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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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JOSEPH
H. NEELY, of South Salem is an interesting
personality and a man of varied accomplishments.
In his time he has followed the trades of blacksmith,
carriage maker, painter and decorator, and musician.
Everything he has ever undertaken has been well done and
he has made himself one of the most useful members of
any community where he has had his home.
Mr. Neely was born in Springfield, Ohio, Nov.
30, 1851, a son of James J. and Elizabeth (Souders)
Neely. His father was born in Newark, New
Jersey, grew up there and learned his trade as
blacksmith after a a thorough apprenticeship. He
became a skilled workman and as a journeyman he arrived
in Springfield, Ohio, where he met and married
Elizabeth Sounders. She was also a native of
New Jersey and had come with her parents when a young
girl to Dayton, Ohio, making the journey by wagon.
From Dayton she went to Springfield, and after her
marriage Mr. and Mrs. James Neely continued to
live in that city until about 1666-67. They then
came to Lyndon in Ross County, where the father bought a
shop After two years he sold out and took a wagon
trip to Kansas, going by way of Jefferson City,
Missouri. He did not remain there long, and on
returning to Ohio again located in Springfield for a
year. About 1870 the family located in Salem of
Ross County, where the father rented a shop from
Henry Moomaw and followed his trade for several
years. He was considered one of the best
blacksmiths in Ross County, and was especially skillful
as a worker in steel. He was a member of the
Presbyterian Church and was affiliated with Springfield
Post of the Grand Army of the Republic. He had
first enlisted in the Fifth Ohio Cavalry with which
organization he received an injury that gave him an
honorable discharge. On recovering he enlisted in
the Sixteenth Ohio Battery and served for two years as
blacksmith. James J. Neely and wife had
four children, all of whom grew up, but the only one now
surviving is Joseph H. James
was a blacksmith and died at Springfield.
Elizabeth died unmarried at Salem. Peter,
also a blacksmith, died in New York City.
Joseph H. Neely acquired his early education in
the common schools of Springfield. As a boy he
studied blacksmithing in his father's shop, and served a
complete apprenticeship, acquiring not only the
fundamentals of blacksmithing but also carriage
trimming. Painting and everything connected with
those trades.
On Aug. 3, 1871, Mr. Neely married Virginia
G. Gregory, a daughter of Aaron Gregory.
After his marriage Mr. Neely followed painting in
Greenfield for a year, spent another year at Good Hope,
the following year at Springfield, and then
returned to Lyndon in Ross County, where he remained
three years. Changing his location to Salem, his
health broke down there, and after a time he was
associated with his father in the blacksmith shop.
Since then he has followed his trade successfully for
many years at South Salem, and everyone in that
community knows his ability as a blacksmith and painter.
For some three or four years he was associated with two
of his sons at Greenfield under the name of Neely &
Riley Knife and Saw Company. They built a
factory and manufactured cutlery and saws of all kinds.
Mr. Neely is widely known for his musical
talent. He began the study of music at the age of
eighteen, and his specialty is the E flat cornet, which
he has played in many organizations and on many
occasions through a period of thirty-five years.
He played the alto with the band at Salem, and he
organized the band and led it for many years.
Afterwards for ten years he was leader of the Sixth
Regiment band at Chillicothe, and was then bandmaster of
the Seventeenth Regiment band under Colonel Hamilton
for three years. Since then he has been leader of
the Neely Cadet Band at South Salem. This
band was first organized in 1903 and reorganized in
1904.
Mr. and Mrs. Neely have three talented children:
Herbert G., who graduated from the Cincinnati
Musical College, is a talented musician who has
continued his studies abroad ,and has filled some very
responsible positions in the musical field.
Emil G., who is an expert trombone player, is
postmaster and general merchant at South Salem.
Maggie G. is a wife of Dr. Marson of
Anderson, Indiana, and she is a proficient
instrumentalist on the piano. The family are
members of the Presbyterian Church and politically
Mr. Neely is a republican. For some years he
has served on the village council at South Salem.
Source: A Standard History of Ross County, Ohio -
Vol. II. - Published by The Lewis Publishing Company, Chicago &
New York 1917 - Page 895 |
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ROBERT W.
NEWMAN. A number of the younger generation of agriculturists of Ross County are engaged in carrying on
operations on the
farms on which they were born, and upon which they have
passed their
entire lives. Here they are continuing the work started
by their fathers and
grandfathers and perpetuating the names and reputations
of those who
settled early in the various communities and who laid
the foundations
for the prosperity of today. In the class just mentioned
is Robert W.
Newman, who resides on his farm of 500 acres in Twin
Township,
Lyndon Rural Route No. 2, and who was born on this farm
December 20,
1887, a son of Oscar W. and Nettie (Core) Newman.
Oscar W. Newman was born at Bainbridge, Paxton Township,
Ross
County, Ohio, October 11, 1851, and died April 17, 1914. He was a son
of Harvard and America (Robertson) Newman, and was
eleven years
of age when taken to Fayette County, where the family
lived for four
years. They then returned to Ross County, settling in
Twin Township,
where the grandfather purchased the farm now owned by
Robert W.
Newman and the one adjoining it. Here Oscar W. Newman
grew to
manhood, and here he spent his entire life as a farmer. He was a man
of substance and general worth in his community, where
he held the
respect of his fellows, with whom he associated himself
in the forwarding
of public-spirited movements. His political support was
always given to
the men and measures of the democratic party and fully
believed that
the policies of this organization were the best for his
community, the
state and the nation. Mr. Newman was a member of the
Methodist
Episcopal Church, in the work of which he took a
prominent and leading
part. He and his wife were the parents of seven
children, of whom
six are now living, and Robert W. was the sixth in order
of birth.
Robert W. Newman secured an ordinary educational
training in the
district school known as the Newman schoolhouse,
following which he
took a high school course in Twin Township. With the
close of his
studies, he began to give his entire attention to
farming, and at the
time of his father's death came into a handsome
inheritance. To this he
has since added through industry and good management,
and he now
has one of the best cultivated farms in the township. He
has also done
much enlarging, ditching, fencing, etc., thus adding to
the value of the
property and at the same time contributing to his
material comfort and
convenience. General farming has been his strongest
forte, but' he has
also met with well-merited success in raising and
feeding a good grade of cattle and hogs for the market.
Mr. Newman was married July 18, 1914, to
Miss Sarah Margaret
Shotts, daughter of Samuel and Margaret (Corcoran) Shotts, and a
graduate of the Twin Township High School. They are the
parents of
one son : Robert Edward, born May 7, 1915.
Mr. Newman is
a member
of Frankfort Lodge No. 318, F. & A. M., in which he has
numerous
friends, as he has also in business and farming circles. He and
Mrs. Newman belong to the Presbyterian Church at Bourneville,
and in
politics he is a democrat.
Source: A Standard History of Ross County, Ohio -
Vol. II. - Published by The Lewis Publishing Company, Chicago &
New York 1917 - Page 911 |
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FRANK NORRIS
has long been identified profitably with the
agricultural interests of Union Township. He has
made a home, has made a name for fair dealings and
industry, and is one of the substantial men of the
county.
His birth occurred in Deer Creek Township of Pickaway
County. Ohio, July 29, 1854, and he is of old American
ancestry. His great grandfather, Lawrence
Norris, was a native of England, followed the sea
for a number of years and on quitting it located in
Virginia, where he spent the remainder of his days.
William Norris, grandfather of Frank Norris,
was born near Winchester, Virginia, in 1794. grew up in
his native state, but afterwards moved to Ohio and
became one of the early settlers of Pickaway County.
Pickaway County was then in the wilderness and just on
the fringe of civilization. Deer, turkey and other
wild game roamed at will, and a number of years passed
before the construction of the first railroads or
canals, the few straggling settlements being connected
by stage routes. William Norris'
place of settlement was in Deerfield Township, and there
he was concerned the rest of his days with' the
development of a farm. The maiden name of his wife
was Annie Maddox. Her father,
David Maddox, was born in England or in
America of English parentage, became a Methodist
minister, and as a co-worker with Lorenzo Dow,
preached in many places of Pickaway and surrounding
counties, being a typical circuit rider and making his
rounds on horseback. He and his wife lived to a
good old age and are both buried in Brown's Chapel
Cemetery.
John S. Norris, father of Frank, was born
in Deer Creek Township, Pickaway County, Sept. 25, 1827,
and grew up on a farm and made farming his regular
vocation. On Aug. 15, 1862, he enlisted in Company
A of the Forty-fifth Ohio Infantry. The command
was sent south in time to participate in the battle of
Stone River, and he also fought at Chickamauga, and then
in the many battles during the 100 days or more required
for the advance from Chattanooga to Atlanta and the
siege and capture of that city. After the fall of
Atlanta, he was with Thomas' command in pursuit
of Hood's army, and thus fought in the great
battles of Franklin and Nashville. He received his
honorable discharge on the 12th day of June, 1865.
After his military career he resumed farming in Pickaway
County and subsequently moved to the south precinct of
Union Township, Ross County, where he bought a farm that
he occupied until his death on Nov. 14, 1910.
John S. Norris married Nancy Hatfield,
who was born in Monroe Township of Pickaway County Feb.
11, 1832, a daughter of John D. and Maria (Baker)
Hatfield, natives, respectively, of Virginia and
Delaware. Mrs. John S. Norris died in 1902,
having reared eleven children.
The old farm in Pickaway County was the scene of
Frank Norris' early experiences and
activities. He attended the local schools and on
reaching manhood adopted farming as his regular life
work. For many years he has lived on a farm in
Union Township, his land being a part of the Flesher
homestead.
In 1898 Mr. Norris married Effie
Flesher, who was born in Union Township July 29,
1876. Her father, Michael Flesher,
was born in Pennsylvania Dec. 23, 1819, a son of
Peter Flesher, also a native of Pennsylvania
and one of the very early pioneers of Union Township in
Ross County. Peter Flesher improved
a farm in this county and remained a resident there
until his death. Michael Flesher
grew up on an early Ross County farm and in time became
a quite extensive land farmer, but as a result of his
going security for others, he lost a large part of his
fortune. His death occurred in Union Township Dec.
23, 1899. Michael Flesher married Susan
Fraler, who was born in Darke County, Ohio, and
died Dec. 19, 1907, the mother of eleven children.
The family of Mr. and Mrs. Frank Norris
comprises six children, named Blanche May, Glenn,
Cecil, Reva, May and Dora.
Source: A Standard History of Ross County, Ohio -
Vol. II. - Published by The Lewis Publishing Company, Chicago &
New York 1917 - Page 706 |
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JOSEPH M.
NORRIS. One of the homes that attract
special attention by its improvements in Springfield
Township is that of Mr. and Mrs. Joseph M. Norris.
Mr. and Mrs. Norris have lived there nearly forty
years as active and successful farming people, have
reared their children, and enjoy the good will and
esteem of all the people in that locality.
Of old English and American colonial stock, Joseph
M. Norris was born on a farm in Cass Township of
Huntingdon County, Pennsylvania, May 14, 1848. His
first American ancestor was a great-great-grandfather,
who was born in England and, coming to America, settled
in Virginia when it was still a colony. There he
spent the rest of his days. Joseph Norris,
the great-grandfather, was born in Virginia, Jan. 10,
1729, indicating that the Norris family has been
American stock almost two centuries. From Virginia
he moved to Maryland, and lived in that state until his
death at a very remarkable age. When he was one
hundred and five years old he visited his son in
Pennsylvania. Next in line is the grandfather of
John Norris, who was born in Maryland, Mar. 16,
1764, a little more than ten years before the
Revolutionary war began. He moved from Maryland to
Huntingdon County, Pennsylvania, buying a farm in Cass
Township, and was one of the active and progressive
farmer citizens of that locality the rest of his life.
He was twice married, and the maiden name of his second
wife, the grandmother of Joseph M. Norris, was
Nancy Ann Walker. She died June 9, 1845.
James Norris, father of Joseph M., was
born in Cass Township of Huntingdon County,
Pennsylvania, Mar. 4, 1813, and lived out his active
career in his native county, where he was a farmer and
where he died in 1901, when upwards of ninety years.
James Norris married Sophia Park, who was
born in 1818 and died in 1902. She was a daughter
of Alexander Park. His children were named:
Alexander, Mary Ann, Thomas Riley, James Wesley,
Lydia Ellen, Rachel Emily, Joseph M., Eliza Jane, Phoebe
Ann, and Burton DeForest.
Joseph M. Norris acquired a very good education
while growing up in his native State of Pennsylvania,
and when not in school acquired a training by work on
the home farm. In 1867, before he was of age, he
went West, and lived a number of years in the states of
Missouri, Kansas, Iowa and Indiana. In 1878 he
started East, but stopped and remained permanently in
Ross County.
Here in 1879 he married Annie Elizabeth Gates,
who was born on the farm where she now resides in
Springfield Township, a daughter of Henry and
Margaret (Day) Gates, prominent pioneers who are
mentioned on the other pages. Mr. and Mrs.
Norris have reared three children, named Lillian,
Sadie and Catherine. Mrs. Norris
was liberally educated and prior to her marriage taught
school in Ross County and also in McLean County,
Illinois. Her daughters are also well qualified as
teachers and Lillian and Sadie are now
following that vocation. The daughter,
Catherine, is the wife of S. A. Brown, and
her four children, grandchildren of Mr. and Mrs.
Norris are named Grace, Dorothy, Carl and
Ruby Margaret. Mrs. Norris was reared in the
faith of the Society of Friends and has always held to
that denomination.
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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AUGUSTUS
NORTON.
The career of Augustus Norton has been a long,
useful and successful one, in which he has been engaged
in a variety of pursuits, including merchandising,
banking, farming, and hotel keeping. Also,
this veteran of the Civil war has occupied positions of
trust in the communities in which he has resided, and at
the present time is postmaster at Vigo, an office which
he has held since May, 1912.
Mr. Norton was born at Athens, Ohio, Dec.
19, 1837, and is a son of Joseph H. and Rosanna J.
(Johnson) Norton. His father was born in
Cortland County, New York, near the Town of Homer, in
January, 1808, and was twenty years of age when he made
his way to Athens, Ohio, here settling among the pioneer
residents. Here Mr. Norton met and married
Rosanna J. Johnson, who was born and reared at
that place. Mr. Norton secured employment
as a clerk in the general store kept at Athens, and
after gaining sufficient experience and some small
capital, founded with his brother the firm of Isaac &
J. H. Norton, establishing a general store at
Athens. Mr. Norton's brother died in
1837, and in 1841 he became sole owner of the business,
which he continued to be connected with until the time
of his death.
Augustus Norton received his education in
the public schools of Athens and at an early age began
to learn the business methods in the store of his uncle
and father. In the spring of 1859 he was admitted
to partnership in the firm of J. H. Norton &
Son, and continued in business activities until
1861. In that year he enlisted in Company F, First
Regiment, West Virginia Cavalry, and at the organization
of the regiment was elected first lieutenant.
After one year he resigned his commission and returned
to his Ohio home, where he organized and recruited
Company I, Seventh Ohio Cavalry, of which he was made
captain. With this command he served until
January, 1864, when, owing to an injury, he was obliged
to again resign from his military command and return to
his home. At this time Captain Norton
re-entered business with his father, with whom he was
associated until about 1867, then purchasing the elder
man's interests. He continued in business until
1869, when he was compelled to undergo an operation on
one of his limbs, owing to an injury received while in
the army, and thus he was unable to stand the
confinement of mercantile life. Accordingly, he
sold his business and purchased a farm in Athens County,
on which he resided for something more than ten years.
In 1880 he was solicited by the First National Bank to
become its vice president and take active charge of its
affairs, and after a short period was made president of
the insitution institution and
continued so for thirteen years, during which time the
bank enjoyed the greatest prosperity and established an
excellent reputation in banking circles of the state.
In 1893 Mr. Norton disposed of his
interests at Athens and went to Virginia, where he
bought the old Joseph A. Seddon estate, known as
Sabot Hill, on which he lived for ten years, then
trading it for a hotel at Stanton, Virginia. His
experience as a hotel proprietor covered a period of
five years, and in 1908 he came back to Ohio, and
located at Vigo two years later. In May, 1912, he
was appointed postmaster, and this office he has
continued to fill to the present time with the greatest
ability and to the entire satisfaction of the people.
Mr. Norton married Sarah Westcott
Putnam, a daughter of George Putnam and a
descendant of General Putnam, of Revolutionary
fame. Mr. and Mrs. Norton were married in
March, 1866, and are the parents of four sons and four
daughters, all living, as follows: J. A.;
William H., a physician and surgeon, of Portland.
Oregon, a graduate of Ohio University, at Athens, and of
Johns Hopkins Institute, and now assistant dean of the
University of Oregon; Earl L., who is a traveling
salesman for the big packing firm of Swift &
Company; Douglas P., connected with the Ford
Manufacturing Company, Detroit, Michigan; Frances J.,
widow of the late C. S. Price, with whom she went
to the Ohio University, at Athens, as a classmate, now
editor of the Daily Leader, at Mount Clemens, Michigan,
of which she was also formerly publisher; Alberta,
who is the wife of James M. Rittebur, of
Jefferson Township, Ross County; Adele B., who is
the wife of Paul W. Schauber, a druggist of Mount
Clemens, Michigan; and Alice C., who is the wife
of Allen G. Straight, of Mount Clemens.
Mr. Norton and the members of his family
belong to the Methodist Episcopal Church. He is a
Mason and a republican. In whatever business he
has centered his activities and in whatever community he
has resided, he has always borne the reputation of an
honorable business man and a public-spirited citizen,
worthy of the confidence and respect of the people among
whom he lived and with whom he labored.
Source: A Standard History of Ross County, Ohio -
Vol. II. - Published by The Lewis Publishing Company, Chicago &
New York 1917 - Page 887 |
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