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BIOGRAPHIES
Source:
CENTENNIAL HISTORY
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Troy, Piqua and Miami County, Ohio
And Representative Citizens.
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Edited and Compiled By
Thomas C. Harbaugh
Casstown, Ohio
Literary Journalist, Secretary of Maryland association of Ohio.
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"History is Philosophy Teaching by Examples."
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Published by
Richmond-Arnold Publishing Co.
Chicago.
1909
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DAVID SHILLING
Source: Centennial History - Troy, Piqua and Miami
Co., Ohio publ. 1909 - Page 514
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HARRY SHILLING, M. D.,
physician and surgeon at Troy, and junior member of the
medical firm of Coleman & Shilling was born at Troy,
Ohio, in 1876, and in a son of Charles R. Schilling
of this city. After completing the High School course
at Troy, where he was graduated in 1895, he was in the
employ of a life insurance company for a time and then
entered the department of medicine in the University of
Cincinnati, where he was graduated with his degree, in 1903.
During a term of eighteen mouths he gained practical
experience as an interne in the Cincinnati Hospital, coming
directly to Troy when he was prepared to enter into
practice. He formed a partnership with Dr. Warren
Coleman and the medical firm of Coleman &
Shilling stands very high in the profession. He is
a member of the Miami County and State Medical Societies and
keeps fully informed concerning every development in modern
medical science. In 1906 Dr. Shilling
was married to Miss Clara Prugh, of Piqua, and
they have one daughter, Katherine. Dr.
Shilling is a member of the Baptist Church. Fraternally
he is an Odd Pillow. He is a member of one of the old
pioneer families of Miami County.
Source: Centennial History - Troy, Piqua and Miami
Co., Ohio publ. 1909 - Page 474 |
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JESSE SHILLING,
superintendent of the engineering and electrical works in
connection with lighting and heating the Miami County Court
House at Troy and the jail and infirmary, having charge of
the county electrical plant, was born at Troy, in 1857, and
is a son of the late Jesse Shilling, who was a
pioneer in Miami County.
Jesse Shilling, Jr., was reared and educated at
Troy, where he went to the high school, after which he
entered the Troy Fire Department, where he remained for ten
years and operated one of the engines. He then left
home and went as far south as Texas, and during the eight
months of his stay there acted as a fireman on the Texas &
Pacific Railroad, and later also ran an engine. After
he returned to Troy he was in the employ of the
manufacturing firm of Child's Catarrh Specific, where he
continued for about eight years. In 1887 he became
connected with his present work, of which he is now the
capable superintendent.
In 1879 Mr. Shilling was married to
Miss Dora Hickerson, who was born and reared in Troy and
is a daughter of James Hickerson, who was one of the
pioneer furniture dealers in this place. Mr. and
Mrs. Shilling have two children: Harvey, who is a
student in the Ohio State University; and Leah, who
resides at home. Mr. Shilling and wife
are members of the Baptist Church. He is a Knight of
Pythias and is ex-president of the local lodge of the
National Association of Stationary Engineers.
Source: Centennial History - Troy, Piqua and Miami
Co., Ohio publ. 1909 - Page 500 |
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LOUIS O. SHILLING,
secretary of The People's Building and Savings Association
Company at Troy, Ohio, is a native of this city and son of
the late David Shilling, one of Troy's leading
citizens for many years.
DAVID SHILLING was born Sept. 16,
1814, in Frederick County, Maryland, and when fourteen years
of age went from there to Columbus, Ohio, where he lived
until his marriage to Miss Mary Waite in 1836.
Shortly after his marriage he moved to Troy, and formed a
partnership in the foundry and plow business near the canal
on West Main Street with the Rev. Richard
Brandriff, a Wesleyan Methodist minister.
Afterwards the foundry was moved to the extreme end of the
then West Main Street, and a partnership formed under the
name of Shilling Brothers, and later in life
David Shilling succeeded to the entire
interest of the business. He was senior deacon of the
First Baptist Church of Troy, Ohio, for over forty years,
and up to the time of his death, which occurred Aug. 14,
1888. He was an active citizen and served a number of terms
as a member of the City Council, his public spirit at all
times being shown in the efforts to increase the city's
utilities. It was during this period the mill-race was
walled and placed in a sanitary condition to afford a
healthy drainage through the town.
Louis O. Shilling was born Oct. 25, 1857.
In early youth he attended the country school, then known as
District No. 4, in the McClung neighborhood. At the
age of fourteen he entered the grammar grades in the Troy
schools, and about the same time united with the First
Baptist Church under the ministry of Rev. M. H. Worrell.
While attending school he was employed at odd times in his
father's foundry and machine shop. On leaving the high
school he entered the law office of J. A. Davy, where
he read law and engaged in the business of abstracting of
land titles. He afterwards became associated in
business with the law firm of Williams & Gantz,
and with Hon. M. K. Gantz when the latter was elected
Mayor of Troy, and afterward to the United States Congress.
During this time Mr. Shilling was engaged
in literary pursuits, and acted as reporter and writer for
several papers in other cities. In the year 1891
Mr. Shilling started a free circulating library at his
home in the interest of his Sabbath-school class, which
enterprise rapidly developed until many other boys of the
town (some now grown to mature manhood) became welcomed
beneficiaries to his library, which, at the present writing
consists of over 3,000 volumes, and where the boys of the
city are still welcome to go each Sunday afternoons and
enjoy the treasures there freely given in reading and study.
In the year 1892 Mr. Shilling entered the law office
in business with Hon. George S. Long, who, at that
time was the attorney for The People's Building and Savings
Association Company of Troy, and in 1893 Mr.
Shilling was elected the secretary of that institution,
which at that time, had assets amounting to $66,000, with
two hundred or three hundred members. This has
expanded into the present capital of over $396,800 and the
membership increased to over fifteen hundred people, while
there is surplus of over $20,000. Mr. Shilling
will I the efficient members of the Board of Directors, has
been untiring in his efforts to make this organization a
model one as well as the largest fiduciary institution of
its kind in the county.
Source: Centennial History - Troy, Piqua and Miami
Co., Ohio publ. 1909 - Page 514 |
T. C. Shilling |
T. C. SHILLING,
of the firm of Shilling & Roberts, leading
furniture dealers and undertakers of Troy, Ohio, has been
engaged in the mercantile business in this city for a period
of over forty years. He was born in Columbus, Ohio, in
1845, and is a son of Jesse Shilling, who
prior to his death was one of the prominent and active
citizens of Troy.
Jesse Shilling, a son of William and Hannah
Shilling, was born in Maryland, in 1825, and was about
two years of age when his parents removed to Columbus, Ohio.
There he was reared and educated, and when twenty-one years
old was foreman of the Hayden Foundry, at Columbus, Ohio.
He acquired considerable skill as an engineer and followed
that occupation for years. In 1854 he moved to Troy
and soon afterward agitated the establishment of a fire
department here. Largely through his activity the
project was favorably acted upon and he was installed as the
first engineer of the department. He was al-ways among the
foremost in furthering the city's interests, being one of
the founders of the present water works system, and was most
highly esteemed by his fellow-citizens. During the war
he was provost-marshal of Miami County under Captain A.
C. Duel. He also served as a member of the City
Council.
T. C. Shilling attended school in Columbus until
his parents moved to Troy in 1854, and then attended school
here until the Civil War was in progress. He enlisted
as a member of Company H, 147th Regiment, Ohio Volunteer
Infantry. Upon his return from the front he engaged in
the dry goods business for some years, and then formed a
partnership with Mr. Bond, under the firm name of
Bond and Shilling, in the furniture and
undertaking business. The partnership continued
sixteen years, when upon the death of Mr. Bond,
Mr. Roberts became a partner, the firm name being
changed to Shilling & Roberts. This is
the oldest firm of furniture dealers and undertakers in the
city, and commands a liberal patronage at the hands of the
people.
Mr. Shilling was married at Fort Wayne, Indiana,
to Miss Jennie Hartzell, and they have two sons,
Eugene and Wade, both of whom are identified with
the business of Shilling & Roberts.
Mr. Shilling takes a deep interest in local politics,
but with the exception of service on the School board, has
filled no public office, being strictly a man of business.
Fraternally, he is a member and has filled all the chairs of
the following lodges: Blue Lodge, F. & A. M.; Chapter; Odd
Fellows; Knights of Pythias; also a member of the Knights
Templar. He is also past commander of the local post,
G. A. R. Religiously, he is a member of the Baptist
Church.
Source: Centennial History - Troy, Piqua and Miami
Co., Ohio publ. 1909 - Page 801 |
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L. H. SHIPMAN Source: Centennial History - Troy, Piqua and Miami
Co., Ohio publ. 1909 - Page 417 |
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JOHN NEWTON SHOOK, one of Lost
Creek Township's reliable citizens, resides on his well
cultivated farm of sixty-five acres, which he devotes to
grain and tobacco growing. Mr. Shook was born
on this farm in Miami County, Ohio, Feb. 18, 1860, and is a
son of Isaac and Susan (Hufford) Shook.
ISAAC SHOOK was born in 1822, in West Virginia, not
farm from Wheeling, and when he was about seven years of age
accompanied his father to Montgomery County, Ohio, where the
latter died soon afterward. Isaac Shook
remained in Montgomery County for twenty years, during this
time marrying Susan Hufford, who was born in Maryland
in 1819. In April, 1859, they moved to Miami County,
and Isaac Shook bought the present farm of John
Newton, from James L. Long, and here both he and
wife died, his death occurring in April, 1900, and her death
six years later. They had the following children:
Elizabeth, who is the wife of Alexander Mumford
of Clark County, Ohio; Samuel, who lives in Troy;
Sarah and Jane, twins; Mary Ann,
who died in infancy; Thomas, who lives at
Springfield; and George and John Newton,
both of whom reside in Lost Creek Township.
On Mar. 1, 1883, Mr. Shook was married to
Miss Matilda Ranzow, a daughter of
Frederick and Catherine (Vanderhide)
Ranzow, both of whom were born in Germany, from which
country Mr. Shook 's ancestors also came to
America. The Ranzow family also
contained six children, namely: Augusta, Matilda,
Frederick, Henry, Charles, and Emma.
The following children have been born to Mr. and Mrs.
Shook: Clarence, who died
young; Delia and Henry, both of whom also died
young; Charles, who is a member of the graduating
class of 1910 of the Troy High School; and William,
Bertha and Frederick. It is Mr.
Shook's intention to give his children every
educational advantage in his power and thus prepare them for
lives of usefulness, either on the farm or in some other
line that they may seem best fitted for. In politics
Mr. Shook is a Democrat. He is a member of
the Masonic lodge at Christianburg.
Source: Centennial History - Troy, Piqua and Miami
Co., Ohio publ. 1909 - Page 526 |
Mr. & Mrs.
Benjamin F. Smith |
BENJAMIN FRANKLIN SMITH,
is the owner of 237 acres of land in Lost Creek Township,
Miami County, Ohio, his home farm consisting of 157 acres
located about seven miles northeast of Troy at the
intersection of a mud road and the Lost Creek Extension
Pike. He was born on his father's farm in Montgomery
County, Ohio, Apr. 5, 1853, and is a son of Alexander and
Isabella (Waymeyer) Smith.
ALEXANDER SMITH was born in Rock
Bridge County, Virginia, in 1820, and was one of a large
family of children. Although the father of this family
was poor, he reared his children in the proper way and they
all grew to be useful men and women in the various
communities in which they lived. Alexander was
the youngest member of the family, but because of his great
size was generally referred to as the "big brother."
He became a skilled workman as a blacksmith, learning the
trade in Virginia in his youth. When a young man he
left his native state because of his antislavery views, and
later wanted the other members of the family to leave in
order to afford their children better educational
advantages. He came to Ohio on horseback and while
passing through the swamps of Indiana was mired, which
necessitated his walking the remainder of the way. He
was about twenty years old when he arrived at Dayton, Ohio,
and he soon erected a shop at Frederick, about twelve
miles distant from that city. He later purchased a
farm in Butler Township, Montgomery County, on which he
erected a shop, and in addition to general farming he did
many odd jobs of blacksmithing for his neighbors. He
continued there until 1862, when he sold his farm and
purchased the present home farm of the subject of this
sketch, in Lost Creek Township, Miami County. Here he
continued to live until his death in March, 1889. He
married Isabella Waymeyer, in Montgomery County, she
being a native of that county. Her death occurred
about the year 1887. The following children were born
to them: Sarah, wife of Joseph Ray; Jennie,
wife of John Tobias; Benjamin
Franklin; James; Wesley; Harrison;
and William, who died at the age of one year.
Benjamin Franklin Smith, familiarly known as
Frank, was about nine years of age when his parents
moved to Miami County, and located upon his present farm.
His education was limited and when quite young he began work
on the home farm, on which he has since continued.
Upon the death of his father he bought out the other heirs
in this property, on which he has made many important
improvements. The brick house in which he lives was erected
in 1840. He has always been a hard and industrious
worker, and all that he possesses has come through his
individual efforts. He and his brother, James,
purchased another tract of 160 acres in Lost Creek Township.
Mr. Smith has traveled extensively through the South
and West, and been pretty generally over the country, but he
considers the Miami Valley the "garden spot of the
universe." In addition to the property mentioned, he
also is the owner of five good residence properties in
Casstown, and a small farm on the Miami River in Staunton
Township.
June 6, 1889, Mr. Smith was married to
Miss Anna Tobias, a daughter of Daniel
and Elizabeth (Whip) Tobias, from
near Dayton, both of her parents now being deceased.
She was one of the following children born to them:
Jonathan; Mary Elizabeth, wife of J.
Jackson; Sarah, wife of John Barnett;
Laura; Anna; Walter; and Daniel,
who died young. Politically, Mr. Smith is a
Republican.
Source: Centennial History - Troy, Piqua and Miami
Co., Ohio - Publ. 1909 - Page 678 |
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CLOYD SMITH, a well known
citizen of Piqua and county clerk-elect of Miami County, was
born in Shelby County, Ohio, in 1872, and is a son of the
late DR. S. D. SMITH.
Dr. S. D. Smith came to Piqua with his
family in 1881, and was continuously engaged in the practice
of medicine in this city until his death, in 1898. He
had two sons, Ernest A. and Cloyd. The
former is a graduate of the Ohio Wesleyan University and a
Ph. D. of Johns Hopkins University of Baltimore. He
completed his studies at Oxford, England, and in Paris, and
is an author of some note. He is a member of the
faculty of Allegheny College, filling the cliair of history
and economics.
Cloyd Smith was nine years old when his
parents came to Piqua, and he was educated in the city
schools. He first entered the local office of the
Pennsylvania Railroad, where he had four years of business
training, after which he entered the employ of the Favorite
Stove and Range Company, being first in the office and later
on the road, terminating a business connection of ten years'
duration in 1906. Mr. Smith has been an active
citizen, and in November, 1908. his party elected him county
clerk, giving him a fine majority. Mr. Smith
has a wide acquaintance, and possesses all the
qualifications that will enable him to give acceptable
service in this position. In 1900 Mr. Smith
was married to Miss Henrietta Brandriff,
of Piqua, and they have two children, Augusta and
Martha. Mr. and Mrs. Smith are members of
the Green Street Methodist Episcopal Church, at Piqua.
Source: Centennial History - Troy, Piqua and Miami
Co., Ohio - Publ. 1909 - Page 713 |
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CORTEZ M. SMITH, one of
Troy's most enterprising and successful young business men,
who has been identified with the horse and mule business for
many years, was born in 1873, at Casstown, Ohio, and is a
son of the late Martin P. Smith. The father of
Mr. Smith was born in Maryland and came to the
vicinity of Casstown, Ohio, in 1854, where he followed
farming during his active years. He died in 1906.
Cortez M. Smith attended school at Casstown
during boyhood and very early learned to depend entirely
upon his own efforts to advance himself. He earned his
first capital by working by the day and
then traded for a time in Bantam chickens, which was the
stepping-stone to his larger operations subsequently in the
handling of horses and mules. This business he has
carried on with much success and he now owns a fine farm of
190 acres in Miami county, besides improved property at
Troy, including his own handsome residence on East Main
Street. For some time, in addition to his horse and
mule business, which he built up entirely by himself, he has
been handling real estate, his excellent business
qualifications being shown also in this line. Mr.
Smith is entirely a self-made man and takes justifiable
pride in the fact. In 1894 Mr. Smith was
married to Miss Lucy E. Hathaway, and they have two
sons, Carlton Clay and Melvin Frederick.
Mr. Smith is a member of the Troy Club and the
Troy Business Men's Association.
Source: Centennial History - Troy, Piqua and Miami
Co., Ohio - Publ. 1909 - Page 778 |
Daniel W. Smith |
DANIEL W. SMITH, cashier
of the First National Bank of Troy, is one of the older
residents of this city, with the interests of which he has
been identified since he was twenty-seven years of age.
He was born March 9th, 1835, in Montgomery County, Ohio, and
is a son of Lester Smith, who was a pioneer in
the business of manufacturing cut shingles here. After
his years of school attendance had passed, Daniel W.
Smith was taken into a general mercantile store as a
clerk, where he continued until 1862, when he began work in
what was then known as a branch of the State Bank of Ohio,
which developed into the present First National Bank of
Troy. He was advanced from the position of bookkeeper
to be teller, then assistant cashier and since 1882 has been
cashier of this institution. He has not only the
esteem of the financiers with whom he is associated, but he
has also the confidence of his fellow citizens to a marked
degree, who, for forty years have elected him treasurer of
Concord Township. In politics he is a Republican and
has also served in the City Council of Troy and for several
years was trustee of the City Water Works. For twelve
years also he was a member of the Board of Education and has
been for a number of years a member of the City Board of
Sinking Fund, of which he is now president.
In 1864 Mr. Smith was married to Miss
Angeline Janvier, who is a daughter of J. T.
Janvier, who was a prominent member of the Miami County
bar, public prosecutor of the county, and a man of wide
influence and much talent. Mr. and Mrs. Smith
have had six children, namely: Robert J., who is an
attorney in practice at Mercedes, Texas; Margaret,
who died at the age of eleven years; Walter S., who
is superintendent for the E. W. Bliss Company, of
Brooklyn, New York; Frederic H., a graduate of
West Point, who is a lieutenant in the United States Army;
Eugene, who is connected with the office force
of the E. W. Bliss Company; and Adeline, who
is the wife of Herbert Johnston, general
manager and chief engineer of the Hobart Electric
Manufacturing Company of Troy. Mr. Smith and
family are members of the Presbyterian Church.
Source: Centennial History - Troy, Piqua and Miami
Co., Ohio - Publ. 1909 - Page 329 |
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H. W. SMITH, proprietor of
Smith's Bakery and president of the city council at
Bradford, Ohio, is one of the town's older business men and
a representative of its best citizenship. Mr.
Smith was born in Montgomery County, Ohio, Aug. 23,
1852, and is a son of Christian and Susan (Williamson)
Smith. The father of Mr. Smith followed
house carpenter work at Buffalo, New York. In 1824 he
settled in Montgomery County, Ohio, where his wife died in
1855. His death occurred years later in Miami County.
H. W. Smith was taken to the home of his
great-uncle, Henry Williamson, when his mother died,
and he was reared on a farm near Greenville, Darke County,
and attended the district schools. In 1873 he
accompanied his great-uncle and family to Bradford, where
the uncle subsequently died, and in May, 1875, he embarked
in business for himself and has continued here ever since
and for twenty-five years of this period he has been engaged
in the baking business. He has always been one of the
city's most progressive citizens and has served usefully in
many public offices. For ten years he served as a
member of the school board, and for eighteen years he has
been a member of the city council and at present is
president of this municipal body, an office for which his
good judgment and civic pride particularly fit him.
Mr. Smith married Harriet Yount, a daughter of
Enos Yount, and they have one child, Claude C.
CLAUDE C. SMITH is the electrician who has
charge of the Bradford-Gettysburg Electric Lighting Company
and is a young man who has honorably borne the name of his
country and his State into far distant parts of the world.
He was born on a farm five miles north of Bradford.
Feb. 21, 1877, and was educated in the Miami County schools.
He spent seven years of his life in the United States Navy
and that his early inclinations were in the direction of a
military life, indicated the influence of heredity. His
great-great-grandfather, John Williamson, was
a Revolutionary patriot. His great-grandfather,
Henry Williamson, came down the Ohio river on a
flat-boat, landing at Fort Washington, near the present city
of Cincinnati, and he was an Indian fighter under General
Wayne, fought in the War of 1812, under General
Harrison, did a soldier's duty in the Mexican War and
lived to send two of his sons into the Civil War, while two
of the other sons served in the Mexican War. Doubtless
his loyal heart would have been cheered had he witnessed his
great-grandson's services during the Spanish-American War,
in the Philippine Islands and in China, when greater dangers
were encountered and more complete victories gained than the
old veteran had ever known. Claude C. Smith
joined the navy at Norfolk, Virginia, in July, 1807, and was
assigned to the battleship Nashville, which, in the
following month, was attached to the West Indian Station,
and he was one of the first gun crew that fired the opening
shot in the Spanish-American War. He was made chief of
the electrical department of the battleship, made the tour
around the world, is a veteran of the Philippine
insurrection and of the Boxer uprising in China, and later
was one of the electricians on the battleship Kentucky,
under Admiral Evans. With credit he
retired from the navy in October, 1904, since when his home
has been at Bradford. He married Miss Emma
Brookman and they have had three children, Harriet,
Harvey and Charles, Harvey being
deceased.
Source: Centennial History - Troy, Piqua and Miami
Co., Ohio - Publ. 1909 - Page 804 |
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JAMES SMITH, who comes of an
old and respected family of Lost Creek Township, Miami
County, Ohio, is the owner of 180 acres of good land.
He lives about six and one-half miles northeast of Troy.
He is a native of Montgomery County, Ohio, the date of his
birth being Jan. 27, 1856, and he is a son of Alexander
and Isabella ( Waymeyer) Smith.
Alexander Smith was the youngest of a
large family of children, but owing to his great size was
known as the "big brother." He was born in Rock Bridge
County, Virginia, where he learned the trade of a
blacksmith, but when about twenty years of age he moved from
that state on account of his anti-slavery views, and first
located at Dayton, Ohio. Through his influence the
other members of the family later moved to Ohio.
Shortly after his arrival he built a shop at Frederick,
about twelve miles from Dayton, and later he became the
owner of a farm in Butler Township, Montgomery County, on
which he built a blacksmith shop. He worked at his
trade and fanned until 1862, when he sold out and moved to
Lost Creek Township, Miami County. Here he purchased
the farm now owned by his son, Benjamin Franklin
Smith, and passed the remainder of his days. He
was married in Montgomery County to Isabella
Waymeyer, who was a native of that county and whose
death occurred two years prior to that of her husband.
They were parents of the following children: Sarah,
widow of Joseph Ray and a resident of Kansas;
Jane, wife of Jonathan Tobias, of
Staunton Township; Benjamin Franklin, of Lost
Creek Township; James; Wesley, who lives in
Lost Creek Township; Harrison, of Nebraska; and William,
who died young.
James Smith was a very small boy when his
parents moved to Miami County, in 1862, and he received a
limited educational training in the public schools. He
spent his time at hard work and lived on the home farm until
the death of his father, as did the other sons.
Alexander divided his property shortly before his death,
and James received a good farm of 100 acres, where he
now lives. He and his brother, Frank, also
purchased 160 acres, which they rent out. He has
followed general farming and is one of the substantial
citizens of the township. He has traveled quite
extensively through the west and southwest parts of this
country, and the more he travels the better is his opinion
of the community in which he lives. Politically, he is
a Republican.
Source: Centennial History - Troy, Piqua and Miami
Co., Ohio - Publ. 1909 - Page 346 |
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HON. J. HARRISON
SMITH, one of the leading members of the Miami County
bar, and a man who stands high in the esteem of his fellow
citizens, was born in Piqua, where he now resides, on Sept.
1, 1861, son of John Frederick and Mary (Sullenbarger)
Smith. His father, who was born in Baden Baden,
Germany, in 1833, after coming to America enlisted in the
Union army and was killed at the
battle of Stone River. John F. Smith had not
long been married when he thus met an untimely end, for it
was but in 1800 that he was united in wedlock to Mary
Sullenbarger, who had become a resident of this
county some ten years previously, coming hither with her
parents from her native county of Westmoreland,
Pennsylvania, where she was reared.
The subject of this sketch acquired his elementary
education in the public schools of Piqua, and graduated from
the high school in the class of 1884. In the following year
he became a student in the Ohio Wesleyan University at
Delaware, Ohio, where he remained for a year. He then
entered Harvard University, where, besides taking the
regular classical course, he studied philosophy, history,
political economy, and law. The last mentioned study
he pursued with special ardor, for he had resolved to adopt
the legal profession as his future sphere of activity.
After leaving college he commenced the practical study of
law under the mentorship of the Hon. John
McDonald, of Piqua. That he showed himself a young
man of capacity may be gathered from the fact that he soon
afterwards— in 1890— received the appointment as special
agent in the United States census department to ascertain
the mortgaged indebtedness of the states of Mississippi and
Arkansas, which work occupied him for some six months.
He was then offered a position at Washington, D. C, to
assist in the classification of the mortgaged indebtedness
of the United States, and was there engaged until 1893.
While a resident of the nation's capital he entered the
Columbia Law School (now the George Washington Law School)
and pursued his studies to such good advantage that he was
graduated a bachelor of law in 1891, and received the degree
of master of law in the following year. He was
admitted to the bar at Richmond, Virginia, in 1893.
On returning to his home in Miami County, Mr.
Smith, instead of immediately taking up the practice of
his profession, spent two years working on the farm; but in
March, 1896, he was admitted to practice in his native
state, and has since been engaged in the practice of law in
the city of Piqua. In November, 1896, he was elected
on the Republican ticket as prosecuting attorney, assuming
the duties of the office in the following January, and
serving two terms. He soon proved his efficiency, and
it is the general opinion that the legal business of the
county was never better taken care of than when in his
hands. Mr. Smith was probate judge from
November, 1902, and served one term. He was
subsequently nominated for a second term, but on this
occasion suffered defeat.
For a number of years past Mr. Smith has
taken an active and beneficial interest in local, state, and
congressional politics, his aim being not merely the success
of his party, but the carrying out of the popular will and
the perpetuation of pure, stable and representative
government. As a lawyer he takes a high rank,
possessing not only the qualifications of a good attorney,
but also a high degree of forensic ability and eloquence.
He is also a keen judge of character and has been especially
successful in jury cases. He has a convenient and well
appointed office in the Orr Block.
Mr. Smith belongs to various prominent
fraternal orders, being a member of Dayton Lodge, No. 147,
F. & A. M.; Piqua Lodge No. 8, I. O. O. F., and Piqua Lodge,
No. 523, B. P. O. E.; also of Loramie Tribe, Improved Order
of Red Men, No. 153, Piqua; and Council No. 80, Junior Order
of American Mechanics.
He was married in 1895 to Miss Anna E. Ball, a
daughter of William B. and Kate Ball, of Memphis,
Tennessee. They have had two children—John H., who
died, and Fred W., who was born Aug. 1, 1908.
Source: Centennial History - Troy, Piqua and Miami
Co., Ohio - Publ. 1909 - Page 753 |
| |
LAWSON D. SMITH, owner of
100 acres of rich farming land, situated in Concord
Township, on the south side of the Swailes Turnpike Road,
about two and one-half miles southwest of Troy, is one of
the representative men of this section and a member of an
old Miami County family. He was born Apr. 7, 1854, in
Union Township, Miami County, Ohio, and is a son of
William and Mary (Davis) Smith.
The grandfather, John Smith, came to Ohio
from North Carolina about 1800, and after he selected his
tract of land in Union Township, Miami County, had to cut
down forest trees in order to find a sufficiently ample
space on which to build his lonely little log cabin.
He subsequently married the daughter of another early
settler, by the name of Fouts, who died there, and
many years later he died at the home of his son William,
in Union Township, east of West Milton. They had three
children Mary, who married Edward Fenters,
both deceased; William; and Susan, who
married Albert McCool, both deceased.
WILLIAM SMITH was born in the
little log house mentioned above, and with the exception of
one year during which he lived at West Milton, spent his
whole life on the old place. A large part of the
clearing of the farm fell to his share and it all came to
him as an inheritance. He died there in 1905, aged
seventy-six years. He was married (first) to Hannah
R. Pearson and they had two children, neither of whom
survives. He was married (second) to Mary
Davis, who died in 1906, just one year and one month
after her husband. She was the beloved mother of six
children, namely: Lawson Davis; Martha, who
married William Pearson; Isabella, who
married Benson Antonedies; William Bronson;
Leslie, who married Edward Bowers ; and
Elizabeth, who died when aged nine years.
Lawson Davis Smith was born and reared on the
old homestead farm, which had been the dwelling place of
father and grandfather, and during his youth split many of
the rails and set posts for many rods of fence, that being
before barbed wire was thought of. After his school
days were over he settled down to hard work on the farm,
although he had more than once proved his strength at the
plough handles when not more than nine years old, being
robust from childhood. He continued to live with his
father until his own marriage and then continued on the farm
under other conditions. He remained on that place
until he came to his present one in Concord Township, Mar.
8, 1906. It is well improved property and Mr.
Smith bought it of Dr. Means. He devotes
about six acres to tobacco and the remainder of his land to
grain farming.
On June 9, 1875, Mr. Smith was married to
Miss Rachel A. Wininger, who was born in Indiana and is
the third child of her parents, George and Cinderella
(Badger) Wininger, the former of whom is deceased.
Mrs. Wininger still survives and is in the enjoyment
of good health, and takes pleasure in the fact that her
seven daughters and three sons are all living and have happy
domestic circles of their own. Mr. and Mrs. Smith
have had three children: Carrie G., who is the wife
of Prof. George Countryman, county superintendent of
the schools of Plymouth County, Iowa, and has one son,
Winston; Rose M., who is the wife of Charles
Kessler, of Miami County, and has three children:
Margaret, Alice and Elizabeth; and
Edith, who died at the age of six months. In
politics Mr. Smith is a Republican. For
many years he has been a member of the Union Township School
Board and was chairman for three years.
Source: Centennial History - Troy, Piqua and Miami
Co., Ohio - Publ. 1909 - Page 422 |
| |
WILLIAM HENRY SMITH,
whose excellent farm of 105 acres lies in Lost Creek
Township, one mile from the eastern line of Miami County,
has been a quiet, general farmer for many years, but for a
long period led a more active and adventurous life than
falls to the lot of people generally. He was born in
Clark County, Ohio, on the old Croft farm, Oct. 11, 1848,
and is a son of Enoch and Catherine
(Rockey) Smith.
ENOCH SMITH was born on a farm near Frankfort,
Kentucky, in 1801. His father died when he was quite
young and the mother moved first to Virginia, with her
children, and then brought the family to
Ohio and settled on a small place in Clark County, not far
from Boston, where she died. Enoch had two
brothers and two sisters, and as his mother's resources were
small he started out for himself while still
young, beginning to work as a teamster. Later he
entered the employ of George Croft and shortly
afterward was married to Catherine Rockey, a
native of Lancaster, Ohio. Enoch Smith
and wife remained with the Croft family for thirty years,
giving faithful service and receiving just remuneration
and high regard. In 1876 he bought a tract of sixty
acres of land one mile north of the present farm of
William H. Smith, and there he and wife passed the
remaining years of their lives, respected and esteemed by
all who knew them. The death of Enoch Smith
took place when within sixteen days of his ninetieth year,
and his widow died in 1893, two years later, at the home of
her son, William Henry, when aged eighty
years. They had eight children, namely: Jonathan,
who is deceased; Elizaheth, now deceased, who was the
wife of Vincent Yinks; Daniel, who is
deceased; Martha, deceased, who was the wife of
Levi Kirby, also deceased Catherine, who
is the wife of Augustus Hagan, also deceased;
William Henry; and Jacob and James,
both of whom live in Clark County, Ohio.
William Henry Smith is a very well informed man,
but he secured but little school training in his youth, his
services being required on the farm as soon as he was old
enough to wield a hoe or hold a plough handle. He
remembers the old log district schoolhouse where he was
taught the rudiments by a young man who later became the
distinguished soldier and statesman, Gen. O. W. Keiffer.
In 1868 he left home, being then a youth of about twenty
years, and, in company with his cousin, Jesse
Benson, started for that land of adventure—the West.
The boys utilized the railroad as far as the iron rail would
transport them, which was to Laramie, Wyoming. They
then started teaming to Helena, Montana, which, at that time
was an inconceivably rough mining town and to reach it they
had to travel through wild sections beset by savage Indian
warriors. They reached Montana safely, however,
although parties just before and after, on the same trail,
were cruelly massacred. The boys fell in with the ways
of the people to some extent, built a cabin on the creek in
which they washed out their gold, sometimes digging up
$1,000 in a single day for a week at a time, and remained
there, with varying luck, for four years. They then
returned to Clark County, where they remained for nine
months, and then went back to the same region, accompanied
by Henry Croft, Jr., and stayed there for seven
years.
Mr. Smith then came back to the East and
in 1883 he bought his present farm from George
Sprinkle, after which he made his third trip to the gold
fields, previously renting his farm, on which he had lived
for seventeen years, and selling his stock. On this
occasion he remained in the far West only two years.
His second trip would have proved his most profitable one
had it not been undertaken about the time of the Custer
massacre, when the Indians were on the war path. At
that time, to save themselves from a like fate, the miners
had to lay down their tools and waste their time pursuing
the savages, and right near the camp where Mr.
Smith was interested several of the miners were killed
and scalped. On one occasion, just at that time,
Mr. Smith says that the water had suddenly gone out of
the ditch which supplied the camp, and the supposition was
that the Indians had cut off the supply. Mr. Smith
was given the doubtful honor of being appointed to go and
find out and he took the precaution to carry his loaded gun
with him when he started to investigate. Fortunately
he met no Indians in his ride of ten miles, but discovered
that the trouble had been caused by a bear stepping on a
hand spike that controlled the flow of water and thus shut
it off.
Mr. Smith formally engaged in threshing
after he settled on his farm, but when his outfit wore out
he decided to follow that industry no longer. He has
never married, but his long camping experience has made him
more independent of a good cook's help than many who have
not had it, and there are those of his friends who have
sampled his dinners and declare they could not be improved
on. The original writer of this sketch, however,
regrets that it was necessary to decline with thanks the
kind invitation extended to him to participate in one of
these repasts which was being served at the time of the
interview. Mr. Smith is a Republican in
politics and has served as supervisor of the township.
He belongs to the Odd Fellows' lodge at Addison.
Source: Centennial History - Troy, Piqua and Miami
Co., Ohio - Publ. 1909 - Page 618 |
| |
W. J. SMITH,
proprietor of the Enterprise Foundry Company of Troy, Ohio,
with plant situated on West Main Street and the city limits,
is an enterprising and representative business man of Troy.
Mr. Smith was born in the great city of
London, England, in 1866, and he came to America when a
youth of seventeen years.
During a residence of some live years at Detroit,
Michigan, Mr. Smith learned the foundry
business in every detail and went from there to Chicago,
Illinois, where he was engaged in the business for one and a
half years. He then returned to Detroit and went from
there to Toronto, Canada. He then visited his native
land but his years of absence had changed his views in many
ways and he decided to again make the United States his
home. He again worked at Detroit, then at Chicago and
from there went to Moline, Illinois. After spending a
considerable period of time there, he went back to Detroit
and then visited Piqua, Ohio. For three years he was
with the Favorite Stove and Range Company, after which he
organized the Ideal Stove and Foundry Company, and after
buying out the Girard Stove and Foundry Company at
Youngstown, Ohio, located at Daleville, Indiana. He
only remained at that point for seven months, finding better
business opportunities as superintendent of the Chicago
Stove Company, a position he filled for four years, after
which he returned to Piqua and then organized the Enterprise
Foundry Company, as sole proprietor. He continued
there six years when, on Feb. 1, 1900, he leased the Troy
Foundry & Machine Company and he now operates his entire
business under the style of the Enterprise Foundry Company.
He is interested in other enterprises and is a man of ample
fortune, all of which he has made for himself in legitimate
business.
In 1895 Mr. Smith was married to Miss Ida M.
Tietje, whose father, Henry A. Tietje, is a
prominent contractor at Dayton, and whose grandfather was a
pioneer manufacturer there. Mr. and Mrs. Smith
have one son, James Henry. Mr.
Smith is a member of the Episcopal Church.
Fraternally he is a Mason, belonging to the Blue Lodge
Chapter, and Council. He is also an Odd Fellow, a
Knight of Pythias, an Elk, and a member of the Order of
Foresters, and is an honorary member also of the Iron
Moulder's Union of North America, and of the Past
Chancellor's Association of Miami County. He is more
or less active in politics and served as central
Committeeman of his ward in Piqua.
Source: Centennial History - Troy, Piqua and Miami
Co., Ohio - Publ. 1909 - Page 372 |
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