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BIOGRAPHIES
Source:
Centennial History of City of Newark and Licking County,
Ohio
by E. M. P. Brister
-
Vol. II -
Publ. Chicago - Columbus: by The S. J. Clarke Publishing
Co.
1909
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SAMUEL E. HAGY |
SAMUEL E. HAGY
Source: Centennial History of City of Newark and Licking County,
Ohio by E. M. P. Brister -
Vol. II - Publ. Chicago - Columbus: by The S. J. Clarke Publishing
Co., 1909
– Page 652 |
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HARRY E. HARRIS
is the oldest editor in central Ohio, being now the owner
and editor of the Utica Herald. He also has other
business interests and is recognized as a leader in
political circles. Born in St. Louisville, Licking
county, in 1859, he is a son of Perry A. and Elizabeth
(Myers) Harris. The father's birth occurred in
Martinsburg, Ohio, in 1827, and his youthful days were
passed on a farm two miles from his birthplace. In
1847 he went to the town to learn the harnessmaker's trade,
but owing to the weakness of his eyes was obligated to
abandon that work. In 1850 he removed Newark and
entered the employ of L. L. Rambo in the woolen ills,
there remaining until 1852, when he established a grocery
business at Vanatta, this county. In 1853 he removed
to St. Louisville, where he opened a general mercantile
store and for almost forty years was identified with the
commercial interests of the town, continuing as a prominent
and worthy representative of the business circles there
until a short time prior to his death, which occurred in
1892. In politics he was a stalwart republican,
recognized as one of the leaders of the party in his
neighborhood and for nineteen years he served as postmaster
of St. Louisville. In 1854 he married Elizabeth
Myers, a native of Richland county, Ohio, and they went
to the state fair at Newark on their wedding trip.
Their children were: Ellen, who became the wife
of Frank M. Smith, an architect, and died in
Fostoria; Harry E; Addie M., the wife of John C.
Jones, a lawyer practicing in Toledo and at one time a
member of the state senate; and Harriet, a cashier
and stenographer for the B. R. Baker Company of
Toledo. The mother, who was born in 1833, still
resides at the old home in St. Louisville, having occupied
the one house since 1859.
Harry E. Harris in his youthful days remained at
home and assisted his father, in the store until 1875.
He attended school there and on leaving home came to Utica,
where he spent two terms as a student in the normal school.
He then went to Newark and was employed in the Newark Banner
office for one winter. In 1880 he removed to Bangor,
Michigan, and became foreman in the Bangor Reflector
printing office, his employer being postmaster of the town,
while Mr. Harris served as his deputy. While
living there he attained his majority and cast his first
vote for J. C. Burrows, who was then candidate for
congress and is now senator.
On the 28th of July, 1881, Mr. Harris was
married, and later in the same year came to Utica, where he
purchased the Utica Herald, which he has published
continuously since, save in the year 1896, when he leased
it, but after six months again resumed charge. During
that period he acted as manager of the Evening Press at
Zanesville, in which he owned a fourth interest. He is
today the oldest editor in years of continuous connection
with the work in central Ohio. He has always stood for
that which is progressive in newspaper publican and yet is
strongly opposed to anything that partakes of the
sensational character of the yellow journal. His paper
is devoted to the interests of the community and to the
dissemination of general news and now has a large
subscription list and good advertising patronage. At
the time of the boom caused by the opening of the factories
and the development of the oil fields here, Mr. Harris
added the real-estate business to his other interests and
had the exclusive handling of four Harrison Bell additions
and the Hickey addition to the city. He is also
representative for the United States Fidelity & Guarantee
Company and for the Wilbur Mercantile Agency. In his
business affairs he has displayed capable management and his
judgment is rarely if ever at fault in determining the value
of a business situation.
As stated, Mr. Harris was married on the 28th of
July, 1881, when Miss Bertha McMillan, a native of
Michigan and a daughter of Stephen McMillan, became
his wife. Unto them have been born two daughters:
Beatrice, the wife of Boyd C. Holderman, manager
of the Utica branch of the National Supply Company; and
Marguerite, who graduated from Utica high school in
1909.
Mr. Harris is a stalwart republican and has done
effective work in the interests of the party. He has
been secretary of all the republican clubs of Utica during
the past quarter of a century and has been a delegate to a
number of judicial, congressional and state conventions.
He served as postmaster of Utica from 1893, under the
administration of Benjamin Harrison, and has also
been village clerk and councilman, while in 1904 the council
elected him to fill out an unexpired term as mayor. He
has ever exercised his official prerogative in support of
general progress and improvement and over the record of his
official career there falls no shadow of wrong nor suspicion
of evil. He is a valued and faithful member of the
Presbyterian church and has elected an honorary member of
the County Pioneer Association. He stands at all times
for that which is helpful in the public life, while in
social circles he is found as a loyal friend and one who
well merits the confidence that is universally accorded him.
Source: Centennial History of City of Newark and Licking County,
Ohio by E. M. P. Brister -
Vol. II - Publ. Chicago - Columbus: by The S. J. Clarke Publishing
Co., 1909
– Page 55 |
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MRS. IVA W.
HARRIS. The lady whose name
introduces this review was born in Monroe county, Ohio, Oct.
10, 1841, her parents being Yearsley and Alice (Wink)
Thornberg. The father, whose birth occurred in
Washington, Pennsylvania, Aug. 7, 1805, located in Monroe
county, Ohio, in 1836, and there made his home until called
to his final rest on the 29th of June, 1889. His wife,
who was born in Vermont, June 11, 1811, passed away in
Monroe county, Ohio, Apr. 28, 1880. Their family
numbered eleven children, eight of whom still survive.
In 1860 Iva W. Thornberg gave her hand in
marriage to Stephen Hufman, whose birth occurred in
Monroe county, Ohio, in 1831. He was a blacksmith and
carriage maker by trade and was successfully engaged in
those lines of activity until the time of his demise, which
occurred Feb. 8, 1882. In politics he was a stalwart
democrat and took an active interest in public affairs but
did not seek office as a reward for his party fealty.
Unto Stephen and Iva W. (Thornberg) Hufman were born
four children, namely: Emma and William, both
of whom are deceased; Alice C., born in 1861, who is
the wife of W. B. Vance, of Utica; and John H.,
who was born in 1863 and who is now engaged in the barbering
business at Newark.
In 1890 Mrs. Hufman was again married, her
second union being with Felix C. Harris, a native of
Licking county, Ohio, his natal day being Feb. 8, 1828.
Throughout his active business career he was connected with
agricultural pursuits and at one time owned fifteen hundred
acres of land in Licking county, being widely recognized as
a most prosperous and influential citizen. At the time
of his death, which occurred Oct. 12, 1902, he was the owner
of two valuable farming properties, well stocked with
cattle, which are now being operated by his widow. His
political allegiance was given to the democracy and for six
years he capably served as county commissioner. His
fraternal relations were with the Masons at Utica and he was
a man who was highly esteemed and respected by all with whom
he was associated. Throughout his entire life,
covering seventy-four years, he was a resident of this
county and was numbered among its most successful and worthy
native sons. In the capable supervision of her
deceased husband's business interests Mrs. Harris has
shown herself to be a woman of superior executive ability,
while her many excellent traits of heart and mind have won
her an extensive circle of warm friends.
Source: Centennial History of City of Newark and Licking County,
Ohio by E. M. P. Brister - Vol. II - Publ. Chicago - Columbus: by
The S. J. Clarke Publishing Co., 1909 - Page 563 |
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JACOB O. HARRIS,
who since 1897 has capably served in the position of
postmaster at Utica, was born in Burlington township,
Licking county, Apr. 15, 1846, his parents being Elza P.
and Sarah A. (Hanger) Harris, the former a native of
Virginia and the latter of Knox county, Ohio. Mr.
Harris traces his ancestry back to an old Virginia
family.
About thirty miles from Winchester, Virginia, near the
head of Lost River, stands the town of Woodstock, which
became famous during the late war for the defeat of Early,
by Sheridan's Cavalry, and known thereafter as "The
Woodstock Races." Here on the 14th of January, 1776,
was born William Harris, and on the 10th of May
following was born Hannah Pugh. On the 23d of
June, 1803, these young people were united in marriage.
here were born three children, Esther in 1804,
Jesse in 1806 and Elza in 1808, Esther
dying at the age of one and one-half years, Elza
dying in October, 1862, while the date of Jesse's
death is unknown. In 1809 this brave young mother,
after shedding bitter tears over the mound which covered the
first born little daughter, with her spinning wheel and what
provisions she could pack, mounted her horse, carrying one
child, while the father cared for the other, and the cooking
utensils, started out to carve a new home for themselves in
the wilderness. They traveled for over three hundred
miles through the almost unbroken forest, resolutely
following the "Star of Empire" until they arrived at what
was known thereafter as the Harris homestead, in
January, 1810, having endured hardships of which we can have
no conception. Here were born Alfred in June,
1810, who died at the age of fifteen; William Harvey,
born Jan. 12, 1813, died Dec. 5, 1904, aged ninety-one years
and ten months; Amos, next, in 1815, then Daniel
in 1818, who has been dead some thirty years, and Mary A.,
born 1821, who lived but three years. The aged mother,
born before the Declaration of Independence, lived almost
long enough to hear the joy bells ring out for the nation's
hundredth birthday. With the death of Amos Harris
April 25, 1907, at Croton, Licking county, the last link is
broken which united two generations covering a space of one
hundred and thirty-one years. They lived their lives,
they lived them well and have earned their meed of rest.
Elza P. Harris accompanied his parents on their
removal to Licking county, Ohio, in 1810 and purchased the
farm on which the birth of his son, Jacob O.,
occurred. He was successfully engaged in general
agricultural pursuits throughout his active business career
and his demise occurred in 1862, while his wife survived him
for a number of years, being called to her final rest in
1884. Unto this worthy couple were born nine children,
namely: one who died in infancy; Jacob O., of this
review; E. M., a resident of Utica; A. J., who
is deceased; Mary E., also living in Utica;
Harriet E., the wife of J. B. Haden, of Mount
Gilead, Ohio; Rebecca, the wife of Joseph Martin,
deceased; and two who passed away in infancy.
Jacob O. Harris acquired a common-school
education and remained under the parental roof until he had
attained his majority. Subsequently he farmed a
portion of the homestead on shares for about fifteen years
and on the expiration of that period took up his abode in
Utica, where he has since resided. On his arrival in
the town he took up the trade of carpentering, with which he
was connected until 1897, in which year he received the
appointment of postmaster under President McKinley
and has held the position to the present time, ever
discharging his duties in a prompt and efficient manner.
He is a stockholder in the Licking Window Glass Factory and
is likewise the owner of some fine residences in Utica.
Public-spirited, progressive and enterprising, he is well
known and highly esteemed as a representative and
substantial citizen of his native county.
A stanch republican, Mr. Harris has taken an
active and helpful interest in local work of the party, his
fellow-townsmen calling him to various positions of trust
and responsibility. He has served for three years as
constable, was on the city board for two years and in 1890
acted as census enumerator of Washington township. His
religious faith is indicated by his membership in the
Christian church. The name of Harris has now
figured prominently in the annals of this county for almost
a century and he whose name introduces this review is a
worthy scion of his race, having ever borne an unassailable
reputation for loyal citizenship, as well as unquestioned
integrity and honor.
Source: Centennial History of City of Newark and Licking County,
Ohio by E. M. P. Brister - Vol. II - Publ. Chicago - Columbus: by
The S. J. Clarke Publishing Co., 1909 - Page 572 |
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NOAH E. HARRIS.
Among the energetic and respected farmers of Liberty
township, Licking county, who have made a specialty of
stock-raising, perhaps none is better known than Noah E.
Harris, who has attained a wide reputation throughout
this and adjoining states as a breeder of thoroughbred
Poland hogs. He made the breeding of this class of
animals a salient feature when he first started in business
and he is now a recognized authority. He was a son of
Andrew J. and Mary A. (Oldacre) Harris, his parents
having been natives of Mary Ann township. His father
departed this life in May of the year 1905 and his mother on
Feb. 9, of the same year, both having passed away in Liberty
township. The former was among the early settlers in
this part of the state and it fell to him as one among many
to clear off the land and put it into a fit state for
cultivation. He lived here all his days, actively
engaged in agricultural pursuits, and always sustained a
worthy reputation for industry, enterprise and nobility of
character.
On his father's farm Noah E. Harris was reared
and in his boyhood days pursued the general routine of
agricultural life and acquired his education in the district
schools during the few months of the winter season.
His educational advantages were few but, although he did not
have a greater worth and which have stood him well in the
battle of life and enabled him to fight off discouragements
and from year to year draw forth from the soil its harvests
and finally attain to his present prosperous condition.
Having completed his studies he remained on the home farm
for thirty years, during which time he acquired a thorough
knowledge of the various departments of the work, and in the
year 1885 purchased the farm on which he is now located and
on which he has since engaged in the production of general
crops and stock-raising, giving special attention to
breeding the highest grade of registered thoroughbred Poland
hogs.
On Oct. 11, 1882, Mr. Harris wedded Miss
Carrie E. Snyder, a daughter of Joseph and Rebecca (Philbrook)
Snyder, and to this union were born Essie M., who
became the wife of John V. Simmons; and Hazel E.,
who lives with her parents. Mr. Harris is among
the intelligent, practical and enterprising citizens of the
community and has always manifested such characteristics as
to win him the friendship of his neighbors and to cause him
to be numbered among the county's representative men.
Source: Centennial History of City of Newark and Licking County,
Ohio by E. M. P. Brister - Vol. II - Publ. Chicago - Columbus: by
The S. J. Clarke Publishing Co., 1909 - Page 571 |
A. C. HATCH |
ARTHUR CLARENCE HATCH
Source: Centennial History of City of Newark and Licking County,
Ohio by E. M. P. Brister -
Vol. II - Publ. Chicago - Columbus: by The S. J. Clarke Publishing
Co., 1909
– Page 14 |
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JOHN B. HODGES
|
JOHN B. HODGES
Source: Centennial History of City of Newark and Licking County,
Ohio by E. M. P. Brister -
Vol. II - Publ. Chicago - Columbus: by The S. J. Clarke Publishing
Co., 1909
– Page 681 |
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WILLIAM HOLLER,
who for many years has been identified with the agricultural
interests of Newark township and who descends from an old
Virginia family, the members of which followed farming in
that state and came here at an early date, was born in
Madison township, Oct. 3, 1838, and, with the exception of
few years, has spent his entire life here. His
grandfathers spent their lives on farms in the vicinity of
Newark. The paternal grandparents, Henry and
Katharine (Helsley) Holler, were natives of Virginia and
among their children was Henry Holler. Jr.,
the father of our subject, whose birth occurred in the
Shenandoah valley of Virginia. When four years of age
he accompanied his parents on their removal to Licking
county and on attaining man's estate he wedded Miss
Katharine Showman, a native of Maryland, who likewise
came to this county with her parents at an early clay.
Her birth occurred on the farm on which the battle of
Antietam took place and which was owned by her father,
Jacob Showman. Her mother died of cholera
in 1834. Henry Holler, Jr.,
departed this life in Newark in 1886, when he had attained
the age of seventy-nine years, while his wife was called to
her final Test at the age of sixty-seven years.
William Holler was one of eleven
children, three of whom survive, one child, Hiram,
having lost his life while serving with the First Iowa
Cavalry during the Civil war. After acquiring his
education in the district schools of his native township,
Mr. Holler remained on the old home farm for a
time and in 1854 removed with his parents to Newark
township. On the 18th of August, 1862, he enlisted in
Company F, Ninety-fifth Ohio Volunteer Infantry, with
Captain David Thomas, and participated in all of the
engagements of his regiment, including Richmond, Kentucky;
Jackson, Mississippi; the siege of Vicksburg; Tupelo,
Mississippi; Spanish Fort, Alabama; and Nashville,
Tennessee. In Richmond, Kentucky, he was taken
prisoner, but was not detained long before being exchanged.
Upon receiving his honorable discharge on Aug. 14, 1865,
after he had served throughout the entire war, he returned
home and resumed the pursuit of agriculture, which he has
since followed without intermission. His farm consists
of one hundred and sixty acres of excellent land and is
provided with barns, outbuildings and machinery, with all
conveniences required to carry on its cultivation by modern
methods, and in addition to producing general grain crops he
has given considerable attention to raising stock. His
residence, which is three miles north of the courthouse on
the Mount Vernon road, is an elegant brick building, which
was constructed in 1836 by General Thomas
Wilson, who was commanding officer of the state militia,
and in which he resided for a number of years. The
grave of John Sparks, who was a guide and
scout for the Lewis and Clark expedition, is on
Mr. Roller's farm, marked by a thin sandstone slab and
is looked upon by the citizens of the community as an old
landmark.
On Feb. 15, 1866, Mr. Holler wedded
Mary Channell, who was born near Utica, this
county, on Mar. 8, 1842, and departed this life on Dec. 4,
1904, after having passed all her days in Licking county.
She was a daughter of Aaron Channell, who was
captain of Company E, Twelfth Ohio Volunteer Infantry,
during the Civil war and served from the year 1861 until
1864 and in June, of the latter year, lost his life in the
battle of Cloyd Mountain, Virginia, of which state he was a
native. Mr. Channell was among the early
settlers of Licking county, to which he came with his
parents when a lad. His father was a soldier in
the war of 1812, and his grandfather in the colonial army.
Mr. and Mrs. Holler have two sons: Edward,
a farmer of Utica, this county; and William, of
Newark. In politics Mr. Holler has always
given his support to the republican party because, after
studiously deliberating upon the value of its principles, he
long ago became convinced that they contained the secret of
our nation's financial worth and are best suited to produce
permanent prosperity. His religions convictions
become apparent upon knowing that he is a member of the
Methodist Episcopal church of Newark, with which he has been
affiliated for many years and of which he has always been a
liberal supporter. He is a comrade of Newark Lemert
Post, No. 71, G. A. R. Mr. Holler is a man who
is widely known throughout the county for his honesty and
straightforwardness, and, as well, for his upright life, and
stands in high respect among the citizens of the township.
Source: Centennial History of City of Newark and Licking County,
Ohio by E. M. P. Brister -
Vol. II - Publ. Chicago - Columbus: by The S. J. Clarke Publishing
Co., 1909
– Page 419 |
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WILLIAM E. HOLMES, M. D.
Dr. William E. Holmes, who has been engaged in the
general practice of medicine in Brownsville for many years
and who is recognized by the members of the medical
fraternity as a man of deep learning and a physician of
sound judgment, was born in Brownsville, Oct. 13, 1855, a
son of William T. and Sarah E. (Shuey) Holmes.
The father was born in Farquhar county, Virginia, Feb. 22,
1820, and at an early date came to this county, where he
remained for a short time and then settled in Muskingum
county. For many years he engaged in contracting and
building, which business he followed for some time and then
traded in general merchandise, later becoming employed as
agent for the Singer Manufacturing Company. In the
year 1855 he removed to Brownsville, where he departed this
life June 16, 1895, and was interred in the cemetery at this
place. In politics he was a stanch democrat and always
gave his political support to that party. He was a man
of acknowledged integrity, fair and just in all of his
business transactions, a consistent Christian and a faithful
member of the Methodist Episcopal church. his wife was
born in Baltimore, Maryland, Oct. 16, 1825, and with her
people removed to Muskingum county, where she was united in
marriage. She died Feb. 24, 1907, in Bowling Green
township, and was laid to rest in Brownsville cemetery.
They were the parents of eight children, namely: Almeda,
who married Thomas T. Peyton, of Terre Haute,
Indiana, where he is the proprietor of a large hotel;
Sarah E., widow of Adam R. Brown, who passed away
in Newark; Mary T., who departed this life in 1878;
Lemuel W., who is in the mercantile business here;
Lucy A., widow of the late Dr. H. Decrow and a
resident of Newark, Ohio; Maggie, wife of John W.
Green, a merchant of Columbus, Ohio; Nathaniel,
who is connected with the White Sewing Machine Company, of
Columbus; and Dr. W. E. Holmes. The Holmes
family originally came from England and the grandfather,
Nathaniel Holmes, served throughout the Mexican war.
In the common schools of Brownsville, Dr. Holmes
acquired his preliminary education and later pursued a
course of study in a preparatory institution at Lebanon,
Ohio. Upon graduating he taught school for a period of
ten years, three of which he spent in Brownsville, two at
Normal, Illinois, and five in the schools of Bowling Green
township. He then commenced the study of medicine
under the preceptorship of J. B. Humphry, of this
place and subsequently entered the medical department of the
Ohio State College, in Cincinnati, from which he was
graduated in the year 1884. He immediately began the
practice of his profession in his native town, in which he
has since remained. He is a man of wide learning,
being versed in all branches of materia medica and surgery
and, enjoying an enviable reputation among the members of
the fraternity for his scholarship, is appealed to as an
authority on many subjects pertaining to the practice.
He is a deep and investigating student who takes pride in
his profession and has kept abreast of the times in the
findings of science and is acknowledged to be one of the
most skillful and proficient physicians in the county.
Dr. Holmes is one of the most faithful and
enterprising men engaged in his profession and during the
twenty-four years he has been practicing medicine in this
place he has never laid aside his duties for even a day for
the purpose of enjoying an outing. He is a man who is
inspired with the noble purpose of helping mankind and it is
his greatest joy to be continually active in relieving human
suffering and in aiding his fellowmen to regain and preserve
health. His long years of service have not only won
him the respect of the entire community but have also
enabled him to place himself in comfortable circumstances.
He owns three elegant residences in this place and in
addition one hundred and forty-four acres of fine farm land
in Bowling Green township. He is a member of the
Masonic lodge, of Brownsville, Ohio, in which he has passed
through all of the chairs and is now treasurer. In
politics he gives his support to the democratic party and
for a period of four years served the township in the office
of treasurer. The doctor is a member of the
Presbyterian church. In all the various phases of life
he measures up to the full standard of manhood, enjoying the
trust and confidence of the general public and the good will
of his brethren of the medical fraternity by reason of his
close conformity to a high standard of professional ethics.
Source: Centennial History of City of Newark and Licking County,
Ohio by E. M. P. Brister -
Vol. II - Publ. Chicago - Columbus: by The S. J. Clarke Publishing
Co., 1909
– Page 753 |
Eli Hull |
ELI HULL.
No history of Licking county would be considered complete
were there failure to make extended mention of Eli Hull,
who has now passed the eightieth milestone on life's
journey, but is yet an active factor in the world's work in
various lines of activity. All through his life he has
been a most progressive man, hesitating not to take a
forward step when his judgment has indicated that it would
be a wise one. He has been the pioneer in many works
of substantial improvement and progress here and has done
much toward shaping the policy and molding the destiny of
the county, especially a long lines of its business
development. He was born in Hopewell township, Licking
county, Dec. 16, 1828, his parents being Samuel
Benton and Elizabeth (Sain) Hull, natives of
Virginia and Baltimore, Maryland, respectively. The
Hull family in America is descended from three
brothers of the family who came to the United States while
this country was still numbered among the colonial
possessions of Great Britain. They settled in New
England and two of the brothers remained in that part of the
country, while the third member made his way later to
Virginia, and it is from him that this branch of the family
descended. The city of Hull, England, was founded by
the ancestors of our subject. In the year 1807
Elizabeth Sain, then a young lady, left Maryland
with her father, mother and the other members of the family
for the frontier country of Ohio. They had heard
reports of a very rich district in this state - a location
four miles cast of Thornville, in what is now Perry county.
Already quite a settlement had been established there and
block houses had been built to guard the settlers against
Indian attack. When Mr. and Mrs. Sain left
their Maryland home with their family, the latter rode one
horse and her daughter, afterward Mrs. Hull rode
another, the two women carrying the smaller children on the
horses with them. The father and the older sons walked
the entire distance, crossing the Alleghany mountains, to
their new home in Ohio. The journey of six hundred and
fifty miles was made by following a blazed trail, for at
that time there were no wagon roads through the virgin
forests. In 1808 Samuel Benton Hull,
also hearing of this rich country, turned his face westward
and joined the Ohio settlement. Here he formed the
acquaintance of Elizabeth Sain and in 1810
they were united in marriage, beginning their domestic life
upon the frontier amid pioneer environments. They had
no money with which to buy supplies and indeed there was
little coin or currency in the entire district, everything
being barter and exchange. A trading post at
Zanesville furnished the supplies for the community and the
merchants took in exchange cattle, hogs, wheat or whatever
the purchaser had to offer. Prices for farm products
were low, but all merchandise sold at a high rate, calico
being worth fifty cents a yard, while wheat was quoted at
but twenty-five cents per bushel. The first dress
which Mr. Hull ever purchased for his young
wife was secured at Zanesville at the rate of two bushels of
wheat for one yard of calico. The first money of
consequence which he received was obtained with the
gathering and ale of ginseng, which then grew in abundance
here. Later the settlers cultivated and raised
tobacco, which was then dried in a kiln and transported by
wagon to Baltimore, whence it was exported to Germany and
there used in coloring fine silks. All live stock had
to be driven across the country to Baltimore, Maryland until
the completion of the Ohio canal, when much of it was
shipped by water, this being regarded as a quicker and safer
means of transportation.
In the year 1814 Samuel B. Hull removed with his
family to Licking county and continued to make it his home
until within three years of his death, when he became a
resident of Columbus, Ohio, where he passed away in 1880 at
the advanced age of eighty-two years. He had long
survived his wife, who died in 1856 at the age of sixty
years. In early life he was a democrat and cast his
first vote for Andrew Jackson and again voted
for him at the time of his second election.
Subsequently he became a stalwart whig and later a
freesoiler, while on the organization of the republican
party to prevent the further extension of slavery, he joined
its ranks and continued one of its advocates until his
demise. He was a man of much intelligent ability and
took an active and helpful part in promoting educational
interests. He believed in employing competent teachers
and maintaining good schools and labored earnestly for that
purpose even in pioneer times. He was a man of much
influence in his locality and his opinions carried weight
among his fellow citizens. He always labored for
progress and advancement and stood for improvement ahead of
many men of his day.
Eli Hull was reared at home amid frontier
surroundings, pursuing his education in a log schoolhouse,
such as was typical of the time. He studied his
lessons while seated on slab benches in a little room in
which light was admitted through greased paper windows.
There was an immense fireplace in one end of the room and
the methods of instruction were quite primitive. There
were no text-books, the younger scholars using a sheet of
paper on which was printed the alphabet and this was pasted
on a small paddle. Because of his own lack of
education, the father desired that his children. should have
good opportunities in that direction and taught them
reading, writing and the four rules of arithmetic, and all
through his life Eli Hull has remained a student,
learning in the school of experience and gaining many points
of practical knowledge as the years have gone on. At
fifteen years of age he was proficient enough to teach a
country school and followed the profession for four months
at fifteen dollars per month, boarding with his father.
The following winter he went to Delaware, Ohio, where he
attended the Ohio Wesleyan University for six months.
He boarded himself, paid his tuition, bought his books, met
all other expenses during that period out of sixty dollars
that he had received for his four months' teaching.
The following winter he received sixteen dollars per month
for a four months' term of school and again he entered the
Ohio Wesleyan University, where he remained for another
term. He continued teaching during the greater part of
the time for eight years, but believing that there was more
money to be made in other fields of business, he turned his
attention to farming and also took up the manufacture of
stoneware. In 1853 he removed to Newark and engaged in
the real-estate business, with which he has been prominently
identified for the past fifty-five years. He platted
and laid out fifty-two acres on West Main street in 1890 and
has handled much valuable property and negotiated many
important realty transfers. In the meantime he had
also extended his efforts to other fields of labor. In
1856 he developed the industry or extracting oil from cannel
coal ruined by him on his property on Flint ridge in this
county. He was the first man in the world to
extract oil from coal and was in a fair way to make a
fortune when the great Pennsylvania oil fields were
discovered. In 1887 he began mining bituminous coal at
Shawnee in the Hocking district and he was the first man in
the world to develop his mine, take out coal and haul it
from the mines by the aid of electricity. He bas
recently erected one of the finest business blocks in Newark
- a building containing six stores and erected entirely of
reinforced concrete. This is the first structure of
the kind in Newark. All these things will show that
Mr. Hull bas ever been in the van of progress,
being a leader in many movements wherein others have
followed. His financial success is justly merited for
it has come to him as a reward of earnest, persistent labor
and his utilization of opportunities that others have passed
by heedlessly.
In 1819 Mr. Hull was united in marriage to
Miss Jemima Neal, a daughter of Captain
John and Mary Neal, of Perry county,
Ohio. They have three children: Fannie M., the
wife of Louis F. Carl, of Newark; Laura M.,
the wife of W. W. Wehrle, also of Newark; and
Joshua M., at home.
In his political views Mr. Hull has long been a
stalwart republican, and prior to the organization of the
party, which he aided in founding, he was one of the
original abolitionists, opposing the cause of slavery at a
time when it was very unpopular, if not hazardous, to do so.
He has long been a consistent and faithful member of the
Methodist Episcopal church and his life record well entitles
him to the high regard and good will of all who have known
him through a busy, active and useful life, covering more
than eight decades.
Source: Centennial History of City of Newark and Licking County,
Ohio by E. M. P. Brister -
Vol. II - Publ. Chicago - Columbus: by The S. J. Clarke Publishing
Co., 1909
– Page 574 |
|
SAM'L. M. HUNTER |
ROBBINS HUNTER
Source: Centennial History of City of Newark and Licking County,
Ohio by E. M. P. Brister -
Vol. II - Publ. Chicago - Columbus: by The S. J. Clarke Publishing
Co., 1909
– Page 46 |
NOTES: |
