In the long list of illustrious names, claimed by the commonwealth of Ohio, may be enrolled that of Allen Granbery Thurman.  Born at Lynchurg, Virginia, on the 13th of November, 1813, he was, when but six years old, brought by his parents to Ohio, and from that time until the day of his death, was numbered among her most loyal and devoted sons.  As has been said of him, he was "the product of our sturdy pioneer days and our American civilization."  On both sides of his house flowed the blood that caused him to become famous, above all things, for his sterling honesty and integrity.  His father, Pleasant Thurman, was a Methodist minister.  His mother, Mary Allen Thurman, was one of the daughters of Nathaniel Allen, a nephew of Joseph Hewes, one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence.
     On moving to Ohio, his parents settled in Chillicothe, at that time the most flourishing town in the State.  There, his boyhood days were spent, there, was laid the foundation of those habits of industry and of study, that were always among his most marked characteristics.  His parents, intellectual and cultured, devoted their time and attention to his education, and so particular was his mother in this regard, that long after her death, and when he had become the recipient of many honors at the hands of his fellow citizens, he was herd to say:  "I owe more to my mother than to any other preceptor I ever had."  He attended the public school in Chillicothe, and afterwards, what was known as the Academy, a preparatory school for colleges.  It is related that after graduating from the Academy, other members of his class departed for the East to attend college, while, he, owning to the financial inability of his parents to assume the burden, was compelled to remain at home; that he bade them good bye with a brave heart and cheerful countenance, but after the state had departed he sought the solitude of the graveyard, and there gave vent to his bitter disappointment in a flood of tears.  But that indomitable courage and unconquerable will that ever characterized his life, and made him the great student that he was, soon asserted itself, the disappointment was forgotten in the determination to study by and for himself.  In order to acquire the facilities and means for obtaining larger educational advantages, he taught at a country school, and during the vacations devoted his time to surveying.  His liking for mathematics was most marked, and in after years, when he had grown old and gray, his grandchildren would take their puzzling problems to him, sure of a kindly reception, the correct answer, and the reasons therefor.
     He early developed a fondness for the study of law, and as soon as his circumstances would allow, began the study in the office of his uncle, William Allen, and there devoted himself so thoroughly and so conscientiously to his work as to make almost certain the great success that afterwards attended him in his profession.
     At this time, he also became active in politics, espousing the cause of the Democratic party, and soon thereafter received his first political honor, being appointed by Gov. Lucas as his private secretary.  He continued his study under the tutelage of Judge Noah Swayne, afterwards a member of the Supreme Court of the United States, and, in 1835, was admitted to the bar in Ohio, at that time famous for its for its learning and ability.  Forming a partnership with his uncle, William Allen, in Chillicothe, his success was most marked, and until he became a member of the Supreme Court of Ohio, he was employed in practically all of the important litigation in that part of the State.
     On the 14th day of November, 1844, he married Mary Allen Tompkins, a daughter of John Dun, a prominent Kentuckian.  Sharing equally the sorrows, the disappointments and the honors, they were in old age as in youth, "lovers whose affection broadened and strengthened as the years rolled on."  Her influence, like that of his mother, strengthened the noble traits of his character and made all the more certain his great success.  Of this union there were born three daughters and one son.  Mrs. Thurman died in 1891, but a few years before her husband.
     Though most active in politics, it was not until 1844 that he allowed himself to become a candidate for any political office.  In the Polk-Clay campaign of that year, he was the Democratic nominee for Congress from the Chillicothe District, and after a most spirited campaign was elected by a handsome majority.  At this time the United States was engaged in the war with Mexico, and Mr. Thurman was found among the most ardent supporters of the Administration in the conduct of that war.  The great dispute between the North and the South was then becoming more heated, and though allied with the Democratic party and opposing any change or interference with the Missouri Compromise, Mr. Thurman, with nearly all of the other Democratic members of the House from the North, voted for the Wilmot Proviso.  For this action they were severely criticised by the Southern members, and in reply to those criticisms, he delivered a speech, in 1874, in which, and especially in the closing paragraphs thereof, he set forth with remarkable power, clearness and force, the reasons for the position taken by himself and his Northern colleagues.  As he said "Why, then, does the North insist upon opposing the extension of slave territory?  I answer, because, first, as the municipal legislature of the territories, it is the duty of Congress to promote their interests.  The people of the free States think, whether erroneously or not, that is for the interest of any country that slavery be prohibited, and thinking so, we as the legislative power over the territories, deem it our duty, where it can be done without too great a sacrifice, to exclude slavery from them.  Another reason: That Congress is the National legislature, and therefore, must look to the National interest; and as the strength and prosperity of the Nation is composed of the strength and prosperity of its parts, it is the duty of Congress, no insuperable object standing in the way, to pursue such a course of policy as shall strengthen, in the greatest degree, the United States; and believing that free territory would be more populous, wealthy, abundant in resources, and in every thing that makes a great nation, it is for the National interests to have as much free territory as possible, compatible with the existence of the Union.  The third reason is, that in the opinion of the North, it is inconsistent with the genius of our institutions, and injurious to the character of the United States, to extend slavery.  Where it exists, let it exist, says the North, but do not extend it by the action of the general Government, and convert what is now free, into slave territory."
     Notwithstanding this position, he was, during the war of the succession, severely criticised and was accused of being in sympathy with the Southern cause.  All such criticisms, and such accusations were without foundation.  As he afterwards said "I did all I could to help preserve the Union without a war, but after it began I thought there was but one thing to do, and that was to fight it out.  I, therefore, sustained all constitutional measures that tended, in my judgment, to put down the Rebellion.  I never believed in the doctrine of Sucession."
      At the close of his Congressional term he declined a renomination, and resumed the practice of law in Chillicothe.  In 1851, the new Constitution of Ohio went into effect, and Mr. Thurman was elected one of the Judges of the Supreme Court, as reorganized.  Here is great powers of logic, concentration and analysis soon brought him into the greatest prominence.  The decisions rendered by him are looked to as full of wisdom and of learning, and among the most able and valuable that have ever been rendered from any Bench.  Had his career closed with his retirement from the Supreme Court, his fame would still, by reason of these decisions, have been none the less great.  His term ended in 1856, and he once more resumed the practice of the law, this time in Columbus.  He did not again enter actively into politics until 1867, when he became the Democratic nominee for Governor of Ohio.  The previous campaign had been won by the Republican party by a majority of over 40,000 but, notwithstanding this fact.  Mr. Thurman conducted his canvass most vigorously and succeeded in bringing about a drawn battle, for though he himself was defeated by less than 3,000, the Democratic party succeeded in carrying the legislature.  It was the duty of that body to elect the successor of Senator Wade to the United States Senate, and Mr. Thurman was chosen as that successor.  His services in the Senate of the United States covered a period of twelve years, being succeeded in 1880 by John Sherman.  During all of that time he was a member of the Judiciary Committee, and his services, there rendered, were important and valuable.  To Describe the high position taken by him in the Senate, and the esteem in which he was held by his colleagues,  I quote from Senator James G. Blaine in his "Twenty Years in Congress."  There he says "Mr. Thurman's rank in the Senate was established from the day he took his seat, and was never lowered during the period of his service.  He was an admirably disciplined debater, fair in the method of his statement, logical in his argument, honest in his conclusions.  He had no trick in discussion, no catch phrases to secure attention, but was always direct and manly.  His retirement from the Senate was a severe loss to his party, a loss indeed to the body."  There he met Edmund, Evarts, Saulsbury, Bayard, Chandler, Carpenter, Schurz, Cameron, Conkling and the others of those great men whose task was the safe guilding of the Government through the stormy days of the Reconstruction.  There it was that was paid him, by Senator Conkling of New York, the famous, and probably, the most graceful compliment ever paid by one public man to another.  During a legal argument, he repeatedly turned towards Senator Thurman, as if addressing him.  Finally the latter asked "Does the Senator from New York expect me to answer him every time he turns to me?"  Conkling, after a moment's hesitation, replied, "When I speak of the law, I turn to the Senator from Ohio, as the Mussulman turns toward Mecca.  I turn to him as I do to the English common law as the world's most copious fountain of human jurisprudence."
     Mr. Thurman was chosen as one of the Electoral Commission for the settling of the controversy arising out of the Hayes-Tilden campaign, in 1876, and as a member of the Commission earnestly and steadfastly supported the claims of Mr. Tilden.
     But among the many great services rendered by him while in the United States Senate, probably the greatest was that in connection with the Government's claims against the Pacific Railroads.  These corporation had received from the Government many and valuable franchises and rights upon certain terms and conditions, which they afterwards refused to comply with.  Mr. Thurman introduced a bill in the Senate, the purpose of which was to compel the Pacific corporations to fulfill their obligations to the Government.  He succeeded in effecting the passage of this bill, since known as the "Thurman Act," against a combined and powerful opposition, with the result that the corporations were compelled to comply with the conditions under which their franchises and rights were given, and saving the Federal Treasury many millions of dollars.
     He was a candidate for the nomination for the Presidency in the National Democratic Conventions of 1876, 1880 and 1884.
     After his retirement from the Senate, and during the administration of President Garfield, Mr. Thurman was appointed a member of the Paris Monetary Conference.
     Several years later he was employed by the Government as counsel in the famous Bell Telephone litigation, and in that capacity rendered most able and valuable services.
     In 1888, he was named for the Vice Presidency, and though old in years, entered vigorously into the campaign, making a number of speeches in New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan, Indiana and Illinois.  At the ensuing election the party was defeated, and this defeat marked the end of his political career.
     In the Spring of 1888, he was appointed by the Court to assist in the prosecution of parties charged with having altered the election tally sheets in Franklin County, Ohio.  The accused were all of the Democratic party but this did not cause him to hesitate in accepting the appointment.  The closing words of his argument in that case show how well he loved the party that had so honored him, how devoted he was to its principles, how anxious he was to see it succeed, but only to succeed through justice and right.  These were his words:
     "But I do want this party, to which I have belonged for more than sixty years, for I began when I was a child; this party which has done so much for me, and which I have conscientiously believed in; which has its faults, as all parties, have had their faults; which has been wrong sometimes, as all parties have been wrong; but in which I have believed, to which has been wrong sometimes, as all parties have been wrong; but in which I have believed, to which my faith has been pledged and has been kept - I do want that party, in the going down of the sum of my life, when I shall look for the last time abroad on earth, I do want to see that party still standing, still respected, still honored and still deserving the good will and kindness and support of all my fellow beings."
     This was his last public appearance, and at its close he retired to the privacy of his home, spending the remaining days with his family and among his books.
     He died on the 12th day of December, 1895, after a short illness, honored, respected and loved by all.
Source:  The County of Ross: a history of Ross County, Ohio by Henry Holcomb Bennett - Published by S. A. Brant, Madison, Wis., 1902 - Page

ANDREW J. TIMMONS, retired merchant and farmer of Concord township, has been long and creditably connected with the business affairs of Ross county.  He is of Delaware original, his father Andrew A. Timmons, having come from that state with his parents at a very early period of Ohio's history and settled in Deerfield township, Ross County.  They secured land and went through the usual pioneer hardships connected with clearing land and establishing a home in the wilderness.  Andrew was a bright scholar and had some aptitude for music, so at an early age he ventured forth as a teacher and soon gained local fame for his capacity as instructor in the neighborhood singing schools.  In early manhood he married his second cousin, Penelope Timmons, likewise a native of Delaware, after which he left his father's house and sought a location in the neighboring county of Fayette.  He went to work on a farm and as the result of several years' hard labor had accumulated some property, but a conclusion being arrived at to go farther west, all their belongings were converted into cash.  with his in his pocket, the father of the household started off on a tour of inspection and has never been heard of from that day to this.  All speculations as to what became of him were mere guess work, as no definite clue could be ascertained, but the friends and relatives finally arrived at the conclusion that he was one of the many who lost their lives in the explosion of the Steamer Moselle, near Cincinnati.  It was known to be his intention to take that boat on his journey to the westward to select a new location, and it was a very natural supposition that he was among the unidentified dead in this river disaster.  As the result of this sad tragedy, the young wife was left penniless with five small children, whose names in order of birth were Catherine, Robert, William, Andrew J., and Celina D.  She immediately returned to Ross county where, with the resolution characteristic of a pioneer mothers, she set about the task of providing for and rearing her family.  She died in 1849, and of her five children the only one now living is Andrew J.  The latter was born in Fayette county,, Ohio, June 20, 1828, remained at home until his mother's death, then obtained work by the month on a farm and for several years continued thus employed.  Sickness, however, compelled him to give up the hard and exacting labor of farm life and his next venture was as employee of Hugh Campbell, a merchant doing business at Goodhope in Fayette county.  Mr. Timmons continued in this position for ten years, at the end of which time he married Margaret Young, a native of Ross county, with whom he settled on a farm in Concord Township.  About this time he engaged in the nursery business and was thus employed at the breaking out of the civil war.  In 1862 he enlisted in company K, Eighty-ninth regiment, Ohio infantry, received a commission as first lieutenant an went with his command to Kentucky to assist the forces engaged in heading off Kirby Smith, who was supposed to have designs upon Cincinnati.  From this field of operations the regiment was sent to Point Pleasant and thence up the Grand Kanawah to the falls of that river.  At this point they went into winter quarters and remained there until the spring of 1863, when they were ordered to Nashville, Tenn., to join the army of General Rosecrans.  With that force they proceeded south, but soon afterward Mr. Timmons was so prostrated with illness as to compel his removal to a hospital and for many months thereafter he was confined at Carthage and a place near Nashville.  As soon as he was strong enough to go, Mr. Timmons was sent home on sick leave but for year and a half thereafter was unable to do any serious work.  Eventually he joined the Hundred and forty-ninth regiment in the hundred days' service and was thus employed for some time until a return of his sickness compelled another stay of two months in the hospital, when he was sent home as soon as able to travel.  As soon as his strength was recuperated, Mr. Timmons was engaged for a ear in merchandising at Frankfort, after which he removed to the place where he now resides and for about twelve years conducted a general store in connection with farming.  Mr. and Mrs. Timmons have had three children, two of whom died in infancy.  Ellsworth J.,  the only survivor, in employed in journalism at Cincinnati.  Mr. Timmons is a member of the Methodist Episcopal church and of the Grand Army of the Republic at Frankfort.
Source:  The County of Ross: a history of Ross County, Ohio by Henry Holcomb Bennett - Published by S. A. Brant, Madison, Wis., 1902 - Page 710

CURTIS H. TITTLER is a native of Chillicothe, born Mar. 18, 1842.  His parents were Jacob and Eliza Tittler, the former a native of Pennsylvania.  His mother died when he was quite young, and at the age of thirteen he went to live with E. R. Hudnell, at whose house he made his home until the age of manhood.  In 1863 Mr. Tittler enlisted in Company B of the First Ohio artillery, as a private and after a short service was detailed as a teamster, which position he filled during the remainder of his stay in the army.  He received an honorable discharge from the service in July, 1865.  After the war he returned home and engaged in farming, which has been his occupation throughout life.  In 1867 he was married to Rachel, daughter of E. R. Hudnell.  The union resulted in the birth of three children, of whom Eddie H. is a railroad employee; Sarah Ida is the wife of William N. Winchell, of Franklin township; and Willett Oren is a resident of Chillicothe.
     Edward Riley Hudnell, father of Mrs. Tittler, is a native of Kanawha county, W. Va., born Aug. 2, 1822.  He remained in his native state until about the year 1835 when he came west with his parents.  The latter located in Jackson county, but their son Edward, while still a boy, took up his abode in the county of Pike.  There he remained until 1847, in which year he removed to Ross county and settled in Franklin township,, where he has ever since made his home.  His principal occupation has been farming and he has met with a fair measure of success in that pursuit.  Mr. Hudnell has never been an office seeker but at various times has held different offices in the township.  In 1847 he was married to Sarah Crockett, of Ross county, who died Nov. 9, 1891, leaving the following children: Rachel above named; John R., of Greenfield; Rebecca Jane, now Mrs. George Dunbar of Franklin township; Martha Jane, wife of Granville Stuart of Pickaway county, and Bonaparte, of Ross county.
Source:  The County of Ross: a history of Ross County, Ohio by Henry Holcomb Bennett - Published by S. A. Brant, Madison, Wis., 1902 - Page 712

GEORGE W. TUDOR, carriage-builder and constructor of railroad supplies, is one of the substantial and popular citizens of Chillicothe.  His grandparents were English people who emigrated in the early part of the nineteenth century and found a location first in Ross but later removed to Highland county.  A son was born to them Mar. 7, 1820, whom they named Jarett Tudor and who subsequently became a farmer in Highland county, where he spent most of his life.  He married Maria Collins, a native of Ohio, by whom he had twelve children, nine of whom are living.  One of these is George W. Tudor, who was born Mar. 19, 1867, while his parents were in Ross county, and subsequently went with them to Highland county, where he remained until eighteen years old.  In 1885 he went to Columbus, where he spent five years working as a carriage-builder and completely mastered the details of that important trade.  In 1890 Mr. Tudor came to Chillicothe where he resumed work in  his line and soon established himself as a thorough and competent mechanic.  He continued in the carriage-building business until two years ago, when he accepted employment in the shops of the Baltimore & Ohio Southwestern railroad company and has since retained that position.  Mr. Tudor's social manners and friendly address soon made him popular and caused him to be sought after in political circles as an available candidate from the First ward for the city council of Chillicothe, and was easily elected on Apr. 1 for a term of two years.  Sept. 14, 1893, Mr. Tudor was married to Mary, daughter of Philip and Margaret Keim natives of Germany resident in Ross county, and they have three children, Lottis, Albert and Ernest.  Mr. Tudor is a member of Chillicothe lodge, No. 24, Independent Order of Odd Fellows, the M. & L. Benevolent society and the Carpenters' union.
Source:  The County of Ross: a history of Ross County, Ohio by Henry Holcomb Bennett - Published by S. A. Brant, Madison, Wis., 1902 - Page 712-713

WILLIAM M. TURPIN, liveryman, of Chillicothe, was born at Haden, Vinton county, Ohio, Apr. 28, 1872.  When six years old he removed with his parents to Richmond Dale, where he remained for six years, and about the year 1886 came to Ross county.  Six years were spent on a farm in Liberty township, then removal was made to another place in West Springfield township, and after a temporary sojourn there a final move was made to Chillicothe, in 1896.  Shortly after arriving in the city, Mr. Turpen opened in the livery business at the Warner House alley and in 1900 removed to 45-47 West Second street, where he has since remained.  He has a very complete stock and does a good business in his line, combining the buying, fitting and selling of horses with the general livery.  Mr. Turpen is a son of Wiley and Mary Ann (Pleasant) Turpen, both natives of Kentucky, where the former was born Nov. 20, 1829, and the latter in July, 1839.  The mother died at Richmond Dale when her son, William, was ten years old; the father is now a member of that son's family.  Wiley Turpin was enlisted in the State Guards of Kentucky from 1861 to 1865, his service being home protection of the loyal people against incursions of the Confederate soldiers and sympathizers.  He took part in the pursuit of Morgan in 1863, which created so much excitement in the North at the time.  The children of Wiley and Mary Ann Turpen were as follows:  George F., proprietor of the Baltimore Hotel in Chillicothe; Lizzie W., wife of Sherman Miller, a farmer in Lee county, Ill.; William M., the subject of this sketch; Nannie Kate, wife of P. Johnson, of the Baltimore & Ohio shops at Chillicothe.  William M. Turpen received the ordinary common school education, but from early youth was accustomed to depend on himself and work for a living.  He turned his hand to any honorable employment that offered, not waiting for better but accepting such as he could get, and by doing well whatever was given him to do.  Thus he made a success of life and in time became independent.  Jan. 27, 1897, he was married to Alice Jennette Miller a native of West Springfield township, Ross county.  Her parents are Charles F. and Amy (Palmer) Miller, both living on a farm and well-to-do.  Mr. and Mrs. Turpen have only one child, Charles Wiley, born Jan. 13, 1898.  Mr. Turpen is a member of the Ancient Essenic Knights and Modern Woodmen of America.  Mrs. Turpen is a member of the Presbyterian church, while her husband, though a believer, is not connected with any religious organization.
Source:  The County of Ross: a history of Ross County, Ohio by Henry Holcomb Bennett - Published by S. A. Brant, Madison, Wis., 1902 - Page 713