Ashland City (part 27 of 57)
Part 27 of 57 of the account of this township in History of Ashland County, Ohio, published 1909. 15,864 words, covering 1 settlement. Source changes inside the text are labelled at the exact paragraph where the next book begins.
Contents
13 sectionsThe section headings the book prints inside this chapter, on this part. Each one jumps to where it begins.
Parts
57 pagesThe source prints this as one continuous account. It is split here so no single page grows too heavy to load; the text runs straight on across the parts and nothing is omitted.
- Part 1
- Part 2
- Part 3
- Part 4
- Part 5
- Part 6
- Part 7
- Part 8
- Part 9
- Part 10
- Part 11
- Part 12
- Part 13
- Part 14
- Part 15
- Part 16
- Part 17
- Part 18
- Part 19
- Part 20
- Part 21
- Part 22
- Part 23
- Part 24
- Part 25
- Part 26
- Part 27
- Part 28
- Part 29
- Part 30
- Part 31
- Part 32
- Part 33
- Part 34
- Part 35
- Part 36
- Part 37
- Part 38
- Part 39
- Part 40
- Part 41
- Part 42
- Part 43
- Part 44
- Part 45
- Part 46
- Part 47
- Part 48
- Part 49
- Part 50
- Part 51
- Part 52
- Part 53
- Part 54
- Part 55
- Part 56
- Part 57
The chapter
15,864 wordsReproduced complete and unedited from History of Ashland County, Ohio, published 1909. The text is machine-read from scans, so expect recognition errors: misspelled names, dropped words, and stray characters. Nothing has been corrected, because correcting a proper name invents one. The headings below are the books' own; source changes are labelled in place.
James B. Nelson, who was an only son, has always continued to reside on the old homestead place in Milton township, caring for his parents in their declining yfcars. His time and energies have always been devoted to the pursuits of general farming and for twenty-six years he likewise engaged in threshing, winning a commendable and gratifying degree of prosperity in his undertakings by reason of his unfaltering diligence and capable business management. Following his father's demise he bought out the other heirs to the home farm and as the years have gone by he has brought the property under a high state of cultivation and improvement, the fields annually yielding bounteous harvests of golden grain. On the 24th of May, 1900, Mr. Nelson was united in marriage to Miss Alma J. Burke, a daughter of Henry Burke. They now have two children : Blanche Ann, who was born in 1904 ; and Marshall Scott, whose birth occurred May 3, 1909.
In his political views Mr. Nelson is a stalwart advocate of the democracy and fraternally is connected with the Knights of Pythias, while in religious faith he is a Lutheran. Living in Ashland county throughout his entire life, his record is familiar to many of our readers and the fact that he is best liked where best known is an indication of an honorable, upright career.
Samuel A. Leech
A farm of two hundred and forty-six acres pays tribute to the cultivation bestowed upon it by Samuel A. Leech, whose life of well directed thrift and enterprise has brought him to his present position as one of the men of affluence in Mohican township. He has now passed the seventy-fourth milestone on life's journey but still gives supervision to his place. It was in the neighborhood of his present home, upon a farm in Mohican township, that he was born June 12, 1835, and in this locality he has always lived, so that his life history is well known to his fellow townsmen. They find in it no estoeric chapter, for his record has been such as would at all times bear close investigation and scrutiny. He represents one of the old families that Pennsylvania furnished to Ashland county. His parents, Gilbert and Sarah (Shearer) Leech, were both natives of Center county, Pennsylvania, and in that state were reared and married. The year 1831 witnessed their arrival in Ohio and the remainder of their days were spent as farming people in Ashland county. The father died ere the first half of the nineteenth century had reached its close, his death occurring July 6, 1849, when he was fifty-six years of age. His wife passed away in 1884 at the age of eighty-three years, her birth having occurred in 1801. She had long survived her husband and had here reared her family, numbering nine children, three of whom were born in Pennsylvania ere their removal westward to become pioneer settlers of Ashland county. In order of birth these sons and daughters of the family were: Matthew and William, both deceased; James, who died in childhood; Robert, who died in April, 1868; Samuel A.; Mrs. Martha Stentz, of Mohican township, who has been twice married, her first husband being a Mr. Sugler ; Sarah, the deceased wife of Levi Metcalf, who is represented elsewhere in this volume; Margaret, who died at the age of three years ; and David, now living in Iowa.
As a farm boy Samuel A. Leech was reared, his time being divided between the attainment of an education in the early rural schools, the pleasures of the playground and the work of the fields. His training at farm labor was not meager, for at an early age he began to assist his father in the cultivation and development of the fields upon the old homestead. The occupation to which he was reared he determined to make his life work and since 1871, or for a period of thirty-eight years, he has resided upon his present farm. He now owns two hundred and forty-six acres of productive land on which are two sets of farm buildings. This is a well improved property, for the buildings are substantial and in good repair and the fields are highly cultivated. The residence, the barns, sheds and cribs were all erected by Mr. Leech and stand as monuments to his thrift and progressive spirit. He early realized that there is no royal road "to wealth and that the present and not the future holds the opportunity. He has therefore improved each passing hour as it has gone by and each day has contributed in a measure to his success as he has carried on general farming and stock-raising. At one time he bought and shipped considerable stock and this proved a gratifying source of income. He has now in part left the work of his farm to others but still gives to it his personal supervision and in his management displays keen discernment.
In 1864 Mr. Leech was united in marriage to Miss Eliza Botclorf, who was born in Mohican township, in October, 1841, and died on the 31st of December, 1901, at the age of sixty years. She was a daughter of George Botdorf and by her marriage became the mother of one child, Hattie Bell, who is now the wife of John Metcalf, who is operating her father's farm. They have one child, Helen May. who was born July 24, 1904, and is now the light and life of the household. Comparatively few residents of this county have longer resided within its borders than has Samuel A. Leech, who is a representative of one of the old and honored pioneer families here. His own memory forms a connecting link between the primitive past and the progressive present, for he can remember when the homes were largely log cabins heated by a fireplace, over which hung the crane supporting the kettles, in which many savory dishes were boiled. The baking was done in the coals upon the hearth. The outdoor life and exercise gave a zest to appetites that made the meals greatly relished. In the fields the work was done by machinery that was quite crude in comparison to the farm implements in use at the present day. All farm work at that time was done by hand and energy and persistency of purpose constituted the features that enabled the agriculturist to till his fields and care for his crops. Mr. Leech has lived to see many changes in the methods of life, witnessing the introduction of the telegraph and the telephone, the building of the canals and later the building of the railroads. In his boyhood it would have seemed im possible for any one to ride over the country in carriages without horse powei but the automobile is today a common sight. Rural mail delivery has also been everywhere introduced and invention has brought to the farm all of the conveniences and comforts known to the city. The farm of which Mr. Leech is the owner indicates the spirit of progress that has been abroad in the land for many years and its cultivation has brought to him a substantial financial return.
Dr. W. H. Sampsel, one of the leading physicians and surgeons of Ashland whose prominence in the profession is indicated in the liberal and growing patronage accorded him, was born in Oskaloosa, Iowa, June 17, 1850. His parents were David S. and Lydia (Brown) Sampsel, natives of Columbiana and Stark counties respectively. The father was born in 1821 and represented one of the old families of Columbiana county, into which his parents removed on leaving their old home in Union county, Pennsylvania. David S. Sampsel, Sr. was one of five brothers, all of whom were physicians and at one time there were forty-two members of the medical fraternity in the family. The brothers of Dr. David S. Sampsel, Sr. were: Dr. Nicholas Sampsel, of Delaware, Ohio; Dr. J. B. F. Sampsel, of Ashland ; Dr. P. W. Sampsel, of Elyria, Ohio ; and Dr. Henry William Sampsel. All are now deceased, the last named having died in California.
In the county of his nativity Dr. D. S. Sampsel, Sr., read medicine under the direction of Dr. Beymer and later was graduated from the St. Louis Medical College. He entered upon active practice in Louisville, Stark county, Ohio, and was there married. Subsequently he removed to Wayne county, Ohio, where he remained for a short time and then went to Oskaloosa, Iowa, but in 1851 returned to this state and located in Ashland, where he remained in active practice for a period of forty-four years or until the .time of his demise, which occurred December 10, 1893. He was an able and learned man not only in the strict path of his profession but in other lines of knowledge as well. In early life he read law, was admitted to the bar and engaged in practice for two years. He was an able public speaker, possessing marked oratorical power and was always active in the ranks of the democracy, not only addressing the public upon the issues of the day during campaigns, but also serving in various official positions. For three terms he was mayor of Ashland and gave to the city a businesslike administration characterized by reform and progress. In all of his work in behalf of the municipality he was practical and his labors proved resultant factors. Under his administration the first street paving was done and stone sidewalks were laid. There has probably never been a citizen in Ashland who has done more real valuable service for the city than Dr. Sampsel.
He was also spoken of as the most active resident that Ashland has ever had and his record was at all times an honor and credit to the county which honored him. Highly gifted by nature, he used his native talents and acquired ability for the benefit of his fellowmen and for the adoption of higher ideals in all those departments of activity which constitute essential factors in the public life. At the time of the Civil war, constrained by a spirit of lofty patriotism, he put aside all business and personal considerations and went to the front as captain of Company K, Eighty-second Ohio Volunteer Infantry. He was injured while crossing the river on a log at the battle of Bull Run and was therefore compelled to resign, after which he returned home and resumed his professional duties in Ashland. He was several times a candidate for congress on the democratic ticket but the republican strength in this county has always been toq great to permit of the election of democratic candidates. In all personal relations he was honored and respected by all who knew him and he still has a firm hold upon the affections of those who knew him in life, for by them his memory is cherished and the recollection of his good work remains as an inspiration to all who were associated with him. Four of his sons followed in his professional footsteps, namely : Dr, D. S. Sampsel, who is mentioned on another page of this volume ; Dr. J. B. F. Sampsel, now deceased ; Dr. W. H. Sampsel, of this review ; and Dr. C. B. Sampsel, of Chicago, Illinois.
In his youthful days Dr. W. H. Sampsel attended the public schools of Ashland and supplemented his high school course there with a scientific course in the Ohio Wesleyan University at Delaware. He afterward attended Bryant & Stratton Business College at Cleveland and was there graduated in 1870. Subsequently he returned to Ashland and took up the study of law under Judge Thomas Kinney, in whose office he continued his reading for a year and a half but, thinking to find the practice of medicine more congenial, he entered his father, a well known, capable and prominent physician. In further preparation for this calling W. H. Sampsel, in the fall of 1873, entered the Jefferson Medical College of Philadelphia, where he completed the regular course and was graduated with the class of 1876. He then returned home and for a year was associated with his father in practice but his health failed him, owing to the fact that he was poisoned by chlorine gas in experimental work while in college. He went south to recuperate and spent four years in eastern and southern Texas, after which he returned to Ashland in 1882 and for two years practiced independently. He then again became associated with his father and the business relation between them was maintained up to the time of his father's death in 1893. Since that time Dr. W. H. Sampsel has practiced independently. His business experience and his study of the law have stood him in good stead. He has served repeatedly as expert witness in various murder and will trials and it was said of him by Judge Ryan, of Cleveland, that Dr. Sampsel was the best expert witness he ever had before him on the stand. He is moreover one of the most skilled physicians of Ashland, for he has been a most thorough and discriminating student and has carried his investigations far and wide into the realms of scientific knowledge bearing upon his chosen life work. He has pursued special courses in chemistry under Dr. Leffman, and in surgery under
Dr. William H. Pancoast. He has also taken a special course in minor surgery under Professor Samuel F. Gross. Ill health has again forced him largely to put aside the active duties of the profession and for four years he has spent the winter months in Florida.
In 1886, Dr. Sampsel was married to Miss Mary Louise Knoth, of Ashland. While he usually votes with the democratic party, he is broad and liberal in his views concerning politics and all vital matters of citizenship. He is now a non-affiliating member of the Masonic fraternity, and the Knights of Pythias lodge and has filled offices in those organizations. Having been a resident of Ashland county through the greater part of his life, he has a wide acquaintance here and his social qualities and genial disposition have made him popular. Nature and culture have vied in making him an interesting and entertaining gentleman and wherever he goes he wins the favorable regard of those whom he meets.
John Peterson Wolf
John Peterson Wolf, formerly identified with agricultural pursuits in Washington township, but now living retired in Loudonvile, was born March 22, 1848, in Green township, Ashland county, Ohio. A son of Warring and Sarah (Peterson) Wolf, he is the youngest in the family of four children. Reared under the parental roof, his time and attention were largely given to the duties of farm life and he remained on the homestead assisting his father in the cultivation of his crops until twenty-six years of age, when he engaged in farming on his own account, renting a farm northwest of Perrysville, which he operated for three years. At the expiration of that period he purchased eighty acres of farm land in Washington township, Holmes county, about three miles northeast of Loudon ville, and later added eighty acres more, his farm embracing altogether one hundred and sixty acres. Here he engaged in general farming for twenty-one years, bringing his fields under a high state of cultivation. During this period he prospered and became so successful that eventually he was enabled to retire from the active work of the farm and enjoy in well earned retirement the fruits of his former toil. In the spring in 1898 he removed to Loudon ville, where he owns a comfortable home on Wood street. He retains however, the ownership of the farm, which continues to be a source of substantial income to him.
In the year 1874, Mr. Wolf was united in marriage to Anna L. Workman, who was born March 2, 1855, in Washington township, Holmes county, Ohio, a daughter of Morgan and Jerusha (Priest) Workman. Her parents both spent their entire lives in the vicinity of Loudonville, where the Workman and Priest families settled during the early pioneer days and traded with the Indians. They are among the old families of the locality and both are represented extensively throughout this section of the county. Mr. and Mrs. Wolf became the parents of two children : Iona Pearl, who died at the age of twentyone years; and Iva Leone, the wife of George W. Carey, who resides with Mr.
Mr. Wolf is a member of the Baptist church of Loudonville, of which his father was one of the charter members, and is a trustee and deacon, being interested in the different phases of the church work. In politics he is a democrat but he has never held nor desired public office, preferring rather to concentrate his energies and attention upon his private interests which, carefully managed, have brought him a gratifying measure of success. Public-spirited in his citizenship and upright in his manhood, he has won the regard and esteem of his fellowmen and has drawn about himself a wide circle of warm friends.
George W. Carey
Although still a young man in years, George W. Carey has, through diligence and perseverance, advanced step by step in the business world until he now occupies a creditable place in business circles of Loudonville. A native of Green township, Ashland county, Ohio, he was born September 6, 1875, and with the exception of a year or two, has always lived in this locality. His parents, Charles Lincoln and Sarah E. (Stull) Carey, were natives of Ohio and Pennsylvania, respectively, the father having spent almost his entire life on the farm upon which the son was born.
Upon the homestead farm George W. Carey passed the days of his boyhood and youth, assisting his father in the work of the fields until 1899, when heYemoved to Montana and secured work there on a ranch. He remained thus actively engaged for only one year, when he returned to his former home. During his sojourn in Montana he had a very narrow escape, having been mistaken for another man and shot at three times, the bullets ploughing the earth at his feet. He subsequently came to Loudonville and was here employed in a furniture factory for six months. He then started to learn the barber's trade and after an apprenticeship of about six months he established himself in business on his own account. Beginning with a small three-chair shop, he gradually extended his business until eventually his enterprise was the largest of this kind in Loudonville. His connection with this line of activity extended from 1904 until 1908. In the latter year he sold his shop and became interested in the automobile business, to which he is now devoting his entire time. He is the agent for the Buick and Cameron air-cooled machines, and his energy and perseverance, combined with good business ability, are important factors in the success of the companies he represents in this district.
In 1903 was celebrated the marriage of George W. Carey and Iva Leone, a native of Ashland county and a daughter of John Peterson and Anna L. (Workman) Wolf, both natives of Ohio, who now reside in Loudonville. Extended mention of them is made on another page of this volume. In politics Mr. Carey is allied with the republican party, although the honors and emoluments of office have had no attraction for him, the duties of his private business affairs demanding his entire time and attention. He has been quick to recog- nize his opportunities and each change that has come to him has been a forward step in his business career. Mr. and Mrs. Carey have many friends in this city who entertain for them a warm regard.
John Huffman Staman
It is not alone the long years of his residence in Mifflin township that entitles John Huffman Staman to representation in this volume, but the kind of life that he has led, whereby he has become a valued citizen in the community. He has long been identified with its growth and industrial interests and at the same time has not been unknown in connection with public affairs. Today he is conducting his place as a summer resort as well as for the cultivation of the cereals best adapted to soil and climate and the Staman farm is popular with many summer visitors. Ashland county was a part of Richland county at the time of the birth of our subject, whose natal day was March 8, 1833, and the place of his nativity Mifflin township. His paternal grandparents were Jacob and Barbara (Ilershey) Staman, both natives of Pennsylvania. The father built a mill in Lancaster county, Pennsylvania, during the war of 1812, as did his brother-in-law, Jacob Musser. At that time wheat was selling at three dollars and sixty cents per bushel but when the war was over the price fell to sixty cents and they sufferd heavy losses, resulting in their failure. About eight years later they came to Ohio. The maternal grandparents of John K. Staman were Dr. John and Barbara (Brubaker) Huffman, natives of Pennsylvania. The Staman, Huffman, Brubaker, Ilershey and Musser families, together with many others, were Swiss Mennonites and were the first families who located in Lancaster county, Pennsylvania, by the invitation of William Penn in 1700. Later many of their descendants came to Ohio. After that first settlement colonies of Mennonites made the voyage to the new world and practically settled Lancaster county, Pennsylvania. The name of Staman was originally spelled Stelimann but has undergone various changes since the first of the name came to the new world, various spellings being adopted, including Staman, Stamen and Stemen. Removing westward to Ohio, Jacob and Barbara (Hershey) Staman spent their last days in Ashland county. Their son, Benjamin Staman, was the father of our subject. He was born in Lancaster county, Pennsylvania, as was his wife, Anna Huffman. However they came to Ashland county with their respective parents about 1827 and were married here, spending their remaining days in Mifflin township. The death of Airs. Staman occurred when she was seventy-three years of age, while Air. Staman reached the age of seventysix years, surviving his wife a number of years. He was a farmer and miller and lived a life of well directed industry and thrift. Unto them were born a family of five children: John K. ; Jacob B., who died at the age of nineteen
John Huffman Staman has spent his entire life in this county and has a very wide acquaintance here. During his boyhood days he was an invalid and at times it was thought that he would never reach manhood. The outdoor life however, proved beneficial and he gained his strength and vigor as the years went by. Through the period of his minority he worked on the home farm and in his father's sawmill. He had charge of the mill for forty-nine years as head sawyer, being employed there from the time that he was old enough to do any work in connection with the mill. He had advanced only a little distance on the journey of life when he took up the work of dressing lumber, and he became thoroughly conversant with every department of the business. As opportunity offered he acquired his education in the common schools and also taught school for one term. Afterward going to Ashland he there pursued some preparatory work and subsequently again engaged in teaching through two winter terms, having about ninety pupils for eleven days one term and one day nearly one hundred while teaching in the village of Mifflin. As it was impossible for one person to hear all of the classes he had the older scholars assist him in teaching the younger ones. It was regarded in the community as a splendid school, the work done being of a thorough and practical character. After he had taught his first term he commanded the highest price of any teacher in the township. Putting aside the work of the schoolroom, however, he concentrated his energies upon farming and milling. For three years, however, he had an interest in a tannery in Mansfield in association with the lumber. He was at one time the owner of one hundred and forty acres of the old homestead which comprised one hundred and eighty acres of land, being made up of parts of three quarter sections in Pleasant township on the north side of the village of Mifflin.
Mr. Staman now has a fine home and good outbuildings upon his farm, his residence being situated on a hill which is a natural, building site and commands a fine view of the surrounding country. With his own hands Mr. Staman aided in the erection of all of the buildings, for he is a natural mechanic and can do almost anything in wood or iron work. His life has been a very busy and useful one, in which there have been few leisure moments. He has made every hour count to the utmost and his place bears evidence of the care and labor which he has bestowed upon it. This is indeed one of the most beautiful spots in the county and during the past thirteen years Mr. Staman has entertained people from all parts of this country and has also had visitors from England, France, Switzerland and Holland, and no one has ever been dissatisfied with the accommodations afforded.
In 1869 Mr. Staman was united in marriage to Miss Elizabeth Graybill, who was born in this county in 1847, and is a daughter of Samuel and Elizabeth Graybill. Her father was a Swiss Mennonite, who went to. Germany and thence came to the new world. The home of Mr. and Mrs. Staman has. been blessed with five children : Annie, the wife of Harry Lemon, of Ashland ; Clara D., at home ; Willard G., living in Mifflin ; Frank K., who died at the age of twenty-three years; and Ray M., at home.
In his political views Mr. Staman is a stalwart republican. The family were originally whigs but all voted for Fremont, espousing the cause of the new republican party on its organization. Mr. Staman of this review has voted the state and national ticket since that time, never missing an election, for he believes that its principles contain the best elements of good government. He well remembers when William Henry Harrison visited this district during his presidential campaign, although he was but a little lad of seven years at the time. He has held school offices during the greater part of his life and the cause of education finds in him a warm and stalwart champion, for he recognizes the value of intellectual training as a preparation for life's practical and responsible duties. Religiously he is connected with the Lutheran church of Mifflin. He has now reached the age of seventy-six years and is still an active factor in the business interests of the township in which he has always lived. His record is indeed a creditable one, winning for him the confidence and good will of all who know him.
James B. Chase
James B. Chase, superintendent of the Ashland county infirmary, in which connection his service has been entirely satisfactory to all concerned, was born near Navarre, in Stark county, Ohio, August 27, 1856. He is a son of Hon. James E. and Jane (Doty) Chase, natives of Vermont and Ohio respectively. Both spent their last days, however, in Ashland county, where Mr. Chase died in 1900 at the age of seventy-six years, while his wife passed away in 1888 at the age of sixty-six years. He had taken up his abode in Stark county, Ohio, during his childhood days, accompanying his parents on their removal to this state, and there he was reared to farm life. He not only was prominent as an agriculturist but was also active in political circles and did not a little to mold public thought and opinion. For two terms he served in the state legislature as the representative from Stark county and after the Civil war broke out he represented Ashland county in the general assembly, his first election being followed by his selection for the position for a second term. It was in February, 1862, that he removed to this county and spent his remaining days upon a farm in Jackson township. He held a number of township and other local offices and was a life long democrat. His chief political service, however, was as a member of the Ohio assembly, where he gave earnest support to various valuable measures that are now found upon the statue books of the state. He was actuated in all that he did by a desire for the public good and his loyalty and patriotic service stood as an unquestioned fact in his career. Unto him and his wife were born seven children. Mary and Ellen were twins, the former now the widow of J. J. Moore of Effingham county, Illinois, while the latter is the widow of David Wise and resides in Polk, Ohio. Samantha A. is the wife of P. A. Myers, of Ashland. James B. is the fourth, in order of birth. Orlin D. is living in Cleveland. Sherwood M. is a resident of Columbus, and Nelson H., is residing in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
James B. Chase was five years of age when his parents removed to Ashland county, settling on a farm two miles south of Polk. There he was reared, his experiences being such as usually fall to the lot of farm lads. His early education, acquired in the district schools, was supplemented by study in the Polk high school and in the Lodi Academy and the Vermillion Institute at Hayes- ville. His education was all acquired in this county and after teaching for one term in the county, he spent five terms as a teacher in the schools of Effiingham county, Illinois, and three terms in Dakota territory. While in that section of the country he pre-empted one hundred and sixty acres of land in Spink county, began the improvement of the place and resided thereon for nearly five years.
Mr. Chase was married while in Illinois, the lady of his choice being Miss Fannie L. Landenberg, who was born near Frankfort, Kentucky, in 1858, and was a daughter of Aaron and Susan (Foster) Landenberg, who were natives of Kentucky but died in Illinois. It was on the 4th of January, 1883, that their daughter Fannie gave her hand in marriage to Mr. Chase. While they were living in Dakota the wife 's health failed and they returned to Ashland county in 1887. Mr. Chase then engaged in farming in Jackson township until appointed to his present position as superintendent of the Ashland county infirmary. His appointment was made on the 22d of October, 1903, and on the 1st of January, 1904, he assumed the duties of the position, in which he has since continued by annual reappointment.
Unto Mr. and Mrs. Chase were born two sons: Don L., a student in the Ohio State University, where he is pursuing a civil engineering course; and Fay E., who resides on his father's farm of fifty-three acres in Montgomery township. He married Dora Long, a daughter of David Long. The wife and mother passed away February 17, 1890, and on the 27th of April, 1892, Mr. Chase was again married, to Miss Lilly V. Landenberg, a sister of his first wife.
In his political views Mr. Chase is a democrat, always giving stanch support to the party. For two years he was appointed county infirmary superintendent when the board had a republican majority. While living in South Dakota he was clerk of the school board for three years, the board having charge of two civil townships. During his incumbency four schoolhouses were built and nineteen hundred dollars worth of bonds were sold. For the past twelve years he has been a member of the Knights of the Maccabees and is also a member of the Methodist Episcopal church of Ashland. Throughout his entire life he has commanded the confidence and good will of all who know him and his personal worth as well as his business ability entitles him to the position which he is now filling in a most creditable manner.
Maurice Frink
John and Mary Frink, remote ancestors of the subject of this review, came to this country from England in 1631, on the sailing vessel Lion, and settled in Massachusetts. The family is remarkable from a military point of view, having representatives in many of the country's wars, the great-great-grandfather, John Frink and four of his sons having participated in the struggle for American independence, in which conflict Thomas Frink, one of the sons, was fife major, the fife he played also being used by his son Thomas in the strife with Great Britain in the war of 1812, and again by a relative during the Civil war. It is a prized heirloom and highly treasured by Mrs. Trimble, a relative, as an evidence of the valuable services which her ancestors have rendered this country. The great-great-grandfather and great-grandfather of Maurice Frink were with General Washington at the battle of Saratoga, in which they acquitted themselves with bravery and distinction.
Maurice Frink's mother's people came from Bucks county, Pennsylvania, in the early '30s, settling in Orange township, this county, his paternal ancestors having also been pioneers of this part of the country, both families having engaged against the great odds of pioneer days with other settlers in their struggle to place themselves in circumstances favorable to their subsistence. Perry W. Frink, his father, wedded Mary A. Ling. He came with his parents from Madison county, New York, in 1836, and settled near Wellington where they remained for a year, subsequently removing to Sullivan township, which at that time was a dense forest. Mr. Frink later applied himself to his trade of shoemaking, conducting a shop until the year 1856,' his business prospering to such an extent as to require the employment of several hands, this number being required since in those days, there being no machinery for the manufacture of boots and shoes, these products had to be made solely by hand. In this business he acquired considerable means and finally gave up the occupation and resorted to farming, having purchased a tract of valuable land, on which he pursued agriculture until his death, February 1, 1903, and he was buried February 4, of that year on his eighty-third birthday anniversary, his wife departing this life October 13, 1892. Of their family those surviving are: Maurice; Jennie M., widow of A. S. Clarke, residing in Bradford, Pennsylvania; and Edwin P., who for many years was a railway mail clerk on the Pennsylvania lines but is now engaged in the real-estate business in the state of Washington.
Maurice Frink was employed on his father's farm, where he spent his boyhood days and youth, in the meantime acquiring his preliminary education in the district schools and subsequently pursuing a course of study in Oberlin College, after leaving which institution he taught in the district schools, of Medina county for four years during the winter term, working on the home farm the remaining months of the year. Following his marriage which occurred in 1879 Mr. Frink continued the pursuit of agriculture until 1892 when he established himself in the hay and grain business in Sullivan in company with his brother-in-law, George C. McConnell, continuing in this business until 1907, when he withdrew from the concern and now confines his energies to performing the duties of postmaster, to which station he was appointed in 1896.
On December 10, 1879, Mr. Frink wedded Miss Addie C. McConnell, daughter of Thomas and Margaret (Miller) McConnell, her father being a prominent farmer and influential citizen of Jackson township, and to this union were born two children : Clara M., who passed away in 1900 in her seventeenth year and who had been graduated from the Sullivan high school and was esteemed for her rare attainments; and Leon M., who wedded Lulu, daughter of Ernest A. and Ina Johnson, residents of South Dakota, the young couple having two children, Yvonne and Enid A. Mr. Frink has served Sullivan township in a number of political capacities, having been assessor for three years and justice of the peace for nine years, declining to serve longer in the last named office and aside from being a notary public, the duties of which office he has been performing for a long season, he is clerk of the township and of the board of education. In politics he is a republican, active in the affairs of his party and is an ardent supporter of measures purposing the betterment of the conditions of the community. Being a public spirited citizen, who desires the business progress of the community, he has engaged in promoting a number of enterprises and was active in the organization of the Sullivan Telephone Company, which has developed into a strong local concern, of which he is secretary, being a man of excellent executive judgment, he has been successful in all his business undertakings, having by his industry and enterprise accumulated a comfortable fortune and is now living in retirement as a substantial citizen of this place, justly meriting the reputation he courts as a leading and worthy citizen.
Nathaniel McDowell Coe was numbered among the honored veterans of the Civil war and was a citizen whose influence was always given on the side of progress, reform and improvement. He had long been connected with agricultural interests and was thus identified with the business affairs of the community, his home being located on section 33, Green township, where he owned and cultivated one hundred and sixty acres of land. He was born near Dalton, Wayne county, Ohio, May 26, 1834, a son of James and Maria (McDowell) Coe, natives of Jefferson county, Ohio, and Washington county, Pennsylvania, respectively. The father died on the old home farm in Hanover township, this county, while the mother afterward spent eight years in the home of her son, Nathaniel, and then passed away. They were the parents of ten children, of whom one son, Joseph, was mortally wounded at the battle of Chickamauga and died a few days later.
Nathaniel M. Coe, whose name introduces. this record, spent the first eleven years of his life in the county of his nativity and the work of the farm in all of its various phases became familiar to him. In 1845 the family removed to Ashland county, settling in Hanover township upon a farm bordering Clear Pork. There Nathaniel Coe remained until his marriage, when he purchased the farm that now belongs to his widow, making his home thereon until his death. He was an enterprising, practical and progressive man, his place of one .hundred and sixty acres, situated on section 33, Green township, a mile and a half south of Perrysville, being a well improved property. He brought the fields under a high state of cultivation, erected good buildings upon his land, divided the place into fields of convenient size, had well kept fences and secured the latest improved machinery to promote the farm work. He taught school in early life but otherwise gave his attention entirely to general agricultural pursuits throughout his business career.
There came an interruption to his work, however, in his service in the Civil war for in May, 1861, Mr. Coe responded to the country's call for troops, enlisting as a member of Company E, Sixteenth Ohio Volunteer Infantry, at the call for seventy-five thousand men to serve for three months. On the expiration of that term he reenlisted on the 10th of October, 1861, becoming a member of Company E, Sixty-fourth Ohio Volunteer Infantry, with which he served until December 4, 1864. He then again offered his services to the government, veteranizing as a member of Company H, Sixth Regiment of United States Veteran Volunteer Infantry on the 22d of March, 1865. Under this enlistment he served until the 21st of March, 1866. He was sergeant during his three years' term of service and did clerical duty in the adjutant general's office during his third enlistment. He was three times wounded and on other occasions his clothing was pierced by bullets. At the battle of Chickamauga he sustained a wound in the leg and fell into the hands of the rebels but was exchanged on parole on the 28th of September, 1863. He returned to the regiment which, in the following May, participated in the Atlanta campaign, and he was wounded in the battle of Franklin, but not severely. That was the most hotly contested engagement in which he participated throughout the war and he was in the thickest of the fight. He continued on military duty until almost a year after the surrender of General Lee and his record was that of a brave and fearless soldier who never faltered in his allegiance to the old flag and the cause which it represented.
Following his return from the war Mr. Coe was married in 1867 and not long afterward purchased a farm, turning' his attention to general agricultural pursuits. He also gave his attention to other pursuits, having in 1888 purchased the Perrysville mills, which he operated until 1894. As stated it was in 1867, that Mr. Coe was married, the lady of his choice being Miss Letitia Jane Tannehill, who was born August 24, 1838, on the farm where she now resides and which has always been her home. Her parents were Melzar and Sarah (Oliver) Tannehill, the former born in Butler county, Pennsylvania, June 18, 1801, while the mother's birth occurred in Beaver county, Pennsylvania, May 8, 1797. He was a son of Melzar and Eleanor (Lyle) Tannehill. The Tannehill family is of Scotch lineage and was founded in America by John Tannehill, the father of Melzar Tannehill, Sr., who, with two brothers, came to America about 1745. He married Rachael, a daughter of John and Rachael Adamson, who were natives of England. Mr. and Mrs. John Tannehill had eight sons, of whom Adamson, Josiah and Bazil, the three oldest, served in the Revolutionary war, the first two holding official rank. The last named died on board the old Jersey prison ship. Adamson Tannehill was born June 23, 1750, in Maryland, and was the first to volunteer for service in the war for independence. He enlisted from Maryland in 1775 as a duty sergeant in a company commanded by Captain Price and in September following he was promoted to the third lieutenancy in the same company while before Boston, and soon afterward was commissioned with rank of first lieutenant and later Captain. He was present at the capture of the Hessians at Trenton and was also at Princeton when the enemy abandoned that place. The remainder of the campaign was spent in the enemy's lines with a special command from General Washington. In 1777 he joined the celebrated Partisans Rifle Corps (sharpshooters) under General Daniel Morgan and acted as his body guard on the day on which Burgoyne surrendered his troops to Morgan at Saratoga. Subsequently he marched to Frederickstown with a detachment of prisoners taken on that occasion and was later ordered to Fort Pitt with the remainder of Rawling's regiment which he commanded after the reorganization of the American army. At the close of the war he was breveted lieutenant colonel, spending his remaining days in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania. At the time of the second war with England he again offered his aid to the country and served as a brigadier general in the war of 1812. He was a very prominent and influential man in his part of the state and was twice elected to represent Allegheny county in congress. He died December 23, 1820. The other two;, brothers, although perhaps less distinguished, were no less faithful to their country in the time of peril. Melzar Tannehill, Sr., another son of the same family, having arrived at years of maturity, was married to Miss Eleanor Lyle, who was born September 10, 1767, in Ireland and in her girlhood days went to Pennsylvania with her parents, Charles and Letitia (Campbell) Lyle. They established their home in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, in 1774 and afterward went to Pittsburg. They had three daughters and one son, including Mrs. Melzar Tannehill, Sr. In 1810 Melzar Tannehill, Sr., came to this county and entered from the government a farm upon which his granddaughter, Mrs. Coe, now resides. In the following spring he removed his family to the place and established his home in the midst of the western wilderness. Two of his sons, Charles and Bazil, had come ahead of the family, had cleared a field, planted some corn and built a cabin, so that some preparation had been made for the other members of the household upon their arrival. Mr. and Mrs. Melzar Tannehill, Sr., spent their remaining days upon this place. They had a family of ten children, one of whom died in Pennsylvania, while the others came to Ashland county. During the spring after his arrival Mr. Tannehill set out an orchard which was propagated by seed given by that well known philanthropist who realized what it would mean to future generations to have orchards planted throughout the country, so largely distributing free seeds that he was called throughout the west "Johnnie Appleseed. 9 9
His son, Melzar Tannehill, Jr., was but ten years of age when the family arrived in Ohio and here he was reared amid the wild scenes of frontier life. Having arrived at adult age he wedded Sarah Oliver, a daughter of Allen and Elizabeth (Kinney) Oliver. Her paternal grandparents were Daniel and Mary Oliver, who removed from New Jersey to Washington county, Pennsylvania, after the Revolutionary war. Her maternal grandparents were Louis and Mary (Brower) Kinney, natives of New Jersey, who removed to Washington county, Pennsylvania, and afterward to Ashland county, Ohio, where their last days were passed. Their daughter Elizabeth was born in New Jersey, November 9, 1762, and in early womanhood gave her hand in marriage to Allen Oliver, who was born in Sussex county, New Jersey, in May, 1759. They became the maternal grandparents of Mrs. Coe. Mr. Oliver died near Perrysville Ohio September 28, 1823, and his wife died in the same locality October 13, 1828. It was their daughter Letitia Jane who became the wife of Mr. Coe. She was one of a family of five children. Elizabeth became the wife of James A. Van Horn and after his death married Wilson Enos. Her death occurred in 1900. Charles Lyle, the second member of the family, died February 12, 1908, at Pine Bluff, Arkansas, where he spent the greater part of his life. Nancy Eleanor resides with Mrs. Coe. Mary died in 1884. Mrs. Coe is the youngest and by her marriage became the mother of seven children : Stella Grace, Eleanor Winifred and Anna Louise, all at home ; Mary Leila, the wife of H. M. Doty, residing in Reading, Pennsylvania; Sarah Letitia, the wife of L. F. Ayers, whose home is about a mile west of Loudonville ; and Olive Maria, at home. The only son of the family, J. Willard, died in infancy.
In his political views Mr. Coe was a stalwart republican and his fellow townsmen called him to serve in several local offices. He filled the position of township trustee and was also officially connected with the schools. He was deeply interested in the intellectual and moral progress of the community and was a devoted and consistent member of the Presbyterian church of Perrysville, in which he served as an elder for twenty-four years and as a trustee and treasurer for many years. He belonged to Zeigler Post, G. A. R., of Perrysville, and was very active in temperance work, and in fact supported every movement which he believed would aid in uplifting humanity and promoting the moral progress of the community. In matters of citizenship he was as true and loyal to his country as when he followed the old flag on southern battlefields. Friendship was to him no mere idle term. He was always loyal to those in whom he reposed confidence and he judged men, not by their position, but by their character worth. He left to his family the priceless heritage of an untarnished name and in Ashland county those of his household who survive him are proving themselves, as he ever did, worthy citizens of the community. After a useful and well spent life he passed away February 15, 1897.
Solomon Hohensiiil
Eighty years ago Chester township was an almost unbroken portion and in the midst of a heavily wooded district stood a little log cabin in which Solomon Hohenshil was born, his natal day being January 6, 1829. His parents were Conrad and Barbara (Painter) Hohenshil, both of whom were natives of Westmoreland county, Pennsylvania. Both the paternal and maternal grandparents came from Germany and settled in the Keystone state prior to the opening of the Revolutionary war. The grandfather Hohenshil acted as teamster for the colonial army during the progress of hostilities and when away from home the British troops made a raid upon his place and burned the house.
In the early years of the nineteenth century John Painter, the maternal grandfather, came to Ohio and entered the land upon which his son-in-law, Conrad Hohenshil, located in 1822. At that time the entire tract was covered with forest, the trees were very thick and in fact the wooded regions were so dense that a clearing had to be made for a space upon which to build a little cabin home.
In that primitive dwelling Mr. -and Mrs. Conrad Hohenshil began their married life. The house had a puncheon floor and the wide fireplace served both for heating and cooking. There was much wild game to be had and it furnished food and also offered excitement to those who enjoyed hunting. Mr. Painter had three tracts of land entered, two of one hundred and sixty acres each and one of eighty acres, upon which Conrad Hohenshil located. There in the little cabin home he reared his family. Unto him and his wife were born eight children, Peter, Mary, John, Solomon, Lydia, Sarah, Caroline and Ely. The last named died in youth, while the others all grew to manhood and womanhood and remained residents of Ohio with the exception of Lydia, who died at her home near Bay City, Michigan, in the spring of 1908. The other sisters are all living but Solomon Hohenshil is the only son who survives. The father was a shoemaker by trade and worked at that occupation during the winter months. He cleared his land and tilled the soil during the summer seasons until his sons were able to take charge of the cultivation of the fields, after which he gave his entire time and energies to shoemaking until his death, which occurred December 2, 1873. His wife died July 2, 1838. He had accumulated a substantial competency, having given his entire attention to his business affairs. He was a quiet and conservative man and in early life a devoted member of the Lutheran church, while later he became connected with the United Brethren church. He reared his family to reverence God and morality and to follow the strictest principles of integrity.
Solomon Hohenshil remained on the old home farm until nineteen years of age and obtained his education in a little log sehoolhouse in the midst of the forest. He then took up the tinner's trade under the direction of a cousin, Jacob Painter, at Congress, Wayne county, Ohio, and after completing his apprenticeship acted as manager of a tin shop in Pittsburg, Ohio, for one year and also spent a year in the same way in Lattsburg, Ohio. In March, 1851, he engaged in the tinning and hardware business on his own account in Rowsburg and is the only business man now living who resided in that village when he took up his abode there. In addition to conducting a hardware store he has also handled farm implements and has been recognized as one of the reliable and representative merchants of the community, winning the trust and esteem of those with whom he has come in contact through business or social relations.
On the 1st of May, 1850, Mr. Hohenshil was married to Miss Catherine McHose, a daughter of Isaac McHose, a native of Luzerne county, Pennsylvania, who came to Ohio late in life. In the east he had engaged in the milling and hotel business. Mr. and Mrs. Hohenshil have one daughter, Allavista S., now the wife of F. E. Myers, a prominent manufacturer of Ashland. Mrs. Hohenshil departed this life June 5, 1900, and was laid to rest in a cemetery at Rowsburg. She had for many years held*a prominent place in the life of that village and her many admirable qualities won her the friendship and love of those with whom she was associated.
In his political views Mr. Hohenshil is a democrat in his belief concerning principles, yet he is so strongly partisan that he will not vote for a republican when he thinks the best interests of the community will be conserved thereby. He has held the office of township treasurer for more than twenty years, was justice of the peace six years and was school director for many years. In all these positions he has discharged his duties with a singleness of purpose that none has questioned and his reelection indicates the trust reposed in him. His influence is always on the side of justice, truth and right. When twelve years of age he joined the United Brethren church and has since been loyal to its teachings. He has held various offices in the church, has been superintendent of the Sunday school for years and has always been a church and Sunday school worker. He wisely values his own self-respect and that of his fellowmen as infinitely preferable to wealth, fame or position and while he is now comfortably situated in life, he has never won his success at the cost of his honor nor at the sacrifice of the interests of others.
George W. Emerick
George W. Emerick, one of the county commissioners, serving now for the third year while his incumbency will continue for two years more, is also accounted one of the enterprising and progressive agriculturalists of Lake township. He owns and occupies a farm that has long been in possession of the family. He is the son of Jacob and Sarah (Green) Emerick and a grandson of John and Mary (Troutman) Emerick. His grandfather died here of smallpox many years ago, after which the grandmother went to Van Wert county, Ohio, for a visit and there passed away ten years following her husband's demise. They had a family of five sons and five daughters, all of whom reached adult age.
Jacob Emerick, father of George W. Emerick, was born in Lancaster county Pennsylvania, and accompanied his parents to Ashland county in .1820. He purchased a farm of about four hundred acres on the west side of Mohican creek in Lake township, there built a cabin and made a clearing, after which he returned to Pennsylvania and the following year brought his family to this state. The remainder of his life was here passed. He entered his land from the government and gave his time and attention to its cultivation and development throughout his remaining days. He was prominent in public affairs and served as county commissioner for some years. He wedded Miss Sarah Green, who was born in Licking county, Ohio, and they became the parents of five sons and five daughters. The father departed this life in 1864 at the age of fifty-six years, while the mother died in 1885 at the age of eighty years. Of their children seven are deceased, while one brother and one sister of our subject are yet living.
George W. Emerick is the youngest of the three who survive. He has always resided on the farm which is now his home and which is a tract of rich land of one hundred and sixty acres, covering the southeast quarter of section 3, Lake township. There are good buildings upon it and it is a well improved property, lacking in none of the accessories and conveniences of a model farm. Mr. Emerick has built two barns and his own dwelling and has remodeled the other dwelling upon the place, which is occupied by Noah Stull and wife. There are two entire sets of buildings upon the farm and everything is kept in a state of good repair, indicating the enterprising spirit of the owner.
Mr. And Mrs. G. W. Emerick
In 1864 occurred the marriage of George W. Emeriek and Miss Caroline Crumliek, who was born in Plain township, Wayne county, Ohio, October 2, 1841, and there resided until her marriage, spending her girlhood days in the home of her parents, John and Katharine (Stinger) Crumliek, both of whom were natives of Franklin county, Pennsylvania. They became early residents of Wayne county, Ohio, where they lived until called to the home beyond. Their family numbered ten children, of whom two died in infancy. Unto Mr. and Mrs. Emeriek were born seven children : Lillian, at home ; Philora, the wife of Stewart Greenlee, living in Mansfield; Thurman, who died at the age of eight years; Noah, a resident of Ashland county; John, residing in Vermillion township ; Dora, the wife of Charles Kick, of Mohican ; and Cloyd, whose home is in Cleveland.
Since age conferred upon him the right of franchise Mr. Emeriek has been a stalwart supporter of the democracy and is recognized as one of the leaders of the party in this portion of the county. He is proving a most acceptable official in the office of county commissioner, in which he has already served for three years, while his present term will continue for two years more. He was also a trustee of Lake township for about eighteen years and has ever been most prompt and faithful in the discharge of his official duties. Fraternally he is connected with the Masons and in his life exemplifies the beneficent spirit of the craft. He is entirely free from ostentation and display and is recognized as a representative man whose strongly marked characteristics are those which make for good citizenship as well as for enterprise in business. The farm which he owns has never been out of the possession of the family, having had but two owners, Mr. Emeriek of this review, and his father.
Dr. F. Cowan, one of the best known physicians of Ashland, was born here in 1848, a son of Dr. J. P. and Mary Jane (Hooker) Cowan. The father was a native of Washington county, Pennsylvania, born in 1823, and located in Ashland county, Ohio, in 1846. The mother, whose birth occurred in 1828, is still living in Marion, Ohio. Dr. J. P. Cowan was a graduate of the Starling Medical College, of Columbus, Ohio, and practiced in Ashland county from 1846 until his death, which occurred in 1895. His medical skill and surgical ability gave him an excellent reputation throughout this section of the state and he was frequently called for consultation by the members of the fraternity, being particularly successful in surgical operations, in which he was noted for his care and exactness. He took a deep interest in politics and was very influential throughout the county. He was a member of the Ohio state legislature from 1855 until 1859 and was a member of congress in 1874, serving one term in that honorable body. He was not only well known for his professional abilities and political advancement but also as a business man for he dealt considerably in real estate, being quite successful in his transactions. He was a Royal Arch Mason and a democrat in politics, a strong and able advocate of the principles of his party, to whose candidates he was always loyal. Amid his pressing professional and business affairs he never lost sight of his religious obligations and attended divine services at the Methodist church, of which he was a member. Being a man of good character, he entertained an excellent reputation throughout the county wherein his usefulness as a physician will long be remembered. In his family were nine children, the surviving ones being: Dr. F., born in 1848 ; William F., born in 1859; Lucy Horseman, whose birth occurred in 1861 and who resides at Marion, this state; and Edgar II., who was born in 1864 and who also resides in that city.
The common schools of this city afforded Dr. F. Cowan his preliminary educational advantages and after completing a course of study in the high school he entered the College of Physicians & Surgeons, of Cleveland, Ohio, subsequently taking a post-graduate course in the Long Island Medical College, of New York, being graduated from that institution in 1872. He then began the practice of medicine in Ashland, where he has since been following his profession. He is a man of wide learning in the department of materia medica and is also a skilled surgeon, his popularity as a practitioner winning him an extensive and remunerative patronage.
In 1872 Dr. Cowan was united in marriage to Miss Retta A. Bushnell, by whom he has had tWo daughters, Carrie C. (Cowan) Duff, of Ashland; and Helen O. (Cowan) Warner, who resides in Mansfield, this state. Politically the Doctor is a democrat and, having given scrutinizing study to the principles of his party, is convinced of their feasibility to promote the nation's welfare and is always loyal to its candidates. He is prominent in Masonic circles and is a member of the Methodist church. Being a man whose scholarly habits keep him abreast of the times in all the departments of his profession, his career has been attended with the greatest usefulness and he is popular throughout the county as a physician and surgeon and also as an honorable and worthy citizen.
Anson Hyde, an agriculturist and stock breeder of Sullivan township, this county, was born in Chatham township, Medina county, Ohio, July 5, 1852, a son of Henry and Sarah M. (Johnson) Hyde. His father's family came from Lancaster county, Pennsylvania, and his mother's from Vermont to this state in the early pioneer days, here following agricultural pursuits. The elder Mr. Hyde inherited the land on which his father had settled and which he himself in his boyhood days had helped to clear and improve. He resided upon it with his wife until they departed this life.
Amid the duties and experiences of farm life Anson Hyde spent his boyhood days, attending the district school during the winter season. After completing his studies there instead of going back to the farm he was apprenticed to a shoemaker, with whom he learned the trade, becoming a journeyman. He next turned his attention to making cheese and butter, which at that time was a lucrative industry in this county and for twenty-one years he conducted a cheese and butter factory in Sullivan township for the same firm. This long period of service with one company bears witness to his skill, business ability and industry. In 1892 he resigned the management of the concern and engaged in agricultural pursuits on the farm on which he now resides, the property being commonly known as the old James Dunlap farm. It contains two hundred and five acres, all of which is tillable with the exception of twenty acres of timber land, and the entire tract is well improved, thoroughly drained and is under a high state of cultivation. Here he engages in general farming and, being a student of soils and the rotation of crops, his production is of an excellent quality. In addition to raising general crops he has a herd of milk cows and disposes of their product to local creameries. He has practically spent his entire life in a study of milk giving cattle and perhaps knows as much if not more about the breeding of that class of animal, in order to bring it to its highest state of perfection, than any other man in the county or, in fact, in the state. He handles only thoroughbred Holstein stock, for which he has a wide reputation, and his herds are recognized as among the very best in the state, his kine finding a ready market. He is called upon to ship yearly quite a number of head throughout this and adjoining states. He gives considerable attention to the various kinds of stock and aside from breeding cattle he also raises draft horses, sheep and hogs, doing quite a shipping business.
On January 28, 1874, Mr. Hyde wedded Jennie Gordon, daughter of John and Rebecca (Mellon) Gordon, her father being a well known stockman and agriculturist of Orange township. To this union have been born four children, all of whom are graduates of Sullivan Central high school, namely: Arthur G., a physician of Cleveland, Ohio, and Charles W., who practices medicine in Washington, D. C. Both were students at Hiram College, the former having left that institution in his second year to serve in the Spanish-American war as a member of the hospital corps. David C., another son, is a student in the veterinary department of the Ohio State University, and the fourth child, a daughter, is a trained nurse at St. Luke's Hospital, Cleveland, Ohio.
In politics Mr. Hyde is a republican and, being very active in party matters, he is a member of the county central committee of Sullivan township, also a member of the county board of elections and has frequently been chosen as a delegate to county, district and state conventions. Locally he has taken considerable interest in public affairs, having served the township as trustee for fourteen years and at his first election to that office enjoyed the unusual experience of reciving every vote cast in the township. For a period of sixteen years he has been a member of the central district board of education, of which he is now president, and in 1902 he was appointed by the court as receiver for the Ashland Patrons Mutual Fire Insurance Company, the tangled business affairs of which he is endeavoring to unravel and will soon be able to make a satisfactory report. He has always endeavored to be of the highest service to the community and is an agitator of good roads and of an excellent school system, is a firm believer in taxation for immediate benefits and, being a public-spirited citizen, is always ready to further every movement which has for its object the better- ment of the community. Among the fraternal organizations with which he is associated is lodge No. 245, Knights of the Maccabees, and, being a man who is as faithful to his religious obligations as to the performance of his business duties, he and the members of his family attend divine services at the Christian church, to which all are liberal contributors. Through his industry and enterprise Mr. Hyde has been very beneficial to the community and has the respect and confidence of his neighbors.
Clarence Lee Morton
Clarence Lee Morton is the cashier of the Perrvsville Banking Company and has been otherwise connected with the business and public interests of the community, his efforts being a valuable factor in the work of general upbuilding. He was born near Tiro, in Crawford county, Ohio, March 13, 1865, a son of Norman and Elizabeth (Brown) Morton, the former a native of Richland county, this state, born November 30, 1832. He was a carpenter in his younger days but later turned his attention to general agricultural pursuits. About 1881 he removed with his family from Crawford county to Richland county, settling near Crestline. He died June 8, 1889, and his widow, a native of this state, now resides in Delaware, Ohio. They were the parents of six sons and one daughter.
Clarence Lee Morton was reared on the old homestead farm where his birth occurred until he reached the age of sixteen years, when he accompanied his parents on their removal to Richland county and there lived until twenty-two years of age. He supplemented his public-school education by study in the Ohio Business College at Mansfield and began providing for his own support by clerking in a store and also assisting in the postoffice at Tiro. He likewise spent three or four years in Gabon, Ohio, but in 1893 returned to Tiro where he continued to make his home until 1900. That year witnessed his arrival in Perrysville and he accepted his present position as cashier of the Perrvsville Banking Company. He was well qualified for the- position for in 1896 he had become connected with banking interests in Tiro and his experience brought him comprehensive knowledge of the business. He was also deputy postmaster in Tiro during both administrations of President Cleveland. A resourceful man, energetic and determined, his worth is widely acknowledged in the business circles of Perrysville where he is not only a representative of banking interests but is also the secretary and treasurer of the Twentieth Century Clay Products Company.
On the 15th of February, 1888, Mr. Morton was married to Miss Rosa A. Barr, who died on the 14th of November, 1893* leaving one son, Ansel. On the 10th of May, 1896, Mr. Morton was again married, his second union being with Minnie Y. Stark, who died in March, 1898. On the 28th of November, 1901, he wedded Miss Ina J. Moore and they had two children : John A., who was born October 1, 1902, and died July 9, 1908 ; and Esther E., who was born April 18, 1908.
In community affairs since coming to Perrysville Mr. Morton has token an active and helpful interest and is now serving for the third term as treasurer of Green township. He has been a life-long democrat and keeps well informed on questions and issues of the day, so that he is able to support his position by intelligent argument. He belongs to the Methodist Episcopal church and to the Modern Woodmen Camp. He is a man of discriminating judgment who carries forward to successful completion whatever he undertakes and not only in business circles is his worth acknowledged but also in the social life of the community where his circle of friends is almost coextensive with the circle of his acquaintances.
The name of Fuller has long been prominently and honorably associated with the practice of medicine in Loudonville, for not only does the subject of this review engage in professional labors of that character but also comes of an ancestry closely associated with the profession, both his father and his grandfather having practiced here. The latter was Dr. E. B. Fuller, who was born in New York, July 8, 1799. Having qualified for the practice of medicine, he located in Loudonville in 1831 and continued to devote his time and energies to the alleviation of human suffering and the restoration of health until his own labors were ended in death in December, 1867. In early manhood he had married Sarah Culver, who was born in Tioga county, Pennsylvania, February 16, 1804. They were prominent in the social life of the community and aside from his professional duties Dr. E. B. Fuller was also active in various other lines which have been essential factors in the progress, upbuilding and advancement of the community. He was a member of the Methodist Episcopal church and his practical Christianity found expression in the aid which he gave to many who needed professional assistance but were unable to pay the customary charge. His political support was given to the democracy and yet he was liberal in his views, not holding strictly to partisan lines. He greatly opposed the fugitive slave law and as early as 1856 fugitive slaves were brought to his home early in the morning. He then fed them and sent them on to the home of Robert Wilson, where they were cared for until\he chance came to take them to others who would assist them still farther on their way, preventing their recapture by the United States marshals. He left the impress of his individuality upon the community by reason of his strong intellectuality, his public spirit and his devotion to high ideals. He was the father of ten children : Catharine, who became the wife of Gilbert Pell and after his death married Calvin Hibbard; Hannah, who became the wife of Samuel B. Smith ; Susan, the wife of J. W. Hildebrand ; Laverna, the wife of Y. C. Case ; Sarah M., the first wife of Dr. A. J. Scott ; Elizabeth Content, the wife of J. W. Stacker; Christian, the second wife of Dr. A. J. Scott; Amassa Culver ; Amos B. ; and Elodine.
Dr. Amos B. Fuller, the father of our subject, was born in Loudonville, July 23, 1842, and spent his entire life here. He enjoyed an extensive practice during the thirty-five years of his connection with the medical fraternity. He took up the study of medicine under the direction of his father and began practice in 1862, when twenty years of age. After the outbreak of the Civil war he offered his services to the government and became surgeon of the One Hundred and Twentieth Ohio Volunteer Infantry. Following his return from the army he continued his studies in the Jefferson Medical College of Philadelphia from which place he graduated with the degree of M. D. in 1867. In 1872 he pursued a post-graduate course in the Bellevue Medical College of NewT York. He was at all times a close and earnest student of his profession, desiring that his labors should be most efficacious in checking the ravages of disease. He was moreover a man of kindly sympathy and of hopefulness, who inspired his patients by his cheery presence. In 1868 he was united in marriage to Miss Mary E. Stewart, who was born in Loudonville, August 23, 1842, and was therefore just exactly one month his junior. They established their home in their native city and here continued to reside until called to their final rest. Dr. Fuller remained in the active practice of medicine throughout his entire life and for a number of years was a partner of Dr. William IT. Wirt. His success was of a substantial character, owing to his thorough understanding of the scientific principles underlying his profession and his correct application thereof to the needs of his patients. He was a consistent and devoted member of the Methodist Episcopal church. His wife was one of seventeen original members or founders of the Presbyterian church of Loudonville. The latter died May 8, 1891, while the death of Dr. Fuller occurred April 8, 1899, at the home of Fred Swan of Pomona, California. Their demise was a matter of deep regret to many, for they had an extensive circle of warm friends throughout Loudonville and this part of the county. Their family numbered four children: Mary M., the wife of Francis L. Niederheiser, who is city engineer of Bueyrus, Ohio ; Grace J., who is principal of the Dorset school; Gaillard B. ; and Stewart E., who died at the age of two years.
Dr. Gaillard B. Fuller spent his youthful days in his parents' home and at the usual age entered the public schools, where he passed through consecutive grades to his graduation from the Loudonville high school in the class of 1895. He then took up the study of medicine with his father and the latter's partner, Dr. W. II. Wirt, and afterward spent two years in the Ohio Wesleyan University at Delaware. He was also for two years a student in the University of Wooster, subsequent to which time he made an extended trip through the south and west with his father for the benefit of the latter's health, but the change of climate did not bring about the desired cure and Dr. Amos Fuller passed away in California, April 8, 1899, his son bringing the remains back to Loudonville for interment. In the fall of 1900 the son entered the Jefferson Medical College of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and was graduated therefrom with the class of 1904. He served for one year as resident physician and surgeon in the Easton City Hospital at Easton, Pennsylvania, and, returning to Loudonville in 1905, formed a partnership with his father's former associate, Dr. W. H. Wirt, thirtyfive years after the old firm had been formed. This relation has since been maintained and the firm is recognized as one of the most prominent, capable and successful in the ranks of the medical fraternity in Ashland county. Dr.
Fuller remains an earnest student of his profession, keeping in touch with the most advanced thought concerning the methods of practice and is now a member of the State Medical Society and the American Medical Association, while of the Ashland County Medical Society he is the treasurer.
On the 27th of December, 1905, Dr. Fuller was united in marriage to Miss Helene Barbara Stitzel, a native of Loudonville and a daughter of Jacob J. Stitzel, who is a clothing merchant of Loudonville. Unto them has been born one son, Carl Stitzel Botchford Fuller.
In his fraternal relations Dr. Fuller is connected with the Masonic order and religiously with Zion Evangelical Lutheran church. He is a young man of genuine worth, enjoying in high measure the esteem of all with whom he has been associated, while in his profession he holds to high ideals and has already attained success in practice that many an older phsyician might wTell envy. His record reflects credit upon the name of Fuller, which has ever been an untarnished one throughout the years which have come and gone since his grandfather first took up his abode in Loudonville.
The liberal patronage accorded Dr. Jonathan Allen Ilisey is at once proof of his ability in his profession. His success results from his comprehensive knowledge and his correct application of the scientific principles underlying his work together with the superior mechanical skill which he displays. He was born on a farm two and a half miles east of Columbiana, Ohio, in Columbiana county and is a son of John and Elizabeth Hisev. His grandfather, who was of Dutch descent, came to Ohio from the Shenandoah valley of Virginia. In early life he followed the occupation of carpentering, while later he became a farmer and importer of blooded sheep, which he imported from both Saxony and Canada. His wife was a representative of an old Quaker family, her parents coming across the Allegheny mountains on horseback from Chester county, Pennsylvania.
Dr. Hisey acquired his early education in the district school northeast of Columbiana and later pursued his studies in the Columbiana high school. He was interested in his studies and was ambitious to enjoy good educational privileges. He did not complete his high school course, however, because of delicate health and later he took up*t.he study of dentistry in the office and under the direction of Dr. J. T. Barclay, gaining not only a knowledge of the text-books of recognized authority but also much practical experience as the Doctor's assistant. He afterward entered the Philadelphia Dental College, then located at Tenth and Arch streets in Philadelphia, remaining there from 1869 until the spring of 1871, when he was graduated. In the previous year he had opened an office for practice in Canton, Ohio, and in 1871 he began practice in Columbiana, while in 1873 he came to Ashland, where he has remained continuously since, occupying one suite of rooms for thirty-two years. He has a well appointed office, using the latest appliances to facilitate his work, and throughout the years of his practice he has kept in touch with the most improved methods of the profession and the latest theories concerning the preservation and care of the teeth. His judgment is accurate so that he readily discriminates between the essential and the non-essential and that his work has given uniform satisfaction is shown by his constantly increasing patronage and the fact that many of his patrons have given him their support for years.
In Washingtonville, Ohio, the Rev. Waggoner performed the marriage ceremony that united the destinies of Dr. Hisey and Miss Malissa Lucretia Hinkle, a native of Columbiana, Ohio. Her parents, however, came to this state from Hanover, Pennsylvania, and were of Dutch descent. Dr. and Mrs. Hisey had five children: Walter Hinkle; Austin Emerson, now deceased; Nora Mae;
Dr. Hisey is a stalwart republican in his political views for his study of the political questions and issues of the day has led him to the belief that the republican platform contains the best elements of good government. He has served as a member of the city council for four years and was city treasurer for one term, receiving a large vote from the opposition for the two parties are almost equally divided in Ashland. He has always stood for those things which are valuable in citizenship and tend to promote the material, intellectual, social and moral progress of the community. In his religious views 'he is a Congregationalist and is now serving as one of the trustees of the church to which he belongs. A resident of Ashland for thirty-six years, Dr. Hisey is one of its valued and representative citizens not alone by reason of his professional skill but also on account of his personal worth.
Richard M. Johnson
Richard M. Johnson, who for many years practiced law in the courts of this and other counties, is a representative of a family which dates its ancestry back to .Revolutionary times, his grandfather having been a major in the Continental army, participating in the battle of Lexington and serving until the surrender at Yorktown. His grandmother was Sarah Ferguson, daughter of Colonel Ferguson, who fell at the battle of White Plains during that period. His parents were John and Almira (Peet) Johnson, his father having been a native of Massachusetts, where his birth occurred September 5, 1797, and his mother of Delaware County, New York, where they were united in marriage. They came to this state in the year 1836. John Johnson was a graduate of the schools of Springfield, Massachusetts, and also of Dartmouth College, in the latter institution having been a classmate of Daniel Webster. Upon arriving in this state he taught school for twenty-seven years and after giving up that profession he engaged in general agricultural pursuits and stock-raising. When he came to this county it was covered with forests and the woodlands were filled with game which not only afforded sport and adventure in hunting but also played an important part in supplying provisions since at that time it was almost impossible to get other kinds of meats. The farm he afterwards cultivated he cleared and made arable himself and for a long time he harvested his crops with the sickle, cradle and scythe and threshed his grain in a primitive way on a tramping floor. His son also had like experiences and in reverting to those days he said: "I have seen the evolution of farming from the sickle to the self binder and from the tramping floor to the separator and stacker." The father departed this life on August 11, 1889, his wife surviving him by one year, her death having occurred on February 1, 1890.
Richard M. Johnson was born March 2, 1841, in that part of Ashland county which was once a part of Lorain county. He was an only child and he acquired his education at the common schools of Lorain county and in 1857, at the age of sixteen years was matriculated as a student in Cornell University in Utica, New York, where he pursued a four years' course of study. Upon leaving the institution, which was about the time the Civil war broke out, he enlisted in the Union service on September 7, 1861, in Battery B, First Regiment, Ohio Light Artillery, and continued in the military ranks until July 22, 1865, most of that time serving in the Army of the Cumberland and of the Tennessee. He participated in most of the battles fought by those armies, and took part in twentythree engagements. Entering the military service as a private he was later advanced to quartermaster and also served for some time as sergeant and while following the army he had a number of thrilling experiences which he vividly recalls, and delights to relate. After receiving his discharge he returned to his father's home where he engaged in farming for two years, at the termination of which time he took up the study of law with R. C. Powers, of New London with whom he remained for two years, when he was admitted to the bar. He then formed a partnership with Mr. Powers and they continued to practice law together until the year 1887, when Mr. Powers departed this life. Mr. Johnson has been quite a successful attorney and has practiced his profession in all of the courts of the county and state and also in the federal courts. He was recognized everywhere as a man of extraordinary ability and one who possessed the faculty of expressing himself in clear and faultless English. After having followed the profession for many years his health began to fail and shortly after his partner's death he decided to give up his practice, and retired to his farm in Troy township, where he actively engaged in agricultural pursuits until a few years ago when he removed to the village of Nova, where he has since resided.
On February 11, 1878, Mr. Johnson was united in marriage to Miss Mary M. Fast, daughter of Jacob and Margaret (Baughman) Fast, her father being a wealthy farmer and land-owner of Troy township, whose birth occurred in 1818. Her mother departed this life some years ago. To this union were born four children, namely: Edith E., who became the wife of George McQuade, of Wellington; Thomas B. ; John L. ; and Claude E. Mr. Johnson, a deep student, is one of the most highly cultured men of the community and being very fond of books he is well read upon almost every subject, being particularly conversant with ancient and modern history and biography.
In politics Mr. Johnson is a republican and although he has never aspired to office he has always been a loyal supporter of his party and at the same time has taken considerable interest in the affairs of the community, having served several terms as justice of the peace, to which office he was again elected in 1907,.
but declined to accept. He is a friend of advanced education and of every movement which has for its object the bettering of local conditions. He is a comrade of C. P. Ogden Post, No. 515, G. A. R., of Nova, and also belongs to the Methodist Episcopal church, to which he is a liberal contributor. Mr. Johnson is a man of high morals whose life has always been such as to command the respect of all with whom he came in contact and he is today one of the most substantial and worthy citizens of the county.
E. L. Berry
E. L. Berry, a prominent citizen "of Ashland, now holding the responsible position of county surveyor, the duties of which office he has been performing for the past seven years, deserves the title of a self-made man. He was left an orphan at the age of thirteen years with little means and without influence and -since that time through his own exertions has acquired an excellent education and step by step on the strength of his ability has worked his way among the citizens of the county until his popularity together with this efficiency in his particular line of work merit him the position he now holds as a county official.
He was born in Jackson township, this county, October 21, 1870, a son of William and Margaret (Shutt) Berry. His father was born upon the same farm upon which his son E. L. Berry first saw the light of day. This property was entered by his grandfather, Jacob Berry, who came to the county from Pennsylvania in 1818, at that time buying the land from the government. Upon the death of the grandfather, William Berry purchased the old home place, which is now owned by a son, M. M. Berry. The father devoted his time in agricultural pursuits together with stock raising and in 1874, when fifty years of age, departed this life as the result of injuries received by being kicked by a horse. At the time of his demise he was justice of the peace, having served in that office with exceptional credit for a period of twenty-five years. He was a member of the German Reformed church of Polk at the time of his death. Jackson township was also the birthplace of Margaret (Shutt) Berry, mother of the subject of this review, and her parents came to this county from the Keystone state about the time of the arrival of the Berry family. She passed away here on May 4, 1883, being at that time fifty-four years of age.
On the home farm E. L. Berry was reared, acquiring his knowledge of husbandry under the instruction of his father and during his boyhood days obtained his preliminary education in the district schools. About two years following the demise of his mother he began his business career as a farm hand in Wayne county, which occupation he followed- for about three years. At the termination of that time he spent one year as a pupil at school in Polk, Ohio, after which he returned to Wayne county, where he devoted one year to farming. During the winter he pursued a course of study at the Ohio Normal University in Ada. In the spring of 1891 Mr. Berry went to Colorado, where he was employed as a surveyor, at the same time being connected with a lumber firm in
Pitkin county, that state. Upon returning home in the fall of 1892 he again entered Ohio Normal University as a student in the civil engineering department and was graduated May 13, 1894. After his graduation he spent some time on the old home farm with his brother, and while there engaged in various occupations, teaching the district school during the years 1896 and 1897. In the spring of the latter year he again went to Pitkin county, Colorado, where he formed a partnership with John W. Irion, the firm engaging in surveying lands for the government. This connection existed until he returned to this county, where in the spring of 1898 he was married. He then located upon a farm, where he resided for two years, he and his wife in the meantime teaching school during the winter months, and on the expiration of that period he gave up agriculture and divided his time between carpentry and school teaching until the spring of 1901, when he was nominated on the democratic ticket for county surveyor. He was elected during the following fall, was reelected on the expiration of his term, and is now serving in that position for his seventh year. His work being entirely satisfactory, he has won the reputation of being one of the most popular and efficient officials of the county.
Mr. Berry's marriage to Miss Anna E. Hastings, of Redhaw, Perry township, this county, was celebrated March 19, 1898, and to this union have been born two children : Marie and Gladwyn A. Mr. Berry is an excellent type of the self-made man who, depending entirely upon his own resources, starteu out in life fired with laudable ambition and determined to exert his energies in the direction of success, and although his row has been hard he has been favored at each step and now enjoys a measure of prosperity justly due him for his untiring zeal and noble purpose. He is a democrat in politics, whose study of the principles of his party has convinced him of the feasibility of its policies in promoting the highest interests of the government, and he is always a loyal supporter of its candidates. He is popular throughout the county and is held in high regard particularly for the high grade services he has rendered in his present office.
Isaiah K. Donald
Isaiah K. Donald is now living retired in Loudonville. He was born in Butler county, Pennsylvania, August 14, 1844, a son of David and Mary Ann (Clark) Donald. The father was born in America but his parents were both natives of Scotland. The mother was also of American birth but came of Scotch- Irish parentage. David Donald followed the miller's trade throughout his entire life and was an industrious, energetic man. He continued his residence in Butler county, Pennsylvania, until about 1845, when he removed to Westmoreland county, that state, and in 1854 became a resident of Allegheny county, Pennsylvania. In 1856, he brought his family to Ohio, locating near Nashville in Holmes county. Here he turned his attention to milling and in following that pursuit provided for his family, which numbered six children. Henry the eldest, started for the Mexican war and was never heard from again. Ann arid Mary are both deceased. Elizabeth is the wife of G. G. Fraim, of Oklahoma. Isaiah K. is the next of the family. Hosea was drowned at the time of the disaster of the Sultana, on which^he was a passenger. He had enlisted from Lucas, Richland county, Ohio, and was a member of McLaughlin's squadron.
Isaiah K. Donald was only a year old when his parents left his native county and after about nine years' residence in Westmoreland county he accompanied them to Allegheny county, Pennsylvania. Since 1856 he has resided continuously in Ohio, living in Holmes county until after the outbreak of the Civil war when, on the 14th of August, 1861, he responded to the country 's call for troops, joining Company B, of the Sixteenth Ohio Volunteer Infantry under command of Captain William Spangler. He participated in the engagements at Cumberlands Gap, Powells Gap, Tazewell, Tennessee; Chickasaw Bayou; Fort Hinman, Kansas; Fort Gibson, Mississippi; and Champion Hills, and at the last named place on the 16th of May, 1863, he received a gunshot wound in the left ankle. He was sent to the hospital at Memphis, Tennessee, and afterward was granted a furlough and returned home. He then reported to the Seminary Hospital at Columbus and was transferred to the invalid camp at Dennison, Ohio, where he received an honorable discharge on the 28th of December, 1863.
Provenance
Text from History of Ashland County, Ohio, published 1909, in the public domain in the United States and digitised by the Internet Archive. The settlements listed against this township are matched by point-in-polygon test of each Geographic Names Information System coordinate against the Census Bureau's county subdivision boundary, not by name.