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BIOGRAPHIES
Source:
Portrait &
Biographical Record of Stark County, Ohio
Containing Biographical Sketches of
Prominent and Representative Citizens,
Together with Biographies and Portraits of all the
Presidents of the United States.
Chicago - Chapman Bros. -
1892
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HENRY BACHTEL, a prominent old settler
of Stark County, Ohio, was born in Bedford County (now
Fulton County), Pa., Dec. 18, 1805, a son of Jacob
Bachtel, who was born in Washington County, Md., in the
year 1770, and grandson of Samuel Bachtel, who was
born in the eastern part of the State of Pennsylvania, where
he owned and operated an oil mill and distillery, both of
which were situated on a farm which he owned. He was a
minister of the Gospel and wielded much influence throughout
the section in which he resided. His father, Martin
Bachtel, was born in Switzerland, and it was supposed
that he came to America and settled in Pennsylvania in 1734.
He became wealthy and was the owner of a fine farm and mill.
Jacob Bachtel, the father of the subject of this
sketch, married Catherine Kershner, who was born and
reared in Washington County, Md. Tradition has it that
her father, Martin Kershner, came to this country
from France. Jacob Bachtel and Catherine Kershner
were married in Maryland, but afterward settled in what is
now Fulton County, Pa., where they tilled the soil until
1810, when then came to Stark County, Ohio, and purchased
eighty acres of land of George Harter, four miles
north of Canton. Although this land has partially
improved, Mr. Bachtel set energetically to work to
further perfect it, but when just in the meridian of life he
was cut down by the hand of death, on the 22d of Dec., 1823,
his widow surviving him until Sept. 12, 1833. They
became the parents of two daughters and four sons, all of
whom reached maturity, married and reared families.
Samuel died Oct. 4, 1850, at the age of fifty-five
years, three months and twenty-six days; Nancy Richards,
April 6, 1878, aged eighty years, eight months and
twenty-eighty days; Isaac, June 4, 1866, aged
sixty-six years, ten months and twenty-four days; Andrew
K. died Mar. 15, 1874, aged seventy years; Henry,
the subject of this sketch, is the only one living; and
Polly Beard died Nov. 25, 1840, aged thirty-three
years,, ten months and twenty-two days.
Henry Bechtel was five years of age when he was
brought to Stark County, and in the primitive log
schoolhouse of early times his education was acquired.
Subscription schools were in vogue in that day, and were of
the most primitive description. At the age of
seventeen years, he went to Plain Township, Stark County, to
learn the cabinet maker's trade, but at an end of about
twenty months he went to Steubenville, where he worked as an
apprentice for six months longer. For two years after
his return to Stark County, he worked at his trade. In
1825, he was married to Miss Margaret Upp, a native
of Pennsylvania, born in York County July 6, 1806, but was
called upon to mourn her death Feb. 1, 1861. Their
union resulted in the birth of four children, one of whom
died in infancy. Those living are Catherine M.,
born Dec. 8, 1828, and the wife of John W. McAbee, of
Mt. Union, Ohio; Samuel P., born July 8, 1832,
resides on the old homestead; and Hiram J., born Aug.
2, 1834, lives in Flint, Mich.
Mr. Bachtel's second union was to Martha E. (Hibben)
Everhard, the widow of Jacob Everhard. She
died July 17, 1887. After his marriage, Mr. Bechtel
located on a farm one hundred and sixty acres on section 8,
where he remained until 1830, when he removed to where he
now resides. This farm was first opened by
Frederick Warner in 1814, and in 1816 was purchased by
Henry Huffman, and in 1830 by Mr. Bachtel,
who turned it over to the management of his son Samuel
in 1880. The large brick residence, which is still
standing, was erected in 1833, and was the fourth brick
house in the county. On his fine farm of two hundred
and forty acres he raised magnificent crops and a large
amount of stock.
Mr. Bachtel was first a Whig in politics, then
became a Republican, and now is a Prohibitionist.
He was Township Trustee two terms of three years each, was
Township Assessor two years, Township Clerk twelve years and
Justice of the Peace twenty-one years. During this
time, so ably did he weigh the scales of justice that but
one of his cases was ever taken to court. He is a
member of the Reformed Church of Jackson Township, and has
held all the offices in the same. He is a man of
unblemished reputation, and in every walk in life ahs
conducted himself with intelligence, dignity and probity.
Source: Portrait &
Biographical Record of Stark County, Ohio - Chicago -
Chapman Bros. - 1892 - Page 142 |
Residence of
Frederick Beck
Sec. 34, Tuscarawas Twp., Stark Co., OH |
J. FREDERICK
BECK. The brightest day-dream to many in lands
far across the sea is of the time when they can seek their
fortunes in America, the land of whose resources they have
heard such wonderful tales, and where opportunities are said
to be far superior to those of the countries in which they
live. Stark County has become the home of many
foreigners who have carried out the dream of their early
lives and have, indeed, seen the fruition of their hopes
since they crossed the briny deep. One of this number
is Frederick Beck who is now residing in Tuscarawas
Township and is engaged in the honorable occupation of a
farmer.
As the name denotes, Mr. Beck is a German, and
his birth occurred in Bavaria, Nov. 7, 1835. He is the
son of John L. and Margaret Beck, and acquired a good
practical education in the excellent schools of the country.
In 1849, he apprenticed himself to learn the baker's trade,
and after working at this for three years, mastered the
business, which he followed after coming to America until
1884, since which time he has been engaged in cultivating
the soil.
Having fully determined to test the truth of the things
he had heard regarding the United States, Mr. Beck
crossed the Atlantic in 1866, setting sail from Bremen, and
after a tedious voyage of twenty-four days landed on
American shores. Thence he went directly to
Cincinnati, where he followed his trade for some time, and
then came to Massillon, where he was similarly employed for
six years, at the end of which time he went to Akron, this
State, where he prosecuted his trade of a baker for ten
years on his own account, and was more than ordinarily
successful in his undertaking.
The marriage of our subject was solemnizedMarch 17,
1874, at which time Miss Catherine, daughter
of John and Martha (Hoover)
Whitmore, became his wife. Her father is deceased,
but her mother, who is now one of the oldest pioneers in the
county, has reached her eighty-second year. By their
union, Mr. and Mrs. Beck have become the parents of
four children, namely: Julius J., Joseph A.,
Augusta F., and Catherine M.
He of whom we write located upon his present farm in
1884, and his estate comprises a quarter section of valuable
land, upon which he has placed the best of improvements in
the way of buildings and machinery. He is self-made in
all that the term implies, as his snug little fortune has
been the result of his own untiring industry and good
management. In his political relations, he is
independent, reserving the right to vote for the man whom he
considers will best fill the position. He is a
conscientious member of the Lutheran Church, and, socially,
is connected with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows at
Massillon. In his contact with mankind, Mr.
Beck is honorable as well as kindly inclined, and he
therefore has the confidence of business men and the
friendship of neighbors and acquaintances.
Source: Portrait & Biographical Record of Stark
County, Ohio - Chicago - Chapman Bros. - 1892 - Page |
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HON ROBERT BELL,
ex-Mine Inspector, Massillon, Ohio. England numbers
many representatives among the best class of citizens of
Ohio. There is a sterling quality about the
nationality that fits them for almost any occupation, and
we, as Americans, are greatly indebted to settlers of
English birth for the rapid advancement made in our
civilization. HE whose name is at the head of this
sketch, and who is one of the representative men of
Massillon, was born in Everton, a suburb of Liverpool, on
the 2d of January, 1832. His father, Robinson Bell,
was born in Cumberland, England, and was a cabinet maker and
joiner by trade, following the same in Liverpool until his
death. The latter's wife, whose maiden name was
Martha Maxwell, was also a native of Liverpool, England.
Her father, John Maxwell, was a ship-carpenter and
boat-builder. He was of Scotch descent, and a member
of the Presbyterian Church. Mr. Bell was a
member of the Church of England.
Robert Bell was the youngest of four children,
three of whom reached mature years, but only one of whom
beside our subject is now living, John Bell, who is a
saddler by trade, and who is in Australia. Another
son, William, was drowned in the river at Quebec.
Our subject was left an orphan at five years, and went to
Cumberland, where he made his home with some of his father's
folks. He had an educational advantages but what he
received at Sunday-school, and he is a self-made man in
every sense of that term. When nine years of age, he
began working in the coal mines at Whitehaven, and received
sixpence a day for his services. He gradually rose to
be a driver, then miner, and was thus engaged until 1867.
At that date, he determined to emigrate to America, and took
passage at Liverpool, England, on the steamer" England," and
set foot upon United States soil eighteen days later.
Previous to coming to this continent, or in 1857, he
married Miss Catherine Norman, a native of Merryport,
England, born in 1828, and the daughter of Peter Norman,
whose birth occurred in Cumberland, where he was engaged in
farming. HE died when Mrs. Bell was quite
young. His wife's maiden name was Nancy Tear,
and she was born on the Isle of Man. Her father's name
was Nicholas Tear, and he was a farmer. After
reaching the Land of the Free, our subject settled in
Cambridge, Guernsey County, Ohio, where he was employed in
the mines a short time. He subsequently found out that
he could make better wages at Plymouth, Pa., and he removed
there a few months later. From there he moved to
Western Pennsylvania, and while there his wife and four
children joined him. In the year 1871, they came to
Mineral ridge, Trumbull County, Ohio, and Mr. Bell
mined both coal and iron until 1876, when he moved with his
family to Stark County, Ohio. He was employed in the
Old Pigeon run Miles for about three years, after which, or
in 1880, he purchased his present property. He located
here in March, and started a grocery and provision store,
which he carried on successfully until some time after he
was appointed Mine Inspector. Mrs. Bell carried
on the store for about eighteen months, and then closed out.
In June, 1886, Mr. Bell was appointed to fill the
unexpired term of Mr. A. King, Mine Inspector, by
Gov. Foraker, filled that position for eleven months,
and was then reappointed by the same governor in 1887, for
three years. In 1888, the law was changed and it threw
out all the inspectors, but Mr. Bell was reappointed
for three years. He served until Aug. 11, 1890, when
he resigned his position and retired. He was Inspector
for eight counties, Stark, Wayne, Summit, Portage, Trumbull,
Mahoning, Medina and Columbiana. It took all his spare
time to watch the mines, and he was a most efficient and
capable man for that position.
Mr. Bell is the owner of two fine residences in
Massillon, and a pleasant home on Warwick Street. His
marriage was blessed by the birth of four children:
Margaret A. married a Mr. Watkins, and
resides in Chapman. Robinson worked in the
mines until nineteen years of age, and then entered the
Western Reserve College, from which he was graduated with
the degree of M. D. He has a large practice in
Cleveland, and is now Coroner of Cuyahoga County.
John is a boiler-maker for Russell &Co., and William
died when one year and three months old, shortly after
coming to this country. Mr. Bell was a
member of the City Council from the Second Ward for two
years, and for three years was a member of the City Board of
Equalization. He is a Republican in politics, and was
a candidate for the nomination of Representative. He
is past officer of the Sons of St. George, an exclusively
English society. He is a Knight Templar in the Masonic
fraternity, as are also his two sons. Mrs.
Bell is a member of the Episcopal Church.
Source: Portrait & Biographical Record of Stark
County, Ohio - Chicago - Chapman Bros. - 1892 - Page 133 |
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ESQUIRE ABRAM
BOWMAN. In the death of this gentleman, the
citizenship of Stark County suffered a loss. During
his residence here, he won a high place among the most
skillful and enterprising farmers and stock-raisers who were
instrumental in developing Tuscarawas Township, and the farm
which he improved by unremitting toil is one of the best in
the place.
Mr. Adam Bowman was born Dec. 15, 1813, in
Pennsylvania, and was the son of Abraham and Barbara
(Hershey) Bowman, also natives of the Keystone State.
He grew to manhood in his native State, and was educated in
the subscription schools of that period, and later added to
the knowledge gained therein by reading and observation.
He taught school for a number of years after coming to this
country, and was a man possessing a large fund of practical
information.
Mr. Bowman owed much of his prosperity to
the fact that in his marriage with Miss Susanna Kohr,
Dec. 27, 1838, he secured a wife who was devoted to his
interests, and was in every sense a helpmate. Mrs.
Bowman survives her husband, and is ably managing the
valuable estate that is left her. She is possessed of
much business capacity, is endowed with a clear head, and
understands well how to care for her interests so as to
produce the best results. She was born in Washington,
Md., June 13, 1815, and is the daughter of Christian and
Elizabeth (Thomas) Kohr, who were natives of
Pennsylvania and of German descent. She was only two years
of age when she was brought by her parents to this county,
they making location on an uncultivated tract of land in the
woods of Tuscarawas Township. Her education was such
as was offered by the schools of Ohio in her youth, and here
she grew to mature years and married our subject.
To Mr. and Mrs. Bowman was granted a family of eight
children, seven of whom are living, namely: Mary, the
wife of E. H. Pocock; .John, Samuel B.,
Benjamin, Abram H., Susan C.,
and Charles. Jacob, who was the eldest
of the family, is deceased. After his marriage, our
subject located in Tuscarawas Township, where he was
residing at the time of his decease, which occurred Mar. 10,
1885. He was a man of fine mental endowments, of
strong character, and possessed an indomitable will, and
more than ordinary business talent. These traits made
him a leader, not only in his calling, but in politics and
the civil life of his adopted county. He was an active
member of the Republican party and was called upon by his
fellow townsmen to serve in the responsible office of
Justice of the Peace, which he filled with entire satistion
to all concerned.
In religious affairs, Mr. Bowman was an
influential member of the United Brethren Church, which body
he served as Class-leader, Steward and Trustee. During
his life he was interested in all measures for the promotion
of his section, and was always found to be obliging and
courteous, and was popular with all classes. The
estate, which fell to his wife, contains ninety-seven acres
of finely-cultivated land, which stand as a monument to his
efficiency in business affairs.
Source:
Portrait & Biographical Record of Stark County, Ohio -
Chicago - Chapman Bros. - 1892 - Page
128 |
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HENRY BOWMAN. Intelligent, thrifty,
wide-awake farmers form the greater part of the population
of Stark County, and
among these our subject occupies a creditable
position. He is one of the prominent farmers of Pike
Township, and was born on his present farm, on section 13,
Feb. 18, 1827. Jacob Bowman, his father, was born in Northumberland
County, Pa., Feb. 22, 1777, and was of German
descent. He came to this section as early as 1816,
emigrating hither across the mountains in company with five
families. The journey was made with
teams and wagons and consumed five weeks. Jacob Bowman first located in Canton Township, two
miles east of the now prosperous city of Canton,
where he lived for two years, and then, coming to
Pike Township, entered a quarter-section of land
from the Government. He rented property until
he could make improvements on his own farm, and after
erecting a log cabin on the place moved into it.
Indians and wild animals often proved very troublesome, but
as the years passed by and the country became more thickly
populated, they gradually disappeared.
The parents of our subject were possessed of that
indomitable perseverance that is bound to succeed, and when
taking up their abode in the new country they worked hard,
the father clearing the land and the mother spinning and
weaving cloth, from which she made wearing apparel for the
family. Jacob Bowman died at his home, when
eighty-two years of age. He was an active and devoted
member of the Lutheran Church, and donated the land for the
church building, to the erection of which he contributed
liberally of his mean. He was an old-line Whig in
politics, and enjoyed a good reputation in business circles,
as a man of honesty and uprightness of character.
The maiden name of our subject's other was Hannah
Klinger She was a native of Pennsylvania and by
her union with Mr. Bowman became the mother of the
following children: Polly, Sally, Catherine, Lydia,
Hannah, John, Henry, Jacob and Samuel. The
wife and mother died at the age of eighty-eight years and,
like her husband, was also a conscientious member of the
Lutheran Church.
The original of this sketch made the best of his
advantages for receiving an education and when not busy on
the farm attended the district school and conned his lessons
on a slab bench, by the light of a greased-paper window.
He proved of great assistance in siding in the development
of the farm and remained at home until twenty-two years of
age, when he established a fireside of his own and was
married to Elizabeth Brothers, the date thereof being
Feb. 25, 1849. Of their union have been born four
children: Hiram, Mattie, Levi, and Albert, who
died at the age of two years. The wife and mother died
in 1857, greatly mourned by her numerous friends and
acquaintances.
The lady of Mr. Bowman chose as his second wife
was Miss Lucinda Van Meter of Pike Township.
She died in 1870, and the present wife of our subject, prior
to their marriage, was Mrs. Ann Anderson,
Mr. Bowman, formerly owned one hundred and sixty acres
of valuable land, but has since sold eighty acres to his son
and retains the other half for his own use. He carries
on mixed farming and makes a specialty of raising fine and
coarse wool sheep. The Christian Church, which he has
served for many years as Elder, finds in him one of its most
substantial an influential members. He affiliates with
the Republic party in politics, and is greatly interested in
the progress of his community. He has served as Land
Appraiser of Pike Township for two terms and during the
incumbency of the office gave satisfaction to all concerned.
Source:
Portrait & Biographical Record of Stark County, Ohio -
Chicago - Chapman Bros. - 1892 - Page
255 |
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N. K. BOWMAN,
proprietor of a saw and planing mill and lumber yard at
North Lawrence, Ohio, has a representative establishment,
and his stock will bear favorable comparison with any
similar house in the trade. During the time that he
has been in business here, he has become known and
appreciated as a man who devoted his entire time and
energies to the task of faithfully conducting his business
on correct principles, and his patronage is therefore large.
Mr. Bowman was born in Stark County, Ohio, Oct.
6, 1856, his parents being Samuel S. and Margaret Ann (Kibler)
Bowman, the former of whom was born in Pennsylvania, and
when a child was brought by his parents to Stark County,
Ohio, where he married and began following the trade of a
carpenter. Being a skilled workman, his labors were
prospered and he eventually found himself in fair
circumstances. The paternal grandfather, Adam
Bowman, was a German, who came to the United States
when a young man and settled in Pennsylvania. He was
married on the steamer that brought him to this country and
about 1830 settled with his family in the Buckeye State, in
time becoming a well-to-do farmer of Stark County. The
maternal grandfather, Jacob Kibler, was born in
Virginia.
N. K. Bowman was the eldest of thirteen children
born to his parents, twelve of whom are now living.
His boyhood days were spent in a rather monotonous way, but
in the meantime he succeeded in imbibing a thorough
knowledge of the common branches and at the age of nineteen
years he entered upon the duties of a school teacher, which
occupation he followed during the winter months for about
ten years. During the summer, his attention was given
to carpentering, and by following these occupations he
succeeded in accumulating sufficient means to enable him to
engage in his present business in 1887.
Our subject carries a large stock of lumber and is
extensively engaged in the manufacture of windows, doors,
sashes, etc., and keeps in constant employment about fifteen
men who thoroughly understand their duties. In
connection with this business his attention is given to
building and contracting, and he has shown himself perfectly
capable of handling every department of his work
successfully. He manufactures "Becker's Patent"
washing-machine, as well as pickets for fences, and keeps
constantly on hand a large stock of lime, cement, etc.
He carries a large and varied stock, and receives a most
liberal share of public favor. Public-spirited,
liberal-minded and generous in disposition, and active,
intelligent, energetic by nature, his career has been
successful and honorable and promises to continue so.
He is in every respect the architect of his own fortune, for
he began his business career without means or influence and
is now in independent circumstances.
In February, 1883, he was married to Miss
Catherine Lawrence, a native of Wayne County, Ohio but
reared in Stark County. They are the parents of three
daughters and two sons: Charles L.; Una C.;
Mabel; Leroy D., and Edna M. Mr.
Bowman is a member of the order of Adelphia and
President of the same. He is a member of the United
Brethren Church and gives freely of his means to its
support. June 23, 1889 his establishment burned down
without any insurance, but he at once rebuilt. He has
a fifty horse power engine. He has now taken in as
partner, D. F. Mock and is building an additional
establishment for the manufacture of barrel-hoops, handles
and a general variety of turning works and buggy and wagon
spokes.
Source:
Portrait & Biographical Record of Stark County, Ohio -
Chicago - Chapman Bros. - 1892 - Page
401 |
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HON. S. C. BOWMAN.
It can not be expected in a work of this kind, where but
brief biographical sketches of prominent citizens of the
county are mentioned, that we can do justice to this
much-esteemed and representative gentleman. And yet,
he ha been identified with the county so long, has aided so
in its development, and his name is so familiar to all, that
it is only just to dwell upon his career, not as empty words
of praise, but the plain statement of a still plainer truth.
He was born in Franklin County, Pa., near Chambersburgh, on
the 5th of September, 1822, and his father and grandfather
were natives of the Keystone State also. The latter,
Abraham Bowman, first saw the light in the
city of "Brotherly Love," and after reaching mature years
followed agricultural pursuits in Lebanon County, that
State. His ancestors came originally from Baden, about
1725, and settled in Philadelphia, where they were among the
representative families.
Abraham Bowman, Jr., the father of our subject,
was born in Lebanon County, and was very early initiated
into the duties of farm life. He married and followed
agricultural pursuits in Franklin County until the year
1829, and then brought his wife and family by wagon and team
to this State, settling one mile north from Massillon.
He made many improvements in his place, was industrious and
enterprising, and became the owner of three hundred acres of
land. His death occurred in 1853. In politics,
he was a Whig. His second marriage was to Miss
Christina Krider, a native of Franklin County, Pa., and
the daughter of John Krider, who was also born in
Pennsylvania. Mr. Krider was a farmer,
but in addition was a United Brethren preacher, and carried
on his ministerial duties in his native State until his
death. His father, Rev. Martin Krider,
was also a minister in that church and assisted in
organizing the conference. Mrs. Bowman
died in 1868. Mr. Bowman's first
marriage resulted in the birth of six children, all of whom
are deceased, and to his second marriage were born ten
children, eight of whom are living. One son, Adam
was in the One Hundred and Fourth Regiment during the Civil
War, was captured and died in Andersonville. Isaac
was a Sergeant of the Twenty-third Indiana Battery and
served through the entire war. He is now deceased.
Another son, Rev. Martin Bowman, was
Chaplain in an Iowa regiment, and now resides at Miller, Dak.
Hon. Samuel C. Bowman, the fourth in
order of birth of the children born to his father's second
marriage, remained in his native State until seven years of
age, and in 1829 came with his parents to Stark County,
Ohio. He divided his time in youth between assisting
on the farm and in attending the schools taught in the log
schoolhouse of those days. Later, he supplemented this
education by a course in Edenburg Academy and Hayesville
Academy, also in a select school in Massillon. When
twenty-one years of age, or in 1843 and 1844, he engaged in
teaching school in his township and taught with much success
for ten years, principally during the winter season, but
with an occasional summer school. In 1852, he located
in Massillon, clerked for some time, and then bought his
employer out. After this, he went in partnership with
I. N. Doxsee in the tin business on Erie Street, and
his firm continued for four years. Mr.
Bowman was then in partnership with a Mr. Taylor &
Bowman, and later returned to the hardware business.
In May, 1864, he enlisted in the One Hundred and
Sixty-second Ohio National Guards, and was mustered in a
Second Lieutennat of Company A, and served in Columbus for
the most part. He was mustered out in September the
same year.
Returning to his home, he resumed milling, and later
embarked in the hardware business again, but in the fall of
1869 he was elected to represent Stark County in the State
Legislature. So ably and satisfactorily did he fill
his honorable position that he was re-elected in 1871,
serving two terms. The last two years he was chairman
of the Committee on Geology, Mines and Mining , also on
other committees. In 1872, he cast his vote for
John Sherman. In politics, he is an ardent
admirer of the principles of the Republican party, and has
been a delegate to county and State conventions. He
was a member of the State Republican Central Committee from
this district. Our subject continued in the hardware
business until 1880, when he closed out, and the same year
was elected a member of the State Board of Equalization.
From 1884 until 1886, he held the position of Mayor, and his
administration was marked by the many necessary improvements
made in the city. He has also been a member of the
Council at different times and was President for some time.
He is at present Justice of the Peace, has been Township
Trustee for ten years, and was a member of the School Board
for one term. He is prominent in all good work and is
one of the representative men of the county.
On the 4th of January, 1849, he was married to Miss
Elizabeth Sour, a native of Franklin Township, Summit
County, Ohio (then Stark County), and the daughter of
Jacob Sour, a farmer and early settler of that county.
One child has been the result of this union, Ida, who
was graduated in Massillon, and is now Mrs. Otto
Uhlendorff. Mr. Bowman has shown his
appreciation of secret organizations by becoming a member of
the Masonic fraternity in 1855. He is a Knight Templar
in that order, and has been Past Eminent Commander six
different times.
Source:
Portrait & Biographical Record of Stark County, Ohio -
Chicago - Chapman Bros. - 1892 - Page
313 |
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SAMUEL BOWMAN.
Intelligent, thrifty, wide-awake farmers from the greater
part of the population of Stark County, and among these our
subject occupies a creditable position. He is one of
the prominent farmers of Pike Township, and was born on his
present farm, on section 13, Feb. 18, 1827. Jacob
Bowman, his father, was born in Northumberland County,
Pa., Feb. 22, 1777, and was of German descent. He came
to this section as early as 1816, emigrating hither across
the mountains in company with five families. The
journey was made with teams and wagons and consumed five
weeks. Jacob Bowman first located in Canton
Township, two miles west of the now prosperous city of
Canton, where he lived for two years, and then, coming to
Pike Township, entered a quarter-section of land from the
Government. He rented property until he could make
improvements on his own farm, and after erecting a log cabin
on the place moved into it. Indians and wild animals
often proved very troublesome, but as the years passed by
and the country became more thickly populated, they
gradually disappeared.
The parents of our subject were possessed of that
indomitable perseverance that is bound to succeed, and when
taking up their abode in the new country they worked
hard, the father clearing the land and the mother spinning
and weaving cloth, from which she made wearing apparel for
the family. Jacob Bowman died at his home, when
eighty-two years of age. He was an active and devoted
member of the Lutheran Church, and donated the land for the
church building, to the erection of which he contributed
liberally of his means. He was an old-line Whig in
politics, and enjoyed a good reputation in business circles,
as a man of honesty and uprightness of character.
The maiden name of our subject's mother was Hannah
Klinger. She was a native of Pennsylvania and by
her union with Mr. Bowman became the mother of the
following children: Polly, Sally, Catherine, Lydia,
Hannah, John, Henry, Jacob and Samuel. The
wife and mother died at the age of eighty-eight years and,
like her husband, was also a conscientious member of the
Lutheran Church.
The original of this sketch made the best of his
advantages for receiving an education and when not busy on
the farm attended the district school and conned his lessons
on a slab bench, by the light of a greased-paper window.
He proved of great assistance in aiding in the development
of the farm and remained at home until twenty-two years of
age, when he established a fireside of his own and was
married to Elizabeth Brothers, the date thereof being
Feb. 25, 1849. Of their union have been born four
children: Hiram, Mattie, Levi, and Albert,
who died at the age of two years. The wife and mother
died in 1857, greatly mourned by her numerous friends and
acquaintances.
The lady that Mr. Bowman chose as his second
wife was Miss Lucinda Van Meter, of Pike Township.
She died in 1870, and the present wife of our subject, prior
to their marriage, was Mrs. Ann Anderson.
Mr. Bowman formerly owned one hundred and sixty acres of
valuable land, but has since sold eighty acres to his son
and retains the other half for his own use. He carries
on mixed farming and makes a specialty of raising fine and
coarse wool sheep. The Christian Church, which he has
served form many years as Elder, finds in him one of its
most substantial and influential members. He
affiliates with the Republican party in politics, and is
greatly interested in the progress of his community.
He has served as Land Appraiser of Pike Township for two
terms and during the incumbency of the office gave
satisfaction to all concerned.
Source:
Portrait & Biographical Record of Stark County, Ohio -
Chicago - Chapman Bros. - 1892 - Page
252 |
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GEORGE S. BROWN.
Among those who are gaining a good maintenance by
tilling the soil in Stark
County, is
Mr. Brown, whose location is in Perry Township.
He has there a farm of seventy-eight and one-half
acres, upon which he has erected a good dwelling, barns and
other structures, and, in fact, has made the property what
it is today, a comfortable home and the source of a good
income.
Mr. Brown is
engaged in general farming, and in carrying on his work he
displays good judgment, being sufficiently progressive to
experiment somewhat in modern theories and to abandon the
old rut when new ideas are shown to be advisable, but now
allowing his desire for advancement to carry him away.
Like many of the best residents of this section, our
subject is a native of Stark
County, having been born in Perry
Township, May 27, 1840.
His parents,
Solomon and Elizabeth (Hines) Brown, were born in
Pennsylvania, whence they emigrated to this
county in 1825, making their first location in Canton
Township.
In the ‘30s they made their advent into this
township, and located on an unimproved tract of land on
section 25, where they endured all the hardships incident to
opening up a new country.
The land which the father purchased did not have a
furrow turned on it, but with characteristic energy he began
clearing it, and his sturdy blows soon felled the timber and
let in the sunlight upon acre after acre, while after the
harvest season rolled around, abundant crops were garnered
as the result of his industry.
The following five children are the surviving members
of the parental family of seven:
Sarah, Maria (Mrs. A. Spohnhaer), Harriet, Rebecca, and
George S.
The father of these children died August 9, 1891,
and n his death Stark
County
lost one of its respected citizens.
In his political relations,
Solomon Brown was
in early life a Whig, but on the organization of the
Republican party, joined its ranks.
His good wife, who aided him greatly in attaining a
good position among his fellow-men, preceded him to the
better land, dying in 1865.
George S.
Brown of this sketch was reared amid the pioneer scenes
of his native county, and has a clear recollection of the
primitive modes of living and of the appearance of the wild,
sparsely settled country before it had been developed to its
present condition.
He attended the pioneer schools of his township as
soon as old enough to be of service, and aided his father in
carrying on the home farm.
His wife, prior to her marriage, was
Miss Elvira Spangler,
and the date of their union was February 25, 1862.
Mrs. Brown
was the daughter oaf
John and Sarah Spangler¸ of Massillon, and of their
union were born five children, viz:
Lincoln, Edwin H.,
Nettie,
Henry J. and
George.
In his political relations,
Mr. Brown votes
for Republican candidates, and for a number of years has
served as a member of the School Board.
With his wife, he is identified with the Methodist
Episcopal Church at
Canton.
As a man of intelligence, he keeps himself informed
regarding matters that pertain to the welfare of mankind,
the growth of the Nation, and the interest of the community
of which he forms a part. He is respected as a good citizen
and neighbor, an honorable man and a first-class farmer.
Source:
Portrait & Biographical Record of Stark County, Ohio -
Chicago - Chapman Bros. - 1892 - Page
268
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REV. GEORGE W. BROWN, of
Stark County,
was born at Bascom,
Seneca County,
Ohio, on the 13th of
December, 1840, to the union of
Jacob C. and Sarah
(Price) Brown.
The father was a native of
Louisville,
Ohio, born about 1814, and was of
German extraction.
His early life was passed on a farm in
Stark County, and he was their married to our subject’s
mother, who was also a native of
Stark
County, born about 1817.
Early in life the father learned the trade of
plasterer, bricklayer and stonemason, and probably moved to Seneca County,
Ohio, shortly after marriage, for
two children, older than our subject, were born there.
The mother’s health failing and the father finding it
hard to provide for his family, our subject thrown on his
own resources at an early day and went to live with a
farmer, Daniel Tombaugh¸ who sides near West Independence, Hancock County,
Ohio.
Soon after going there, his mother died.
At that time he was about seven years of age and he
was brought up by Mr.
and Mrs. Tombaugh, as was also his youngest brother,
Alvin M., who was
then four years old.
His home remained in
Hancock
County until 1855, and as
Mr. Tombaugh had
no children of his own, he was very anxious that our subject
and his brother should be well educated.
He planned that the former should be a minister and
the latter a doctor, and the boys were given every advantage
the common schools of
Hancock
County afforded.
When young Brown was fifteen years of age,
Mr. Tombaugh sold out and moved to Stark County,
Ohio, and located three-fourths of a mile from
Louisville,
where our subject attended school, part of the time in the
country schools and part of the time in town.
He there laid the foundation for his subsequent
prosperous career, for he received a thorough training in
the common branches.
In the year 1858 or 1859, he went to
Greensburgh,
Ohio, with a view to preparing for
the ministry.
Previous to this, when sixteen years of age, he became
identified with the Evangelical Association of Good Hope
Church, and he now in good earnest began to think of
preparing for the ministry.
In the summer of 1860 and fall and winter of that
year and the following year, he taught school in what is now
known as the Snyder District.
In 1861, Mr. Brown went to Bryan, Williams County, Ohio, to visit a sister,
Mrs. Eliza Green,
and while there the call came for seventy-five thousand
volunteers. On
the 20th of April, 1861, at the first
opportunity, he enlisted in Company G, Fourteenth Ohio
Infantry, and was mustered in at Cleveland, where his
company remained a few weeks.
From there they went to
West Virginia, and our subject was
first under fire at Phillippi, under
Col. Steadman, who afterward became General.
The next engagement was at Bealington, under
Gen. Milroy¸ and
they followed the Confederates without their usual supply of
clothing and provisions.
At night they had nothing but a piece of hardtack.
Our subject succeeded in getting a rubber overcoat
which partly covered his body, for it rained all night.
They started after the Confederates the next morning
without breakfast and overtook them at Carrick’s Ford,
where, after a hard fought battle, the enemy was
overpowered.
They captured the rebel supply, but got nothing to eat until
noon near day.
Returning to Bealington, our subject suffered more
with hunger than he did during any subsequent time he was in
service. Soon
after the company returned home, at the expiration of the
term of enlistment, our subject went to Williams County, where he remained four weeks.
He then re-enlisted for three years in Company K,
Sixty-eighty Ohio Infantry, and went into camp at Camp Latta,
at Napoleon, Ohio.
Later, he was at Camp Chase
and then at
Ft. Donelson, where he suffered intensely
with cold. Once
he built a fire, but was ordered to put it out and did so.
However, as soon as the officer was gone, he built
enough to keep his feet warm.
His next engagement was at Shiloh, and he was in Gen. Lew Wallace’s brigade which
saved Gen. Grant’s
army at that battle.
After this our subject was at Bolivar and Matamoras,
and at the latter place saw his first shell from the enemy.
Like many others, he dodged it, and afterwards found
that it was a quarter of a mile away from him.
He was in the siege of Vicksburg,
was through it all, and assisted in breaking the levee to
turn the water into Louisiana.
He was at the battle of Thompson’s Hill, where they
charged the enemy just at nightfall and drove them out.
He was under Gen. Logan at the battle of Raymond, and afterwards at Jackson, Champion Hills and Black
River.
At Vicksburg
Mr. Brown
re-enlisted as a veteran, went across the
Mississippi, and took part in the
battle at Baker’s Creek.
Returning to Vicksburg,
he obtained a veteran furlough for thirty days and went
home, where he spent part of the time in Stark and part of
the time in
Williams
County.
Returning to his command,
Mr. Brown was at
the front of Big Shanty.
Soon after, he had the opportunity of watching a
battle without being engaged in it, and was so situated that
he could watch the approach of both armies.
After this he was in many skirmishes until the army
reached Atlanta,
where our subject was out as a skirmisher and unconsciously
save his life by stepping back just as a bullet passed along
his vest. He was
chased by the enemy, but managed to escape by hiding.
He had still another narrow escape from injury at
Atlanta, a ball passing through on e
of his stockings.
Mr. Brown
was with Savannah went to
South Carolina, where he was
appointed to take charge of a forage detail, having command
of the same for five months, or until the close of the war.
He had many narrow escapes but was ever ready for
duty. After
cessation of hostilities, our subject took part in the Grand
Review at Washington, and was mustered out at Louisville, Ky.
He enlisted as a private, but just before reaching
Atlanta
he was promoted to the rank of Sergeant.
After the war was over
Mr. Brown returned to Stark County, Ohio,
and soon began to prepare for the ministry by a course of
private reading.
On the 27th of Jan. 1867, he was married to
Miss Sophia J. Grant,
a distant relative of
Gen. U. S. Grant¸ her grandfather and
Gen. Grant’s
father being second cousins.
She was born in Stark County,
Ohio, near
Alliance, Jan. 14, 1845, and was a
daughter of Stacy and
Mary (Schaffer) Grant.
The March following his marriage
Mr. Brown entered
the conference, and was assigned to a charge at Dempseytown, Venango County,
Penn., where he remained two years.
From there he went to Oil
City, where he remained one year; next at
Linesville,
Penn., two years, and then on the
Stark Circuit of Stark County one year.
After this he was at Southington, Trumbull County,
Ohio, two years; East Liberty, Summit County, Ohio, three
years, and while there was sent as a delegate two years in
successions to the General Board of Missions.
After leaving Liberty,
he went on the Venango Circuit, Clarion
County, Penn., remained there two years, and was sent as a
delegate to the General Conference at
Chicago.
Later, Rev. Mr. Brown moved to
DesMoines,
Iowa, was pastor there for one
year, and broke down at that place with rheumatism.
Thinking to improve his health, he went to Manley
Junction, and later his friends sent him to Hot Springs, Ark.,
where he soon got better.
Returning to his charge, he soon grew worse again,
and was obliged to return to his home in Stark
County.
He gradually improved in health and went to Shenango,
Mercer County, Pa.,
where he remained two years, and from there to South Fork in Alleghany Mountains,
where he was almost entirely cured of the rheumatism.
While there he was near the dam above Johnstown, and at the time
the dam broke was standing, watching it.
He is the author of a description of the scene, but
this piece was much mutilated by the type-setter.
Mr. Brown’s wife and daughter had just been in the valley to request
some friends to move out, and had left the valley but a few
minutes when the awful flood came down.
Our subject’s only son,
Frank D. Brown, a
young man of twenty, went to work in
Johnstown
after the flood, took sick with typhoid fever and died there
thus sacrificing his bright young life for the benefit of
others.
Mr. Brown
was at South Fork for two years after the
Johnstown
flood, and then went to Pittsburgh, Pa., where he was pastor of Fulton Street
Evangelical
Church
one year. He was
then elected Presiding Elder of Pittsburgh District, and
moved to his present home.
While in Pittsburgh
he was appointed a delegate to the General Conference at Philadelphia.
In 1890 he was appointed a member of a committee of
three to go to Cleveland at
Philadelphia.
In 1890, he was appointed a member of a committee of
three to go to
Cleveland
to bring suit against the publisher of the Evangelical
Publishing House, and the first decision was in favor of the
plaintiff. He
was again reappointed, in 1891, as a member of the committee
on litigation by the General Conference.
Mr. Brown
has taken a prominent part in this litigation, and he has
written a number of articles in reference to it.
He took stock and was a Director in the Evangelical
Publishing Company of
Harrisburg, Pa.
Our subject’s marriage was blessed by the birth of
two children.
Frank D. Brown,
born at Dempseytown, Pa.,
Dec. 12, 1868.
He was a good scholar, but had not finished his course at
the time of his death, Oct. 29, 1889.
He was an unusually bright, intelligent boy, and was
beloved by all.
The other child, a daughter, is named
Iva E.
She was born at Southington,
Trumbull County, Ohio, June 16, 1873.
Our subject’s benefactor,
Daniel Tombaugh,
died on the 5th of August, 1891, and
Mr. Brown was
left his sole heir.
The eldest sister of our subject,
Mrs. Martha Hallis,
is a widow and resides in
Iowa.
His next sister,
Mrs. Eliza Green, resides in
Bradford,
Ark., and his next youngest
Brother, William H., is a bachelor and served three years in
the war. He is
at present located at Springdale, Oklahoma
Territory. The
youngest brother,
Alvin M., enlisted in the One Hundred and Seventh Ohio
Infantry, and was killed in a charge at
Chancellorsville.
Source: Portrait & Biographical Record of Stark
County, Ohio - Chicago - Chapman Bros. - 1892 - Page 470 |
James Buchanan
(click on picture to make it larger) |
JAMES BUCHANAN,
the fifteenth President of the United States, was born in a
small frontier town, at the foot of the eastern ridge of the
Alleghanies, in Franklin Co., Penn., on the 23d of April,
1791. The place where the humble cabin of his father
stood was called Stony Batter. It was a wild and
romantic spot in a gorge of the mountains, with towering
summits rising grandly all around. His father was a
native of the north of Ireland; a poor man, who had
emigrated in 1783, with little property save his own strong
arms. Five years afterwards he married Elizabeth
Spear, the daughter of a respectable farmer, and, with
his young bride, plunged into the wilderness, staked his
claim, reared his log-hut, opened a clearing with his axe,
and settled down there to perform his obscure part in the
drama of life. In this secluded home, where James
was born, he remained for eight years, enjoying but few
social or intellectual advantages. When James
was eight years of age, his father removed to the village of
Mercersburg, where his son was placed at school, and
commenced a course of study in English, Latin and Greek.
His progress was rapid, and at the age of fourteen, he
entered Dickinson College, at Carlisle. Here he
developed remarkable talent, and took his stand among the
first scholars in the institution. His application to
study was intense, and yet his native powers enabled him to
master the most abstruse subjects with facility.
In the year 1809, he graduated with the highest honors
of his class. He was then eighteen years of age; tall
and graceful, vigorous in health, fond of athletic sport, an
unerring shot, and enlivened with an exuberant flow of
animal spirits. He immediately commenced the study of
law in the city of Lancaster, and was admitted to the bar in
1812, when he was but twenty-one years of age. Very
rapidly he rose in his profession, and at once took
undisputed stand with the ablest lawyers of the State.
When but twenty-six years of age, unaided by counsel, he
successfully defended before the State Senate one of the
judges of the State, who was tried upon articles on
impeachment. At the age of thirty it was generally
admitted that he stood at the head of the bar; and there was
no lawyer in the State who had a more lucrative practice.
In 1820, he reluctantly consented to run as a candidate
for Congress. He was elected, and for ten years he
remained a member of the Lower House. During the
vacations of Congress, he occasionally tried some important
case. In 1831, he retired altogether from the toils of
his profession, having acquired an ample fortune.
Geo. Jackson, upon his elevation to the
Presidency, appointed Mr. Buchanan minister to
Russia. The duties of his mission he performed with
ability, which gave satisfaction to all parties. Upon
his return, in 1833, he was elected to a seat in the United
States Senate. He there met, as his associates,
Webster, Clay, Wright and Calhoun. He advocated the
measures proposed by President Jackson, of making
reprisals against France, to enforce the payment of our
claims against that country; and defended the course of the
President in his unprecedented and wholesale removal from
office of those who were not supporters of his
administration. Upon this question he was brought into
direct collision with Henry Clay. He also, with
voice and vote, advocated expunging from the journal of the
Senate the vote of censure against Gen. Jackson for
removing the deposits. Earnestly he opposed the
abolition of slavery in the District of Columbia, and urged
the prohibition of the circulation of anti-slavery documents
by the United States mails.
As to petitions on the subject of slavery, he advocated
that they should be respectfully received; and that the
reply should be returned, that Congress had no power to
legislate upon the subject. "Congress," said he,
"might as well undertake to interfere with slavery under a
foreign government as in any of the States where it now
exists."
Upon Mr. Polk's accession to the Presidency,
Mr. Buchanan became Secretary of State, and as such,
took his share of the responsibility in the conduct of the
Mexican War. Mr. Polk assumed that crossing the
Nueces by the American troops into the disputed territory
was not wrong, but for the Mexicans to cross the Rio Grande
into that territory was a declaration of war. No
candid man can read with pleasure the account of the course
our Government pursued in that movement.
Mr. Buchanan identified himself thoroughly with
the party devoted to the perpetuation and extension of
slavery, and brought all the energies of this mind to bear
against the Wilmot Proviso. He gave his cordial
approval to the compromise measures of 1850, which included
the fugitive-slave law. Mr. Pierce, upon his
election to the Presidency, honored Mr. Buchanan with
the mission to England.
In the year 1856, a national Democratic convention
nominated Mr. Buchanan for the Presidency. The
political conflict was one of the most severe in which our
country has ever engaged. All the friends of slavery
were on one side; all the advocates of its restriction and
final abolition, on the other. Mr. Fremont, the
candidate of the enemies of slavery, received 114 electoral
votes. Mr. Buchanan received 174, and was
elected. The popular vote stood 1,340,618, for
Fremont, 1,224,750 for Buchanan. On March 4th,
Mr. Buchanan was inaugurated.
Mr. Buchanan was far advanced in life.
Only four years were wanting to fill up his threescore years
and ten. His own friends, those with whom he had been
allied in political principles and action for years, were
seeking the destruction of the Government, that they might
rear upon the ruins of our free institutions a nation whose
corner-stone should be human slavery. In this
emergency, Mr. Buchanan was hopelessly bewildered.
He could not, with his long-avowed principles, consistently
oppose the State-rights party in their assumptions. As
President of the United States, bound by his oath faithfully
to administer the laws he could not, without perjury of the
grossest kind, unite with those endeavoring to overthrow the
republic. He therefore did nothing.
The opponents of Mr. Buchanan's administration
nominated Abraham Lincoln as their standard bearer in
the next Presidential canvass. The pro-slavery party
declared, that if he were elected, and the control of the
Government were thus taken from their hands, they would
seceded from the Union, taking with them, as they retired,
the National Capitol at Washington, and the lion's share of
the territory of the United States.
Mr. Buchanan's sympathy with the pro-slavery
party was such, that he had been willing to offer them far
more than they had ventured to claim. All the South
had professed to ask of the North was non-intervention upon
the subject of slavery. Mr. Buchanan had been
ready to offer them the active co-operation of the
Government to defend and extend the institution.
As the storm increased in violence, the slaveholders
claiming the right to secede, and Mr. Buchanan
avowing that Congress had no power to prevent it, one of the
most pitiable exhibitions of governmental imbecility was
exhibited the world has ever seen. He declared that
Congress had no power to enforce its laws in any State which
had withdrawn, or which was attempting to withdraw from the
Union. This was not the doctrine of Andrew Jackson,
when, with his hand upon his sword-hilt, he exclaimed.
"The Union must and shall be preserved!"
South Carolina seceded in December, 1860; nearly three
months before the inauguration of President
Lincoln. Mr. Buchanan looked on in listless
despair. The rebel flag was raised in Charleston; Fort
Sumpter was besieged; our forts, navy-yards and arsenals
were seized; our depots of military stores were plundered;
and our custom-houses and post-offices were appropriated by
the rebels.
The energy of the rebels, and the imbecility of our
Executive, were alike marvelous. The Nation looked on
in agony, waiting for the slow weeks to glide away, and
close the administrations, so terrible in its weakness.
At length the long-looked-for hour of deliverance came, when
Abraham Lincoln was to receive the scepter.
The administration of President Buchanan was
certainly the most calamitous our country has experienced.
His best friends cannot recall it with pleasure. And
still more deplorable it is for his fame, that in that
dreadful conflict which rolled its billows of flame and
blood over our whole land, no word came from his lips to
indicate his wish that our country's banner should triumph
over the flag of the rebellion. He died at his
Wheatland retreat, June 1, 1863.
Source: Portrait & Biographical Record of Stark
County, Ohio - Chicago - Chapman Bros. - 1892 - Page 75 |
NOTES:
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