PERSONAL MEMOIRS
Source:
BIOGRAPHICAL and HISTORICAL
MEMOIRS
Of
MUSKINGUM COUNTY, OHIO
Embracing an
Authentic and Comprehensive Account of the Chief Events in the
History of the County and a Record of the Lives of
Many of the Most Worthy Families and Individuals
ILLUSTRATED
Published
Chicago:
The Goodspeed Publishing Co.
1892
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JOHN SMITH
is one of the leading agriculturists of Muskingum county, Ohio, and
was born here in 1844, to Thomas and Malinda (Pringle) Smith,
the former of whom was born in Virginia in 1805 and was brought by
his father, Edward Smith, to this state in 1808, when,
before the encroachment of civilization, wild game was plentiful.
In 1809 Edward Smith purchased the farm on which his
grandson, John Smith, is now living, which place had
been entered by another man a short time before. In payment
for this land Mr. Smith gave his horse, saddle and
bridle and finished by paying the government a small balance due on
the land. At the time of his settlement there was but one
house between his place and Zanesville, a distance of six miles, and
it was owned and occupied by a Mr. Ecelberry.
These two families had many interesting experiences and on several
occasions united their forces for protection. The Smith
family came from Virginia to Ohio with a wagon and a cart,
and Mr. Smith always used horses instead of oxen.
He had four head of horses and but very little money and as corn had
to be bought, for which he had, to pay $1 per bushel and the journey
to procure it occupied ten days at least, he had at first a hard
time to make both ends meet. Three or four days were required
to go to mill and, like many other pioneers, they were compelled to
undergo many other inconveniences and hardships. Mr.
and Mrs. Smith reared a family of ten children
—five sons and five daughters—of whom Thomas was the second.
Nathan is the only son now living and is a resident of Hardin
county. Mrs. Elizabeth Comstock is the
only member of this family now residing in this county. The
father of these children died in 1859 at the age of eighty-five
years, his wife’s death occurring on the 30th of October, 1861, at
the age of eighty-one. Thomas Smith, the father of the
subject of this sketch, was reared on the farm on which the latter
now lives, and was educated in the common schools of this county.
At the age of twenty years he married and moved immediately to Blue
Rock township, where his father had purchased a farm of eighty acres
and presented to him, and to this land he afterward added 160 acres,
making it one of the finest farms in the township. He took an
active interest in the affairs of his section and filled the offices
of township trustee and land appraiser. He had the confidence
of all who knew him, and was a decided acquisition to the section in
which he located, for besides being industrious and thrifty, he was
enterprising and always up with the times. He was a strict
member of the Blue Rock Baptist church for more than twenty years,
and in his death his family lost a kind and affectionate husband and
father and a faithful friend, and the community a man true as a die
to her interests and a lover of peace and good order. He was an old
time whig, but during the latter part of his life voted the
democratic ticket. He resided on the farm in Blue Rock township for
fifty-five years and died on the 9th of April, 1881, at the age of
seventy-six years. His wife survived him until September,
1889, and was buried on her eighty-fourth birthday. She was a
kind, gentle and considerate mother, a true friend and an
accommodating neighbor. She and her husband reared a family of
eight children: Edward, who resides in Blue Rock township;
Mary, the deceased wife of Emmer Greenfield;
Elizabeth, the deceased wife of Austin Brothers;
George, who was accidentally killed at a house raising, by a
log falling on him; W. P., who resides in Blue Rock township;
Eliza J., widow of George Roberts, resides in
Blue Rock township; John, the subject of this sketch, and
Jedidah, wife of J. E. Shaver, of Blue Rock township.
John Smith, whose name heads this sketch, attended the
common schools of his precinct, but owing to the fact that his
father got crippled, a brother killed and another brother married,
the burden of conducting the farm fell on his youthful shoulders and
thus deprived him of many a day’s schooling. He has always
been quite a reader and kept thoroughly posted on all the general
topics of the day and may be said to be a well-informed man.
At the age of twenty-one he was married to Miss Calista Shaver,
their union taking place Jan. 23, 1866, she being a daughter of
Levi and Anna (Hale) Shaver, the latter being born on the ocean
Aug. 14, 1818. They were shipwrecked on the way to this
country from Germany and were landed on one of the Portuguese
islands where they remained for one year, or until the ship could be
repaired. She had one brother and one sister who died on the
voyage and were buried at sea. They finally landed in New York
city and Mr. Hale at once made his way to this state
and county and engaged in stock dealing and butchering at
Chandlersville, but died soon after settling in this section.
They reared a family of four sons and one daughter, the last the
mother of the subject of this sketch. John resides in
Springfield, Ill., Alexander resides at Athens, Ill.,
Oscar in Peoria, of the same state, and Joseph in California.
The mother of these children lived to be sixty-five years of age,
dying in 1861. Mr. and Mrs. Shaver became the parents
of eight children. A pair of twin boys died when small; a
little girl also died; and those living are: Calista (Mrs.
Smith); Jonas E., of Blue Rock township; Nancy
and Louisa (twins), the former being the wife of A. F.
Cohagin; Louisa, wife of George Davis, and
Amanda, wife Samuel Gillogly. Mrs.
Shaver died June 5, 1854, but Mr. Shaver is a resident
of Blue Rock township, and although seventy-seven years of age is
yet stout and active. Mr. and Mrs. Smith are the
parents of four children: Levi S., Anna M., Willard
T., and one that died in infancy. Mr. and Mrs. Smith
are members of the Methodist Episcopal church, and he is at present
one of the school directors of his district.
Source: Biographical and Historical Memoirs
of Muskingum County, Ohio, publ. 1892 - Page 567 |
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JASON SPENCER.
During his entire life Jason Spencer,
farmer, Zanesville, has been a resident of Muskingum county, Ohio,
and he enjoys the reputation of being an honest, upright man in
every respect, fully deserving the good opinion with which he is
regarded by every one. He was born in this county, Feb. 28,
1814, and is the son of Ichabod and Mary (Smith) Spencer,
both natives of New Jersey. The parents were married in their
native state and as early as 1805 emigrated to Muskingum county,
Ohio, settling on the farm now owned by their son, Jason.
It was all in the woods then and Mr. Spencer
immediately erected a log house and began improving his place.
He had traded fifty acres of very stony land for 375 acres in
Muskingum county and after arriving here he had but $75 to keep his
family until he could clear land and raise a crop. He
continued improving his farm until his death, which occurred Feb.
16, 1856. He was a hard-working man and an influential
citizen. In clearing his land he would be so late in the
season in getting in his crops that he would not take time to plow
his ground, but would mark it out and his wife and children would
plant. The mother died Oct. 2, 1858. Our subject’s
paternal grandfather, William Spencer, was of English
descent. Jason Spencer was the seventh in order
of birth of eight children and is the only one now living. He
has always resided on his present property, the old homestead, and
has carried on what his father began. He was married in 1840
to Miss Rachel Savidge, a native also of
Muskingum county, residing about two miles from the home of Mr.
Spencer and her parents were early settlers also, coming here
a few years after Mr. Spencer. Mrs.
Spencer died on Feb. 26, 1890.
Source: Biographical and Historical Memoirs
of Muskingum County, Ohio, publ. 1892 - Page 570 |
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JOSEPH SPENCER,
farmer, Frazeysburg, Ohio. Among the well-known pioneer
settlers of Muskingum county, Ohio, the Spencers deserve
honorable mention, for not only are they classed among the first
settlers, but they have ever been respected and esteemed citizens.
Mr. Spencer’s grandfather, Joseph Spencer,
was a native of Maryland, of English descent, and was a shoemaker by
trade. He was the father of five children: Foreman,
Edward, William, Sarah and Gracie (who died
in Maryland). Grandfather Spencer came to Ohio
in early life, after the death of his first wife, and after her son,
Foreman, had made a start, built a home and married. He
lived with his son until his death, when seventy-five years of age.
He was a member of the Baptist church and was well thqught of by the
old settlers. His son, Foreman Spencer, was born
in Maryland, Sept. 1, 1784, secured but a limited education, and
there learned the trade of a tanner and shoemaker. He was one
of the first settlers of Muskingum county, Ohio, emigrating there,
it is believed, about 1800 or 1801, with a family by the name of
Tanner, the descendants of whom are now residing in Zanesville.
Mr. Spencer entered land which is now the farm of his
grandson, John Spencer. Muskingum township was then an
unbroken wilderness, and to the best knowledge of our subject there
was not a single settler in it. Mr. Spencer first built
a log cabin and here resided for a number of years. He had
entered his land, but had no money to pay for it. He had a
horse, and having some time in which to pay for his land, he mounted
that animal and with some provisions and a sack of oats, he visited
Virginia to borrow $100 of an uncle. He received the money and
returned in time to save the land, consisting of 160 acres. He
again returned to Virginia and married Miss Dorothy
Wiseman of West Virginia, on the Little Kenesaw river. The
fruits of this union were eight children, all of whom lived to
maturity: Wilson, Foreman, Owen, Wiseman,
Harriet, Joseph, Elizabeth and Minerva.
Mr. Spencer was a great worker and cleared his
land of the heavy timber with which it was covered. For many
years his nearest neighbor was ten and fifteen miles away, except
one family that lived where the covered bridge now is, near
Frazeysburg, and he used to go ten miles to a log rolling. He
used to go to the falls of Licking river for his grist of meal,
horseback, and hitch his horse to the branches of the beech trees,
waiting sometimes all night to get his grist ground, and sleeping
under the trees. On his way home, he would frequently miss his
cabin, although near it, on account of the thick foliage of the
trees. Here he labored hard, endured all the privation of
pioneer days, and gradually made a fine farm. He cared very
little for hunting and did not waste his time that way, well knowing
that the farm was the road to success. He used to wrap up his
children and lay them under the beech trees while his wife would
gather brush to keep up a fire so that he could see to grub up the
bushes with his mattock. In this way he worked and delved
until he finally owned 600 acres. His sons, as they grew up,
greatly assisted him, which he repaid by giving them land.
Mr. Spencer built a brick house before 1817, and this was
the first brick building in that county. There were none at
Nashport, Irville or Frazeysburg at that early day. He got out
the timber on his own land, burned the brick on his own farm and
they are in excellent condition to this day. He built the
house by piece meal and the walls are still standing in good
condition. Mr. Spencer gave an acre of land to build the Old School
Baptist church on, and this still stands and is occupied by them.
The land where Shannon now stands belonged to Mr.
Spencer, who founded the town and which at one time had a
general store; a physician, and all the different trades were
represented. He was the first tanner in this township, or in
this part of the county, beginning the business soon after coming
here and continuing it for many years. The money he made in
that way assisted him in paying for his land. He was very
careful and economical, and the household clothing was all raised,
spun, woven and made upon the farm. He used to go to Taylor’s
salt works for salt, paying several dollars per barrel. His
faithful wife died at the early age of thirty-seven. She was
an Old School Baptist in her religious belief and a devout woman.
About fifteen years afterward Mr. Spencer married the
widow of Jesse Crannell, formerly a Miss Margaret
Evans, and to them was born one child. Mr.
Spencer was one of the foremost men of the township and took an
active interest in its advancement. After rearing his children and
giving land to each, he sold his property in Ohio, and went to New
York city, where he took passage on a sailing vessel for San
Francisco. From there he went to Portland, Ore., and settled
thirty miles from that city in the Willamette valley on new land
which was then a wilderness, and here Mr. Spencer
again made a new home in a new country. During the period of
the great Civil war about 1861 and 1862, his daughter, Harriet
Baxter, with her husband (John Baxter) and
seven children, went to Oregon and settled in the home of Mr.
Spencer, who was now an old man, and who lived about eight
years afterward, dying at the age of eighty-six years. He left
a handsome property of over 300 acres in the Willamette valley.
Mr. Spencer was very energetic and a good business
man, depending more on his business management and not so much on
hard work the latter part of his life. He was honorable and
upright and his word was as good as his bond. His son,
Joseph Spencer, was born in Muskingum county, Ohio, July
8, 1823, and received but a limited education. At an early age
he began assisting his father to clear the home place, and worked
with untiring industry on the same for years. At the age of
twenty-four he married the daughter of Chaney and
Sarah Mendenhall, one of the pioneer settlers of Jackson
township, coming from Virginia at an early day. To Mr. and
Mrs. Spencer was born one child, Jesse J., who is now a
married man with two children and is living in Kansas on a farm.
After his marriage Joseph Spencer lived with his
father until he was thirty-one years of age. His wife died
three years after marriage, and six years later, at the age of
thirty-one, he married Miss Martha Bail who
bore him four children, all of whom lived to grow to maturity:
Foreman, William H., Thomas C. and Flora A.
After his marriage, and in 1855, he moved to his present farm which
his father had given him and which consisted of 128 acres. To
this he has added from time to time until he now owns 328 acres,
besides having given his sons 120 acres in Jackson township.
Mr. Spencer has been successful in farming, and is one
of the substantial men of the county. He holds membership in
the Presbyterian church and has been trustee of the same for some
time. He takes a decided interest in educational matters and
has been school director. In politics he is a republican.
He has lived all his life in this township, is well known, and is a
temperate, moral man. He made a trip to Oregon and Washington
territory in 1888 and was much pleased with the Willamette valley.
Source: Biographical and Historical Memoirs
of Muskingum County, Ohio, publ. 1892 - Page 571 |
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WISEMAN SPENCER,
farmer, Dresden, Ohio, is an old soldier, and when the country
needed his services he did not hesitate to risk his life in its
defense. His grandfather, Foreman Spencer, was
one of the pioneer settlers of Muskingum county [see sketch of
Joseph Spencer] and Wilson Spencer, son of
Foreman, was born on the old Spencer homestead near
Shannon. In youth his time was divided in attending the common
school and assisting his father on the farm, and when grown he was
united in marriage to Miss Sarah Cole, daughter
of Samuel Cole. The fruits of this union were
eight children, four of whom died when small: Samuel,
Martha, John, Wiseman, Francis, Louisa, Sarah, and Marshall.
Mr. Spencer advocated the principles of the republican party,
and during the war he was a stanch Union man. Socially he was
a Mason, a member of the lodge at Frazeysburg. He became a
substantial farmer, and at the time of his death, which occurred in
1864, when fifty-five years of age, he was the owner of 300 acres of
good land. He had two sons in the Civil war, Wiseman
and Marshall. The latter enlisted in the Seventy-ninth
regiment, Ohio Volunteer infantry, and served in all about four
years. He re-enlisted as a veteran and was in many battles.
He is now a resident in Frazeysburg. Wilson Spencer was a
hard-working, industrious citizen, and was well respected in the
vicinity in which he lived. His son, Wiseman Spencer,
subject of this sketch, received his scholastic advantages in the
common schools, and learned all the details of farm life in early
youth. When twenty-one years of age, or on the of 15th
September, 1861, he enlisted in the Fifteenth regiment, Ohio
Volunteer infantry, Company B, and this was the first regiment to
respond to the call for men in Muskingum county. Young
Spencer was mustered into service at Mansfield, Ohio, and his
first service was in a skirmish at Green river, Ky. Later he
participated in a severe skirmish at Liberty Gap, in which his
command lost eight men. Shortly afterward Mr.
Spencer was taken prisoner, but was only held a few days, when
he was exchanged. He was in the great battle of Chickamauga,
Tenn., and was shot through the chest, a minie-ball passing through
the lower part of the right lung and lodging in the fleshy part of
the back where the ball could be felt. He fell to the ground
insensible, but in a very short time became conscious, arose to his
feet, and walked about fifty yards toward the field hospital.
His comrades then came to his assistance and placing him on a
stretcher carried him to the hospital, in which 500 wounded men were
lying. The hospital was a log house, and as it was in the line of
fire a flag of truce waved from the top. The hospital was full
and Mr. Spencer was placed on the outside of the
house. That night the confederates captured the hospital.
There Mr. Spencer lay for eight days without shelter,
with scanty food - principally corn gruel - and as the surgeons were
too busy to extract the ball from his back it remained there eight
days. He nearly died during that time. At the end of the
eight days he was removed to the creek with the other prisoners, the
United States furnishing the confederates with tents and surgeons
for the wounded. The prisoners were then examined, and those
able to walk were taken to Liberty prison, while those remaining
were exchanged. Mr. Spencer, being badly
wounded, was exchanged about ten days after he was wounded. He
was then taken, with others, to the hospital at Chattanooga,
remained there one week, and was then taken in an ambulance to
Stevenson, Ala. There he remained one month. The ball
was cut out at the field hospital, after inflammation set in, and
Mr. Spencer still has in his possession the ball that so
nearly caused his death. He was in Nashville, Tenn., about a
month and was there discharged as permanently disabled; his father
coming for him. After reaching home he was sick for a year,
but he has never fully recovered, and can not do a full day’s work,
although a strong and hearty man when he entered the service.
He was in active service two years and three months, and receives
now a pension from his country. He was a good and faithful
soldier and was ever ready for duty. On the 28th of December,
1864, he married Miss Emily Riley, daughter of
Samuel Riley [see sketch of Joseph Riley],
and afterward settled on a farm where Howard Spencer
now lives. There he made his home for eight years and then
bought his present farm, which consists of 190 acres of land with
good buildings, etc., on which this old soldier expects to pass the
remainder of his days. To Mr. and Mrs. Spencer were
born nine children: Effie, Minett W., Charles,
Annie, Edna, Eliza, Ollie, Mary
and Leah. Mr. and Mrs. Spencer are members of
the Presbyterian church and he is trustee in the same. He
takes an interest in all laudable enterprises and is now holding the
office of township trustee. He is active in school matters and
is a director. He is a member of the Cass post, G. A. R., of
Dresden, and in politics is a republican. He is one of the
county’s best citizens and is universally respected.
Source: Biographical and Historical Memoirs
of Muskingum County, Ohio, publ. 1892 - Page 572 |
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GEORGE H. STEWART,
cashier and director of the First National bank, Zanesville, and one
of the organizers and long a director of the Zanesville board of
trade, was born at Londonville, Ashland county, Ohio, in 1849, a son
of George H. Stewart, Sr. His father a native of
Pennsylvania, came to this state at an early day and, locating in
Richland county, there engaged in business. He was for several
years one of the most prominent of the earlier merchants of
Mansfield. In Ashland county he became prominent and well
known among the leading and most influential citizens, and was
entrusted with several important public offices, among them that of
associate judge of the court of common pleas and deputy provost
marshal, filling the latter important position during most of the
period of the late war of the states. Politically he was a
stanch republican. He died full of honors in 1883, deeply
regretted by all who had known him. George H. Stewart Jr.,
is a self-made man, and a successful one at that, for though he has
never achieved nor sought any conspicuous political preferment, as
an every-day man of affairs, in his own chosen walk of life he has
attained such a measure of success as marks his as one of the
leading business spirits in this growing city. He grew to
manhood and received his education in public schools of his native
town, and in 1869 at the age of twenty years, came to Zanesville to
accept the responsible position of teller in the financial
institution with which he has since been more and more prominently
identified. In 1873 he was made assistant cashier, and in the
absence of a cashier ably and satisfactorily performed the duties of
this position. Immediately after the panic of 1873, he was
elected cashier in fact, and has ably administered the important
affairs coming within his jurisdiction since. At that time he
was but twenty-four years of age and was one of the youngest bank
cashiers in the state. Since that time he has even more and
more closely identified himself with Zanesville’s most vital
commercial and financial interests, and at this time takes rank with
the most useful and prominent business men of the city. In
1877 Mr. Stewart married the youngest daughter of the late
W. C. Cassel, long a leading and most enterprising manufacturer
of Zanesville, mention of whom will be found elsewhere in these
pages.
Source: Biographical and Historical Memoirs
of Muskingum County, Ohio, publ. 1892 - Page 577 |
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WILSON STEWART.
For a period of nearly twenty years Wilson Stewart has been
engaged in the grocery and general merchandise business in New
Concord, conducting his business from the first on the cash system,
and during the entire time intervening to the present, has been
steadily increasing his hold on public favor and patronage. He
owes his nativity to Washington county, Penn., where his birth
occurred in 1842, and he is the eldest of three children born to
John and Nancy (Stormont) Stewart, both natives of County
Antrim, Ireland. John Stewart was born in the year
1811, and was one of nine children (seven of whom came to this
country), born to Allison and Elizabeth (Wilson) Stewart,
both of whom died on the Emerald Isle. John Stewart
came to America in 1832, and landed at Quebec at the time of the
great cholera scare in this country. He was quarantined there
for some time. From there he went to New York city, and,
having learned the shoemaker’s trade in his native country, followed
that for five years. In 1837 he moved from there to Washington
county, Penn., became the owner of a shoe store, and followed his
trade for many years. He was married in that county in 1841 to
Miss Stormont, and reared three children: Wilson
(subject); David Boyd, who is engaged in the oil
business in Allegheny city, Penn.; and Nancy J., who is now
in Union township, this county. She married Mr. Thomas
Stewart, a prominent farmer in that township, of which he is a
native, and the son of George Stewart who was one of
the first settlers in Union township. In the year 1864 John
Stewart emigrated to Muskingum county, Ohio, settled on a
farm two miles from New Concord, and there tilled the soil for nine
years. From there he moved to the town of New Concord and made
his home there until 1887, when he went with his son to Kansas,
where he received his final summons the same year. Mrs.
Nancy (Stormont) Stewart, mother of subject,
was one of twelve children (five of whom came to this country) born
to David and Nancy (Boyd) Stormont, natives of County Antrim,
Ireland. She died in New Concord in 1879. Mr. and
Mrs. Stewart were both members of the Reformed Presbyterian
church. David Stormont came to the United States
in 1825, and located in Washington county, Penn. Wilson
Stewart passed the early scenes of his life in Washington
county, Penn., but in the fall of 1864 he came to Muskingum county,
Ohio, Highland township, and there followed agricultural pursuits
for seven years. After that he went to Mansfield, Allegheny
county, Penn., and clerked in a store in which his brother was a
partner for nearly two years, and then returned to New Concord,
where, with the exception of a short period in 1887 and 1888, he has
been engaged in merchandising ever since. In the spring of the
former year he went to Wabaunsee county, Kas., but only remained
there a short time, and then returned to New Concord, where he
resumed business. Mr. Stewart was married in
1879 to Miss Mary A. Wallace, daughter of David and Flora
(Jamison) Wallace, who were early settlers of Union township,
and the fruits of this union have been live children - three
daughters and two sons: Anna F., Jennie R., Ella M., David W.
and John W. Mrs. Stewart was born in
Union township, Muskingum county, Ohio, in 1848, and was one of ten
children. Her paternal grandfather, Rev. Robert Wallace,
was a pioneer preacher of this part of Ohio. Mr. and Mrs.
Stewart are members of the Reformed Presbyterian church, and he
is a deacon in the same. They are classed among the county’s
most respected and esteemed citizens and are active in all good
work.
Source: Biographical and Historical Memoirs
of Muskingum County, Ohio, publ. 1892 - Page 577 |
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MRS. CATHERINE FLEMING STUMP
represents two of the oldest families in Muskingum county, Ohio -
the Flemings and the Stumps. Leonard Stump,
her husband’s grandfather, came from Virginia to this section of the
country about 1807. A more complete account of this sturdy old
pioneer and his descendants is given in the sketch of Miss Mary
E. Stump. His son, James, was but seven years of
age when be came with his parents from West Virginia, in which state
he was born in 1800 in Hardy county. He attended the common
schools of Licking and Irville, and as he diligently applied himself
to his books he obtained a practical education. Indians were
very numerous when he was young, and there was plenty of wild game
on all sides. He was first married to Miss Susan Randall
of this county and their union resulted in the birth of one
child that lived to grow to maturity - Leonard Stump.
After the death of his first wife he was married to Miss Cynthia
Rennick, of Pickaway county, which union resulted in the birth
of four children: Lucinda, Rennick, William M., and
Cynthia. Mr. Stump settled in Licking township on the
Newark road, one and one-half miles from Nashport, where he had
erected him a home prior to his marriage, in 1823. This fine
house, in which he spent all his days, is still standing.
Surrounding it were 540 fertile acres of land which, during his
lifetime were exceptionally well tilled and looked after. He
was a Presbyterian in religious belief and lived to be eighty-seven
years of age, his later years being spent in ease aud comfort.
His character was truly Christian like and in his family he was the
soul of kindness and generosity. He was a patron of education
and gave all his children fair educational advantages and assisted
them to a start when they took up the burden of life for themselves.
William M. Stump, his, son and husband of the subject of this
sketch, was born on the 22d of December, 1838, and was given a
common school education. On the 4th of March, 1862, he was
married to Miss Catherine Fleming, who was born Mar. 24,
1842, daughter of John and Hannah (Carter) Fleming.
[See sketch of Fleming family.] The father was the
third son of Col. Nathan Fleming and was born at Irville,
July 16, 1815, and after reaching manhood followed farming on the
highlands of Licking township. He married the daughter of
Salathiel Carter, of West Virginia, and their union resulted in
the birth of the following children: Nathan C., Alva, Mary,
Catherine, James M., Charles W. and Alice V. Mr.
Fleming lived to be seventy-one years of age and was a man of
property, owning about 900 acres of land in Muskingum and Licking
counties. He was a Methodist and had an honorable purpose in
life. His wife died before him at the age of forty-eight.
The Fleming family is one of the most noted and
numerous in the United States and all its members have been honest,
law-abiding citizens. To Mr. and Mrs. William M. Stump
three children were born: Cora, Walter W. and Bertha.
Walter married Eva George, is a farmer and has one
child; Bertha is the wife of Thomas G. Fleming, son of
Nathan Q. Fleming, and Cora is still at home.
William M. Stump died on the 7th of May, 1868, at the age of
twenty-nine years, leaving a young widow with three little children
to care for. He was a successful business man and possessed in
a marked degree those qualities which surmount all difficulties.
He was a kind husband and father, and his loss has always been
greatly deplored. He first settled on the farm which is now
occupied by his widow, then purchased a farm of his father-in-law on
which he lived two years. He then resided on the Newark road
opposite his father and managed the farm belonging to his father,
until he was called from life. Since that time Mrs. Stump
has always resided on the old Stump homestead and has
a pleasant and comfortable home, which she built with her own means,
having inherited property from her father. She has brought up
her children wisely and well and all have received practical
educations. She and her daughter Cora reside together
and their home is the abode of culture, refinement and hospitality.
Source: Biographical and Historical Memoirs
of Muskingum County, Ohio, publ. 1892 - Page 584 |
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J. G. STUMP
is the owner of a fertile and well kept farm of 581 acres in
Muskingum county, Ohio, all of which is one tract comprising one of
the most magnificent bodies of land in this section of the country.
Besides this valuable property he owns landed interests in other
counties and states and is the owner of a farm in Kansas, also one
in Missouri. His residence in Madison township is a very
handsome one, and he has the unbounded satisfaction of knowing that
he owes his prosperity to his industry and economy. He was
born in Licking township, Muskingum county, June 30, 1834, the third
of four children reared by John R. and Rachel (Gorsuch) Stump,
the former of whom was born in Hardy county, Va., Jan. 12, 1798, to
Leonard and Phoebe (Davis) Stump, who were also Virginians of
German descent. The father of Leonard was John
Stump, who married a Miss Brake; he died in
early life and his widow married John Rager.
They moved to Muskingum county in 1806, when the county was almost a
wilderness, and here spent their declining years. Leonard
Stump came to this county in 1804 and took up his residence
on a farm in Licking township, about eleven miles from Zanesville,
where he was called from life in 1846. He reared a family of
eight children: John R., James D., Mary, Jackson, Ruth, William,
Elizabeth and Phoebe. Elizabeth is the only
surviving member, her home being in Putnam county, this state.
The mother of these children died about 1832. John R. Stump
came with his parents to this county and was here educated and
afterward married; his union with Miss Gorsuch taking place
in 1826, and eventually resulted in the birth of four children:
Margaret, who died in 1863; John, who died in 1861; J.
G., the subject of this sketch, and Leonard N., who has
been living in Colorado for the past three years. He was
county commissioner of this county from 1875 to 1878, also serving
part of another term. He is married to Annie Lynn,
by whom he has four children. J. G. Stump was educated
in the schools near his home and was married in Licking township in
1868 to Miss Sarah Van Voorhis, a daughter of Daniel and
Jane (Roberts) Van Voorhis, she being one of their seven
children: John R., Victoria, Samuel F., Sarah A., Mary J., Fulton
Z , and Henry C. Mrs. Stump was born in
Licking township, this county, in 1843, and in her youth was given
good educational advantages. She has borne her husband five
children: Nellie, who was born in Licking township in 1869;
Charles, who was born in Madison township in 1870, and died
Jan. 12, 1892; Daniel, who was born in Madison township in
1873; Mary, who was born in Madison township in 1876; and
Jay, who was born in Dresden in 1877. All these children
have been given excellent advantages and have attended high
institutions of learning. They all still reside at home and
are favorites in the social circles in which they move. Mr.
Stump’s eldest daughter is a member of the Presbyterian
church, and politically he is a democrat, and is ever ready to fill
all calls of public trust. He is a public spirited man and is
interested in all movements which tend to build up the county.
His Grandfather Stump was a first cousin of Andrew
Jackson, and when boys they were reared together. His
father was a second cousin of Stonewall Jackson.
About 1740 or 1750 George Brake, the brother of Mr.
Stump’s great-grandmother, was stolen by the Indians in Hardy
county, Va., when only four years of age, and was brought to this
part of Ohio, where he was reared by them until he became a young
man, when he managed to escape and return to his people.
Source: Biographical and Historical Memoirs
of Muskingum County, Ohio, publ. 1892 - Page 585 |
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MISS MARY E. STUMP,
Nashport, Ohio. The Stumps are of German descent and
are among the pioneers of Lincoln township, Muskingum county.
Leonard Stump, the grandfather, was a Virginian, and
was related to the family from which the noted rebel general,
Stonewall Jackson, sprung. He was married in his
uative state to Miss Phoebe Stump, and to their
union were born eight children: John, born Jan. 29, 1798;
James, born Apr. 1, 1800; Jackson, born Feb. 11, 1802;
Mary M., born Feb. 16, 1804; Ruth, born Feb. 17, 1806;
William, born Oct. 16, 1808; Elizabeth, born Jan. 9,
1811, and Phoebe, born Sept. 11, 1814. Leonard
Stump came to Ohio in 1808 and settled on some wild land
one-half mile west of Nashport, where he resided for some time,
after which he removed to Irville, where he spent the remainder of
his days. He built him a substantial log house, and the huge
stone chimneys with their capacious fireplaces are still standing.
The house has just been torn down, and although built before 1808,
the logs were still sound and were used in the erection of another
building, to serve, perhaps, another three-quarters of a century.
Mr. Stump was a wealthy man for those days, for he brought
property with him from Virginia and became the owner of 8,000 acres
of land in Muskingum county. He died on the 8th of October,
1847, having been born on the 12th of January, 1772. He came of good
Virginia stock and possessed excellent business qualifications.
William Stump, his son, and father of the subject of this
sketch, was born in the old log house near Irville, and was brought
up to a farm life, with limited opportunity for acquiring an
education. He inherited 270 acres of land from his father and
was married to Miss Asenath Pierson, daughter of Daniel
Pierson and Johannah (Stiles) Pierson, both of whom were from
New Jersey and were descended from English ancestors. Daniel
Pierson came to Ohio in 1819 and settled on the Frazeysburg and
Zanesville road in Muskingum county, where he became possessed of a
fair amount of worldly goods. To Mr. and Mrs. Stump
were born three children that grew to maturity: Mary E., William
and James S. Mr. Stump was a careful and thrifty farmer,
and at his death was the owner of 311 acres of land. He was
not a believer of secret organizations, but was of a very peaceable
turn of mind and attended strictly to his own affairs. He was an
honorable man in every sense of the term, and his word was
considered as good as his bond. He was a strong democrat
politically, but was not an active politician. He lived to the
advanced age of eighty-two years, dying on the 1st of February,
1891. His daughter, Miss Mary Stump, is now living on
the old homestead and is successfully managing a farm of 140 acres.
She is a capable and energetic woman, and has rapidly acquired a
knowledge of business and the most successful way of managing her
own affairs. The stone house in which she resides is now
fifty-one years old and is a solid and substantial structure.
Source: Biographical and Historical Memoirs
of Muskingum County, Ohio, publ. 1892 - Page 584 |
NOTES:
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