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BIOGRAPHIES
Source:
History of Stark County:
with an outline sketch of
Ohio
Chicago: Baskin & Battey,
1881
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City of Canton -
JUDGE J. W. UNDERHILL, lawyer, Canton;
was born in Green Co., N. Y., Oct. 6, 1818, and is the
second in a family of three children born to Nathaniel
and Anna (Webber) Underhill, who were natives of
Westchester and Greene Cos., N. Y. He was a Quaker,
and married "out of meeting - that is, she to whom he was
wedded was not of the Quaker faith. The family came to
Ohio in 1827, and settled in Kendal, now a part of
Massillon. They lived in that vicinity until death; he
dying in September, 1833, and she about the year 1873, at
the advanced age of 82 years. Our subject lived at
home until the death of his father, after which he went east
to New York State, where he lived with his uncle and
attended school, and assisted on the farm. After three
years he returned to Massillon, where he attended school
further, and also taught school, his circumstances not
allowing him to continue his education. In 1840, he
began reading law with Samuel Pease, of Massillon,
and was admitted to the bar in October, 1842; he began
practice in Massillon, in company with H. B. Hurlbut,
now of Cleveland, and after about one year the firm of
Folger & Underhill was formed which continued several
years, when he formed a partnership with F. M. Keith,
and, after a few years it also was dissolved, and he
remained alone until he came to Canton, in 1861, having been
elected Probate Judge the previous year, to which office he
was three times re-elected, holding the position twelve
years in succession. After this, he formed a
partnership with John Long (Underhill & Long)
which continued in Canton until 1877. He then
practiced alone until 1879, when he substantially left the
law, and, as a Director and Member of the Executive
Committee, gave his attention (receiving and disbursing the
Canton Subscription Fund) to the Cleveland, Canton,
Coshocton & Straightsville R. R. Company, but, in 1881, when
a change of control of the road took place, he resigned.
Judge Underhill was elected in 1855 to represent
Stark Co. in the State Legislature. He has been a
Republican in politics ever since the organization of the
party, and was always of strong anti-slavery proclivities.
He was married Nov. 2, 1842, to Miss Henrietta Widgeon
a native of Ohio. They had three children, viz.:
Arthur J., who married Miss Henrietta Tonner;
Eliza R., now Mrs. W. A. Lynch, and Clara,
now Mrs. H. C. Fogle. They all live in Canton.
During the war, Judge Underwood was Chairman of the
Military Committee of the county, and actively supported all
war measures.
Source: History of Stark County: with an outline sketch
of Ohio - Chicago: Baskin & Battey,
1881 - Page 639 |
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