WILLIAM WILTON BALES. — In the present connection we shall revert to the lives of two brothers who are themselves prominent and honored residents of Allen township, Union county, and who are conspicuous, in a further sense, as representatives of one of the leading pioneer families of this section of the favored Buckeye commonwealth. The history engendered in a personal way by the family identification with the annals of the section is one which is prolific in interest and instruction, and is one which the publishers consider well worthy of particular attention in this volume.
     “Crab Orchards,” as the Bales homestead has been most consistently known for a long period of years, figures as the birthplace of William Wilton Bales, who still maintains his home thereon, having been born June 26, 1840. His father, the late William Bales, was one of the most prominent of the pioneer settlers of Union county, and was a man who enjoyed a distinctive prestige during the term of his life by reason of his ability, enterprising spirit and unswerving integrity. He was a native son of New England, having been born in Hillsborough county, New Hampshire, January 9, 1809, the son of William L. Bales, who was born in Vermont, and who in turn was the son of an illustrious sire, also William by name, who was an active participant in the war of the Revolution, serving under General Washington. The father of the last named William Bales was pressed into the British army and compelled to serve therein for a time, but he ultimately escaped and gave himself to the bearing of arms against his whilom but distasteful comrades of the English forces. The Bales family came to Ohio from New England in 1838, making the long and weary journey with team and wagon. William Bales, father of our subject, was reared on a farm in his native State and received his scholastic discipline in the public schools. February 1, 1838, he wedded Sarah Cavender, who was born in New Hampshire, and who came from an old and honored family, being the daughter of James and Rachel Cavender, who were of Irish extraction, the former having been a valiant soldier in the war of the Revolution. In the year of their marriage they accompanied other members of the Bales family on their journey to the Western wilds of the Buckeye State, and they passed the autumn succeeding their arrival, at Sunbury, Delaware county, and then located in Newton, Union county, where they remained one year, at the expiration of which time they settled in the woods of Allen township, where they built a sawmill and a log cabin, and where they eventually developed one of the finest farms in this section of the State, giving to the same the name of “Crab Orchards,” which has ever since been retained, as has also the place in the possession of the family, the old homestead being the present place of residence of our subject. The farm reclaimed and developed by the original members of family comprised 400 acres, located on the line of the old stage road between Columbus and Fort Wayne, and the Bales home was a wayside inn or a tavern of the old familiar and attractive type, and from its hospitable doors no wayworn traveler was ever turned away,—rich and poor, saint and sinner, Jew and Gentile, were alike made welcome and permitted to share in the hospitality of the genial hosts of the primitive caravansary.
      William Bales, father of our subject, was for two decades the incumbent as Postmaster at the little hamlet of Coberly, and was a man of distinctive influence in the community, where his advice and counsel were held in the highest regard. He was one of the first in this section to engage in the breeding and sale of Morgan horses, and brought the original individuals in this well-known and popular line from Vermont. He was successful in his business ventures and accumulated a fine property, owning land in Illinois, in addition to his extensive realty interests in this county. During the late Mexican war he served as Captain of militia, having raised a company, which, however, was not called into action by reason of the closing of the war before they reached the front.
     William and Sarah (Cavender) Bales became the parents of ten children, of whom we make record as follows: William Wilton is the subject of this review; Walter Warren is associated with his brother in business, and to him individual reference is made farther on in this sketch; Charles Clifford resides in Illinois; Mary M. is the wife of O. N. Carter, of Linn county, Kansas; Rosa is the wife of O. W. Inskeep, of Linn county, Kansas; Frank is a resident of Champaign county, Ohio; Burnham C. is a resident of Marysville, Ohio; Sarah is the wife of C. W. Brodrick, of Champaign county, Ohio; George died at the age of twenty-three years; and Rachel R. passed away at the age of eighteen months.
     The honored father of our subject was summoned into eternal rest, September 1, 1878, at the age of sixty-nine years and eight months, and his widow died November 11, 1885, at the age of sixty-seven. In their religious adherence they were Adventists. The father of William Bales, William L., lived to attain a remarkable longevity, dying at the old homestead in this county, at the venerable age of ninety-seven years, and his widow lived to be ninety-five. Their wedded life extended over the notable span of seventy-three years, and during all this long period they were never absent from one another for two weeks. They were the parents of nine children.
     William Wilton Bales, the immediate subject of this review, was reared on the beautiful old homestead and received his education in the district schools, and in a commercial college at Columbus. He passed three seasons in De Witt county, Illinois, taking horses to that locality to be sold, in the years 1860, ’61 and ’63.
     At the present time there is retained in “Crab Orchards,” the old homestead, 200 acres of rich and productive land, thoroughly well improved. The attractive old family home, erected in 1844, is a substantial and commodious structure, and is pervaded in its very environments with the atmosphere of a true home, hallowed with association. Among other excellent permanent improvements in evidence is a fine barn, 36x50 feet, with a basement for the accommodation of stock, of which a general line of standard breeds is kept on the place. Natural springs about the farm furnish an adequate supply of pure, limpid water for stock. The magnificent orchard is renowned as one of the best and largest in the State, there being 1,400 apple and 600 peach trees. The soil has proved to be particularly well adapted to the cultivation of all fruits native to this latitude. Among other varieties, there are 1,000 trees of the Whitney or No. 20 crab, one of the best known and most popular apples grown in the United States.
     December 24, 1879, William Winter Bales was united in marriage to Miss Virginia Dunn, a woman of culture and innate refinement. She was born in Rush township, Champaign county, this State, the daughter of Nelson and Mary (Garwood) Dunn, the former of whom was a native of Champaign county, and the latter, who was the daughter of Joseph and Adaline Garwood, was born in Logan county. They had two children: Hiram G. and Virginia, wife of our subject.
      Mr. Bales is one of the leading men of the township, and has ever been a prime factor in lending impetus to such enterprises and fostering such institutions as tend to conserve the higher welfare of the community. He has been the incumbent as President of the Board of Education for a term of many years. Politically, he lends influence and practical support to the Populist party. Personally, he is a man of quick intelligence and broad mental grasp, is frank and cordial in bearing, and enjoys that respect and esteem that are ever awarded to the one deserving of such recognition.
     As exemplifying the public spirit of William W., it may be stated that he built some of the first pike road ever constructed in this county, which now has the distinctive honor of having the best system of turnpikes of any county in the State.
     Walter Warren Bales, who is associated with his brother in the conduct of the old homestead farm, was born thereon, October 11, 1842, and here grew to maturity, receiving his educational discipline in the public schools of the locality. He married Miss Victoria Inskeep, daughter of William and Mary Inskeep, and of this union seven children were born, namely: Forest, Minnie (deceased), Frank, Walter, May, Jenny and Emma Maude. Walter W. and family resided in De Witt county, Illinois, from 1870 until 1881, and Mrs. Bales entered into eternal rest on the 2d of May, 1882. To the children thus bereft Mrs. William W. Bales has proved a devoted foster-mother, and to her they have granted a true filial affection.
     Walter W. Bales is identified with the Masonic order, retaining a membership in Blazing Star Lodge, of North Lewisburg, which village is the postoffice address of the occupants of “Crab Orchards.”
Source: Memorial Record of the Counties of Delaware, Union & Morrow, Ohio; Chicago: The Lewis Publishing Co., 1895, pp. 193-196
Contributed by a Generous Genealogist.

A. R. BIGELOW traces his ancestral history back to the battle of Hastings, 1063, the Norman Knight DeBaguley being one of the followers of William the Conqueror.  John Bigelo, the ancestor of all the Bigelows in this country, landed in Boston in 1640.  Our subject, A. R. Bigelow, is one of the successful and representative farmers of Union county, which is the place of his nativity, as it was also of his honored father.  The old homestead farm on which our subject was born and which is his place of abode at the present time is located in Union township, comprising 250 acres of as fine agricultural land as can be found in this section of the State, the place being effectively watered by Little Darby creek, which wends its way across field and meadow. The family residence is a large and substantial frame structure and is symmetrical in its appointments as an attractive rural home.  Other permanent improvements include two large barns, sheds and other outbuildings, while in every quarter of the place there is evidence of the discriminating care given to the cultivation of the broad acres and to the breeding of stock, to which latter line of enterprise our subject devotes no little attention.
     Alpheus Russell Bigelow was born October 29, 1851, the son of Alpheus, Sr., who was also born on the old Bigelow homestead, the son of Eliphas Bigelow, who was one of the earliest settlers in what is now Union township, where he settled in the midst of the virgin forest and began the arduous task of reclaiming his possessions from the hand of nature.  He was a native of the state of Maine.  Our subject’s father was reared on the old pioneer farmstead and received his educational discipline in the primative [sic] schools of the district.  Attaining maturity he joined heart and hand with Miss Malinda Converse, who was of stanch old Puritan stock, a native of Madison county, this State.  The original American ancestor of the Converse line became a resident of Massachusetts as early as 1620.
     Alpheus and Malinda Bigelow became the parents of two children: Delilah, who died at the age of four years, and Alpheus R., the immediate subject of this sketch.  The honored father died in 1851, lamented by all who appreciated his upright character and sterling worth.  His widow subsequent- [sic] married James McCloud, the issue of this union being three children: Jerry, a resident of Paris, Union county, Ohio; Rosa, wife of G. F. Morse, of Garnett, Kansas; and Mariam, wife of L. H. Elliott, of Union county, Ohio.  The mother is now living at Milford Center, this county.
     Our subject was reared to man’s estate on and near the old homestead, receiving his education in the district schools and in the Ohio Wesleyan University, at Delaware.  In 1870 he assumed charge of the home farm and continued to operate the same for ten years, when, in 1880, he went to San Francisco, California, where he passed two years, after which he returned to the home of his childhood, where he has since continued to reside, devoting his attention to the cultivation of the fine farm which has been in the possession of the family for so many years.
     At the age of twenty years he became convinced that a life companionship with Miss Hattie Parthemor was essential to his happiness and soon the wedding bells announced their union.  Mrs. Bigelow was born and reared in Union township, the daughter of Frederick and Permelia Parthemor.  Mr. and Mrs. Bigelow have six children: Maurice Alpheus, who is a graduate of the Ohio Wesleyan University, at Delaware, class of [894; Amy R.; Walter R.; William F.; Dessie H., and Merle E.
     Politically, Mr. Bigelow casts his franchise with the Republican party, being one of the wheel-horses in the local organization.  He is a zealous member of the Methodist Episcopal Church, as are also his wife and three of his children.  The family stands foremost as one of intelligence and true refinement, and their influence in the community is recognized as ever directed along the line where good and right obtain.
Source:  Memorial Record of the Counties of Delaware, Union & Morrow, Ohio; Chicago: The Lewis Publishing Co., 1895, pp. 176-177
Contributed by a Generous Genealogist.

JOHN L. BOERGER. —There is no one nation that has contributed to the complex composite make-up of our American social fabric an element of more sterling worth and of greater value in supporting and fostering our national institutions than has Germany. From this source our republic has had nothing to lose and much to gain. Germany has given us men of sturdy integrity, indomitable perseverance [sic], higher intelligence and much business sagacity,—the result being the incorporation of a strong and strength-giving fiber ramifying through warp and woof.
     A man who may well look with pride upon his German-American origin is the subject of this review, who has long been identified with the mercantile life of Marysville, Ohio, and who stands conspicuous as one of the most active, enterprising and successful of her business men. Mr. Boerger is a native of the Buckeye State, having been born at Galion, Crawford county, September 19, 1858. His parents, both of whom are now deceased, were John L. and Mary (Denderline) Boerger, both being born in Bavaria, Germany, where they were reared. The father came to America when sixteen years of age and located in Columbus, this State, where he met and ultimately married Miss Mary Denderline, whose residence in America dated from her seventeenth year. They continued their residence in the city of Columbus for but a brief time after the consummation of their marriage, soon removing to Galion, where the father engaged quite extensively in the manufacturing of brick, the family continuing to reside there for several years, after which they removed to Union county, locating in Darby township, where the father purchased a farm, known as the Alex Robinson farm, and conducted the same successfully for a time, after which he exchanged the place for a fine farm located four miles east of Marysville. This continued to be his home for the remainder of his life, his demise occurring May 4, 1893, at which time he had attained the age of sixty-six years; the devoted wife and mother had preceded her husband into eternal rest, her death having occurred May 23, 1891, her age being sixty-five years. The father was distinctively a self-made man, was industrious, honorable in all his dealings, self-reliant and ever instinct with human sympathies,—a man who gained and held the appreciative esteem of all. As indicative of the strides he made toward the goal of substantial success, we may recall the fact that when he first began operations upon his own responsibility he worked for a time for the diminutive stipend of sixteen cents per diem. He lived, however, to find his position assured as one of the prosperous and influential residents of Union county. He and his wife were active and devoted members of the German Lutheran Church.
     They had a family of seven children, concerning whom we are enabled to offer brief record as follows: Mary, deceased; Maggie, wife of L. C. Conrad, of this county; John K., a prosperous farmer in the State of Missouri; George A., who is also engaged in farming in Missouri; John L., subject of this review: John M., who resides on the old homestead, four miles east of Maryville; Elizabeth, wife of George Vanderan, a resident of Salisbury, Missouri.
     The career of our subject has been marked by no events of extraordinary order, and yet it has shown a record of accomplishment which can but redound to his honor and credit, and which has eventuated in a pronounced success gained by personal effort and exemplifying what is possible of doing when one’s ambitious desires are sufficiently potential to beget practical endeavors along the line where the desideratum may be realized. Having passed his boyhood days on the parental farm, he was enabled to secure excellent educational advantages in a preliminary way, attending the district and parochial schools until he had attained the age of sixteen years, when he matriculated at the Capital University, in Columbus, where he took a partial course, subsequently entering the Spencerian Business College at Cleveland, Ohio, where he completed a thorough business course.
     In the fall of 1878 he came to Marysville and secured a position as bookkeeper for F. H. & W. Otte, clothiers, with whom he remained one year, after which he entered the employ of S. Stern & Son, who were engaged in the same line of enterprise in this city. He held a position as salesman with this firm until February 1, 1886, when he effected a purchase of the stock and business and commenced operations upon his own account. At the time this transfer was made the stock was given an inventory valuation of $10,000, and this very considerable representation has since been augmented until the capitalistic investment now reaches an aggregate of fully three times the amount named. By careful methods, keen business discernment and alert spirit of enterprise Mr. Boerger has brought the business to a point of maximum importance in point of trade controlled and extent of stock carried. The headquarters of this representative enterprise are located at the Fountain Corner of the public square, and the entire building of three stories is devoted to the accommodation of the business,—the aggregate floor space utilized being nearly 5,000 square feet. This is the most extensive industry of the sort in the county, and the stock is one of the largest and most admirably selected in this section of the State, including a full assortment of clothing, hats, caps and men’s furnishings, and offering a wide range for selection. The credit for having attained a position at the head of so magnificent an enterprise is due alone to our subject’s personal efforts and ability and he may well hold in high estimation his marked success.
     Mr. Beorger [sic] is a stanch Republican and has taken an active interest in the conduct of local political affairs, having held preferment as Trustee and Corporation Clerk.
     June 2, 1886, was consummated our subject’s marriage to Miss Ollie, daughter of Waterman Hill, a prominent resident of Milford Centre, this county. They are the parents of two interesting children, namely: L. Fawn and Ralph W. Mr. and Mrs. Boerger are members of the Marysville Presbyterian Church, in whose work they take an active interest. The pleasant family home is located on East Eighth street. As a member of the business circles of Marysville and in social relations as well Mr. Boerger occupies a high position in the esteem of the community.
Source: Memorial Record of the Counties of Delaware, Union & Morrow, Ohio; Chicago: The Lewis Publishing Co., 1895, pp. 360-362
Contributed by a Generous Genealogist.

JOHN M. BRODRICK. —Generic history in every instance must trace back to its essence in the specific, and this specific essence in the history of human life and human achievement is ever sprung, root and branch, from some objective prototype, some individual or class of individuals, whose actions and efforts have formed the background of the general history, which can be but the reflex of the individual, with incidental reference to environment with its modifying or broadening influences. It is in this sense that biography becomes the nucleus of all history, making clear beyond peradventure the progress, the opulent achievement which stand as composite entities whose basic elements must ever remain obscure unless cognizance be taken of the individual accomplishment and the individual life. In rendering then the history of any people or nation there is a scientific historical necessity for biography, and in tracing the growth and development of any institution the impression must be deepened and the salient points emphasized by tracing simultaneously the life history of those whose efforts have conserved this advancement.
     In the case at hand we find one whose name has been most intimately and conspicuously identified with the history of Odd Fellowship in Ohio; one who has gained the highest State preferment in the order and one, who, as an honored resident of Union county and a man of excellent professional attainments, can by no manner of means be passed with mere cursory mention in a work of this nature.
     John Morral Brodrick may well claim a distinct identification with Union county, Ohio, for in this county was he born and in it has his life been passed. The place of his nativity is the present farmstead of his father, Isaac Brodrick, in Allen township, and the date thereof May 19, 1854. From infancy until that proud moment when he looked forth upon the world from the proud eminence of a legal majority of years our subject remained upon the old home farm, attending the district schools during his boyhood years and incidentally gleaning valuable instruction from his environment, for “nature of course hath schools; men all may read from alphabets around them.” During the years of his minority, then, he remained with his father, but he industriously improved every moment afforded him for the acquisition of that broader education which he had firmly determined should be his. That his studies represented to him something more than mere theoretical knowledge was early brought into practical evidence, for in 1873 he appeared in the capacity of teacher of the school in his home district, continuing such incumbency for three terms. By natural temperament the young man was not vascillating [sic] but was peculiarly reliant and decisive. It is then to be taken as granted that he early formulated plans for his future, and while teaching he had reached an ultimatum and had decided to prepare himself for the legal profession. Accordingly, when the new year of 1874 was ushered in, he celebrated the event by entering the office of the then prominent law firm of Porter & Sterling, of Marysville, and under their effective preceptorage taking up the study of Kent and Blackstone. That he was a close student and an avidious and determined one is made most clearly manifest in the fact that within but little more than eighteen months after he began his course of reading in law he was admitted to the bar.
     Since November 14 of the Centennial year Mr. Brodrick has been in the consecutive practice of his profession in this city, and December 7, 1886, he was admitted to practice in the United States courts. He has retained a large and distinctively representative clientele and at the present time he stands forth as one of the most able, popular and successful attorneys in the county.
     Though devoted to the work of his profession, our subject has not escaped public preferment, having taken a consistently active interest in the political affairs of the county and city and having been staunchly arrayed with the Republican party. In 1881 he was elected, without opposition, to the office of Prosecuting Attorney of the county, and his incumbency in this position covered a period of six years, his dispensations meeting with general approval and support from all classes. In 1878 he was elected City Clerk and served in this capacity four years. He was chosen as a member of the Common Council in 1889, and filled the office for one term, declining a re-election in consequence of having been selected as attorney for the Marysville Light and Water Company.
     It is with particular gratification that we revert to that phase of our subject’s career which has to do with his connection with that noble fraternal organization, the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, for, by reason of his connection therewith and the high preferments which have come to him in the gift of the fraternity, his name has become familiar to residents of all sections of our favored commonwealth. On the night of June 12, 1875, Mr. Brodrick received his initiation into the mysteries of the order, becoming a member of Marysville Lodge, No. 87. He had at the time but passed his twenty-first birthday anniversary, and yet within three years he had passed all the chairs in his lodge. Within the winter of 1875 lie was admitted to membership in Marysville Encampment, No. 114, and has since passed the chairs in that branch of Odd Fellowship. His executive ability and his unswerving fidelity to trusts already reposed in his keeping resulted in his appointment as District Deputy Grand Master, and he has also served several times as District Deputy Grand Patriarch. In 1886 he was representative of Union county in the Grand Lodge of Ohio, continuing in that capacity for a period of four years and being appointed to a membership in the committee on appeals, whose functions are the most important in connection with the work and jurisdiction of the Grand Lodge.
     In the matter of effecting the codification of the laws of the Grand Lodge Mr. Brodrick was most conspicuously identified, his work in the connection standing in lasting evidence of his ability to bring to a thorough system matters involving great breadth and multitudinous details. He was a member of the special committee appointed for the performance of this arduous task, his associates being Judge J. W. O’Neall, of Lebanon, now Past Department Commander of the Ohio G. A. R., and B. S. Dryfus, Past Deputy Grand Master, of Zanesville. By these official confreres to our subject was delegated the work in hand, and the by-laws drafted by him have gained recognition as model documents in their province, having been adopted by many of the Grand Lodges throughout the Union.
     This excellent service naturally brought Mr. Brodrick into a position of no slight prominence before the fraternity and his subsequent progress in official preferments in the Grand Lodge of the State was brilliant and rapid, eventuating in his being called to fill the office which represents the ultimate honor which that body has in its gift to confer. In 1891 he was elected Grand Warden and his installation occurred at Cleveland in May of the following year. Within the time of his service in this capacity he was elected Deputy Grand Master, being installed at the annual session of the Grand Lodge, held at Put-In-Bay, in May, 1893. In November, 1894, he became a candidate for Grand Master, the highest office of the order in Ohio, and was elected unanimously and without opposition, receiving five more votes than did the next candidate who had no opposition. The celebration of installation to this honorable and distinguished office occurred at the meeting of the Grand Lodge, held at Cincinnati, in May, 1894.
     Mr. Brodrick is also prominently identified with other secret fraternal orders: In the Masonic lodge he is Past Master in high standing, being also a member of Marysville Chapter, No. 99, R. A. M. He is Past Chancellor of Marysville Lodge, No. 100, Knights of Pythias, and is also a Past District Deputy Grand Chancellor of the same order. He is a charter member of the Magnetic Lodge, Daughters of Rebekah, and also of Mary Chapter, No. 9, Order of the Eastern Star, in which connection he has had high honors conferred upon him by the Grand Lodge, having served for one term as Associate Grand Patron and being at the present tune incumbent as Grand Patron, which represents the highest preferment any man can hold in the order.
     In conclusion we turn briefly to the domestic life of our honored subject, finding that on April 16, 1878, were celebrated the nuptials of himself and Miss Narcissa M., daughter of Benjamin T: and Mary K. (Newhouse) Benton, prominent residents of Delaware county. Mr. and Mrs. Brodrick are the parents of three children: William Floyd, who was born May 7, 1879, and who is now a member of the junior class in the Marysville high school; Ferne, who was born August 31, 1882; and Adda, born March 23, 1887. The family residence is pleasantly and eligibly located on Ash street, Marysville.
     No more fitting close to this brief review can be offered than in the reiteration of the following sentences which appeared in a recent edition of the Marysville Tribune: “Our people are justly proud of Mr. Brodrick’s record, both in civil life and in the orders in which he is interested. It is by a faithful performance of the duties which his various offices have imposed that he has gained the confidence of his brethren and fellow citizens. He has earned the prominence he thus gains and deserves the support of all who are in any way interested in the town or the secret orders to which he belongs.”
Source: Memorial Record of the Counties of Delaware, Union & Morrow, Ohio; Chicago: The Lewis Publishing Co., 1895, pp. 60-62
Contributed by a Generous Genealogist.

S. J. BRODRICK.––The subject of this review is one who is to be individually considered as one of the representative citizens and business men of Union county, and as a representative, in a more abstract sense, of a family whose history has been honorably linked with this section of the Buckeye State for many decades.  The genealogy of the family and other points of pertinent order are outlined in the sketches of our subject’s father and brother, appearing elsewhere in this volume, and it is scarcely necessary to again cover the ground in this immediate connection.
     Mr. Brodrick is one of the leading business men of Pottersburg, Allen township, where he is conspicuous as a member of the firm of Brodrick, Spain & Irvine, manufacturers of drain tile and paving brick.  The enterprise is one which in character of output and scope of operations compares favorably with any other in this section of the State, and it has been pushed forward to such a point as to render it one of the noteworthy industries of Union county.  The plant was established and for some time operated by L. M. Crary & Company, as whose immediate successors the present firm figures.  The output of the manufactory is second to none in finish and durability, and the business of the firm will reach an average aggregate of $3,000 each season.  The firm are fortunate in their source of supply, securing clay of unexcelled quality, while they have access also to valuable deposits of white clay.  The store-houses utilized are 260 feet in length, while the kiln is fifteen feet in the clear and twelve feet in height.
     Mr. Brodrick was born on the old homestead farm, known as the Brodrick farm, in Allen township, April 22, 1856, the son of Isaac and Sarah (Poling) Brodrick, concerning whom specific mention is made elsewhere in this volume.  He was one of a family of eleven children, -- seven sons and four daughters, and grew up on the farm, assisting in the work thereof and attending the district schools.  He profited by the educational opportunities which were afforded him, finishing his education in the High School of North Lewisburg, Champaign county, Ohio, and was ultimately so far advanced as to be able to teach, which vocation he followed for some little time, proving a capable and acceptable instructor.  He was a young man of good judgment and early manifested that practical ability which has stood him so well in hand throughout his entire life.  For a time he worked at the carpenter’s trade, and later on devoted his attention to wagon and carriage work, at Pottersburg, where he still has a shop.
     The marriage of our subject was consummated February 23, 1877, when he was united to Miss Nancy Irvine, daughter of Leckey and Nancy (Maxwell) Irvine, honored residents of Allen township, this county, the latter being now deceased.  Mr. and Mrs. Brodrick have two children, Alpha and Myrtle E., and each one of the little family circle is a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church.  In the local organization our subject has been a most zealous and active worker, having been devoted to the church and Sunday school and being the efficient and earnest superintendent of the latter.
     In politics Mr. Brodrick believes that the policies and principles advocated by the Populist party are best intended to conserve the interests of the nation, and he accordingly gives his hearty support to that organization, in whose ranks he stands forth as a strong and courageous worker and one of much prominence in a local way.  He is a delegate to the Congressional convention of his party this year (1894).  Fraternally he is identified with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, retaining a membership in Darby Lodge, No. 636, of Milford Center.
     As a man Mr. Brodrick is genial and courteous and enjoys a marked popularity and that respect which is ever accorded to one who directs his life along the line of unquestionable honor and integrity.
Source:  Memorial Record of the Counties of Delaware, Union & Morrow, Ohio; Chicago: The Lewis Publishing Co., 1895, pp. 116-117
Contributed by a Generous Genealogist.

STEPHEN BURKAM, M. D., a prominent physician and surgeon of Byhalia, claims West Virginia as the State of his nativity. He was born at Triadelphia, on the old national road, east of Wheeling, March 30, 1830, and is a son of Isaac and Nancy (Kiggin) Burkam. The paternal grandfather, Stephen Burkam, was a native of Ireland, but was reared in England, and came to America at the time of the Revolutionary war as a member of the English Cavalry. After the Colonies had achieved their independence he located in Virginia, where he reared a family and spent his remaining days. He served his adopted country as a soldier of the war of 1812, and was a close friend of Simon Gerty. On the maternal side the Doctor is of German descent. His grandfather, John Kiggin, was a native of Germany, and also came to this country with the English army to take part in the Revolutionary war. He located first in Washington county, Pennsylvania, but afterward removed to West Virginia, and subsequently to Virginia, where his death occurred. The parents of our subject both died in West Virginia. The father was a farmer.
     Dr. Burkam is the eldest in a family of nine children, six of whom are yet living. He was born and reared on the old homestead where his father’s birth occurred, and in the public schools of the neighborhood he began his education. His early privileges, however, were supplemented by study in the college in Athens, Athens county, Ohio, where he remained for two terms. He then spent two terms as a student in Concord, Muskingum county, Ohio, and completed his literary education in Bethany, Virginia, in the year 1852.
     Wishing to enter the medical profession, Mr. Burkam then began study with Dr. Gilfillin, of West Alexander, Washington county, Pennsylvania. The following year he was a student in the office of Dr. Craycroft, of Triadelphia, West Virginia, and later spent two years with Dr. Connelly. He then attended lectures at the Rush Medical College, of Chicago, and was graduated at that institution in the class of 1855, after which he at once entered the marine service of the United States Army as hospital steward. After seventeen months he was promoted to the position of Lieutenant in the medical department and sent to the frontier. While on that trip he visited Florida, New Orleans, Jefferson Barracks, near St. Louis, and many other points. He was on the first Government boat that went up the Mississippi river, and in his official and professional capacity visited all of the main places on the frontier. After being mustered out at Fort Scott, in 1859, he returned to West Virginia.
     It was at this time that the Doctor was united in marriage to Miss Rebecca J. Maple, a native of the Old Dominion. To them were born five children, but one of the number, Perry B., is now deceased. The others are Letha V., wife of Clinton Higby, of Indianapolis, Indiana; Cobah, wife of Charles Watt, of York Center; Arizonia [sic], wife of George Wells, of Galion, Ohio, and John W., who is employed as telegraph operator and station agent on the Hocking Valley Railroad at Lovell, Ohio.
     After his marriage Dr. Burkam removed to Osage county, Missouri, and opened an office in Chamois, where he engaged in practice until the early part of 1862, when he enlisted in the First Virginia Infantry. After serving for three months as a private he was mustered out, but at once re-enlisted, becoming a member of company D, First Virginia Infantry, with which he continued until the close of the war, when he was mustered out at Wheeling. He took part in the battles of Stonewall and Port Republic, where he was wounded in the hip, after which he was transferred to the medical staff and did service in the Shenandoah valley until 1864, when he was sent to St. James. He was a second time wounded at Cedar Creek on the nineteenth of October, 1864, being surprised by a guerilla, who struck him over the head with a carbine, fracturing his skull, cutting his face and otherwise badly bruising him. He continued on duty all through that day and on into the night. He was a gallant soldier, possessed of a spirit of bravery and courage that never faltered, no matter what his service. He acted as Brigade Surgeon with General Sigel, was then detailed to take charge of the field hospital, and at length was mustered out with the rank of Major.
     On the twenty-seventh of July, 1865, Dr. Burkam came to Union county, locating in Newton, where he remained until the following March, when he went to Broadway. He there made his home during the greater part of the time until 1884, engaged in active practice. During that time he did the largest business of any physician in the county. On leaving Broadway he removed to Harpster, Wyandot county, where he continued until 1891, in which year he became a resident of Vanlue, Hancock county. Since the twenty-second of August, 1894, he has resided in Byhalia, and has already built up a good practice. The Doctor is a member of Robins Post, No. 96, G. A. R., and in his political affiliations is a Republican. He has always been an enterprising and progressive man in whatever community he has resided, and is recognized as one of the leading citizens of Union county.
Source: Memorial Record of the Counties of Delaware, Union & Morrow, Ohio; Chicago: The Lewis Publishing Co., 1895, pp. 100-102
Contributed by a Generous Genealogist.