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Biographies
(Transcribed by Sharon Wick)
 Source:
A Portrait and Biographical Record of
Mercer and Van Wert Counties, Ohio
Containing Biographical Sketches of Many Prominent and
Representative Citizens,
together with Biographies and Portraits of all the
Presidents of the United States
and Biographies of the Governors of Ohio
CHICAGO: A. W. BOWEN & CO.
1896
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SOLOMON SHOCK,
one of the most prominent farmers and stock dealers of Black
Creek township, Mercer county, was born in Allen county,
Ohio, Oct. 28, 1851. He is a son of Levi and Mary
Jane (Carr) Shock, the former of whom was born in
Coshocton county, Ohio, May 9, 1836. Levi was a
son of Peter and Mary A. (Boyd) Shock, the former of
whom was a son of George Shock, whose wife
previous to her marriage was named Elizabeth
Schultz. Peter Shock was born in
Somerset county, Pa., Feb. 5, 1800, his father being a
native of the same county, and his grandfather having been a
native of Germany.
By trade and occupation George Shock was
a weaver, and his wife, Elizabeth Shultz, was
a native of Somerset county, Pa., her parents having come
from Germany. George Shock and his wife
were the parents of ten children, Peter, mentioned
above, being their fifth child. About 1836, George
Shock and his wife removed to Coshocton county, Ohio,
and there passed the remainder of their lives. Both
were members of the Dunkard church, were good people, highly
respected by all, and when they died left many friends.
He was a democrat in politics, but cared less for politics
than for his own regular business and private affairs.
His son, Peter Shock, was reared on a
farm, was educated in the common schools of Pennsylvania,
and on Apr. 20, 1827, married Mary A. Boyd, a
daughter of James Boyd. To Peter
Shock and his wife there were born eleven children,
as follows: Levi, father of the subject of this
sketch; Elizabeth, wife of David Baxter,
of Allen county; Hulda, wife of Reuben Carr,
of Allen county; Carlisle, wife of Amos
Crites, of Allen county; Catherine, wife of
Daniel Allen, of Allen county; George,
deceased; Sarah, wife of William C. Wagoner,
of Black Creek township, Mercer county; Mary A., wife
of William Rumple, of Black Creek township;
Elvina, wife of Asa Binkley, of Van Wert
county; William, of Allen county, and Peter,
of Van Wert county. Mary A. Boyd was born in
Somerset county, Pa., Dec. 22, 1810, her father having
emigrated from Ireland to that county some years previously.
After their marriage Peter Shock and his
wife lived in Somerset county, Ohio, where Mr. Shock took up
forty acres of government land, which he lived on and
cleared up, converting it into an excellent farm. In
1846 he removed with his family to Allen county, where he
carried on farming successfully until 1886, a period of
forty years, and then removed to Mercer county, bought
eighty acres of land, made his home with his son, Levi,
until 1892, since which time he has resided with his
daughter, Mrs. Wagoner, of Black Creek township.
His wife died October 1, 1895, a member of the United
Brethren church, and his own death occurred about six weeks
later. He was a democrat in politics and a prominent,
public-spirited man, highly esteemed by all that knew him.
He was a member of United Brethren church, holding the
office of steward therein for a number of years. His
brother, Samuel, served in the late Civil war as a
member of the Eighty-first regiment Ohio volunteer infantry.
Levi Shock, the father of the subject, was
reared on the farm, and was educated in the public schools
of Allen county. In 1850 he married Mary J. Carr,
and to their marriage there were born the following
children: Solomon the subject of this sketch;
James B., postmaster at Rockford, Martha, wife
of James P. Skinner, a minister of the United
Brethren church; Willis W., an insurance agent of
Rockford; Ida, wife of S. F. Pifer of
Rockford; Jesse, a manufacturer of draining tile of
Mendon, Ohio. Mary J. Carr, the wife of Levi
Shock, was born in Allen county. She was one of
the good women of her day, a member of the United Brethren
church, and died Dec. 31, 1869. From the time of his
marriage until 1852 Levi Shock lived in Allen county,
then removed to Mercer county and entered eighty acres of
land, which he cleared, improved and cultivated until 1885,
when he removed to Rockford, and was there for three years
engaged in the grocery business. Since 1888 he has
lived in Rockford, a retired life. After his first
wife's death he married Mary Russell. Both in
politics and religion he holds high place in the esteem of
his fellow-men. His party friends have twice elected
him township treasurer, and as a member of the United
Brethren church he has served as steward and has always been
an active worker. During his entire mature life he has
been a prominent citizen, and a successful man.
Solomon Shock, the subject of this sketch, was
reared on the farm, and educated in Mercer county. On
Jan. 7, 1875, he married Eliza McDonald, a daughter
of Alexander and Eliza (Parker) McDonald, and to this
marriage there have been born four children, as follows:
Delbert, born Aug. 15, 1876; Mildred, born
Oct. 19, 1879; Ralph, born Oct. 9, 1883; Earle,
born Oct. 12, 1886. Eliza McDonald was born in
Auglaize county, Apr. 29, 1851, where she received her
education, and where she resided until 1868, when she
removed to Mercer county and there taught school until 1875,
fifteen terms in all, two of them after her marriage.
Her father, Alexander McDonald, was of Scotch-Irish
descent, was born in Fairfield county in 1816, and in 1840
married Eliza Parker by whom he had the following
children: Theodore G., a physician of Redkey,
Jay county, Ind., who served three years in the war of the
Rebellion as a member of company A, Eighty-first regiment
Ohio volunteer infantry; Margaret (Mrs. E. Partner,
of Rocky Ford, Colo.); Olive, wife of C. L. Toner,
of Albion, Mich., who served through the entire war as a
member of the fortieth regiment Ohio volunteer infantry,
being promoted to lieutenant; Thomas, living on the
old homestead; Eliza, wife of the subject; Parker,
engaged in the oil business at Saint Mary's; Delilah,
wife of Lewis Brewer, of Saint Mary's; and Samuel,
a carpenter of La Junta, Colo. Alexander McDonald
and his wife, in 1844, removed to Auglaize county, entered
government land upon which Mr. McDonald lived until
his death, which occurred in 1877, his wife from that time
on until her death, in 1891, living with the subject of this
sketch. He was a good man, one of the best, and was
highly respected by all. In politics he was a
republican and both he and his wife were members of the
Presbyterian church.
After his marriage to Miss McDonald, the subject
of this sketch lived in Black Creek township one year, at
the end of which time he purchased fifty acres of land,
which he improved in every way, putting up good buildings
and farming there for nine years. In 1886 he removed
to the old homestead in the same township, where he still
resides, and manages the home farm. For twelve years
he has been engaged in stock and has been unusually
successful. Like all his ancestors, he stands high in
the esteem of his fellow-men, and as a democrat has been
elected to the office of township trustee, in which he is
now serving his second term. His services have also
been demanded on the school board of his township, and also
on the county board of agriculture. Both he and his
wife are prominent members of the United Brethren church, of
which for several years he has served as trustee. Few
citizens, if any, in Black Creek township are more public
spirited and none highly respected than is Mr. Solomon
Shock. His wife is at present, and has been for
the past two years, superintendent of the Sunday-school.
In addition to their own children, they have taken care of
four orphan children, and are now schooling the fourth one.
Source:
A Portrait and Biographical Record of Mercer and Van Wert
Counties, Ohio - Chicago: A. W. Bowen & Co. - 1896 - Page
533 |
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ANDREW MADISON SMITH -
See
GEORGE W. SMITH
Source:
A Portrait and Biographical Record of Mercer and Van Wert
Counties, Ohio - Chicago: A. W. Bowen & Co. - 1896 - Page
553 |
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CORNELIUS SMITH,
a distinguished citizen of Rockford, Mercer county, Ohio,
eminent as a banker and prominent as an agriculturist, was
born in Wayne county, Ohio, Aug. 4, 1836, a son of Israel
and Matilda (Wade) Smith, who settled in Mercer county
in 1840.
Mr. and Mrs. Israel Smith were natives of Ohio,
and were here married. In 1838 they removed to what is
now Washington county, Iowa, but in 1840 returned to Ohio,
journeying in a wagon with their family, which then
comprised five children, intending to settle on some land
which Mr. Smith had traded for in Van Wert county.
On the way, Mr. Smith stopped in Mercer county at the
house of an old settler - a Mr. Guy - with whom he
left his family while he went forward to Van Wert county to
inspect his land. This he found to be too swampy for
his purpose, and so at once returned to Mercer county,
where, two years later, he purchased section No. 6, in
Dublin township, in Godfrey's reservation, upon which he
made settlement, and which he began to improve, but of which
he subsequently sold one-half. The remaining half he
continued to improve and reside upon until his death, in
April, 1857, in the faith of the Presbyterian church, and in
politics a democrat. He became one of the solid men of
the county, and was greatly respected for his purity of
character and intrinsic merit as a man. to his
marriage with Miss Matilda Wade were born nine
children, as follows: J. Finlay, farmer,
deceased; Z. A., a merchant of Coffey county, Kans.;
Jacob, deceased; Cornelius, our subject;
John W. and Henry, of Rockford, Ohio; Sarah
Ellen, wife of George Griffan, of Lincoln, Nebr.,
and two infants, deceased. The lamented mother of this
family was called away in 1848.
Cornelius Smith, the subject proper of this
memoir, was early inured to the toils and hardships of
pioneer farm life, received as good an education as the
schools of his early day afforded, and assisted on the home
farm until twenty years of age, and then began working out
as a farm hand by the month for his own benefit. A
short time thereafter, however, he began farming on his own
account, and this occupation he has never since entirely
relinquished. In 1863 he moved to Rockford, which town
he has ever since made his place of residence. Here,
in connection with his farming interests, he was for five
years engaged in mercantile business, and in 1888 he
purchased a quarter interest in the Bank of Rockford; in
1892 he withdrew from his bank, and the following year
(April, 1893), organized the Rockford Savings bank,
associating with himself J. S. Riley, his son-in-law,
and doing a general banking business, which continues to
increase day by day. His present farm of fine arable
land comprises 338 acres, which he personally superintends
in conjunction with his banking interests.
Cornelius Smith was united in marriage Mar. 29,
1860, with Miss Nancy E. Hedges, daughter of
Col.
W. B. HEDGES, and born Mar. 24, 1840. This
felicitous union has been made the happier by the birth of
five children, but, nevertheless, the parents have suffered
severely through the heavy hand of affliction bereaving them
of three of their offspring, viz: William, Elmore and
Jennie. The surviving two are Nimmie L., who
was born Jan. 20, 1861, and is now the wife of J. S.
Riley, co-partner with Mr. Smith in the banking business
at Rockford, and Carroll C., at home with his
parents. Mr. and Mrs. Smith are members of the
Presbyterian church. In politics, Mr. Smith is
a stanch democrat and for a long series of years filled the
office of justice of the peace - more from a sense of public
duty than from any desire of holding a public position.
He has always held the welfare of Rockford and the county of
Mercer "grappled to his soul with hooks of steel," and has
been generous in his pecuniary outlay toward the promotion
of their material advancement. He is recognized as one
of the most progressive and sagacious business men of the
county, and socially he and family stand in the center of a
circle of its most highly respected and influential
citizens.
Col. William B. Hedges, a deceased pioneer of
Mercer county, Ohio, was born in Boone county, Ohio, was
born in Boone county, Ky., June 27, 1797, and was a son of
Samuel P. Hedges, who married a Miss Botts,
both of whom were of English birth and were early settlers
of Boone county, Ky., where they reared a large family and
passed their useful and worthy lives.
William B. Hedges, the subject of these remarks,
received a very good education for the times in which he was
of school age by an attendance at the academy in Cincinnati,
Ohio, conducted in a log building. At the age of
eighteen years he came to what is now Mercer county, Ohio,
and located at Shanesville, now Rockford, and began trading
with the Indians, going on horseback from camp to camp and
gathering furs, peltries, etc.; he also kept a small store -
the first in the county - in which he handled a meager stock
of merchandise for barter with the redskins, and his traffic
he carried on as long as there were any Indians left in the
vicinity. He also studied surveying and civil
engineering and assisted largely in making the early surveys
of his part of the country. The colonel was also a
"mighty hunter," and many a stately deer fell before his
unerring rifle, as well as bear and numerous other kinds of
game of less pretentious degree or importance.
Col. W. B. Hedges was first married Apr. 15,
1824, to Miss Susan Graves, who died May 25, 1835,
leaving six children, viz.: Matilda, Samuel P., Polly J.,
William B., Jr., John and James R., the
last named being the only one now living.
The second marriage of Col. Hedges took place
June 11, 1839, with Elizabeth Eichar, to which union
four children were born, viz.: Nancy E. (Mrs.
Cornelius Smith), Sarah, Harriet and Henry, of
whom Nancy E. is the only survivor. Col.
Hedges continued many years in business and finally sold
out to his son, William B. Hedges, Jr., who carried
it on until his own death. In politics the colonel was
an active whig and for many years served as a justice of the
peace and as tax collector. He was very prominent in
his day, and to him the county owes much of its early
prosperity. He died, full of years and honor, in
February, 1870.
Source:
A Portrait and Biographical Record of Mercer and Van
Wert Counties, Ohio - Chicago: A. W. Bowen & Co. - 1896 -
Page 550 |
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FREDERICK SMITH - see
HENRY SMITH Source:
A Portrait and Biographical Record of Mercer and Van
Wert Counties, Ohio - Chicago: A. W. Bowen & Co. - 1896 -
Page 551 |
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GEORGE
SMITH, one of the oldest settlers and pioneers of
Liberty township, Mercer county, Ohio, was born in Rothime,
Hesse-Darmstadt, Germany, Feb. 7, 1828. John and
Margaret (Dengas) Smith were his parents the former of
whom was born in the same place in 1800. Reared upon
the farm, John was educated in his native country and
learned the weaver's trade. His wife, Margaret
Dengas, was born and reared in Germany. She became
by her marriage to Mr. Smith the mother of five
children, and died in her native land. After her death
Mr. Smith married again a native of Germany, who bore
him three children.
JOHN SMITH followed his trade in
Germany until he emigrated therefrom to the United States,
leaving home on Monday, Apr. 6, 1840, and being nine weeks
crossing the ocean, experiencing rough and stormy weather
most of the way across the sea. Arriving in Baltimore,
he went direct to Fiersville, near Chambersburg, Pa., where
he worked in an iron foundry and machine shop three months,
then buying a horse and wagon he drove through from
Chambersburg to Pittsburg in three days. Crossing the
Ohio river by means of a ferry boat, he drove down to
Wheeling, where he again crossed the Ohio river and
proceeded on to Sidney, where he remained one month working
on the canal. In the following fall he located in
Mercer county, Ohio, bought eighty acres of woodland in
Liberty township, and upon this farm he passed the remainder
of his life, dying in 1882. Mr. Smith was a
good, honest, upright citizen, a democrat in politics, and a
member of the Lutheran church. His second wife died
two or three years later, a woman of sterling qualities of
head and heart, and, like her husband, a member of the
Lutheran church.
The five children of John Smith and his first
wife, Margaret Dengas, were as follows:
Andrew, who served for five years in the Seventy-first
regiment Ohio volunteer infantry, and died the next day
after returning home from the war; Conrad, deceased;
George, the subject of this sketch; John, a
carpenter of Celina, Ohio; and Margaret, wife of
John Koch, of McGuffey. The three children of the
second wife were as follows: Elizabeth, wife of
Samuel Kaser, of Sidney, Ohio; Lena, wife of
Earnest Kraft, a shoemaker of Lima, Ohio; and Philip,
of Kansas.
George Smith, the subject of this sketch was
reared on a farm and educated in Germany, being twelve years
old when he came to the United States. He remained one
year in Sidney, where he worked the entire year for
twenty-dollars, and then had to take a cow in payment, which
was worthy only nine dollars. From Sidney he walked to
Mercer county, remaining over night in Belden, where he had
for supper only potatoes roasted in ashes. When he
reached New Bremen, he found there only one store, and that
sold wooden shoes. The entire trip from Sidney to
Mercer county required four days, and he shook with the ague
most of the way. Upon arriving at his father's home he
found him living in a shanty made without the use of a
single nail, the door of which was scarcely tall enough for
a man to stand in upright. His first meal in Liberty
township consisted of potatoes, and corn cakes made of meal
grated on a hand grater and stirred up with water, and a
little salt, the coffee being made of roasted corn.
For six years he raised potatoes and corn with a hoe, his
father's horse having died, which method of performing farm
work would not be considered a great hardship. It was
then necessary to go to Piqua to mill, though most of the
pioneers had their corn ground in a hand mill. From
the time of his arrival in Mercer county until he was
twenty-one years of age, he worked on his father's farm, and
then went to Saint Mary's, where he worked for three years on
the canal, saving sufficient money with which to purchase
his present place, earning when working for the government,
twelve dollars per month. In 1850 he purchased 120
acres of woodland, paying for it entirely before leaving his
work on the canal. Upon this farm so purchased and
paid for he still lives, and prizes it very highly, because
it was secured by his own hard labor, without aid from any
quarter.
On Aug. 19, 1852, he married Gertrude Wappas, a
daughter of Casper and Margaret Wappas, and to this
marriage there were born the following children: William,
of Hopewell township; Margaret, wife of Frank
Miller, of Hopewell township; Catherine, who died
when five years old; Matilda, wife of William
Roberts, but now deceased; Cyrus, deceased;
George W., living near the home place; Emma, wife
of Henry Smith, of Hopewell township; Rosetta,
wife of John Gorham, of Lima; Louisa, wife of
William Roberts, of Hopewell township, and Dulcena,
living at home. Gertrude Wappas was born in
Germany, and came to the United States with her parents when
two years old. Fuller mention of her family is made in
connection with the sketch of Mrs. Hellwarth, her
sister, which may be found on page 349 of this volume.
She was born Jan. 22, 1832, and while most of her people are
Catholics, she was a member of the Evangelical church.
She died Nov. 16, 1890, at fifty-two years of age, sincerely
mourned by her friends and neighbors.
After his marriage George Smith located on his
present farm, upon which he has lived ever since. By
hard and continuous labor he has cleared it up, improved it
and cultivated it until at the present time he has 160 acres
of excellent land, well drained and thoroughly fertilized,
and in as good a condition for successful agriculture as can
be found anywhere in the county. In 1876 he erected
his present house, which is one and a half stories high, the
main part being 32 x 20 feet in size, and the wing 28 x 14.
Politically Mr. Smith was a democrat up to the
breaking out of the Civil war, then a republican until a few
years ago, when he united with the populist party, with
which he still affiliates. He has served for some
years as a member of the township school board, and he and
his family, with the exception of Rosa, who is a
Methodist, are members of the Evangelical church.
Mr. Smith is a public-spirited citizen, highly respected
by all that know him. He is believed to be the oldest
settler in the township, and well remembers the time when
the chimney to his house, instead of being constructed as
now, of bricks, was constructed of sticks and clay; when he
had no lamps, and received his light to read by the evening
from the fireplace. At that time his wife often went
to mill with him before they were married, her father being
a cripple. He was one of hte hospitable pioneers of
this township, his latchstring being always out. He
often went as much as ten miles to help a newcomer in the
settlement raise a house, and many a frolic he had at such
times, for people in a new country enjoy themselves when
they meet in ways that people in old countries know nothing
of. Seeing each other seldom always heightens the
pleasure of meeting, and so social pleasures are
intensified, compensation being thus afforded for the
infrequency of such pleasures.
Source:
A Portrait and Biographical Record of Mercer and Van
Wert Counties, Ohio - Chicago: A. W. Bowen & Co. - 1896 -
Page 548 |
| |
GEORGE W. SMITH,
for many years an honored resident of Mercer county, Ohio,
but now a resident of Council Bluffs, Iowa, was born in
Perry county, Ohio, Sept. 5, 1840. His father,
ANDREW MADISON SMITH, was born in
Pennsylvania about the year 1810, and when twelve years of
age came to Ohio, settling in Perry county, and from that
time until he attained his majority he lived with a woolen
manufacturer, who owned and operated a woolen mill on Rush
creek, in than county. Young Smith was put to
work in the mills, learning the business thoroughly.
When he was twenty-one years of age he removed to Virginia,
and there married Miss Sarah Elizabeth Lacey,
daughter of Mahlon Lacey, a slaveholder and one of
the aristocratic families. This marriage occurred in
1838. In Virginia Mr. Smith resided some years
engaged in the manufacture of woolen goods. While thus
engaged he met with an accident which rendered him a cripple
for the remainder of his life. Returning to Ohio after
his few years' residence in Virginia he became the
proprietor of a flouring-mill, which he operated until he
was past middle life, and then retired from active business
on account of his crippled condition and of his being
afflicted with rheumatism. Notwithstanding these
troubles, however, he lived to the advanced age of
eighty-four years and some months. His wife died in
1868. Andrew M. Smith and his wife were the
parents of eleven children, as follows: George W.,
the subject of this sketch; Mahlon, who died while in
the service of his country as a Union soldier; Thomas
and Jacob, both deceased; Andrew M., who lived
an Arkansas; J. Carper, a shoemaker of Mendon, Ohio;
Preston, deceased; Albert, a farmer; Mary
Ann, deceased; Matilda deceased wife of Odell
Alexander, of Rockford, Ohio; and Charlotte, wife
of O. N. Clark, of Cincinnati, Ohio.
George W. Smith, born in Perry county, Ohio,
Sept. 5, 1840, when twelve years of age was set to work in a
woolen mill. After being thus engaged for two seasons
he went to work in his father's flouring mill. His
health failing, he became a farmer, following this
occupation two years, and in 1857 went to work at the
shoemaker's trade. At this trade he was engaged for
three years, and then, his health having once more become
impaired, he went to the oil fields in Morgan county, Ohio,
where he remained one year in out-door exercise and labor.
Jan. 1, 1865, found him in Rockford, Ohio, then Shanes
Crossing, and there he became engaged in the manufacture of
boots and shoes in partnership with Frank Davis. After
remaining thus engaged until 1817, he in 1872 established
himself in the business of a shoe manufacturer, and he also
put in a line of eastern stock, continuing in these two
lines in Rockford until March, 1876, when he removed to
Celina, where he continued in business until October, 1891,
with the exception of the period between May 20, 1884, and
October, 1885, which was spent with his family in the
northwest, principally in Washington territory, residing
most of the time in Olympia, and visiting numerous points
along the coast. In 1891 he disposed of his business
in Celina, and located in Fremont, Nebr., soon afterward
removing to Council Bluffs, Iowa, where he still resides,
and where he is at present conducting a boot and shoe
manufacturing establishment. Mr. Smith has
always led an active life and has always been a most
industrious man. He is full of energy, is genial and
whole-souled, and has hosts of friends. Politically he
is a republican and fraternally he is an Odd Fellow and a
Knight of Pythias. He has always been an active worker
in religious circles.
On Oct. 29, 1865, he was married to Miss Charlotte
Ellen Borchers, daughter of George F. and Sarah
(States) Borchers. She was born in Rockford, Ohio,
in 1846, and died Apr. 27, 1890. For years she was the
leading spirit in the Presbyterian church at Celina, Ohio,
and it was through her efforts that the little edifice of
that denomination was erected in that place. She was a
woman of most exemplary character and of high attainments,
and her influence was always exerted for the good of society
at large. At her death she left three daughters, viz.:
Clara Ermina, Sadie E. and Nellie May. Clara
was married Mar. 1, 188, to C. M. Floyd, by whom
she has one child, Ellen Vellone.
Source:
A Portrait and Biographical Record of Mercer and Van
Wert Counties, Ohio - Chicago: A. W. Bowen & Co. - 1896 -
Page 553 |
| |
HENRY SMITH, a prominent citizen of Hopewell
township, Mercer county, was born near Giessen, the
principal town of the province of Upper Hesse,
Hesse-Darmstadt, Germany, Jan. 1, 1837. He is a son of
FREDERICK and Ann Elizabeth (Gerlach) Smith, the
former of whom was born at the same place, Apr. 8, 1807, and
was a son of Christopher and Elizabeth (Bender) Smith,
Christopher Smith was a farmer and a cooper.
To him and his wife there were born eight children.
Frederick mentioned above, being the second from the
youngest.
Until 1828 Frederick Smith worked upon the farm,
and then, being twenty-one years of age, enlisted in the
regular army and served six years. In 1832 he married
Elizabeth Gerlach, born Mar. 21, 1808, at the same
place with himself. To them there were born seven
children, as follows: Elizabeth, widow of
Conrad Smith, of Hopewell township; Catherine,
wife of George Wappus, of Indiana; Henry, the
subject of this sketch; George, of
Hopewell township of Hopewell township, with whom the father
of the family lives; and Lena, wife of Frederick
Stedcke, who biography appears elsewhere in this
volume. Frederick Smith, while living in his
native country, worked on a farm and in the iron mines, and
in 1846 emigrated to the United States, being twenty-eight
days making the trip across the sea, and arriving in this
country Feb 28. coming direct to Mercer county he
purchased forty acres of woodland, to which he subsequently
added forty acres. He now owns eight acres of land,
but since 1890 he has lived with his son, Andrew, as
noted above. In 1848 he married his second wife,
Susan Hull, who was born in Seneca county, Ohio, and to
this marriage there were born four children, as follows:
Frederick; an infant son, deceased; Caroline,
wife of George Smith, of Hopewell township, and
Susan, wife of William Bunge, also of Hopewell
township. Frederick Smith is one of the oldest
men in Mercer county, being now eighty-nine years old, and
is still hale and hearty. Formerly he was a democrat
in politics, but of late he has favored the populist ticket,
especially in local affairs. He is a member of the
Evangelic association and is strictly moral.
Henry Smith, the subject of this sketch, when
twenty-one years of age, began working for himself.
Mar. 9, 1862, he married Sarah Bever, a daughter of
Enoch and Elizabeth Bever, and to them seven children
were born, as follows: Elizabeth, wife of
Conrad Eichenauer, of Hopewell township; William H.,
on the home farm; Melinda, wife of Charles
Rutledge of Hopewell township; Anna, wife of
Adam Eichenauer of Hopewell township; Amelia,
wife of William Stroh, of Auglaize county; George
Edward, a farmer at home; and Nettie, at home.
Sarah Bever was born in Ohio, Feb. 26, 1844, but her
parents were natives of Pennsylvania, and of German
ancestry. This lived for many years in Allen county,
Ind., and died at Fort Wayne. The following of their
children survive; Jonathan, of Indiana; Harriet
(Mrs. Hettler), of Fort Wayne, Ind.; Hattie, wife
of Christ Mellinger, a shoemaker of Fort Wayne;
Kittie Ann, wife of George Conrad, of
Pennsylvania; Melinda Jane (Mrs. Valentine Burgle),
of Fort Wayne, and William, a farmer of Fort Wayne.
In 1859 Mr. Smith purchased the farm on which he
still lives, at the time all in the woods. To his
first purchase he has added eighty acres, and now has 160
acres in all, most of it under a high state of cultivation.
He has cleared up his farm himself and has placed all the
improvements thereon that it now carries. Originally
he erected a hewed-log house, but in 1887 he erected a fine
frame house. General farming and stock raising are his
preferences, and he is very successful in each branch of
farming. On Aug. 14, 1890, his wife died of typhoid
fever, and since then his daughter has kept house for him.
His wife was and he is a member of the Evangelical
association, of which he is a class leader, exhorter and
steward, and is prompt to discharge all his church duties,
as well as any other duties that devolve upon him.
Politically he was a democrat until recently, but now he is
thoroughly in accord with the populist party. He is
one of the best men in the township, one of the most public
spirited, and always anxious to see the country prosper.
Source:
A Portrait and Biographical Record of Mercer and Van
Wert Counties, Ohio - Chicago: A. W. Bowen & Co. - 1896 -
Page 551 |
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ISRAEL SMITH - see
CORNELIUS SMITH
Source:
A Portrait and Biographical Record of Mercer and Van
Wert Counties, Ohio - Chicago: A. W. Bowen & Co. - 1896 -
Page 550 |
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JAMES
SMITH, a prominent farmer of Liberty township, mercer
county, Ohio, is a son of William and Sarah Elizabeth
(Gibson) Smith, who was born in Logan county, June 8,
1831. WILLIAM SMITH was also
born in Loan county, in 1798, and was a son of William
Smith, who was of English descent and was the father of
four sons. The father of the subject was the youngest
of these four sons, was reared on a farm, educated in Logan
county public schools and about 1838 married Sarah
Elizabeth Gibson, who was also born in Logan county
about 1813. To their marriage were born three
children, as follows: Mary Ann, wife of
Frank Duffy, of Muncie, Ind.; Aaron, of Brice,
Jay county, Ind.; and James, the subject of this
sketch. The mother of these three children died in
1843, when the subject was one year old, and Mr. Smith
married, in 1845, for his second wife, Julia Ann Bird,
to which marriage there was born one child, John, who
lived for some time in Colorado, but who is now deceased.
In 1843, William Smith, the father of our subject,
removed from Logan county, Ohio, to Jay county, Ind., and
lived there until within two yeas of his death, during these
two years living in Recovery township, Mercer county.
His death occurred in 1851, and his wife's occurred in 1895.
James Smith, the subject, was reared on the farm
until his father's death, and when he was nine years of age
he was taken to rear by George Parsons, a prominent
farmer of Jay county, Ind. Remaining with Mr.
Parsons until the war came upon the country, he enlisted
in October, 1861, as a member of company K, Fortieth
regiment, Ohio volunteer infantry, in which he served three
years and three months. The first battle in which he
was engaged was that of Mill Creek, Ky., and he was also in
the two battles fought at Franklin, Tenn.; Chickamauga,
Rossville, Missionary Ridge, Lookout Mountain, and through
the Atlanta campaign, his last battle being the second one
at Franklin, Tenn. He was in eighteen battles in all,
but was not wounded, nor was he ever captured by the rebels.
He was mustered out of service at Smithland, near Atlanta,
Ga., and thirty-five days later was discharged at Nashville,
Tenn., on Jan. 8, 1865. Returning then to Jay county,
Ind., he lived with Mr. Parsons until his
marriage, Oct. 4, 1866, to Sarah Jane Harry, a
daughter of Isaac and Catherine (Premier) Harry.
To this marriage there have been born four children, as
follows: Mary E., wife of Clement C.
Kelly, of Jay county, Ind.; Julia A., wife of
Frederick Schielscott, of Mercer county; John W.,
of Indiana; and Charles Elmer, living at home.
The mother of these children was born in Wayne county, Ohio,
in August, 1841, her parents having also been natives of
Ohio and early settlers of Jay county, Ind. Her father
was a democrat, both were members of the United Brethren
church, and both are now deceased. Their children were
as follows, four of whom survive: Emeline, who became
the wife of Samuel Tetors, and is now dead;
William, of Jay county, Ind., who served three years in
company K, Fortieth regiment, Ohio volunteer infantry;
Sarah Jane, wife of the subject of this sketch,
and Solomon, deceased; Mary A. (Mrs.
Longacre), now deceased; Elizabeth (Mrs.
Hodishell), deceased; Charlotte (Mrs.
Ashcraft) of Portland, Ind.; and John, of
Nebraska. The mother of these children died in 1856,
and the father afterward married Mahala Dare, who
lives at Portland, Ind., having borne her husband three
children, as follows: Samantha (Mrs. Meyers),
of Portland, Inc.; Electa (Mrs. Brumeyer), of Lima,
Ohio; and Alonzo, of Portland, Ind.
After his marriage the subject
located in Jay county, Ind., where he bought forty acres of
woodland, built a log cabin and moved his family into it in
the fall. Later he purchased twelve acres more land,
and still later forty-eight acres more, so that in all he
owned 100 acres, all of which is now cleared and under a
high state of cultivation. This land he has improved,
and has erected find buildings, erecting an excellent barn
in 1888. He is a prominent citizen, and in the true
sense of the word a self-made man. In religion he is a
Methodist, and in politics a republican, and formerly was a
member of Reed post, G. A. R., now abandoned. Since
1892 he has lived a retired life, having by his own industry
and hard work acquired a competency for his old age.
Never having had any assistance in any way or shape, what he
has accumulated has been wholly through his own exertions in
earning and economy in saving. His is an example
worthy of imitation by all young men who desire to be
independent of the world and of charity when they reach old
age.
Source:
A Portrait and Biographical Record of Mercer and Van
Wert Counties, Ohio - Chicago: A. W. Bowen & Co. - 1896 -
Page 554 |
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JOHN SMITH see
GEORGE SMITH Source:
A Portrait and Biographical Record of Mercer and Van
Wert Counties, Ohio - Chicago: A. W. Bowen & Co. - 1896 -
Page 548 |
| |
WILLIAM SMITH see
JAMES SMITH Source:
A Portrait and Biographical Record of Mercer and Van
Wert Counties, Ohio - Chicago: A. W. Bowen & Co. - 1896 -
Page 554 |
| |
THOMAS
B. SPRY, one of the most prominent and successful
farmers of Black Creek township, Mercer county, Ohio, was
born in Black Creek township, Jan. 12, 1837, and was the
first white male child born in the township named. He
is a son of Jonathan and Hannah (Henkens) Spry, the
former of whom was born in Pennsylvania about 1805, was of
German descent, was reared on a farm, and went to Knox
county, Ohio, where he married Miss Hannah Henkins, a
daughter of William Henkens, who was born in Knox
county. To this marriage there were born eight
children, as follows: Hiram, a farmer of Bloom
City, Wis.; Thomas B., the subject of this sketch;
Jonathan, who served in the army of the Union several
years, was wounded twice - at Cold Harbor and at
Williamsburg - and is now living in Wisconsin; Timothy,
a carpenter of Wisconsin; Cynthia, wife of
Wesley Parrot, of Mendon, who also served in the
war; Simon P., a livery stable keeper of Richland
Center, Wis.; Mattie, wife of Wesley Webley,
of Wisconsin, who served in the war and is now an invalid;
and Mrs. Nancy Stevens, deceased.
After his marriage Jonathan Spry lived in Knox
county until the fall of 1836, when he removed to Mercer
county, locating in Black Creek township, upon eighty acres
of land which he entered, cleared and improved, and which he
later exchanged for another farm, upon which he lived until
his death in the fall of 1851. This event was caused
by his being bitten by a wild hog, during his first
settlement here - probably 1836 or '37 - the subject of this
sketch being, at the time of his father's death fourteen
years of age. He was in politics a democrat, and a
good, honorable man in all respects. After the death
of her husband his widow married James Young, and
died in Wisconsin in 1885.
Thomas B. Spry was reared upon the farm, and
upon the death of his father was bound out to a man in
Wisconsin, with whom he remained one winter, but spent
altogether four years in the Badger state. He then
began traveling and working on farms, and before giving up
this mode of life traveled through seventeen states.
On Jan. 2, 1862, he enlisted in company H, Seventy-first
Ohio volunteer infantry, and served three years, five months
and thirteen days. He was in the battles of Shiloh,
Atlanta, Jonesboro, Franklin and Nashville, and a large
number of minor engagements and skirmishes. He was
wounded at Decherd, Tenn., went to the hospital, and was
discharged from the service at Camp Dennison, Ohio, in May,
1865. Then returning to Mercer county, he here bought
an eighty-acre tract of uncleared land, upon which he lived
and labored, and which he enlarged to 160 acres in one
square quarter-section.
When home on furlough during his war service he
married, on Mar. 4,1864, Miss Ellen Allison, daughter
of Caleb and Amy (McFarlen) Allison, and to this
marriage there have been born the following children:
Byron, now living in Utah; Alice, wife of
Dick Hesser, of Mendon, Mercer county; Martha E.,
deceased wife of Daniel Wollett, of Black Creek
township; Iona, wife of Luther Martz of the
same township; Charles, living near Mendon; Thomas
Garfield, living at home, and in infant daughter,
deceased.
Miss Ellen Allison was born in Perry county,
Dec. 12, 183, and, as the wife of the subject, died June 11,
1888, a member of the United Brethren church.
Afterward Mr. Spry married Martha Jane (Carr)
Baumgardner, daughter of Abner Carr, this second
marriage occurring Oct. 13, 1889. She was then the
widow of Isaac Baumgardner, to whom she had borne
four children, as follows: Newton, Abbie, Harmont and
Carmon. Mr. and Mrs. Spry are the parents of
two children, viz: Jesse, born in 1890, and
Hiram Ansil, born in 1892. Mrs. Spry was
born in Allen county, Apr. 30, 1851. Mr. Spry
is carrying on general farming, and is engaged somewhat in
raising stock. In politics he is a prominent
republican. He and family worship in the the
faith of the United Brethren church. He is a member of
Dolph Graves post, No. 329, G. A. R., and is
highly esteemed, as a citizen, as a church member and an
ex-soldier. In 1896, Mr. Spry completed a very
pretentious and imposing two-story brick residence.
Mr. Spry is considerable of a hunter, and is widely
known as an excellent marksman. Every winter he and
number of companions go on a hunting expedition and come
home crowned with success.
Source:
A Portrait and Biographical Record of Mercer and Van
Wert Counties, Ohio - Chicago: A. W. Bowen & Co. - 1896
- Page 557 |
NOTES:
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