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BIOGRAPHIES
Source:
Commemorative Biographical Records
of the counties
of Huron and Lorain, Ohio
- Illustrated -
Published: Chicago: J. H. Beers & Co.,
1894
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J. CAL. WARD, a progressive and
successful dry-goods merchant of Chicago Junction, was born June 5, 1853, in
Richland county, Ohio, son of S. F. and Jane (Hunter) Ward, who were
natives of Richland and Columbiana counties respectively. The father
was a cabinet maker, an adept at his trade, at which he worked all his life,
and he always found ready work for his hands. He had served an
apprenticeship of four years in Mansfield while learning cabinet making,
during which time he received only his board and clothes. Of his
children, J. C. Ward is the subject of this sketch; and Sophronia
is the wife of Albert Gething, of Mansfield, Ohio.
J. Cal. Ward attended the common schools of his
district in youth, but owing to poor health gave study very little
attention, and at the age of sixteen years entered the general store of
Uriah years entered the general store of Uriah Uhler, at Shiloh,
Richland Co., Ohio. Here he held the position of clerk for six years,
never losing a day or day's pay in that long term, and though beginning work
at but ten dollars a month (and boarding himself), his untiring attention to
business soon secured for him higher pay. Leaving this old house he
entered the employ of Williams, who kept a dry-goods and grocery
store at Shiloh, but left this position within a very short time. In
1878 he established a grocery house (borrowing the necessary capital), which
he carried on until February, 1881, when he closed out the stock and entered
the employ of the Acme Grease & Oil Manufacturing Co., of Cleveland, Ohio,
as traveling salesman, in which he continued for about six months. In
the fall of 1881 he took a position in a dry goods house at Berea, where he
worked until the spring of 1883, and then resumed his position with the Acme
Co. at an increased salary, remaining with them until Christmas-time, 1885,
when he and S. S. Holtz purchased the Brinemond stock of dry goods at
Shiloh. In September, 1887, Messrs. Ward & Holtz, dissolving
partnership, made an equal division of the stock, and the former continued
the business until the spring of 1888, when he located at Chicago Junction,
and opened up a dry goods and notion store in the old Hockett Building.
In October, 1890, he moved into the Woolford Building, where he remained
until February, 1892, when his present establishment in the Opera House
Building was opened. He carries a select assortment of dry goods,
notions and wall-paper, ranging in value form five thousand dollars to seven
thousand dollars.
Mr. Ward was married, July 4, 1878, to Miss
Ellen Holtz, who died Feb. 14, 1887, and on Oct. 17, 1887, he married
Miss Flora E. Case, daughter of Israel Case. Politically
Mr. Ward is a Republican, but not especially active in party affairs.
Socially he is a member of the Masonic fraternity, of the Knights of
Pythias, and of the I. O. O. F. and Encampment. He is a thorough
business man, but takes a deep interest in municipal affairs and private
enterprises affecting the the welfare of the town.
Source: Commemorative Biographical Records of the counties of
Huron and Lorain, Ohio - Illustrated - Published: Chicago: J. H. Beers &
Co., 1894 - Page 447 |
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SAMUEL WARD - See
SAMUEL A. WARD
Source: Commemorative Biographical Records of the counties of
Huron and Lorain, Ohio - Illustrated - Published: Chicago: J. H. Beers &
Co., 1894 - Page 281 |
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SAMUEL A. WARD,
son of Samuel and Ezuba (Bailey) Ward, of
Oneida county, N. Y., was born Mar. 18, 1832, in Fitchville township.
SAMUEL WARD was born in 1790, and
was reared on his father's farm in Oneida county, N. Y. He married
Ezuba Bailey, who was born in that county in 1793, and to their marriage
were thirteen children - nine born in New York and four in Ohio, namely:
Mary, who married Daniel Williams, died in Fitchville township;
William, deceased in Michigan; Elizabeth (widow of George
Curry), residing in Henderson county, Ill.; David, who died in
Kentucky; Alpha, who also died at an adult age; Charlotte, who
was first marriage to John Jenkins and subsequently to H. P. Starr,
and died in Erie county, Ohio; Gurdon, who died in Michigan; James
who died in Bronson township, Huron county, and Martha, who married
Benjamin Filkins, and died in Fitchville township; the children born
in Ohio are Samuel A., of whom a sketch follows; Amos, member
of a Michigan Cavalry Regiment, who died in the South during the war;
Lucy, deceased in infancy, and Adda, wife of A. H. Fox, of
Wakeman township, Huron county. About 1830 or '31 Samuel Ward
and his family settled in Ohio. The journey from Oneida county, N. Y.,
was made by river, canal and lake boats to the lake port, and thence by
wagon to Fitchville township. Here he purchased 200 acres of wild land
at three dollars per acre, and entered at once on its improvement, leaving
his family at his brother's house until the rude pioneer cabin would be
ready to shelter them. Mr. Ward subsequently exchanged this
property for another tract, on which he resided until his death, in 1864.
His widow died in 1873, and their remains lie in Fitchville cemetery.
Mr. Ward experience all the vicissitudes of pioneer life, conquered
every difficulty and won a very high position among the pioneers of
Fitchville. In politics at first a Democrat, the Free-soil principles
of 1848 appealed to his ideas and claimed his support. In 1856 he
became a Republican, and gave his adhesion to the new party until his death.
He and his wife were members of the Congregational Church.
Samuel A. Ward attended a school taught by
Elder Hall, for a few months each year, and while yet a boy worked on
the home place and became a valuable farm hand. During his youth he
moved to Livingston county, Mich., where he earned good pay, residing there
until 1853, when he returned to Ohio. On Oct. 16, 1853, he was married
to Weltha Filkins, who was born Mar. 18, 1831, at Stockton,
Chautauqua Co., New York.
John S. Filkins, father of Mrs. Ward,
came with his wife and seven children from Chautauqua county, N. Y., in
March, 1832, the journey, part of the way, being made in a sleigh. He
purchased fifty acres of wild land in North Fitchville, paying one dollar
and fifty cents per acre. His family stayed with his wife's father,
Zadok Weeks, until such time as he could clear a place and build a log
cabin. He had much to contend against, and many difficulties to
surmount in the daily struggle to provide for the family; but he bravely
stood up against all adverse circumstances. He had to journey to
Wooster, a distance of fifty miles, to buy flour, and on one occasion he
walked the entire distance in order to make a purchase of fifty pounds of
wool; and after getting it carded into rolls and placed in a sack, he
shouldered his burden and walked home! His wife spun this wool into
yarn, which in turn she wove into cloth wherewith she made garments for the
family. She died of cholera in 1834, leaning a sorrowing husband with
eight children on his hands, the eldest being a girl of thirteen summers,
who with her father's help kept the family together two years. Of
these eight children six are still living besides Mrs. Samuel A. Ward,
and a brief record of them is as follows: Mrs. A. E. Vandusen
resides in Milan, Ohio; A. J. Filkins and Mrs. M. C. Brown are
in Wisconsin; Mrs. P. A. Whitsell resides in Centerville, Iowa; B.
Filkins lives in Fitchville, Ohio; W. W. Filkins in 1852 set out
for California by the overland route, enduring many hardships on the trip;
he returned to his old home in 1876 for a visit, and he is now a resident of
Portland, Oregon. The mother of these, as was also her husband, was a
member of the Baptist Church. In 1836 Mr. Filkins married
Miss Betsy Lyon, who died in 1849, leaving three children, all since
deceased, to wit: Mrs. Eliza J. Prosser who died in Hartland, Ohio,
in 1864; Mrs. Ellen A. Williams, who died in St. Paul, Minn., in
1877; and Mrs. Julia E. Doane, who died in Hartland, Ohio in 1873.
By his third marriage Mr. Filkins had three children, viz.: J. M.
and David A., both engineers on the "Big Four Road," and residents of
Cleveland, Ohio; and Mrs. O. F. Fish, living in Florida, her husband
being also a railroad engineer. In 1867 S. A. Filkins went to
California, returning to Fitchville in 1872, soon after which, in the same
year, he met with an accident at a barn raising which caused his death.
The children born to Samuel A. and Weltha Ward
are as follows: Eva B., born Oct. 13, 1854, died Oct. 7, 1880;
Adalbert, born June 27, 1856, a farmer of Fitchville township;
Carrie A., born Mar. 15, 1858, died Nov. 16, 1860; Albert E.,
born July 16, 1862, a farmer of Fitchville township; and Blanche M.,
born May 25, 1868, died Aug. 13, 1881. After marriage Mr. and Mrs.
Samuel A. Ward took up their residence in the Ward home, and
remained their until 1867, when they entered into possession of their
present farm. Though now living at retired life. Mr. Ward
still directs the management of the farm, which is worked by his sons.
The property is a valuable one, and in its development the labor of
Samuel A. Ward and the economical administration of Mrs. Ward
have proved the most important factors. Politically he is a
Republican, but he wastes but little time on politics, as his farm and stock
interests claim his principal attention. Mrs. Ward is a member
of the Methodist Episcopal Church.
Source: Commemorative Biographical Records of the counties of
Huron and Lorain, Ohio - Illustrated - Published: Chicago: J. H. Beers &
Co., 1894 - Page 281 |
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DAVID A. WHITE, who conducts
a song, fertile farm of seventy-five acres which he owns in Norwich
township, ins a native of Greenfield township, Huron county, born in 1842.
Nathaniel White, his father, a native of near
Mansfield, Ohio, was a son of Nathaniel White, who was born in
Pennsylvania, was a tanner by occupation, and was married to Miss Nancy
Thornton, of the same place. They had thirteen children, of whom
nine grew to maturity: Thomas, Nathaniel, William, Mahlon, John Edwin,
Polly, Sarah and Emily, all now deceased except Edwin, who
lives in California. Nathaniel, the second son, was born in
1806, and passed his boyhood days on a farm, learning at the same time the
trade of tanner. He married Miss Elizabeth Skeels, of the same
locality, and they then settled on fifty acres of land in Greenfield
township, Huron county, where children, as follows, where born to them:
William, Isaac, John (deceased), Mary, Daniel A., Leander, John
and James, all now scattered over the United States.
David A. White, whose name appears at the
opening of this biographical sketch, received a fair education at the common
schools of his native township, was reared on a farm, and learned the trade
of harness maker. In 1862 he enlisted in the First Ohio Heavy
Artillery, which was attached to the army of the Cumberland, and
participated in the battles of Mission Ridge, Chickamauga and others, after
a service of two years and seven months receiving an honorable discharge and
returning an honorable discharge and returning home. Recommencing the
pursuits of peace, he first opened out a harness shop in Centreton, Norwich
township, Huron county, which he conducted two yeas, and then moved to Wood
county, this State, where he bought 160 acres of land close to the town of
Milton Center; but selling out in about one year he again came to Norwich
township and commenced farming on a fifty-acre tract of land. At the
end of two yeas he went to California, traveling over the greater part of
the State following his trade, and to some extent mining. He made some
forty-five thousand dollars, but lost it all in quick-silver speculation.
On his return to Norwich township he settled on his present farm, and has
met with considerable success. He owns a hotel and a half interest in
a farm of 160 acres in California, besides his seventy-five acres in Norwich
township, Huron county.
Mr. White was united in marriage with Miss
Olivia G. Magee, of Norwich township, daughter of William Magee,
and five children, named as follows, were born to them: Dolly, Page
(deceased), Grace, Myrtle (deceased) and Dora. In his
political affiliations our subject was a Democrat until four years ago, at
which time he enlisted in the ranks of the Republican party.
Source: Commemorative Biographical Records of the
counties of Huron and Lorain, Ohio - Illustrated - Published: Chicago: J. H.
Beers & Co., 1894 - Page 481 |
J. S. White |
J. S. WHITE,
Norwalk. The subject of this sketch disclaims the possession of any
qualities that entitle him to the mention which his friends believe should
be made of him; yet it is in no spirit of adulation when it is said of him
that his life is illustrative of the success that attends honest,
well-directed endeavor, industry, and conscientious adherence to duty.
Mr. White's grandfather, Jonathan S., and
father, John C. White, natives of New York State, came to Ohio in
1829, settling on a farm near Mansfield. The last-named married
Nancy A. Taylor in 1840, after which they came to Huron county, settling
in Ripley township, where, on a piece of land entirely covered by the native
forest, they built a log cabin, and commenced housekeeping in true pioneer
fashion.
Here J. S. White was born in 1844, and here
followed the hard routine of farm life from the time he was old enough until
grown to manhood. In the early fall of 1862 the One Hundred and First
Regiment, O. V. I., was formed, Company C being for the most part made up of
recruits from Ripley and Greenwich townships, Huron county, and our subject
was of the "boys' who enlisted in its ranks. In August the regiment
went into camp at Monroeville, Ohio, and although Mr. Write had
enlisted in good faith, expecting to be a soldier and do soldier's duty, he
was doomed to disappointment, for when he came before the medical examiners,
he was rejected as being too slender to stand the marches and hardships
incident to war. So, with a heavy heart, homeward he trod his lonely
way. But conscious that he must do something for his country, he
subsequently joined an independent company, and in 1853, through the call of
Gov. Brough, he had the satisfaction of going South and doing duty as
a soldier of the One Hundred and Sixty-sixth O. V. I.
The educational advantages of Mr. White's
boyhood days commenced in a log schoolhouse, the expenses of which school
were defrayed by private subscription; but he was soon enabled to avail
himself of the free schools, summer and winter, until such time as his
services were required on the farm. He also enjoyed a few terms of
select school, and, being taught by competent teachers, he so far mastered
the common branches that he became a teacher, in turn, and for several
winters successfully taught young minds how to procure an education.
In 1869 Mr. White married Marietta E. Barre,
and they settled down to agricultural pursuits on a small farm adjoining
that of his father. Here they toiled, enjoying the fruits of their
labor and respect of their neighbors, until, in 1887, they moved to the city
of Norwalk, where they have formed the acquaintance of many new friends to
add to the list of old ones so dear to them. The children born to
Mr. and Mrs. White are James Edgar, Blanche and John
Gaylord, all at home.
Mr. White is one of those men to whom the trite
term "self-made" is appropriately applied. Though lacking the
advantages of a higher education in college, yet he has attained much of
that most valuable education of all which comes from observation, experience
and general reading of books. He has made for himself a character and
reputation that place him in the highest regard of the people who know him
best. The feeling of confidence in his judgment and probity is
attested by the fact that he has not only been called upon to serve in
offices of trust in the township that was so long his home, but has been
chosen to fill one of the most important offices in the county. In the
year 1886 he was elected county auditor, taking his seat in September, 1887;
was re-elected in 1889, and now (in 1893) is serving out the last of his
second term to the satisfaction of all parties; and when he retires into
private life it will be with the satisfaction that he has served the people
of the county in a manner that will elicit naught but favorable comment.
Politically Mr. White has always been a
Republican, and has been an unswerving supporter of the cause which that
organization espoused.
Source: Commemorative Biographical Records of the
counties of Huron and Lorain, Ohio - Illustrated - Published: Chicago: J. H.
Beers & Co., 1894 - Page 278 |
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HON. O. A. WHITE, ex-mayor of
Norwalk, of which city he is a most prominent, highly respected citizen, was
born in 1820 in New York State. His parents, Abel and Polly
(Warren) White, were natives of Vermont, descended from pure English
stock, and were farmers by occupation. In 1849 they migrated to Ohio,
where they passed the remainder of their days. The White family
were originally among the early pioneer of New England.
Our subject was reared and educated in his native
State, and at the early age of seventeen commenced teaching school, which
profession he followed until he was elected town superintendent of schools
at Gerry, N. Y., and then commissioner of the country schools of Chautauqua
county, N. Y. He served in the latter position for a term of three
years, at the end of which time he came west, locating in Norwalk, Ohio with
the intention at first of going into the manufacturing business; but being
urged, he accepted the position of principal of the grammar school, and
served the city of Norwalk in that capacity for the next five years, when in
1867 he was elected mayor of Norwalk; was reelected in 1869, and again in
1876. He became trustee of the Water-works, and built the Works; has
been civil engineer for many of the public improvements in and about the
city, and has at all times filled a prominent place in advancing every
enterprise of importance to his adopted city.
Source: Commemorative
Biographical Records of the counties of Huron and Lorain, Ohio -
Illustrated -
Published: Chicago: J. H. Beers & Co., 1894 - Page 122 |
F. Wickham |
JUDGE FREDERICK WICKHAM
Commemorative
Biographical Records of the counties of Huron and Lorain, Ohio -
Illustrated -
Published: Chicago: J. H. Beers & Co., 1894 - Page 14 |
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F.
E. WILCOX, who was born December 4, 1843, in Peru township, is a
grandson of Daniel Wilcox. Asahel Wilcox, father of
subject, was born September 2, 1805, at Gorham, Ontario Co., N. Y., and
migrated to Ohio in 1820.
On March 28, 1832, he married Emily Adams, and
they located in Peru township, Huron county, where, with the exception of a
short time passed in Crawford county, Ohio, he resided until his death,
which occurred during the cholera epidemic of 1849. His widow lives
with her son, F. E. Wilcox, on the home farm.
Mrs. Emily Adams Wilcox was born September 27,
1814, at Rowe, Franklin Co., Mass.; her father, HENRY ADAMS, was born
in 1790 in Marlboro town, Windham Co., Vt., an was, while still a youth, a
school teacher in that place. On October 14, 1813, he married Annis,
daughter of Simeon Barr, who was also born at Rowe, Mass., and a year
later set out for that portion of Ohio known as the "Firelands," leaving his
young wife and infant daughter Emily at Rowe, until he could
prepare a home for them in the wilderness. He took with him, on this
long journey, a load of tinware, which he sold on his arrival in Cleveland,
and then proceeded to what is now Peru township, Huron Co., Ohio, where he
laid the foundation of his western home on a part of the farm now occupied
by his grandson, F. E. Wilcox, and was the earliest pioneer of this
division of Huron county. Some time later his wife and child and a
party of relatives arrived. They journeyed on a wagon from
Massachusetts to Buffalo, N. Y., where the team "gave out," compelling the
young mother and the adults of the party to walk to the Adams settlement in
Peru. The original home was constructed with poles and bark, but later
a substantial log cabin was built, near the site of the present Wilcox
residence. The children born to Henry and Annis (Barr) Adams,
were Emily, who married Asahel Wilcox; Caroline, born in Peru
township February 27, 1818, married S. D. Seymour, and died in Taylor
county, Tex.; Levi, born December 27, 1820, died when seven months
old; Simeon F., born October 28, 1821, died in infancy; Franklin
L. C., born June 5, 1823, died in 1840; Jane, born April 6, 1825,
married Eliphalet Adams, and died at Norwalk, Huron county; Levi,
born July 20, 1827, died in 1829; and Alonzo and Melissa (twins),
born April 15, 1830, the former of whom died May 29, 1865.
Mr. Adams resided here until his death from
paralysis, May 24, 1881. He settled in the forest when there was only
one house at Norwalk and one at Sandusky, endured all the trials and
privations common to the pioneer, and yet, beyond the ordinary "chills and
fever" which attacked strong and weak without distinction, he never suffered
from illness until paralysis came to carry him off. He was not only a
pioneer in name but also in fact. He encouraged improvements in
agricultural methods, and was the first to introduce mowers, reapers and
other implements of husbandry into Peru township. He set out the first
seed for fruit trees, ordering the seeds from Vermont. A consignment
of seeds went down in Lake Erie with the vessel on which they were shipped,
but a day later the wreckers rescued the freight and everything which
escaped dissolution in the waters was sent to its destination. From a
bag of seeds recovered at that time, the fruit trees on the present Wilcox
farm sprung. Mr. Adams was a Democrat in early years; but about 1856
he joined the Whig party, and afterward became a strong Abolitionist.
He was a conductor on the "Underground Railroad, " and had his own depot for
concealing refugee slaves. He taught the first school in Peru
township, assembling the pupils in his own log cabin. He was one of
the earliest adherents of Methodism, and helped to establish and sustain the
house of worship in Peru village, from 1824 until he joined the new
denomination, in which he remained to the period of his death.
F. E. Wilcox, whose name appears at the head of
this sketch, received his primary education in the schools of Peru township.
When he was six years old his father died, and the lad was reared at the
home of his grandfather. On November 6, 1873, he married Dorcas A.
Perry, who was born October 15, 1848, in Peru township, a daughter of
Daniel and Elizabeth (Tillson) Perry. The children
born to this marriage are named as follows: Frank T., born
September 9, 1874; Charles N., born October 6, 1876; John N.,
born January 27,1879; Perry E., born March 3, 1881 (died August 5,
1882); Fred E., born February 27, 1883; Bert O., born March
14, 1885, and Fanny E., born April 17, 1887. Since 1849 Mr.
Wilcox has lived on the old Adams homestead, giving close attention to
agricultural affairs. Politically he is Republican, and is actively
interested in the success of his party. In church connection he is a
leading member and officer in the Methodist Episcopal Society, in which he
is class-leader, steward and trustee. A descendant of the pioneers of
Peru township, and successful in all his undertakings, he is a man of
influence here, one whose good citizenship has never been questioned in any
particular. He is a great reader, and is thoroughly posted on all
matters relating to the United States.
Source: Commemorative Biographical Records of the counties of
Huron and Lorain, Ohio - Illustrated - Published: Chicago: J. H. Beers &
Co., 1894 - Page 261 |
Theodore Williams
Pg. 35 |
ARTHUR
WILLOUGHBY, who during his lifetime was one of the most progressive
citizens of Richmond township, was a native of Harrison county, Ohio, born
near the present town of New Hagerstown. He was the fourth child of
James and Margareta (Patterson) Willoughby, the former of whom was born
in Washington county, Penn., the latter in Ireland, whence when a young girl
she came with her parents to America, locating in Harrison county, Ohio,
where they were pioneers.
James Willoughby was a farmer in Harrison
county, whither he too had come with his parents in pioneer times, and where
he was married. While living in Harrison county three children were
born to them, as follows: Catherine, who was married to John
Bingham, and died in Seneca county, Ohio; Robert, a farmer of
Richmond township, and Arthur, the subject proper of this memoir.
About 1829 this family settled in the woods of Seneca county, at which time
the vicinity abounded with wild animals - bear, deer, wild cats, turkeys,
etc. The journey, which was made by wagon, was very difficult, and in
some places they even had to cut their own roads through the country.
He purchased land at one dollar and twenty-five cents per acre, and made
some money acting as guide for land seekers; he also speculated to some
extent, with the hard earned money he had accumulated in Harrison county,
and had some success in that line. His ability as a marksman, with an
old flint-lock rifle, was really remarkable, and many were the wild animals
which fell before it. Two more children were born in Seneca county:
Rebecca, now Mrs. Chauncy Reed, of Michigan, and Jane,
widow of William Gardner, also residing in Michigan. Mr.
Willoughby died June 22, 1834, and was buried at Attica, Seneca county;
he was indeed a pioneer in his section. His widow was afterward
married to Jacob Courtwright, to whom she bore one child,
Jacob, who is now a liveryman of Attica, Seneca county. They
resided in Norwich township, and she lived for a number of years afterward,
dying April 17, 1865.
Arthur Willoughby was born Feb. 27, 1825, was
reared to farm life, and, as his step-father did not believe in much
education, received during his early youth but little school training.
When seventeen years old he left home, with but few clothes and a small
amount of money, and took up his abode with Major LaRue, in Venice
township, Seneca county, where he worked as a farm hand. He was a good
worker, and received nine dollars a month for his services, prior to which
he had split rails for fifty cents a hundred. In the fall of 1852 he
marred Mary Jane Ringle, born in Carroll county, daughter of
George and Catherine (Pottorf) Ringle, and the young couple settled in
Norwich township on one hundred acres of land, which he had purchased at
eleven dollars per acre. He had previously bought some land in Wyandot
county, Ohio, and selling this at a profit, he was able, with the proceeds
and one hundred dollars which his wife received from her home, to pay all
but one hundred dollars of the eleven hundred dollars, the price of the new
land. It was then entirely in the woods, and contained a log house in
which the family made their home for eighteen years. From time to time
additions were made to this land, and in 1869 an elegant brick residence was
erected across the road in Richmond township. The following children
came to bless the union of Mr. and Mrs. Arthur Willoughby: Simon
A., a former resident of Reno county, Kans., where he died Apr. 28,
1893, leaving a widow and three children (he was a member of the Kansas
State Board of Pardons, and in an obituary notice of him in a local paper we
find the following: "For several years he had been a very active man in
politics, and labored with an intelligence and earnestness in the new
political movement that marked him as one of its leaders. He was yet a
young man, and would have made a good official record had his life been
spared"); Harry E., of Cincinnati, an electrician in the employ of
the Electric Railroad; Willie M., a shoe merchant of Chicago, Ohio;
Alice M., Mrs. Cyrus Everingim, of Attica, Ohio; CHARLEY
L., a
farmer of Richmond township; Clara B., a school teacher, a highly
educated lady; and Walter J., attending school.
The father of this family passed from earth August 21,
1889; his death was sudden and rather unexpected, as he had always been a
robust man, never ill for a day. For eight years previous to his
decease he had made his home in Attica, Seneca county, in order to educate
his children, and here he lived his death Mr. Willoughby owned an
elegant home and 375 acres of excellent land. In politics he was a
Democrat, and one of the leaders of the party in his section; in religions
belief he was a member of the M. P. Church, in which he held the office of
steward. He was in many ways an active man; even in his early youth he
understood the value of knowledge, and this occasioned the discord between
him and his step-father which caused him to leave home to seek an education.
He continued to hold these opinions all his life, and as his family grew up
he afforded each member ample opportunities for an education, of which they
were not slow to take advantage. As a family and as individuals the
Willoughbys stand second to none in the county. After the death of
her husband Mrs. Willoughby returned to the home in Richmond
township, where she has ever since resided. She is a member of the M.
P. Church, and is one of the most highly respected ladies in the community
in which she resides.
Source: Commemorative Biographical Records of the counties of
Huron and Lorain, Ohio - Illustrated - Published: Chicago: J. H. Beers &
Co., 1894 - Page 439 |
| |
CHARLES L. WILLOUGHBY - See
ARTHUR WILLOUGHBY
Source: Commemorative Biographical Records of the counties of
Huron and Lorain, Ohio - Illustrated - Published: Chicago: J. H. Beers &
Co., 1894 - Page 440 |
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D. A. WOOD, M. D.,
is one of the oldest physicians and surgeons now in practice in Huron county
- indeed, with a solitary exception, he is the oldest.
His parents, Alva and Levissa (Buck) Wood, were
both natives of New York State, the former born in 1809 in Saratoga county,
where he grew to manhood and carried on a farm in connection with a
gristmill. He died at Utica, N. Y., in the sixty-eighth year of his
age. Levissa (Buck) Wood died at Utica in the seventy-seventh
year of her age. Of their six children, five are living. Their
parents came from Connecticut to western New York at an early day, and were
among the pioneers in the agricultural development of this now rich portion
of the Empire State. The grandfather of Dr. Wood was a justice
of the peace of Onondaga county for many terms, and is still remembered by
the older residents of that county.
Dr. D. A. Wood was born Sept. 16, 1832, in
Onondaga county, N. Y. He received an elementary education in the
common schools, and subsequently entered Clinton University, where he took a
full literary course. After reading medicine for some time, he went to
Syracuse, N. Y., attended lectures there, and graduated from the Eclectic
Medical College. Early in 1858 he removed to Ohio, and locating at
Olena, practiced medicine there for many years. Meantime he neglected
no opportunity which offered to him greater perfection as a physician, for
he is found at Cleveland attending lectures, or at home reading Austrian,
French or American authorities. He graduated, in the winter of
1871-72, from the Cleveland Medical College, and continued to reside at
Olena. He had seen great changes in his district. The trials
which awaited him in his early professional life were no longer to be looked
for. Long rides through the forest were no longer necessary, nor was
there a prospect of his being again compelled to lead his horse through the
thickets or follow unfamiliar paths to the cabins of his patients.
Dr. Wood was married, at Olena, to Miss Lucy
A. Cherry, and to this marriage five children were born, namely:
Louise, wife of W. C. Laney; Frederick; Elmer D., who died in
early boyhood; and Harley D. In 1881 the Doctor moved to
Greenwich, where greater successes rewarded his close studies and faithful
attention to his patients. In early practice he made a reputation in
restoring to health those stricken with fever; he was also very successful
in obstetrics, and won the entire confidence of the people. Today he
numbers among his patients many whose birth he attended. Dr. Wood
belongs to the Alumni Medical Association of Cleveland, and is a regular
attendant at meetings of this Association, as well as a periodical student
in the college. Among his favorite medical journals are the "Cleveland
Medical Journal" and the "New York Medical Journal." But his readings
on medicine and surgery are not at all confined to these, for he takes
special delight in anything and everything written on the two subjects.
Source: Commemorative
Biographical Records of the counties of Huron and Lorain, Ohio -
Illustrated -
Published: Chicago: J. H. Beers & Co., 1894 - Page 498 |
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GEORGE E. WOOD,
editor and publisher of The Bellevue News, was born in Walworth
county, Wis., Aug. 3, 1860. His parents, J. G. and Almira (Mills)
Wood, were born in New York, and at an early date settled in the West.
After an extended residence in Wisconsin, they again
looked westward for a home, and in 1867 located at Monticello, Jones Co.,
Iowa, where the subject of this sketch grew to manhood. In 1890 they
removed to Bellevue, Ohio, and took up their abode with their son George.
J. G. Wood died at Bellevue June 28, 1892; his widow is still living.
George Elmer Wood completed his education at the
State Agricultural College, at Ames, Iowa, and for some time after leaving
engaged in school teaching. Later he entered upon the study of law,
and while so engaged was chosen justice of the peace and re-elected.
He was admitted to the bar of Iowa in 1884 before the State Supreme Court,
but soon relinquished the practice of his chosen profession to move to
Anamosa, the county seat, and fill the position of acting county recorder,
to which he was appointed. For fourteen months he served in that
capacity, and then resigned in 1885, to accept the position of count
superintendent of schools, to which he had in the meantime been elected.
In April, 1888, Mr. Wood came to Bellevue, purchased the Local
News office, improved the appearance of the paper, built up a really
local newspaper, extended the circulation, abolished the old name, and in
1890 adopted the present title, The Bellevue News. The paper
has a local circulation among 1,300 subscribers, and is a first-class
advertising medium. It was established in 1875, without political
affiliations, and has continued independent to the present time.
Mr. Wood is a young man, energetic and ambitious, and by well-directed
industry has widened the influence of his journal, and succeeded where
others failed.
Our subject was united in marriage Aug. 29, 1888, with
Miss Jessie Denison, a native of Anamosa, Iowa, and
daughter of A. M. and Lucy A. (Roberts) Denison, both natives of the
State of New York.
Source: Commemorative Biographical Records of the counties of Huron and
Lorain, Ohio - Illustrated - Published: Chicago: J. H. Beers & Co., 1894 -
Page 91 |
Amos Woodward |
DR. AMOS WOODWARD, of
Bellevue, Ohio was born Feb. 11, 1824, on what is known as the "Woodward
Farm," near Bellevue. He was the second son of Gurdon and Mary S.
Woodward.
His father in the spring of 1817 located his farm in
Lyme township, Huron Co., Ohio, where he built a log cabin, and being a man
of unusual physical strength, coupled with indomitable energy, he soon
cleared off the heavy timber and opened up the farm for cultivation.
He then returned to Utica, N. Y., and married Miss Mary Savage, one
of the brightest and best of Utica's daughters, who came to their new home
in the West to adorn it with her graceful charms of head and heart.
The home was widely known as "Woodlawn," and for many years was noted for
its generous hospitality.
There were three brothers by the name of Woodward, who
came from England at an early day, one settling in Connecticut, one of
Pennsylvania and one in Virginia - men of strong distinct characteristics,
and prominent citizens where they lived.
Abishai Woodward, the grandfather of the subject
of this sketch, was born in 1749. He was an architect and leading
contractor in New London, Conn., then one of the flourishing cities of New
England. A prominent and highly esteemed citizen, he was for many
years an alderman of his native village; he died in 1809. His wife was
Miss Mary Spicer, a lady belong to one of the best families of
Connecticut, and their family consisted of five sons and six daughters.
Two of the sons, Abishai and Eben, settled in Louisiana, and
three on Ohio - Gurdon and William in 1817, and Amos in
1820 - locating in Lyme township, Huron county, on what is known as the
"Firelands," a tract of land which was given by the State of
Connecticut to sufferers by fire at New London during the Revolution, when
Benedict Arnold with the British soldiers captured and burned the
city, and massacred the garrison after its surrender at Fort Griswold.
When a boy, Dr. Woodward went to live with his
Uncle Amos and Aunt Rachel Woodward, who having no sons of their own
urged his parents to let them have the boy. As their farms joined,
they consented, and there he spent his boyhood days, attending school
winters, and helping on the farms summers, until 1841, when on the death of
his uncle, he bid adieu to farm life and commenced the study of medicine
with Dr. Latrhop, of Bellevue, one of the leading physicians of the
county. Being of an active and observant mind, he made rapid progress
with his studies, and after attending lectures two winters at the Medical
College in Cleveland, graduated in 1849. He immediately commenced
practicing medicine with Dr. Latrhop at Bellevue, and from the
commencement had a large and extensive practice in the town and adjoining
counties. Possession the qualities of tenderness and sympathy in an
eminent degree, and gifted with quick perceptions, a good judge of human
nature, and prompt in diagnosis, he was called in all important cases,
especially in consultation with other physicians, and had he continued in
his profession would doubtless have been at the head of the profession in
northern Ohio. His love for his profession was unusual, and long after
he gave up the practice, even up to the time of his death, he was ever ready
to be consulted with and to give advice, and many of his old patients would
come to him, having such confidence in his skill, that they thought no other
physician could prescribe for their ailments.
Dr. Woodward was married on June 25, 1851, to
Miss Arabella Chapman, eldest daughter of Judge Frederick Chapman,
of Bellevue, one of the earlier settlers and of a very prominent family,
socially and otherwise. Judge Chapman, at the time, was a large
landowner, extensively engaged in business pursuits in Bellevue and
vicinity, and required just such a practical man as Dr. Woodward to
assist him in his business. Finally, in the year 1857, he persuaded
him to take an interest in his business, which was thereafter carried on in
the firm name of Chapman & Woodward, with great success and profit
until the death of Judge Chapman, April 26, 1861. After that
date the settling up of the estate of Judge Chapman, and closing up
the business of the firm devolved upon Dr. Woodward, in which
position he brought to bear his good judgment and usual energy and ability,
to the satisfaction of all parties, leaving a handsome property for the
heirs of Judge Chapman. Dr. Woodward, as surviving
partner, succeeded to the business of the firm, and with his energy and
perseverance was successful in acquiring a large and valuable property in
and around Bellevue, in real and personal property. He was one of the
original stockholders of the Norwalk National Bank, of Norwalk, Ohio, and a
director of the same from its organization, in March, 1865, until his death,
during all of which time he aided said institution with his sound advice,
sterling integrity and good judgment. He was also connected with the
First National Bank, of Bellevue, Ohio, from its organization in September,
1875, until his death. He was elected cashier of this bank June 22,
1883, and under his management the institution was eminently successful,
doing a large and prosperous business, having the confidence and patronage
of the community to a high degree, and making regular semi-annual dividends.
In this position, also, his friends appreciated his extraordinary business
ability. It was a prominent trait in his character that what ever he
undertook to do, he did well, and was untiring in his efforts until the
desired result was accomplished. He was also a close observer of
things and their surroundings, and after a trip across the country, it was
very interesting to hear him describe the incidents of the journey, the
soil, climate and general appearance of things at every point. With a
well-cultivated mind he taught for himself, and expressed his own
opinions. True to his friends, true to his principles, and unyielding
in his defense of right and justice, his high character and integrity were
appreciated by all who knew him or had any business relations with him, and
he stands prominent as one of the best examples of American citizenship.
Dr. Woodward left two daughters.
Louise, the elder, married John Gardiner, Jr., of Norwalk, Ohio,
Oct. 3, 1877, and has three sons, viz.: Amos Woodward
Gardiner, born Sept. 12, 1879; John Joslin Gardiner, born Dec. 6,
1881, and Douglas Latimer Gardiner, born Dec. 28,
1887, and is now a resident of Norwalk, Ohio. Belle Woodward,
the second daughter, married, Oct. 27, 1880, William C. Asay, a
lawyer of Chicago, Ill., and has two daughters, viz.: Marguerite Louise,
born Dec. 19, 1884, and Pauline Clemence, born Dec. 17, 1886.
As a husband and father Dr. Woodward was always kind and
indulgent, providing ample means to promote the happiness of the family
circle. The resident of the family was purchased of J. R. Higbee
in 1871, and was greatly improved, the grounds and lawns handsomely laid out
and the house elegantly furnished. His widow still resides there with
all the pleasant surroundings and comforts requisite to make life happy on
earth, with one missing in the family circle whom nothing can replace.
In politics the Doctor was a Democrat. In
religious views, he was attached to the Protestant Episcopal Church, and was
a liberal contributor to the creation of a house of worship in Bellevue.
He was always a cheerful giver to its financial support, though his giving
was not confined to the Episcopal Church, but, with his liberal views on the
subject, his hand was ever ready to assist other organizations; and as he
disliked outward show, he gave quietly and without display or ostentation.
After a lingering illness, which he bore with manly
patience, continuing to attend to business up to the day of his death, he
departed this life Sept. 23, 1891, at the age of sixty-seven years, seven
months and twelve days, and as the words "He is dead" passed from lip to
lip, the whole community was filled with genuine grief, that one of its
leading citizens - whose active life had aided in building up the village,
who had spent his whole life with his townsmen, and who was one of the
pioneers in the progress and improvement of the county - had gone to his
final rest. "Then shall the dust return to earth as it was, and the
spirit shall return unto God who gave it."
Commemorative
Biographical Records of the counties of Huron and Lorain, Ohio -
Illustrated -
Published: Chicago: J. H. Beers & Co., 1894 - Page 64 |
NOTES: |
