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BIOGRAPHIES
Source:
Centennial
Biographical History of Hancock Co., Ohio
Pub: New York & Chicago by The Lewis Publishing Company
1903
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HAVILAH L. PARKER.
This gentleman, who is one of the most progressive
and successful agriculturists in Hancock county, is
the renter of a valuable farm in Marion township,
and his management of the estate is marked by the
scientific knowledge and skill which characterizes
the modern farmer. He was born at Findlay and
throughout his active business life has been
prominently identified with the agricultural and
industrial interests of Hancock county. The
date of his birth was Apr. 28, 1853. He was
reared and educated in his native town, and has been
a continuous resident of the county ever since.
His parents were George W. and Margaret
(Anderson) Parker. Mr. Parker was a
native of Virginia, while Mrs. Parker was
born in Wayne county, Ohio. The Parkers
are of German extraction, while the Andersons
are natives of the Emerald Isle.
Havilah L. Parker operates the Burnes
farm, consisting of ninety-seven acres of land,
on the Sandusky road, two miles east of the city of
Findlay. He is a man of many fine traits of
character, a member in good standing in the
Methodist Episcopal church of Findlay, a member of
the Protected Home Circle, a fraternal organization,
and a gentleman in whom his neighbors have implicit
confidence. His married life dates from Jan.
7, 1879, when he was united to Miss Irene,
daughter of George W. and Emily Graham, of
Findlay, and to this most felicitous union twelve
children have been born, nine of whom are living:—Nellie
B., born Nov. 23, 1881, a successful and popular
teacher in the Findlay public schools; Lemuel O.,
born July 20, 1883; Clark L., born Nov. 4,
1886, a student in college at Findlay; Ruby M.,
born May 3, 1890; Willard H., born Dec. 7,
1891; Roy C., born Feb. 17, 1894; Florence,
born July 20, 1895; Helen L., born July 18,
1898; and Clara F., born Aug. 9, 1899.
Lemuel O., after finishing at Findlay
College, received from the board of agriculture a
free scholarship in the Ohio State University, and
is now there. He is very popular and is making
his way by his industry. Mrs. Parker,
the mother of these children, is a native of Big
Lick township of this county, where she was born
Oct. 21, 1858. George W. Parker, the
father of the subject of this review, was born in
Virginia in 1825, came to this county in 1849,
located at Findlay and died in March, 1899. He
was a cabinet and chair maker, and for many years
was in partnership with Mr. J. R. Clark,
now a prominent business man of Findlay. He
was a man of great force of character and of
considerable influence in the community in which he
resided, being connected with much of the public
service. He was a firm believer in the
principles of faith as enunciated by the Methodist
Episcopal creed, and held membership during his
entire life in the church of that name in Findlay.
He was an active member of the organization, having
for long years prior to his death been a class
leader. His family consisted of seven
children, five of whom are now living, namely:
Havilah L., the subject of this review;
Jonathan A.; Mary C.; Phila J.;
and George W. The father died Mar. 4,
1899 and the mother of the family, who was a lady of
fine intelligence and many estimable traits of
character, still lives at the age of seventy-three
years. John Graham, grandfather
of Mrs. Parker was a native of
Virginia and one of the first pioneers of Hancock
county, where he entered one hundred and sixty acres
of land which still remain in the family.
George W. Graham, his son and father of Mrs.
Parker, is living in retirement at Findlay,
after a successful career as a farmer.
Source: Centennial
Biographical History of Hancock Co., Ohio - Pub: New York &
Chicago by The Lewis Publishing Company - 1903 - Page
291 |
| |
JOHN PARKER.
We must turn to the state of Virginia in tracing the
genealogy of Mr. Parker, who has
passed his entire life in Findlay, Ohio, where he
has been prominent in political and civic affairs
and in connection with industrial enterprises of
importance. Records extant show that the
Parker family has long been identified
with the annals of American history. Joseph
Parker, the grandfather of our subject, was
born in Virginia, and died in Ohio at the age of
sixty years. His son Jonathan was likewise
born in the Old Dominion, in 1808, and was reared
and educated in Ohio, learning the trade of a
carpenter. He came to Findlay, Ohio, in 1831,
thus becoming one of the pioneers of Hancock county,
and he built and operated, in company with
William Taylor and A. Daughenbaugh, the first
steam sawmill in this county. He continued to
make Findlay his home until his death, which
occurred in the year 1879, and his life was one of
activity and honor, gaining to him uniform
confidence and esteem in the community, while he was
also known as an able and progressive business man.
John Parker, the immediate subject of
this review, was born in Findlay, on the 31st of
January, 1842, and here he has ever maintained his
home, having received his educational discipline in
the public schools and having early become
identified with business enterprises. In 1868,
under the firm name of J. Parker & Company,
he became associated with his father and brother in
the flouring and planing-mill business, and
continued to be actively identified with the same
until 1886, after which he turned his attention to
the real-estate business, in which he continued
until 1894. In that year he was elected to the
office of county treasurer, being chosen as his own
successor in 1896, and thus serving continuously for
four years, giving an acceptable administration of
the fiscal affairs of the county. Since his
retirement from office Mr. Parker has
not been actively concerned in any business, though
he is associated with his brother in the lumber
business, under the firm name of Parker
Brothers. In politics he is a stanch
supporter of the Republican party and its
principles, while fraternally he is identified with
the Masonic' order.
Source: Centennial
Biographical History of Hancock Co., Ohio - Pub: New York &
Chicago by The Lewis Publishing Company - 1903 - Page
212 |
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JAMES
L. PATTERSON
Source: Centennial
Biographical History of Hancock Co., Ohio - Pub: New York &
Chicago by The Lewis Publishing Company - 1903 - Page 587 |
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JOSEPH
S. PATTERSON
Source: Centennial
Biographical History of Hancock Co., Ohio - Pub: New York &
Chicago by The Lewis Publishing Company - 1903 - Page 336 |
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GEORGE
F. PENDLETON
Source: Centennial
Biographical History of Hancock Co., Ohio - Pub: New York &
Chicago by The Lewis Publishing Company - 1903 - Page 98 |
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GEORGE
S. PENDLETON
Source: Centennial
Biographical History of Hancock Co., Ohio - Pub: New York &
Chicago by The Lewis Publishing Company - 1903 - Page 474 |
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ELI W. PEPPLE. The above
named reprehensive agriculturist resides in Cass township on a
well cultivated farm which lies in the oil belt of Hancock
county, and therefore adds that element of material worth to its
general value. He is the son of John and Mary (Groner)
Pepple, natives of Pennsylvania, who settled in Hancock
county in 1847, after previously residing for sometime in
Columbiana County. The father of Mrs. Pepple had
entered two hundred acres of unimproved land, and of this he
gave his daughter sixty-six and two thirds acres.
Afterwards John Pepple bought the same amount of land
adjoining that of his wife on the east, which was also a part of
her father's entry. Improvements were made on these farms,
and in 1865 John Pepple bought forty acres additional, on
which there were also some improvements. These forty acres
lie along the public highway, north of Mrs. Pepple's
land, and t this place the family moved in the spring of 185,
where Mr. and Mrs. Pepple continued to reside until their
deaths. John Pepple was a practical and industrious
farmer. He had considerable influence in the township
among his fellow citizens, who by a popular vote elected him to
the office of township trustee. He also served fourteen
terms as township treasurer and a number of years as school
director. He was a devout member of the Methodist
Episcopal church, in which he served as a class leader and
steward. He stood well in the church, in society and in
the political field, always true to his faith and to his
convictions. He had eight children, seven of whom grew to
maturity, and six of the number still survive. He was born
Mar. 18, 1819, and died Mar. 1, 1897. His wife was born
May 17, 1825, and died May 7, 1871.
Eli W. Pepple was born in Morrow, formerly
Delaware County, Ohio, Apr. 2, 1847. He was an infant when
brought to this county by his parents. He passed the days
of his boyhood and youth in the pleasures and pastimes peculiar
to this day, doing his share of the farm labor, and there
laying the foundation of that excellent health which has
attended him through life. Besides the ordinary branches
taught in the district school, he further added to his literary
education by a course in the Findlay high school where he fitted
himself for teaching. Mr. Pepple followed this
profession with much success for fifteen years, teaching in the
winter and helping to conduct the farm in the summer. In
1872 he concluded that "the best part of valor is discretion,"
so to speak, and he surrendered to the graces of Miss Sarah
A. Draper, the marriage occurring Dec. 17, 1872.
Mrs. Pepple was a daughter of W. L. and Louisa (Supply)
Draper, and she died Jan. 28, 1888, after becoming the
mother of three children: Mary L.; Carl, deceased;
and Dodie W. Dec. 25, 1889, Mr. Pepple was
married to Miss Sarah J., daughter of Robert and
Elizabeth A. McKee. Mrs. Pepple's family are
natives of the Keystone state, she having been born in Allegheny
county in October, 1842. She is an accomplished lady who
in former years was a successful and popular school teacher in
Hancock county, and has a half interest in a nice farm property
of eighty acres in her own right in the northeastern part of
Cass township. Mr. Pepple moved to his present farm
in 1879, where he has since resided. He is as popular with
the people as was his father before him, and is fully as stanch
in upholding Republican principles. He has held the office
of township clerk for a continuous period of twenty years, and
was re-elected in 1902 for two years more, besides holding the
office of supervisor and school director. He and his good
wife and honored members of the Methodist Episcopal church, and
are leaders of thought and movement in their part of Hancock
county.
Source: Centennial
Biographical History of Hancock Co., Ohio - Pub: New York &
Chicago by The Lewis Publishing Company - 1903 - Page 554 |
| |
JACOB PEPPLE. In his
capacity of member of the board of commissioners of Hancock
county, which important office he held for a number of years,
the gentleman whose names heads this sketch had an opportunity
to render valuable service to the people, while displaying sound
judgment as a business man. Though his life's occupation
had been that of a farmer, he was observant of other lines of
work and accumulated a valuable fund of practical, everyday
knowledge which can only come from actual experience.
Farming, however, is a great educator and generally when a man
has managed all the details of a farm for years he is a good
person to entrust with the management of offices and other
agencies which deal with the welfare of the plain people, of
whom the tillers of the soil constitute the largest and most
important portion in every community.
Jacob Pepple was born in Fairfield county, Ohio,
Mar. 9, 1839. He was the son of Jesse and Mary Ann
(Tipple) Pepple, and when nine years of age was brought to
Hancock county by his parents, who took up their residence there
in 1848. He was reared on a farm and Mar. 24, 1861,
married Amelia, daughter of Levi M. S. and Sarah (Alspach)
Miller, a native of Hancock county. The children of
this union, in order of birth appear in the following summary:
Elmer J., Franklin S., Josiah, Jacob C., all residents of
Hancock county and engaged in farming and stock raising;
Ellsworth remains with his parents; Sarah E. is the
wife of H. Yanning; and Emma J. married S. P.
Altman.
In 1890 the many friends of Mr. Pepple urged
him to become a candidate for county commissioner, which he did
and in the fall of that year was elected to that position by a
majority of five hundred. Satisfactory service was
followed by re-election, when his majority was seven hundred,
and in all he discharged the duties of commissioner of Hancock
county for a period of six consecutive years. The fellow
members of the board during Mr. Pepple's incumbency
included some of the best known and most popular citizens of the
county, as will be recognized by a perusal of this list:
Isaac M. Watkins, C. W. Brooks, Christian Garbeer, H. B.
Rader, J. D. Anderson and Benjamin Wineland.
They disposed of much important business, requiring painstaking
care and good judgment to avoid mistakes, inasmuch as the
expenditure of large amounts of public money was involved in
numerous contracts. The most important of this work was
the construction of iron bridges in various parts of the county,
the macadamizing of public roads and location of ditches, all
matters of vital interest to the people and involving large
expense. Another contract of much importance let by the
board during Mr. Pepple's term, was that for putting
steam heating and electric light equipment in the county court
house. Heavy appropriations of the kind alluded to always
elicit more or less criticism, but it is to the credit of Mr.
Pepple to say that none ever aspersed either his good
judgment or integrity, in connection with any matters involving
the public expenditures. He was regarded as an unusually
"level-headed" commissioner and his constituents were all
pleased with the manner in which he had discharged his duties.
Mr. Pepple resides on a neatly kept and pleasant farm
five miles south of Findlay, and the many visitors to the
cheerful household are always cordially welcomed. Mr.
Pepple has always been a farmer, and stock raiser, is much
wedded to agriculture and regards that as the main business of
his life, other pursuits being only temporary and in the nature
of diversions. He as well as his sons are regarded as
representative farmers of the kind which have given Hancock
county such high standing among the agricultural counties of the
state.
Source: Centennial
Biographical History of Hancock Co., Ohio - Pub: New York &
Chicago by The Lewis Publishing Company - 1903 - Page 173 |
| |
WILLIAM H. PEPPLE. The
carpenter, always one of the most important characters in any
community, was especially so before the custom of using stone
and metals came so much in vogue. In fact during the
pioneer period the carpenter was indispensable - there could be
no industrial growth without him. One of the oldest, it is
also one of the most useful of all mechanical callings, and
usually this trade is regarded in rural neighborhoods as the
very embodiment of industry and good citizenship. Mr.
Pepple, whose memoir it is now a pleasant duty to set before
the readers of this volume is a typical mechanic of the kind
above alluded to. He has been following carpentering in
Jackson township for nearly thirty years, and during that time
has done a large amount of work in the line of his trade.
In fact monuments to his sill are scattered around abundantly in
the shape of scores of barns, all of which owe their erection to
Mr. Pepple, and it is only necessary to examine them
cursorily to find that they were put up by a first-class
workman.
William H. Pepple was born in Fairfield County, Ohio,
in 1849, but only three years of his life were passed in the
place of his nativity. In 1852 his parents, Jesse and
Mary (Tipple) Pepple, removed to Hancock county, located on
a farm in Jackson township and lived there until 1870. In
that year they went to Michigan and purchase a farm of one
hundred and sixty acres of valuable land, which they occupied
and cultivated until both were claimed by death.
William H. Pepple remained with his parents to Michigan
until 1875, meantime beginning to learn his trade as carpenter
and completed his apprenticeship after returning to Hancock
County. He gradually developed into a mechanic of the best
class, and as he got plenty of business to do was rewarded with
a fair measure of this world's goods as proof of his industry
and saving disposition. At the present time one may count
in Jackson and surrounding townships one hundred and eighty-two
barns, all of which were constructed by Mr. Pepple, to
say nothing of many minor jobs turned out by him at different
times. While doing well for himself he has done well for
his community, of which he has long been considered a leading
carpenter.
In 1871 Mr. Pepple, was united in marriage with
Miss Mary J., daughter of James and Elizabeth Jacobs
of Marion township, and they have had six children, Martha,
Mary, Jesse, Gertrude, Flora and James. At the
present time, Mr. People owns and resides upon a farm of
fifty acres, which makes a comfortable home for himself and
family and a pleasant visiting place for his many friends.
Source: Centennial
Biographical History of Hancock Co., Ohio - Pub: New York &
Chicago by The Lewis Publishing Company - 1903 - Page 15 |
| |
JOHN PETERMAN
Source: Centennial
Biographical History of Hancock Co., Ohio - Pub: New York &
Chicago by The Lewis Publishing Company - 1903 - Page 140 |
| |
GEORGE
W. PHELPS. An interesting because
original character is the senior member of Phelps
& David, one of the leading law firms in
practice at the Findlay bar. Whether right or
wrong there is never anything commonplace about
Mr. Phelps, who seems to have an
instinctive abhorrence of what Goldsmith
called "that rascally virtue prudence," in his
discussion of men and things. Not only has he
opinions to express, but these are usually delivered
with an emphasis and trenchancy which are sure to
attract attention if they do not cause conviction.
This temperamental characteristic accompanies his
intercourse in all the relations of life, with the
result that Mr. Phelps is appreciated
both as an entertaining and instructive companion,
especially by those who abhor the overstocked "world
of commonplace." Doubtless Mr.
Phelps inherits his quality of decisiveness from
his lamented father who, by all accounts from those
who knew him best, was a very remarkable man in more
ways than one. Augustus H. Phelps was a
native of New York, who spent most of his life on a
farm which he employed some one to manage for him.
He never failed to attract attention at first sight,
his drawing qualities being both mental and
physical. His physical appearance was indeed
so striking as to extract admiration from any
beholder and recall to the reader of Shakespeare
Hamlet's famous description of his father in the
scene with his queen mother. The perfect form,
open and manly features, bright eyes and other
personal adornments were backed by a mind of the
greatest brilliancy and strength. Widely read
in the best literature of all peoples, a profound
student of deep questions, and gifted with a
conversational ability that was phenomenal an its
range and forcefulness, the elder Phelps was
a companion whose talk entranced every listener.
In his religious views he was a freethinker and
deeply versed in the works of all the great infidel
writers from Voltaire to Ingersoll,
but he denied being an atheist, always saying in
this connection that he could not realize an effect
without a cause. Broad in all his views, he
had a contempt for all that was little and narrow,
especially for cant and superstition in all its
forms. He was fitted, had the opportunity
offered, to become a leader among men and grapple
successfully with most difficult problems. But
alas!
"Full many a gem of purest ray serene.
The dark unfathomed caves o£ ocean bear.
Full many a flower is born to blush unseen
And waste its sweetness on the desert air."
Augustus H. Phelps died in 1897, in his
eighty-first year.
George H. Phelps, son of the remarkable man
sketched in the foregoing paragraph, was born at
Hinsdale, New York, Sept. 24, 1854, and remained on
his father's farm until nineteen years old.
Meantime he had attended school at intervals and
formed a resolution to make a lawyer of himself.
With this end in view he borrowed some law books
from the late Alexander Storrs, father of the
famous Chicago advocate, Emory Storrs,
and with these he secluded himself to pore over the
mysteries of Blackstone, the deep logic of
Greenleaf, and the quaint conceptions of Coke
upon Littleton. A law student without a
teacher is apt to become discouraged, and young
Phelps was wise when in the spring of 1874 he
sought aid in the office of Champlain,
Armstrong & Russell at Cuba, New York.
He remained there one year as a clerk and had a
similar position for another year in the office of
Loveridge & Swift, of the same town.
In the spring of 1876 he entered the office of
Enos C. Brooks at Olean, New York, as a clerk,
remained there until April of the following year,
when he was admitted to the bar at Rochester and
returned to Olean to locate. He was engaged in
the practice of his profession at that place for ten
years and made his first appearance at Findlay in
April, 1888. Shortly thereafter he formed a
partnership with Judge M. C. Whiteley, which
continued only eighteen months, and after that time
Mr. Phelps practiced alone until
October, 1899. He then entered into a
partnership with W. L. David, Jr., which
under the firm name of Phelps & David,
continues at the present time.
Mr. Phelps has never taken any part or interest
in politics, office-seeking or office-holding, for
the reason, as he expresses it, that the lawyer in
his profession and practice is sufficiently
parasitical in a struggling society, and that in
taking on politics he was adding insult to injury.
He did, however, hold the office of notary public by
appointment from the governor, until the Supreme
court of Ohio, on the relation of the attorney
general, and on authority of the state constitution,
ousted a Miss Adams from the office on
the ground that ladies were ineligible, when he
resigned his commission in a letter to the governor,
in which he stated as his reason for resigning, that
when it had come about that a bright woman could not
adorn the office of notary public without having the
constitution raised on her by a man, he regarded the
office as a disgrace, rather than an honor.
Mr. Phelps was married in 1882 to Miss
Dell Canfield and to that union was born
one living daughter — Nina A. Mrs.
Phelps died in 1891 and in 1892 Mr.
Phelps married his present wife, who was Ada
C. Wicker, also of Olean, New York. In politics,
he is at this date known as the ''Greenback party of
Ohio."
Source: Centennial
Biographical History of Hancock Co., Ohio - Pub: New York &
Chicago by The Lewis Publishing Company - 1903 - Page
262 |
| |
GEORGE W. PHIFER.
A very successful farmer and stockraiser of Hancock
county is George W. Phifer, who operates a
fine farm of two hundred and forty acres in Liberty
township, particularly well adapted to the breeding
of Shorthorn cattle and Poland China hogs, in which
business Mr. Phifer, by his unusual
success, has gained quite a reputation.
The birth of George W. Phifer occurred Dec. 28,
1844, and he is a son of Emanuel and Emily
(Bowling) Phifer, the former of whom is a son of
Jacob and Mary (Ellinger) Phifer, who came to
Fairfield county, Ohio, in 1806, from Pennsylvania.
Jacob Phifer was born in Hagerstown,
Maryland, while his wife was born in Bedford county,
Pennsylvania. By trade he was a tanner, and he
followed this business in Pittsburg, and after
locating in Lithopolis, Fairfield county, Ohio, he
acquired considerable property. His family
numbered five children, one of whom, Catherine,
lived to the unusual age of ninety-eight years,
eight months and eight days.
Emanuel Phifer
was born in Fairfield county, Ohio, on Mar. 14,
1808, and learned the tanning business with his
father, following the same until 1834, when he
located in Hancock county and entered a farm of
eighty acres. His long residence in the same
locality has made him one of the pioneers, who is
most highly esteemed. He is a leading member
of the Baptist church. In political matters he
votes as his judgment indicates. In 1830 he
married Emily Bowling, who died in
1875. The children born to them were eight in
number, five still surviving, namely: Sarah E.
and Annie, who reside at home with their
father, who is in his ninety-seventh year;
Emeline; John S., who lives retired in
Kentucky; George W.; and Edwin, who is
a civil engineer located in Richland county, Ohio.
George W. Phifer was reared and educated in
Findlay township, and adopted farming as his
vocation. In 1872 he purchased one hundred
acres of good land, removing to it in 1875, and in
1880 he began to raise Shorthorn cattle and a high
grade of hogs, his success being encouraging' from
the very beginning.
In 1866 Mr. Phifer was united in marriage
with Miss Almenia Insley, who is a daughter
of T. F. and Emelia Insley, who w^ere old
settlers in Mt. Pleasant township, but who finally
moved out of the state. Mr. and Mrs. Phifer
are both valued members of the Methodist church at
Findlay, and are much esteemed by a large circle of
friends.
Source: Centennial Biographical
History of Hancock Co., Ohio - Pub: New York & Chicago
by The Lewis Publishing Company - 1903 - Page
450 |
| |
MILTON
A. PILCHER Source: Centennial
Biographical History of Hancock Co., Ohio - Pub: New York &
Chicago by The Lewis Publishing Company - 1903 - Page 226 |
| |
ANDREW
J. PLOTTS Source: Centennial
Biographical History of Hancock Co., Ohio - Pub: New York &
Chicago by The Lewis Publishing Company - 1903 - Page 384 |
| |
NELSON POE came to this township
when he was but three months old, having been born in Ross Co.,
O., Sept. 4th, 1822. He was the third son of Jacob Poe.
His mother was a daughter of Judge McKinnis.
His paternal ancestors were of German extraction, whilst his
mother's people were Scotch Irish. The father of Mr.
Poe settled on the farm now owned and occupied by the
subject of this sketch. At the time of his coming here
there were but a very few families in the county, but the Poe
family was possessed of that kind of pluck which never gave
way before difficulties, or became discouraged at privations.
On his father's side, Mr. Poe is distantly
related to the celebrated historical fighting brothers, Adam
and Andrew Poe, and also to the eminent divine, Rev.
Adam Poe. Farming has always been the leading
occupation of Mr. Poe, although during the winter seasons
of thirty years, he taught a country school. He is a man
of fair education, and has always been regarded as a successful
educator. He may well be termed a self-educated man, for
his school privileges were very limited. He is a member of
the Presbyterian Church at present, and has been a church member
for the past sixteen years.
In 1846 he was married to Mary Lytle, who still
lives to add to his enjoyment. They are the parents of
three children. The eldest son was killed during the late
war. The second son - Luther - resides in Fostoria,
and the youngest, a daughter, is at home with her parents.
Mr. P's school days were passed in the old log school
house, under the instruction of such primitive teachers as
Richard Wade, Benj. Cummins and others.
Mr. Poe has resided in the county longer than
any other person, with the single exception of Job
Chamberlain of Findley. He has witnessed the steady
but great transformation of a wilderness into fruitful fields;
has seen the dense forests disappear, and in their places spring
to life, beautiful fertile fields; has lived to see an
uninhabited country settled by an industrious, thrifty, wealthy,
happy people, with school houses and churches in every
neighborhood; to see railroads built, traversed by the iron
horse drawing the trains well laden with the products of this
rich county; to see telegraph wires stretched all over the land.
And in this great work he has been no idle spectator.
This township contains some of the finest farm
buildings in the county. Amongst them is the fine brick
residences of W. C. Watson, R. W. Boyd, Elijah Gowdy,
Cornelius Ewing, John Hart and Samuel Mosier, and the
very substantial frame dwellings of Joseph Wilson, Jacob
Grubb, Wm. Renninger, C. C. Harris, all on the north side of
the river, whilst on the south side, Crondall Watson, Henry
Sherrick, Henry Rudisill, John Radabaugh, Joseph Barnhill, David
Bish, J. M. Moorehead and others living on the south side
have equally tasteful dwelling places. The farms are well
improved, and supplied with the best of out-buildings.
Source: Centennial Biographical History of Hancock Co., Ohio -
Pub: New York & Chicago by The Lewis Publishing Company - 1903 -
Page 365 |
|
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ALEXANDER B. POWELL.
Among the many emigrants contributed by Pennsylvania to the
pioneer settlement of Ohio, none have earned a better name
or contributed more to the development of their respective
localities than the original family of Powell and
their descendants. Daniel and Eliza Powell
took up their residence in Fairfield county when it gave
little promise of becoming the rich and prosperous
agricultural community into which it later developed.
This Pennsylvania couple, however, who had been trained to
hard work and inured to the customs prevailing, soon
surrounded themselves with the comforts of a country home
and lived lives of usefulness which secured them general
respect. Their son, Alexander B. Powell, was
born in Fairfield county, Ohio, Mar. 14, 1842, and grew to
manhood in the place of his nativity. He was fairly
well educated in the country schools, but the best part of
his training was obtained on the farm where he learned those
habits of industry and mastery of details which were to
stand him in good stead in after life. It was in 1869
that Mr. Powell determined to remove to Hancock
county and in January of that year he purchased a tract of
land in Blanchard township. This farm, consisting of
one hundred and forty acres, was at the time Mr. Powell
obtained possession only partly cleared, but under his deft
manipulation it has been much improved and placed in a high
state of cultivation. Among the numerous improvements
may be mentioned the erection of a handsome residence and
various out buildings adapted to a modern Ohio farm of the
best class. Mr. Powell has not indulged
in what is called "fancy farming, but has adhered to the
cultivation of the cereal crops adapted to his latitude,
besides the breeding and raising of suitable stock of
various kinds for domestic purposes and the market.
Dec. 6, 1868, occurred the nuptials of Alexander B.
Powell and Miss Rebecca
L., daughter of Jacob and Rebecca Jackson, the
bride being a native of Wyandot county, where she was born
in 1840. This union proved an ideally happy one and
has been blessed by the births of some unusually bright and
promising children whose names are thus recorded: Webster
H., Elmer A., Eva G., Ross W., Ora L. and Virgil D.,
deceased. Webster H. Powell, the eldest of
these children, has already chosen his life's work end gives
promise of a career of usefulness and brilliancy.
After finishing in the common school he entered the State
Normal at Ada, from which institution he graduated with high
honors. Subsequently he took a course in Delaware
College and there also was graduated at the head of his
class. He expects, as a rounding out of his
educational accomplishments, to receive a diploma from the
Boston Theological Institute in 1903. He is a student
there at the present time and also fills one of the
neighboring pulpits in a manner so acceptable as to
encourage the prediction that he will eventually reach high
rank as a minister of the gospel. He is a member of
the Central Ohio conference of the Methodist Episcopal
church, and after his graduation will be actively engaged in
the work of that great denomination. He married
Miss Clara Walter, an accomplished young lady of Ohio,
and their home has been brightened by the advent of one
child, Aver D., whose birth occurred in 1902.
Elmer Powell, the second son of this
interesting family, is ambitious to be a physician, and is
now a diligent student in the medical department of the
Chicago University. Mrs. Rebecca L. Powell,
after a life devoted to doing good, passed away from earth
on the 21st of February, 1901. She was a consistent
member of the Benton Ridge Methodist church, of which Mr.
Powell is an honored trustee. No family stands
higher in Hancock county than that of the Powells,
who circulate in the best society and rank among the most
progressive citizens. In politics Mr. Powell is
a Democrat, though in local affairs he is rather independent
and gives his suffrage to those whom he considers the best
men.
Source: Centennial
Biographical History of Hancock Co., Ohio - Pub: New York &
Chicago by The Lewis Publishing Company - 1903 - Page 319 |
|
|
JACOB E. POWELL,
M. D. Dr.
J. E. Powell was born in Eagle township, Hancock county,
Ohio, Apr. 15, 1861. Being a farmer's son and one of
the eldest of a family of thirteen children and with no
other means of assistance at command than the earnings of
his own labor, he enjoys the distinction of rising from the
humble position of a farm laborer to be a member of the
prominent profession of physicians and surgeons, enjoying
the confidence and patronage of the community to the fullest
extent. His early and primary education was received in the
common district school, and this was sufficient to prepare
him to engage in teaching, thirteen successive terms having
been taught in surrounding districts, while his leisure
hours and vacations were spent in preparing for the
contemplated course in medicine. Dr. Powell is
a charter member of Findlay College, and continued in the
first class that was ever instructed in that institution
until his final preparation for medical instruction, when he
went to Baltimore, Maryland, and entered the College of
Physicians and Surgeons, graduating therein in March, 1890.
In June of the same year he located in Findlay, where he has
continued the practice of his profession until the present
time. In political and social affairs, on account of
the duties incident to a busy man in his profession, Dr.
Powell has been compelled to remain indifferent, yet
he was elected coroner of Hancock county in 1892, and held
that office for two years. He was a member of the Ohio
State Medical Society, the Northwestern Ohio Medical
Association and the Hancock Medical Society, but in the year
1900 he severed his connection with these honorable bodies
for the purpose of commercial privileges which were barred
by medical ethics. He is a member of the Independent
Order of Odd Fellows, and is active in the work of this
body. Dr. Powell was married Nov. 6,
1887, to Eva J., daughter of Jacob Oman, of
Bluffton, Indiana, and their home has been blessed with one
daughter, Hazel Marie Powell, born Jan.
30, 1892, and who has added greatly to their cheerful and
happy home.
The ancestors and name of the Powell family
originated in Scotland, but the present generation is
descended from the mingling of Scotch and German people, who
formed the early settlers of Pennsylvania, and it was there
that Daniel L. Powell, the father of Dr.
Powell, was born in 1829. With his parents and
three brothers he came to Hancock county in 1836 and entered
government land in Eagle township, where he still resides,
and he is doubtless the only citizen in the township or
perhaps in the county who resides on the same farm which he
received from the government, and upon which he has lived
for more than half a century and watched the formation of a
beautiful country from a wilderness. The perseverance
and constant diligence in one who rears himself from the
hardships of pioneer life to professional standing equal to
that of Dr. Powell is worthy of the reward of
a happy home with a bright and cheerful wife and daughter,
as he enjoys, and this home, with its companions, is his
greatest pride and delight. But next in life is a
principle which he maintains, that he must add to the
profession to which he belongs something which is new and of
value to the coming generation or his life will have been
wasted or of no value to the world.
Source: Centennial
Biographical History of Hancock Co., Ohio - Pub: New York &
Chicago by The Lewis Publishing Company - 1903 - Page 512 |
Mr. & Mrs.
Peter H. Powell |
PETER H. POWELL.
Peter H. Powell has for many years been identified
with agricultural pursuits in Eagle township, Hancock
county, and his farm, being in the oil belt of this state,
now has upon it a number of producing oil wells, whereby his
income is materially increased each year. He was born
July 17, 1838, on the farm which is yet his home, his
parents being Philip and Elizabeth (Fellers) Powell,
the former a native of Mifflin county, Pennsylvania, the
latter of Fairfield county, Ohio. The Powell
family is of Welsh origin as far back as the ancestry
can be traced and for two centuries has been represented in
America, five brothers of the name having come to this
country at one time about two hundred years ago. They
became scattered, however, and no authentic record of their
descendants is obtainable. The one who located in
Pennsylvania was William Powell, who operated
a ferry on one of the principal rivers of the Keystone
state.
John Philip Powell, the first to settle in Ohio,
was a pioneer of Fairfield county. He entered several
hundred acres of land from the government and divided it
among his children. Peter Powell, the
grandfather of our subject, entered one hundred acres for
each of his children and settled the following sons in
Hancock county: Peter, John, Henry,
Samuel, Philip and Jacob, although
Peter died in Fairfield county. Two other sons,
George and Daniel, were settled elsewhere, the
former in Wood county, Ohio, the latter in Carey, this
state. Samuel and Henry were the
pioneers here, coming in 1830 or 1831. Their father,
Peter, spent his last years here, passing away when
eighty-five years of age. He was a man of decided
views, fearless in defense of his honest convictions and was
respected by all who knew him. All of his sons have
now passed away, the last being Jacob, who departed
this life in Findlay, at the age of eighty-five.
In 1834 Philip Powell, the father of our
subject, came to Hancock county and settled in the midst of
the green woods, where he began to make a farm, carrying on
the work of its improvement until his death, which occurred
in 1866. The mother of our subject had died about
1841, when only twenty-five years of age. They were
the parents of three children: Joshua, of Liberty
township; Peter, of this review; and Simon W.,
who left the old farm in 1859 and is now a civil and mining
engineer of San Francisco. About 1842 the father had
married again, Susanna Tussing, also of
Fairfield county, becoming his wife. They had one
child that died in infancy and the mother's death occurred
in 1857. In 1850 Mr. Powell had built
the house and in 1854 the barn and had made other
substantial improvements on the property. He was a
shoemaker, having picked up the trade in his youth.
His father agreed to buy the leather if Philip would
make him a pair of boots, which he did, and thus the father
got a better fit than his sons, who had hired their boots
made. In the winter months, in his own home, Philip
Powell followed shoemaking and throughout the
remainder of the year carried on farm work. He
was a man of strict religious views and life and was a
member of the Evangelical Lutheran Association. In his
family was much sickness, his second wife having been an
invalid for seven years, while he was in poor health for
about the same length of time. He broke up
house-keeping and this necessitated his sons starting out in
life for themselves.
Peter Powell was then nineteen years of
age. He worked for his brother Joshua until he
was married, Mar. 24, 1861, to Elizabeth C. Cogley.
After his father's death in 1866, he purchased the interest
of the other heirs in the property and returned to the old
home place in August, 1867. Here he has remained
continuously since and has carried on general farming and
stock-raising, both branches of his business being so well
conducted that they bring to him success. He also has
thirteen oil wells sunk upon his farm and of these twelve
are in operation and have produced a fair income. He
has also become interested in property in Findlay in recent
years.
In 1892 Mr. Powell was called upon to mourn the
loss of his wife, who died July 2, of that year, after a
happy married life of thirty years. They were the
parents of six children: Jacob Sylvester, of
Eagle township, married Alice J. Decker; Alice A.
is the wife of Oliver Yates, of Eagle township;
Simon Joshua married Lizzie Billman and is living
in Seneca county; Emma V. is the wife of J. W.
Foreman, of Eagle township; Elmina is the wife of
William Yates, of Liberty township;
Clemmons L. is at home. On the 27th of December,
1894, Mr. Powell wedded Mrs. Jennie
Deeds, the widow of Levi Deeds, and a
daughter of James and Henrietta (Leeder)
Beard, of Marion township, Hancock county, where she
was born. By her first marriage she had one daughter.
Ivy Deeds, now fourteen years of age.
With the exception of very brief intervals Mr.
Powell has filled the office of justice of the peace
since 1872 and his decisions are strictly fair and
impartial, and during nine years of this time he was also
township treasurer. For two terms he has been trustee
and has been a member of the school board. He belongs
to the Evangelical Association, and is a class leader and
trustee in the church, and in every office in which he has
been called to serve he has been found true and faithful to
the trust reposed in him and to the obligations devolving
upon him. In politics he is a Democrat. In 1872
he became a member of the Hancock Lodge, No. 73, Independent
Order of Odd Fellows.
Source:
Centennial Biographical History of Hancock Co., Ohio - Pub:
New York & Chicago by The Lewis Publishing Company - 1903 -
Page 256 |
| |
SULLIVAN POWELL,
a young farmer of Liberty township, Hancock county, Ohio, is
a worthy representative of one of the old pioneer families
of Fairfield county. His great-grandparents, Peter
and Mary (Alspaugh) Powell, entered that county among
its earliest settlers, and later on made a home in Hancock
county, in which they spent the remainder of their lives.
Samuel Powell, the grandfather of
Sullivan, removed from Fairfield to Hancock county in 1834.
He married Sarah Robenault, and together they
worked on the farm obtained from the government, acquired a
competency and reared a family. Of their children,
Andrew, who was born on May 25, 1827, became well known
in Hancock county. His first marriage was to Phebe
A. Yates, on Dec. 20, 1848, to whom were born six
children. Mrs. Phebe Powell died Sept.
15, 1859, and in 1860 Andrew Powell married
Caroline Dotson, who died in 1877, and seven
children of this union still survive. In 1878 he
married Mrs. Sarah A. Longbrake, and two children
were born to this union. Mr. Powell is well
known as an experienced man in the bee industry, the
products of his apiary bringing him large returns.
Sullivan Powell, who was born Mar. 21, 1865, is
a son of Andrew and Caroline (Dotson) Powell, the
latter of whom was a native of Pickaway county, Ohio.
His education was obtained in the country schools and he
grew to manhood on his father's farm, with but one year of
absence, during which time he worked for his brother.
Thus our subject became a thoroughly practical farmer and
his present estate of fifty-seven acres, purchased of his
father in 1897, shows the effects of intelligent cultivation
of the soil.
On Mar. 4, 1891, our subject was married to Miss
Agnes V. Shank, who was born in Tuscarawas county, Ohio,
on May 25, 1866, and is a daughter of Robert and Mary
(Porter) Shank. There were four children by this
marriage, namely: Marie M., born Sept. 11, 1892;
Roy C., born Aug. 21, 1895; Arthur E., born Nov.
15, 1898; and Dwight R., born Feb. 21, 1902.
The father of Mrs. Powell was born in Pennsylvania,
and her maternal grandfather was a clergyman.
Mr. Powell is a man whose integrity, coupled
with excellent business ability has given him success.
He is known as a good neighbor, a kind father and devoted
husband, in every way fulfilling the duties of a first class
citizen.
Source: Centennial
Biographical History of Hancock Co., Ohio - Pub: New York &
Chicago by The Lewis Publishing Company - 1903 - Page 217 |
V. Powell & Wife |
VALENTINE POWELL.
No name is better or more favorably known in the
agricultural circles of Hancock county than that borne by
the subject of this sketch. He belongs to a numerous
family connection, long established in this part of Ohio,
and identified permanently with its growth and development.
The particular branch to which our subject belongs
originated in the Keystone state, where his ancestors
figured in the agricultural and industrial movements for
many generations in the past. They sent forth
offshoots toward the west during the pioneer period and had
representatives at various points while the wilderness was
being reclaimed. In 1834 Samuel and Sarah Powell,
shortly after their marriage and while still enjoying the
enthusiasm of youth, left Fairfield for Hancock county,
Ohio, where they formed a permanent location in Liberty
township. They reared a family of thirteen children,
who, as they grew up, ramified throughout their native and
neighboring counties and with their descendants furnished
representatives to most of the various vocations in life.
As previously stated, the Powells, both of the older
and younger generations, are most favorably known as
citizens of probity and usefulness.
Valentine Powell, son of Samuel and
Sarah, was born on his father's large farm in Liberty
township, Hancock county, Ohio, Aug. 19, 1847, and was
reared as well as educated in the neighborhood of the
ancestral home. In 1864, when sixteen years of age, he
enlisted in Company E, One Hundred and Thirty-fourth Ohio
Volunteer Infantry, with which he served for four months and
saw some active service in Virginia. In his earlier
years he was engaged in the lumbering business, but later
took up farming and has since adhered to agricultural
pursuits. In 1878 he made his first purchase of land,
consisting of eighty acres, in Blanchard township, which he
has greatly improved and modernized. This tract
constitutes Mr. Powell's present home, whose
commodiousness and surrounding comforts afford ample proof
of good husbandry. In 1871 he was happily married to
Miss Sophronia, daughter of John and Mary
Schoonover, well-to-do people of Liberty township, who
was born Jan. 11, 1852. This union resulted in the
birth of eight children, of whom the seven now living are:
Earl R., Carrie, Everett, Bertha,
Olive, Carl and Orville. Mr.
and Mrs. Powell are members of the United Brethren
church. In politics Mr. Powell's affiliations
have always been with the Republican party, but his interest
is confined to voting, as he has never been either a seeker
or holder of office. His whole attention has been
concentrated upon his business, and that his efforts have
been rewarded is seen by a glance at his well tilled and
neatly arranged estate. He is a practical as well as
progressive farmer and keeps abreast of all improvements
relating to agriculture, employing the best implements and
using only up-to-date methods.
Source: Centennial
Biographical History of Hancock Co., Ohio - Pub: New York &
Chicago by The Lewis Publishing Company - 1903 - Page 272 |
| |
NAPOLEON B.
PRESLER. The above named is the only one of a
large family of children who resides in Hancock county, though he has brothers
and sisters in other parts of the country.
His father was
William B. Presler,
a Pennsylvanian, who emigrated to Ohio
as early as 1835 and located on one hundred and twenty acres of land in Seneca
county. Before leaving his native
state he had married a widow named Elmina
(Boden) Crabill, with whom he resided in Seneca county until 1876, and then
removed to Kansas. There he purchased one hundred and
seventy acres of land and busied himself in its cultivation until the spring of
1897, when he lost his wife by death, and has since lived alone on his farm. When he married
Mrs. Crabill she had five children by her first husband, and subsequently became the mother
of six additional.
Napoleon B. Presler, one of the sons
of his father’s second marriage, was born in Big Spring township, Seneca county, Ohio, Feb. 9, 1857, and remained there until he reached his majority. Aug. 18,1878, he was married, in his
native county, to Miss Phebe Ellen Hile,
whose parents had settled in Seneca county shortly before his own father’s
arrival from the east.
Adam Hite, father of
Mrs. Presler, was born in Germany, in
1804, emigrated to Pennsylvania in early life, married a native of that state
and removed to Ohio in 1834. He
spent the remainder of his days in Seneca county, his death occurring there in
1885, followed by that of his wife in November of the subsequent year. The
Hiles were members of the Lutheran
church and had a family of nine children, of whom six are now living, including
Mrs. Presler. After his marriage
Mr. Presler remained in Seneca county
about four years, and in 1882 removed to Putnam county, where he purchased forty
acres of land and spent the three following years in its cultivation. In 1885 he came to Hancock county and
bought seventy-nine acres of land in Portage township, upon which he settled, and was engaged in farming
for the four following years. In
1889 he made his final move to the farm of one hundred and five acres in Amanda
township which constitutes his present homestead.
This land is fertile, and under
Mr. Presler’s good management has been made productive and profitable. He raises all the cereal crops
adapted to the climate, and the usual amount and variety of stock customary in
that locality.
Mr. Presler has greatly improved his
place since taking possession, and among the substantial additions made by him
was a fine barn erected in 1892. As
a citizen and neighbor Mr. Presler
stands well, and has several times been called upon to fill township offices. His political affiliations are
with the Republican party, of which he has been a stanch supporter from earliest
manhood.
Mr. and Mrs. Presler have six children:
Schuyler C., Orpha K., Olivia O.,
Florence
B., Edna G. and James L.
Source: Centennial
Biographical History of Hancock Co., Ohio - Pub: New
York & Chicago by The Lewis Publishing Company - 1903
- Page 251
|
| |
S. N. E. PRIDDY Source: Centennial
Biographical History of Hancock Co., Ohio - Pub: New York &
Chicago by The Lewis Publishing Company - 1903 - Page 430 |
| |
HENRY O. PURKEY Source: Centennial
Biographical History of Hancock Co., Ohio - Pub: New York &
Chicago by The Lewis Publishing Company - 1903 - Page 244 |
|
