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BIOGRAPHIES
The following biographies are extracted from:
Source:
The County of Ross: a history of Ross County, Ohio
By Henry Holcomb Bennett
Published by S. A. Brant, Madison, Wis.,
1902
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JUDGE WILLIAM H. SAFFORD
Source: The County of Ross: a history of Ross County, Ohio
by Henry Holcomb Bennett - Published by S. A. Brant, Madison,
Wis., 1902 - Page 669 |
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AUGUSTUS SANTO
Source: The County of Ross: a history of Ross County, Ohio
by Henry Holcomb Bennett - Published by S. A. Brant, Madison,
Wis., 1902 - Page 691 |
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GEORGE W. SANTEE
Source: The County of Ross: a history of Ross County, Ohio
by Henry Holcomb Bennett - Published by S. A. Brant, Madison,
Wis., 1902 - Page 672 |
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MICHAEL SCHILDER
Source: The County of Ross: a history of Ross County, Ohio
by Henry Holcomb Bennett - Published by S. A. Brant, Madison,
Wis., 1902 - Page 673 |
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AUGUST SCHMIEDER
Source: The County of Ross: a history of Ross County, Ohio
by Henry Holcomb Bennett - Published by S. A. Brant, Madison,
Wis., 1902 - Page 674 |
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J. WOODBRIDGE SCOTT
Source: The County of Ross: a history of Ross County, Ohio
by Henry Holcomb Bennett - Published by S. A. Brant, Madison,
Wis., 1902 - Page 675 |
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MILTON J. SCOTT
Source: The County of Ross: a history of Ross County, Ohio
by Henry Holcomb Bennett - Published by S. A. Brant, Madison,
Wis., 1902 - Page 675 |
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SAMUEL FREDERICK SECREST
Source: The County of Ross: a history of Ross County, Ohio
by Henry Holcomb Bennett - Published by S. A. Brant, Madison,
Wis., 1902 - Page 676 |
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CHARLES SEIP
Source: The County of Ross: a history of Ross County, Ohio
by Henry Holcomb Bennett - Published by S. A. Brant, Madison,
Wis., 1902 - Page 677 |
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JOSHUA SENEY
Source: The County of Ross: a history of Ross County, Ohio
by Henry Holcomb Bennett - Published by S. A. Brant, Madison,
Wis., 1902 - Page 679 |
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MICHAEL SENFF
Source: The County of Ross: a history of Ross County, Ohio
by Henry Holcomb Bennett - Published by S. A. Brant, Madison,
Wis., 1902 - Page 679 |
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WERTER M. SEYMOUR
Source: The County of Ross: a history of Ross County, Ohio
by Henry Holcomb Bennett - Published by S. A. Brant, Madison,
Wis., 1902 - Page 680 |
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HORACE E. SHEPLER
Source: The County of Ross: a history of Ross County, Ohio
by Henry Holcomb Bennett - Published by S. A. Brant, Madison,
Wis., 1902 - Page 681 |
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WILLIAM E. SHEPLER
Source: The County of Ross: a history of Ross County, Ohio
by Henry Holcomb Bennett - Published by S. A. Brant, Madison,
Wis., 1902 - Page 682 |
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JACOB SHIVELY
Source: The County of Ross: a history of Ross County, Ohio
by Henry Holcomb Bennett - Published by S. A. Brant, Madison,
Wis., 1902 - Page 682 |
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SAMPSON SHOEMAKER
Source: The County of Ross: a history of Ross County, Ohio
by Henry Holcomb Bennett - Published by S. A. Brant, Madison,
Wis., 1902 - Page 684 |
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WESLEY SHOEMAKER
Source: The County of Ross: a history of Ross County, Ohio
by Henry Holcomb Bennett - Published by S. A. Brant, Madison,
Wis., 1902 - Page 685 |
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DAVID C. SHOTTS
Source: The County of Ross: a history of Ross County, Ohio
by Henry Holcomb Bennett - Published by S. A. Brant, Madison,
Wis., 1902 - Page 686 |
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GEORGE SIGLER
Source: The County of Ross: a history of Ross County, Ohio
by Henry Holcomb Bennett - Published by S. A. Brant, Madison,
Wis., 1902 - Page 687 |
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LUTHER C. SKINNER,
connected with the agricultural interests of Deerfield township
for over thirty-five years, is justly regarded as one of the
most substantial of Ross county’s farmers. Like so many
other Ohioans, he comes of old Virginia stock and his ancestry
have been cultivators of the soil from time out of mind.
William Skinner came with his wife from the Old
Dominion when Ohio was quite new as a state and sought a
settlement in the county of Belmont. This location not
proving satisfactory they removed shortly afterward to Muskingum
county, where the head of the house secured land and entered
into the business of cultivating the same. This Virginia
couple had nine children, all now dead, named as follows:
Lucy, Nancy, Eliza, William (who was a soldier in 1812),
Charles, John, Madison, Joseph and Philip. The
father ended his days in Belmont county, Ohio, and the mother
while on a visit to Virginia. Philip, the youngest
of their children, was born in 1804 near Richmond, Va., and
after the death of his mother was reared by his elder brother
Charles. When he reached the proper age, he went to
Moorefield, in Hardy county, to learn the tanner’s trade, and
spent several years in mastering the details of that business.
While living at this place he married Mary Ann Collins,
after which he worked at his trade in Moorefield for some time
and then removed to Dresden, Ohio. He resumed the tanning
business in that town and continued it two or three years, but
was eventually compelled to give it up on account of failing
health. Hoping relief from a change of occupation, he
undertook farming and prosecuted that work a few years, after
which he went to Athens, Ohio, and resumed his old calling as a
tanner. Again he was forced to quit by persistent illness,
and as soon as strong enough took up farming for the second
time. Both he and wife lived to the age of eight-four
years, the last fifteen of which were spent in Ross county,
where in the fullness of time they found their graves.
This pioneer pair realized in full what the ancient Hebrews
regarded as the greatest blessings - length of years and
abundance of children. The latter were twelve in number
and scattered throughout various states and places: James
lives in Missouri; Luther C. is the subject of our
sketch; Harrison and William are dead; Mary
is in Florida; Joseph resides at Clarksburg, Ohio;
Adolphus and Anna are in Pickaway county; Nancy
lives at Loveland, Ohio, Charles in Missouri, Philip
at Clarksburg, Ohio, and Charlotte in South Carolina.
Luther C. Skinner, the second of the family, was born
near Dresden, in Muskingum county, July 29, 1829. He
remained at home until he attained legal age, when he began
working by the month for neighbors, continued this occupation
for several years and then married Elizabeth Lowery, of
Athens county. Securing possession of some land in the
county just mentioned, Mr. Skinner cultivated it until
1866 when he came to Ross county which has since been his place
of residence. With the exception of one year spent in
Iowa, he has lived all this time in Deerfield township, and
since 1870 has resided at his present home. Mrs.
Skinner, who has so long been the faithful companion and
helpmate of her husband, died in 1895 after having become the
mother of the following named children: William, of
Chillicothe; Charles (deceased); John, of Pickaway
county, Dudley, at home; Frank, of Concord
township; Elmer (deceased), Hooker (deceased),
Amy, Anna L., Robert, Nancy, Elizabeth and Luther.
Source: The County of Ross: a history of Ross County, Ohio
by Henry Holcomb Bennett - Published by S. A. Brant, Madison,
Wis., 1902 - Page 688 |
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DIAS S. SMITH, M. D.,
of Bourneville, is a native of Adams county, Ohio,
born June 8, 1854. He is a son of John M. Smith,
who was born in Adams county Sept. 30, 1822. About
1847 John M. Smith married Margaret Edgington,
and soon thereafter bought a farm, on which he lived for
several years. By this marriage he had three children,
of whom Asenath and Calvin are dead and Jason M.
is living in Clinton county. Their mother died about
1850 and in 1852 John M. Smith was remarried, to
Mrs. Harriet G. Pence, nee Greenlee, widow
of Philip Pence. By this union there were two
children, Dias S. and Grafton P., the latter living
in Missouri. The father continued to farm his place
until 1885, when he sold out and went to Missouri, where he
died in May, 1901. Dr. Smith attended the
district school and remained at home until he was about
twenty-two years of age. In September, 1875, he
entered the office of Dr. Arthur Noble, of
Winchester, Adams county, and studied medicine for three
years. He also took courses of lectures at Miami
Medical college, in Cincinnati, from which institution he
was graduated in the spring of 1879. Shortly afterward
he removed to Bourneville, where he still resides and enjoys
an extensive practice. The Doctor is a member of Paint
Valley lodge, No. 808, I. O. O. F., at Bourneville, and of
lodge No. 5,754, Modern Woodmen, at South Salem. On
May 3, 1882, he was married to Anna M. Ritter,
daughter of John G. Ritter, of Chillicothe.
They have two children, Maud M. and Arthur N.
Source: The County of Ross: a history of Ross County, Ohio
by Henry Holcomb Bennett - Published by S. A. Brant, Madison,
Wis., 1902 - Page 689 |
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GEORGE J. SMITH,
coroner of Ross county and one of the most popular of the
county officials is of Pennsylvania nativity and German
parentage. His father, George Smith, crossed
the Atlantic in 1836 and lived in Pennsylvania ten years,
removing to Covington, Ky., in 1846. In that city and
Cincinnati he was occupied for some years with his trade as
a tanner, which he resumed at Chillicothe after his removal
there in 1855. He removed in 1863 to Zaleski, Ohio,
where he died in 1879 at the age of seventy-three years.
About the year 1840 by the name of Renner, who died
of cholera during the epidemic of that disease in 1848 at
Cincinnati. She had three children, one of whom, a
daughter, perished of the same malady that carried off the
mother. Another daughter, named Mary, is the
wife of Jacob Summers, of Chillicothe.
George J. Smith, the only son, was born in Pennsylvania,
Apr. 7, 1844, attended school two years in Cincinnati and
obtained his subsequent education after his father's removal
to Chillicothe. Aug. 7, 1862, he enlisted in Company
F, One Hundred and Sixth regiment, Ohio volunteer infantry,
organized in that State. The first engagement of this
command was the unfortunate affair at Hartsville, Tenn.,
where after a spirited fight they were compelled to
surrender. they were detained as prisoners of war
about four weeks and then exchanged. The subsequent
work of the regiment was principally devoted to guard duty
of different kinds, though they occasionally had a skirmish
with guerrillas. After his command was mustered out of
service, June 29, 1865, Mr. Smith located at Zaleski,
where his father then lived, and learned the tanner's trade,
which he followed for two years. Removing at that time
to Chillicothe he secured employment in a tannery and
continued at that work for twenty-one years, after which he
spent some time in market gardening. In the fall of
1898, Mr. Smith was elected coroner of Ross county,
being one of the only two candidates on the Republican
ticket that year who escaped defeat. In 1900 he was
elected for another term and received the second highest
vote for any man on his party's ticket. It so happened
that during Mr. Smith's incumbancy the coroner's
office was called onto do an unusual amount of work in its
line, more in fact than had fallen to any predecessor, and
the general verdict is that he has performed the duties
devolving upon him with a promptness and discretion that has
won the commendation of all parties. Jan. 8, 1866, he
was married to Susan Hess, a native of Germany who
came with her parents to this county in infancy.
Mr. and Mrs. Smith have had eight children, of whom five
are living: George J., Jr.; Mary, wife of George
Wymer, of Dayton; Carrie, wife of Henry Hill,
of Chillicothe; William, of Washington Court House,
and Susan.
Source: The County of Ross: a history of Ross County, Ohio
by Henry Holcomb Bennett - Published by S. A. Brant, Madison,
Wis., 1902 - Page 689 |
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ISAAC N. SMITH, M. D.
Source: The County of Ross: a history of Ross County, Ohio
by Henry Holcomb Bennett - Published by S. A. Brant, Madison,
Wis., 1902 - Page 690 |
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JOHN W. SMITH,
Source: The County of Ross: a history of Ross County, Ohio
by Henry Holcomb Bennett - Published by S. A. Brant, Madison,
Wis., 1902 - Page 694 |
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OTHO LYONS SMITH,
stock-raiser and general farmer in Concord township, is a
worthy representative of the younger generation of Ross
county agriculturists. His grandparents were natives
of Germany who crossed the ocean in 1827 in a sailing vessel
and landed in New York after a tedious voyage of six weeks.
The immigrants made their way to Ross county, bought a farm
in the south part of Union township and spent the remainder
of their days in cultivating the land. Their son,
Lewis Smith, was born in Germany in 1819 and accompanied
his parents to America when eight years old. In youth
he spent several years in his native country, where he
obtained the principal part of his education, and on
returning to Ohio remained at home until his marriage to
Jeanette Lyons, a native of Tennessee of Scotch-Irish
descent. He settled with his bride in Pickaway county,
where several years were spent, and from there returned to
Ross county, where a farm was purchased in the northern part
of Union township on which the family resided until the
death of Mrs. Smith in 1886. Of the nine
children born to Lewis Smith and wife, four are dead:
Lewis, George, Louisa, and Nettie. Those
living are John, Otho L., Edward, Albert, and
Emma, now the wife of Cary Brown. Otho Lyons
Smith, sixth of the children, was born in Union
township, Ross county, June 13, 1863, attended the district
schools and assisted his father on the farm until his
marriage to Laura B., daughter of Hon. Byron Lutz.
After ten years spent at different places in Deerfield
and Union townships. Mr. Smith finally settled
in Concord township on the farm which he now occupies.
It consists of 334 acres and is cultivated in modern style
by Mr. Smith, who also raises and handles stock.
A Democrat in politics, he is in no sense an office seeker,
but he has held the position of assessor for one term.
Mr. and Mrs. Smith have four children:
Cloude S., Warde Byron, Harry Neal, and Glenn Lutz.
Source: The County of Ross: a history of Ross County, Ohio
by Henry Holcomb Bennett - Published by S. A. Brant, Madison,
Wis., 1902 - Page 691 |
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WILLIAM H. SMITH,
of Frankfort, is a native of Pickaway county, born Jan. 5,
1859. He is the son of William Smith, an old
resident of Pickaway, living near the Ross county line, and
a farmer by occupation. William H. received his
education in the Pickaway common schools, and when he
arrived at the age of eighteen concluded to strike out for
himself. His first venture was in the farming
business, which he followed until 1888. In that year
he went to Springfield, where he secured employment in a
fish store and remained there for eight years. After
giving up his job, he worked for eighteen months in the fish
business at Dayton, Ohio. In 1897 he removed to
Frankfort, Ohio, and engaged in the liquor business, and
there he has ever since made his home. In 1899 Mr.
Smith was married to Daisy B. daughter of
George Santee, a prominent farmer of Ross county.
They have one child, whose name is Bernard R.
Source: The County of Ross: a history of Ross County, Ohio
by Henry Holcomb Bennett - Published by S. A. Brant, Madison,
Wis., 1902 - Page 692 |
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VAL SOUTHWORTH
Source: The County of Ross: a history of Ross County, Ohio
by Henry Holcomb Bennett - Published by S. A. Brant, Madison,
Wis., 1902 - Page 693 |
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DAVID A. SPEAKMAN, a
well known farmer of Deerfield township, comes of Maryland
stock westernized by long residence in Ross county.
The first of the name to cross the mountains in search of an
Ohio home was Joshua Speakman, and on arrival he
fixed his abode in that part of Ross which afterward became
Vinton county. Here his son Ebenezer was born
Apr. 18, 1820, and, just twenty-one years after, he left the
paternal domicile to seek a residence in Ross county.
He located in Harrison township, where he cultivated land
and eventually rose to prominence and prosperity.
Being a man of excellent business judgment and prudent in
financial affairs, the people often called on him to hold
the important position of township trustee. Aug. 18,
1839, Ebenezer Speakman married Margaret Strawser,
of Vinton county, who died in December, 1900, leaving ten
children: Jacob, of New Holland; David,
subject of this sketch; Joshua, of Fayette county;
George W., of Hocking county; Samuel, of Madison
county; William, of Indiana; Rhoda Ann, wife
of Oliver Childers, of Hocking county; Mary
wife of Jackson Morrison, of Hocking county;
Ebenezer, of Ross County, and Frank, of
Fayette county. David A. Speakman was born in
Harrison township Ross county, Aug. 20, 1842. He had
finished school and was getting ready to establish himself
in farming when all regular business was interrupted by the
shock of the civil war. Aug. 9, 1863, he enlisted as a
private in Company B, Sixty-third regiment Ohio infantry,
with which he served until July, 1865, when the termination
of hostilities led to a general discharge of troops.
Mr. Speakman took part with his regiment in the
battle at Decatur, Ala., and all the marching and fighting
incident to Sherman's campaigns in 1864 until the surrender
of Johnston in North Carolina. At Atlanta, July
22, 1864, he received a wound in the neck from a musket shot
which disabled him for two weeks, but aside from that he
escaped serious injury. Aug. 26, 1866, he was married
to Eliza Ann, daughter of Thomas Kearns, an
old resident of the county, as the result of which union the
family records make the following register of children, all
of whom are living: Alice, wife of Charles
H. Noble, of Deerfield township; Flora Etta, wife
of William Lawrence, of Ross county; George W.,
of Deerfield township; Samuel and Wallace N.,
of Ross county; Della, wife of William Noble,
of Ross county; Margaret, wife of Omer Ater,
of Pickaway county; Frank, John, and Ethel.
Source: The County of Ross: a history of Ross County, Ohio
by Henry Holcomb Bennett - Published by S. A. Brant, Madison,
Wis., 1902 - Page 693 |
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BENJAMIN F. SPICER
Source: The County of Ross: a history of Ross County, Ohio
by Henry Holcomb Bennett - Published by S. A. Brant, Madison,
Wis., 1902 - Page 694 |
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AMASA DELANO SPROAT
Source: The County of Ross: a history of Ross County, Ohio
by Henry Holcomb Bennett - Published by S. A. Brant, Madison,
Wis., 1902 - Page 695 |
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JOHN STANLEY
Source: The County of Ross: a history of Ross County, Ohio
by Henry Holcomb Bennett - Published by S. A. Brant, Madison,
Wis., 1902 - Page 696 |
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SHEPHERD STAUFFER
Source: The County of Ross: a history of Ross County, Ohio
by Henry Holcomb Bennett - Published by S. A. Brant, Madison,
Wis., 1902 - Page 698 |
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JAMES GLADSTONE STEEL
Source: The County of Ross: a history of Ross County, Ohio
by Henry Holcomb Bennett - Published by S. A. Brant, Madison,
Wis., 1902 - Page 698 |
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JOHN SUMMERVILLE STEEL
Source: The County of Ross: a history of Ross County, Ohio
by Henry Holcomb Bennett - Published by S. A. Brant, Madison,
Wis., 1902 - Page 701 |
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SAMUEL S. STEEL
Source: The County of Ross: a history of Ross County, Ohio
by Henry Holcomb Bennett - Published by S. A. Brant, Madison,
Wis., 1902 - Page 702 |
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WILLIAM L. STINSON
Source: The County of Ross: a history of Ross County, Ohio
by Henry Holcomb Bennett - Published by S. A. Brant, Madison,
Wis., 1902 - Page 703 |
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WILLIAM C. STOKER
Source: The County of Ross: a history of Ross County, Ohio
by Henry Holcomb Bennett - Published by S. A. Brant, Madison,
Wis., 1902 - Page 704 |
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ELIAS STOOKEY
Source: The County of Ross: a history of Ross County, Ohio
by Henry Holcomb Bennett - Published by S. A. Brant, Madison,
Wis., 1902 - Page 705 |
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THOMAS SUMMERS
Source: The County of Ross: a history of Ross County, Ohio
by Henry Holcomb Bennett - Published by S. A. Brant, Madison,
Wis., 1902 - Page 706 |
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