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Biographies
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Source:
History of Darke County, Ohio
- Illustrated -
Publ. Chicago: W. H. Beers & Co.
1880.
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German Twp. -
I. D. PARENT, farmer; P. O., German.
This gentleman was born Mar. 1, 1830, on the place where he now
resides; he is a descendant of one of the early pioneers of this
county, Samuel Parent, Sr.; he was a native of New Jersey,
and emigrated to Ohio in 1814 or 1815 and settled on a farm near
Franklin, Butler Co.; at the end of three years, he came to this
county and settled on the farm where our subject now lives in Sept.
13; here he passed the remnant of his days; his family constituted
one of the first in the township, and not an acre of his farm was
reduced to the uses of civilization when he moved on it; the
excellent turnpike which now crosses the farm was then only an
Indian trail, and the "feeble sons of the bow and arrow" still
lingered about; a pioneer life, with all the privations and
hardships incident to it, was before him; but, nothing daunted, he
launched out, and by his indomitable will and energy soon carved for
himself and for future generations a beautiful home and farm out of
the dense wilderness. He was united in marriage to Miss
Hackey before coming to Ohio, and was the father of eleven
children, two of whom died in infancy; nine grew up to mature years,
and five are still living; the sketches of three of these appear in
this work. The death of Mrs. Parent occurred in 1861,
and that of Mr. P. one year later, in 1862. Our
subject's life has been that of a farmer; he assisted his father on
the farm till he was 22 years of age, at which time he was married
to Miss Lucinda Friar; he immediately moved on an adjoining
farm, where he remained three years, when he returned to the
homestead, which he purchased, and took care of his parents till
their death; one child has been born to Mr. and Mrs. P. -
Leander H. born September, 1857. By the appearance of
Mr. Parent's buildings and the condition of his farm, he would
be and is counted one of the thrifty, enterprising farmers of German
Township.
Source: History of Darke County, Ohio - Illustrated - Publ. Chicago:
W. H. Beers & Co., 1880
- Page 583 |
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German Twp. -
SAMUEL PARENT, farmer; P. O. German.
Mr. Parent is another of the early settlers and prominent
citizens of German Township; he was born Oct. 23, 1818, about one
mile east of the present site of Palestine; he is the son of
Samuel Parent, Sr., whose biography is given under I. D.
Parent's sketch. Our subject was raised raised a farmer,
which has been his life occupation; he remained under the parental
roof till his majority; his early education, as concerned books, was
about what the pioneer boys usually received. At the age of
21, he commenced life on his own account; he then moved on the farm,
where he now resides, which he has placed under the best of modern
improvements by his industry and good management. Mr.
Parent was married to Miss Mary Coble in 1840; she was a
descendant of early pioneers of this county, and a native of German
Township. Mrs. Parent departed this life Aug. 20, 1879;
she was a noble, Christian woman, an affectionate wife, a loving
mother, and a useful citizen, and died lamented by all who knew her.
Nine children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Parent, five of
whom have been called to "that undiscovered country from whose bourn
no traveler returns." Much mental anguish has fallen to the
lot of Mr. Parent has a benevolent heart, as his many acts of
charity and humanity bear testimony; he is an active member of the
Christian (New Light) Church, and his life is an exemplary one.
Source: History of Darke County, Ohio - Illustrated - Publ. Chicago:
W. H. Beers & Co., 1880
- Page 583 |
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Jackson Twp. -
WILLIAM PARENT, farmer, Sec. 32; P, O. Union
City, Ind; one of the early pioneers of Darke Co.; born in Monmouth
Co., N. J., Nov. 15, 1804; he emigrated to Ohio, with his parents,
about the year 1812, and located in German Township, Darke Co.; in
1824, he entered 120 and purchased 160 acres of land at Hill Grove,
in Washington Township; in April, 1858, he came to Jackson Township
and purchased 116 acres of land, where he has since lived.
Mr. Parent commenced in life without means; he purchased
his first land from the proceeds of his labor at cutting and
splitting rails at 25 cents per hundred; he now owns upward of 350
acres of land, with good farm buildings, secured by his own
exertions; he has suffered all the hardships and privations of
frontier life, has frequently hauled oats, wheat, and pork to
Cincinnati, selling oats at 10 and wheat at 60 cents per bushel, and
pork at $1.25 per one hundred pounds, loading back with groceries,
salt, etc. His marriage with Hannah Elsten was
celebrated Feb. 18, 1829; she was born in Orange Co., N. J. and died
Oct. 22, 1875, at the advanced age of 64 years 1 0 months and 22
days; they were the parents of eight children, of whom seven now
survive, viz., John, George, Sarah,
Elizabeth, Samuel, Harrison and Amery; the
deceased, Accha. lived to grow up and become the mother of
three children.
Source: History of Darke County, Ohio - Illustrated - Publ. Chicago:
W. H. Beers & Co., 1880
- Page 736 |
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Twin Twp. -
JOHN W. PARKS, farmer and teacher; P. O.
Arcanum; born in Preble County, Ohio, Oct. 22, 1839; is a son of
Samuel Parks a native of Preble County, born Feb. 22, 1818, and
who, in 1839, united in marriage with Lydia McDonald; seven
children are the fruits of this union, who are all living, are
married, and have families. Our subject remained at home at
his birthplace until 1860, when he united in marriage with
Minerva J. Gates, and by this union have one son, Clinton F.;
from the date of his marriage to 1870, he made several changes at
which time he came to Darke County and purchased a farm near
Arcanum. Mr. Parks has, since the age of 18, been a
live and energetic teacher of Sunday school, and, since a resident
of this county, held the office of Justice of the Peace three years;
he has recently bought and improved a small farm in Sec. 4, where he
is comfortably situated for life.
Source: History of Darke County, Ohio - Illustrated - Publ. Chicago:
W. H. Beers & Co., 1880
- Page 656 |
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Franklin Twp. -
NATHAN S. PARSON
Source: History of Darke County, Ohio - Illustrated - Publ. Chicago:
W. H. Beers & Co., 1880
- Page 685 |
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Adams Twp. -
DAVID PATTY
Source: History of Darke County, Ohio - Illustrated - Publ. Chicago:
W. H. Beers & Co., 1880
- Page 732 |
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Wabash Twp. -
ABSALOM PEARSON, Physician and Surgeon; North
Star; son of Isaac and Mary (Pemberton) Pearson; was born in
Miami Co., Ohio, Jan. 14, 1838, and came to this county Sept. 1,
1871. Married Eliza A. Oaks in Troy, Ohio, Nov. 13,
1859; children - Mary Luella, born Sep. 8, 1860; Samuel
Alvard, born Jan. 14, 1863; Daisy Viola, born Oct. 11,
1874; Mazy Idella, born Nov. 13, 1876.
Source: History of Darke County, Ohio - Illustrated - Publ. Chicago:
W. H. Beers & Co., 1880
- Page 762 |
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Van Buren Twp. -
ALLEN PEARSON, farmer; P. O. Jaysville; one of
the old pioneers of Darke Co.; was born in South Carolina in 1806,
and when about 6 years of age, came with his mother (his father
having died when he was but an infant), to Ohio and settled in
Warren Co., where he remained till about 15 years of age, when they
settled in Darke Co.; at the time Mr. Pearson came
here, it was a perfect wilderness; in most directions there were no
settlers within twelve to fifteen miles of him, and many Indians
roamed through the forests; at that time, they would pack their corn
to mill for a distance of twenty miles or more. Mr.
Pearson was united in marriage in 1827, to Mary, daughter
of Moses Arnold, also from South Carolina, who came
here prior to Mr. Pearson, hence making them among the
very oldest settlers of Darke Co.; to them eleven children have been
born, of whom only four are now living, viz., Maria, Mary Ann,
Edney and Westley; the children are married and settled
in life, the three daughters in this county, and Westley in
Illinois. Mr. Pearson and wife are among those
industrious old pioneers, who came here poor and endured all the
hardships incident to such life, in fact, endured perhaps more than
most of other residents; as an illustration—when they came here they
constructed a little log hut, with an opening to answer for an
entrance, and hung up an old quilt for a door; this was early in the
summer of 1818; the floor of the house was the "mother earth;" they
had no chimney, but built their fire on the ground, in the middle of
the room; in this manner, they lived till fall, when some little
improvements were made; from this commencement, step by step, they
advanced along life's journey, gradually making such improvements as
their wants and means demanded and would justify, till, at the
present time, they have 200 acres of land, and about three-quarters
of it under cultivation, a good brick house, good barns, etc., with
all necessary comforts of life, thus being an example to rising
generations of what industry, coupled with frugality, will
accomplish.
Source: History of Darke County, Ohio - Illustrated - Publ. Chicago:
W. H. Beers & Co., 1880
- Page 732 |
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Richland Twp.
ELLEN PECK
Source: History of Darke County, Ohio - Illustrated - Publ. Chicago:
W. H. Beers & Co., 1880
- Page 748 |
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OLIVER CLINTON PERRY
Source: History of Darke County, Ohio - Illustrated - Publ. Chicago:
W. H. Beers & Co., 1880
- Page |
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Brown Twp. -
J. J. PETERS
Source: History of Darke County, Ohio - Illustrated - Publ. Chicago:
W. H. Beers & Co., 1880
- Page 722 |
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Adams Twp. -
FRANKLIN PEIFFER
Source: History of Darke County, Ohio - Illustrated - Publ. Chicago:
W. H. Beers & Co., 1880
- Page 558 |
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Adams Twp. -
JACOB PEIFFER
Source: History of Darke County, Ohio - Illustrated - Publ. Chicago:
W. H. Beers & Co., 1880
- Page 713 |
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Greenville Twp. -
WALLACE PLESSINGER, farmer and butcher; P. O.
Greenville. Among the old settlers of Darke Co., this gentleman is
entitled to more than a passing notice; he was born in Richland
Township, this county, Aug. 6, 1847; his grandfather. Philip
Plessinger, was among the very early pioneers of Darke Co.;
emigrating from Pennsylvania, and locating in Richland Township,
about the year 1815, and his was the second or third white family
that settled in the township; here he lived until his death, which
occurred July 4, 1860. at about 90 years of age, and upon the place
where he located nearly half a century previous; Solomon
Plessinger (our subject's father) was the youngest of the above
family; he was born either in Lancaster Co., Penn.. or in Richland
Township. Soon after the arrival of the family here, he
married Rebecca Jackson, a native of Maryland, near
Baltimore; she is now living in Richland Township; they were the
parents of six children, three of whom now survive; Mr.
Plessinger died Dec. 27, 1861; our subject then being only 14
years of age, and being the only surviving son, the responsibility,
management and improvement of the farm fell upon him, and nobly did
he perform this duty until 1869 when, upon the 27th of October, he
was united in marriage with Carrie Jackson; she was
born in Shelby Co. in 1846; they are the parents of four sons and
four daughters, all of whom are now living, the family circle having
never been broken by death. Their children are Esrella,
Ida May, Frank N., Flora, Fred, Melvin,
Edith and Charles W. Upon the marriage of
Plessinger, he continued farming in Richland Township until the
spring of 1874, when he purchased 80 acres of land in Adams
Township, where he located; in December, 1879, he purchased his
present place of business in Greenville, and engaged in the butcher
trade, designing to move his family to town in February, 1880, that
he might have better facilities for churches and the education of
his children. A card of his business is to be found in the
business directory in another part of this work. It may be
truly said of the above gentleman, that he is one of the self-made
men of Darke Co.; left fatherless at 14 years of age, he has battled
against the hardships of the cold world, and by his own hard labor
secured a good property.
Source: History of Darke County, Ohio - Illustrated - Publ. Chicago:
W. H. Beers & Co., 1880
- Page 522 |
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Brown Twp. -
NOAH D. POLING
Source: History of Darke County, Ohio - Illustrated - Publ. Chicago:
W. H. Beers & Co., 1880
- Page 723 |
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Harrison Twp. -
WILLIAM POLLY
Source: History of Darke County, Ohio - Illustrated - Publ. Chicago:
W. H. Beers & Co., 1880
- Page 699 |
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Monroe Twp. -
JACOB PRESSLER
Source:
History of Darke County, Ohio - Illustrated - Publ. Chicago: W. H.
Beers & Co., 1880. - Page 640 |
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German Twp. -
COLONEL DAVID PUTMAN, attorney; P. O. German;
we herewith present a sketch of Col. David Putman, whose
portrait appears in this work, who is another of the early pioneers
of this county; he was born Aug. 4, 1821, on the present site of New
Madison, within the stockade, which formerly constituted old Fort
Black; he is of Scotch descent; his maternal grandfather - David
Gray - emigrated to America in 1802 from Tyrone Co., Ireland,
whither his immediate ancestors had been driven from Scotland by the
Catholic persecution; he settled first in Shephardstown, Md., from
which he emigrated in 1817 to Ohio, locating one mile west of the
present place of New Madison, then known as Ft. Black; here he
remained until his death, which occurred in 1822; he was one of the
first settlers of the county, and had for his only neighbors a
family of the Rushes, of whom some of the more remote descendants
are still living in the same locality. Our subject is the son
of Ernestus Putman, a direct descendant of John Putnam,
who came over in the Mayflower. Here we mention the two
different manners - interchanging the m and n - of spelling the
name, a diversity which still continues in the family and which most
probably arose from the early association of the family with the Low
Dutch. Hs paternal grandfather was a soldier in the
Revolutionary War, and took an active part for a period of seven
years and eight months in that great struggle for freedom.
Ernestus Putman was born in 1776, soon after his father entered
the service; a brother of our subject's paternal grandfather was
also a soldier in the Revolutionary war, and was sent south with
Green's Division; after the close of the war, he located in
South Carolina and raised a family; during our late civil war, our
subject accidentally met a rebel prisoner at Camp Chase who was
captured at Fort Donelson; and learning his rank - Captain - and
name, upon inquiry he found him to be a grandson of his paternal
grand-uncle; early in the present century, Ernestus Putman
celebrated his first marriage, and in 1809 moved to Madison, Ind.;
here he erected the third log cabin built in the place; while here,
he was called to mourn the loss of his wife, who died leaving an
infant son; this son now resides in Richmond, Ind.; Mr. E. Putman
remained here till 1811, when he remained at this till the close of
the war of 1812, and then went to Washington City. We should
mention here, that, while at Harper's Ferry, he celebrated his
second marriage; while at Washington, he was allotted the contract
for the iron work of the Capitol and White House, which were then
rebuilding; in 1819, he with his family, emigrated to this county,
purchasing and settling on the land on which New Madison has since
been built; it was then known as Fort Black; on coming to the above
place, he brought with him a stock of goods and opened a store,
combining with it the gunsmith trade, which was at that time a very
lucrative business; in 1831, he laid out the present town of New
Madison, and the same year constructed the first flouring mill in
the southern part of the county, locating it near retired from
active business, having been for a number of years an eminently
successful merchant; he still remained at his old home in New
Madison, until a few years before his death, when he ceased
housekeeping, and, with his wife, went to Winchester, Ind., where
they spent the remnant of their days with their eldest daughter.
He departed this life, in October, 1865, surviving his devoted
devoted wife nearly two years, she having died in February, 1864.
Thus two more of the early pioneers passed peacefully away, their
life's work ended, their duties done, leaving a family of loving
children to mourn their departure, and revere their memory. As
showing the interest which Mr. Putman took in Christianity,
we mention that in 1847, he built on his own ground, and at his own
expense - with the exception of $80 - the Presbyterian Church at New
Madison; this church, after he left the place, became disorganized,
and the house was no longer occupied by them. A few years ago,
the heirs of Mr. Putman after discovering that the original
deed executed by their father in favor of the Presbyterian Church,
was not to be found, and that the property was at their disposal,
gratuitously turned it over to the German Reformed Church, giving it
a quit-claim deed for the same. Mr. and Mrs. Putman
were the parents of nine children, six of whom are still living and
all of whom grew up to mature years; their names are as follows:
Jane O., born in 1816, married to Edward Edger, and
now residing in Winchester, Ind.; John G., born January,
1818, now living in Denison, Tex.; Elizabeth S., born
October, 1819, married Dr. Rufus Gillpatrick, lately
deceased; Col. D., our subject; Mary I., born 1824,
married to Dr. Charles Jaqua; Ernestus J., born 1826, now of
Colorado Springs, Colo.; Thomas C., born 1828, and deceased
in his 21st year; James, born 1830, now residing in
Burlington, Iowa; Nancy C., born 1833, married to Gen. J.
G. Blunt, and now residing at Leavenworth, Kan.; Mr. P.
was a member of the F. & A. M. Our subject, at a very early
age, was sent to Eaton, Ohio, to school, being placed under the
instruction of Col. George D. Hendricks, and remained there
about six months, this being his first school outside his paternal
roof; at the age of 13, he was placed in the flouring-mill lately
built by his father, and there remained for a period of two years;
then he was placed in his father's store in New Madison. The age of
13 closed his school days. He has a vivid recollection of going,
with his father, when quite a small boy, about one mile east of New
Madison, where, with the assistance of some of the neighbors, they
erected a log schoolhouse, the house being completed in one day,
with furniture thereto, the furniture being manufactured on the
spot; thus was planted the germ of our present efficient and
invaluable school system. Shortly after our subject left the mill,
and while in the store, Col. Hendricks, his former
instructor, called at his father's, and, while at the supper-table,
remarked that he was then organizing a surveying party to go to
Texas, just then recognized as an independent State, and jocosely
asked Mrs. Putman if David could accompany him; to
this she promised an answer next morning, which was rendered in the
affirmative, and she at once set about to prepare him for his
journey. Dr. Gillpatrick, who had lately located in New
Madison, from Maine, undertook to instruct our subject in practical
surveying prior to his setting out on the expedition. On
Christmas Day, 1836, Col. Hendricks, with a party of nine,
left Eaton, Ohio, for Texas, our subject being the youngest of the
number; they performed almost the entire journey to Cincinnati,
Ohio, on foot, accompanying the teams of Mr. Putman, the
father of our subject, which were loaded with butter, lard and pork,
and were about four days on the way; on the last day of the year,
they embarked at Cincinnati, on the steamer George
Washington, en route to New Orleans; on the next day, just
before passing Louisville, they met the steamer on which Santa Anna
was a passenger, on his way to Washington City; they were about two
weeks on their way to New Orleans, their progress having been much
impeded in the early part of the journey by floating ice. The
Colonel relates an incident which occurred on the way down, as
follows: Wishing to practice economy, their party took lower-deck
passage, and among their number was one Parks, an excellent
violinist and vocalist, who sang and played "Billy Barlow," much to
the gratification of the passengers, who listened to it for the
first time; this so attracted the passengers in the cabin that they
made him up a purse of $25, and, after putting somewhat of an
aristocratic finish on him, invited him up to the cabin to amuse
them with his songs and plays the balance of the trip. As
young as our subject was, he was intrusted by his father with a
quantity of lard, butter and pork, to take to New Orleans, to be
disposed of to the best advantage; he made a satisfactory disposal
of it to the firm of James Landis & Co., and left the
proceeds thereof on deposit till his return. Here four of the
company left them, the rest immediately embarking on the
sail-vessel, William C. Byrant for Texas; the party then
consisted of the following persons, to wit: Col. George G.
Hendricks, Lot Lee (who afterward became Sheriff
of Preble County, and distinguished himself in the Mexican war),
John Fall, William Maroney and our subject. They sailed
out of New Orleans on a rough sea which had just been severely
disturbed by a violent storm; this was rather a severe initiation to
sea-life for their party, as it soon produced the unpleasant
sensation of seasickness; after a period of eight days, they landed
at Marion, the river station of Columbia, the capital of the State;
this was on the Brazos River; they there learned that the land
office was not open, and that there was no employment to be had in
surveying; thus disappointed, they concluded to go into camp in the
outskirts of Columbia. Col. Hendricks, not
obtaining work as expected, pushed on to San Antonio, leaving the
remaining part of the company in camp. At this time, there was
a large influx of emigrants to the State, and a great demand for
carpenters sprung up. This Lot Lee, who was a
carpenter by profession, availed himself of, took contracts and
employed Maroney and Fall to assist him; this proved very
remunerative, as the demand for such labor was large and supply
meager. Our subject performed the part of cook for the
company, receiving for it his board and $1 per day; in addition to
this, he served as clerk in the grocery store of Capt.
Ives, late of Texan War, for which he received $2 per day; while
here, he made the acquaintance of Samuel Houston,
President of the Republic. After remaining here about three
months, Fall, Maroney and our subject determined to return
home, and concluded to foot it across the State to Red River; before
the time for their departure arrived, Fall abandoned the pedestrian
tour which they had planned, and took sail for New Orleans; this,
however, did not defeat the resolution of the other two. On
the 24th day of March, 1837, they called at the office of the
Secretary of State, and obtained a passport, which is now before the
writer, and which was given under the hand of J. Pinckney
Henderson, Secretary of State, at the town of Columbia, the 24th
day of March, 1837. After disposing of the surplus articles on hand,
and packing their knapsacks, they sallied forth on their journey, on
the morning of the 27th of March; on the evening of the first day,
finding themselves on the bank of Cow Creek, unable to cross, they
spread down their overcoats, and, using their knapsacks for pillows,
lay down and slept soundly and undisturbed till morning. Early
next day, they stopped at a farmhouse, which proved to be the home
of Dr. Parrott, formerly of Ohio, who was much
delighted to see the boys, and minister unto them in such a manner
as to give a new impetus to their journey. After fourteen
days' traveling, they arrived at Natchitoches, having crossed the
famous Gaines' Ferry, on Sabine River, the land route into Texas;
they took a steamer at Natchitoches, for New Orleans. Here our
subject invested the proceeds of the goods previously stored there,
in molasses, sugar and coffee for his father's store. This
investment exhibited great business sagacity, as it proved to be a
very profitable expenditure for his father. From here they
took steamer direct to Cincinnati, from which place they transferred
the goods, by canal, to Hamilton, Ohio, taking packet themselves for
same place; next day, they walked to Eaton, Ohio, where our subject
remained one day with his uncle and his companion Maroney; on
the subsequent day he walked home, a distance of eighteen miles;
thus ended the first eventful period of his life. We narrate
thus fully this journey as being remarkable for one of such young
years to venture. In about three months after arriving at
home, he was employed as clerk in the dry-goods store of D. W.
Skidmore, of Hamilton, Ohio; in the following spring, his father
and uncle established a new store in New Madison, and gave him
charge of it as clerk; his uncle died in the fall of 1839, leaving
the store entirely in his charge up to 1842; his father retired from
active business in the spring of 1842, leaving him and his brother
in charge of the two stores, which they consolidated and jointly
managed. On the 15th of the following November, he celebrated
his nuptials with Miss Sarah Mills, daughter of Col. Mark
T. Mills, and grand-daughter of Col. James Mills; the
latter gentleman was one of the early pioneers of this county,
coming here in 1816 and settling on land two miles north of New
Madison; he was a native of New Jersey, and emigrated to Hamilton,
Butler Co., Ohio, in 1798, and was one of the first settlers in the
county, and Colonel of the 1st Ohio Militia, 3d Detachment, in the
war of 1812; he left Hamilton, Ohio, Feb. 5, 1813, in command of
the 1st O. M., and marched to Dayton; from there to Piqua, Loramie,
St. Mary's, and finally, April 7, was ordered to Ft. Meigs, where
his regiment remained on guard duty till discharged from service.
We find the following entry in his regimental book:
GENERAL ORDERS
"Col. Mills,
with a portion of his command, having honorably served out the
period for which they were called into the service of their country,
are hereby discharged and permitted to return to their respective
homes. Events not within the control of the present
Commander-in-chief of this army, or of our Government, have rendered
it necessary that the militia of Western States should compose a
considerable portion of the Northwest army. Ohio stands
conspicuous for the great zeal and promptness with which her
citizens have yielded the comforts of private life for the toils and
privations of the camp. In the return of this detachment of
Ohio troops to their families and homes, it is due to Ohio and her
sons to record their honorable service.
"To Col. Mills and his staff, and his respective
commissioned and non-commissioned officers and privates, whose term
of service has expired, and to whose promptness in the discharge of
every duty he has been an eye-witness, the Commanding General gives
his sincere thanks.
"By command of
GEN. GREEN CLAY."
Col. J. Mills served in both branches of the Ohio
Legislature; he died of cholera in 1833, at Ft. Jefferson, and is
buried on the land he first settled; his wife was a physician of
much note in the early history of this county. Co. Mark T.
Mills, son of the former, was one of the early Sheriffs of this
county, and while serving his second term was elected a member of
the Legislature; he was continued a member of this body for four or
five years by the suffrage of the people. He was married to
Miss Lydia Burdge, Mar. 29, 1821, who still survives him, he
having died in March, 1843; she is the wife of Henry Hutton,
one of the early pioneers of Butler Township. Our subject
continued business in New Madison till June, 1845, when he sold out
his interest in the store to his brother, purchased a stock of goods
and residence in Palestine, where he moved and commenced business
next day; here he engaged with success for three years in dry goods,
grain and pork; in 1848, he suffered a heavy financial loss in the
pork business, this being a disastrous year to pork merchants; he
then exchanged his stock of goods for a farm in Preble Co., Ohio,
and lived on it two years, when he disposed of it, discharged all
his financial obligations, and returned to Palestine; in the two
succeeding years, engaged in the insurance business, and then was
proprietor of a hotel for one year; after the act of Congress
granting land-warrants to the soldiers of the war of 1812, he turned
his attention to this business; in the fall of 1855, he, with his
wife, went to Iowa and remained there till the following spring; in
the mean time, he entered about 1,000 acres of land with the land
warrants which he had purchased, traveling over the State
extensively; he returned to Palestine in the spring and engaged in
the grocery business, which he continued till the spring of 1861,
when he closed out his stock; in the mean time, he disposed of his
Iowa lands and invested in real estate in this county. Soon
after the commencement of the civil war, being an ardent supporter
of Lincoln, he offered his services in defense of his country, and,
on the 10th of October, 1861, was mustered into the United States
Army; he was commissioned as Second Lieutenant of the 69th O. V. I.,
with authority to recruit a company. On the last day of the
month, he reported to Col. Campbell at Hamilton, Ohio, with
thirty-one men; one the next day, he returned in company with
Col. Campbell to this county, to recruit more men for the
company; on the 19th of December, having completed the enlistment of
the company, he was elected to office of Captain; they remained at
Hamilton till the 19th of February, when the regiment was ordered to
Camp Chase (the 1st of March, Gen. Buckner, with entire staff
of officers, was brought to camp as prisoner, from Ft. Donelson);
his regiment remained here on guard duty till the 19th of April,
when they received orders to report at once to Nashville, Tenn.;
they arrived there on the 22d of April, and were shortly put in
charge of the railroad from Nashville to Columbia, where they
remained till June 8; they then accompanied an expedition under
Gen. Dumont to Pikeville, by way of Nashville, Murfreesboro,
McMinnville, and over the Cumberland Mountains; returning to
Nashville, Col. Campbell was appointed Provost Marshal, and
the regiment detained as Provost Guard of that city. About
this time, the rebel General Morgan, made a raid upon
Gallatin, capturing Col. Boone with 4th Kentucky; the
69th O. V. I., 11th Michigan and section of the battery, attacked
Gen. Morgan, and drove him out, the 69th losing one man killed -
the first killed of the regiment. When Gen. Bragg made
his flank movement on Louisville, the 69th was left to guard the
city of Nashville, which owing to the scarcity of troops, was
regarded as rather perilous; while here, our subject was detailed as
member of general court-martial, and remained on this duty 100 days;
from this he was relieved on the 26th of December, and joined his
regiment at Nolinsville, on its way to Murfreesboro; the regiment
participated in most of the the hard fighting which immediately
followed at that place. On the morning of the 31st of
December, Col. Cassilly, having succeeded Col. Campbell
in command was dismissed for unbecoming conduct, when the regiment
was left for a time without a commander, in the midst of a hard
fight, which soon reduced it to confusion and disorder. Our
subject being ranking Captain of the regiment on the field,
distinguished himself by taking command of the regiment and bringing
it into line again which position they held till ordered to fall
back by Gen. Negley - the regiment suffered severely in
killed and wounded during the day; on next day they were not
engaged, but on the 2d of January they took part in the brilliant
charge across Stone River, our subject commanding the left wing of
the regiment; this was a desperate charge, and, with some slight
skirmishing, closed the battle. The 69th had the honor of capturing
the famous Washington Battery of New Orleans, the finest in the army
(Sergt. Wilson, of our subject's company, deserves
meritorious notice for his bravery in this charge; being disabled in
the left arm, he was using a breech-loading carbine, and with it
succeeded in capturing a regimental flag of the Nashville Regiment,
while crossing the river.) From exposure previous to and during this
battle, our subject, after wading the river waist-deep, which was
floating with ice, fell prostrate to the ground, and was carried to
a house near by; he remained here till the 10th of January, having
been prostrated on the 5th, and then was taken to Nashville,
remained here till the 6th of February, and then went to
Murfreesboro, where he remained till the 20th of June, with the
exception of thirty days, which time he spent at home on furlough.
On the 20th, the army was examined, and all who were unfit for
active duty were placed in the invalid corps; our subject, being
examined, was reported unfit for active duty, and was offered the
command of Ft. Thomas, but, his health being poor, he thought best
to resign and return home; his resignation was accepted on the 21st
of June, 1863, and, after some delay, arrived home July 12. On the
24th of July, a company of O. N. G. was organized in Palestine, and
our subject elected Captain; in the following August, the 28th O. N.
G. was organized, and he was elected Colonel; he took an active part
in the Brough-Vallandigham campaign, and also assisted Col.
Browne in the recruiting service May 2, 1864, the O. N. G.
were called out, by order of the Governor, and, although his health
was still much impaired, his unflagging interest for his county led
him to take his place as Colonel of the 28th O. N. G.; after
arriving at Camp Dennison, their ten companies were consolidated
into eight, and two were assigned them from Springfield; they were
then organized into the 152d O. N. G., and, on the 12th of May, they
were sent to New Creek, W. Va., and from there, on the 30th, to
Martinsburg; they left there on the 4th of June, with a supply-train
of 209 wagons, and orders to reach Gen. Hunter, who
was then somewhere in the Shenandoah Valley, at all hazards; they
were joined by five companies of 161st O. N. G., 2d Md., and sixty
men of 15th N. Y. Cavalry, all under the command of our subject;
they overtook the rear of Hunter's army on the 10th, at
Staunton, and his army next day at Lexington; here, under
Hunter's command, the famous mills and military institutions of
Lexington were destroyed by fire; at the latter institution was
found a statue of George Washington, life size,
erected in 1788, which was turned over to our subject with special
instructions to deliver it to the Governor of West Virginia, at
Wheeling; these instructions he carried out; they continued with
Hunter's army till the 17th, when Gen. Hunter turned
his prisoners, sick and wounded, and 200 wagons, over to the Colonel
and ordered him to "get out;" they marched in advance of Hunter's
retreating army, arriving at Beverly on the 27th, being under fire
more or less everyday; arrived at Cumberland, Md., the 2d of July,
and remained there till the 25th of August, participating in several
skirmishes in the vicinity; they were then ordered to Camp Dennison
where they were mustered out of service on the 2d of September, and
on the 5th received their pay and final discharge. After returning
home the regiment resumed its old name, of 28th O. N. G., and our
subject continued its Colonel till the close of the war; he received
three honorable discharges from the United States service, one from
the 69th O. V. I., 152d O. N. G., and 28th O. N. G.
Immediately after the close of the war, he engaged in the study of
law under the direction of A. R. Calderwood of Greenville, and was
admitted to practice at the May term of the District Court of Ohio,
1866; since then he has been engaged in the practice of law, giving
his attention for several years particularly to the collection of
soldiers' pensions. He was elected to the office of Justice of
the Peace in l870 and served a term of three years; he is a member
of the F. and A. M. Lodge of New Madison. Mr. and Mrs.
Putman, have no children of their own, but have raised from
infancy a cousin's child, by the name of M. P. Simison; his
paternal grandfather was the first white settler at Ft. Recovery,
then a part of Darke Co., and one of his aunts was the first settler
of Jay Co.. Ind.; he is now engaged in the drug business at
Palestine, and is one of the promising young business men of the
place.
Source: History of Darke County, Ohio - Illustrated - Publ. Chicago:
W. H. Beers & Co., 1880
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