|
BIOGRAPHIES
Source:
History of Defiance County, Ohio
containing a History of the County; Its Townships,
Towns, Etc.;
Military Record; Portraits of Early Settlers and
Prominent Men; Farm Views; Personal
Reminiscences, Etc.
Published at Chicago: Warner, Beers & Co.
1883
|
|
Defiance Twp. -
ZEPHANIAH H. DAVIS
was born in Fredericsktown, Md., Oct. 15, 1812. Came to
Defiance County A. D. 1832; was married to Susan J. Lewis, Feb.
17, 1842, who was also born at Frederickstown, Md., June 22,
1822. To them were born eight children - Civillia, Emma
C., William F., Lemuel H., Charles E., Ellen, Hattie, and
John, who died in infancy. Mrs. Davis died June
20, 1864. He married for his second wife the widow, Mrs.
Biggs, July 4, 1865. Mr. Davis died
of palsy at his residence in Defiance, June 19, 1871, having
been a resident of the town for about forty years. When he
came to Defiance, it was comparatively an unbroken forest.
Indians were plenty and there were but few white families here,
doing mostly a trading business with the Indians, but he lived
to see the Indians removed beyond the Missouri River, the land
cleared and cultivated by the white people who settled in
rapidly after their departure, and the town grown to a thriving
village of about three thousand inhabitants, with a country
surrounding it correspondingly prosperous. His death
resulted from paralysis. He was first paralyzed in his
right arm and shoulder, which gradually extended over his whole
body, and, losing the use of his tongue, he was then unable to
describe his sufferings or speak of his wants to relatives and
friends. About a week before his death, his brain also
underwent a shock, after which he lay completely unconscious of
everything, unable to swallow and with no control of any part of
himself. He remained in this condition without food or
medicine, and only breathing, at intervals about a week, when
life at last left a body that had apparently been dead several
days.
Source: History of Defiance County, Ohio - Published at
Chicago: Warner, Beers & Co. - 1883 - Page 218 |
|
|
Mark Twp. -
E. H. DEVORE was born in Hampshire County,
Va. , Nov. 10, 1820. He removed when a child with his parents to
Tuscarawas County, Ohio, and from there he came to Mark Township
in June, 1851, settling on Section 25. He built his cabin
in the wilderness and cleared the farm upon which he still
resides. He was married in 1843 to Rebecca White,
by whom he had four sons and three daughters. Mrs.
Devore died January 26, 1880, and Mr. Devore
was again married, Dec. 15, 1881, to Mrs. Elizabeth Traxler.
Source: History of Defiance County, Ohio - Published at
Chicago: Warner, Beers & Co. - 1883 - Page 318 |
|
|
Defiance Twp. -
PETER DICKMAN was
born in Wooster, Ohio, Mar. 4, 1811. His father,
William Dickman, was born Oct. 2, 1810, in Hanover,
in Bruchhausen County, in Hanover, Germany. He immigrated
to America, July 4,1832; landed in Baltimore Sept. 8, 1832; from
there went to Middletown, Penn. , and was married there to
Miss Rebecca A. Kanecamp, by whom he had a family of eight
children - John, William, Margaret, Peter, Albert, Catharine,
Henry and Jacob. Albert and Margaret are
dead. He came to this county in 1848, and located in
Tiffin Township, and entered 160 acres of wild land. He
first cleared up a little patch for the log cabin, and erected
it with difficulty, as help was scarce and he had to take in a
circle of four or five miles. The next thing in order was
to get a little clearing on which to raise a little grain for
bread for the family, but for meat there was no scarcity, as the
forest abounded with wild game of every description. Mr.
Dickman identified himself at an early day with the
Evangelical Albright Church, and for some twenty six years was
chosen class leader. Mr. and Mrs. Dickman finally
withdrew from this church and united with the United Brethren
Church, of which the former is still a member. Mrs.
Dickman died Oct. 8, 1872, on the farm where they made
their first start. Mr. Dickman is still
living and remains on the same place. Peter, who was about
seven years old when his father went into the woods, remained at
home, helping to clear up the farm until he was seventeen.
Then learned the blacksmith trade with Jacob Dow,
at Brunersburg, to whom he was bound as an apprentice for two
years. After serving his time, he worked as journeyman at
$8 per month, which was increased with experience until he very
soon received $20 per month. He then quit his trade for a
time and on Aug. 13, 1862, enlisted in the One Hundred and
Eleventh Ohio Volunteer Infantry and served till the close of
the war. He was married Apr. 13, 1865, to Margaret
Sughsworth, of this county, who immigrated from Germany at
the age of about thirteen. They had four children -
Adaline M., Wallace M., Clara B. (who died Aug. 14, 1872)
and Rosie O. Mr. Dickman after
marriage settled at Brunersburg and took up his trade again and
did a thriving business there for about four years.
In the fall of 1869, he moved to Defiance and entered into
partnership with Charles Black, and built a shop;
then sold his interest to Black, and in January, 1870,
purchased the property which he now owns, consisting of wagon
and blacksmith shops and steam saw mill, it being the property
formerly owned by Isaac Corwin, the site of the
first blacksmith shop in Defiance, and carried on by Arthur
Burras, on the north side of the Maumee River. The
mill will probably cut 2,000,000 feet of lumber this year,
principally wagon and shipping lumber, the ash lumber being
shipped to New York, the oak and hickory to Toledo to the
Milburn Wagon Works. The shops, mill and grounds, where
once stood the lone blacksmith shop, are now worth probably from
$8,000 to $10,000, and Mr. Dickman has erected a
very neat little brick residence on the hill, nearly opposite
his works, at a cost of about $3,500, including grounds and
fixtures, commanding a line view of the town and the Maumee and
Auglaize Rivers, and of the old fort grounds, where once stood
Forts Defiance and Winchester.
Source: History of Defiance County, Ohio - Published at
Chicago: Warner, Beers & Co. - 1883 - Page 217 |
|
|
Adams Twp. -
AARON DIEHL was born Apr. 9, 1814, in
Montgomery County, Ohio, ten miles west of Dayton, and remained
there until 1843, at which time he came to Adams Township.
He is of German descent, his great-grandfather having come from
that country. An uncle, John Diehl, was one of "Marion's
men" in the war of the American Revolution, in North Carolina.
His father was a substitute in the war of 1812, and deserved a
pension. He then lived in Montgomery County, Ohio, were he
died August, 1875, aged eighty-six years. His wife,
Susannah Miller, was born in Virginia, in 1791, died Apr. 5,
1878, aged eighty-six years ten months and two days. Their
family were Aaron, Jacob, Samuel, Elizabeth, Hannah, Abraham,
John, Eli and Noah, all living but Elizabeth
and Hannah. Mr. D. was married, Apr. 5, 1838, to
Miss Catharine Russell, of Montgomery County, and formerly
from Washington County, Md. She died in the spring of
1881. Their family consisted of David, Susannah,
Margaret, John H., Mary C., Russell A. and Nancy.
Of these, Susannah, Margaret and Nancy are dead.
The rest are living. Mr. Diehl began his homestead
on Section 21. He has 160 acres, which he purchased in
1835. The pioneers were Darius Jones, Charles Tubbs, J.
Swartzel, John Shrimplin, who is Township Clerk.
John Hornish and Ephraim Markel. Mr. D. has
held the office of Trustee two or three years, and has been
Treasurer three terms. He has never been an office-seeker.
Source: History of Defiance County, Ohio -
Published at Chicago: Warner, Beers & Co. -
1883 - Page 254 |
|
|
Defiance Twp. -
MRS. SOPHIA DOWNS
Source: History of Defiance County, Ohio - Published at
Chicago: Warner, Beers & Co. - 1883 - Page 211 |
|
...
|
