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BIOGRAPHIES
The following biographies are extracted from:
Source:
A Standard History of Ross County, Ohio
Vol. II.
Published by The Lewis Publishing Company, Chicago & New York
1917
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Robert C. Galbraith, Jr. |
REV. ROBERT C. GALBRAITH.
A man of strong character, earnest convictions, and
deep consecration,
Rev. Robert C. Galbraith, of
Chillicothe, who died Nov. 18, 1916, was for
upwards of forty years an active worker in the
Presbyterian denomination, holding pastorates in different
parts of Ohio.
A son of
Robert C.
Galbraith, Sr., he was born in Frankfort, Ross County,
Ohio, Nov. 30, 1833, and there spent the earlier years of
his life.
Robert C.
Gailbraith, Sr., was born Mar. 17, 1790, in Gortin, County Tyrone, Ireland,
where his father,
Andrew Galbraith, who was of Scotch descent, spent his
entire life, being engaged in agricultural pursuits.
Growing to manhood in Ireland, he was employed as a clerk in a
mercantile establishment in
County Tyrone until 1819, when he came to America, making his way directly to Chillicothe, Ohio.
Soon after his arrival, he secured a position as
clerk in the store of
William Carson,
with whom he subsequently formed a partnership, and
operated a store in Frankfort for some time.
At that time there were neither railroads nor
canals in the state, and all goods were transported from
the rivers or lakes with teams.
Giving up his connection with the general store in
1839, he located on a near-by farm that had been improved
by his father-in-law,
Elijah Johnson, and thenceforth was engaged in tilling
he soil until his death, May 11, 1862.
The maiden name of the wife of
Robert C.
Galbraith, Sr., was
Martha Johnson.
She was born Feb. 16, 1801, in Louisa County,
Virginia, a
daughter of Elijah
and Betsey (Watkins) Johnson, natives, it is thought,
of the same county.
Coming with his family to Ohio
in 1809, Elijah
Johnson bought 1,000 acres of land in
Concord Township,
Ross
County, and immediately
began the pioneer task of improving a homestead.
He succeeded well in his undertakings, and in the
course of a few years erected a substantial brick house,
which is still used for residential purposes, burning the
bricks used in its construction on his own farm.
Late in life both he and his wife moved to
Montgomery
County, and there lived
with a son.
Mrs. Robert C. Galbraith, Sr., survived her husband, passing away
Mar. 5, 1875.
She reared two children, namely:
Robert C., the
special subject of this sketch; and
Elijah J., who
became a physician, and was actively engaged in the
practice of his profession at
Chillicothe
until his death, in 1907.
Acquiring his preliminary education in the district
schools, Robert C.
Galbraith was fitted for college in the
academy
of South Salem,
Ross
County, after which he continued his
studies for a year at Hanover College, in
Madison,
Indiana.
Going then to Oxford,
Ohio, he was graduated from Miami University
in 1853, and the following year studied theology at Princeton University.
Wishing then to further advance his knowledge of
theological subjects, he attended the Theological Seminary
at New Albany,
Indiana, which is now the
McCormick Theological Seminary of Chicago, Illinois.
In 1856 Mr.
Galbraith was licensed to preach by the Chillicothe
Presbytery, and in 1857 was ordained as a minister by the
Presbytery of Columbus.
He soon after became pastor of the Presbyterian
Church at Lancaster, Ohio, and continued active in the
ministry for forty-two years, holding pastorates in
Concord, Frankfort, and Chillicothe, filling the pulpit of
the Third Presbyterian Church in the latter named city for
seventeen years.
Early in 1861,
Mr. Galbraith
was appointed chaplain of the Third Brigade, Ohio
Volunteers, with rank of captain, and was in the service
four months, being with his command in West Virginia.
While pastor of the Presbyterian Church at Lancaster he was for four
years chaplain at the Ohio Reform Farm.
On June 11, 1856,
Mr. Galbraith
was united in marriage with
Margaret Lapham
Pugsley, who was born in Dutchess
County, New York,
and died in
Chillicothe,
Ohio, July 24, 1912.
Her parents,
Jacob and Mary (Ketcham) Pugsley, natives of the same county, came
with their family to Ohio,
locating first in Fayette County,
later settling in Dayton,
from there moving to Hamilton County.
Three children blessed the union of
Mr. and Mrs.
Galbraith, namely:
Jacob R., an
attorney; Helen K.,
also engaged in the practice of law; and
Elijah Johnson,
a dentist. All
are residents of
Chillicothe.
Mr.
Galbraith was a member of the Phi Beta Kappa Society.
He is the author of a very interesting history of
Chillicothe Presbytery, which was published in 1889.
Source: A Standard History of Ross County, Ohio -
Vol. II. - Published by The Lewis Publishing Company, Chicago &
New York 1917 - Page 48
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SILAS FRANKLIN
GARRETT. Thoroughly versed in the
intricacies of the law, having conducted and won many
important suits, and having been associated in practice
with some of the ablest lawyers of Ross County, Silas
Franklin Garrett, of Chillicothe, occupies a
position of note in legal circles. He was born in
Green Township, Ross County, Ohio, Feb. 23, 1851, of
colonial stock, being a lineal descendant, it is thought
of one Mr. Garrett, a blacksmith, who came to
America with Capt. John Smith in 1607. He
is a son of the late James Henry Garrett, and
grandson of Reuben Garrett, a pioneer of Ross
County.
William Garrett, the great-grandfather of the
subject of this sketch, was born in Virginia, and there
spent his entire life, dying in 1825. During the
Revolutionary war he served as a member of the Third
Company, Second Virginia Regiment, enlisting in 1777,
and serving under Col. Alexander Spotswood.
It is not known whether he served throughout the entire
conflict, but he was present at the surrender of Lord
Cornwallis. He was a farmer and fruit grower
in Essex County, Virginia, where he operated a still,
manufacturing "apple-jack." He first married
Elizabeth Taylor, who bore him seven children,
James, William, Walter, Reuben, Smith, Elizabeth,
and Theodorick. He married for his second
wife Clara Faber, and by her union three children
were born, namely: Richard Henry, Cynthia, and
Silas S. It was in the barn of his eldest son,
Richard Henry, in Caroline County, Virginia, that
J. Wilkes Booth, the assassin, was killed.
Reuben Garrett was born May 5, 1784, in Essex
County, Virginia, and having as a young man served an
apprenticeship at the tailor's trade followed it in his
native state until 1832. In that year, accompanied
by his wife and seven children, he came to Ohio, making
the wearisome journey across the country with a team.
He located in Green Township, Ross County, where for a
number of years, not being strong enough to perform
manual labor, he tended a toll gate on the pike running
between Kinnikinick and Adelphi. Retiring from
active labor, he spent his last days in Kingston,
passing away July 28, 1857. He married Sarah
Toombs, who was also a Virginian by birth, being the
daughter of a sailor who lost his life at sea. She
survived him more than a score of years, dying Mar. 8,
1878. Of the ten children born of their union, two
died in infancy, and eight grew to years of maturity, as
follows: Mary, William, Richard, Sarah,
Elizabeth, James Henry, Virginia, and Silas S.
They were Baptists in religion, and reared their family
in the same faith.
Born on a farm pleasantly situated on the Rappahannock
River, near Lloyds Postoffice, in Essex County,
Virginia, Aug. 15, 1828, James Henry Garrett was
but four years old when brought by his parents to Ross
County, Ohio. He attended the rural schools, and
as a boy became familiar with the various branches of
agriculture. Choosing farming for his life
occupation, he rented land at first, and in the tilling
of the soil met with success. He subsequently
bought land in Green Township, and was there a resident
until his death, which occurred May 7, 1904. His
body was laid to rest in Mount Pleasant Cemetery, near
Kingston, where his parents are buried. His wife,
whose maiden name was Susan Jones, was born in
Vinton County, Ohio, June 30, 1830, and is now living
with a daughter, Mrs. R. B. Grimes, near
Chillicothe. Her father, Henry Jones, was
born, in 1795, in Virginia, a son of Peter Jones,
and married Nancy Moss, a native of Pennsylvania,
and a daughter of Thomas Moss, a Revolutionary
soldier. The union of Mr. and Mrs. James Thomas
Moss, a Revolutionary soldier. The union of
Mr. and Mrs. James Henry Garrett was blessed by the
birth of twelve children, of whom two, Minnie B.
and Louisa J., died in childhood, while ten grew
to years of maturity, namely: Silas Franklin, Reuben
W., Mary H., Sarah E., James H., William N., Anna J.,
Leah Catherine, Ethan Allen, and Davis N.
Brought up on the home farm, Silas Franklin
Garrett attended the district school a part of each
year, and while yet in his teens assisted to some extent
in the support of the family. Interested in books,
he continued his studies as opportunity offered, and
having earned some money by teaching entered Kingston
Academy. Resuming teaching after leaving that
institution of learning, Mr. Garrett devoted all
of his leisure time to the study of law in the office of
Judge Safford. An earnest and intelligent
student, he was admitted to the bar on September 26,
1877, and for six months thereafter taught school,
completing his eleventh term as a schoolmaster. On
April 1, 1878, Mr. Garrett opened a law office in
Chillicothe, and having met with flattering success from
the start has here continued in active practice until
the present time. From 1892 to 1896 he was in
active practice until the present time. From 1892
to 1896 he was in partnership with Mr. Reuben R.
Freeman.
Mr. Garrett married, November 13, 1886, Adelaide
M. Rollin, who was born in Zanesville, Ohio, July
11, 1861, being a daughter of Thomas and Mary
(Anderson) Rollin. Mr. and Mrs. Garrett are
the parents of five children, namely: M.
Zuleime, Dolores E., George Raymond, Bernadetta Louise,
and Cyril Franklin. Fraternally Mr.
Garrett is a member of Tecumseh Lodge No. 80,
Independent Order of Odd Fellows. He has served
two terms as city solicitor, and for four years was a
member of the Chillicothe Board of Education, one year
of the time serving as its president.
Source: A Standard History of Ross County, Ohio -
Vol. II. - Published by The Lewis Publishing Company, Chicago &
New York 1917 - Page 670 |
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HENRY GATES
Source: A Standard History of Ross County, Ohio -
Vol. II. - Published by The Lewis Publishing Company, Chicago &
New York 1917 - Page 807 |
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CHARLES B. GEARHART
Source: A Standard History of Ross County, Ohio -
Vol. II. - Published by The Lewis Publishing Company, Chicago &
New York 1917 - Page 827 |
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FRANK L. GIBBS, M.D.
Source: A Standard History of Ross County, Ohio -
Vol. II. - Published by The Lewis Publishing Company, Chicago &
New York 1917 - Page 591 |
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WILLIAM GINTHER.
After half a century of hard and honest toil, mingled
with good judgment and strict probity in all his
dealings, William Ginther finds himself
the possessor of a splendid estate, with homestead in
Green Township. In the course of his active lifetime he
has contributed a great deal to the improvement of Ross
County, and has always had the reputation of sterling
citizenship, and represents one of the stanch and sturdy
families of German origin that established themselves in
this section of Southern Ohio more than three quarters
of a century ago.
He was born in Germany, Aug. 21, 1836, a son of
Andrew Ginther. The grandfather died in
Germany, but the grandmother subsequently accompanied
her children to America, locating in the northern part
of Pike County, Ohio, where she lived to attain the
great age of ninety nine years. Her three children
were: Andrew, John, and Fred, all
of whom came to America with her. Fred and
John settled in Huntington Township of Ross
County, and lived there until their death.
Andrew Ginther was reared and educated in
Germany, married there, and in 1840, accompanied by wife
and three children, by his mother and two brothers, set
out for America. They crossed the ocean on a
sailing vessel, which was then almost the only mode of
transportation across the Atlantic, and from New York
made their way by rail and canal as far as Pittsburgh
and thence by river boat down the Ohio to Portsmouth.
From Portsmouth they journeyed north over the canal to
Waverly. On reaching their destination the
grandmother bought thirty acres of land, which had a few
acres cleared and a log cabin as its chief improvement.
That was the first home of the family in Ross County,
and Andrew Ginther lived there with his
mother during her last years and succeeded to the
ownership of the place, which in turn he occupied until
his death in 1891 at the age of seventy-nine years,
fifteen days. Andrew Ginther married
Razey Gader, who died at the age of
seventy-eight. She was the mother of five
sons and five daughters, and the two now living are
William and his brother Fred, whose home is
in Huntington Township of Ross County.
A child of four years when the family came to America,
William Ginther has among his earliest
recollections the old homestead which by the efforts of
his father and uncles gradually emerged from the
wilderness. While attending such schools as were
maintained in the community, he also assisted in the
work of the farm, and contributed his support to the
family, his family receiving all of his wages until he
was twenty-one years of age. He then worked out by
the month until 1863, when he bought a tract of land in
Huntington Township, the purchase price being $535.00.
This land had a log cabin, and he moved his family into
that humble home in 1864. Most of the farm had not
yet been cleared, and while clearing it he converted
much of the heavy growth into hoop poles. At that
time Chillicothe was a center for cooperage industry,
and hoop poles found a ready sale there. By
working hard from the beginning to the end of every year
Mr. Ginther accumulated a modest capital,
and in 1888 he bought 303 acres of the fertile Scioto,
River bottoms in fractional section 3 of Green Township.
There he embarked in a remunerative business as a
general farmer and stock raiser, and along those lines
has accomplished his chief success. From time to time he
has bought other lands, and besides his homestead in
Green Township he owns a farm on Deer Creek in North and
South Union Township, and another place in Pickaway
Township of Pickaway County. His total holdings
now aggregate 700 acres.
In 1863 Mr. Ginther married Margaret
Lamenshamer, who was born in Germany and a year
later was brought to this country by the parents, who
settled in Ohio. Mrs. Ginther died
in 1890. Mr. Ginther and family are
members of Crouse Chapel of the Reformed Church.
To their marriage were born four children: Henry,
George, Annie, and Emma. The
daughter Annie married Guy Arledge,
and their five children are Richard, Nettie,
Edith, Tillie, and Joseph. Emma
married George Arledge and also has five
children, Nellie, Russell, Lucy,
George and William. The son Henry
died at the age of thirty-four, leaving his widow,
Mary (Gardner) Ginther, and a
daughter, Matilda. George married
Clara Stahl, and his two children are Fred
and Ethel, Fred being married and having a
child who is William Ginther's
great-grandson.
Source: A Standard History of Ross County, Ohio -
Vol. II. - Published by The Lewis Publishing Company, Chicago &
New York 1917 - Page 769 |
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CHARLES GOODMAN
Source: A Standard History of Ross County, Ohio -
Vol. II. - Published by The Lewis Publishing Company, Chicago &
New York 1917 - Page 764 |
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HON. OLIVER P. GOODMAN
Source: A Standard History of Ross County, Ohio -
Vol. II. - Published by The Lewis Publishing Company, Chicago &
New York 1917 - Page 568 |
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CHARLES E. GOSSETT
Source: A Standard History of Ross County, Ohio -
Vol. II. - Published by The Lewis Publishing Company, Chicago &
New York 1917 - Page 785 |
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JOSIAH GRABILL
Source: A Standard History of Ross County, Ohio -
Vol. II. - Published by The Lewis Publishing Company, Chicago &
New York 1917 - Page 788 |
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JAMES C. GRAGG.
For about thirty-five years the mercantile interests of
Ross County have been represented at Bourneville by
James C. Gragg, who, in addition to having
been a general merchant during this time and the
proprietor of a business that has been looked upon as a
necessary commercial adjunct, has at various times been
the incumbent of positions of official importance, in
which he has rendered excellent service to his
fellow-citizens.
Mr. Gragg was born in Twin Township, Ross
County, Ohio, May 21, 1859, and is a son of George W.
and Ruth Ann (Gilfillan) Gragg.
The family is an old and honored one of this locality,
and Mr. Gragg's father was born in Twin Township,
Sept. 14, 1832, being a son of James and
Catherine (DeVoss) Gragg. James Gragg
was born in Virginia, the son of an Irish immigrant, and
there grew to young manhood, coming to Ross County,
Ohio, as a pioneer, some time between the years 1810 and
1815. Here he was employed as a day laborer for a
number of years, and one of the pieces of work in which
he was engaged was the building of the Cincinnati Pike,
which was constructed in 1839. Mr. Gragg
married Catherine DeVoss, who was born in
Buckskin Township, Ross County, a daughter of Isaac
DeVoss, who was a boy when he came to this county
with his father, Joseph DeVoss. He
settled in the same neighborhood that had Mr.
Gragg. After their marriage, James and
Catherine (DeVoss) Gragg took up
housekeeping on a farm in Twin Township, where they
passed the remaining years of their lives in the quiet
pursuits of the tiller of the soil. They were the
parents of the following children: Samuel,
Michael, Andrew, James, George W.,
and William.
George W. Gragg grew to manhood in Twin
Township, Ross County, in the valley of Paint Creek, and
in 1857 was married to Ruth Ann Gilfillan.
They settled in Twin Township and rented for several
years, until Mr. Gragg's energy and industry were
rewarded by the accumulation of sufficient capital with
which to purchase a property. There Mrs. Gragg
died in 1893, while Mr. Gragg survived until Aug.
22, 1910. Both were held in the highest esteem in
their community, and were known as people possessing
many excellent qualities of mind and heart. They
became the parents of five children, as follows:
Alexander, who died in infancy; James C.;
Ida, who is the wife of H. L. Corcoran, of
Twin Township; Elizabeth, deceased, who was the
wife of Clinton Cockerell; and Adam, who
died when twenty-one years of age. G. W. Gragg
was an uncompromising democrat in politics, and his
belief in and loyalty to his party was so strong that he
really made it his life hobby, without seeking personal
reward.
The Gilfillan family, of which Mrs.
Gragg was a member, originally owned and
inhabited the Island of Mull, just off the west coast of
Scotland. At an early date they became embroiled
in a feud with the MacDougall clan of Lorne,
and the Gilfillans were entirely exterminated,
with the exception of two of the wives of younger
chieftains, who swam to the mainland and found refuge
there. Not long thereafter each gave birth to twin
sons, from whom sprang all the Gilfillans now
living. The foregoing is an extract from the
"Doomsday Book," London. The Gilfillans
were entitled to a coat of arms on which was inscribed:
"Armis Et Animis," meaning "By Force of Arms and
Strength of Mind." At the time of a religious
persecution in Scotland, some of the Gilfillan
clan sought refuge in Ireland, and there, in County
Derry, in 1761, was born Thomas Gilfillan.
He married Agnes High, a native of County
Down, born in 1760, and as a young married couple they
emigrated to the United States and settled in Kentucky.
There a large family of children were born, and
eventually the family moved to Ross County, where the
original founders of the family in this country died,
and where their children's children still live to
perpetuate the name. When Thomas
Gilfillan came to the United States, he brought with
him a brother, Adam Gilfillan, who became
one of the scouts in the surveying expedition of
Nathaniel Massie and was wounded in 1796 at
what was afterward called Reeves Crossing.
The second son of Thomas and Agnes Gilfillan was
Alexander Gilfillan. who was born in
Kentucky, in 1788. He married Elizabeth
Monroe, daughter of Alexander and Sarah (McCoy)
Monroe, in 1813. Both Alexander
Gilfillan and Alexander Monroe fought
as soldiers in the War of 1812, in which struggle the
former was a captain of militia. Ruth
Ann Gilfillan was the daughter of
Alexander and Elizabeth (Monroe) Gilfillan, and was
born in 1828, in Twin Township, Ross County, Ohio.
She became the wife of George W. Gragg.
James C. Gragg was given his education in the
district schools and was reared on the home farm, where
he assisted his father until he was twenty years of age.
At that time he came to Bourneville, where he secured a
position as clerk in the general store of Joseph
Burgess, with whom he learned the mercantile
business. Mr. Gragg remained in Mr.
Burgess' employ for some eight or ten years, during
which time he became well known to the people of this
community as a young man of solidity, resource and
ability. He carefully husbanded his earnings,
learned all he could of business methods and customs,
and in 1885, when appointed postmaster of Bourneville,
opened a business establishment of his own. At the
end of four years his term of office expired with a
change in the administration, but he continued in
business, and has done so ever since. In 1893 he
was again appointed as postmaster holding that office
for five years, and in 1913 his son, J. Rodney Gragg,
was given the postmastership.
In June, 1888, Mr. Gragg was married to Miss
Margaret Shoults, who was born in 1866, in Twin
Township, a daughter of Alexander and Sarah E. (Shotts)
Shoults. Alexander Shoults was born in
Twin Town ship, Oct. 13, 1833, a son of John and Mary
(Flood) Shoults. John Shoults came to
Ross County, Ohio, from Rockingham County, Virginia,
about the year 1800, with his parents, Charles
and Drucilla (Howard) Shoults.
Sarah E. Shotts, who became the wife of
Alexander Shoults, was born in Heller's Bottom, Twin
Township, Aug. 25, 1845, a daughter of David
and Catherine (Long) Shotts, the family having come
from Augusta County, Virginia, in 1809. David
Shotts was a scout under "Mad Anthony" Wayne, was
the first settler of the family in Ross County, and met
his death during a thunder storm, in 1825, while seek
ing shelter under a tree. His wife was Mary
Wagner, who, as a small girl, gave Gen. George
Washington a drink of water on one of his surveying
tours in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia.
David Shotts was the father of a large family of
children, among whom the seventh in order of birth was
Jacob, who married Sarah Toops, Dec. 31,
1817. They became the parents of David Shotts,
the father of Sarah E. Shotts, who married
Alexander Shoults. Sarah Toops was
descended from Paul Streve (or Streevey),
who was born in Germany in 1755 and came to Northampton
County, Pennsylvania. He enlisted in 1776 as a
private in the Continental army during the Revolutionary
war and fought through that struggle. Catherine
Long was a daughter of John and Elizabeth
(Thomas) Long, and it was the father of Elizabeth,
Michael Thomas, who, with Duncan
McArthur, were given the first two lots at
Chillicothe as a grant.
Mr. and Mrs. Gragg are the parents of three
children: J. Rodney, of Bourneville, postmaster,
and associated with his father in business; Elizabeth,
who is the wife of C. U. Ebenback, of
Chillicothe; and Foss Hunter, at home. J.
Rodney Gragg is a member of the Masons and Odd
Fellows. He was married Oct. 18, 1915, to Miss
Hazel Free, daughter of the late Joseph
Free, of Paxton Township, Ross County.
James C. Gragg is prominent in Masonry, being a
member of Bainbridge Lodge, No. 193, Free and Accepted
Masons; Chillicothe Chapter, No. 4, Royal Arch Masons;
Chillicothe Council, No. 8; and Chillicothe Commandery,
No. 4, Knights Templar. He also holds membership
in Paint Valley Lodge, No. 437, Knights of Pythias, at
Bainbridge; Bourneville Lodge, No. 808, Independent
Order of Odd Fellows; and Chillicothe Lodge, No. 52,
Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks. His
political support is given to the democratic party.
As a live, progressive member of his community he has
assisted in the enterprises that have made for civic
improvement, and his standing as a citizen and as an
honorable man of business is of the very highest.
Source: A Standard History of Ross County, Ohio -
Vol. II. - Published by The Lewis Publishing Company, Chicago &
New York 1917 - Page 839 |
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JOHN GRAGG.
Two occupations, farming and merchandising, have entered
into the career and contributed to the usefulness of
John Gregg, than whom there is no better
known citizen in Twin Township. His entire life
has been spent at Storms Station, where he has been the
proprietor of a successful general store business and in
the vicinity of which he owns a handsome and well
cultivated farming property, and where, for twenty-nine
years, he has acted in the capacity of postmaster.
Mr. Gregg was born at Storms Station,
Ross County, Ohio, Mar. 18, 1857, a son of Michael
and Rebecca (Storms) Gregg, and a grandson of
John Gregg, one of the early settlers of Twin
Township. After their marriage, the parents of
Mr. Gregg located on a farm in this township,
and at the time of his death, so well had he managed his
affairs, Michael Gregg owned some 300
acres of land, although he had started life with
few-advantages and but small capital. He and his
wife were the parents of three children: Frank,
who met his death in an accident on the rail road;
Hattie, who is the wife of Samuel Allen,
of Bainbridge; and John.
John Gregg was reared on the home farm in
Twin Township and received his education in the common
schools, which he attended during the winter months
until he was twenty-six years of age. He was
married in 1882 to Maggie Schoeroltz, who
was reared in the same neighborhood and attended the
same school, and whose father had been an emigrant to
this country from Germany. Two children were born
to this union: Gilbert S., a graduate of
the graded schools, who married Amy Rhodes
and is now engaged in farming in Twin Township; and
Hattie F., also a graduate of the public schools,
who resides with her parents.
After their marriage, Mr. and Mrs. Gregg settled
on a farm in Twin Township and here they have continued
to cultivate and develop a hand some and valuable
property, on which are many improvements, including a
fine set of substantial buildings. After a short
period, Mr. Gregg decided to enter
mercantile lines and accordingly established himself in
business at what was then known as McCurdy, but which
was later named Storms Station, in honor of his
grandfather, John Storms. He has
built up a good and prosperous trade, which extends all
over this section, and has established an excellent
reputation in business circles as a man of honorable
principles and good business acumen. On Apr. 27,
1883, during the administration of President Chester
A. Arthur, Mr. Gregg was appointed
postmaster at Storms Station, and this post he has held
almost without interruption ever since, his service
therein extending over twenty-nine years in all.
His discharge of the duties of the office has been
eminently satisfactory, conscientious and expeditious
and he has been able to inaugurate a number of reforms
which have given the people better service. In his
political views he is a democrat and wields some
influence in local affairs. His fraternal
connection is with the Benevolent and Protective Order
of Elks, at Chillicothe.
Emerging from the background of the early history of
Ross County is the strong and courageous personality of
John Storms, whose material wealth was
gathered from the soil of Twin Township upon which he
was one of the first arrivals, and to the cultivation of
which he spent the balance of his life. He was
born at Warm Springs, Virginia, in October, 1790, and in
1802 came to Ohio with his parents, who were in more
than modest circumstances, his father having lost all
his property. Here he grew to manhood, and when,
at the outbreak of the War of 1812, a call was issued
for six companies of "rangers," he responded as the
first volunteer from his state, although, as Mr.
Storms afterward said, he "did not know anything
about war and was soon sick of the job." However,
he had too much grit to give up, and fought safely
through the struggle, although on a scouting expedition
to Detroit he nearly lost his life. The party was
without food for several days, and the young soldier
became so weak that he felt he could not continue,
begging his companions to proceed without him. He
often related in later years many other thrilling
experiences encountered while ranging the country with
headquarters at Bellefontaine. At the close of the
war, Mr. Storms returned to Ross County,
Ohio, where the balance of his life was passed and where
his death occurred, July 21, 1889. His active
career here was passed in agriculture and his operations
were phenomenally successful, so that at the time of his
death he owned 3,200 acres of land in Ross County, Ohio,
and Benton County, Indiana. He married Rachel
Dellart, Mar. 2, 1818, and she died in 1856,
their children being Jacob, Joseph,
Nancy, Eliza, Rebecca, Mary,
Elizabeth, Jane, Maria, and Sarah,
and there are now living thirty-two grandchildren,
forty-seven great-grandchildren, and eight
great-great-grandchildren. Mr. Storms
was a devout member of the Methodist Episcopal Church,
was an important political factor before, during and
after the organization of the county, and was regarded
as a man of broad views, sound judgment and invariable
moral rectitude.
Source: A Standard History of Ross County, Ohio -
Vol. II. - Published by The Lewis Publishing Company, Chicago &
New York 1917 - Page 836 |
|
|
OLIVER NEWTON GRIMES
Source: A Standard History of Ross County, Ohio -
Vol. II. - Published by The Lewis Publishing Company, Chicago &
New York 1917 - Page 766 |
|
|
CASPER D. GUNLOCK
Source: A Standard History of Ross County, Ohio -
Vol. II. - Published by The Lewis Publishing Company, Chicago &
New York 1917 - Page 678 |
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