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BIOGRAPHIES
Source:
Portrait and Biographical History of Guernsey
County, Ohio
Published: Chicago: C. O. Owen & Co.,
1895
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THOMAS M. JOHNSON.
Quaker City (formerly Millwood) has its full quota
of vigorous, enterprising, thoroughgoing business men, whose
popularity is based upon their social qualities and their well
known integrity and business activity. None among these is
better liked by those who have business dealings with him than
be of whom we now write, and who is one of the leading boot and
shoe merchants of the city.
Mr. Johnson is a native of this county, and was
born Feb. 6, 1829, to James R. and Priscilla (Israel) Johnson,
early pioneers of this section. They were natives,
respectively, of Hartford County, Md., and Belmont County, this
state. The father emigrated to Guernsey County in 1816 or
1818, locating at once on a farm in Oxford Township, on the old
Wheeling road. He continued on that farm for a number of
years, placing it under good tillage, and then removed to
another tract, where his death occurred.
The parent family of our subject embraced six children,
of whom the eldest, Basil I., is living in Quaker City;
Annie C., deceased, was the wife of Henry McCormick;
our subject was the third in order of birth; Ellen E. is
now Mrs. William P. Hartley; Susan, married Robert
McBurney; and James S. is in the business in this
city.
Thomas M. Johnson was reared on his father's
farm in Millwood Township, and gained his primary education in
the common schools of the district. The knowledge gained
therein was later supplemented by attendance at the Madison
College of Antrim, this state. On completing his studies
he began teaching schools, following this vocation with great
success during the winter season of nine successive years.
The summers were occupied by him either in far work or as
partnership with his brother Basil I. and engaged in the
mercantile trade in this city, this connection lasting for
several years. Then our subject, disposing of his interest
in the business, built the depot at Quaker City. This was
in 1853, and it was the first ever erected between Wheeling and
Cambridge. From that until 1863 Mr. Johnson was
employed as a general merchant, and engaged extensively in
stock-buying. He was also Postmaster form 1861 to 1864,
being among the first appointed in the county under Lincoln's
administration. In 1863 he was elected Treasurer of
Guernsey County, and in order to perform well the duties
devolving upon him in this responsible position was obliged to
give it his entire attention. On the expiration of his
first term he was re-elected, retiring from the office in
September, 1868. That year he was employed by the
Baltimore & Ohio Railroad Company as their agent at Quaker City,
and for four years rendered his employers satisfactory service.
In the year 1872 Mr. Johnson, in company with
Isaac W. Hall, organized the Quaker City National Bank, of
which he was elected Cashier. This position he held until
1884, the year in which he was made Secretary of the Quaker City
Window Glass Factory. This proved a very successful
venture, and Mr. Johnson remained a stockholder in this
company until 1890, when he embarked in his present business.
The lady to whom our subject was married, September 7,
1854, was Miss Margaret S., daughter of William and
Elizabeth (Lennington) Irwin. Margaret Irwin was a
very prominent and successful school-teacher, and taught for
some four or fie years in the schools of Londonderry and Madison
Townships, this county, and subsequent to her marriage she
taught jointly with her husband in Millwood, now Quaker City,
one term. To Mr. and Mrs. Johnson have been born
three children. Laura E. is the wife of Prof. S.
J. Finley, of Knoxville, Iowa; Thomas H. is Secretary
and manager of the Enterprise Window Glass Factory, at Dunkirk,
Ind.; and Hattie P. is the wife of Prof. w. H. Gregg,
of Quaker City. The entire family are members of the
Christian Church, and are ever ready to aid in its social and
benevolent work. In politics our subject is a true
blue-Republican, and cast his first vote for Winfield
Scott. He has been honored by his fellow-townsmen with
various positions of honor, among them that of Justice of the
Peace, School Director and Supervisor of the Census. He is
one of the active business men of the city, and as an earnest
and public-spirited citizen commands the regard of all his
friends and neighbors.
SOURCE #2 - Portrait and Biographical History of
Guernsey County, Ohio -
Published: Chicago: C. O. Owen & Co., 1895
- Page 330 |
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John Judy |
MARY (SEATON) JUDY, whose
pleasant home at No. 69 East High Street, New Philadelphia,
bespeaks the culture and refinement of the owner, is a native of
this place, where she has passed nearly her entire life.
She is the widow of JOHN JUDY, who was likewise born in
this city , and who was long esteemed one of the leading
business men of the place. He was a son of JOHN and
Maria (Tschudy) Judy, the former of whom was a native of
Switzerland, but who emigrated to the United States in 1803, and
became a permanent resident of this county. The latter at
the time of her marriage with Mr. Judy was a Mrs.
Schaffer, and by her first union had three children,
Maria, Elizabeth
and Mathias. She became the wife of John Judy
Aug. 30, 1808, the ceremony being performed in Hagerstown, Md.
Two sons and a daughter were the result of their union, namely:
Susan, John and David. The daughter became
the wife of Abraham Knisely, and died in 1833.
John Judy was a tailor by occupation, and became well-to-do.
Personally, he was noted for his sterling integrity and
uprightness of life. His death occurred Oct. 1, 1871, at
the advanced age of ninety years. His wife died Sept. 18,
1858.
JOHN JUDY, the eldest son of the foregoing, was born Jan.
4, 1812, and passed his boyhood on a farm, where he remained
until he was seventeen years old. He then began learning
the carpenter's trade, which he followed for some five years.
Subsequently his attention was principally given to farming for
many years, but he was also to some extent engaged in the
manufacture of brick.
On various occasions Mr. Judy held honorable
positions, both in civil and religious circles. For nine
years he served with credit to himself as Justice of the Peace,
but he was not desirous of filling pubic capacities, and could
rarely be prevailed upon to do so. He was, however,
Treasurer of the American Bible Society for sixteen years, and
for the last thirteen years of his life a large portion of his
time was spent in the department of Sunday-school work, not only
in this county and state, but in others. He stood in the
front rank of workers in this field, and believed with all his
heart that the Sunday-school should be recruited the laborers
for the Master's vineyard.
The first marriage of John Judy was celebrated
in 1832, when Miss Elizabeth Landes became his wife.
Her parents, Felix and Christina Landes, were among the
early pioneers of this place, having emigrated hence from
Virginia. Mrs. Elizabeth Judy departed this life
Aug. 21, 1863. Oct. 16, 1864, Mr. Judy wedded
Christina, daughter of David and Lydia Kitch, who
were also early settlers of this county, and were from
Pennsylvania. The death of Mrs. Judy took place
August 27, 1869, less than five years after her marriage.
April 13, 1870, John Judy married Miss Mary
Seaton, the ceremony being performed at Pana, Christian
County, Ill., where the lady was engaged in teaching at the
time, having followed this calling for more than fourteen yeas,
six years. of which time she taught in New Philadelphia.
In that city she taught her first term in the high school, and
for five years was one of the noted educators of New Comerstown.
Mrs. Judy was the daughter of Andrew and
Celinda (Neighbour) Seaton, who were natives, respectively,
of Boston, Mass., and New Jersey. The father died
in 1841, aged forty years. He was a son of Andrew and
Mary (Bowers) Seaton, the latter of whom lived to the
remarkable age of eighty-six. Mrs. Celinda Seaton,
whose home is in New Philadelphia, is now in her eighty-seventh
year. Her father, Nicholas Neighbour, and her
mother, who born the maiden name of Sharp, were natives
of New Jersey. By her first marriage she had two children,
Mary and Lucy, the latter the wife of W. A.
Vancil, a retired farmer, whose home is in Waverly, Ill.
After the death of her first husband, Mrs. Seaton became
the wife of Dr. R. Powelson, who died Nov. 9, 1893, at
the age of eighty-two years. They had one daughter,
Elizabeth, who is the wife of D. C. Gentsch, a
medical examiner in the pension office at Washington, D. C.
Grandfather Andrew Seaton was born in the state
of New Hampshire, as was also his wife, but the name of the town
is not known. He lived for many years at a place called
Hancock, that state, where he conducted a large mercantile
business. He also spent some time engaged in business at
Amherst, from which city he removed to the vicinity of Boston,
and finally to the Hub City. He was at one time the
proprietor of the Neponset Hotel, at Neponset, Mass., and also
lived at one time in Charlestown, that state. Here moved
with his wife and family to Ohio in the year 1818, settling in
Medina Township, where his two eldest sons, Andrew and
Read, had preceded him, and where he continued to reside
until the time of his decease, which occurred in 1826, aged
sixty-three years.
Mrs. Mary S. Judy is the owner of some very
interesting relics of the last century or two. One of
these trophies is the translation of the Bible into German,
accompanied by numerous comments of the translator, the
celebrated Martin Luther. This invaluable work is
twice the size of the large encyclopedia, and would be a prize
eagerly sought for by public museums or private collectors.
At the time of Mr. Judy's death, which occurred in May,
1880, he left a valuable estate and his family well provided
for.
SOURCE #2 - Portrait and Biographical History of Guernsey County,
Ohio - Published: Chicago: C. O. Owen & Co., 1895
- Page 149 |
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