BIOGRAPHIES
 Source:
Commemorative
Historical & Biographical Record
of Wood County, Ohio,
Past & Present - Publ. Chicago: J. H. Beers &
Co. 1897
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J. A. BAILEY,
an honored farmer of Bloom township, is the eldest son of Jacob
and Elizabeth (Simon) Bailey, and was born in Bloom Center, Feb.
28, 1849. His boyhood and youth he passed in the manner of
most farmer boys, attending the district schools through the winter,
while in summer he worked on the home farm. At the age of
twenty-two years he was married in Bloom township to Susan
Frederick, a native of Seneca county, Ohio, and a daughter of
Anthony and Rhoda Frederick. He then located upon a part
of the old homestead, which he operated some five years. There
his wife died Aug. 5, 1875, and her remains were interred in Weaver
cemetery, Bloom township. She left four children: Florence,
now Mrs. Charles Wirick, of Bloom township; Clarissa,
wife of Gideon Dennis, of the same township; and Savilla
and Drusilla (twins), the former of whom died at the age
of six months, the latter now making her home with her grandfather,
Frederick, at Bloom township.
After the death of his wife, Mr. Bailey broke up
housekeeping, and for some time made his home with his parents,
during which period he traveled extensively over Iowa, Illinois and
Missouri. When a young man of eighteen he had visited
Whiteside county, Ill., and also some localities in Iowa. On
Apr. 17, 1884, he was again married, this time to Mrs. Susan
Frederick, widow of Charles Frederick, and daughter of
Lewis Kunkler. Her birth occurred in Hancock county, Ohio,
July 19, 1850, and, her father having died when she was about two
years old, she became an inmate of her grandfather's (Daniel
Kunkler's) home. She remained with him until sixteen years
of age when she came to Wood county, where she worked out as a
domestic, though she considered her home was with her mother, then
the wife of Solomon Frederick of Bloom township. Two
children have been born to our subject and his wife: Hollis H.,
born Sept. 22, 1885; and Frank, born Feb. 17, 1891.
After his second marriage, Mr. Bailey lived for
two years at Bloom Center, during which time he operated his
father's farm; but in February 1886, he removed to Section 3, Bloom
township, where he purchased thirty-five acres and has built thereon
a comfortable home, otherwise making many good improvements.
Politically, Mr. Bailey was for several years a Democrat, but
is not at present bound by party ties, reserving the privilege of
selecting his candidate, regardless of party affiliations. In
1893 he was elected, on the Democratic ticket, trustee of Bloom
township; also served as school director of District No. 2 for
several years, and has been supervisor of his district. He now
holds membership with Vitus Lodge No. 602, I. O. O. F., of Jerry
City, though he formerly belonged to Bloom Lodge No. 406, of
Bloomdale. An honest, hard-working man, his upright life has
won the confidence of all with whom he has come in contact.
Source: Commemorative Historical & Biographical
Record of Wood County, Ohio, Past & Present - Publ.
Chicago: J. H. Beers & Co. 1897 - Page 1338 |
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SIMON CROUS BAILEY,
a prosperous farmer, to whom success has come as the result of
watchfulness and care in his business dealings, combined with energy
and honorable effort, was born in Bloom township, Apr. 17, 1856, the
second son and seventh child of Jacob and Elizabeth (Simon)
Bailey. He was educated in the district schools, and
reared to manhood under the parental roof, remaining at home until
his marriage.
In May, 1877, in Bloom township, Mr. Bailey
wedded Caroline Dennis, who was born July 8, 1857, in Hancock
county, Ohio, a daughter of Marvel and Eliza (Smeltzer) Dennis,
who came to Bloom township when Mrs. Bailey was nine years of
age. It was for the father that Marvel post office was named.
Our subject and his wife located on a portion of the home farm, and
he be came owner of eighty acres of the land when only twenty-five
acres were cleared. He now has sixty acres cleared and under a
high state of cultivation. He has been an earnest, energetic
worker, and in this way has accumulated a comfortable competence.
He is also an ardent admirer of fine horses, and for several years
has been extensively engaged in teaming.
Mr. and Mrs. Bailey have two children - Grace
M., wife of Elmer Ziegler, of Bloom township, by whom she
has one child; and Jacob W., at home. The parents are
members of the Church of God, in which Mr. Bailey is serving
as trustee. He was also one of the building committee that had in
charge the erection of the house of worship. He advocates the
principles of the Republican party, but is not strictly partisan,
nor has he ever been an office seeker, preferring to give his
attention exclusively to his business interests.
Source: Commemorative Historical & Biographical Record
of Wood County, Ohio, Past & Present - Publ. Chicago: J.
H. Beers & Co. 1897 - Page 1122 |
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ALMON
BAKER, is an Ohio man in the best sense of the word,
born at Adrian, on May 27, 1855, and is the son of John
and Louisa Strauss Baker, who was brought into
Montgomery Township, Wood County, when he was a child of six
years.
The first school, which our subject attended, is what
is now district school No 5, his teacher being Jane
Addams, and he later became a student in the Freeport
School. He remained upon the home farm until 1881, at which
time the Nickel Plate Railroad was being built, and for nine
months he served as foreman on the grading for
subcontractors. He was then made night watchman on the same
road, and in March 1882, became fireman on a freight engine,
running between Bellevue, Ohio, and Fort Wayne, Indiana. For
two years following he was fireman on a passenger engine
running between the latter city and Chicago. He was promoted
to engineer on a switch engine running between Stony Island
and Chicago, and then ran a transfer engine between Fort
Wayne and New Haven. He was later a freight engineer,
running east and west from Fort Wayne, and was connected
with railroad work until 1891.
In January, 1874, in Seneca County, Ohio, Mr. Baker
was united in marriage with Miss Mary Dern, who was
born in that County in August, 1854, daughter of Hezekiah
and Susanna (Hyter) Dern. Their union has been blessed
by the birth of four children - Gertie, who died at
the age of three years, three months and 19 days; and
Bert, Willard, and Myrtle all at home. After his
marriage Mr. Baker made his home upon the farm of his
father, in Section 14, Montgomery Township, but later
removed to Risingsun, Ohio, and during his railroad career
lived at Fostoria, Ohio, and Fort Wayne, Indiana. He then
returned to Montgomery Township, where he now has a fine
farm of 80 acres in Section 23. In addition to general
farming he is also engaged in oil pumping and teaming. He
has made considerable money, always having lived well, and
has spent what would be a good lifetime accumulation for
many; but, notwithstanding all this, he has secured a good
competence, and is now quite prosperous. He has a thorough
knowledge of steam and its workings, as well as the business
to which he now turns his attention. In politics he is a
Democrat, and, socially, holds membership with Onward Lodge,
Knights of Pythias of Risingsun, and with several railway
organizations. His estimable wife is a consistent member of
the Disciples Church at Prairie Depot.
Source: Commemorative Historical & Biographical
Record of Wood County, Ohio, Past & Present - Publ. Chicago:
J. H. Beers & Co. 1897 - Page 1009
Contributed By:
Bob Weaver
Research Notes by Bob Weaver:
Stoney Island is a small area / suburb near: Chicago,
Illinois -- Stony Island Avenue is a major thoroughfare on
South Side of the city of Chicago, designated 1600 East in
Chicago's street numbering system. It runs from 56th Street
south to the Calumet River. Stony Island Avenue continues
sporadically south of the Calumet in the southern suburbs,
running alongside the Bishop Ford Freeway, sometimes as a
frontage road. It terminates at County Line Road on the
border of Will and Kankakee Counties. At about 92nd Street,
Stony Island passes to the west of the geographical feature
for which it was named, a stony hill that was once an island
when the glacial Lake Chicago covered the area thousands of
years ago. Early pioneers gave this hill, located in the
present day neighborhood of Calumet Heights - also referred
to as Pill Hill for the large number of doctors who used to
live in the area, the name Stony Island because at a
distance it looked like an island set in a tractless prairie
sea.
New Haven is a small town adjacent to the city of Fort Wayne |
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CHARLIE E. BAKER,
a worthy representative of one of the honored pioneer families of
Montgomery township, was born on the farm which is still his home,
in Section 35, on Nov. 1, 1867, and is a son of Adam and Lydia
(Zimmerman) Baker. The birth of his father occurred in
April, 1840, upon the same farm, where the grandfather, Jacob
Baker, had located on coming to Ohio from Maryland at a very
early day, when the land was in almost its primitive condition.
He was the second owner, and our subject now has in his possession
the deed for eighty acres that is dated 1837, and signed by
Andrew Jackson.
The father was one of the youngest in a family of
ten children. His marriage was celebrated in Sandusky county,
where his wife was born in 1849, the daughter of Adam Zimmerman.
He then located upon the old homestead in Section 35, Montgomery
township, where the grandfather had passed his remaining days.
By trade he was a carpenter, which occupation he followed during his
younger years; but, after his marriage, he bought out the interests
of the other heirs in the home farm, and later devoted his entire
attention to agricultural pursuits. There his death occurred
on Apr. 7, 1881, and he was laid to rest in the Prairie Depot
cemetery. He was a good citizen, a stanch Republican in
politics, and served as school director in his district. He
was a large man, being six feet in height. In the family were
four children - Charlie E.; Emma, now Mrs. Clark Graber,
of Montgomery township; Alta, of the same township; and
Jessie. After the death of the father, the mother became
the wife of George Gebhart, by whom she had one son,
Clifford, who now lives in Sandusky county, Ohio. She
departed this life in May, 1888, and was also interred in the
Prairie Depot cemetery.
During his boyhood and youth Charlie E. Baker
attended the district schools of his township, his first teacher
being Rose Griffin, who conducted the school in District No.
7, and his life was passed in the uneventful manner of most farmer
lads. He worked for some time as a farm hand on several
different places, but in 1893 began buying the interests of the
other heirs in the old home farm, which he now owns with the
exception of a quarter interest. It consists of seventy-one
acres of excellent land. He is a steady-going, prosperous
young farmer, and with continued good health can place himself in
teh front rank among the substantial farmers and citizens of
Montgomery township. Politically, he is identified with the
Republican party.
Source: Commemorative Historical & Biographical
Record of Wood County, Ohio, Past & Present - Publ.
Chicago: J. H. Beers & Co. 1897 - Page 837 |
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EDMUND G. BAKER.
There are numerous fine farms in this county which will compare
favorably with any others in the State as regards production, and,
also, as to the improvements which have been made upon them.
Many of these places are owned by men comparatively young in years,
who started in the world with but little more than an unlimited
amount of energy and perseverance, and who are succeeding to an
eminent degree in building up a comfortable home in Wood county.
As a representative of this class of agriculturists, great pleasure
is taken in presenting the name of the subject of this notice, who
is living on a good farm of ninety-nine acres in Troy township,
which was first opened up by Henry Baker, of Pemberville,
Ohio. Our subject bought the place in 1888, and the following
year moved thereon. He now devotes his time to its
cultivation, and also to stock dealing making a specialty of
handling sheep.
Mr. Baker made his advent into this world Sept.
1, 1858, in Woodville township, Sandusky Co., Ohio, at the home of
his parents, Sandford G. and Phoebe (Osborn) Baker. His
father was born in 1817, in Vermont, and with his father, Elijah
Baker, came to Wood county, in 1838, locating on a farm in Troy
township, near Luckey. The latter's wife bore the maiden name
of Lavina White, and was a native of Vermont. After
residing on that farm for some years, the grandfather removed to
Woodville township, Sandusky county, where he bought a farm of
Sardis Burchard, on which the father now lives. His
death occurred in that township in 1864, in his ninetieth year, and
his wife died in September, 1862.
In 1840, in Troy township, Sandford G. Baker was
united in marriage with Miss Almira Webster, a native of
Connecticut, and a daughter of Joseph Webster, one of
the honored pioneers of Troy township, who died in Hillsdale, Mich.
Mrs. Baker died in 1856, leaving three children who
yet survive: Mrs. Helen Morse, of Missouri;
Mrs. Emily Osborn, of Iowa; and John W.,
who resides at Burgoon, Sandusky county. In Woodville
township, Sandusky county, the father again married, his second
union being with Miss Phoebe Osborn, and their wedding was
celebrated in 1857. The lady was born in Erie county, N. Y.,
and is a daughter of Joseph and Catherine (House) Osborn.
Her father died in the Empire State, after which her mother moved to
Sandusky county, Ohio, where she later be came the wife of Mr.
Benedict, but both are now deceased. In his younger
days, Mr. Baker was a great hunter, and at that time
had ample opportunity to indulge in that sport all over Wood county.
For two years he kept a public house at Lemoyne, and then removed to
his present farm in Woodville township, Sandusky county. By
his second union he had eleven children, ten of whom are still
living, namely: Edmund G., whose name introduces this review;
Ida, who is taking a literary course at Ann Arbor, Mich.;
George, a teacher in the public schools in Kansas; Mrs. Belle
Price, who previous to her marriage also engaged in teaching;
Rose, at home; Sanford, an attorney at law of Seattle,
Wash.; William P., who is studying electrical engineering in
the University of Michigan; Arthur, who is studying medicine
in the same institution; and Kate and Charley, both at
home.
After pursuing his studies for several years in the
district schools of Woodville township, Edmund G. Baker
entered the normal at Valparaiso, Ind., where after two years he was
graduated with the class of 1882, and on returning to Sandusky
county served as superintendent of the Woodville school for two
years. His marriage was there celebrated Dec. 3, 1884, Miss
Linda Herman becoming his wife. She is a native of that
county, born Jan. 27, 1860, educated in Woodville, and is a daughter
of Henry and Clarinda (Webster) Herman, early pioneers of
Sandusky county, who still make their home in Woodville township.
By this union three sons have been born: Mark, born Oct.18,
1885; Roscoe, born Apr. 17, 1888; and Ralph, born Jan.
29, 1893.
Source: Commemorative Historical & Biographical
Record of Wood County, Ohio, Past & Present - Publ.
Chicago: J. H. Beers & Co. 1897 - Page 559 |
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GEORGE H. BAKER,
one of the leading citizens and self-made capitalists, of Risingsun,
is still comparatively young; in fact is just entering upon the
usual period of accumulation in the life of the average man, and his
rapid rise from a clerkship to this present position in financial
circles is the result of rare business ability, attentiveness, and
fair and honest methods with his patrons.
He was born Mar. 14, 1858, in Jackson township, Seneca
Co., Ohio, the second son and third child of John and Louisa (Strouse)
Baker. He was but a child, when his parents came to Wood
county, and the first school that he attended was at Prairie Depot.
At the age of fifteen he entered the store of that old pioneer
merchant, Addison Lansdale, at Prairie Depot, and here
gained invaluable training in the business which he so successfully
carried on in later years. His first wages were but little
more than board and clothes, and after a year and a half he went
home to the farm for a short time. His second clerkship was in
the general store of Charles Bell, at Portage, Ohio,
but owing to Mr. Bell's failure, he was there only one
year. Another short siege at farm work for his father followed
before he began clerking for A. F. Munn, of Weston, Ohio,
where he remained some time. and his next work away from home was a
brief period as a section hand on the C. H. & D. R. R. Soon
after this experience he began clerking for Wyman, North
& Co., at Risingsun, and during his ten years of service in
that capacity, he made friends and formed acquaintances upon which
his later success as the head of the store was largely based - a
strong evidence of the esteem in which he was held even then.
In July, 1887, he purchased the business at a cost of over $5,000
payable in four years in installments, and he succeeded in making
the store pay for itself in that time. Each year increased his
trade, which became the largest of any store in the county in a town
the size of Risingsun, and before he disposed of his business, in
April, 1896, he had had a career which has never been approached by
any merchant in that place.
In addition to his mercantile enterprise Mr.
Baker has been extensively interested in oil, being a member of
nearly every local company, and of some which are not local, and has
probably the largest investments of any local producer of which
Risingsun has a goodly number. He also conducts a coal
business, of which some idea may be gained when it is mentioned that
over 550 car loads were shipped during the seasons of 1895 and ’96.
In 1885 Mr. Baker erected one of the best
residences in Risingsun. His first wife, Miss Phoebe
Winchell, daughter of L. C. and Jane (Baker) Winchell,
was born June 17, 1865, in Scott township, Sandusky county.
They had five children: Belle, Flo, Reed,
Nina and Marie, all of whom are living except Flo,
who met a tragic death at the age of six years, the result of her
clothing catching fire. The mother of this little family
departed this life Sept. 23, 1893, while under medical treatment at
Toledo. In June, 1895, Mr. Baker again entered
the matrimonial state, his second wife being Miss Minnie Hodgeman.
Politically Mr. Baker is a Democrat, but
not a strict partisan, the fitness of the various candidates being
always considered, and at times he has given his hearty support to a
Republican. Although he is an active worker in local politics
he has never been a politician in the sense which that word now
conveys to the public. Aug. 15, 1893, he was appointed
postmaster at Risingsun, and Sept. 18, 1894, he was re-appointed to
that position. He was a charter member of Onward Lodge No.
329, K. of P., at Risingsun, and was its first treasurer.
Source: Commemorative Historical & Biographical
Record of Wood County, Ohio, Past & Present - Publ.
Chicago: J. H. Beers & Co. 1897 - Page 909 |
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PROF. J. N. BAKER,
a prominent educator, of Wood county, now residing in Bowling Green,
was born near New Lisbon, Columbiana county, Ohio, May 9, 1843.
His father, Abraham Baker, was born in
1808, in Adams county, Penn., and came to Ohio, with his parents,
when a little boy; his mother, who was Miss Elizabeth
Cope, before her marriage, was a native of Harper's Ferry, Va,
and came to this State, with her parents, at the age of eighteen
months - both families settling in the vicinity of New Lisbon.
Poverty was no obstacle in the eyes of lovers in those days, and in
1830 our subject's parents were married, although they had nothing
to live upon but the young husband's wages as a day laborer.
In 1850, they bought a farm of ten acres, which they sold four years
later, when they removed to a farm in Section 31, Bloom township,
Wood county. Here they spent the remainder of their days.
They were Quakers in religion, with all the sterling moral qualities
of that sect. Mr. Baker died May 27, 1888, aged
eighty years; his wife Aug. 15, 1894, aged eighty-six years.
Of their six sons, five served in the Civil war, and the other had a
willing spirit, but failed to pass the examination. Their two
daughters married men who volunteered and went to the front.
John C., the eldest son, enlisted in the 47th O. V. I.
He now resides at the old homestead. Sarah A. married
J. R. Slaughterback, of Hancock county, a private in Company
E, 21st O. V. I. Joshua C. was drafted, but was
discharged on account of physical disability; he now resides in
Hancock county. Elisha M., served in Co. D, 5th Mo. Cav.
during the war, and now lives in Auburn, Nebr. Jason C.,
a private in Co. E, 21st O. V. I., under Gen. Sherman,
was killed at Vining Station, Ga., July 9, 1864. Isaac P.
served in Co. G, 21st O. V. I., and died in the hospital at
Nashville, Febr. 6, 1863, of pneumonia, caused by exposure during
the battle of Stone River. Mary C. married Frank
Pattee, of White Beach, Wisconsin.
Our subject was the sixth child in this patriotic
family. He was about twelve years old when his parents came to
Wood county, and he received his early education in the district
schools of Bloom township, and in the high school at Findlay.
Before completing his course, the war broke out, and Aug. 9, 1862,
he enlisted in Co. G, 99th O. V. I., taking the rank of corporal.
He served under Buell, Rosecrans, and Sherman,
and took part in the battles of Perryville, Ky., Chickamauga,
Lookout Mountain, Missionary Ridge, Buzzard's Roost, Resaca,
Ringgold, Dalton, Dallas, and others of the Atlanta campaign.
He was wounded at Kenesaw Mountain, June 21, 1864, and sent to
Regimental Headquarters, but returned to duty in three weeks.
After the capture of Atlanta, his regiment formed part of the force
under Gen. Thomas, sent against Hood, and took
part in the two days‘ struggle at Nashville, in which that campaign
ended. The 99th was then consolidated with the 50th Ohio, and
transferred to the East, and was engaged at the capture of
Wilmington. They re-joined Sherman at Goldsboro, and
were discharged from the U. S. service at Salisbury, when the war
closed, and finally mustered out at Camp Dennison, Cincinnati, in
June, 1865.
Returning to Findlay, Prof. Baker resumed
his studies, finishing the course in the Findlay High School, in
1866. He has ever since been engaged in educational work.
teaching two years in the A Grammar Grade at Findlay; three years as
superintendent at Carey; two years at home, where he bought a farm
and spent his spare time in cultivating it; nine years as
superintendent at Portage; three years as superintendent at North
Baltimore, and seven years in the A Grammar school at Bowling Green.
He then resigned, intending to retire from professional work, but
was prevailed upon to take charge of the schools at Tontogany, where
he spent last year. He is now resting. While attending
school at Findlay, he taught three winters’ terms in the country,
making, in all, thirty years of work. He married Miss
Lévina Shellabarger, one of his pupils at Carey, who
was born in that town, Nov. 3, 1852. She has been a true
helpmeet, sympathizing heartily in all his plans, and has taught
with him in the schools of Portage, North Baltimore, grammar grade,
and Bowling Green, in the A Primary grade. Prof.
Baker has been a member of the board of county examiners for
four years. He is a Republican in politics, and a member of the G.
A. R., Wiley Post, of which he has been commander for two terms.
Source: Commemorative Historical & Biographical
Record of Wood County, Ohio, Past & Present - Publ.
Chicago: J. H. Beers & Co. 1897 - Page 482 |
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JOHN BAKER,
a contractor and farmer of Wood county, was born in Center township,
Carroll Co., Ohio, June 11, 1829. His parents were John and
Clarissa (Hill) Baker, the former of whom was a native of
Maryland, and the latter from Vermont. They were married in
what is now West Virginia, and, in 1818, came to Carroll county when
it was a portion of three other counties.
The father lived in Carroll county until 1836, and then
moved to Big Spring township, to which place he went by wagon, the
journey of one hundred and fifty miles consuming a week. Mr.
Baker owned 160 acres of land in Carroll county which he sold
for $1,800, and bought a section of land in Seneca county, which was
then in a primitive state. Their first home was in an old
school house, where they lived for a while, and then Mr.
Baker built a log house at the west end of his farm, and the
following children were born: William, who died in
Gratiot county, Mich. He was a farmer, and when a boy killed
111 deer the first winter the family was in Seneca county; Mary
married George Bottomfield and lives in California;
Levi was a farmer, and died in Hardin county, Ohio, in 1861;
Charlotte died young; Lizzie married William
Harman, and died in Indiana; James was a miller and a
merchant at Lincoln, and died in Indiana; John is our
subject; Delilah is now Mrs. Daniel Ragen,
of Risingsun. Mr. Baker was a soldier in the war
of 1812, and fought at the battle of Fort Meigs. He was a
Democrat, and held several minor township offices. He died on
his farm in Seneca county, at the age of fifty-three years, and was
buried at Big Springs. The widow lived on the farm with her
children until 1854, and died in Prophetstown, on Rock river, Ill.,
aged severity three years.
Our subject was a boy when his parents went to Seneca
county, and he attended school in a log school house built by the
neighbors. The teacher was paid by the parents according to
the number of children in each family. Mr. Baker
remained at home until after his father’s death, when he started out
for himself, and wandered around working at various kinds of
employment. He began railroading - laying tracks and getting
out timbers on the Mad River road, the first one in Ohio. He was for
eight years a brakeman, running between Sandusky and Dayton, on the
Mad River line. When a boy he worked on the suspension bridge
at Wheeling, which was 960 feet long, and for years the largest
bridge in the world.
Mr. Baker was married in Big Spring
township in 1850, to Miss Louisa Straus, who
was born in Sandusky, in 1833, and was a daughter of David
Straus, a farmer. The following children were born:
Emily, who was married to David Kelly, and after
his death wedded James Gangway, of Fort Wayne, Ind.,
now also deceased. She has three children:
Almon, of whom see sketch elsewhere;
George H., of Risingsun, who has
four children; Jane is now Mrs. Samuel
Sheller, of Muncie, Ind., and they have two children.
Mrs. Baker died in 1863, while our subject was in the
army, and is buried in Prairie Depot. Mr. Baker
was again married, his second wife being Miss Mary M. Hale,
who died in 1869, and was buried in Hancock county. Our
subject's present wife was a Miss Catherine Wonders.
On Mar. 22, 1861, Mr. Baker came to
Montgomery township from Patterson, Hardin county, where he lived on
a farm for three years. He bought 160 acres of land in Section
23, Montgomery township, and went in debt to the extent of $1,500.
In August, 1861, he enlisted in Co. B, 57th O. V. I., as a wagoner,
was taken prisoner at Shiloh in April, 1862, but escaped and
returned to his regiment, with which he remained until he was again
captured at Wolf River, with seventeen other teamsters, after being
pursued for forty miles. While in the enemy’s camp news came
in December, 1862, of the burning, by Federals, of the little town
of Rowley, Tenn., near which they were encamped. The
Confederate officer in charge of our subject and his fellow
prisoners, swore that if the report was true he would hang six of
his prisoners, and for a day each one expected to be one of the
doomed six. They were paroled after two days, and our subject
still has the Rebel parole that is given him. He joined his
regiment at once, regardless of the parole in his inside pocket,
which meant death if again captured by the Confederates. This
was unfortunately his fate a short time later at Milligan's Bend,
Miss. He was taken to Pine Bluff, Ark., and placed in jail,
where he remained for eight days. He was tried as a spy, but
was liberated and compelled to travel 600 miles through Arkansas.
After much suffering from fatigue and hunger, having nothing to eat
but corn, he finally struck the Mississippi river, 100 miles north
of Cairo, Ill., came on to Ohio, and paid a visit home. He
reported in parole camp at Cole, Ohio, and watched his chance to
leave. He went out with men going to join Rosecrans at
Nashville, but at Louisville he was returned to Cole, then exchanged
and joined his regiment in Alabama, where he again took a team and
followed with Sherman all through the war, and was present at
the grand review in Washington. He was not discharged until
August, 1865, at Little Rock, Ark., when he came home, and has since
been engaged in building bridges throughout Wood county, and in
farming. For over two years he was at Risingsun, where he
built a hotel, and was in that business during his stay there.
He was a Democrat, but of late has not been a partisan. He and
his wife are members of the Disciples Church.
Mr. Baker comes of a good family, and is
a self-made man, and although well along in years he is in excellent
condition, both mentally and physically. He is a respected
citizen, and is in comfortable circumstances.
Source: Commemorative Historical & Biographical
Record of Wood County, Ohio, Past & Present - Publ.
Chicago: J. H. Beers & Co. 1897 - Page 626 |
INSERT PHOTO HERE
John C. Baker |
JOHN C. BAKER.
Occasionally one meets a man pursuing with apparent contentment some
quiet calling, whose mental powers seem so far beyond any possible
chance of development and use in his present surroundings, and so
superior to those of some who fill a prominent place in the public
eye, that one wonders what would have been the result had the man
been given in youth a liberal intellectual training, and the
opportunity to bring his forces fully into play in contact with the
world's best thinkers. Some such thought must cross the mind
of any one who converses long with John C. Baker, a
hard-working and successful farmer of Bloom township. Born in
Fairfield township, Columbiana county, Apr. 5, 1831, of parents who
were far from wealthy, his energies have, from an early age, been
devoted to the task of securing a competence. That he has
done, and done well, as his 315 acres of fine farming land give
convincing evidence; but had his strong will been fixed upon any
other purpose, his success might have been even more remarkable.
John Baker, our subject's grandfather,
came to Columbiana county in 1817, from Adams county, Penn., and
settled as a pioneer farmer. He and his wife, Catherine
(Mummert), reared a family of eleven children: Sarah,
William, Elizabeth, Abraham, Catherine,
Jonas and Moses (twins), Isaac, Samuel,
Lydia and Rebecca. Abraham Baker,
father of our subject, was born Mar. 30, 1808, in Adams county,
Penn., and when nine years of age accompanied his parents to Ohio.
On June 22, 1830, he was married, in Columbiana county, to
Elizabeth Cope, a native of Frederick county, Va., born
Oct. 13, 1808, whose parents, John and Mary (McCabe)
Cope, came to Columbiana county in 1810. The ancestry
of this family has been traced back to the time of the landing of
William Penn, and W. T. Cope, the present State
treasurer of Ohio, is one of its representatives. In the fall
of 1854 Abraham Baker moved to Hancock county, where
he rented a farm in Allen township for a year. In the spring
of 1856 he came to Wood county and bought forty acres in Section 31,
Bloom township, where he and his wife spent their remaining years.
In politics he was at first a Whig, later becoming an ardent
Abolitionist and joining the Republican party on its formation.
He was a regular voter, but never sought or held office. He
died May 27, 1888, his wife surviving him until Aug. 15, 1894, and
both now rest in Van Buren cemetery. Of their eight children
John C., our subject, was the eldest; Sarah A. is now
Mrs. R. Slatterback, of Allen township, Hancock county;
Joshua C. is a resident of the same locality; Elisha M.
is a farmer at South Auburn, Neb.; Jason was a member of
Company G, 21st O. V. I., and was wounded at Chattahoochie River,
Ga., July 9, 1864, dying two days later (he is buried in the
Chattanooga cemetery); Joseph N. is a teacher at Bowling
Green; Isaac P. enlisted Feb. 2, 1862, in Company G, 21st O.
V. I., and died Feb. 6, 1863, at Nashville, Tenn., where his remains
now rest; Mary C. married Frank Pattee, and
they reside in Douglas county, Wisconsin.
John C. Baker grew to manhood at his native
place, and was given the best educational advantages that the
neighborhood afforded, in the subscription schools of the day.
These he has since improved upon by reading and observation, his
remarkable memory enabling him to gain a wide range of practical
information. At the age of nineteen he began to learn the
carpenter's trade, which he afterward followed for many years.
On Sept. 26, 1852, he married Miss Mary Haberstick, who was
born in Salem township, Columbiana county, Sept. 30, 1827, the
daughter of Casper Haberstick, a native of
Switzerland. On Oct. I, 1861, Mr. Baker left his
native county with his family and located in Allen township, Hancock
county, where they remained until March, 1867, when he came to Henry
township, Wood county, and purchased twenty-seven acres of land,
partly improved. For several years he followed his trade in
connection with farming, and thus secured a start; but his attention
is now given to the management of his estate. He owns 235
acres in Bloom and Henry townships, and eighty in De Kalb county,
Ind. His homestead near North Baltimore is an excellent farm,
upon which he erected substantial buildings before he quit working
at his trade. On Sept. 26, 1864, he enlisted in Company F,
47th O. V. I., and joined the regiment at Marietta, Ga. His
first battle was at Fort McAllister, and he participated in the
other engagements of Sherman's campaign until he reached
Beaufort, S. C., where sickness compelled him to enter the hospital.
On May 7, 1865, he left for Washington on the "General
Barnes," and entered Finley Hospital there. He was
discharged on general order June 5, 1865, and five days later
arrived home.
Mr. Baker's first wife died Sept. 22,
1875, leaving three children - Jeremiah, a resident of
Garrett, Ind., and an engineer on the B. & O. R. R.; Joshua,
a farmer of Garrett, Ind.; and Vine (now Mrs. Loren
Eyler), of Henry township. On Dec. 5, 1878, Mr.
Baker married Mrs. Amelia Erb, the widow of Peter
Erb, and daughter of Andrew and Leah (Christ) Simon.
In politics Mr. Baker has been a Republican from his first
vote for John P. Hale. He is no office seeker, but was
once elected supervisor against his wish, his well-known ability,
his capacity for hard work, and genial nature, having made him the
choice of his friends through out the community for that position.
Source: Commemorative Historical & Biographical
Record of Wood County, Ohio, Past & Present - Publ.
Chicago: J. H. Beers & Co. 1897 - Page 904 |
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WILLIAN
U. BAKER, is one of the most genial and whole souled
men of this county, and a brave defender of the Union during
the Civil War. He is a native son of Ohio, born in Portage
County, Mar. 7, 1837, and is a son of Michael and Susan
(Rymer) Baker, the former born in Pennsylvania, Mar. 31, 1812, of German parentage, and the latter born in the
same State, Sept. 18, 1818. The parents were married in
Portage County, Ohio, and to them two sons were born -
Willian U. and John M., a prominent farmer of
Washington Township. The father was reared and educated in
Portage County, Ohio, from whence he removed to Ottawa
County, where he engaged in farming, though by trade he was
a carpenter, and there he remained until 1863, when he came
to Wood County, buying a farm of forty acres of partially
improved land in Washington Township. With the aid of his
sons he cleared and cultivated this, and thereon made his
home until his death, Mar. 23, 1884. His widow still
resides upon that place. A Republican in politics, he was
recognized as an honest man and a good citizen, and the
encourager of religious works, being a member of the
Methodist Episcopal Church.
On reaching a sufficient age, our subject entered the
common schools of Ottawa County, where he pursued his
studies until eighteen years of age. On leaving the school
room he learned the carpenter's trade, which he followed
until his enlistment, Sept. 16, 1861, at Port Clinton,
for service in the Union Army during the War of Rebellion,
and was made First Corporal of Company I, 41st O. V. I.,
under Capt. J. H. Williston and Col Hazen. The
regiment was made up at Camp Wood, in Cleveland, whence it
proceeded to Louisville, Kentucky. In that State the winter
was spent, during which time Mr. Baker was confined
in a hospital for three months on account of illness, and on
Mar. 1, 1862, he went to Nashville, thence marching on St
Patrick's Day to Pittsburg Landing in time to participate in
the battle at that place. On the second day of the fight our
subject was wounded, a ball passing near the spinal cord, so
that for nine months he was unable for further service. He
returned to Ottawa County, having been discharged at Camp
Chase, and there remained until the fall of 1863, when he
came to Tontogany, Wood County, where he worked at his trade
for a year. On the expiration of that time he again
enlisted, this time becoming a member of the 179th
Battalion, under Lieut. T. J. Wonnel, with whom he
went to Point Lookout, and later guarded Blakiston Island,
being at that time First Sergeant, and having charge of
nineteen men. He received his final discharge at Camp
Dennison, Cincinnati, after having valiantly served his
country in her hour of peril.
On his return home, Mr. Baker purchased twenty
acres of fine land where he now resides, and erected thereon
a comfortable house, good barns and other out buildings,
which are surrounded by well tilled fields and a productive
orchard of his own planting. He also owns a half interest in
the old homestead. On Feb. 8, 1870, our subject was
joined in wedlock with Cynthia Hannah, a daughter of
William P. Hannah, a leading farmer of Grand Rapids
Township, Wood County, and three children graced their union
- one who died in infancy; Clara Belle, born Apr. 6,
1873; and Rolla M., born Aug. 19, 1875. The last
named received his elementary education in District School
No 3, which he supplemented by 3 years' course in the
schools of Tontogany. He is now engaged in teaching in
District No. 2, and intends to fit himself, by a thorough
education, for a professional or commercial career.
The family hold membership with the United Brethren
Church, attending services at Washington Chapel, and all
take a deep interest in religious work, while the son is at
present a teacher in the Sunday School. Socially, Mr.
Baker belongs to Walter A. Wood Post No 48, G. A.
R., at Tontogany, while politically he is connected with the
Republican Party, and was trustee of Washington Township
three years, and supervisor for several years. His
uprightness, integrity and public spiritedness have won him
the confidence and esteem of his respected representative
citizens of Wood County.
Source: Commemorative Historical & Biographical
Record of Wood County, Ohio, Past & Present - Publ. Chicago:
J. H. Beers & Co. 1897 - Page 918
Contributed By:
Bob Weaver
Research Notes by Bob
Weaver
Civil War Research Notes:
Battle of Shiloh, also known as the Battle of Pittsburg
Landing - located near a small log church named Shiloh on
the Tennessee River, in Tennessee, the battle was fought
Apr. 6-7, 1862
Camp Chase was a military staging, training and prison camp
in Columbus, Ohio, during the American Civil War. Created on
farmland outside of Columbus, Ohio, Camp Chase began as a
training facility preparing Ohio volunteers for the
battlefronts of the Civil War. As Union victories led to
increased numbers of Confederate prisoners, Camp Chase
expanded operations to include the incarceration of
thousands of Confederate enlisted men. More than 2,000
Confederate soldiers died at the camp, victims of
malnutrition, exposure, and disease. In addition to the many
rows of peaked white marble headstones, two memorials
commemorate the men who died at the camp.
The Point Lookout Peninsula in Maryland juts south into the
Potomac where the river meets the Chesapeake Bay. During the
Civil War, the Federal Government quickly converted a resort
on the point into a military hospital. After the July 1863
Battle of Gettysburg, the Union established a
prisoner-of-war camp at the site. By the end of the war,
more than 50,000 Confederate prisoners had passed through
Point Lookout's gates, making it the largest prisoner of war
facility in the north.
Blakiston Island also called: St Clements Island - is
located in the middle of the Potomac River, near St Mary's
City, Maryland. |
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JACOB BALEY.
There is probably no man in Bloom township wider or more favorably
known than this gentleman, who came to that section of the county in
the pioneer days, and is recognized as one of the important factors
in its progress and development. He is a native of Ohio, born
in Canfield township, Mahoning county, Apr. 19, 1820. His
father was a Pennsylvanian by birth, and married Miss Catherine
Sanon, by whom he had nine children, namely: Lavina,
Elizabeth, Jacob, Eliza, Catherine,
Peter, Jeremiah, Amanda and John. The
parents departed this life in Canfield township, Mahoning county.
Until reaching the age of seventeen or eighteen years,
Jacob Baley assisted in the work on the home farm, and
at intervals attended the schools of his day. He was then
bound out to William Lyman to remain until twenty-one
years old, but left him. and for three months worked for William
Giger; then he worked for Christian Dustman for
seven months, receiving ten dollars per month for his services, and
during that time lost only two days. The following winter he
lived with Jacob Hammon, and went to school, helping
with the work and doing chores. The next spring he worked
several months for Mr. Hammon, and at odd times or on
wet days young Baley worked in the blacksmith shop for a
Mr. Wonsetler, and later on he arranged with him to learn
the trade, and remained with him one and a half years, then worked
for him on the shares for about a year. Later he went to
Poland, Ohio, and worked in the same manner for Jacob Lee.
In this way he earned money enough to buy a partial outfit for
himself (making the rest), and began business at the four corners of
the roads leading to Youngstown, Boardman, Canfield and Austintown,
Ohio.
On Nov. 10, 1840, our subject was married, in Mahoning
county, to Miss Elizabeth, daughter of Abraham and
Catharine (Crous) Simon, born May 6, 1822, in Mahoning county,
Ohio. In the spring of 1847, Mr. Baley sold out
and with a small one-horse wagon brought his wife and three children
to Bloom township, locating in Section 21, where he had bought land
the year previous. On his eighty-acre farm he built a log
shop, and his father-in-law brought his tools here sometime later.
He had only received $14 from his father's estate, and by his trade
earned the money with which he paid for his land. The settlers
in this section were widely scattered, so that at first work at his
trade was not rushing, even though his patrons came for miles
around, and much of his blacksmithing was paid for by his customers
in clearing his land for him. For six weeks the family lived
at Bloom Center, while a log house, 16x 20 feet, was made ready for
occupancy. He continued to work at his trade, in addition to
his agricultural pursuits, and as his income increased secured more
land until he was the owner of 260 acres, but has now given 160
acres to his sons, still retaining the remainder.
For over fifty-five years, Mr. and Mrs. Baley
have now traveled life's journey together, sharing with each other
its joys and sorrows, its adversity and prosperity, and they have
reared a family of which they may justly be proud. They are as
follows: Delilah, born Nov. 23,
1841, is the wife of
W. S. Richard,
of Bloomdale, Ohio; Harriet, born
May 6, 1844, is now
Mrs. Alfred Simon; Mary, born Sept. 13, 1846, is the
wife of Thomas Loman, a grain merchant of Newmarket,
Iowa; John is a prominent resident of Wood county; Martha
A., born Aug. 28, 1851, is the widow of Alfred
Stephens, of Knobnoster, Mo.; Amanda, born Nov. 5, 1853,
is the wife of Byron Frederick, of Bloom township;
Simon C. is a leading citizen of
Wood county; Lucy A., born June 11,
1858, married D.
L. Kunkler, and died Oct. 26, 1894 (the first death in the
family); and Olive E., born Aug. 1, 1860, is now Mrs.
Morrison Brunstetter, of Butler, Indiana.
Mr. Baley is a fine specimen of physical man
hood, being six feet and one inch in height, and weighing 185
pounds, and though he is still quite active, in his younger days he
was very strong, being able to perform a big day's work very easily.
He still engages in blacksmithing to a limited extent. He has always
voted the Democratic ticket, and has been called upon to serve as
school director of District No. 5, supervisor and treasurer for
three years. He is truly a self made man, and there are no
more highly respected citizens in Wood county than
Mr. and Mrs. Jacob Baley.
Source: Commemorative Historical & Biographical
Record of Wood County, Ohio, Past & Present - Publ.
Chicago: J. H. Beers & Co. 1897 - Page 687 |
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GEORGE
M BARND, a retired merchant of Bloomdale, was born in
Perry County, Ohio, Mar. 17, 1832, the eldest son and
second child of eleven children of John and Sarah (Garlinger)
Barnd, the former a native of Pennsylvania, and the
latter Virginia. When only six weeks old he was taken by his
parents to Portage, now Allen Township, Hancock County, Ohio
of which locality they were early settlers, and where the
latter died.
In the usual manner of farmer boys in a frontier
settlement Mr. Barnd spent his early days, and on
arriving at man's estate, he was married in Findlay, Ohio,
by David Gray, on July 31, 1862, Miss Mary
A. Myers becoming his wife. She is a native of Trumbull
County, Ohio, and a daughter of Jonathan and Charlotte
(Hull) Meyers, who came to Bloom Township in 1843,
accompanied by the family of John Russell. The father
located on a heavily timbered tract, which is now within the
corporation limits of Bloomdale, and within a radius of a
mile and a half, their only neighbor was Daniel Robbins.
Jonathan W. Meyer was born in Trumbull County,
Dec. 11, 1810, and on Apr. 3, 1834, was married to
Charlotte Hull, who was born in Mahoning County,
Feb. 5, 1812, and to this union were born: Henry B.,
Jan. 7, 1835, married Martha Curtis, of Paulding
County, and they now reside in St Louis; Mary A.,
Sept. 24, 1836, the wife of our subject; Caroline,
Nov. 27, 1838, married Joseph B. Clayton, and
they now reside at Van Buren, in Hancock County; and John
A., born Jan. 5, 1847, married Matilda
Hollingshead, of Hancock County, now residents of that
county. On Sept. 19, 1849, Mrs. Charlotte Myers
died and on Dec. 30, Mr. Meyers was married to
Elmira Robbins, of Wood County, and to this union were
born: Rachel L., Nov. 3, 1850, died July 12,
1853; Ella E., Aug. 19, 1854, married
Lorenzo D. Hatfield, who died July 15, 1891, and the
widow lives at Bloomdale; and Jonathan E., Mar. 30,
1857, married Emma J. Wineland, who died
Nov. 5, 1892, and he then married Emma Hays, and
they reside in Tennessee. Jonathan W. Meyers died
Sept. 21, 1892. He had resided on the same farm for
forty nine years, living to see his children settled in life
before whom he had set a good example. He was a member of
the M. E. Church.
Our subject and wife began their domestic life upon his
farm in Allen Township, Hancock County, which, in 1875, he
sold, going to North Baltimore, then a very small place. He
there conducted a sash and door company under the firm name
of Barnd, Cameron & Company, for three years, when he
disposed of his interest, and removed to Van Buren, Hancock
County, where he engaged in the grocery business, and was
also a Justice of the Peace. In 1885 he began general
merchandising in Marseilles, Wyandot County, Ohio, which he
conducted for three years, when in the fall of 1888 he went
to Risingsun, Wood County, and carried on a similar store
until, in May, 1889. He then disposed of his stock, and on
the 1st of August, 1890, opened a five and ten cent store in
Bloomdale, carrying on the same until his retirement to
private life in March, 1894.
Mr. and Mrs. Barnd have no children of their own, but
have an adopted son, John S., who was born Jan. 24, 1874, and is now located at Hoytville, Ohio, where he is
station agent and telegraph operator on the Baltimore & Ohio
Railroad.
In his business dealings, Mr. Barnd has ever
been straightforward and honorable, pleasant and courteous
to his customers, and well deserves the success that has
come to him. In his efforts he has been ably assisted by the
support and counsel of his loving wife, a most estimable
lady, and they now rank among the most highly esteemed
people of Bloomdale. Politically, he is a strong Democrat,
was clerk of Allen Township, Hancock County, and a member of
the Village Council of Van Buren, Ohio, while for nearly
thirty years he and his wife have been active and consistent
members of the Primitive Baptist Church.
Source: Commemorative Historical & Biographical
Record of Wood County, Ohio, Past & Present - Publ. Chicago:
J. H. Beers & Co. 1897 - Page 862
Contributed By:
Bob Weaver |
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E. L.
BARTON, the genial and efficient manager for the
Buckeye Supply Company (since merged into the National
Supply Company), at Haskins, was born Sept. 14, 1866, in
Crawford County, Pennsylvania.
His ancestors were early settlers in that State, and
his grandfather, Johnathan Benn, was born there, in
Westmoreland County, in 1810. He was a Minister of the
Wesleyan Methodist Episcopal Church, and died near
Titusville, Pennsylvania, in 1883. Our subjects father's
father, Henry Barton, was born in New York, in 1800,
and moved to Pennsylvania in 1826.
Our subject's parents were both natives of Crawford
County, Pennsylvania. His father, A. B. Barton, was
born Nov. 19, 1842, and is still living near Titusville.
He was one of the early operators in the oil fields of that
region, but left his business in the first year of the Civil
War to enlist in Company C, 150th Pennsylvania Volunteer
Infantry, one of the gallant "Buck Tail Regiments". At the
close of the war he returned to the oil business, only to
lose all his money in the famous "Pit Hole". Since that time
he has been engaged in agriculture. In politics he is a
Republican. He was married in March, 1865, to Miss Mary
Benn, of Crawford County, Pennsylvania, who died in 1877
leaving four children, of whom our subject is the eldest.
Mae is a graduate of the State Normal School at Clarion,
Pennsylvania, and is now a teacher in the public schools of
Butler, Pennsylvania. J. W. is a fireman on the P. S. & L.
E. Railroad. Alice lives in Bowling Green. Mr. Barton,
Sr., was married a second time, in June 1881, to Miss
Mary E. Nelson.
Our subject lived at his father's farm until he was
nine years old, when his mother died, and he was placed in
the care of an aunt, Miss Rachel R. Benn, now a
missionary in China, but at that time a principal of the
Model School at Edinboro, Pennsylvania. After one year
there, he, with his brother and younger sister, were sent to
the School for Soldier's Orphans, at Mercer, Pennsylvania,
where he remained until the age of sixteen. Mr. Barton
then took a course in the Commercial College at Titusville,
graduating in 1884. He at once engaged in the oil business,
working in the fields of Clarendon, Red Valley, and Grand
Valley, and came to Findlay, Ohio, during the second year of
the excitement over the discoveries here. He was worked in
nearly every capacity in the oil fields, but in March 1891,
he quit the business, and became a clerk in the post office
at Bowling Green for G. W. Gaghan, remaining two
years. He then became manager for the branch store of the
Buckeye Supply Company, at Montpelier, Indiana, remaining
there two years, then returning to Wood County, Ohio. In
this position his intimate knowledge of the requirements of
the oil business makes his services peculiarly valuable. He
is widely popular, and is always ready to give the results
of his own experience to perplexed oil operators.
On June 1, 1893, he was married to Miss Effie L.
Royal, who was born in Michigan, Nov. 9 1867. They
have one child, Raymond. Mr. Barton was for five
years a member of the National Guards of his native State,
serving as Corporal of Company K, 16th Regiment. His is a
member of the F. & A. M. and U. R. K. of P., belonging
to both lodges at Bowling Green, Ohio (Wood County Lodge No
112, F. & A. M.; Kenneth Division No 90, and
Subordinate Lodge K of P No 158).
Source: Commemorative Historical & Biographical
Record of Wood County, Ohio, Past & Present - Publ. Chicago:
J. H. Beers & Co. 1897 - Page 861
Contributed By:
Bob Weaver
Research Notes by Bob Weaver - Brief Oil Field
History:
Pit Hole -- Pithole City was an oil boom town that sprang up
on a wooded hillside in Pennsylvania near Titusville, in
1865 at the close of the Civil War. It was named after
nearby Pithole Creek, which itself was named after a nearby
stinking crack in the ground that at the time was generally
assumed to be a "portal to hell". The oil boom town went
bust just two years later when the oil ran out. In those two
years, Pithole City swelled to a population of 15,000, and
contained over 60 hotels, theaters, saloons, dance halls and
brothels. Millions of dollars changed hands as fortunes were
made and lost. Shootouts in the streets occurred daily, and
murders in the allies nightly. It rivaled any of the wildest
towns the old west had to offer. Perhaps "Hell Hole" would
have been a more appropriate name for this town. - Excerpts
above taken from various websites describing the History of
Oil in Pennsylvania.
Clarendon Oil Field -- Clarendon Oil Field is located south
of Warren County, Pennsylvania, and encompassed 24,000 acres
along the West Branch of Tionesta Creek
Red Valley Oil Field -- Red Valley sandstone in Forest and
Venango Counties, Pennsylvania, this is where the oldest oil
& gas fields in petroleum history are located in
northwestern Pennsylvania.
Grand Valley Oil Field -- in Warren County, Pennsylvania.
Also known as: Colorado Goodwill Hill Grand Valley Oil Field
Research Notes:
State Normal School at Clarion, Pennsylvania -- Now: Carion
University of Pennsylvania, Clarion, Pennsylvania
P S & L E Railroad -- Pittsburgh, Shenango and Lake Erie
Railroad Company -- in 1897, PS&LE and the Butler and
Pittsburgh Railroad Company (B&P) were consolidated into the
Pittsburgh, Bessemer & Lake Erie under majority ownership of
Andrew Carnegie, owner of: Carnegie Steel Company
Model School at Edinboro, Pennsylvania -- Now: Edinboro
University of Pennsylvania, Edinboro, Pennsylvania |
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WILLIAM
R. BARTON, a prominent educator, now residing near
Grand Rapids, was born in Killbuck Township, Holmes County,
Sept. 17, 1848. His family is of German origin, and his
ancestors emigrated at an early date to Pennsylvania where
his grandfather, Samuel Barton, was born. He
married Elizabeth Read, of Ireland, and settled upon
a farm in Jefferson County, Ohio. In later years he moved to
Holmes County, and from thence in 1848 to Wood County, where
he purchased forty acres of land in what is now Grand Rapids
Township, on which he made his home until his death in 1855,
at the age of 78.
Hugh Barton, our subject's father, was
born in Jefferson County, Ohio, in 1812, and grew to manhood
in Holmes County. In 1833, he was married to Miss
Sarah Garwood, a native of the same county, who was born
in Jefferson County, Pennsylvania, in 1814. They came to
Wood County in 1850, and both died at the old homestead in
1884. Twelve children were born of their union: Elizabeth,
deceased; Nancy J., the wife of William
Keller, of Grand Rapids Township; Margaret,
deceased; James, who died in Libby Prison, in
December, 1963; Lavinia, deceased; Sarah A.,
deceased, formerly the wife of John Ervin; Matilda J.,
deceased; William R., our subject; Samuel
R., a farmer of Grand Rapids Township; Harvey K., a
farmer in Alabama; Silas R., who conducts the old homestead;
and John V, a farmer in Grand Rapids Township.
Professor William R. Barton attended the
district schools near the old farm during his early boyhood,
and later studied at Grand Rapids, and in Lebanon, Ohio,
taking the classical and scientific courses in the latter
place and graduating in 1879 with the degrees of A B and B
S. He taught as professor in graded schools for 22 years in
parts of Ohio, and also in Kentucky. In 1864 he enlisted, at
the age of fifteen, in Company I, 144th O. V. I., with Capt.
McKee, and participated in several battles. July 9, 1864, he
was wounded in the right leg at Monocacy, and after seven
weeks in a hospital, he returned home and resumed the work
of teaching. In politics Professor Barton is a
Republican, but he has never sought or held public office.
On Apr. 2, 1878, he was married at Lebanon, Ohio, to
Miss Nettie Manson, a native of
Portsmouth, New Hampshire, born Mar. 15, 1852. They had two
children: Sprague, born May 19 1879, died July 14,
1880; and Clara B., born Nov. 20, 1885, died July
20, 1887. Professor Barton bought a farm of
forty acres in 1885, added many substantial improvements,
making one of the pleasantest residences in the township,
mental culture and genial manners combining with outward
attractions to create an ideal home. He recently sold this
forty acre farm, and purchased fifty acres one and one
fourth miles southeast of the town on Grand Rapids.
Source: Commemorative Historical & Biographical
Record of Wood County, Ohio, Past & Present - Publ. Chicago:
J. H. Beers & Co. 1897 - Page 882
Contributed By:
Bob Weaver
Research Notes by Bob Weaver:
Libby Prison was in the Confederate capital of Richmond,
Virginia, housed Union prisoners of war
Battle of Monocacy -- Shenandoah Valley Battlefields,
Frederick County, Maryland, the battle was fought on
Saturday, July 9th, 1864 -- Monocacy was called the "Battle
that Saved Washington."
A B Degree -- Artium Baccalaureatus Degree is the same as a
Bachelor's in Arts or B. A.
B S Degree -- Bachelor of Science Degree |
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DAVID
BATES. No country affords a greater opportunity
to the poor man that our own; it is, indeed, the poor man's
country; here an industrious frugal man has a chance to
accumulate property. Many fail to do so, but the best
of our population lay by some of their earnings, and soon
find themselves in the possession of a good competence.
Among the latter class is the gentleman whose name
introduces this article.
Mr. Bates is a native of Ohio, born in Scott
township, Sandusky county, in 1855, and is the son of
Adam and Betsey (Metcalf) Bates. The father still
resides in that township, but the mother died when our
subject was only three years old, after which he was reared
by his uncle, David Phillips, and his education was
obtained in the district schools. On attaining man's
estate, Mr. Bates was married Nov. 16, 1876, in Scott
township, Sandusky county, the lady of his choice being
Miss Margaret E. Fiandt, who was born in Jackson
township, that county, Oct. 10, 1857, the daughter of
Martin and Catherine (Good) Fiandt, farming people of
that locality. They have become the parents of six
children: Ada E., born Apr. 8, 1878; Etta M.,
born Mar. 5, 1883; Rosa B., who died in infancy;
David M., born Oct. 2, 1889; Amby C., who
died in infancy; and Merrill E., born Nov. 3, 1893.
For two years after his marriage, Mr. Bates
rented land in Scott township, Sandusky county, but in the
spring of 1879 purchased forty acres there in Section 22, at
a cost of $800, going in debt for half the amount. At
the end of two years he rented an eighty-acre farm in
Section 27, Montgomery township, Wood county, for a year,
when he then bought, after selling his original tract as a
profit. He lived upon that place until April, 1893,
when he rented and operated a farm of 240 acres, for four
years, but now has 120 acres of fertile and productive land
in Section 27, Montgomery township, on which, in 1896, he
erected a fine dwelling at a cost of $3,000, and will make
it his future home. He has ever been a hard worker,
energetic and enterprising, and is destined to become one of
the prosperous farmers of the locality. Both Mr.
and Mrs. Bates hold membership with the Church of God,
in which he has been deacon, and superintendent of the
Sunday-school, while she has been a teacher in the latter.
They are kind-hearted, considerate people, and have the
respect of the entire community.
Source: Commemorative Historical & Biographical Record
of Wood County, Ohio, Past & Present - Publ. Chicago: J. H.
Beers & Co. 1897 - Page 863 |
|
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JOHN P. BATTLES,
a farmer and justice of the peace of Plain township; post office,
Bowling Green, Ohio.
NO OTHER INFORMATION.
Source: Commemorative Historical & Biographical
Record of Wood County, Ohio, Past & Present - Publ.
Chicago: J. H. Beers & Co. 1897 - Page |
|
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MICHAEL BAUMGARDNER.
Among the progressive agriculturists of Milton township is numbered
this gentleman, an intelligent and popular citizen, well deserving
representation in the history of his adopted county. He was
born in the village of Hogestown, between Carlisle and Harrisburg,
Penn., Apr. 18, 1830. His father, John Baumgardner, a
shoemaker by trade, was born in Dauphin county, Penn., Jan. 7, 1809.
He there wedded Mary Ulrich, who was born in that
county, Jan. 9, 1809. They subsequently removed to Hogestown,
where the father followed shoemaking. In 1860 he moved, with
his family, to Seneca county, Ohio, locating on a forty-acre farm,
where he lived for three years, then going to Wyandot county.
He there purchased sixty acres of land, which be cultivated until
1877, when he removed to Henry county, Ohio, and bought 125 acres.
His next home was in Fostoria, Ohio, where he purchased sixty acres;
there his death occurred in 1871, while his wife survived until Nov.
30, 1883. Their marriage, which was celebrated May 10, 1829,
was blessed with the following children: Michael;
Catherine, wife of Samuel Rife, of Circleville,
Ohio; John, of McCutchenville, Ohio; Sarah, who was
drowned in Sandusky river, at the age of fourteen; Samuel,
who died at the age of eighteen; Mary Ann, now Mrs.
Erton; and Susan, wife of William Williams, of
Fostoria, Ohio. The family is of German origin, and was
founded in America by the grandfather of our subject, who located in
Pennsylvania when a young man.
Michael Baumgardner was educated in his native
State, and in Ohio learned the trade of shoemaking with his father,
also the trade of harness making, following those pursuits until
twenty one years of age. He acquired a good education in the
schools of Pennsylvania and Ohio, has been an extensive reader, is a
well-informed man. and an entertaining conversationalist.
Mr. Baumgardner was married in Wyandot
county, Ohio, Mar. 22, 1855, to Miss Elizabeth Corfman, who
was born in that county, Sept. 26, 1836, and is a daughter of
Jacob and Mary (Beery) Corfman, natives of Fairfield county,
Ohio. The parents had a family of nine children - Noah,
now of Sycamore, Wyandot county; Henry, deceased; Sarah
Ann, deceased wife of Tressley Walters;
William, of Tiffin, Ohio; Mrs. Baumgardner;
John and Daniel, both of Kansas; Mary Magdalene,
wife of George Stolters, of Wyandot county; and
Samuel, of Sycamore, Ohio. To our subject and his wife
have been born eight children - William, born May 3, 1856,
was married Nov. 25, 1881, to Della Anthony, a
resident of Milton; Daniel A., born May 19, 1858, was married
Mar. 9, 1886, to Mary Ash, and resides in Henry
county; Samuel A., born Sept/ 17, 1860, is at home; Jacob
A., born Nov. 15, 1862, was married Jan. 31, 1889, to Oliva
Busson, and resides in Milton township; Simon G., born
May 7, 1865, is in Florida; Mary C., born Jan. 25, 1870, is
the wife of Edward Guyer, of Milton township; Charles L.,
born July 11, 1873, is at home; and Carrie L., born Jan. 14,
1877, was married May 29, 1895, to Elijah Everett.
They are now living at the old homestead.
Mr. Baumgardner and his wife began their
domestic life in Wyandot county, where the former purchased a farm
of thirty-five acres after renting it for a short time. His
first home was a plank house. He continued the improvement of
this property until 1876, when he sold and came with his family to
Wood county - their departure being a source of much regret to their
many friends in Wyandot county. Here Mr. Baumgardner
purchased eighty acres of wild land on which stood a log cabin, that
in 1888 was replaced by a large and comfortable frame residence.
He has made many excellent improvements upon his property, which is
now one of the highly developed farms of the neighborhood. In
politics he is a Democrat, and has served as school director since
coming to Wood county, but has never been a politician in the sense
of office seeking. He holds membership with the Evangelical
Church, and takes an active interest in its work.
Source: Commemorative Historical & Biographical Record
of Wood County, Ohio, Past & Present - Publ. Chicago: J.
H. Beers & Co. 1897 - Page 1242 |
|
|
ADAM BEIL, one of the
leading citizens of Middleton township, was born Mar. 6, 1845, in
Germany. His father, Martin Beil followed the
occupation of a farmer, married Fraulein Lena Winter, and
reared a family of four children: Lizzie, the wife of
John Weihl; Adam, our subject; Rena, deceased,
formerly the wife of Fred Brand; and Conrad, a
farmer of Washington township.
Mr. Beil came to America in 1860, having, at the
age of fifteen, already acquired a fair education in the schools of
his native place, and learned the details of farm work under his
father's guidance. For four years he worked in Huron county as
a farm laborer, and then rented a farm there, which he kept for
three years. In 1868 he came to Wood county and bought forty
acres of land near Haskins, to which he has added as time passed,
until he now owns 120 acres, all under improvement, with ditching,
tilling, comfortable barns and a fine dwelling house. He is a
man of good business judgment and great enterprise, and he gives
much attention to the breeding of blooded stock. His success
is due to hard work and wise management, as he had to make his own
way from the time he left the Fatherland. He was married in
Middleton township in 1872 to his first wife, Miss Louisa Bishop,
by whom he had six children: Lizzie who married Fred Dower,
a farmer in Middleton township; August, a farmer on the
homestead; Julia, Frederick and Edie, who are at home,
and Louisa who died in childhood. Mrs. Beil died
in 1883, and our subject was married in 1884 to Miss Alice Heeter.
One child was born of this union, Philipina. Mr.
Beil's father died in Germany, and the widowed mother came to
this country to reside with our subject, and died at his home in
1884.
In politics Mr. Beil is a Republican, and he
possesses great influence in local affairs. For six years he
has been a school director, and a member of the township board, and
he is now serving his fourth term as township trustee. He
gives to the discharge of every official duty the same faithful
industry which has brought him success in other lines, and he enjoys
the complete confidence of the community. He is a member of
the German Reformed Church, of which he is trustee and elder, and he
has been for many years teacher in the Sunday-school.
Source: Commemorative Historical & Biographical Record of Wood
County, Ohio, Past & Present - Publ. Chicago: J. H. Beers & Co. 1897
- Page 1087 |
|
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CONRAD
BEIL, a farmer in Washington township; post office, Haskins,
Ohio.
NO MORE INFORMATION
Source: Commemorative Historical & Biographical Record of Wood
County, Ohio, Past & Present - Publ. Chicago: J. H. Beers & Co. 1897
- Page 1344 |
|
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A. E. BENTON, The
New England branch of the Benton family has, at times
in our history, furnished men of brains and courage, both
moral and physical, to meet the public questions and
emergencies of their day. Such a memory is indeed a goodly
heritage, and those of the name whose lives are spent in
quieter and less known paths of duty, may find there
opportunities for the exercise of the same qualities, in a
measure, which in other circumstances have made their
ancestors distinguished.
Our subject was born in Berkshire County, Mass, Oct. 30,
1823, the son of Allen and Deidamia (Allen) Benton -
the former born Nov. 18, 1801, died Mar. 18, 1864; the
latter born May 16, 1805, died Feb. 26, 1857. When he
was ten years old his father, a farmer by occupation, came
to Ohio, locating in Litchfield Township, Medina County,
then a new section, and there both parents died. Of their
five sons and three daughters, our subject was the second in
order of birth. His schooling was so limited that he was
eighteen or nineteen years old before he could write. The
improved educational methods and appliances of today meet
with his hearty approval in behalf of the rising generation.
He was reared as a farmer boy in old pioneer style, and well
knows what hard work is. Before he was ten he had received
cuts and scars, which have handicapped him seriously all his
life. In early manhood he worked at making ax handles, and
still follows sledge handle manufacturing to a considerable
extent. At twenty one he went to Cleveland and found
employment on a lake vessel. At this time his strength was
enormous, and on one occasion, while the ship lay at
Mackinac Island, he lifted seven hundred pounds of iron -
dead weight - he and a half breed Indian being the only ones
out of five hundred men who could lift it. He is now
exceedingly well preserved, considering his mishaps and
laborious life.
Mr. Benton was married at the age of twenty
seven in Medina County, Ohio, to Miss Sarah Gunsaulis,
a native of Pennsylvania, and daughter of Benjamin
Gunsaulis. He took his bride to a farm of forty acres,
which he owned in Litchfield Township, in the same county,
where they made their first home. Later he bought eighty
acres in Scott Township, Sandusky County, slightly improved
- a little log house sheltering them for some time, until he
could build a finer residence. He lost one excellent barn by
fire, but replaced it. The farm was in good shape when he
moved in the spring of 1886, to Bradner, and he still owns
it. Mrs. Benton died at the old home, and her remains
were laid to rest in the cemetery in Bradner. Four children
survived her: Mary, who married Cornelius
Houtz, and died in Sandusky County; Reuben F., a
plasterer by trade, who owns an extensive farm in Kent
County, Michigan, where he resides; Charles W., a
noted educator, now a professor in Valparaiso, Indiana, and
Gilbert H., a resident of Cleveland, Ohio.
In December, 1885, Mr. Benton married, for his
second wife, Mrs. Emma Stover, a native of
Northampton County, Pennsylvania, and the widow of Cyrus
Stover, an extensive flour merchant, of Stockton, New
Jersey. Three children were born to their union: Warren
P., who died in infancy; and Mary E. and Irvin
S., both at home. His children have enjoyed fine
educational advantages, and he has given them, as they left
home, sufficient capital to begin life in a creditable way.
He and Mrs. Benton belong to the Methodist Episcopal
Church, in which he is treasurer and a member of the board
of trustees. Politically he is a strong Republican, but he
has not been an office seeker.
Source: Commemorative Historical & Biographical
Record of Wood County, Ohio, Past & Present - Publ. Chicago:
J. H. Beers & Co. 1897 - Page 821
Contributed By:
Bob Weaver |
|
|
HENRY BERNTHISEL,
a well-known pioneer agriculturist, now residing at Haskins,
was born in February, 1820, in Perry County, Ohio. His
reminiscences cover an interesting period, and he is one of
the few men now living who attended the great mass meeting
at Fort Meigs in 1840, during the "hard cider and log cabin
campaign."
His parents, Jacob and Jane (Willey) Bernthisel,
were born in Pennsylvania, the father in the year 1784, the
mother in 1772. They came to Ohio a few years after their
marriage, and located first in Perry County, where they
remained fifteen years before finally settling in Wood
County. They were the first to locate on the bank of
Tontogany Creek, and the land on which they made their home
was originally a swampy forest. Their goods, which they
unloaded under a large white oak tree, had been brought from
Perry County with two teams, one of oxen, the other of
horses. They were devout members of the Methodist Episcopal
Church. Mrs. Bernthisel died Nov. 11, 1857;
Mr. Bernthisel on Sept. 28, 1858. Nine children were
born to them: Anna, deceased, the wife of James
Bradley; Levi, who went to California, and was
never heard from afterward; Jane, the wife of
David Mardook, both now deceased; Sarah,
the widow of Thomas Heflinger (Heffelfinger), of
Scotland, Ill; Henry; Parmelia, who married
Daniel Blodgett, of Weston; Mary Ann,
deceased wife of Charles Holloway; Susan,
who died in infancy; and Isaac, who lives at
Whitehall, Illinois.
Mr. Bernthisel was a boy when his parents
came to this county, and his early schooling was obtained in
a log cabin in his distinct. He worked for his father until
he was twenty-three, and then farmed on shares for others
some four years, after which he engaged in farming on his
own account, buying some wild land at Haskins, which he
cleared and improved. On May 23, 1844, he married Miss
Julia Ann Jenkins, who was born in Pennsylvania, in
1825, and died Oct. 23, 1861. They has six children:
Samuel, deceased in childhood. Nettie, who
married David Bash, and has three children -
Willie, John and Julia (of these,
John is a school teacher at Dickey, and is married to
Ida Robinson, by whom he has two children).
Lottie married Joseph Garrett, of Bowling
Green, and has two children living-Charles and
Fray (Julia died when
twelve years old). Ollie, who married Peter
Penny, of Tontogany, and was murdered there in 1895.
Wallace married Alice Ashley, and has five
children - Willey, Willie, Floyd and
Burnette, living and one that died in infancy; and
Charles, who married Miss Frankie
Pitcher, and lives at the old homestead; they had three
children Henry, Electa and Stella. After the
death of the mother in 1861, Mr. Bernthisel
married Mrs. Matilda (nee Barnes)
Sargeant, widow of William Sargeant. Two
children were born of this union, one of whom died in early
childhood; Lillie, the survivor, is the wife of
William Garrett, the adopted son of Elwood
Garrett; they have on son, Ross. Our subject's wife
died in 1883, and Aug. 14, 1883, he was married to Mrs.
Emma J. Rigg, daughter of Clark and
Elizabeth (Stackhouse) Chapman, natives of
Vermont; the latter was of German descent, and died in 1846,
leaving five children. Mr. Chapman, by trade a
cabinet maker, died in 1876. Emma J. Chapman was born
in Seneca County, New York, Jan. 26, 1840, and was quite
young when she accompanied her parents to Ohio. By her first
husband, Joseph Rigg, she had six children, named
respectively: William, Hiram, Charles, Sherman, Alice
and Albert. Mr. Rigg died in 1879.
About three years after his first marriage, Mr.
Bernthisel left his old home and moved to a farm a
half mile from Haskins, where he now owns 150 acres of land.
In 1882 he retired into the village, there to spend his
declining years free from business cares. He owns an eighty
acre farm on the river, forty acres west of Haskins, besides
a good home in the village and his old home above alluded
to. In politics he is a Democrat, as was his father before
him, and has held some minor township offices. Socially he
is a member of the I. O. O. F., Roche-de-Boeuf Lodge, No 350
[Roche de Boeuf Lodge, I. O. O. F., or as it is written on
the charter, "Rush-to-boo," No. 530, was chartered May 16,
and instituted Nov. 7, 1872. Roche de Bout, also spelled
Roche de Boeuf, is a big limestone outcrop which forms an
island near the center of the Maumee River at Waterville],
Haskins, in which he has passed most of the chairs, and he
and his wife are affiliated with Rebekah Lodge No 387,
Haskins. In religious belief they are members of the Baptist
Church at Haskins, with which organization he has been
identified several years, and has served as trustee thereof.
Source: Commemorative Historical & Biographical
Record of Wood County, Ohio, Past & Present - Publ. Chicago:
J. H. Beers & Co. 1897 - Page 860
Contributed By:
Bob Weaver |
L. Black |
CAPT. LUTHER BLACK, of Bowling Green, is one of the most
prominent citizens of Wood county, throughout which he is known and
esteemed, not only as a successful business man, but also for his
splendid record as a brave soldier in the war of the Rebellion.
On his father's side he is of Irish descent, his great-grandfather
having emigrated from Ireland to this country at an early day.
His grandfather Black was killed by accident while raising
his barn in Perry county, Ohio. On the mother's side the
grandfather was of Pennsylvania-Dutch stock, while the grandmother,
who was a Miss Oatley, was a native of Scotland. From
these sturdy ancestors our subject has inherited the best traits -
traits that have manifested themselves in his long career of useful
activity.
Capt. Black was born in Washington township,
Wood Co., Ohio, May 18, 1836, and is a
son of John and Phoebe (Skinner) Black, the former of
whom was born in Mercer county, Penn., when ten years of age
moving with his parents to Perry county, Ohio. In 1831
he took up his residence in Wood county, and was one of the
first three pioneers of Washington township, where at that
time over one thousand Indians dwelt. While living in
Perry county he married and had two children, and on
removing to this county he took up some unimproved land
which he cleared and converted into a productive farm, in
the meantime experiencing all the trials and privations
incident to the life of early settlers. In politics he
was a Democrat, in religious faith an Old-school
Presbyterian, and he was a man of irreproachable character.
He died Aug. 21, 1861, his wife passing away at Hull Prairie
in 1883, and both are buried at Tontogany, Wood county.
To this worthy couple were born seven children, of whom the
following record is given; (1) William resides
in Newport, Mich., where he has held the offices of deputy
sheriff and collector of the port; during the Civil war he
enlisted at Olmstead Falls, Minn., and proved a brave
soldier. (2) Elizabeth A. married A. P.
Treadwell, and lives at Hull Prairie, Wood county.
(3) Minerva J. became the wife of Joseph Jeffers
and died at Waterville, Lucas Co., Ohio. (4) Calvin
lives at Washington, Kans. (5) Luther is
the subject of this review. (6) Catherine
married Dr. A. Eddmon, and lives at Tontogany.
(7) Mary is the wife of Dr. E. R. Wood, of
Belle Plaine, Kansas.
Luther Black grew to manhood on his father's
farm in this county, attending the schools of that locality
and those at Waterville, and also the seminary at Maumee.
After leaving school, he for four years taught in the
district schools of Wood county, and for two years in
Champaign, Ill. About this time the whole world was
electrified by the outbreak of the Civil war, and the
patriotism of the young teacher induced him to lay aside his
ferule for an army musket, and offer his services in defense
of the stars and stripes. On Apr. 27, 1861, he
enlisted in Company B, 21st O. V. I., three-months' service,
which was passed in Virginia, at the termination of which,
his father having died in the meantime, he was obliged to
return home in order to take charge of the family.
There he remained until 1864, on May 4, of which year he
organized Company B, 144th O. V. I., of which company he and
seven of his men were taken prisoners by the Rebels and sent
to Lynchburg, thence to Libby prison where they suffered the
horrors of slow starvation, and where all except himself and
one other fell victims to cruel treatment. Three
months after his capture, Capt. Black was released by
exchange, and his patriotic zeal being still unabated, in
spite of the terrible scenes through which he had passed, he
raised another company, of which he was also made captain.
This was Company K, 185th O. V. I., which afterward saw much
service in Kentucky in the vicinity of Cumberland Gap, where
they had frequent skirmishes with the guerrillas. The
regiment was mustered out at Lexington, Ky., in September,
1865.
His career as a soldier being ended by the cessation of
hostilities, and the return of peace to the land, Capt.
Black returned to private citizenship, and, having in
the meantime purchased the old homestead, carried on farming
there for two years. At the end of that time he
engaged in the drug business, in Tontogany, which he
conducted some eighteen years, and then, being elected
county treasurer on the Republican ticket, he, in 1881,
removed to Bowling Green. That responsible office he
held for two terms, or four years, such being the limit of
the law, fulfilling its duties in a most creditable manner.
The Captain then established himself in the clothing
business, and some six or seven years ago became interested
in the oil wells of Wood county. On Feb. 20, 1894, he
sold out his clothing establishment, since when he has given
all his attention to his oil interests. He is now a
part owner in sixty-one wells in this county, and a member
of various firms connected therewith, the most prominent of
which is that of Black, Reese & Hazlett, who
own a number of productive wells, and are doing an extensive
business. He is also cultivating a couple of farms
which he owns in the vicinity.
In 1860 Capt. Black was married to Miss Sarah
J. Camron, a native of New York State, who died three
years later, leaving one child, Frank H., who was
killed by a railroad accident when fourteen years old.
On Jan. 16, 1873, the Captain married Miss George A.
Cooper, who was born in St. Lawrence county, N. Y.,
daughter of James and Almira (Brooks) Cooper, who
were married in 1840. James Cooper traces his
ancestry back to the year 1661, as follows:
(1) James Cooper, of Stratford-on-Avon, England,
born in 1661, died in 1732; came to Philadelphia, Penn., in
1682; had eight children - Esther, James, Joseph, (2)
Samuel, William, Benjamin, Isaac and Rebecca.
James Cooper, owned a lot on Chestnut street,
Philadelphia, opposite Marble Custom-house. (2) His
son William had six children - Rebecca, (3)
Thomas, James, Joseph, Samuel,
and Letitia. He died in 1736. (3) His
son (3) James was twice married, and had fifteen
children; by his first wife, Hanna (Hibbs), he
had eight children - Susanna, (4) James,
William, Letitia, Levi, and Benjamin;
by his second wife, Elizabeth (Wager), (3)
James had seven children - Amelia, Marmaduke,
Meshach, Laodocia, Naboth, Noah
and Alpheus.
(4) James Cooper, a son of (3) James,
and grandfather of Mrs. Capt. Luther Black, was born
in Moreland, Montgomery Co., Penn., Mar. 6, 1753; served in
the navy and army of Pennsylvania in the Revolutionary war,
and participated in the battles of Monmouth and Germantown.
He was married three times; first to Naomi Nelson,
by whom he ha three children - Hannah, Naomi
and Caroline; by his second wife, Mary (Albertson)
he had no children; by his third wife, Sarah
(Comely), he had children - Courtland, (5)
James, Henry, William, father of these
died May 1, 1849, in his ninety-seventh year. He was a
man of strong likes and dislikes, served as judge on the
bench, and was a large land holder, owning property whereon
a portion of the city of Philadelphia now stands. He
and his wife were both Quakers.
(5) James Cooper, son of (4) James
Cooper, and father of Mrs. Black, was
born Nov. 23, 1795, in Philadelphia. He was own cousin
to James Fennimore Cooper, the
distinguished American novelist. James
Cooper was twice married; first time to Sarah Rice, by
whom he had six children- Esther, Ezra,
Ruth, Hannah, William and Alonzo;
by his second wife, Almira (Brooks), he had two
children - Georgie A. (Mrs. Black), and James B.,
an inventor who resides in Minneapolis. The sons,
Ezra, Alonzo and James B., were all soldiers,
making for themselves an enviable military record. The
father of these was a man of superior education and
acknowledged ability, for which, indeed, the entire family
have been noted. He was a pronounced Abolitionist, and
an outspoken advocate of the cause of freedom to all
mankind. Migrating to Ohio about the year 1844, he
settled at Waterville, Lucas county, where for many years he
served as a magistrate. During his busy lifetime he
owned several flouring-mills and saw-mills, doing an
extensive business in both those lines of industry. He
died there in 1868, honored and respected by all who knew
him. His widow, who is now passing her declining years
at the home of her daughter, was born, in 1812, in the town
of Champion, Jefferson Co., N. Y., daughter of Joseph
Brooks, a Revolutionary soldier from Massachusetts.
She was a cousin of Amos Kendall who was
postmaster-general under President Jackson's
administration, and when a young man taught in the family of
Gen. Clay afterward holding many offices of honor and
trust. He became an able attorney at law, and was
influential in the establishment of the first Deaf and Dumb
Asylum at Washington, D. C.
To Capt. and Mrs. Black have been born two
children: Marie C. and James L., the
latter of whom at present is a student at Oberlin College.
The Captain is a consistent member of the Presbyterian
Church, in which he is an elder; socially, he is affiliated
with the F. & A. M., Wood County Lodge, No. 112; is a member
of Crystal Chapter, No. 147, and of Toledo Commandery, K.
T., at Toledo, Ohio. In politics he has always been an
ardent Republican, his first vote being cast for Abraham
Lincoln, and he has never failed to deposit his ballot,
save twice - first when he was in Libby prison, and again,
in 1880, when he was too ill to go to the polls.
Capt. Black was delegate to the State Convention, and
was honored with election as alternate delegate to the
National Convention, to be held at St. Louis in June.
He has served as president of the school board and of the
gas board, and is a director of the American Foundry &
Machine Co., also of the First National Bank, of Bowling
Green. During the past year has been interested in
gold mining in California, being identified with a
joint-stock company. In every relation in life,
Capt. Black has borne an honorable part as an upright,
patriotic, loyal citizen, and is justly classified among the
social representative men of Wood county.
Source: Commemorative Historical & Biographical
Record of Wood County, Ohio, Past & Present - Publ. Chicago:
J. H. Beers & Co. 1897 - Page 434 |
|
|
EDWARD J. BLUE,
the popular editor and proprietor of the Perrysburg
Journal, of Perrysburg, Ohio, was born in that city,
Dec. 28, 1858. His education was acquired in the
public schools, but, at the age of thirteen, circumstances
arose which caused him to seek an occupation, where he could
earn a livelihood for himself. He instinctively turned
to the printing office of the Perrysburg Journal,
where, after performing various menial duties for a short
period, he was admitted to became an apprentice to the
printer's trade, with sufficient salary to guarantee board
and clothes. For eight long years he devoted himself
closely to work in the Journal office.
At the end of that time Mr. Blue went to Toledo,
where he found employment with the Blade Printing & Paper
Co., and subsequently with the Bee. He next
worked in the job office of The B. F. Wade Co.
It was there that his close application to the art of
printing soon brought him into the notice of his employers,
and the most artistic work required from the concern was
given to him. This class of work required time and
study, and he took care to improve his opportunity, and make
himself as proficient in his trade as possible.
Mr. Blue had judiciously husbanded his earnings,
and in 1889 he returned to Perrysburg, where he found the
Journal badly managed, and in a very poor
condition, financially. It was constantly running
behind. He took advantage of the situation, purchased
it, and found himself proprietor, where, as a boy, only a
few years before, he had been an apprentice. The
dilapidated condition of the paper's finance did not daunt
his energies. He saw a field for effort where ability
could win success. He proceeded to increase the
capacity of the office, and the circulation of the paper,
and soon had it on a paying basis. The Journal
is now an eight-page weekly paper, well filled with local
and general news. The local columns are always up to
date, and the typographical work is neat, and shows the
influence of a master hand. In politics the paper,
like its editor, is thoroughly Republican.
On the 10th of July, 1883, Mr. Blue was united
in marriage with Miss Mary Louise Wetmore who was
born at Perrysburg, Sept. 19, 1860 and is the daughter of
Capt. F. A. and Mary A. (Fraser) Wetmore. Her
father is now living retired at Perrysburg, after forty-five
years spent upon the lakes. Socially, Mr. Blue
holds membership with Phoenix Lodge No. 123, F. & A. M., of
Perrysburg, and Perrysburg Lodge No. 524, K. of P. In
politics he is identified with the leaders of his party in
the locality. He is genial and social by nature,
making many acquaintances whom he readily retains as
friends.
Source: Commemorative Historical & Biographical
Record of Wood County, Ohio, Past & Present - Publ. Chicago:
J. H. Beers & Co. 1897 - Page 1067 |
|
|
GEORGE W. BORTLE,
deceased. The subject of this sketch, formerly a
prominent agriculturist of Grand Rapids township, was born
Jan. 4, 1851, in Weston (now Grand Rapids) township, where
his parents, John and Louisa Bortle were among the
early settlers. The father was born Aug. 8, 1816, and
died Dec. 13, 1856. The mother, Louisa (Arnold)
Bortle was born Nov. 12, 1827, and now resides with her
daughter, Mrs. Addie Hodge, at Kenton, Ohio.
George W. Bortle was educated in the district
schools in the neighborhood, and assisted his father on the
farm during boyhood. His first independent work was
done on the Wabash and Erie canal, on which he was employed
for several years. Later he engaged in farming, and in
1876 he moved upon the farm of eighty-eight acres which
belonged to his widowed mother, one-half of which his mother
gave to him, and the other half she gave to her daughter,
Addie. On this our subject planted a good orchard,
erected a fine barn and made many other improvements.
On Dec. 31, 1874, Mr. Bortle was married to Miss
Annie E. Gillmore, who was born Nov. 25, 1848, a
daughter of George and Mary A. Gillmore who were
well-known pioneer residents of Weston township. One
child, John H., born Apr. 16, 1876, blessed this
happy union, and who is now the manger of the homestead, and
his widowed mother's pride and solace. He attended the
district schools of Grand Rapids township in youth, and
although only eight years old at the time of his father's
death, he early learned to lighten his mother's cares and
responsibilities, and was a great comfort to her the few
years she remained with him.
George W. Bortle was a man who held the respect
and esteem of all who knew him; honest, industrious and
progressive, his death, which occurred Dec. 29, 1885, cut
short a life of quiet usefulness, which could be illy
spared. Mrs. Bortle, a lady of rare executive
ability and business judgment, continued the work of the
estate left to her and through her good management she
purchased the half of the former eighty-eight acres from her
sister-in-law, Mrs. Addie Hodge, and on which she
built a comfortable residence and added many other
improvements. Having poor health for the past two
years, Mrs. Bortle died Feb. 19, 1896, leaving
John H. Bortle the only heir, in full possession of the
beautiful home. On Oct. 1, 1896, John H. Bortle
was married to Maude McClure, whose birth occurred
Aug. 17, 1879.
Source: Commemorative Historical & Biographical
Record of Wood County, Ohio, Past & Present - Publ. Chicago:
J. H. Beers & Co. 1897 - Page 589 |
|
|
JACOB
BOVIE, an enterprising farmer of Montgomery Township,
pleasantly located in Section 9, has identified himself with
the representative and progressive citizens of Wood County.
His birth occurred in that township on Oct. 20, 1847, at
the home of his parents, Adam and Magdalena (Friedinger)
Bovie, natives of Germany, who came to America at the
same time, and were married in this country, after which
they located in Wood County, Ohio, where they spent the
remainder of their days. The mother passed away July 6,
1877, and the father, who was born in 1811, died at a ripe
old age in April, 1893. They were both buried at Prairie
Depot, Ohio.
To this worthy couple were born eleven children, five
sons and six daughters, and with the exception of
Margaret, who was burned to death at the age of six
months, when their dwelling was destroyed by fire, all lived
to adult age. They were as follows: Magdalene married
Andrew Zimmerman, and died in Montgomery
Township, in 1890; Caroline became the wife of Anthony
Hirscherberger, and died at Clyde, Ohio; Adam
was a member of Company A, 144th Ohio Volunteer Infantry,
during the Civil War, and died in prison at Salisbury, North
Carolina; Jacob is next in order of birth; Catherine became
the wife of M. Swape, and died in Missouri;
Margaret is now Mrs. Joseph Hess, of
Fostoria, Ohio; Peter is a resident of Portage Township,
Wood County; David lives in Gratiot County, Michigan,
near Ithaca; Lavina is the wife of A. Swape,
of Missouri; and George died at the age of five
years.
As his parents were in limited circumstances, the
educational privileges enjoyed by Jacob Bovie were
rather limited, and he early began assisting in the labors
of the farm, being a great help to his parents. In Fremont,
Ohio, on Nov. 1, 1876, he was united in marriage with
Miss Lydia A. Girton, who was born near Bellevue, Ohio,
Jan. 19, 1856. Her parents, Asa and Elizabeth (Wales)
Girton, located in Montgomery Township, Wood County, in
1863, where the father died Oct. 20, 1865, leaving his
widow with five children, namely: Luther, now
Postmaster of Tromley, Ohio; Mary C., who wedded
N. Wise, and died in Kansas, Dec. 28, 1879; Lydia
A., the honored wife of our subject; John W., a
resident of Bloom Township, Wood County; and Margaret,
who died unmarried June 14, 1894. Another child, George,
died at the age of five years, before his father's death.
During his younger years Mr. Girton had taught
school, but by trade he was a mechanic, and was employed as
a spinner in a woolen factory. His health was always poor,
and he never accumulated much property. His widow married
Charles J. Wickenheiser, who is now deceased, and she
now makes her home in Bloom Township. The education of
Mrs. Bovie was mostly acquired under the instruction of
her father, who taught his family at home, and she learned
very rapidly. At the time of her marriage she was working as
a domestic. Two children grace the union of our subject and
his wife: Frederick Raldo, born Sept. 29, 1877;
and Randall R., born Dec. 26, 1887.
Upon his marriage, Mr. Bovie located at Prairie
Depot, where he owned a house and lot, and worked as a farm
hand and laborer. On leaving that place he rented a farm for
a year, after which he lived upon his father's farm until
his removal to his present homestead in Section 9, where he
had purchased forty acres of land on which was a rather
dilapidated house, and he went in debt for the same.
However, he has since paid off the indebtedness, and added
twenty acres to the original tract, all of which is now
highly cultivated. He erected his present substantial and
comfortable home in 1887, and has made many other useful and
valuable improvements on the place. In politics he usually
supports the principles and candidates of the Democratic
party, but is not strictly bound by parties.
Source: Commemorative Historical & Biographical
Record of Wood County, Ohio, Past & Present - Publ. Chicago:
J. H. Beers & Co. 1897 - Page 1226
Contributed By:
Bob Weaver
Research Notes by Bob
Weaver:
Civil War Research Notes:
Salisbury, North Carolina --- Salisbury Confederate Prison
-- An empty textile mill, Maxwell Chambers mill, in
Salisbury, Rowan County, was selected as North Carolina's
only prison during the War Between the States. Prison
operations began in December, 1861, when over 100 Union
prisoners were moved from the Raleigh State Fairgrounds to
the Salisbury Confederate Prison. |
|
|
FREDERICK J.
BRAND one of the most prominent citizens of Middleton
Township, was born Jan. 6, 1849, in Hessen, Germany.
Adam Brand, his father, a shoe maker by occupation,
married Catherine Hof, and had a family of ten
children, four of whom died in infancy; the others were
Anna, who married Jacob Dower; Mary,
deceased, who was the wife of Philip Meyer; John and
Julius, farmers in Paulding County, Ohio; Frederick
J.; and Catherine, the wife of F. Eccard.
The parents of these, and the youngest daughter, came to
this country in 1868; the father died at his home in 1889,
the mother passing to her final rest in 1886, at the home of
her eldest daughter.
Our subject attended the schools of his birthplace in
early youth, and later worked three years at his father's
trade. At the age of seventeen he came to America on a
steamer, which made the voyage in twelve days. When he
landed at New York he had a German piece of money in his
pocket, and this he exchanged for one dollar note of a
defunct bank, thereby leaving himself penniless. With the
help of his brother and sister, however, he managed to come
west, and located in Wood County, working some four years as
a farm hand. In 1871, he rented a farm, and kept it seven
years, when he bought eighty acres of land at $60 per acre,
giving $600 down, and paying six percent interest on the
balance. He now has one of the best farms of its size in the
community, containing 100 acres, having thereon an elegant
residence built at a cost of $1,500, and he has ten oil
wells on his property, which are operated by a local
company.
In 1871 Mr. Brand married Miss Regina Beil,
a sister of Adam and Conrad Beil, well
known farmers of this county. Four children were born to
this union: Rosa, the wife of Henry
Holzhauer; Emelia, the wife of Julius
Mohr; and Albert and Emanuel, both now
living at home. In 1886 Mrs. Brand died of
consumption, and in 1888 our subject married Miss
Louisa Smith, a native of Switzerland. They have
two children, Ernest and Ruth.
Mr. Brand is a man of great influence in the
community, his ability, integrity, and sound discretion
gaining for him the confidence of all who know him. He has
been a School Director for fifteen years; President of the
Township Board for four years, Assessor for three years;
Real Estate Appraiser of Middleton Township in 1890; is now
serving as County Commissioner, having been elected on the
Republican ticket in the fall of 1895. In the German
Reformed Church, of which he is a charter member, he is
Trustee and Elder, and is Superintendent of the Sunday
School, of which he has been a teacher for twenty years.
Source: Commemorative Historical & Biographical
Record of Wood County, Ohio, Past & Present - Publ. Chicago:
J. H. Beers & Co. 1897 - Page 862
Contributed By:
Bob Weaver
Research Notes by Bob Weaver:
Frederick J Brand
Birth: 6 Jan 1849, Hessen, Germany
Death: 15 Dec 1931, Tiffin, Ohio
Burial: Dec 1931, Union Hill Cemetery, Plain Twp., Wood
County, Ohio
Father: Adam Brand (1804-1888)
Mother: Anna Katherine Hof (1808-1886)
Spouses
1 - Regina Beil
Birth: abt 7 Dec, 1849, Hesse, Germany
Death:19 Jun, 1886, Middleton, Wood County, Ohio
Burial: 1886, Union Hill Cemetery, Plain Twp., Wood County,
Ohio
Father: Martin Beil
Mother: Magdalena "Lena" Winter (1819-1884)
Marriage: 5 Feb 1871, Wood County, Ohio
Children:
Albert Julius (1876-1948)
Emanuel F (1880-1970)
Katherine Emelia (1873-1926)
Rosina (1871-1902)
2 - Louisa Smith
Birth:1863, Switzerland
Death: 19 Apr 1929
Burial: Apr 1929, Union Hill Cemetery, Plain Twp., Wood
County, Ohio
Marriage1888
Children:
Ernest J. (1889-1955)
Ruth |
Geo. Brim
Amelia Brim |
GEORGE BRIM
Source: Commemorative Historical & Biographical
Record of Wood County, Ohio, Past & Present - Publ.
Chicago: J. H. Beers & Co. 1897 - Page 712 |
|
|
ALEX. S. BROWN.
It is quite interesting to observe, in noting the various
members of a community, how they gathered together from
different States and localities, and how well they usually
combine to form an intelligent and prosperous community.
The subject of this history is a native of Pennsylvania,
born in Allen township, Cumberland county, Nov. 25, 1841.
He is the offspring of James R. and Susanna (Searight)
Brown, who in, 1852, removed to Harrisville township,
Medina Co., Ohio, where they rented land for two years.
On Aug. 24, 1855, they located in Section 31, Perry
township, Wood county, their home being a log cabin, 18 x 20
feet, and wild game was still to be found in abundance in
this then frontier region. Here the parents both
departed this life, the father at the age of eighty, and the
mother when over seventy-six years, and their remains were
interred in Fostoria cemetery. At the time of their
deaths they were members of the United Brethren Church,
though they had formerly been Methodists, and in politics,
the father was a stalwart Democrat. Our subject's only
brother, James M. Brown, is at present a ranchman of
Custer county, Montana.
Since the early days when Mr. Brown, of
this review, attended the district school, he has seen great
improvements in those institutions, which he thoroughly
endorses. Like most farmer boys he was reared to
habits of industry, and when the family located on the 160
acres of wild land in Wood county, which the father had
purchased, he secured work from neighbors in order to earn
the money for the support of the family.
In Hancock county, Ohio, in 1866, Mr. Brown
was joined in wedlock with Miss Rebecca Crawford, by
whom he had one child, James E., born Jan. 14, 1867,
and on the death of the mother she was laid to rest in
Cannonsburg, Hancock county. He was again married in
1870, the lady of his choice being Miss Margaret
Livingston, a native of Pittsburg, Penn., born Jan.
25, 1843. and a daughter of Thomas and Rachel (Reed)
Livingston. The father was a drayman, and was
killed, in 1847, by the caving in of a sand bank, which
caused him to fall upon a pick. When eighteen years of
age Mrs. Brown came to Fostoria, Ohio, and
lived with an aunt, Mrs. Mary Ferguson,
the wife of William H. Ferguson, until her marriage.
The family now includes six children born of the second
union - William H., an oil-well-driller, of Perry
township, born Jan. 17, 1872; Jessie M., born May 4,
1873; Milo M., a bicycle rider, born Feb. 1, 1877;
Raymond L., born Sept. 19, 1880; Frank S., born
Aug. 16, 1882; and Carl W., born Jan. 25, 1886.
From its primitive condition, Mr. Brown
has transformed his land to a finely cultivated farm, has
made many excellent improvements, and is a business man of
more than ordinary ability. At one time he owned a
half interest in a sawmill upon his farm, and was agent for
farming implements and wind pumps, which added materially to
his income. He now has 156 acres of arable land, which
he is operating very successfully. Politically he is a
Democrat, has served as school director of District No. 9,
and is at present trustee of his township, while
religiously, he and his wife are members of the Radical
United Brethren Church of Bloomdale, of which he has been
steward and is now a trustee.
Source: Commemorative Historical & Biographical
Record of Wood County, Ohio, Past & Present - Publ.
Chicago: J. H. Beers & Co. 1897 - Page 1140 |
David B. Brown |
DAVID B. BROWN,
M. D., The professional
men of Pemberville are an element in the development of this
progressive little city, to the reputation of which they are
constantly adding by their talents and skill. To this
class belongs Dr. Brown, who has conducted a general
practice as a physician and surgeon here since 1881.
As a physician he is patient, constant, sympathetic, yet, in
the hour of extremity, cool, calm, and courageous, thus
inspiring his patients with the greatest confidence in his
skill. Although his practice requires almost his
entire time, yet he still continues the study of his
profession, keeping himself abreast with the practical
details in the improvements of medicine.
For several generations the family to which the Doctor
belongs has resided in Ohio. His father, Thomas
Brown, was born in Knox county, this State, near the
city of Mt. Vernon. He was reared upon a farm, and
upon arriving at man's estate selected agriculture for his
life occupation. Settling in Morrow county about 1850, he
engaged in cultivating a farm there for about nine years.
In 1859 he came to Wood county, and afterward made his home
upon a farm seven miles south of Pemberville, where his
death occurred in 1887. His widow, who is still living
on the old homestead in this county, was a native of
Maryland, and bore the maiden name of Rachel Mills.
Orphaned by the death of her parents when she was a mere
child, she came to Ohio with a family by the name of
Meyers, with whom she remained until her marriage.
During the residence of the family in Morrow county,
Ohio, the subject of this sketch was born Apr. 17, 1852.
The family of which he is a member consists of three
brothers and three sisters, all of whom are living.
Henry B. has for twenty-four years been principal of a
college at Valparaiso, Ind.; William T. resides on a
farm near Bradner, Ohio; Sarah is the wife of
James Shoewalter; Ellen married Milton
Ashley; and Mary is the wife of Joseph
Jennings. The first seven years of the life of
our subject were passed on the home farm near Mt. Gilead.
In 1859 he came with his parents to Wood county, where he
attended the district schools of the neighborhood, and the
public schools of Bradner. On completing his studies
he began to teach, and followed that profession five years.
It was not, however, his intention to make this his life
work, and having resolved to become a physician, he in 1872
commenced the study of medicine at Freeport, Ohio, under the
guidance of Dr. N. W. Goodrick, with whom he remained
two years. In 1874-75 he attended lectures in the
Cincinnati Medical College, from which institution he was
graduated Feb. 23, 1876.
At once, after completing his medical studies, Dr.
Brown opened an office for practice at Sherwood,
Defiance Co., Ohio, where he remained a number of years.
In 1881, he came to Pemberville, where he has given his
attention to professional duties ever since, and has built
up a large and remunerative practice. Through devotion
to his profession he has gained a place among the successful
physicians of the county, and has also become the possessor
of some valuable property, including a comfortable
residence. Here he and his wife, with their three
children - Truman Glen, Dale Benton, and Neva B.
have established a pleasant home. Mrs. Brown
was Miss Minnie Truman prior to her
marriage in 1881, and is the daughter of a farmer living
near Woodville. In his fraternal relations Dr.
Brown is a Scottish Rite Mason, and for five years
filled the position of master of the Blue Lodge. In
the Odd Fellows Lodge he is serving as noble grand. He
is also connected with order of the Maccabees. His
religious views incline him to the faith of the Baptist
Church, with which his father was connected, having aided in
the erection of the Ladd Hill Baptist church, of which he
was a member until death. Mrs. Brown is an
active member of the Presbyterian Church, and is always
ready to aid in charitable enterprises to assist those in
distress. While the Doctor has never been an aspirant
for official honors, he never fails to cast his ballot for
the men nominated by the Democratic party, and his views
coincide with the principles promulgated by that
organization.
Source: Commemorative Historical & Biographical
Record of Wood County, Ohio, Past & Present - Publ.
Chicago: J. H. Beers & Co. 1897 - Page 796 |
Don Brown Hankey
George W. Brown
Mrs. G. W. Brown |
GEORGE MURRAY BROWN,
ex-sheriff of Wood county, Ohio, was born in Otsego county,
N. Y., Aug. 23, 1843, a son of Joseph and Cynthia (Jones)
Brown, the former of whom was born in Otsego county, N.
Y., in 1806, where he took up farming, thence coming, in
1856, to Wood county.
Mr. Brown traces his ancestry to one
Nathaniel Brown, who, in 1730, came from England to the
New World, settling in the town of Killingly, Conn. He
had two sons, Jacob and Zacharias, the latter
of whom died in Connecticut when yet comparatively a young
man, leaving a family. Jacob, the elder of
these brothers, married Lucy Russell, a French
lady, and in 1780 moved to Columbia county, N. Y. In
1797 he journeyed to Decatur, Otsego county, on a wood-sled,
drawn by oxen, bringing with him a few house hold chattels,
among which were a Bible, tea kettle, chair, table and some
pewter dishes, which will be further mentioned presently.
He was a farmer by occupation, and lived to the age of
seventy years, dying in 1810. Eight children - three
sons and five daughters - were born to him and his wife, the
eldest son dying without issue. The second son,
Barzillai, grandfather of our subject, was born, in
1764, in Connecticut, and went to New York State, where he
engaged in farming. He married Miss Sarah
Scoville, who was born in 1767, and they had ten
children - seven sons and three daughters.
Barzillai died May 7, 1844, his wife on Feb. 9, 1847. Nathaniel,
their eldest son, married Orpha Seward, and
had nine children. At a reunion of the Brown
family, held Sept. 4, 1879, at Decatur, Otsego Co., N.
Y., on the old farm, the articles brought by Jacob
Brown, in 1797, to Decatur - the Bible, tea-kettle,
etc., above mentioned-were used, the old Bible being read
from, and the chair, table and pewter dishes used. On
that day there were living 279 descendants of Jacob and
Lucy Brown, and seventy descendants of Barzillai
and Sarah Brown. The Brown family,
as far as can be traced, have always been loyal, and records
show that they were represented in every war in which this
country was engaged, from the Revolution of 1775 down to the
Civil war of 1861. Three members who lost their lives
in the Rebellion are buried in Otsego county.
Joseph Brown, the father of our subject,
located in Perrysburg township, Wood Co., Ohio, in 1856; in
1858 he moved to Bowling Green, in Plain township.
When a young man he was employed as an overseer on a
plantation in Virginia. He was well acquainted with
Andrew Jackson, of whom he was a personal friend,
and was a Democrat of the old school. His wife was
born in Lewis county, N. Y., Mar. 16, 1808, and died in Wood
county, Nov. 14, 1880, Mr. Brown died Nov. 15,
1892, in Bowling Green, at the residence of George M.
Brown, where he made his home. To this couple were
born the following children: Paul J., born June 5,
1837, is a farmer of Plain township; Paulina, born
Aug. 27, 1840, married Lafayette Borden, of
Lucas county, Ohio, where they live on a farm; George M.
is our subject; Banyer Blakely, born July 12,
1845, left home, in 1867, for California, and was never
heard from after he reached Kansas City; Gibson
Lamont, born Dec. 22, 1847, died Sept. 24, 1863; and
Gibbs F., born Dec. 22, 1847, died in 1848.
George M. Brown, the subject proper of these
lines, attended school in Perrysburg until 1857-58, after
which he came to Bowling Green, where he completed his
education, and was reared on the farm. In 1864 he
entered the army, joining Company C, 144th O. V. I., and
took part in engagements in Maryland and Virginia, being
present at the battles of Monocacy (Md.), and Berryville
(Va.). In the fight at the latter place several of the
regiment were taken prisoners, some of whom afterward died
in prison. Our subject was captured, but managed to
escape after being detained only a few hours. He then
joined Company K, 185th O. V. I., with which he served until
the close of the war. He was promoted to the rank of
corporal during his first service with Company C, which
lasted about four months, and was sergeant of Company K.
After the close of the war Mr. Brown
returned home, settled on a farm, and on Feb. 14, 1868, was
married to Miss Lucy Brown, a (daughter of Isaac
and Cassia (Rhinehart) Brown), born in Perry county,
Ohio, in 1843, and whose death occurred Feb. 14, 1895, the
anniver sary of her wedding day. They had one child, Mary
Bertha, born June 27, 1874, who married Fred W.
Hankey (they also have one child named Don Brown
Hankey, born Jan. 17, 1895), and one adopted son,
Banyer B. Brown, born in October, 1876, whom they took
when three months old. After his marriage our subject
settled on his farm. and he and his brother have about 350
acres of land near the town of Bowling Green, and our
subject has also forty acres within the corporation, on
which he lives. He has also a royalty in ten or twelve
oil wells. In 1891 he built what is known as the
“Brown Hotel" in Bowling Green, which is considered to be
the best of its kind in the county.
A stanch Democrat in his political predilections,
Mr. Brown has been elected on that ticket to various
offices of honor and trust, several terms as trustee of the
township. In 1883 he was elected sheriff, and
re-elected in 1885, the first time receiving a majority of
200 votes, and on the second occasion a majority of 700,
being the first Democratic sheriff of food county since the
war. While in office he hung two men, one each term,
one of whom, a murderer, he followed to northern Wisconsin,
near Eau Claire, where he captured him, took him back to
Bowling Green, convicted him and hung him in the
penitentiary, he being the last man hung by any sheriff in
the State, as all now condemned to capital punishment are
hung by the warden of the penitentiary. Socially,
Mr. Brown has been a Mason since 1866, and is in
the thirty-second degree; belongs also to the Blue Lodge and
Chapter in Bowling Green Commandery No. 7, and in the
Cincinnati Consistory. He is also a member of the I.
O. O. F., K. of P., and G. A. R., and has passed all the
degrees in each of them. A typical whole-souled American, he
justly deserves and enjoys the confidence and esteem of the
community at large.
Source: Commemorative Historical & Biographical
Record of Wood County, Ohio, Past & Present - Publ.
Chicago: J. H. Beers & Co. 1897 - Page 764 |
|
|
GEORGE W. BROWN
located in Troy township in 1882, and the following year he
removed to his present farm, where he is successfully
engaged in agricultural pursuits. He is a native of
Wood county, born in Plain township in 1855, and is a son of
James and Ann (Brim) Brown, both natives of England.
On coming to the New World the father first located in
Sandusky county, Ohio, whence he removed to Plain township,
where he was numbered among the honored pioneers. He
there opened up a farm, but later went to Center township,
this county. His death occurred in Henry county, Ohio,
and at Liberty Center, that county, his wife still makes her
home. Their family consisted of three children -
George W., of this review; M. L., of Liberty
Center; and Hattie A., now Mrs. W. H. Burke,
of Cleveland, Ohio.
The education of our subject was acquired in Plain
township, at District No. 1, and at Bowling Green,
Ohio. In the spring of 1878 he began teaching in
Center township, and later was employed in the same vocation
in his home school, having taught two entire school years
and every winter since he began, to the present time.
He has been successful in following that profession, and is
ranked among the leading teachers of the county.
In 1882, in Troy township, was celebrated the marriage
of Mr. Brown and Miss Mary L. Hahn, a native
of that township, where her father, Valentine Hahn,
was one of the early pioneers. To them have been born
five children - Arthur A., Allen V., Mabel,
Ruby and W. Waldo.
Mr. Brown is a Republican, and socially he holds
membership with Centennial Lodge No. 626, I. O. O. F., of
Bowling Green, with which he became identified in February,
1879.
Source: Commemorative Historical & Biographical
Record of Wood County, Ohio, Past & Present - Publ.
Chicago: J. H. Beers & Co. 1897 - Page 1053 |
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PROF. HENRY B. BROWN,
now principal of the Northern Indiana Normal School, at
Valparaiso, Ind., was formerly a resident of Wood county,
his home having been with his parents, Thomas and Rachel
Brown, near Bradner. He was born Oct. 6, 1847, at
Mount Vernon, Knox county. At the early age of two
years, his parents removed to Morrow county, and later to
their home near Bradner.
Until he was fifteen years old, Henry attended
simply the country school; subsequently he went to Fremont
to the public school one term, and then began to teach in
the country. This laid the foundation for a still higher
education, which was gratified, in part, by attendance for a
brief period at the Wesleyan University of Delaware, Ohio.
After additional teaching he entered the National Normal
University, at Lebanon, Ohio, in 1869, and graduated from
its Scientific Department in 1871. In September
following he became one of the instructors in the
Northwestern Normal School, at Republic, Ohio, under the
management of Prof. Fraise Richard, and rendered
acceptable service for two years. In September, 1873,
he established at Valparaiso, Ind., the Normal School, of
which he is now principal, taking with him from Republic, as
associate laborers, Miss Mantie E. Baldwin, Mr. M.
E. Bogart, and Mr. and Mrs. B. F. Perrine.
From a humble beginning of thirty-five students, he has
developed the largest educational institution in America,
its patrons coming from all parts of the United States, and
being counted annually by the thousands.
Prof. Brown was married in February, 1886, to
Miss Neva Axe, of Valparaiso, the union being a very
happy one. Three interesting children - Helen A.,
Henry Kinsey, and Ruth A. - have blessed this
union.
Prof. Brown and his wife are both active
members of the Church of Christ, in Valparaiso.
Politically, he has always been identified with the
Democratic party. He is in many respects a most
remarkable man; magnetic, industrious, self-sacrificing,
ambitious, and thoroughly in earnest, he is a natural leader
and organizer of forces. His presence is inspiriting
and encouraging, and his students are passionately attached
to him. He is a thorough financier. These
qualifications have enabled him to build up and maintain,
not only the largest, but one of the best, schools in the
nation.
Prof. Brown has always been devoted to
his parents. His father, Thomas Brown,
who died id 1887, was a deacon in the Baptist Church, and
for many years served his neighbors in the capacity of
justice of the peace. Mrs. Rachel
Brown, mother of Prof. Brown, still lives
on the old homestead, near Bradner, and cheers by her
presence and kindly administrations her faithful children,
as they come back to visit her under the parental roof.
Possessed of the confidence of her neighbors, among whom she
and her late consort lived so many years, she enjoys the
satisfaction of knowing that her son has become not only one
of the great educators of the age, but a man of influence
and usefulness in the religious world.
Source: Commemorative Historical & Biographical
Record of Wood County, Ohio, Past & Present - Publ.
Chicago: J. H. Beers & Co. 1897 - Page 797 |
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HOMER C. BROWN
was born in Plain town ship, Aug. 25, 1869,
and received his early education in the schools of Weston
and Bowling Green. He learned the carpenter's trade
with his father, and followed it for six years, in the
meantime studying architecture, in which he has, since
engaged as a profession with marked success. He
designed the new Central School building at Bowling Green,
and many of the most tasteful and commodious residences of
that city are his work. In politics he is a
Republican, and he belongs to the I. O. O. F. Lodge.
Source: Commemorative Historical & Biographical
Record of Wood County, Ohio, Past & Present - Publ.
Chicago: J. H. Beers & Co. 1897 - Page 852 |
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JAMES M. BROWN,
one of the most prominent citizens of Perrysburg township,
residing near Dowling, was born in Bellefontaine,
Logan Co., Ohio, Apr. 27, 1830. His parents, Harlin
S. and Mary A. (Colvin) Brown, were natives of Kentucky,
but were married in Logan county, in October, 1829, and
lived there for some years, the father following the trade
of shoemaker. Eleven children were born to them:
Elizabeth, deceased; John C., now a resident of
Monticello, Ind.; Joseph H., deceased; Rosana
and Mahlon S., deceased; Annie E., now the
wife of James H. Linton, of Botkins, Ohio; James M.,
our subject; Thomas A. and Margaret J.,
deceased; Wilson W., of Dowling, Ohio; and
Charles L., residing in Roscommon, Michigan.
Squire Brown, as his friends call him (and his
friends are found wherever he is known), received his early
education in the schools of Newtown, Ind., where his parents
moved when he was but four years old. He was bound out
to work for his board and clothes when a boy, and at
nineteen found employment on the Erie canal. He
continued in this occupation until he was married to Miss
Euritta Egbert, who was born in Findlay, Ohio, Oct. 20,
1834. He then sought a better means of making a
livelihood, and in 1870 moved to this county and bought
forty acres of land in Perrysburg township, which he has
since carefully improved. He is now one of the opulent
farmers of the vicinity, and holds an important place in the
community, his natural ability and integrity of character
having gained him the entire confidence of all who know him.
He was first elected justice of the peace in 1877, and has
now held the office for more than eighteen consecutive
years. He has been a member of the school board for
the same length of time, and for six years has been a notary
public. Where he is well known he receives votes
irrespective of party lines, but, being a Democrat, the
large Republican plurality in this county has prevented him
from entering county office, although the members of his
party have often prevailed upon him to lead the “forlorn
hope" for the sake of their cause. He has displayed
the spirit of the true soldier on many occasion, and in 1861
was among the first to respond to the call of his country,
enlisting in Company H, 57th O. V. I., and serving until
December, 1863. There were six of the Brown
boys, who enlisted in the war of the Rebellion in 1861, thus
furnishing Uncle Sam with at least eighteen years of
service. He is a member of the I. O. O. F., Fort Meigs
Lodge No. 774, of the F. & A. M., Phoenix Lodge No. 123, and
of Robert Stewart Post No. 690, G. A. R.
He is the present postmaster at Dowling.
Source: Commemorative Historical & Biographical
Record of Wood County, Ohio, Past & Present - Publ.
Chicago: J. H. Beers & Co. 1897 - Page 709 |
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PAUL J. BROWN,
one of the oldest pioneers of Weston township, and a
prominent stock-raiser and veterinary surgeon, was born in
Weston, Sept. 23, 1833. He received his early
education in the district school .of Beaver Creek, later
taking a course in the Cleveland Veterinary School, from
which he was graduated in 1851. He settled on 120
acres of land in Weston township, improved it, and began
farming and practicing veterinary surgery. He erected
one of the finest dwelling houses in the township at a cost
of $5,000, together with barns, outhouses, etc. About
1880 Mr. Brown began the raising of fine blooded
stock, his first venture being the purchase of a stallion in
Kentucky, since which time he has bred and raised a splendid
lot of trotting, running, and draft horses. In order
to give his stock proper training, he built a half-mile
track on the place, where he does his speeding.
On Sept. 23, 1859, our subject was married to Miss
Julia Ann Bassett, a daughter of Smith Bassett, a
prominent farmer of Washington township, where she was born
May 23, 1839. Seven children have been born to them:
Ellwood, a farmer, living in Waterville; Lucy,
the wife of Samuel Oswald, a lumber merchant of
Weston; Elmer, a farmer; Lawrence P., an
operator in a lumber-mill; Holly, residing in Weston;
and Frank and Earl, who died young. In
politics Mr. Brown is a Republican, and in religious
faith is a member of the Presbyterian Church. He is of
a genial, affable nature, and has a host of friends.
Alexander Brown, his father, was born in Perry
county, Ohio, and followed the occupation of a farmer and
veterinary surgeon. In Perry county he was married to
Miss Anna North, and twelve children were born to
them, those living being: Sarah, the wife of S.
Condit, a farmer in Oregon; William, the subject
of this sketch; Newton, a farmer in Henry county;
Samuel, a farmer in Washington county; Maggie,
who married Elliot Warner, and they live in East
Toledo. The deceased are: Caroline, who was the
wife of John McKee; James; Morgan, who
died in the army; Jane, who was the wife of John
McClain; Anna, who was the wife of Leroy
Rowland; and Joseph and Polly, who died in
infancy.
Source: Commemorative Historical & Biographical
Record of Wood County, Ohio, Past & Present - Publ.
Chicago: J. H. Beers & Co. 1897 - Page 1257 |
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SAMUEL BROWN,
a prominent manufacturer and stock breeder, of Grand Rapids
township, and a son of one of the earliest settlers of this
county, was born at Beaver Creek, Apr. 18, 1841.
Alexander Brown, his father, was born in
Perry county, Ohio, Nov. 24, 1802, and settled in Wood
county about 1828; he followed the occupation of farmer and
veterinary surgeon, and was one of the first settlers to go
back from the Maumee. In Perry county, he was married
to Miss Anna North, who was born in Philadelphia,
Penn., Sept. 30, 1804. Twelve children were born to
this worthy pioneer couple, namely: Caroline, born in
Perry county, Mar. 10, 1823, became the wife of John
McKee, and died Dec. 26, 1856; James, born in
Fairfield county, Oct. 26, 1824, died Sept. 11, 1860;
Mary, born Jan. 11, 1827, died Jan. 6, 1842; Morgan,
born Mar. 10, 1829, the first white child born on the
Maumee, south of Perrysburg, died June 20, 1888; Sarah,
born Jan. 15, 1833, is the wife of S. Condit, a
farmer of Oregon; William, born Sept. 17, 1834, a
prominent stock raiser and veterinary surgeon of Weston;
Isaac Newton, born Aug. 15, 1836, died May 31,
1896; Eliza Jane, born Nov. 25, 1838, became
the wife of John McLain, and died Jan. 17,
1884; Samuel, our subject; Margaret E., born
Nov. 17, 1843, became the wife of Elliot Warner,
Nov. 29, 1871; Joseph, born May 31, 1846, died Oct.
4, 1847; and Anna, born Sept. 15, 1848, became the
wife of W. L. Rowland, and died Apr. 27, 1871.
Mr. and Mrs. Brown were noted for their hospitality,
and the weary stranger ever found "their latch-string out."
He passed to his final rest Sept. 15, 1870, and his
estimable wife survived until June 30, 1881.
Samuel Brown, our subject, attended the
district school near his birthplace, and assisted his father
upon the farm, until the breaking out of war, when he
enlisted in Company H, 68th O. V. I., with Col.
Steedman and Capt. Voris. He took
part in most of the important battles of the war, including
those of Fort Donelson, Shiloh, Bolivar, Metamora, Iuka, the
siege of Vicksburg, and the engagements of the famous
Atlanta campaign, his regiment being among the host that
went “marching through Georgia" with Sherman.
At the battle of Metamora, the 12th Mich. V. I., the 68th O.
V. I. and the 46th Ill. V. I., fought with unusual
determination, the 68th taking the lead in the desperate
charge on the Rebels, compelling the surrender of 555 men.
Three companies of the 68th, of which Company H was one,
acted as guard for these prisoners as far as Bolivar, Tenn.,
where they were turned over to the United States Government.
During the march to Bolivar, the Union soldiers were often
amused by the stories of the Confederates. Once
in a while one of the "wearers of the gray" would undertake
to make a speech; one of them gave in substance, much to the
chagrin of his comrades, the following: "We enlisted because
we were told it was the best thing to do; that it would be
only a little ‘breakfast job’ to fight the Northerners.
A Yankee might go out and kill a squirrel in cold blood, but
when it came to fighting men, they would be sure to run.
Then we of the Sunny South can go up in Ohio, take 160 acres
of land, and it will be the best pay we ever had for so
little work. Now we are marching toward the
North, but I don't believe we will get the land.
Boys, the only thing that seems clear to me now, is that our
cause is unjust, and that we have rebelled against the best
government on earth. We are treated as we ought to be,
whipped and chased from every nook and corner; even when we
have fought against equal numbers, we have been whipped.
It is the height of folly to hold out longer, and the sooner
the whole army surrenders and stops the shedding of blood,
the better.” It is not to be supposed that a man could
utter such sentiments in the presence of his Rebel comrades
with out being frequently interrupted; but the applause that
greeted him from the loyal Union soldiers was sufficient
compensation. Although our subject suffered all the
hardships incident to the life of a soldier in active
service, he heartily enjoyed the excitement, and served as
long as there was any fighting to be done, receiving his
discharge at Cleveland, Ohio, on July 15, 1865.
At the close of his term of service, he returned home,
and on Oct. 3, 1865, was married to Miss Maggie J.
Ross, who was born Nov. 12, 1843, a daughter of
Joseph and Polly Ross, well-known and respected
residents of Weston, now Grand Rapids, township. She
had been a prominent school teacher for a number of years,
having begun that work at the age of sixteen, and her entire
life was spent in labor tending to the upbuilding of
humanity, and in caring for the welfare of others. She
was one of the very patriotic ladies of this county during
the Rebellion, counting no sacrifice too great, no toil too
severe for endurance, if aid could thereby be given to the
Union cause, or comfort to the "Boys in Blue." On many
occasions she denounced those who were disloyal to the
Federal government. She was a devoted Christian, a
member of the United Presbyterian Church, and tireless in
her work for the Church; nothing but sickness prevented her
attendance both at Sabbath-school and Church services.
She died Apr. 8, 1886, after nearly a quarter of a century
of happy wedded life. To the union of Mr. and Mrs.
Brown was born one son, Orlo, C., July 17, 1866,
now a farmer of Grand Rapids township (on Mar. 15, 1889, he
was married to Miss Nellie Bortle, of Henry county,
who was born Dec. 1, 1870, and they have two children -
Merl A., born June 18, 1891, and Kyle L., born
May 19, 1893).
In the fall of 1889 our subject went to Oregon for rest
and recreation, and remained three years. Since his
return he has given his attention to the breeding of jersey
cattle, and fine horses. He has a handsome brick
residence, one of the finest in the township. He is
interested in the manufacture of brick and tile. He is
a member of the United Presbyterian Church; in politics, a
Republican, and has served the community in various official
positions, having been supervisor and clerk of the board of
education, and school director for a number of years.
A man of kindly nature and progressive mind, he is at the
front in any movement which tends to benefit the community.
Source: Commemorative Historical & Biographical
Record of Wood County, Ohio, Past & Present - Publ.
Chicago: J. H. Beers & Co. 1897 - Page 1103 |
|
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WILLIAM BROWN,
one of the oldest pioneers of Weston township, and a
prominent stock-raiser and veterinary surgeon, was born in
Weston, Sept. 23, 1833. He received his early
education in the district school of Beaver Creek, later
taking a course in the Cleveland Veterinary School, from
which he was graduated in 1851. He settled on 120
acres of land in Weston township, improved it, and began
farming and practicing veterinary surgery. He erected
one of the finest dwelling houses in the township at a cost
of $5,000, together with barns, outhouses, etc. About
1880 Mr. Brown began the raising of fine
blooded stock, his first venture being the purchase of a
stallion in Kentucky, since which time he has bred and
raised a splendid lot of trotting, running, and draft
horses. In order to give his stock proper training, he
built a half-mile track on the place, where he does his
speeding.
On Sept. 23, 1859, our subject was married to Miss
Julia Ann Bassett, a daughter of
Smith Bassett, a prominent farmer of Washington
township, where she was born May 23, 1839. Seven
children have been born to them: Ellwood, a farmer,
living in Waterville; Lucy, the wife of Samuel
Oswald, a lumber merchant of Weston; Elmer, a
farmer; Lawrence P., an operator in a lumber-mill;
Holly, residing in Weston; and Frank and Earl,
who died young. In politics Mr. Brown is
a Republican, and in religious faith is a member of the
Presbyterian Church. He is of a genial, affable
nature, and has a host of friends.
Alexander Brown, his father, was born in
Perry county, Ohio, and followed the occupation of a farmer
and veterinary surgeon. In Perry county he was married
to Miss Anna North, and twelve children
were born to them, those living being: Sarah, the
wife of S. Condit, a farmer in Oregon; William,
the subject of this sketch; Newton, a farmer in Henry
county; Samuel, a farmer in Washington county;
Maggie, who married Elliott Warner, and they live
in East Toledo. The deceased are: Caroline, who
was the wife of John McKee; James; Morgan, who
died in the army; Jane, who was the wife of John
McClain; Anna who was the wife of Leroy Rowland;
and Joseph and Polly, who died in infancy.
Source: Commemorative Historical & Biographical
Record of Wood County, Ohio, Past & Present - Publ.
Chicago: J. H. Beers & Co. 1897 - Page 1256 |
|
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WILLIAM T. BROWN
is numbered among the most progressive and intelligent
agriculturists of Montgomery township, where he has a good
farm of forty acres in Section 1, and is a complete master
of the calling which he is following. His sterling
integrity, and honorable, upright manhood, fully entitle him
to the position which he holds in the estimation of the
people of the community. He was born at Mt. Vernon,
Knox Co., Ohio, July 17, 1845, though at the time of his
birth, his parents, Thomas and Rachel (Mills) Brown,
were living near the town which now covers their land, and
when fourteen years of age was brought to Wood county, the
father purchasing eighty-one and a half acres in Section 2,
Montgomery township, which was but slightly improved.
The timber was very dense, little having been cleared.
The family drove the entire distance from Morrow county,
via Tiffin, Fostoria, and West Millgrove. Wild
game was still found in the locality, deer and turkeys being
often seen.
Thomas Brown, the father of our subject,
was born at Mt. Vernon, Knox Co., Ohio, May 3, 1812.
His father, David Brown, was of German
descent, and died while Thomas was yet a boy.
The young man worked faithfully on the farm, and at the age
of thirty-one was united in marriage to Rachel
Mills, who was born Sept. 20, 1820, at Clear Springs,
Md., and came to Knox county, Ohio, in 1835. Her
ancestors were Scotch. They commenced life without any
property, but by careful work and economy they soon acquired
a comfortable competency. In 1850 they moved to Morrow
county, Ohio, and nine years afterward to Wood county, where
Mrs. Brown now resides. He, while
living, filled various offices, constable, justice of the
peace, etc. He was a faithful member of the Baptist
Church, of which he was for many years an officer, and to
this Church almost all of his children be long.
Perhaps no parents ever gave more careful attention to the
direction of the lives of their children, and few children
have followed more faithfully in the footsteps of their
parents. To the training received at the hon1e,all the
children attribute whatever success they may have acquired.
The word of Thomas Brown was always as good as
his note. He was the soul of honor, and be, together
with his most excellent wife, was held in the highest esteem
by his neighbors and friends. He died Apr. 25, 1887,
at the ripe age of seventy-five years. His wife still
remains at the old homestead, and makes a pleasant and happy
home for the frequent gatherings of her children.
Though quite old, he has successfully managed the farm and
has taken care of the business in such a way that it has
increased in value rather than decreased. She has
shown marked business ability in the manner in which she has
conducted the affairs of the estate.
To this couple were born seven children; three sons and
four daughters: Elizabeth Ellen, William
Thomas, Henry Baker, Emily Ann,
David Benton, Sarah Katherine
and M ary Emeline. Emily Ann died at the
age of two years, and all of the others with the exception
of one, are near the old homestead. The husbands of
Sarah Katherine and Mary Emeline
are also prosperous farmers, living in the immediate
vicinity of the old home. (1) Elizabeth Ellen
was married to John Stahl, Mar. 17, 1861.
Theirs was a happy marriage, but in 1867 Mr. Stahl
died, leaving no children. In 1872 Mrs.
Stahl married Milton Ashley, and is now
residing with her husband and one child at Bradner. Mr.
Ashley is a successful mechanic, and they have a very
pleasant home. To them two children have been born,
Allen and Dot. Allen died at the age
of ten years. (3) H. B. Brown was interested in
literary pursuits, and commenced teaching school when but a
boy. In 1871 he completed his course of study and
began teaching at the Northwestern Normal School at
Republic, Ohio, where he remained two years. In 1873
he established the Northern Indiana Normal School at
Valparaiso, Ind., at which place he has remained ever since.
The school has-been a great success. Starting with
thirty-five students and four teachers, it now has an
average of more than 2,000 students, with more than twenty
fully equipped departments and fifty teachers. He was
married in February, 1886, to Neva Axe, and to
them three children have been born, Helen A.,
Henry Kinsey, and Ruth A. (5) D. B.
Brown gave his attention to medicine, completing his
course at Cincinnati, Ohio, and since that time has had a
very successful practice at Pemberville, Ohio. He was
married on July 7, 1881, to Minnie Truman, and
to them three children have been born, Glen T.,
Dale B. and Neva B. (6) Sarah
Katherine was married to James Showalter,
Oct. 3, 1877. To them one child, Belva, has
been born. (7) Mary Emeline married
Joseph Jennings Dec. 24, 1878. To them
three children have been born, Rachel, Benson
and Guy.
William T. Brown, the subject proper of this
sketch, when young taught one term of school in Sandusky
county, then returned to his parents‘ home, where he
remained for two years. On Apr. 28, 1867, in
Montgomery township, he was united in marriage with Miss
Roena Stahl, who was born in Section 1, of the same town
ship, the daughter of Godfrey and Rosanna
Stahl. To them were born five children -
Hattie B., now the wife of L. O. Broyles, of
Montgomery township, and they have three children; John
T., at home; William R., who died Aug. 1, 1888,
at the age of fourteen years; and Jesse E.,
and Clarence B., also at home. The wife and
mother departed this life Oct. 16, 1888, dying in the faith
of the Methodist Protestant Church, and was laid to rest in
Bradner cemetery.
On his marriage our subject located on a rented farm in
Section 1, Montgomery township, and later lived at other
places until he purchased forty acres of land in Section 2,
of the same township, going in debt for much of the amount.
There he made his home for several years, but in the spring
of 1883 bought his present forty-acre farm in Section 1.
Mr. Brown has ever been quite a student, finding
great pleasure in reading, and is a patron of literature.
The cause of public education has always received his most
earnest support, for three years he served as a member of
the Bradner school board, and was also clerk of the board.
As was his father, so is he an earnest Democrat, and for two
terms was trustee of his township. Religiously he is a
Baptist.
Source: Commemorative Historical & Biographical
Record of Wood County, Ohio, Past & Present - Publ.
Chicago: J. H. Beers & Co. 1897 - Page 798 |
|
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WILSON W. BROWN,
one of the heroes of the Civil war, the engineer of the
train captured from the Confederacy by the famous
Mitchell raiders, is now living quietly on his
farm near Dowling, wearing his well-earned honors with the
modesty which becomes so brave and distinguished a soldier.
He was born in Fountain county, Ind., Dec. 25, 1839, the son
of Harlan S. Brown.
Possessing rare mechanical genius, our subject early
acquired a thorough knowledge of machinery, and before the
war served some years as engineer on the Mobile & Ohio
railroad. Just before hostilities began he returned
home, and in September, 1861, he enlisted in Company F, 21st
O. V. I., which was assigned to the army of the Cumberland.
He took part in the battles of Ivy Mountain, Shelbyville,
Ky., and many other engagements that occurred in the early
part of the war. When the 21st was encamped at
Shelbyville, Ky., he was detailed .by Gen. O. M. Mitchell
to go as engineer on the famous Mitchell raid
- the story of whose gallant exploits forms one of the most
thrilling chapters in the history of that time. He was
more fortunate than many of his companions, eight of whom
were hanged at Atlanta, Ga., while Mr. Brown,
with fourteen of his comrades, escaped to the North, but not
until they had endured three months of suffering and
hardship, did they reach the Union lines. Our subject
reported to his regiment, and went into active service
again, was appointed corporal by the colonel of the
regiment, and soon after was made sergeant of Company F,
21st O. V. I., for gallant and distinguished service.
He participated in the battle of Stone River, and, for his
bravery here, was granted a thirty-days' furlough and went
home. While at home he received orders to report at
Washington to depose in regard to the execution of his
comrades, and while there had personal interviews with
President Lincoln, Judge Holt, Gen. Hitchcock,
and Secretary Stanton, and, before leaving,
was presented with a gold medal from the hand of Mr.
Stanton. By a special act of Congress he was
promoted to 2nd lieutenant. After leaving Washington, he
returned to Ohio, and was ordered to report to Gov. Tod,
at Columbus, who presented him with his commission. He
then returned to his regiment and reported for duty as
acting lieutenant until a vacancy occurred, after engaging
in many battles, skirmishes and forced marches. He was
twice wounded at the battle of Chickamauga, having two
fingers shot from the left hand, and a severe wound in the
knee joint, for which wounds and his gallant service on the
Mitchell raid, he was given a pension of
twenty-four dollars per month by a special act of Congress.
He was mustered out May 15, 1864.
In 1863 Mr. Brown was married to Miss
Clarissa Loman, who was born in Fostoria, Ohio, Mar. 1,
1845. Ten children were born of this union: Emma H.,
married Samuel G. Cordery, and died at the age of
twenty-four, leaving one son - George W.; Alice M.
died in childhood; Ada Lodisca married Charles E.
Ward, of Toledo, and has two children - Rayman Oliver,
and Ruby Marie; Harlan S. is a carpenter in
Webster township, and married Miss Anna Beard, by
whom he has one daughter - Gladys; James W.
lives in Toledo (he married Cora Glenn and has one
child, Ethel G.); Mary M. resides in Toledo;
Mahlon T. is at home; Marquis A. lives in
Toledo; and Edith G. and Cecil Ulena
are at home.
After the close of the war, Mr. Brown
engaged in agricultural pursuits, and spent some years in
Logan and Hancock counties. In 1870 he established the
home in Perrysburg township, where he now resides. He is a
member of the G. A. R., and in politics is a Republican.
Source: Commemorative Historical & Biographical
Record of Wood County, Ohio, Past & Present - Publ.
Chicago: J. H. Beers & Co. 1897 - Page 722 |
NOTES:
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