OHIO GENEALOGY EXPRESS

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Morrow County,  Ohio
History & Genealogy

CHARLES C. VANNATTA. ––Noteworthy among the active and highly esteemed citizens of Morrow county is Charles C. Vannatta who has been associated with the mercantile interests of Washington township for nearly a quarter of a century, and who, on November 8, 1910, was elected county clerk of Morrow county, the large majority of votes cast at the polls in his favor showing his popularity as a man and a citizen.  A son of John Vannatta, he was born September 14, 1863, in North Bloomfield township, Morrow county, Ohio.
     Born in New Jersey, John Vannatta was there brought up and educated.  In 1844, ere attaining his majority, he came westward to Ohio, and subsequently made a permanent settlement in North Bloomfield township, where he spent his remaining years.  He married in 1850, Margaret McCallester, who was born in the Emerald Isle.  At the age of six months she was brought by her parents to the United States, and in Washington township, Morrow county, Ohio, she grew to womanhood, and was educated.  To her and her husband twelve children were born, seven of whom were living in the closing months of the year 1910, as follows: William, of Mount Gilead, Ohio; David R., a general merchant in Iberia; Dr. H. L., of Wyandot county, Ohio; Mattie, widow of Sylvester Price, of Ada, Ohio; Charles C., the special subject of this brief personal review; E. E., and Frank, of Marion, Ohio.
     Remaining a member of the parental household until twenty-one years of age, Charles C. Vannatta obtained the rudiments of his education in the rural schools of his native district, after which he attended the public schools of Ada and the Iberia College.  He began life for himself as a teacher, but for the past twenty-four years has been identified with mercantile affairs in Iberia.
     Mr. Vannatta married, November 6, 1890, Mary E. Kerr, of Marion, Ohio, and they are the parents of three children, namely: Dwight, born April 7, 1892, is a graduate of the Iberia public schools and of the Iberia College; Forest, born November 5, 1896; and Lowell, born April 24, 1900.
     Politically Mr. Vannatta is one of the leading Republicans of his district, and as a loyal, public-spirited citizen has never shirked the responsibility of office.  He has served efficiently as a member of the Iberia Board of Education; was for twelve years clerk of Washington township; and on the first Monday of August, 1911, will assume the office of county clerk of Morrow county, a position to which he was elected by a majority of one hundred and thirty-eight votes in his own township, in which the Republicans usually have but thirty-five majority, while his majority of the votes cast in Morrow county amounted to six hundred and two.  Fraternally Mr. Vannatta is a member and past chancellor of Iberia Lodge, No. 561, Knights of Pythias.
Source:  History of Morrow County, Ohio by A. J. Baughman - Vol. II - Chicago-New York: The Lewis Publishing Co. - 1911 – pp. 703-704
Contributed by a Generous Genealogist.

  WALTER W. VAUGHAN - There has been nothing parasitic in the career of Hon. Walter W. Vaughan, who through life and labors has conferred honor upon the county of his nativity.  He has not only been an effective and successful exponent of the agricultural and stock=growing industries in Morrow county but has also caused his benignant influence to permeate the sphere of public activity, as is indicated by the fact that he is at the present time representative of his native county in the lower house of the state legislature.  He is a man of broad intellectual grasp and well mature opinions as to matters of public polity, so that his value in his present office is of the most definite order, the while his sterling attributes of character have given him an impregnable place in popular confidence and esteem.  As one of the essentially representative citizens of Morrow county he is well entitled to consideration in this publication, and he takes pride in being numbered among the sturdy yeoman of the fine old Buckeye commonwealth, his well improved and attractive homestead being located in Lincoln township, about three miles east of the thriving little city of Cardington.
     Walter W. Vaughan was born on the parental farmstead in Lincoln township, Morrow county, and the day of his nativity was Feb. 7, 1866.  He is a son of James W. and Rachel Ann (Wood) Vaughan, the former of whom was born in Stark county and the latter in Morrow.
     James W. Vaughan was long numbered among representative farmers and stock-growers of Lincoln township and his life was so guided and governed by principles of integrity and honor that he was not denied the fullest measure of popular confidence and esteem in the community that so long represented his home and in which his career was marked by earnest toil and endeavor.  He contributed his quota to the industrial and social development of Morrow county and was a man of unassuming, sincere and worthy character, well entitled to the uniform esteem accorded him.
     Walter W. Vaughan was reared under the strenuous but invigorating discipline of the farm and through such intimate association with nature in "her visible form" he waxed strong in independence and self-reliance.  After availing himself of the advantages of the district schools he continued his studies in the public schools of the village of Cardington, and that he made good use of these scholastic opportunities is shown by the fact that after a course in the high school he proved himself eligible for pedagogic honors.  When about eighteen years of age he initiated his efforts as a teacher in the district schools of his native county, and for about a decade he thus divided his time between the work of the school-room in the winter terms and that of the farm in the summer seasons, so that there was no possibility of deterioration in either brain or brawn.  Through such labors have been developed many of the leaders in thought and action in our great American republic, which affords boundless opportunities for the perpetuation of individuality and for individual accomplishment.  Mr. Vaughan has ever appreciated the dignity and value of honest forces or the emoluments derived therefrom.  About 1888 he entered into partnership with his father in the live-stock business, in which he eventually gave special attention to dealing in horses, in the sale of which he made large shipments to eastern markets.  In this connection he brought to bear excellent initiative and executive powers, and incidentally laid the foundation for definite prosperity and independence.
     The live stock operations of Mr. Vaughan were conducted in connection with the old homestead farm of his father until 1902, when he amplified the scope of his industrial enterprise by the purchase of his present homestead of one hundred and thirty-three acres, eligibly located on the Cardington and Chesterville turnpike, three miles distant from Cardington.  The place had been much neglected, with the result that its fertility had declined and its buildings fallen into poor condition.  With characteristic energy and enterprise Mr. Vaughan set to himself the task of improving the farm along all lines, bringing the land under effective cultivation, repairing the existing buildings and erecting new ones demanded in connection with the general operation of the place, which he has brought to a high standard, so that it is now one of the well improved and valuable farm properties of the county, with every evidence of thrift and prosperity.  In 1906 he erected the large and modern barn on the homestead, and the facilities of the same are of the best type throughout, with special provisions for the care of live stock.  The place is devoted to diversified agriculture and to the raising of high grades of live stock, and Mr. Vaughan continued to buy and ship horses to a considerable extent, being an excellent judge of values and showing much discrimination in his operations, in which his success has been marked.
     A man of high civic ideals and well fortified opinions, Mr. Vaughan has naturally shown a loyal interest in public affairs, and he has gained a position of definite leadership in connection with the maneuvering of political forces in his native county.  He accords an unequivocal allegiance to the Republican party and has been one of the leaders in its local councils.  In 1901 he became a member of the county committee of his party and he had the distinction of serving as its chairman for three years.  In 1905 he was made the Republican nominee for representative of Morrow county in the state legislature, and though his defeat was compassed by normal political exigencies he made an excellent campaign and gained a strong hold upon the confidence of the people of the county, so that when he again appeared as a candidate for the same office, in 1908, he was elected by a gratifying majority.  The best voucher of the popular appreciation of his efforts as a member of the legislature was that given by his reelection in the autumn of 1910, so that he is now serving his second term, which will expire Jan. 1, 1913.  Mr. Vaughan has been a zealous and valued worker in the deliberations of both the floor and the committee-room of the house.  Fidelity and earnestness have characterized his efforts in behalf of wise legislation and he has shown a broad grasp upon matters of public polity and expediency.  He has ably championed the various measures that have appealed to his judgment and has been equally uncompromising in his his judgment and has been equally uncompromising in his work against legislature that he has considered ill advised.  Within the compass of a sketch of this order it is, of course, impossible to enter into details concerning his effective labors in the popular branch of the legislature, but it is but consistent that reference be made to certain important measures with the furtherance or defeat of which he was prominently identified.  He introduced and put upon its final passage the bill reducing the mileage allowed to members of the legislature from twelve to two cents a mile, the latter being the absolute expenditure demanded for railroad fares.  The finance committee of the house recommended an appropriation of three hundred and fifty thousand dollars for the improvement of the Ohio canals, but mainly through the insistent efforts of Mr. Vaughan this appropriation was reduced to one hundred thousand dollars, which sum appeared, upon close examination, to be entirely adequate for the purpose specified in the bill.  An uncompromising advocate of the cause of temperance and the proper control of the liquor traffic, he also exerted much influence in compassing the defeat of the Dean bill, in the lower house, in the session of 1911, said bill having been considered by him and other leading members a matter involving retrogression and the extension of undue privileges.  Mr. Vaughan is known as a forceful and eloquent speaker, and elegance of diction and clarity of statement invariably characterize his utterances.   He has been assigned to membership in important committees of the house and in the deliberation thereof has shown marked business acumen and maturity of judgment.  His integrity of purpose is beyond cavil and he never makes any compromise for the sake of personal expediency.  In this attitude he exemplifies well the principles of the stanch Society of Friends, the noble religious organization with which the Vaughan family became identified many generations ago.
     On the 17th of March, 1887, was solemnized the marriage of Mr. Vaughan to Miss Mina Chase, who was born in Westfield township, Morrow county, on the 16th of November, 1865, and who is a daughter of Daniel L. and Victoria (Bailey) Chase, representatives of honored pioneer families of Ohio.  The Chase family was early founded in the state of New York and the lineage is traced back to staunch English origin.  Robert Chase, grandfather of Mrs. Vaughan, settled in Morrow county, Ohio, in the pioneer days and was prominent and influential in connection with the affairs of the Christian church in this state.   Daniel L. Chase became one of the prosperous and representative agriculturists of Morrow county and ever commanded sure vantage ground in popular confidence and regard.  He was called upon to serve in various offices of public trust, including that of county clerk, of which he was incumbent from 1876 to 1882.  Both he and his wife continued to maintain their hone in this county until their death, and of the children one son and one daughter are now living.  Mrs. Vaughan is a woman of most gracious personality and is the chatelaine of a home that is notable for culture and generous hospitality, both she and her daughter being valued factors in connection with the leading social activities of the community.  She was graduated in the Mount  Gilead high school and for several years prior to her marriage she was a successful and popular teacher in the schools of her native county.  Mr. and Mrs. Vaughan have one daughter, Ruth M., who was born on the 26th of April, 1896, and who is a member of the class of 1915 in the high school at Cardington.
History of Morrow County, Ohio - by A. J. Baughman - Vol. II - Chicago-New York: The Lewis Publishing Co. - 1911 - Page 506

FRED W. VINCENT. ––Geniality and cordiality of manner are the cardinal characteristics of a successful business man.  Mr. Vincent, of this review, the genial and cordial proprietor of The Hotel Vincent, of Marengo, Ohio, is a gentleman who has won the esteem and respect of all who know him and his homelike hotel.  He is a native of Franklin county, Ohio, born March 7, 1871, and is the seventh child in a family of eight children, seven sons and one daughter, born to Nathan and Loretta (Phelps) Vincent.  There are six of the children living at present.  Charles, married, and a resident of Mansfield, Ohio, is an agriculturist.  He was educated in the common schools.  Carrie is the wife of Edwin Linnabarry, a resident of Galena, Ohio, and a successful agriculturist.  Joseph, a resident of Westerville, Ohio, is a rural route agent.  William, a resident of Westerville, Ohio, is also engaged in the rural mail service.  Fred W., the subject of this sketch, is next in order of birth.  Walter, the youngest and unmarried one, resides with his mother near Westerville, Ohio.
     Nathan Vincent was born in 1834 and died in 1878.  He was a skilled contractor and builder.  He erected the old State Fair buildings and Camp Chase at Columbus, Ohio, and was one of the most skilled workmen in his trade of any in Ohio and his services were always in demand.  He was a fine mathematician.  Politically he was an old-line Whig, and when the Republican party was founded he advocated its cardinal points and principles until his death.  Religiously both he and his wife were members of the Presbyterian church.  He was a gentleman of firm, decisions and character and universally beloved by all.  His funeral was one of the largest ever witnessed in Westerville, Ohio.  Mrs. Vincent, the mother of our subject, is a native of Franklin county, Ohio, born in 1835, and is still living, at the age of seventy-six years.  Her mentality is yet vigorous.  She has been a wonderfully industrious woman and a true mother in every sense of the word and ideal in her Christian life.  She was a daughter of Edward Phelps, one of the pioneers of Franklin county.  The Phelps, Griswolds and Moores were the first three families to settle in Franklin county.  Mrs. Vincent resides two and a half miles south of Westerville, Ohio, on an estate of one hundred and eighty-eight acres of fine land lying along the Interurban Railroad to Columbus, and the land is valued at one hundred and seventy-five dollars an acre.
     Mr. Vincent, of this review, traces his lineage to the French, as the early progenitors were De Vincent and came from the “land of the lily.”  He was reared as a farmer lad until at the age of sixteen he began as a wage earner and acted as field salesman for the well known harvester company “The Plano,” and was with this well known firm for four years.  He next worked as a carpenter, and remained at that work for two years.  He really devoted most of his life to agricultural pursuits until he located in his present calling at Marengo.  It was in 1897 when he located in Morrow county––Peru township––and he was there four years.  He then purchased a little tract of land, but afterward sold and moved on the Royal Moore farm, where he remained for four years as an agriculturist and stockman.  He was then located one year on the Leatherman farm.  In 1910 he and his wife purchased the hotel property and livery at Marengo, and his comfortable hostelry is well known by the traveling public.  He and his wife endeavor to make their home the traveling man’s home by cordial and kindly greeting, good table service and comfortable quarters, and with hotel service he has most excellent livery equipment.
     Mr. Vincent wedded Miss Cora G. Stanton, of Columbus, Ohio, May 20, 1892—four children have been born to them, namely: Josephine L., who has received a good educational training; Carrie M. is a student in the Marengo High School, class of 1913; and Donna Bell and Merald H.  Mrs. Vincent is a native of Crawford county, Ohio, and was born March 28, 1874, a daughter of Dennis and Florilla (Dart) Stanton.  There were nine children but there are only five living at present, namely: Lucy, wife of Frank Grames, a resident of Chicago Junction and employed by the U. S. Government in the mail service; Chauncey, a resident of Huntington county, Indiana, and an agriculturist; Josephine is the wife of George Hannum, residing at Cincinnati, Ohio, where he is superintendent in the C. H. and D. yards; John, a resident of Huntington county, Indiana, is also a farmer; Mrs. Vincent is the next and the youngest.  Her father, Dennis Stanton, was born in Pennsylvania July 6, 1828, and died October 17, 1879.  He was of English descent.  He died when his daughter, Mrs. Vincent, was a little girl five years old.  Florilla Dart Stanton, Mrs. Vincent’s mother, was born in Morrow county, Ohio, October 17, 1834, and she is now a resident of Huntington county, Indiana.
     Mr. and Mrs. Vincent have located in Marengo and they are citizens who hold a high place in the esteem of all who have had the pleasure of their acquaintance, while their daughters are valuable additions to the young social element of the town.  Mr. Vincent is a Republican and cast his first vote for Benjamin Harrison and he has always supported the principles and policies of that party.  He is a member of the Marengo Knights of Pythias Lodge, No. 216, and is vice chancellor, Mrs. Vincent being a member of the Pythian Sisters at Ashley, Ohio.  We are pleased to present this brief review of this worthy couple and their cozy, homelike hotel is ever open to friends and wayfarer, who will be cordially entertained.
Source:  History of Morrow County, Ohio by A. J. Baughman - Vol. II - Chicago-New York: The Lewis Publishing Co. - 1911 – pp. 500-502
Contributed by a Generous Genealogist.

DR. SAMUEL VIRTUE, veterinary surgeon, Mt. Gilead, Ohio, owns and occupies a beautiful home on South Main street and ranks as one of the representative citizens of this place, where he has been engaged in the practice of his profession for over twenty years.
     Dr. Virtue is a native of Ohio. He was born in Guernsey county October 3, 1841, a son of Robert and Cynthia (Fuller) Virtue, and in 1846, when a lad of five years, was brought by his parents to Morrow county, where his boyhood was passed on a farm and where he attended the district schools. When the Civil war was inaugurated in 1861 his youthful spirit was fired with patriotism, and in the fall of that year he left the farm to enter the army. He enlisted in Company G, Eighty-first Ohio Volunteer Infantry, which became a part of the Army of the Southwest, and where he served under General Halleek and General Grant, his first important battle being that of Shiloh. Near Corinth he was taken ill, and soon afterward was in hospital. His illness incapacitated him for service, and in the fall of 1862 he was honorably discharged and returned to his home in Morrow county. While his army life lasted only a year, it was long enough, with its exposures and hardships, to unfit him for farm work, and on his return home he turned his attention to the study and practice of veterinary surgery.
     Soon after his return from the army, in the fall of 1862, Dr. Virtue married Miss Samantha Jane McVay, and they are the parents of the following children: Dr. F. M. Virtue, of Sulphur Springs, Crawford county, Ohio; Dr. C. E. Virtue, of MI. Gilead, Ohio; Dr. C. E. Virtue, of Caledonia, Ohio; Dr. D. B. Virtue, of Iberia, Morrow county, Ohio ; and Maggie, wife of David Douglas, of Iberia.
     A veteran of the Civil war and a pensioner (being the recipient of a pension of seventeen dollars per month), Dr. Virtue is, of course, identified with the G. A. R., having membership in Hurd Post, No. 114, of which he is a Past Commander. Politically he is a Republican, and he cast his first presidential vote for the martyred Lincoln. While he has always been conscientious and prompt as a voter and well posted on political affairs, he has never been an office holder, nor has he ever sought official preferment. Religiously he is a Presbyterian.
Source:  History of Morrow County, Ohio by A. J. Baughman - Vol. II - Chicago-New York: The Lewis Publishing Co. - 1911 – pp. 569-570