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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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WILLIAM EAGLETON. Four
score and seven years have dissolved in the mists of time, the
most remarkable years in the history of the world, since the
honored and venerable gentleman whose name appears above first
saw the light of day. Heaven bounteously lengthened out
his life until he witnessed the crowning glory of his wonderful
epoch, rewarding him with an unusual span of years as a result
of consistent and virtuous living in his youth and the years of
industry and frugality, he was able to take a retrospective
glance down the corridors of the relentless and irrevocable past
and feel that his was an eminently useful and successful life.
He lived to see and take a prominent part in the wonderful
development of Guernsey county, especially Center township,
where he resided.
Mr. Eagleton was born Aug. 14, 1823, in Center
township, the son of John and Elizabeth (McCabe) Eagleton.
The father came from Ireland when only five years old with his
parents, William and Jane (Walker) Eagleton, and first
settled in Lancaster county, Pennsylvania, and later came to
Washington county, Pennsylvania, where their son John was
married to Elizabeth McCabe, who had been formerly
married to John McDowell, and she had three children,
Sarah, deceased, James and John McDowell, who came to
Center township, Guernsey county, Ohio, with their mother and
stepfather in 1822. The father entered eighty acres of
land in the woods, from Andrew Jackson as President, and
forty acres from Martin Van Buren as President, and owned
this land until his death, in February, 1864. His widow
survived until August 17, 1866, and both are now buried in the
cemetery at Washington. John and Elizabeth Eagleton
had a family of three daughters and three sons: Eliza,
Jane, Rachel, William, Israel and Henry.
William Eagleton spent his childhood and youth
with his parents on the farm. He attended the schools
taught in the neighborhood and when old enough was on the farm
engaged in clearing more acres to be farmed; at night he would
read, by the light of a hickory torch, and sometimes a tallow
dip candle, such books as were obtainable. Thus, he grew
up and spent his youth. He was married on Mar. 27, 1847,
to Elizabeth Stewart, daughter of James and Jane
(Walker) Stewart, of Washington county, Pennsylvania,
originally, but coming to Guernsey county, Ohio, in 1838.
To Mr. and Mrs. Eagleton were born five sons and
two daughters, namely: John, deceased; James S.,
of Denver, Colorado, a teacher in the public schools; William
H., also a teacher in the schools of Denver, Colorado;
Matthew E., a teacher in the Denver schools; Mack of
Guernsey county; Mary Jane, now Mrs. James
Stillion, in the state of Washington; Amanda, now
Mrs. William Mawhoor of Jefferson township, Guernsey county.
After his marriage Mr. Eagleton settled on a farm a mile
north of Eagleton's homesteads, where he resided for two
years, which farm he bought while living there. He then
lived in various places until 1857 when he came to the farm
where he lived at the time of his death, which occurred on Oct.
2, 1910. He acquired lands to the amount of three hundred
acres and devoted his energies to farming and sheep raising.
He prospered and was a man of progressive ideas and of great
influence in the community. After his marriage, in
addition to his farming interests, he studied law and was
admitted to the bar, and for a number of years he practiced in
the Guernsey county courts, and especially the justice courts of
the county, but never gave up his farm interests. He was a
man of marked ability and a broad education, acquired by reading
and in the school of experience. His sons were all given
educations, the most of which, however, was obtained by personal
application to study at home and in the common schools, and
three of these sons are now prominent educators in the city of
Denver. Mr. Eagleton was a Democrat of the
Jeffersonian school and was active in public affairs, having
served the public in many positions. For many years he was
a justice of the peace and he also filed all the offices in the
township except constable, which he declined. He was a
school director for many years. After being admitted to
the bar, he declined all of these offices. No man stood
higher in the estimation of the people and no man has been more
active in public matters that tended for good, than Mr.
Eagleton. He was for many years a member of the
Masonic order and his family are members of the Methodist
Episcopal church. He was active active in church work for
over thirty years and a deacon for many years. His wife
died in January, 1896, and is buried in Center township
cemetery, where his remains also lie. She was a splendid
woman, whose life work and example were always for good.
Mr. Eagleton spent his last days on the old home
farm of one hundred and eighty-six and a half acres, where he
spent so many active years, highly respected by all and living
to see his sons holding honorable positions in the educational
and business world. He was very successful in a financial
way, as in others; his farm never bore a mortgage and he was
never in arrears for taxes. He has never been sued and
never sued but one man, and that was not until he was past his
eightieth year, and done with great regret. Mr.
Eagleton was regarded as an authority upon most questions
that involved the interests and welfare of the community where
he had so long lived and his counsel and advice were often
sought by many.
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 915 |
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