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BIOGRAPHIES
Source:
History of Guernsey County, Ohio
by Col. Cyrus P. B. Sarchet
- Illustrated -
Vols. I & 2.
B. F. Bowden & Company,
Indianapolis, Indiana -
1911
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ALBERT R. CAIN |
ALBERT R. CAIN
Source: History of Guernsey County, Ohio by Col. Cyrus P. B.
Sarchet - Illustrated - Vols. I & 2. - Publ.: B. F. Bowden &
Company, Indianapolis, Indiana - 1911 - Page 672 |
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JUDGE
JAMES W. CAMPBELL. In placing the name of James W.
Campbell in the front rank of Guernsey county citizens, simple
justice is done to a biographical fact, universally recognized
throughout this and adjoining counties by men at all familiar
with his history. A man of judgment, sound discretion and
public spirit, he has so impressed his individuality upon the
community as to gain the highest esteem of all classes.
Judge Campbell was born Sept. 20, 1847, in
Middleton, Guernsey county, Ohio, the son of Dr. James and
Susan (Brown) Campbell, the former being a prominent
practitioner here for many years, a man of influence, high
character and intelligence.
Born in this locality, which was settled by people from
the island bearing the name of Guernsey, off the north coast of
France, Judge James W. Campbell has, unaided, fought his
way, step by step, to a position of eminence. At the age of
fifteen years he, after repeated attempts, enlisted in the army
and became a member of the regiment which Whitelaw Reid, in his
"Ohio in the War," credits with suffering the greatest hardships
of any regiment at that time in the field. After coming out of
the army the young soldier prepared for college and entered
Williams with a personal letter from President Garfield
to Mark Hopkins. He worked his way through college,
cleansing recitation rooms, kindling fires and doing odd jobs to
pay his way.
After leaving college, Mr. Campbell worked as a
printer, as editor, and read law, all at the same time, and in
so doing laid the foundation for the high legal and business
reputation that he has since acquired. He was specially
admitted to practice by the supreme court before that body took
general charge of admissions, and practiced in Cambridge, also
in eastern Ohio, rising to a position of eminence in his chosen
profession. No man in Ohio has ranked higher in law than
Judge Campbell, and is legal attainments are equaled by few
in this or any state. After nine years of practice he was
elected to the bench, the youngest man ever elected to the
judiciary in Ohio, and made a record which has not been
surpassed both for amount and quality of work. Judge
Campbell has been successful not only in legal circles, but
also in a business way. He was vice-president and is still a
director in the oldest national bank of Cambridge, among the
first of national banks organized in the United States. He was
special counsel for the Baltimore & Ohio railroad and the United
States Steel Company; he was receiver and general manager of the
Eastern Ohio railroad, and is still director in the Marietta &
Lake and the Eastern Ohio railroads, and has been organizer,
officer, director and attorney for various important eastern
corporations. He takes great interest in educational and
literary movements and is familiar with the world's best
literature and a writer of no mean order of ability himself He
is a member of the board of directors of the Cambridge public
library.
Recently the Judge has invested extensively in California
orange and oil properties, making his headquarters at Los
Angeles. He is president of the Bankers and Merchants Oil
Company and of the California Investment Company, vice-president
of the Consolidated Midway Oil Company of California, which owns
the largest well in the world, flowing three thousand measured
barrels per hour; vice-president of the France-Wellman Oil
Company, and treasurer of the Kern Westside Oil Company;
treasurer of the Elk Hills Midway Oil Company.
Judge Campbell was married Feb. 13, 1873, to
Martha White, daughter of Hon. Joseph W. and Nancy (Sarchet)
White, of Cambridge, a prominent and influential family
here. Mr. White, having, for a number of years,
represented the Cambridge district in Congress. To Judge and
Mrs. Campbell one son has been born, Joseph W. Campbell,
who after graduation from the University of Chicago, entered the
legal profession, having for a preceptor none other than his
able father, consequently he made rapid progress in his studies,
went through the Cincinnati Law School with high honors, and was
duly admitted to the bar. He is now engaged very successfully
in the practice at Joliet, Illinois, and he is also dealing
extensively in real estate. He is a thoroughly competent and
successful young man, to whom the future holds much of promise.
The Campbell home is at the corner of Wheeling
avenue and Ninth street, Cambridge, and is a commodious, modern
brick house, thoroughly equipped and furnished with modern
utilities and comforts, and is known as a place of old-time
hospitality and good cheer.
Throughout his entire professional and business career
Judge Campbell has been animated by lofty motives, and made
every personal consideration subordinate to the higher claims of
duty. Broad and liberal in his views, with the greatest good of
his fellow men ever before him, his conduct has been that of the
lover of his kind and the true and loyal citizen, who is ready
at all times to make any reasonable sacrifice for the cause in
which his interests are enlisted. He is, withal, a man of the
people, proud of his distinction as a citizen of a state and
national for whose laws and institutions he has the most
profound admiration and respect, while his strong mentality,
ripe judgment and unimpeachable integrity demonstrate to the
satisfaction of all his ability to fill honorably important
official positions and to discharge worthily the duties of his
trusts.
Source: History of Guernsey County, Ohio by Col. Cyrus P. B. Sarchet - Illustrated - Vols. I & 2.
- Publ.: B. F. Bowden & Company,
Indianapolis, Indiana - 1911 - Page 468 |
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SAMUEL CARTER.
From one of the oldest and best families of this section of the
national union comes Samuel Carter, one of the
progressive farmers and honored citizens of Oxford township,
Guernsey county, and he has always tried to live up to the high
standard set by his progenitors, and has therefore won and
retained the esteem of a wide circle of acquaintances and
friends.
Mr. Carter was born on June 8, 1855, in Monroe
county, Ohio, and is the son of John and Mary (Scott) Carter,
the father born in Maryland and the mother in Washington county,
Pennsylvania. When twenty-four years old the father came
to Fairview, Oxford township, Guernsey county, in 1827, and
after a short time he went to Wheeling and established a
grist-mill, which he operated for eight years. He then
established the first steam grist-mill on the upper Ohio river
at Pawhattan, on the West Virginia side of the river, and he
operated this mill for ten years. Then he built a steam
mill at Clarington, Monroe county, which he conducted for ten
years, then bought a farm near St. Clairsville, in Belmont
county. He farmed there until 1875 when he moved to
Fairview, Guernsey county, and retired from active business,
living at Fairview until his death, on Nov. 1, 1894, at the
advanced age of ninety-two years; his wife died in April, 1891,
and both are buried at Fletcher's cemetery. He was a very
successful business man and made good money out of his mills and
farms, and he was a man of strong character.
Grandfather Joel Carter was a miller on Rock
Run, Maryland, on the Susquehanna river, and he taught his son
John father of Samuel the milling business.
During the war of 1i12 his mills were destroyed and financial
disaster visited the grandfather. In the evening-up of
business matters Joel Carter gave his son John two
silver dollars with the statement that this would be the extent
of his financial aid. But John Carter was a man who
did not need aid, being strong in body and mind and of
unswerving courage. He came west, as he has been shown,
and became a pioneer miller and amassed a fortune, also
establishing for himself an envied reputation among all men with
whom he came into contact in a business or social way.
Samuel Carter, of this review, was taken
to Belmont county by his parents when four years old and he
received a good education in the country schools there. He
grew to maturity in that county and made it his home until he
was twenty years of age. He began life for himself there
by teaching two terms of school. He then came to Oxford
township, Guernsey county, and taught with pronounced success
for a period of eight years, his services being in great demand.
Mr. Carter was married on May 22, 1879,
to Louisa Smith, daughter of John and Margaret
(Temple) Smith. Mr. Smith was a farmer
of Millwood township and he and his wife are both deceased.
To Mr. and Mrs. Carter three children have been born,
namely: Etta L., deceased; Alfred N. is married
and is living at home on the farm which he now works, but he was
formerly a teacher for five years; Della (Margaret
is unmarried and is living at home.
Mr. Carter has lived in Oxford township ever
since coming to this county, and since 1881, when he gave up
teaching, he has engaged in farming on a fine, well improved
farm of two hundred and seventy-six acres which he bought at
that time. It is as good land as the county can boast and
he has been very successful as a general farmer and stock
raiser. He has a modern, attractive and comfortable
residence and good outbuildings. Of late he is giving most
of his attention to live stock, of which he is a good judge.
His farm is well adapted to raising sheep and he is especially
interested in this branch of stock raising.
Politically, Mr. Carter is a Democrat,
but he has never been active in public matters, but always
interested in whatever tends to the development of his community
and county. He has served as township clerk for three
years, trustee for two years, assessor for three years, and he
is a member of the township board of education, having held this
position for the past twenty-four years. As a public
servant he has done a great deal of good to his community and
has gained the esteem of all concerned. He and his family
are members of the Methodist Episcopal church and he has been a
class leader for the past thirty-eight years, and he has been a
trustee and steward for many years. His son succeeds him
as class leader in the church. The family has long been
active in church and Sunday school work. Mr.
Carter was superintendent of the local Sunday school for a
period of twenty-seven years, and he is yet a teacher of a Bible
class for men.
The Carter home has an atmosphere of refinement
and culture and the family is prominent in the social life of
the community.
Source: History of Guernsey County, Ohio by Col. Cyrus P. B. Sarchet - Illustrated - Vols. I & 2.
- Publ.: B. F. Bowden & Company, Indianapolis, Indiana - 1911 -
Page 610 |
FATHER WAGNER |
THE CATHOLIC CHURCH OF GUERNSEY
COUNTY
Source: History of Guernsey County, Ohio by Col. Cyrus P. B.
Sarchet - Illustrated - Vols. I & 2. - Publ.: B. F. Bowden &
Company, Indianapolis, Indiana - 1911 - Page 486 |
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RICHARD J. CLARK
- See Thomas C. Clark
Source: History of Guernsey County, Ohio by Col. Cyrus P. B. Sarchet - Illustrated - Vol. I.
B. F. Bowden & Company, Indianapolis, Indiana - 1911 - Page 572 |
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STEPHEN B. CLARK.
The gift of life is so mysterious that when that other mystery
which we call death interrupts the current of human hopes and
aspirations, we know not into what new channel the spirit may be
turned, but if the life has been characterized by strength and
vigor everything it has touched in its onward passage must have
received a beneficent inspiration.
To a mind thoroughly awake to the reality of human
existence and its responsibilities there are noble and
imperishable lessons in the career of an individual who conquers
adversity and wins not only material success, but that far
greater honor, the deserved esteem and confidence of his
fellowmen.
Such a man was the late Stephen B. Clark.
Long intimately associated with the material and civic interests
of Guernsey county, his name is today recalled with reverence.
Stephen B. Clark was born Sept. 27, 1810, at New
Market, Maryland, the son of John and Mary (Basford)
Clark and came to Guernsey county in 1825 with his parents,
who first came to Cambridge, but later located in Antrim, where
the father engaged in mercantile business for many years.
John Clark was a successful and influential citizen.
Late in life he removed to Washington, Guernsey county, where he
and his wife passed away. They rest in Cambridge cemetery.
Stephen B. Clark was a diligent student when
young and began teaching at the age of sixteen years, obtaining
means for a medical education, in which study he was greatly
interested. During the years of teaching he read medicine
with Dr. Thomas Miller, of Cambridge, and when he had
saved sufficient money he took a course of lectures at the Ohio
Medical College at Cincinnati, after which he returned to
Cambridge and formed a partnership with Doctor Miller for
the practice, and later took a course of lectures at the
University of New York, graduating in 1845. On his return
from New York he formed a partnership with his brother, Dr.
John T. Clark, in Cambridge, and during his years of
practice he became a partner of Peter Ogier in the drug
business, under the firm name of Ogier & Clark and with
William Rainey, Sr., in the mercantile business, under
the firm name of Rainey & Clark. His last
enterprise was the establishment of the First National Bank, now
the National Bank of Cambridge, and became the active president
for thirteen years, managing its affairs with such care and
judgment as not to lose one cent in investments or loans during
that time. After his retirement from active life because
of the infirmities of age, he retired to his farm, Oak Grove,
near Cambridge. He was a great reader of history and
biography and a student of the Bible, being a member of the
United Presbyterians church and an elder in the church for
thirty-five years, and a frequent delegate to the general
assemblies of the church. In politics he was a Whig and
Freesoiler. In 1866 he became chairman of the first
Republican organization in Guernsey county, and was always
prominent and active in party affairs. His grandfather was
a slave-holder in Maryland, and to each of his grandchildren was
given a black servant, but this grandson was a strong
anti-slavery man, and in very early life broke away from the
influences and associations of slavery. Doctor Clark
was also a large landowner, and Clark's addition to the
city of Cambridge is one of the most important sections of the
city. Doctor Clark died June 30, 1894, in his
eighty-fourth year, and his widow on Feb. 8, 1902, aged
eighty-two, and both are buried at Cambridge. Few men have
left a more indelible impression upon the community than
Doctor Clark. A splendid man in every walk of
life, in his profession, in business, in banking, in the church,
and in educational advancement, in business, in banking, in the
church, and in educational advancement, his impress is found
everywhere.
Doctor Clark was married Nov. 26, 1839 to
Jane McCracken (born Mar. 30, 1820) by Rev. Dr. James
McGill, pastor of the Associated Reform church of Cambridge,
which in 1858 became the First United Presbyterian church of
Cambridge.
To Doctor and Mrs. Clark were born nine
children, seven of whom grew to manhood and womanhood.
There were: William m., of Lincoln, Nebraska, who
was a soldier in the Civil war and how became brigade surgeon of
the First Brigade, Third Division of the Fourth Army Corps.;
John R., deceased, a prominent banker of Lincoln, and a
soldier of the Civil War, enlisting in 1861 in Company B,
Fifteenth Regiment Ohio Volunteer Infantry, and became first
lieutenant of Company A, same regiment; Alexander J., of
the state of Texas, who as a member of Ohio National Guard also
served in the Civil war; Margaret H., now Mrs. Wilson
S. Heade, widow of the late Wilson Shannon Heade,
mention of whom is made elsewhere in this work; Thomas C.,
of Cambridge; Mary O., now Mrs. William A. Burt,
of Columbus, Ohio; Josiah, deceased; Ida Jane,
deceased; Lute, deceased, who became Mrs. Halleck C.
Young, of Lincoln, Nebraska.
The loss to a community of such a citizen as Doctor
Clark is difficult to estimate. His influence as a
potential factor in the civic and commercial life of the
community was far-reaching. His long and useful life was
so intimately intermingled with all the vital forces of good
that to place a finger upon this or that particular achievement
were merely random acknowledgment of a career singularly
fruitful of just and honorable deeds. Memory lingers with
loving tenderness over his personality.
Source: History of Guernsey County, Ohio by Col. Cyrus P. B. Sarchet - Illustrated - Vol. I.
B. F. Bowden & Company, Indianapolis, Indiana - 1911 - Page 519 |
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THOMAS C. CLARK. By
persevering in the pursuit of worthy purpose Thomas C. Clark,
well known in railroad circles of Guernsey county and at present
freight agent for the Pennsylvania lines at Cambridge, has won
definite success in life. He has always stood well among
his fellow men and been regarded by those who have met him as
most faithful men and been regarded by those who have met him as
most faithful, trustworthy and energetic, meriting the utmost
confidence.
Mr. Clark was born at Washington, Guernsey
county, Sept. 8, 1852, and is the son of Richard J. and Ann
Matilda (Beymer) Clark. Richard J. Clark was
born in Maryland and came to Cambridge in 1839. He clerked
in the dry goods store of Craig & Bryant here in the
early days. After some years he went to Washington, this
county, and there he met Ann Matilda Beymer, daughter of
Gen. Simon Beymer and wife.
Gen. Simon Beymer came to Ohio from Cumberland
county, Pennsylvania. He was of German ancestry and his
wife, it is believed, was of English descent. The old
hotel sign of the Black Bear bore the date of 1806, probably the
date when the hotel was established. His license to run
the hotel was issued from Pennsylvania. The Beymer
family were the first settlers of the locality of
Washington. General Beymer family were the first
settlers of the locality of Washington. General Beymer
was commander of the Fourth Regiment of Ohio Militia for several
years after the war of 1812. Mr. Clark has many
papers showing that he had a great deal to do concerning the
regiment. He was captain in the war of 1812. He kept
the Black Bear hotel at Washington, while the National road was
the great artery of travel east and west, and his hotel was the
stopping place for the stage coaches and travelers from far and
near.
Washington was first called Beymerstown, named after
his family, the first settlers. Gen. Simon Beymer
and wife were the parents of these children: John, who
was for two terms sheriff of the county; William, Joseph
and Conrad, both of whom were stock buyers and drovers;
Ellen, who married John Lawrence; Anna M., mother
of the subject; Richard, a saddle and harnessmaker in
Cambridge in early times, who was a hotel keeper. Three
brothers of the subject's father, Thomas, Stephen and
William, became well known physicians. Their father
was a brick mason by trade.
RICHARD J. CLARK was the son of
John Clark, of Maryland. John Clark was in
the war of 1812 and was in the battle of Bladensburg. When
the National road extended only to Cambridge, he brought his
family here in wagons, intending to go to Zanesville, but, being
delayed from further progress by bad roads, concluded to stay
here.
After Richard J. Clark went to Washington he
remained practically there all his life and he became a very
prosperous business man. He had a general store, known as
the Ark, where he did a big business. He also bought and
sold wool and pork and dealt largely in other commodities.
He often carried large sums of money, sometimes as high as
twenty-five thousand dollars, riding over the country at night
and day buying food and other commodities to ship east. He
bought hogs and cattle by the thousands during the war. He
was a big hearted, generous man, who never refused needed aid,
and extended credit of many thousands to those who never could
or would pay. He lived up to the Golden Rule far better
than most men. He moved to Cambridge during the eighties
and spent his later years here. He died about 1893.
His wife made her home among her daughters after that and lived
till March, 1907, dying in her seventy-sixth year, about the
same age as Mr. Beymer when he died.
In their family were four sons and five daughters:
Otha B. Clark, now of Minneapolis, has three daughters and
one son. Harry B., of Ludlow, Kentucky, has two
daughters and one sons. Mollie, wife of J. M.
Porter, lives in Pittsburg, has one son and one daughter.
Jennie, wife of Alonzo Burke, now of Milwaukee, has
two daughters. Lillian, who married J. N. Todd,
of Pittsburg, is deceased. Ellen married R. B.
Hoover, then of Washington, and is deceased, and he is in
Springfield. She had two sons and two daughters.
Dora makes her home with her sister, Mrs. J. M. Porter,
in Pittsburg.
Thomas C. Clark lived at Washington until he was
about sixteen years old, in 1869. He learned telegraphy at
Washington, then went to Pittsburg with Mr. Hoover, who
was an operator, and was there three or four years. Then
he came to the Cleveland & Marietta road, first at Caldwell,
then to Canal Dover, where he was agent and operator. He
was the first operator to receive by sound at Canal Dover.
He then went to Marietta and was train despatcher, then came to
Cambridge and became trainmaster. The road changed
management at number of times and in 1900 was merged with the
Pennsylvania lines. He then became local freight agent at
Cambridge which position he still holds.
Mr. Clark is a member of Cambridge Lodge No.
301, Independent Order of Odd Fellows, and the encampment.
He was married in 1872 to Mina St. Clair Crawford, who
was born in Brooklyn, New York, but resided in Allegheny when
she and Mr. Clark were married. She was the
daughter of Robert Crawford. Mr. and Mrs. Clark
have four children, namely: Claude St. Clair Clark,
who married Sadie Graham, of Kimbolton, and to
them were born one son and one daughter, Willard and
Mina. Claude died May 19, 1902. Harry Curtis
Clark, who lives in Cambridge, married Grace Hare, of
Quaker City, and had two sons, Wilbur and Harry.
Daisy Belle Clark married George Wilbur Hilles, of
Barnesville, and she has three sons, Thomas, Clark and
George. Francis Dye Clark married William K. Krepp,
Jr., of Columbus, now resides in Pittsburg, and has one son,
Kinsman.
Mr. Clark built a large, cozy and beautiful home at
No. 224, North Sixth street in Cambridge, where he now resides.
He is a large-hearted and hospitable, steady, diligent and
reliable man whom everybody likes.
Source: History of Guernsey County, Ohio by Col. Cyrus P. B. Sarchet - Illustrated - Vol. I.
B. F. Bowden & Company, Indianapolis, Indiana - 1911 - Page 571 |
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ALEXANDER COCHRAN.
The name of Alexander Cochran will never be forgotten by
those who had the opportunity of knowing him, and although he
can be seen by mortal eyes no longer, his influence is still
active for good among his fellow men and - thanks for the
assurances of hope - upon the great ocean of eternity, his life,
not in the embrace of sleep nor in the apparent selfishness of
rest, but in activity of service in the courts of heaven, has
burst into splendor.
Mr. Cochran was born Feb. 26, 1832, in Oxford
township, this county, and he was the son of William and
Martha (Henderson) Cochran. The Cochrans were
of Scotch-Irish descent, and grandfather Alexander Cochran
came to Guernsey county, Ohio, in the early days of the
nineteenth century when the country was all a dense forest,
inhabited by Indians and wild game. The father, William
Cochran, was a farmer and his son, Alexander, grew to
maturity on the home place and assisted in clearing the land and
tilling the soil. During the winter months he attended the
neighboring schools, which were taught in log cabins. When
he was nineteen years of age he went to California to seek his
fortune in the gold fields, making the trip by way of the
isthmus of Panama, and experienced the usual hardships. He
remained in California about six years, spending his time in the
mines north of Sacramento. He was very successful there
and his experiences were of lasting benefit to him.
Returning to Ohio, he engaged in various business enterprises
acquiring valuable lands, now Quaker City, when there were only
a few crude houses along the one street, the town being started
along the main road that passed through the settlement. He
was very successful there and his experiences were of lasting
benefit to him. Returning to Ohio, he engaged in various
business enterprises, acquiring valuable lands, now Quaker City,
when there were only a few crude houses along the one street,
the town being started along the main road that passed through
the settlement. He bought land in this locality from time
to time and acquired a large acreage, and he changed the name of
the place from Millwood to Quaker City, owing to the fact that
the locality had been settled principally by Quakers. He
engaged in all kinds of mercantile enterprises, and he
encouraged young men to take up various lines of business, being
in every way active in the development of the community.
He built houses and sold them to individuals wanting homes.
He was, in reality, the founder and builder of Quaker City.
Later he became the proprietor of a large planing and saw-mill,
which he continued to operate until his death and which is still
operated by his family. He was a very successful business
man and one of the leading citizens in every respect of this
part of the county.
Mr. Cochran was married on Mar. 17, 1872, to
Susan A. Gregg, daughter of John and Mary (Holcher) Gregg,
a prominent family of Belmont, Belmont county, Ohio. To
this union one daughter was born, Lena G., who married
Rev. Charles H. Williams, a Congregational minister, of
Gloucester, Massachusetts. Mrs. Williams is a
highly educated woman, being a graduate of Oberlin College and
the Boston Conservatory of Music.
Mr. Cochran was a Republican in politics from
the organization of the party, and he was always active in its
affairs and deeply interested in all public matters.
No man did more for Quaker City and vicinity than he, and his
name is now a synonym for progress, success and right living,
both in private and public life. In addition to his
business interests in Quaker City, he was an extensive land
owner and farmer and for several years he was an extensive and
successful coal operator, being among the early pioneer coal
operators in this part of the coal producing field.
Mr. Cochran was a thirty-second-degree Mason and
was prominent in the order. Mrs. Cochran is a
member of the Presbyterian church, and MR. Cochran's
parents were members of the same denomination. While
Mr. Cochran was not a member of the church, he was a strong
advocate of churches and a liberal supporter of the same.
The death of this excellent citizen, kind-hearted
neighbor, valued friend and indulgent father and husband,
occurred on Aug. 14, 1904, meeting death in a tragic manner,
having been killed in a railroad accident in Wheeling while
attending to some business matters. His funeral was
conducted by the Masonic order, of which he was so long a
member, and delegations from lodges from many surrounding cities
were in attendance. He was a man of sterling worth and
character and no man occupied a higher place in the estimation
of the people among whom he lived and labored to such goodly
ends and his memory will always be revered by all classes here.
Source: History of Guernsey County, Ohio by Col. Cyrus P. B. Sarchet - Illustrated - Vols. I & 2.
- Publ.: B. F. Bowden & Company, Indianapolis, Indiana - 1911 -
Page 615 |
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SILAS W. CONNER.
I having earned the right by years of indefatigable industry,
rightly directed, to rank in the van of the army of Guernsey
county’s progressive, men, Silas W. Conner, of Byesville,
is eminently entitled to representation in this volume. He
is descended from a sterling ancestry and many of their winning
traits have outcropped in him, for he has let nothing discourage
him in his efforts to forge to the front and benefit alike
himself and family and the community in which he lives.
Mr. Conner was born in September, 1863,
in Seneca township, Noble county, Ohio, and he is the son of
John and Elizabeth (McLaughlin) Conner, the father a fine
old Southerner, born near Richmond, Virginia, a genteel
gentleman, whom to know was to admire and respect. The
mother grew to maturity and was educated in Noble county, Ohio;
however, she was born in Ireland and when quite small emigrated
with her parents to this country. The Conners were
of Dutch ancestry and of the thrifty, honest type.
Silas W. Conner spent his youth on the home farm
in Noble county and attended the neighboring schools during the
winter months, remaining under his parental roof-tree until he
was twenty-one years of age, at which time he came to Byesville,
Guernsey county, and started life for himself by entering the
restaurant business, in which he met with a very satisfactory
degree of success. In 1888 he was married to Lizzie
Wilson, daughter of Henry H. Wilson, a highly
respected family, which is given proper mention on another page
in this volume. She was horn, reared and educated in the
vicinity of Byesville, where her father owned a good farm; she
was graduated from the high school at Byesville, where she made
a splendid record, and at the early age of sixteen was licensed
to teach.
After his marriage Mr. Conner farm near
Byesville about four years and got a good start. About
1892 he left the farm and he, John Thomas and George
Winilcer built a roller-process mill at Byesville, the first
one of the kind in that part of the county, the old water mill
having fallen to decay and had been out of commission for some
time. Continuing in the milling business two or three
years. Mr. Conner sold his interest to Chads
Chalfont, father of Rev. W. A. Chalfont who had
previously bought out the other two partners. Then he
dealt in buggies about a year, after which he ran a livery
business, each with characteristic success, for Mr. Conner
had always a happy faculty of concentrating his entire attention
on whatever he had in hand and making it successful. He
bought out the furniture and undertaking business of James
Smith, an undertaker of the old school, and increased the
stock and inaugurated modern methods throughout and he has
continued to operate the same with large and increasing success.
In 1906 he erected the large ,substantial and attractive
business block which he now occupies. He and his son,
Earl D. also his wife, are all licensed embalmers and do a
very satisfactory business. A large, well selected and
choice stock of furniture, carpets, rugs, etc., are carried.
Mr. Conner is deserving of a high rank among Byesville'
leading business men and public spirited citizens. He is a
member of the Free and Accepted Masons and the Knights of
Pythias, and he and his wife belong to the Methodist Episcopal
church. They have four interesting children, two sons and
two daughters, Earl Dwight, Audree Lura, Edra Wilson and
Winnie Clyde.
Source: History of Guernsey County, Ohio by Col. Cyrus P. B. Sarchet - Illustrated - Vols. I & 2.
- Publ.: B. F. Bowden & Company, Indianapolis, Indiana - 1911 -
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