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BIOGRAPHIES
Source:
History of Madison County, Ohio
Its People, Industries and Institutions
Chester E. Bryan, Supervising Editor
With Biographical Sketches of Representative Citizens and
Genealogical Records of Many of the Old Families
- ILLUSTRATED -
Published by B. F. Bowden & Company, Inc.
Indianapolis, Indiana
1915
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1915 BIOGRAPHICAL INDEX >
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EDWIN PITZER
FISHER. Edwin
Pitzer Fisher, superintendent of the London Water Works
Company, was born near Sedalia, Range township, Madison
county, Ohio, Apr. 29, 1858. He is the son of Rev.
W. H. R. and M. J. (Minshall) Fisher, the former of whom
was of German descent, but who was born in Madison county.
The Rev. W. H. R. Fisher was the son of Isaac
B. and Elizabeth (Jefferson) Fisher. Isaac B. Fisher
was born in Virginia, and his wife was a native of New
Jersey. Their home place was located near Sedalia.
Mr. Fisher died in 1864, from the effects of a
sunstroke. His wife died in London at the age of
eighty-four years. Only two members of their
family are living in 1815, Mrs. Elizabeth Minshall,
the widow of Wyatt Minshall, of London, and Isaac
Newton how resides in Toledo, Ohio.
M. J. Minshall, the wife of Rev. W. H. R.
Fisher, was the daughter of Walter W. Minshall
and was born in Paint township, Madison county, Ohio.
Rev. W. H. R. Fisher died in 1870, at the age of
thirty-four years. He served as pastor of the churches
of the Swan circuit, Vinton county, and the Berlin Cross
Roads circuit, Jackson county, Ohio. His widow, in
1872, removed to London, making this city her home until a
few years ago. She now resides in Kansas City, Kansas.
To the Rev. W. H. R. Fisher and M. J. Fisher
were born five children, of whom Edwin Pitzer
was the eldest. Ada Luella died at the
age of eleven years. Elizabeth M. is the wife
of Rev. William N. Brewster, superintendent of the
Hing Hua district, Foo Chow conference. Of the
Methodist Episcopal church, China, Mrs. Brewster
has super vision of the mission schools of the same
district. Carrie Annette was a graduate of the London
high school, and taught for several years previous to her
death, in 1886. William B. M., the youngest of
the children, is a merchant in Kansas City, Kansas. He
left London when a young man.
Edwin Pitzer Fisher, the subject of this sketch,
came to London at the age of fourteen years. He
attended the schools during the winter terms for three
years, entering the grocery of S. H. Cartzdafner, in
1875.
In 1881 Edwin Pitzer Fisher was married to
Martha Virginia, daughter of Adam and Sarah Kidwiler,
of Harper's Ferry, Virginia. Of this union two
children were born, who died in infancy. Martha
Virginia (Kidwiler) Fisher died in
1885.
In 1884 Mr. Fisher entered the employ of
Thomas Gosslee, grocer, where he remained until he
engaged in business for himself.
In 1891 Mr. Fisher was married to Mattie R.
Frames, of London, Ohio. Mr. and Mrs. Fisher
have two children, Willis R. and Dorothy A.,
both students of Ohio Wesleyan University, at Delaware,
Ohio.
In July, 1899, Louis E. Miller, receiver of the
London Water Works Company, appointed Mr. Fisher
superintendent. In April, 1905, eh was appointed
superintendent and manager of the Washington Water Company,
Washington C. H., Ohio - both companies being under the same
control. Mr. Fisher, at this writing, still
continues to hold both positions.
Mr. Fisher has served as a member of the village
council, member of clerk of the board of education, and was
clerk of Union township for ten years. He was one of
the organizers of the county work of the Young Men's
Christian Association, and the first chairman of the county
committee. He is a Mason, and a Knights Templar, and
has passed the chairs in the blue lodge, chapter and
council. He is a member of the Methodist church, the
Twentieth Century Men's Bible class, and stands for all the
forces which make for the betterment of the community in
which he lives and which are essential to the peace and
contentment of its people.
Source: History of Madison County,
Ohio - Illustrated - Published by B. F. Bowden & Company,
Inc., Indianapolis, Indiana - 1915 - Page 513 |
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GEORGE M. FISHER.
What can be accomplished with the proper business acumen has
been demonstrated by George M. Fisher, of Mt.
Sterling, Madison county, Ohio, who, after five years of
diligent effort as a clerk in the general merchandise store
of Dury & Crabbe, launched his individual
business craft and began sailing the commercial seas alone.
He was born on Sept. 14, 1861, in Pickaway county, Ohio.
Reared on his father's farm, he gained what education was
available in the district Schools and then became a farm
hand for his grandfather, whose land adjoined their own.
Realizing that worthy character is fashioned from the
material at hand, George M. Fisher continued as an
employee of his grandfather until he reached the age of
twenty-five years, he then removed to Mt. Sterling, where he
started on his own business career. He is the son of
William and Sarah (Mouser) Fisher, to whom eight
children were born, five of whom are now living. William
Fisher was born on Feb. 29, 1836, and after a long
life of diligent effort as a farmer, in Pickaway county,
Ohio, he retired from active efforts in the agricultural
line in 1911, and died on Aug. 6, 1915. His wife,
Sarah, was born on May 25, 1835, in Fayette county,
Ohio, and died on Feb. 26, 1886. Both husband and wife
were devout in the faith of the Methodist church.
George M. Fisher quickly developed the
opportunities afforded him in the capacity of clerk, and at
the expiration of five years as an apprentice in the
business world, bought a stock of groceries and for fifteen
years was a successful merchant, meriting the respect and
esteem of all who knew him. So great a following did
he have that others realized the advantage to be gained by
such an established trade, and Mr. Fisher sold
the business, which had taken him so many years to build, to
Fisher Brothers, his cousins.
Thoroughly familiar with the surrounding country where
he had spent forty-five years of his life, George M.
Fisher decided to broaden his commercial interests in
such a way that he might benefit from the large acquaintance
he had made, and proved that his judgment was sound by
entering the realty business, in which he is still engaged.
In connection with his other interests he writes insurance;
and that others may profit by what he has gained, during the
many years of his earnest endeavor, he has gathered a great
deal of data relative to the public library and the
Methodist church history of Mt. Sterling, Ohio. He was
appointed clerk of the board of public affairs.
In 1892, Katy F. Larey, who was born on Nov. 29,
1864, in Pickaway county, Ohio, became the wife of George
M. Fisher. She is the daughter of James and
Elizabeth (Troutman) Larey, both natives of Pickaway
county, Ohio. Three weeks after the birth of Katy
F. Larey, the mother, Elizabeth Larey,
passed away. The father still lives and makes his home
with the daughter who was deprived, at so early san age, of
a mother's tender care. No children have come to bless
the lives of George M. Fisher and his wife.
Among the many loyal supporters of the Methodist
church, the name of George M. Fisher stands as a
synonym for esteem and nobility of aim, and in the Knights
of Pythias lodge he is recognized as a worthy brother, loyal
to the precepts of the order.
Source: History of Madison County, Ohio - Illustrated -
Published by B. F. Bowden & Company, Inc., Indianapolis,
Indiana - 1915 - Page 835 |
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ZEBULON D.
FISHER. People of all climes are filled with
admiration for the man or woman who has ambition and the
perseverance to accomplish things worth while in life, and
it matters not whether they were of lowly birth or whether
today they are of differing social classes, they are honored
for their achievements regardless of nationality or creed.
To Zebulon D. Fisher, of Mt. Sterling, Madison
County, Ohio, falls the approbation and praise for having
earned the respect and esteem of his fellow men.
Zebulon D. Fisher was born on Nov. 13, 1873, in Pickaway
county, Ohio, and received his education in the district
schools of Pickaway county. After leaving school in
1896, he served as a teacher in the schools of Monroe
township, Pickaway county, Ohio. He followed this
vocation for seventeen years, and in connection with his
work took up the study of law, with attorney Irvin F.
Snyder, of Chillicothe, Ohio.
Difficult as is the teaching of school, demanding as it
does much time outside of school hours, Mr. Fisher
succeeded in his study of the law and in 1897 he was
admitted to the bar, beginning his practice in 1910, at Mt.
Sterling, Madison county, Ohio, where he is also interested
in the grocery business.
In 1908 Zebulon D. Fisher was married to
Laura M. Brown, who was born on Dec. 25, 1880, in
Fairmount, Indiana. Laura M. Brown is the
daughter of Alexander and Mary A. (Jones) Brown, both
natives of Cincinnati, Ohio. Alexander Brown was
reared in Pike county, Ohio, and was a soldier in the Civil
War.
Zebulon D. Fisher is the son of Isaac N. and
Hulda (Hanawalt) Fisher, who were the parents of seven
children, of whom two only are now living. Isaac N.
Fisher was born in 1842, in Pickaway county, and engaged
in farming until his death in 1878. His wife, Hulda,
was born in Union county, Ohio, and passed away in 1911,
leaving two sons, Estal E., a merchant of Mt.
Sterling; and Zebulon D., attorney and merchant, the
only survivors of her immediate family.
In Pickaway county, where he now lives, Mr. Fisher
owns seventy-two acres of land. He is the father of
two daughters and two sons, namely: Laura E., Zebulon E.,
Paul R. and Mary A., all of whom are at home.
Mr. Fisher is a member of the Independent Order of
Odd Fellows. He is a Republican in politics and a
member of the Methodist church.
Source: History of Madison County, Ohio
- Illustrated -
Published by B. F. Bowden & Company, Inc.,
Indianapolis, Indiana - 1915 - Page 844 |
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THE
BRYAN FLYNN FAMILY.
It is seldom that woman, entering the economic field, has
the same opportunity to concentrate her thought and time
upon the task in hand that man has, because of the household
duties she is also forced to assume. It gives the
publishers of this work especial pleasure to discover and
record lives which have not only been successful in the
outer field of action, but which, in heroic
self-renunciation, have ministered to the needs of dependent
ones. The Misses Ella and Julia
Flynn, who successfully supervise a
farm in Pleasant township are striking examples of this
fact.
Miss Ella Flynn was born in October, 1861, in
Pickaway county, Ohio, the daughter of Bryan and Margaret
(Sullivan) Flynn. As the fourth child of a family
of nine, she was not unused to some of the deprivations
incident to those living in rural communities in the
generation preceding our own. There were many to be
sheltered under the parental roof, many little mouths to be
fed, and to accomplish this the parents, as well as the
children as they grew to maturity, were compelled to be hard
working and self-sacrificing.
Bryan Flynn was born about 1830, in
Ireland, leaving there at the age of twenty-four and
migrating to America. For one year he lived near the
border line of Pennsylvania and New Jersey. His
marriage occurred in New York City, after which he brought
his bride to Madison county, Ohio, and for the remainder of
his life engaged in farming. After years of industry
and economy he purchased ninety-six acres of land in
Pleasant township, Madison county, moving to this place from
Oak Run township, and on this place he made many extensive
improvements. Mr. Flynn did not limit
his activities to agricultural pursuits, but took an active
interest in the common good. For instance, it was not
merely a business consideration which led him to encourage
the protective measures necessary along certain rivers, and
because of his efficiency and honesty he was chosen to build
the first levee on Deer creek, near the old Stephen
Anderson farm, in the fall of 1880. The
“good roads” movement had an early advocate in him, for he
spent both time and money in the interest of improving local
highways. He was very fond of purebred horses and made
a study of them. He was considered one of the most
industrious men of his locality.
Margaret (Sullivan) Flynn was an equally noble
character, and an able assistant in all of her husband's
interests. Born in County Cork, Ireland, in 1833, she
came to this country on the same sailing vessel on which her
husband traveled, taking eight weeks to complete the voyage.
She was a devoted wife and mother. and passed away in 1913.
Both she and her husband were devout members of the Catholic
church. To them were born nine children. namely:
William, of London, Ohio; Daniel, a farmer of
Franklin county, Ohio; Sr. Mary Bernard, a Sister of
Charity at Detroit, Michigan; Elia, who remains on
the home farm; Margaret. deceased; Mary, of
Columbus, Ohio; Bernard. who died in infancy; John,
a farmer, and Julia, who also lives on the home farm.
Not only did Mr. and Mrs. Flynn rear and educate
their own children, but they took other children under the
shelter of their roof and care. Bryan Flynn
died on Oct. 23, 1899.
Misses Ella and Julia Flynn have been
eminently successful in the cultivation of the home farm, on
which they are now living in their ‘beautiful home, which is
equipped with all modern conveniences and improvements.
They have spent all of their lives on the farm, where they
have grown up from childhood, having attended the Pleasant
township school. Their sister, Mary, now residing in
Columbus, Ohio, has been an efficient assistant in helping
to care for the aged parents and making the home
comfortable. While the home place is not large,
consisting of only ninety six acres, it is exceptionally
well cared for, its condition doing credit to the brains and
hands of the women who manage it.
The Misses Flynn have never married
because of the filial duties which they deemed they owed
their parents. Because of the illness and, later, the
advanced age of the parents, it was evident to these noble
women that they must be provided with a home, and to this
task they devoted all of their strength and thought.
But even these duties did not consume all of their love and
sympathy, for they became the loving guardians of their
little nephew, Joseph, born on Sept. 1, 1899, who was
the son of their brother, Daniel, taking him into
their home after his mother’s death. The little
fellow, however, died on Nov. 2, 1908, at the age of nine,
and at about the same time the wife of John, another
brother, also died, leaving-a little boy ten days old.
The Misses Flynn took this boy to bring up,
and he is now a student in the high school at London.
This boy, Bernard, was born on July 24, 1900, at
Kiousville, Fairfield township.
The Misses Flynn have lived too busy
lives to give much time to organizations, but they are
devout church members, and valued members of the Sodality of
the Immaculate Conception.
It is impossible for such a chronicle as the above to
be more than a bare outline of the lives it describes.
The picture must be done in big, bold strokes, portraying
merely the facts known to the world. The details - all
the "Little unseen, unnumbered acts of kindness and of love"
- must go unnoticed except by the recording angel.
These women may justly be called noble who, in
self-forgetfulness, have made life happier and richer and
sweeter for those whose health and happiness depended
largely on them. For years they devoted themselves to
the care of their parents thus relinquishing much that might
have contributed to their own personal happiness. In
order to care for those who needed them, they voluntarily
assumed burdens, which, through the alchemy of love, have
been converted into blesings.
Source: History of Madison County, Ohio -
Illustrated - Published by B. F. Bowden & Company, Inc.,
Indianapolis, Indiana - 1915 - Page 869 |
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ELLA FLYNN - See
THE BRYAN
FAMILY
Source: History of Madison County, Ohio -
Illustrated - Published by B. F. Bowden & Company, Inc.,
Indianapolis, Indiana - 1915 - Page 869 |
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JULIA FLYNN - See
THE BRYAN
FAMILY
Source: History of Madison County, Ohio -
Illustrated - Published by B. F. Bowden & Company, Inc.,
Indianapolis, Indiana - 1915 - Page 869 |
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KEMPER L. FOSTER.
Kemper Lee Foster, an industrious farmer of Oak Run
township, Madison County, Ohio, was born in Oak Run
township, Apr. 10, 1867. He is the son of Daniel B.
and Margaret (Johnston) Foster, the former of whom was
born in Ross county, Ohio, Mar. 7, 1828.
Daniel B. Foster was the son of John Foster,
Jr., who was born in Ross county, Ohio, Mar. 4, 1802.
After spending his boyhood in Ross county, he removed to
Madison county in 1833, and located on land a part of which
is now owned by his grandson, Kemper Lee, the subject
of this sketch. John Foster, Jr. was an early
settler in Oak Run township, a member of the Whig party, but
subsequently a republican. He never took an active
interest in politics, however, and was an honest and
industrious citizen. He died on Nov. 19, 1880.
His wife was Eliza Boyer, a native of Pike county,
Ohio, and the daughter of Daniel Boyer. They
had ten children, of whom Daniel B., the father of
Kemper Lee, was the eldest. John Foster, Jr.,
was the son of John Foster, Sr., a native of
Virginia, who came to Ross county, Ohio, about the
commencement of the nineteenth century.
Daniel B. Foster received a good common-school
education, and has lived on his present farm since 1833.
He followed farming until the last four years, when he
retired. He is still living on the farm at the age of
eighty-seven years, and enjoys good health. For many
years he has been a devoted member of the Methodist
Episcopal church, and a class leader in the congregation.
He has always been a stanch Republican. Daniel B.
Foster was first married Jan. 22, 1852, to Miranda
McCliams. By this marriage they had three
children, Bernard, Jennie and Flora, who died
in infancy. Jennie married John Van
Wagner, of London. Mrs. Miranda Foster
died on Aug. 13, 1860, and, after her death, her husband
married, for his second wife, Margaret Johnston,
the daughter of George Johnston. Nine
children were born to this second marriage, as follow: Jessie,
Allie, Kemper L., Bruce, Eva, W. Irving, Frank E., Maud
and Chester Glenn.
Kemper Lee Foster received a good common-school
education in the district schools of Madison county.
He has followed farming all his life.
On Dec. 19, 1894, Kemper L. Foster was married
to Bessie Riddle, a daughter of Peter and Alice (Busic)
Riddle, the former of whom was born in Columbus, Ohio,
Sept. 23, 1846, and the latter in range township, Madison
county, Nov. 10, 1848. They were married in Madison
county, on Dec. 31, 1873, and had only one child, Bessie,
the wife of Mr. Foster. Mrs. Foster's father
was a farmer and died on Apr. 12, 1878. The mother is
living with her daughter. Mr. and Mrs. Kemper Lee
Foster had one daughter, who died in infancy.
Mr. Foster owns a small farm in Oak Run
township. He is a member of the Odd Fellows Lodge No.
70, and Encampment No. 126, of London. Both Mr. and
Mrs. Foster are members of the Grange, No. 877.
Mr. Foster is a Republican in politics, and is president
of the board of trustees of Oak Run township. Mrs.
Foster is a member of the Bethel Methodist Episcopal
church.
Source: History of Madison County, Ohio -
Illustrated - Published by B. F. Bowden & Company, Inc.,
Indianapolis, Indiana - 1915 - Page 870 |
NOTES:
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