|
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
< CLICK
HERE to RETURN to 1917 BIOGRAPHICAL INDEX
>
<
CLICK HERE to RETURN to LIST OF BIOGRAPHICAL INDEXES & HISTORIES
>
|
|
GEORGE HAMMAN.
A resident of Ross County during most of his active
years, George Hamman has found success
through the avenues of hard work, concentrated attention
to his business, and by honorable and straightforward
methods he has enjoyed the best elements of success, has
acquired a good home, has given his family the comforts
of living and education and is still a man of active
affairs. His residence is in Deerfield township.
His birth occurred in Beaver Township of Pike County,
Ohio, Oct. 18, 1859. His grandparents Peter and
Laura Hamman spent their early lives in Germany and
after their marriage lived in the old country until
1834. Setting out for America, they embarked on
one of the sailing vessels which then were almost the
only means of transport across the Atlantic, and were
forty days from port to port. Coming west to Ohio
they located in Pike County in Seal Township, where they
spent the remainder of their days. They arrived in
Seal Township in the month of May, and Grandfather
Peter Hamman died in the following September.
His widow survived him many years, and was eighty-two
when she died. Her four sons were named Henry,
George, Peter and Philip, and she
also had a daughter named Elizabeth.
Philip Hamman, father of George, was born
on the River Rhine in Germany Mar. 15, 1815. He was
about nineteen years of age when his parents came to
America and his education was that supplied by the
German schools. He was a man of intelligence, of
thrift and sound judgment, and was able to take a man's
part in life when he arrived in America. He
afterwards bought land in Beaver Township of Pike
County, and was successfully engaged in general farming
there. Gradually his means increased and he
purchased other tracts of land until his owner ship
covered nearly three hundred acres. With the
exception of three years in Seal Township his home was
in Beaver Township until his death in his eighty-second
year. Philip Hamman married Martha
Bumgarner, who was born in Beaver Township of Pike
County, Oct. 5, 1821. Her parents, Reuben
and Martha (Carson) Bumgarner, were
among the pioneers of Pike County, having come to that
locality from Pennsylvania, where they were born. Mrs.
Philip Hamman died in her eighty-third
year. Her twelve children were John,
Catherine, Reuben, Margaret,
Elizabeth, Jacob, Ellen, Philip,
Laura, Mary, George and Benjamin.
One of the younger children of his parents, George
Hamman grew up in a large household, and with his
brothers and sisters attended the local schools.
As his father had come to America at the age of
nineteen, so George Hamman at a similar
age left the parental roof and began doing for himself
in the State of Illinois. He worked at monthly
wages for about a year, but then returned to Ohio and
after working out for a while rented some land. He
continued renting farms in Liberty, Scioto and Concord
townships, and for six years had the Blosser
farm in Concord Township.
In the meantime his capital was increasing with his
experience and he then bought the farm which he now owns
and occupies in Deerfield Township. This is a
thoroughly improved place of three hundred acres, and
ranks as one of the best farms in the entire county.
Besides this fine estate Mr. Hamman
has several other farms which are operated by renters.
At the age of twenty-six Mr. Hamman chose
as his helpmate through life Miss Emma
Vallery. Mrs. Hammond was born
in Seal Township of Pike County. Her father
Conrad Vallery was born in Baden, Germany,
May 5, 1816. Her Grandfather Peter
Vallery was also a native of Baden, and in 1833
brought his family to America, making the voyage in a
sailing vessel just as the Hamman family
did in the following year. From New York they came
on to Pike County and he bought a tract of wild land in
Beaver Township. The first home of the Vallery
family in America was a log cabin such as most of
the early settlers occupied. Peter
Vallery spent the rest of his years in improving his
land, but died a few years after coming to America.
His wife Charlotte survived him and finally
removed to Cass County, Nebraska, where she died at the
home of a son when ninety years of age. Her four
children were Conrad, Jacob, Peter
and Mary. Conrad Vallery, the
father of Mrs. Hamman, was seventeen years
old when he came to America and had in the mean time
acquired a good education in his native land. His
early experience was connected with farming, and he was
left well fitted to engage in agricultural pursuits in
Ohio. He became one of Pike County's very
successful farmers, and eventually purchased the
Governor Lucas homestead in Seal Township.
At the time of his death at the age of fifty-four he was
the owner of several large tracts of land besides this
homestead. Conrad Vallery married
Christina Zahn, a daughter of Andrew
and Abaline (Schafer) Zahn.
Her mother died when she was young, and she came with
her father and her paternal grandparents to America, all
of them settling in Pike County. Mrs.
Christina Vallery died in her eighty-eighth
year, having reared nine children, named Elizabeth,
Conrad, Peter, Jacob, John,
Andrew, Christina, Emma and
Catherine.
Mr. and Mrs. Hamman are the parents of three
children: Christina, Royal V. and
George W. The daughter Christina is the
wife of Carl B. Gearhart, and their son George
Hamman Gearhart is the only grandchild of
Mr. and Mrs. Hamman.
Source: A Standard History of Ross County, Ohio -
Vol. II. - Published by The Lewis Publishing Company, Chicago &
New York 1917 - Page 899 |
|
|
FRANK A.
HANAWALT, who is now enjoying the
comforts of his fine farm in Concord Township, has had a
long and active career, chiefly spent as a contractor
and builder of roads and bridges. Mr.
Hanawalt is widely known over this section of Ohio
and his career is one that will be read with interest by
his many friends in Ross County.
He was born in Concord Township Oct. 15, 1857.
His father, Christopher Hanawalt, was born
in Mifflin County, Pennsylvania, Aug. 20, 1821.
The grandfather, George Hanawalt, was also
born in Mifflin County, Pennsylvania, and he as well as
two brothers, Henry and John, came to Ross
County in the early days. John settled in
Bourneville, and Henry in Concord Township. George
Hanawalt arrived in Ohio in 1823. He was
accompanied by his family, and after some years in Union
Township he moved to Concord, where he followed farming
until his death. George Hanawalt
married Margaret Parchel, and their four
children were Caleb, Christopher,
Elizabeth and Sarah.
Christopher Hanawalt was the father of
Frank A. As a young man in Ross County he
served an apprenticeship at the blacksmith's trade in
Frankfort. After completing his apprenticeship he
opened a shop there, and was steadily in business,
meeting the demands of his patrons for shop work for
almost half a century. After giving up active
business he continued to live in Frankfort until his
death in 1910. His wife, whose maiden name was
Elizabeth Speaks, a daughter of Frank and
Mary (Goldsberry) Speaks, natives of Virginia and
early settlers of Ross County, also died in the year
1910 at the age of eighty years. Christopher
Hanawalt and wife reared ten children: Joseph;
Mary, who married William Beard;
George; Benton L.; Ollie K., who
married Noah Coyner; Samuel;
Frank; Elizabeth; Pearl; and
Raymond.
Frank A. Hanawalt gained his early education in
the rural schools of Ross County. He has been a
hard worker all his life and as early as fourteen years
of age went out to work on the farm of Rheasa
McNeill. He continued employment at monthly
wages until he had saved enough money to buy a team, and
he then started out as a renter. After farming for
some years, he used his equipment during the
construction of the Cincinnati, Hamilton and Dayton
Railway, and that experience introduced him into the
broad field of contracting for the building of roads and
bridges. He has continued that business ever since
and has constructed many miles of improved highways both
in Ross and other counties of Ohio. Since 1909 he
has lived on his beautiful farm in Concord Township, and
operates that both as a home and for profit.
Mr. Hanawalt has been twice married.
At the age of twenty he married Nina A. Ware, who
was born in Frankfort, a daughter of Thomas
Ware and a granddaughter of Thomas Ware,
Sr. She died after sixteen years of married
life. Mr. Hanawalt married, for his
present wife, Renie B. Young, who was born
in Fayette County, a daughter of Nelson and
Martha (Bush) Young. Mr.
and Mrs. Hanawalt have two sons, Fred C. and
William Howard.
Ever since he became a voter, Mr. Hanawalt
has steadfastly sup ported the republican party.
He has served as a member of the Concord Township
Republican Committee and as a delegate to various
conventions. He is now serving his fifth consecutive
term as a member of the township board of trustees.
Fraternally, he is a member of Frankfort Lodge of the
Knights of Pythias.
Source: A Standard History of Ross County, Ohio -
Vol. II. - Published by The Lewis Publishing Company, Chicago &
New York 1917 - Page 912 |
|
|
WILLIAM
J. HAYNES. The founder of the Haynes
family in Ross County, Ohio, came to Chillicothe
in 1798, a blacksmith by trade and an enterprising man.
His son, George Haynes, was also a
blacksmith and assisted in the construction of the first
bridge that spanned the Scioto River in Ross County.
He married Isabel Nicholls and they reared
a family of five sons and six daughters, the vigor of
this stock being shown in their longevity.
William J. Haynes, a prominent representative of
this old pioneer family, a substantial business man of
Richmond Dale, was born Apr. 12, 1865, in Pike County,
Ohio, and is a son of John and Rosanna (Cissna)
Haynes, a grandson of George Haynes and a
great-grandson of the founder of the Haynes family
in this part of Ohio.
John Haynes was born at Chillicothe, Ohio, in
1843 and is now deceased. For many years he was a
substantial farmer in Pike County. He was married
to Rose Ann Cissna, who was born at Piketon,
Ohio, and they had seven children born to them:
Isabella, William J., C. E., Jenetta, Cornelius, O. C.
Dell and John, Jr.
William J. Haynes was reared on the home farm in
Pike County, attended the district schools and later the
National Normal School at Lebanon, Ohio. He
remained with his parents until he was twenty-one years
of age, when he came to Richmond Dale to embark in a
general mercantile business with William A. Maxwell,
purchasing a half interest. This partnership was
continued for eighteen months, when Mr. Haynes
sold his interest and carried on business alone for two
years, then purchased the business of Stultz &
Seigler and organized the new firm of Stultz
& Haynes, later buying his partner's interest.
Mr. Haynes continued alone until 1901,
when Roscoe Dixon became a partner and one
year later Mr. Haynes sold his interest to
Mr. Dixon and embarked in another line of
merchandising, this being dealing wholesale in fence
posts, and in 1906 he added electrical supplies.
He does an extensive business, entirely wholesale. He
also looks after his valuable real estate.
In 1885 Mr. Haynes was married to Miss
Jennie M. Davis, of Richmond Dale, and they had four
children: J. Scott, W. Ward, Clarence P., and
Clifford C., the last named being deceased.
The mother of these children died July 23, 1896.
On Feb. 22, 1899, Mr. Haynes was married
to Miss Ella M. Drummond, of Ross County, and
they have two children: Herman H. and Mabel L.
The family belong to the Methodist Episcopal Church.
Mr. Haynes is a leading factor in republican
political circles. He has been a delegate to
county, state and national conventions, and from 1897 to
1912 was postmaster of Richmond Dale. He takes
much interest in educational matters and was largely
responsible for the legislation that brought about the
centralization of the schools of Jefferson Township.
For five years he served as township treasurer. He is a
member of and is past president of the R. O. O. L.
Source: A Standard History of Ross County, Ohio -
Vol. II. - Published by The Lewis Publishing Company, Chicago &
New York 1917 - Page 904 |
Joseph M. Hanley, M.D. |
JOSEPH M. HANLEY, M. D.
Source: A Standard History of Ross County, Ohio -
Vol. II. - Published by The Lewis Publishing Company, Chicago &
New York 1917 - Page 685 |
|
|
MRS. SARAH
ELIZABETH HARMOUNT. On account of the
splendid character of the people who have lived there
one of the most interesting homesteads in Ross County is
that occupied by Mrs. Sarah E. Harmount in
Deerfield Township. Mrs. Harmount is a
granddaughter of the original settler there, and she and
her family reside in a commodious two story house,
surrounded by a large lawn shaded with beautiful trees.
It was on this farm that Mrs. Harmount was born
April 24, 1841. She is a daughter of the late
JOHN WESLEY TIMMONS, who was born on part of the
same farm Mar. 4, 1806, a son of Stephen and Milla
(Brown) Timmons.
The founder of the family here was Rev. Stephen
Timmons, who was born in Worcester County, Maryland,
Aug. 6, 1769. His father, Thomas Timmons,
was born in Maryland of English ancestry.
Thomas Timmons was a member of the Episcopal Church,
and was one of the very early opponents of the
institution of slavery. The maiden name of his
wife is thought to have been Mary Clarkson.
Rev. Stephen Timmons was reared in the Episcopal
faith, but in 1791 joined the Methodist Episcopal Church
and was soon appointed leader of two classes. Not
long afterwards he was licensed to preach, joined the
Methodist Conference, and was assigned in 1795 to the
Northumberland Circuit. In 1798 he came to the
Northwest Territory, arriving in Chillicothe in October
of that year. Chillicothe then had one hewed log
house occupied by Dr. Edward Tiffin, who
afterwards became the first governor of the state.
All the other buildings in the town, few in number, were
cabins built of round logs. Rev. Stephen
Timmons as the pioneer circuit rider visited all the
few white settlements then to be found north of the Ohio
River, and even carried his missionary efforts into
Kentucky. Some of the civilized Indians would go
before him and others followed behind to cover up his
tracks. This was in 1803. Meeting an object
of charity on one of his trips he gave her his last
twenty-five cents, and when he alighted from his horse
waiting to cross the river there lay at his feet
fifty-cents. HE made the second trip West in 1799
bringing White Brown with him to prove his
statement about the new country. Rev. Enoch
George came as far as where Lancaster now stands on
his first trip. He returned east. There he
recited in glowing terms the wonderful charms of the
Scioto Valley. Among others who were influenced by
his words of praise of this western country was White
Brown. It is largely on the strength of this
missionary's work that White Brown came to Ross
County with his family. No history of Ross County
has ever been written without honorable mention of
White Brown, since he did much in the early days to
make Ross County what it is. Rev. Stephen
Timmons married a daughter of this pioneer Ross
County settler. On his return east Mr. Timmons
joined the Maryland Conference and preached at different
places until December, 1801. In that year he
returned to Ross County, accompanying a part of White
Brown's family. While he himself rode a horse
other members of the party were in a wagon drown by four
horses driven by a trusted slave. The minister's
belongings were in a wooden chest carried on the wagon.
This chest is now preserved at the home of his
granddaughter Mrs. Harmount. Mr. Timmons'
father had given him $200 and with this he purchased a
tract of land in what is now Deerfield Township.
This land is now a part of the Harmount farm.
In those early days about the only demand for corn was
from the settlers who had not yet had time to raise a
crop. Rev. Stephen Timmons erected as his
first home a cabin 16 by 16 feet of hickory logs.
In that he and his bride commenced housekeeping.
In the year 1804 there arrived in Ross County a colony
of people from Maryland. There were seventy of
them, the poorest of the poor, oppressed Marylanders.
They drew up at the door of Rev. Mr. Timmons.
These Marylanders had brought all their possessions
in a cart drawn by a pony. Mr. Timmons took
it upon himself to assist each of these families to
secure homes in the wilderness. The land had not
yet been surveyed, and much of it was owned by the State
of Virginia. Under his own direction and by his
assistance four cabins were built for the new settlers,
and with his gun he supplied the newcomers with large
quantities of wild meat, and took other steps to assist
them until they could raise a crop. In the
meantime the improvements were continuing on his own
farm, and in a few years he had a large tract under
cultivation. The early settlers of Ross County owe
a great debt of gratitude to this sterling man of
Christ. In spite of the fact that he constantly
gave away great quantities of his yearly produce, he
prospered. What he did not give away outright he
sold on easy terms to the poor. When a stranger
came to him to buy corn he first inquired whether the
purchaser had money to pay. If the man said yes,
Mr. Timmons would then tell him of some one who
had corn to sell. He kept his own corn for such as
did not have the money. Thus he confined his
dealings almost entirely to the poor. While his
own health was not good, and that prevented him from
holding regular pastorates, he found much opportunity to
preach the Gospel. He was unable to endure the
heavy hardships placed upon the circuit rider of the
time. Those early preachers made journeys on
horseback lasting for days and months, encountered all
kinds of bad weather, swam swollen streams, and in his
time he saw much of that very kind of service.
From time to time Rev. Mr.
Timmons added other tracts of land until he was
owner of upwards of 800 acres in Ross County and as much
more in Pickaway County.
His death occurred in 1849, at the age of eighty years.
Thus came to a close one of the most fruitful lives ever
passed in Ross County. In March, 1802, he married
Milla Brown, daughter of White Brown.
She died in 1832. He afterwards married Mrs.
(Cartwright) Comberford, a relative of the famous
pioneer missionary and evangelist, Peter
Cartwright.
John Wesley Timmons, son of Rev. Stephen
Timmons, inherited a part of the old home farm, and
spent his active years engaged in general farming and
stock raising. He owned land in Pickaway County
and 900 acres in Henry County. He died at the age
of seventy-three. He was first married to Sarah
Brown by the Rev. Reuben Rowe on Jan. 13,
1831. She was removed by death about six years
later and he then married Ann Elizabeth Prior.
This marriage was performed by Rev. William S. Morrow
on May 1, 1838. Miss Prior was a student in
the old seminary at Chillicothe about 1834, and while
there she had united with the Methodist Episcopal
Church. At the death of her parents she came into
possession of 500 acres of land. For his third
wife John W. Timmons was married Apr. 30, 1865,
to Margaret Clifford, the ceremony being
performed by Rev. T. J. Phillips.
The three children of his first wife died in their
youth, one of them living to the age of twelve years.
By the second marriage there were nine children.
The three now living are Sarah Elizabeth, Thomas
Jefferson and James Madison. One son,
Samuel Prior died in Andersonville Prison and
something more than passing mention should be made of
him. When eighteen years of age he enlisted in
Company A of the First Ohio Regiment. He was born
Oct. 2, 1842, in Deerfield Township of Ross County, and
enlisted Sept. 1, 1861, at Clarksburg, Ohio. Soon
afterward he was promoted to first sergeant. At
the Battle of Stone River he received a flesh wound on
his arm. Sept. 19, 1863, while in the Battle of
Chickamauga, he was shot through the left leg just above
the knee joint, and subsequently captured. He was
removed to Atlanta, then to Richmond, then to
Andersonville, where he perished of starvation Sept. 16,
1864. He united with the Methodist Episcopal
Church when sixteen years of age, and left home with a
strong faith in God, believing that He would care and
provide for him. As to his life and character as a
man and soldier his colonel wrote of him as follows:
"I recollect your brother very well and his quiet
gentlemanly manner early attracted my notice, and each
day of his two years' service with the regiment gave
perfect satisfaction and fresh proof of his worth as a
man and a soldier. I never knew him to be guilty
of an immoral word or action. As first sergeant of
Company A his books were neat and well kept, and his
reports and accounts prompt and accurate. He was
strict and reliable in the performance of every duty.
In few words, he was a good soldier and good man, brave,
prompt, conscientious, obedient. It affords me
pleasure to bear testimony of his merits." His
remains lie in grave No. 8914 at Andersonville.
His letters home while in prison were always cheery and
hopeful, still trusting the Lord to guide and protect.
He said in one: "I am trying to make the best of my
condition possible and to keep up my spirit," and of
comrades and self he also said: "We are doing as well as
could be expected, yet are longing, looking and praying
for the day of our release."
Another of the sons of John W. Timmons was also
a soldier. He was John Wesley Timmons, Jr.,
who served his country in the One Hundred and
Forty-ninth Ohio Volunteer Infantry, enlisting when but
nineteen years of age. He was also a Christian boy
- and man. He was an excellent soldier, performed
all his duties as a mature man with promptness and
fidelity. He died at Circleville, Ohio, Aug. 26,
1881.
John Wesley Timmons, Sr., was a man of great
influence and excellent judgment, and many people came
to him for help and advice when in trouble. His
house was noted as a home for the afflicted and needy.
He was a firm and active supporter of the church, held
different offices such as class leader, circuit steward,
etc., and gave liberally of his own means to church
causes. At quarterly meetings he was in the habit
of giving a public invitation for entertainment at his
home. As many as fifty guests were entertained
around his dinner table, and usually from twelve to
fifteen spent the night in that hospitable household.
It was said of him while living that "he was a man among
men and esteemed as a man among men." At his
funeral Rev. Zachariah Wharton among other things
said that "his word was as good as the dollar."
John Wesley Timmons lived on a part of the farm
where he was reared until September, 1849, and then
moved to the vicinity of Clarksburg, where he spent the
rest of his days. During a part of his life he
filled the office of justice of the peace. His
second wife Ann was a perfect helpmate. Her
last work was one of unselfish devotion. She went
to the Gettysburg battlefield in order to nurse a half
brother of her husband who had been wounded and who died
on the battlefield, and she brought his body home.
While at Gettysburg she cared for many other wounded
soldiers, and one of them wrote home to his friends that
"no one knew the good she had done while there."
In three short weeks after returning from his mission of
love she was laid away in the family burying ground.
The remains of herself and husband have since been
removed to the township cemetery at Brown's Chapel.
Ann Elizabeth Prior was born near Clarksburg,
though across the line in Pickaway County Mar. 9, 1817.
Her parents were Samuel T. and Emily (Nickols) Pryor.
A daughter of these worthy parents, Mrs. Sarah
Elizabeth Harmount grew up in the old home at
Clarksburg, attended the public schools there and was
also a student in the Female College at Springfield.
In 1861 she married Robert Simpson Harmount, son
of George B. and Anna Mary (Baughman) Harmount.
On May 2, 1864, three years after their marriage,
Mr. Harmount enlisted in the One Hundred and
Forty-ninth Ohio Volunteer Infantry, being in the 100
days services. His father, George Harmount,
was a carriage builder by trade and a pioneer in that
occupation in the City of Chillicothe. It is said
that the first body for a stage coach ever made in that
city was his handiwork. From Chillicothe he
removed to Williamsport, where he spent his last days.
Robert S. Harmount learned the trade of carriage
and wagon builder from his father and as a young man
located at Clarksburg where he conducted a carriage
factory a number of years. After his marriage he
removed to the Harmount homestead in Deerfield
Township, eleven miles from Chillicothe, and was
actively occupied with farming until his death at the
age of sixty-nine.
Mr. and Mrs. Harmount reared six children:
Louetta May, George P., Anna E., Timmons, Robert S.
and Ralph. Louetta by her marriage to
George C. Blue has two children, Samuel Francis
and Charles. George married Martha
Briggs. Anna, now deceased, married Wade J.
Byerly. Timmons married Ida L. Wilkins,
and their six children are Nellie, Harry, Arthur,
Annie, Pryor and Mary. Robert married
Addie Goodbar, and the four children that bless
their union are Marie, Robert, Joseph and
Catherine. Ralph married Rebecca Layton,
and has three children, Gilbert, Harold and
Forrest. Mrs. Harmount has seven
great-grandchildren.
Thus the declining years of Mrs. Harmount are
spent with the solace and comforts supplied by her
children and her many grandchildren. She has
always been a reader, keeps up with current history, and
has many things to occupy her mind at the delightful
home where she lives.
Source: A Standard History of Ross County, Ohio -
Vol. II. - Published by The Lewis Publishing Company, Chicago &
New York 1917 - Page 802 |
|
|
GEORGE F. HATFIELD.
One cannot follow the long career of George F. Hatfield
without renewing appreciation of those homely, sterling
qualities which, when allied with practical business sense, lift
men from poverty to wealth, from obscurity to prominence.
He has been a resident of Ross County since 1913, and since the
year following has lived on his present property, located in the
Vicinity of Vigo, where he owns and operates 240 acres of land.
His career has been a successful one and his fortune and
prestige have been gained solely through his own efforts.
Mr. Hatfield was born Nov. 12, 1865, in Pike
County, Kentucky, and is a son of Judge Basil and Nancy Jane
(Lowe) Hatfield. His paternal grandfather was
George Hatfield, who went from Virginia into Pike County,
Kentucky, as a pioneer settler, and there passed the remaining
years of his life as a farmer. Basil Hatfield was
born on Blackberry Creek, Pike County, Kentucky, Nov. 17, 1839,
and during the greater part of his life has been identified with
public life. Reared as a farmer, in early life he became a
preacher in the Baptist Church, and for fifty years has preached
in various communities of Kentucky, although at this time he is
semi-retired. As a stalwart supporter of republican
principles, he attracted the attention and confidence of his
fellow citizens, who recognized in him good official timber, and
who demonstrated their faith by electing him a magistrate in his
native county. After two terms in that office he was
elected judge of the county court for two terms, or eight years,
and this was followed by his election as sheriff of Pike County,
an office which he held for one term, which at that time
amounted to four years. Judge Hatfield at that time
removed to Lexington, Kentucky, where he lived for two or three
years, then going to Pikesville, where he was again nominated
for public office, being the candidate of the republican party
for the county judgeship. He tied with the democratic
candidate, but after a count-off was counted out by a small
margin. He is now living at Prestonburg, Kentucky, at the
age of seventy-six years, while Mrs. Hatfield is two
years his junior and also survives. Throughout his career
Judge Hatfield has maintained a high standard of honor,
and few men are more deserving of the esteem in which they are
held by their fellows. He and his wife have been the
parents of twelve children, all of whom have grown to maturity,
as follows: Polly, who is the wife of Granville
Smith, of Pike County, Kentucky; Matilda, who is
married and a resident of Muncie, Indiana; Jeremiah, who
is now deceased; George F., of this review; Orrison R.,
of St. Paul, Kentucky; Emily Jane, who is the wife of
Doctor Truggle, of New York City; Nancy, who is the
wife of James H. Ball of Pike County, Kentucky; Lydia
the wife of Sam Nunery also of that county; Hays,
a resident of New York City; Thomas Jefferson, who is
deceased; Emma, the wife of W. H. Blair, of
Prestonburg, Kentucky; and Lundy, who is a resident of
Portsmouth, Ohio. All of the children were given good
educational advantages and reared to lives of industry and
sobriety.
George F. Hatfield received his education in the
district schools and lived at home until he reached the age of
eighteen years. On Dec. 6, 1883, he was united in marriage
with Miss Flores Layne, a daughter of W. H. and Emily
(Smith) Layne. Mr. Layne and his wife were reared near
the mouth of Mud Creek, on Sandy River, in Floyd County,
Kentucky, Mr. Layne being the son of Judge Lindsey
Layne, who was a prominent man in Kentucky during his day.
In the first year of his marriage Mr. Hatfield lived on
the old home place, and then moved to Sandy River, Floyd County,
where he was also engaged in farming for one year.
Returning to Pike County, he assumed the duties of deputy
sheriff, an office which he held for five consecutive years, and
then passed a like period in farming and sawlogging. With
his earnings thus gained he purchased the homestead place on
which he had been born, a tract of 160 acres, from his father,
but after a short time sold this property and moved to Flat Gap,
Johnson County, Kentucky, bought property in town, and embarked
in the mercantile business, which demanded his attention for a
period of twenty years, a part of this time as Hatfield &
Vaugn and later as George F. Hatfield. In 1896
Mr. Hatfield was appointed postmaster at Flat Gap, a
capacity in which he acted for seventeen years, and until he
sold his mercantile business, at which time he resigned from the
Government service. At that time, in 1913, he again
decided to take up farming, and accordingly came to Ross County
and bought a farm of 107 acres of good land near Anderson.
This he sold after about twelve months, when he closed a deal
for his present farm, a property of 240 acres of good bottoms
land, located one mile northeast of Vigo, in Liberty Township.
He has made numerous valuable improvements since his arrival,
and his handsome, well-improved and highly cultivated farm is a
monument to his ability and industry and an illustration of what
may be achieved through individual and determined effort.
Mr. and Mrs. Hatfield are the parents of five
children: Emily Jane, who is the wife of Glen
Walters and resides on the home farm; James Trimble,
who married Miss Shaffer and assists his father in the
cultivation of the Liberty Township farm; Lundy, whose
home is in the State of Washington; Dixie, who is the
wife of W. B. Hall and lives on the home farm; and
Tera, the wife of Isom Salyer, of Flat Gap, Johnson
County, Kentucky. Mr. and Mrs. Hatfield and their
children are members of the New Regular Baptist Church, in the
work of which they have taken a keen interest, Mr. Hatfield
having been clerk of the church at the time he left Johnson
Gap. In political matters he is a republican, and his
public services have included the duties of the office of vice
president of the Herrick Commission, which he now hoods.
Aside from his agricultural labors, he has done some business in
a real estate way and has been the medium through which some
large deals have been consummated.
Source: A Standard History of Ross County, Ohio -
Vol. II. - Published by The Lewis Publishing Company, Chicago &
New York 1917 - Page 864 |
|
|
CHARLES
MARTIN HAYNES. A practical and prosperous business
main of Chillicothe, as a jeweler being associated with its
manufacturing and mercantile interests, Charles Martin Haynes
is in truth of pioneer stock, belonging to a family that has
been well known in Ross County for upwards of 100 years.
He was born June 19, 1866, in Concord Township, while his
father, Col. James Henry Haynes, was born in Ross County,
Jan. 28, 1836, and his grandfather, Martin Haynes, was
likewise a native of this county, his birth having occurred in
1809, in Scioto Township.
John Haynes, son of Nicholas and
Sophia (Sheetz) Haynes, the paternal
great-grandfather of Charles Martin Haynes, was born Oct.
14, 1769, in the State of Pennsylvania, York County, Dover
Township, near the Blue Mountains, and during his earlier life
resided for many years in Charleston, Virginia. Soon after
the first settlements of Ohio were made, he crossed the
intervening country six times, coming and going on three trips,
making the first two prospecting trips on foot, and the third
one on horseback. In 1808, accompanied by his family, he
came to Ross County with teams, bringing all of his worldly
effects with him. He located in the Paint Creek Valley,
near Haynes Creek Ford, which was named in his honor. He
purchased from the Government a tract of heavily timbered land,
and on the clearing which he made erected a log cabin, in the
construction of which not a nail was used. He rived by
hand the clapboards which covered the roof, weighting them in
place with poles. He was a man of undaunted energy and
enterprise, and a one time owned three mills in Ross County, one
being located on the Narrows, one on Paint Creek, and the other
in Scioto Township. He lived to a venerable age, passing
away Mar. 28, 1859. His wife, whose maiden name was
Margaret Sheetz, born Aug. 23, 1775, at Shephards Town on
the Potomac, Virginia, died Sept. 5, 1836. Seven sons and
five daughters were born of this union: Elizabeth,
1791; Julian, 1793, Jacob, 1795; Henry,
1798; Mary, 1800; on died at birth, 1803, not named;
John, 1804; Sarah, 1807; Martin and
Margaret, twins, 1809; Daniel, 1812; Benjamin,
1815.
Martin Haynes was reared and
educated in pioneer days, beginning and ending his school life
in a log house, primitively furnished. The rude slab
benches, with wooden pins for legs, had no desks, but a plank
placed along the wall served as a place for the scholars to
write, the quill pens used being made by the teacher, while the
ink was made at home by boiling the inner bark of young maple
trees in water impregnated with sulphate of iron. The
floor was of puncheon, and the chimney was made of earth and
stocks. Fond of the chase, Martin Haynes was very
skilful as a deer hunter, and his gun, now in the possession of
the subject of this sketch, is said to have killed more deer
than any other gun in Ohio.
After attaining his majority, Martin Haynes
purchased land in Concord Township, on the north fork of Paint
Creek, and there operated a saw mill, and a grist mill which was
equipped with bolts for making flour. People from
many miles around used to go there with their grist. He
built up a fine business, and was there a resident until his
death. He married Caroline Hoover, a daughter of
Jonathan and Elizabeth Kellenberger Hoover, and they became
the parents of six children, as follows: Louisa,
1834; James Jenry, 1836; Elizabeth, 1839; Sarah,
1840; William Martin, 1846; Eliza, 1854.
Col. James Henry Hanes acquired the rudiment of
his education in the district schools, and later attended the
Ohio State University. Enlisting for service during the
Civil war, he was commissioned by Governor Dennison, Aug.
1, 1861, as second lieutenant of Company A, Eighteenth Ohio
Volunteer Infantry. Going with his command to the front,
he participated in many important engagements, including among
others those at Bowling Green, Kentucky; Huntsville, Alabama;
Bridgeport, Alabama; Manchester, Stewart Creek, Tullahoma, and
Dug Gap, in Tennessee; and at Chickamauga, Georgia. In
November, 1862, he resigned on account of ill health, and
returned home to recuperate. On September 26, 1863, he was
commissioned lieutenant-colonel of the Twenty-seventh Regiment,
Ohio Volunteer Militia, by Governor Tod, but was never
called into active service. After leaving the army he
resumed charge of the mill in Concord Township, and operated it
until 1877, when he went to South Bloomfield, Ohio, where he was
engaged in milling two years. The following year he was
similarly employed at Circleville, from there going to Austin,
where he had charged of the Thompson Mill two years. He
then settled in Chillicothe and continued a resident until about
1895. After that time he made his home with his daughter,
Mrs. Abram F. Stults, who lived near DeLand, Illinois,
moving with them to Iowa then to Macon, Missouri, where he died
January, 12, 1908.
Colonel Haynes married Mary Catherine Pontius,
who was born in Green Township, Ross County, a daughter of
Andrew Pontious. Her grandfather, Frederick Pontius,
was born in 1759, of German ancestry, in Pennsylvania, it is
thought. About 1806, accompanied by his family, he came
constituted the only improvements. He place a part of the
land under cultivation, and was there employed in tilling the
soil during the remainder of his life. He was twice
married.
Born in Pennsylvania, Jan. 15, 1803, Andrew Pontius,
the maternal grandfather of Mr. Haynes, was brought up
and educated in Green Township, and succeeded to the ownership
of the parental homestead. Industrious and
enterprising, he added to the improvements previously
inaugurated, and soon after assuming possession of the place
burned brick, and from which he erected a substantial house, and
in addition erected a commodious frame barn. Late in life
he removed to Kingston, but after staying there for years
returned to his farm, where his death occurred, Feb. 16, 1879.
He married, June 25, 1825, Mary Ann Bitzer, who was born
Dec. 31, 1808, in Fairfield County, Ohio, and died Oct. 25,
1878. Of the twelve children born of their union, eleven
grew to years of maturity, Reuben, John R., Frederick
B., Peter, Andrew, William Allen, Barbara Ann, Mary Catharine,
Eliza Jane, Sarah Melissa, and Ellen Belinda.
Caroline Elizabeth, twin sister to Ellen, died at the
age of two years. Colonel and Catharine (Pontius)
Haynes were the parents of three children, namely:
Anna Alma, wife of Abraham F. Stults, of Austin,
Minnesota; Charles Martin, the special subject of this
sketch; and Ella Belinda, who died at the age of fourteen
years.
Beginning life for himself at the age of eighteen
years, Charles Martin Haynes entered the employ of
Schlegel & Loel, jewelers, February 1, 1885, and after
completing his apprenticeship remained with the firm until Aug.
1, 1904, gaining skill and experience at his trade.
Forming then a partnership with Frank Henn, he has since
been actively engaged in the jewelry business on North Paint
Street, being junior member of the firm of Henn &
Haynes.
On Aug. 24, 1893, Mr. Haynes married Carrie
Alice Steele, a daughter of Dr. William Wesley, and
Eliza (Minear) Steele, and grand-daughter of Joseph
Steele, a prominent farmer and a stock raiser of Pickaway
county. Doctor Steele was for many years a well
known druggist in Chillicothe. Mr. and Mrs. Haynes
are members of the Walnut Street Methodist Episcopal Church.
Fraternally Mr. Haynes is a member of Scioto Lodge No. 6,
Ancient Free and Accepted Order of Masons; of Chillicothe
Chapter No. 4, Royal Arch Masons; of Chillicothe Council No. 4,
Royal and Select Masters; of Chillicothe Commandery No. 8,
Knights Templar; of Scioto Consistory, at Columbus; and of
Aladdin Temple, Ancient Arabic Order of the Nobles of the Mystic
Shrine at Columbus. He also belongs to Chillicothe Lodge
No. 52, Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, and to
Chillicothe Camp No. 4111, Modern Woodmen of America.
Source: A Standard History of Ross County, Ohio -
Vol. II. - Published by The Lewis Publishing Company, Chicago &
New York 1917 - Page 928 |
|
|
HENRY HICKLE was
at the time of this writing, in the spring of 1916, one of the
very oldest surviving natives of Ross County. He recently
celebrated his ninetieth birthday. This nonagenarian has
been a witness of almost every important incident of progress in
the remarkable century just passed. The first short line
of railroad track was constructed in America about the time he
was born. The Erie Canal had been open for traffic about a
year before. Thus the barriers which had hitherto
restricted population to the narrow fringe of Atlantic colonies
were just being broken down. His family had already established
themselves in Ross County twelve or thirteen years before his
birth, and his is one of the few names that have been
continuously identified with this section of Southern Ohio more
than a century. His long years have had their toil and service
and he has lived to a green old age, honored and respected by
children, grandchildren, and by hosts of friends.
He was born in Colerain Township of Ross County,
February 26, 1826. His father, Henry Hickle, was
born in Rockingham County, Virginia, and the grandfather was a
native of Germany and settled in Virginia on coming to this
country. Late in life the grandfather came to Ross County
and spent his last days in Colerain Township. Henry
Hickle, Sr., grew up and married in Virginia, and started
for Ohio in 1813, while the War of 1812 was still in progress.
He was accompanied by his wife and four children, and also by
his parents. The trip was made with a wagon drawn by four horses
and carrying all the simple household goods. The members
of the party camped by the wayside at night. For a large
part of the distance the road led through an unbroken
wilderness, and most of Southern Ohio was then Government land
and subject to entry by settlers at a very small price per acre.
A hundred acres in Colerain Township constituted the first tract
of land owned by the Hickle family. There
after a few days of industrious work a log cabin rose among the
trees, and later it was replaced by a two-story hewed log house
with a stone chimney in the middle and a fireplace in the two
lower rooms. With the assistance of his children, the
father cleared up this land and later bought other tracts, so
that at the time of his death his estate comprised 300 acres.
He died on the old home farm in 1841. The maiden name of
his wife was Rebecca Reed, and she died in 1826,
soon after the birth of her youngest son, Henry.
She left nine children: Aaron, Jeremiah, Mary, Christopher,
Melinda, John, Jacob, Samuel and Henry. The father
married a second time and reared children by that union.
Mr. Henry Hinkle grew up among typical pioneer
scenes. When he was a boy all cooking was done by open
fires, and no stoves had yet been introduced. His father
raised flax and kept sheep, and he still has the old spinning
wheel and the flax hackle which his mother and sister used in
the domestic processes of cloth manufacture. All grain was
cut with a sickle, and it was years before the most primitive
threshing machinery was introduced, the straw being spread on
the barn floor and tramped out by horses or beaten out with a
flail. It was one of the early duties of Henry Hickle
to ride the horse in its monotonous circle as it tramped out the
wheat. He was nearly a grown man before the first railroad
came to Ross County, and before the first canal was constructed
the surplus grain was taken to market on flatboats down the
Scioto River. Mr. Hickle recalls the custom of the
harvesting season, when three or more men, with a leader, went
from field to field with sickles to cut the grain.
Though there were no public schools, Mr.
Hickle made the best of his advantages secured in the
subscription schools then maintained, and he grew up
industrious, thrifty and able to make his own way from an early
age. To the vocation in which he was reared, farming, he
applied the best years of his life, and won thereby an honorable
competence sufficient for his needs and the comforts of his
family.
In 1854 Mr. Hickle married for his first
wife Sarah Reedy. She was born in Green
Township of Ross County, a daughter of Michael and Mary
(Davis) Reedy, who were early settlers in that locality.
Mrs. Hickle died in 1860. For his second wife he
married another Sarah Reedy, who was a cousin of his
first wife and a daughter of John Reedy. By
his first union there was one daughter, Altha, who
married Chauncey Faust, and is now living in New
Mexico; they have two children, May and Miner.
By the second marriage there were five children: Mary B.,
Ursinus, Julia, Arthur and Floyd. The daughter
Mary married Robert Overly, living in Columbus,
and her four children are Ralph, Earl, Myrtle
and Minnie. Julia married Frank
Gildersleeve and lives in Denver, Colorado, and they have a
daughter, Hazel. Arthur married Nellie
Housworth.
After nearly fifty years of married companionship,
Mrs. Hickle passed away January 2, 1913. She,
as well as Mr. Hickle, was an active member of the
German Reformed Church, which he has served as a deacon and
elder for many years.
Source: A Standard History of Ross County, Ohio -
Vol. II. - Published by The Lewis Publishing Company, Chicago &
New York 1917 - Page 795 |
|
|
CORNELIUS HOOK.
The Town of Vigo in Ross County is perhaps as widely known among
brick and tile manufacturers over the country as any community
in Ohio. This is due to the fact that it is the home of
the Ohio Kiln Company, manufacturers and designers of the famous
kilns patented by Mr. Cornelius Hook.
Mr. Hook
has spent most of his lifetime in the
manufacturing of clay products and the operating of kilns, and
out of the wealth of his experience has invented what is known
as the Improved Hook Patent Up and Down Draft Kiln.
The claims made for this kiln have been amply substantiated by
the experience of brick manufacturers all over the United States
and Canada. It is said to be the only system whereby heat
can be applied to bottom and top at the same time and by which
the ware while being burned is subjected to an equal and
constant heat in all parts of the kiln and thereby preventing
the overturning of some portions and the underburning of others.
Mr. Hook is a native of Vinton County,
Ohio, and was born near McArthur, Aug. 4, 1867, a son of
Abraham and Marie Hook. His parents were substantial
farming people in Southern Ohio. His father died in 1915
and his mother in 1881. Of their children, six are now
living: Robert; Calvin; Edwin, of Dayton,
Ohio; Barney, of Trimble, Ohio; Stella, wife of Daniel
Skivers, of Athens, Ohio; and Cornelius.
All of the education Cornelius Hook
acquired was in the common district schools. When he was
fourteen years of age his mother died, and after that he had to
depend upon his own resources. He found employment in the
brick and tile industry and has had nearly thirty years of
practical experience in that line.
About 1894 Mr. Hook came to Vigo, and it
was during his employment in the Vigo Tile Mill that he worked
out his first patent for the burning of brick. He invented
a down draft system, which was a great improvement over the
old-fashioned methods of operating kilns, such as had been in
practice for generations. This offered a saving both in
time and fuel, but it did not satisfy all the conditions of the
ease. The principal difficulty was that the contents of
the kiln were not evenly burned. If the bottom tier was
properly burned, very often the top layers were overburned.
It was to correct these difficulties that Mr.
Hook set himself to the task of devising a system which
would subject all the contents of a kiln to equal heat at the
same time and would obviate the losses caused by overburning or
underburning. The outcome of it all was his patent up and
down draft kiln, on which he secured his first patent on Sept.
9, 1913. After securing this patent he sold his old patent
on the down draft kiln, and the Ohio Kiln Company now gives its
entire time to exploiting the advantages of his late patent.
The company in the past three years has sold its plans or has
built under personal supervision a great many kilns with up and
down draft systems in all parts of the Middle West,, in Ohio,
Indiana, Illinois, New York, and also in Canada, and a number of
growing letters of testimonial to the efficiency of the new
system have been received and are on file in the company's
office at Vigo. Mr. Hook's patent insured
perfect heat control in the operation of kilns, and not have the
old troubles of overburning and underburning been overcome, but
there is an additional saving due to the fact that the contents
of kilns can by his device be cooled more quickly, and therefore
a large plant can be operated with fewer kilns and at the same
time without decreasing the output.
On Dec. 25, 1875, Mr. Hook married
Miss Effie Maxwell, daughter of James and Esther Maxwell.
They are the parents of seven children: Hazel E.,
Clifford E., Edith M., Howard J., Bessie M.,
Edwin C., and Louis E. All the children are
still at home, and the oldest daughter is a graduate of the Vigo
public schools. The other children, with the exception of
the two youngest, are still in school.
Politically, Mr. Hook is a democrat, but has
taken no active interest in politics beyond casting his vote and
doing what is required of every good citizen in his community.
He carries insurance in the Illinois Commercial Men's
Association.
Source: A Standard History of Ross County, Ohio -
Vol. II. - Published by The Lewis Publishing Company, Chicago &
New York 1917 - Page 683 |
|
|
HAMILTON D. HOUK has found in farming both a
congenial and profitable occupation. He has spent nearly
all his years in Ross County, and for fully thirty years has
been engaged in the management of an extensive farm in Union
Township.
His birth occurred on a farm near Waverly, in Pike
County, May 1, 1853. His father, David Houk, was born in the
same county in 1821. The grandfather, Phillip Houk, was a native
of Germany, of early Ger man ancestry. Becoming a pioneer in
Pike County, he bought a traet of timbered land, and in the
course of years had it cleared and developed as a fine farm. He
then sold out and soon afterwards started west to Iowa to invest
his money and to visit a daughter. He arrived safely in that
state, had his money safely invested, and was known to have
started back for Ohio. After that no trace of him was ever
found.
On the farm in Pike County where he was born, David
Houk lived until 1860, in which year he came to Ross
County and for two years was located at High Banks. He
began his career as a renter, and showed such judgment in
handling farming that he was entrusted with larger and larger
responsibilities every year. He finally rented a tract of
1,200 acres for a couple of years. He held his first crop
from this large acreage, and after harvesting the second crop,
sold 75,000 bushels of corn at 75 cents per bushel. He
then bought 450 acres in the Paint Creek Valley, and continued
farming there until 1864. Then, at the solicitation of the
Federal Government, he went to Pulaski County, Tennessee, and
rented an extensive tract of land which he devoted to cotton
growing. During that year he raised 500 bales of cotton,
cotton being worth at the time $1.72 per pound. Before this
could be marketed, the Confederate army under General
Hood raided the section, and all but eighteen bales of the
cotton was destroyed, while the raiders took twenty-four mules
and all the wagons and other equipment from his plantation.
After this disaster he returned to Ross County and bought 800
acres of the rich Scioto bottom lands. He lived there
until late in life, when he removed to Chillicothe, where his
death occurred a few months later, at the age of eighty-five.
He and his wife reared four children: Emma, Jacob,
Hamilton and Matilda.
Hamilton D. Houk grew up in Ross County,
attended the schools of the country and also of Chillicothe, and
completed his education in Wittenberg College at Springfield.
His career has been a very active one, and after completing his
college education he spent three years in business in the City
of Chicago. Returning to Ross County, he took up farming
in Union Township, and eventually succeeded to the owner ship of
300 acres which had been part of his father's homestead.
This land he has improved and has gathered rich yields of staple
crops from it every successive year. A number of years ago
Mr. Houk erected a handsome brick residence, which
now serves the purpose of a home for himself and family.
At the age of twenty-four he married Louise
Studer, who was born in Chillicothe, daughter of Conrad
and Margaret (Miller) Studer. Mr. and Mrs. Houk
have three children. Their son Charles is married
and has a son named Charles. Nettie is the
wife of Jack Reed and has one daughter, named
Dorothy. Mrs. Houk is a member of the
Methodist Episcopal Church. Politically he is a
republican.
Source: A Standard History of Ross County, Ohio -
Vol. II. - Published by The Lewis Publishing Company, Chicago &
New York 1917 - Page 663 |
|
|
ROBERT THURSTON HOUK.
As secretary of The Mead Pulp
and Paper Company, Robert Thruston Houk became a resident
of Ross County in 1912, and has since closely identified himself
not only with this important local industry, but also with
general affairs of citizenship and is one of Chillicothe 's
leading business men.
He was born in Dayton, Ohio, Sept. 27, 1862, a son of
the late George W. Houk and Eliza P. (Thruston) Houk.
Both parents are now deceased, and his father was long
distinguished both as a lawyer and civic leader and also a
gentleman of scholarship and literary ability. Mr. Houk's
mother had a talent which expressed itself in the writing of
prose and verse, but she exercised her best influence in her
home and by her pure and Christian character.
The Houks came originally from Holland early in
the seventeenth century and settled in Cumberland County,
Pennsylvania. The Thrustons were originally English
people and from Bristol, England, they emigrated during the
early '60s and settled in Virginia. Mr. R. T. Houk's
grandfather, Adam Houk, in 1827 started west with wagon
and team, accompanied by his wife, and established a home in
Dayton, then a small village almost on the western edge of
civilization. It was in Dayton that-the late George W.
Houk was reared and obtained a common school education.
He then took up the study of law, was admitted to the bar in
1848, and his first distinction in public life came in 1852,
when he was elected a member of the state Legislature. He
was a demo crat all his active career, but repeatedly refused
political honors in order to devote his whole time to his
profession, until 1891, when he was elected by his district a
member of Congress and re-elected in 1893. His death
occurred at Washington in 1894, while in his second term as
congressman.
On Christmas day of 1856 George W. Houk married
Eliza Phillips Thruston. They became the parents of
four children: Marianna, who married Harry Eldredge
Mead; Gates Phillips, who died at the age of twelve
years; Robert Thruston; and Katherine, who was
married June 7, 1887, to Harry Elstner Talbott.
By inheritance and by the environment of his early
years Robert Thruston Houk had ample opportunity to
develop those qualities of character that have since made him a
successful business man. In 1881 he graduated from the
Cooper Academy of Dayton, and began his business career as a
salesman for A. A. Simonds, manufacturer of paper mill
supplies. In 1884 he resigned from that company to become
assist ant superintendent of a silver mine in Mexico, where he
spent about a year. Returning to Ohio, he was for several
years connected with the H. E. Mead & Company, wholesale
paper jobbers, but in 1889 resigned to become identified with
the National Cash Register Company, of Dayton . For eighteen
years he was one of the efficient men in the service of that
model institution and occupied many positions of responsibility
and trust. In 1907, on leaving the National Cash Register
Company, he became general factory manager of the Dayton Motor
Car Company, and looked after the duties of that position until
the company was bought by the United States Motor Company.
Mr. Houk then removed to New York City and for a year was
sales manager of the Stoddard-Dayton branch of the United States
Motor Company.
Mr. Houk left the automobile business to become
secretary and take an active part in the management of The Mead
Pulp and Paper Company at Chillicothe. He had been one of
the reorganizers of the company in 1905. and though
holding a substantial interest, had acted only as a director and
was not active in the management until 1912, when he moved to
Chillicothe and established his home in Ross County.
Though always a busy man, with many affairs to demand
his attention, Mr. Houk finds time to assist in any
public movement for the betterment of the community. He
has twice been elected president of the Chillicothe Chamber of
Commerce, and Governor Cox appointed him a member
of the Ross County Memorial Association. He is a member of
the Chillicothe Country Club and of Lodge No. 52 of the
Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks. He was reared in
the Episcopal Church, and in politics he has been essentially in
harmony with the democratic platform, although he is inclined to
take some pride in the fact that he has voted a straight ticket
only twice since he reached his majority.
On Sept. 20, 1887, Mr. Houk married
Lily Elstner Talbott. To their marriage have been born
five children: Robert Thruston, Catherine T.,
Sarah E., George W. and John T. All the
children are living. E. T., Jr., was married Sept. 18,
1915, to Ruth Millikin, of New York. The
daughter, Sarah E., married June 19, 1915, Alexander
M. Hammer, of Boston, Massachusetts.
Source: A Standard History of Ross County, Ohio -
Vol. II. - Published by The Lewis Publishing Company, Chicago &
New York 1917 - Page 503 |
. |
