestant  church and a consistent Christian man.  He joined the church about 1870 and thereafter remained a great Bible student, devoting much of his spare time to the reading of the scriptures.  He read the Bible through at least once a year and he made it his guide of life.  He always held some important official position in the church, gave cheerfully of his means to its support and did all in his power to advance the cause which ay so close to his heart.  He was seventy-five years of age at the time of his demise and as he passed from life there was ended an honorable career and a life of intense usefulness and activity.  Mrs. Bible still survives her husband and all their eleven children are still living.  The sons are:  C. M. of this review; Captain F. O., of Pittsburg, Pennsylvania; William L., of Arcola, Illinois; Joseph L., of Keene township; George H., of Coshocton; and Addie, of Bethlehem township.  The daughters are: Jessie A., the wife of Adam Clark, of Bethlehem township; Josephine, the wife of W. E. Clark, of Arcola, Illinois; Margaret E., the wife of Henry Clark, of Wilkinsburg, Pennsylvania; Julia L., the wife of J. B. Speaks, of Bethlehem township; and Mary L. the wife of W. A. Davis, of Bethlehem township.
     Charles M. Bible spent the days of his boyhood and youth in his parents' home and early became familiar with the duties and labors that fall to the lot of the agriculturist.  He pursued his early education in the district schools, and afterward spent one term each in the high schools of Coshocton and Keene.  Being the eldest son, it was necessary that he early assist in the work of the home farm and when in his tenth year he plowed corn.  As his services were needed on the farm, he could attend school only for about three months in the winter seasons when the work of the fields did not demand his attention.  His educational privileges were therefore somewhat limited but he has in his manhood given considerable time to reading and study and has always been deeply interested in intellectual progress.  When he was twenty-two years he began teaching and followed the profession for seventeen years during the winter seasons, while in the summer months he devoted his time to farming.  During this period he purchased a small tract of land in Bethlehem township which he later sold and in 1895 purchased a farm in Perry township, whereon he lived for nine years, when he was called from private life to public office, being nominated and elected to the position of county recorder in September, 1904.  the following year he sold his farm and removed to Coshocton, where in the discharge of his duties he won such favorable opinion that he was chosen for a second term and is still the incumbent in the office.  He is competent and faithful and regards a public duty as a public trust.
     In 1876 occurred the marriage of Mr. Bible and Miss Mary E. Clark, a daughter of Archibald and Margaret (Titus) Clark, of Bethlehem township.  Their family numbers five daughters and one son: Charlotte, the wife of Charles Clark, of New Castle township, Coshocton county; Joseph C., a resident of Jackson township, this county; Margaret E., the wife of Charles F. Clark, of Martinsburg, Knox county, Ohio; Myrtle J., the wife of Harley L. Miller, of Knox county, Ohio; Ada B., who is deputy recorder of Coshocton county; and Virgil F., at home.
     Mr. Bible is a member of New Gilford Lodge, No. 666, K. P., and is also connected with the Modern Maccabees, having served as commander of this lodge since its organization in Coshocton four years ago.  He likewise belongs to the Home Guards of America and is a devoted and consistent member of the Methodist Episcopal church.  Having spent his entire life in this county, his record is well known to his fellow citizens and there are no esoteric chapters in his career.  He may be termed a sound, substantial citizen who, without pretense or display, keeps his promises, meets his obligations and is loyal to every trust.
Source: Centennial History of Coshocton County, Ohio - Vol. II - Chicago - The S. J. Clarke Publishing Co. - 1909 - Page 74

CHARLES DILLON BROOKE.     The success which Charles Dillon Brooke has achieved in the jewelry business is proof that his choice of a life work was a wise man.  In this field of labor he has made consecutive progress, nothing and improving his opportunities and utilizing the modern business methods which are revolutionizing trade interests and relations.  One of Ohio's native sons, he was born in Chatham, Licking county, on the 25th of June 1862, his parents being Dr. J. H. and Rebecca E. (Robison) Brooke.
     His father was born in Gratiot, Ohio, in 1831, and was a son of Dr. William H. Brooke, one of the successful physicians of this state.  Various representatives of the name have gained distinction as members of the medical profession, the son taking up his father's practice, and thus from generation to generation the work has been carried forward, each representative thereof displaying marked ability in the following.  Mr. Brooke, of this review, was the first to enter another field of activity.  His father is a graduate of the Miami Medical College, at Cincinnati, Ohio, and of the Starling Medical College at Columbus.  He has been a very successful physician, practicing continuously for forty-six years.  His wife is a daughter of the Rev. William Robison, a Christian minister, who for several years was pastor of a church of that denomination at Mount Vernon.  The daughter, Mrs. Brooke, was born in Danville, Ohio, July 27, 1834, and as both Dr. and Mrs. Brooke are still living their married life has been of long duration and has been one of mutual interest and happiness.
     Charles Dillon Brooke is indebted to the public school system of Newark, Ohio, for the early educational privileges which he enjoyed.  He mastered the branches taught in the various grades until he became a high-school student and when about seventeen years of age began the study of medicine and surgery in his father's office.  His heart, however, was not in this work and after a year Dr. Brooke was persuaded by Henry C. Bostwick, who conducted a jewelry establishment under the Doctor's office, to allow his son to take up the jewelry trade.  The boy was not interested in the medical science, and felt that he could obtain a higher degree of success in other lines if he could be permitted to utilize his energies in other fields.  He there readily availed himself of his father's consent to abandon his medical studies and in September, 1880, he came to Coshocton to serve an apprenticeship under John A. Bostwick, a brother of the Newark jeweler.  Mr. Brooke continued in this position for two years, or until the removal of his employer to Cambridge, Ohio, when he entered the employ of a third brother, W. W. Bostwick, who was also a jeweler of Coshocton, and with whom he remained for three years.  In 1885 he availed himself of the opportunity to engage in business on his own account by forming a partnership with L. K. Anderson, under the firm name of Brooke & Anderson.  The new enterprise proved a profitable venture and was continued under the original ownership and management until 1891,when Mr. Brooke purchased his partner's interest and has since been alone.  He has today one of the well appointed jewelry establishments of Coshocton, carrying a large and well selected line of goods, which in its neat and tasteful arrangement is proving most attractive to the public.
     While laboring earnestly and effectively for the upbuilding of his individual interests Mr. Brooke has also been a factor in the general progress of Coshocton along commercial lines, doing much to further the interests of the city in this regard as president of the Business Men's Association in 1906-07.  He is a member of the board of Sinking Fund Trustees of the city and has served as a member of the city council. In all of these connections he has done for Coshocton whatever his hand has found to do and has introduced many movements which have resulted beneficially in promoting the city's welfare.  He was practically the founder of the Business Men's Association, being untiring in his efforts during ten or twelve years to organize this and place it upon a substantial basis, realizing how much can be done through the united effort of business men in promoting general commercial and industrial activity.  At length, with the assistance of George M. Gray, he succeeded in organizing the association, and all Coshocton acknowledges the city's indebtedness to them because of what has been accomplished through the society.
     On the 17th of September, 1884, Mr. Brooke was married to Miss Anna M. Taylor of Coshocton county, and a graduate of the Coshocton high school, class of 1882.  They have become the parents of five children: Harold, now deceased; Helen, who completed the course in the Coshocton high school with the class of 1907; Rodney, Lorna and Charles.
     In his fraternal relations Mr. Brooke is connected with Coshocton Lodge No. 96 F. & A. M.; Samaritan Chapter, No. 50, R. A. M.; Coshocton Commandery, No. 63, K. T.; Coshocton Lodge, No. 376, B. P. O. E.; and Fidelity Lodge, No. 135, K. P.  His political support is given to the republican party, but he prefers that his public service shall be done in the capacity of a private citizen rather than as an office holder.  He is an enterprising citizen, his work being of a character that has largely promoted public progress. He upholds all of those interests which are a matter of civic virtue and civic pride, while through his work in connection with the Business Men's Association he has greatly enhanced the material development of this city.
Source: Centennial History of Coshocton County, Ohio - Vol. II - Chicago - The S. J. Clarke Publishing Co. - 1909 - Page 108

BENJAMIN F. BURKLEW, who owns and operates a well improved farm of eighty acres situated in Monroe township is numbered among the substantial farmers of this section of the state.  He was born on the farm on which he now resides, Oct. 15, 1848, a son of William H. and Martha J. (McBride) Burklew.   The father was born in Monongalia county, Virginia, and accompanied his parents to Ohio when a youth of seventeen years.  Following his marriage, he settled on a farm in Monroe township and here spent his remaining days.  His family numbered the following children: Ann Jane, the widow of John Foster; Louis E., the widow of Rev. James Williams, of Medina county, Ohio; F. M., who is a postmaster at Killbuck; Sarah E., the wife of W. H. Sparr, of Oklahoma; William M., a teacher in the Millersburg high school; Benjamin F., of this review; Catherine, the widow of Thomas E. Wollam, of Sebring, this state; and Hannah, who died when sixteen months old.
     Benjamin F. Burklew acquired his education in the district schools of Monroe township and was reared on a farm to the age of fifteen years, when he enlisted for service in the Civil war, becoming a member of Company I, Fifty-first Ohio Volunteer Infantry, for three years' service.  He participated in the battles of Columbus, Cincinnati, Louisville, Nashville and Chattanooga, and in May, 1864, went with the company on the Georgia campaign, the opening battle being at Tunnel Hill, after which he took part in the battles of Rocky Face and Buzzards Roost.  He was in every battle on the campaign and went back to Nashville with General Thomas, where he was struck with a cannon ball, the left arm being entirely torn away at the elbow joint.  After the accident he walked a quarter of a mile to the hospital, where the arm was amputated.  He spent two months in the hospital and then went home on a furlough, and later reported for service at Columbus.  Prior to this he was, on the 27th of June, 1864, overcome with the heat and lay on the open field without food or shelter until the 3rd of July, when he was found and he did not recover consciousness until the following morning.  He received his discharge at Columbus, having made a most creditable military record.
     After his return from the war Mr. Burklew returned to his home in Coshocton county and entered the schools of Spring Mountain, subsequent to which time he pursued a course in the Danville schools in Knox county.  After completing his education he engaged in teaching in the district schools, following that vocation for about four years, but on account of his health he had to do work that would take him in the open air and it was then he took up general agricultural pursuits.  He now owns and operates eighty acres of land in Monroe township, on which he has placed many improvements and has made it a valuable property.  He has ever followed the most honorable and straightforward business methods and therefore commands the high regard of his fellow men.
     Mr. Berklew chose as companion and helpmate for the journey of life Miss Sophronia Thomas, a resident of Columbiana county, Ohio, their marriage being celebrated in the year 1871.  Their union has been blessed with six children, as follows:  Roy T., a railroad man of Portland, Oregon; Howard L., who owns a tinder claim near Portland and makes his home at Butler, Oregon; William H., who is a designer, cutter and manufacturer of ladies' wearing apparel in Montréal, Canada; Clyde M., who is associated with our subject in farming; Adella, the wife of B. C. Brillhart, a resident farmer of Monroe township; and Dena who has passed away.  Mr. Burklew has given to his children good educational advantages and for five years resided in Millersburg that they might enjoy the privileges of the schools at that place, and all the sons have attended college, Clyde M. having been admitted to the bar.
     Mr. Barklew gives his political support to the republican party and takes a deep and active interest in political affairs.  He is a member of the Royal Arcanum at Millersburg and of Grand Army Post at that place, while his wife is a member of the Disciples church.  In everything Mr. Burklew is eminently practical and this has been manifest not only in his business undertakings, but also in social and private life.
Source: History of Coshocton County, Ohio - Vol. II - Chicago - The S. J. Clarke Publishing Co. - 1909 - Page 201