USA > Indiana > Miami County > History of Miami County, Indiana : from the earliest time to the present, with biographical sketches, notes, etc., together with an extended history of the Northwest, the Indiana Territory, and the state of Indiana > Part 61
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BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.
Joseph, Hannah and Mary were born. Elizabeth, Rachel and Mary are dead. In 1823 he moved his family to Wayne County, Ind., where he raised and educated them. « In 1835 the mother died, and the children growing up have married and raised fam- ilies. About 1847 or '48 he came to Miami County, where sev- eral of his children had preceded him, and lived around among them until his death, which occurred on the 21st of September, 1869. Mr. and Mrs. Overman were both members of the Friends' Church, and the remains of this sturdy pioneer now repose in the Amboy grave yard. Coming to this country when all was wilderness, Mr. Overman carved a home out of the forest and raised a family a credit to himself and the community, and at last sinking under the weight of years, sought the haven where so many of his friends had preceded him.
JOSEPH POWELL, a native of England, was born April 17, 1816, son of Thomas and Henriette (Howell) Powell, natives of England. They, in about 1818, emigrated to America, and located in Virginia, thence to Coshocton County, Ohio, where they resided until their deaths. The father was a farmer by occupation, which he followed with more than ordinary success, and was an intelligent gentleman and in every respect a worthy citizen. Our subject was reared on his father's farm, received a fair English edu- cation in the country schools, and made his own start in life as a farmer, which business he has carried on all his life with good suc- cess. He remained in Ohio until 1849, at which time he came to Miami County, Indiana, and located in Jackson Township, purchas- ing 143 acres of land upon which there was no improvement of any kind. He went to work with a will, and within a few years, estab- lished a comfortable home, where he has since resided. He was married January 30, 1839, to Miss Margaret Leighninger, a native of Coshocton County, Ohio, born October 12, 1819, a daughter of George and Mary (Wolf) Leighninger. The following family were born to this marriage, namely: Emily S., Mary H., Louisa, John C. (deceased), Francis W., who served in the late war, and took ill from exposure and died at home, March 28, 1864; Lewis, Henry C., Ella, William R. E. (deceased), Alonso J. and Carrie. Mr. Powell and family are members of the Methodist Church, in which he has been steward and class leader for many years. He is a man of sterling qualities, and highly esteemed in the community in which he lives. He is a Republican in politics, and has been called to fill several minor official positions.
HENRY J. RAUSMAN, a prosperous merchant at Xenia, was born in Germany, November 19, 1842. His father dying, when he was but five years old, his mother again married, and together with his mother and step-father, he, at the age of nine years, came to America. He received but a moderate schooling in
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HISTORY OF MIAMI COUNTY.
youth, and began at the age of fourteen for himself by working on a farm. He later learned the moulder's trade at which he contin- ued to work until the fall of 1861, when he enlisted in Company K, Forty-eighth Ohio Regiment with which he served until May 25, 1866, when he was honorably discharged as Quarter-Master Sergeant. He participated in the following engagements: Shiloh, April sixth, seventh and eighth, 1862, in which he was slightly wounded in the left arm; siege and capture of Corinth, Mississippi, April 29th to 30th, 1862; Holly Springs, Mississippi, June 30th, 1862; Chickasaw Bluffs, Mississippi, December 28, 1862, to Janu- ary I, 1863; Arkansas Post, Arkansas, January II, 1863; Port Gibson, May 1, 1863; Champion Hill, Mississippi, May 16, 1863; Big Black River Bridge, Mississippi, May 17, 1863; Siege of Vicksburg, Mississippi, from May 19 to July 4, 1863; Siege and Capture of Jackson, Mississippi, July 10 to July 17, 1863; Saline Cross Roads, Louisana, April 8, 1864; Cane River, Louisana, April 23, 1864; Yellow Bayou, Louisana, May 18, 1864; Escambia River, Florida, March 26, 1865; siege and capture of Fort Blakely, Alabama, from April first to ninth, 1865. Since the war Mr. Rausman has been engaged in various occupations, and in 1872 he came to Xenia, where he was employed as a clerk in a store, continuing in this until 1876. In the latter year he embarked in general merchandising on his own responsibility, and has estab- lished an extensive trade and carries a well assorted stock amount- ing to about $7,000. He began life poor, and by industry and good management he has secured a comfortable income and established a reputation as an honorable upright citizen. He was married in 1866 to Rebecca McBride, who died March 29, 1885, He chose for his second wife and present companion, Mrs. Mary E. Strayton. Mr. Rausman is a Republican in politics and a member of the G. A. R.
JOHN J. ROSBURGH, grocer, was born in Fayette County, Ohio, December 28, 1828, son of John and Nancy (McDonald) Rosburgh, both of whom are natives of Virginia. The father was a soldier in the war of 1812, and a farmer, which vocation he followed through life; his death occured in Ohio in 1842, in his fifty-third year. His widow survived him till 1882. The pater- nal grandfather was Robert Rosburgh, a native of New Jersey, and died in Virginia. The great grandfather was a native of Scotland, and came to America previous to the Revolutionary war, in which he was an active participant. Our subject's early life was passed on his father's farm in Ohio, and attending the common schools, from which he obtained a fair education. He learned the trade of carpentering and cabinet making, and in 1869 came to Randolph County, Indiana, and thence to Xenia in 1873, where he worked at his trade until 1882. In this year he
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resolved to embark in business for himself and accordingly opened a grocery on Main street, where he has prospered and has a steadily increasing business. Mr. Rosburgh was married in Ohio in 1852, to Miss Sarah E. Dowden, by whom he is the father of seven children, only one of whom is living, Harry. Mr. Rosburgh is a member of the I. O. O. F. and F. and A. M., and politically is a Democrat.
REUBEN W. SMITH, M. D., the oldest established physician of Xenia, is a son of John and Isabel (Murphy) Smith. The father was born in North Carolina, February 17, 1804, and is of English and Irish descent. He was brought to Indiana by his parents in 1806, they locating where the town of Richmond now stands. He was a farmer by occupation, and moved to Howard County, Indiana, in 1848. Here he was elected the first Justice of the Peace of his township. He resided in Howard County until 1872, when he returned to Henry County, where his death occurred in 1883. His wife preceded him in 1835. The father of John and grandfather of our subject was Robert Smith, who died in Henry County, Indiana, his father being John Smith, one of the first settlers and merchants of Richmond, Indiana. The maternal grandfather of our subject was James Murphy, a native of Ireland, a soldier in the war of 1812, and died at Hagerstown, Indiana. Dr. Reuben W. Smith was the only son of his parents, and his birth occurred in Henry County, Indiana, November 29, 183I. His early education was obtained in the common schools, finishing the same at the State University at Bloomington. At the age of 22 he began the study of medicine at Wabash, Indi- ana, under the direction of Dr. Holloway, and in the session of 1855 and 1856 attended the Ohio Medical College at Cincinnati, after which he entered upon the practice of his profession at Farmland, Indiana. Here he remained until 1858, when he located at Xenia. The term of 1870 and 1871 he attended the Indiana Medical College at Indianapolis, from which he graduated in the latter year. In beginning the practice of his profession in Miami County, he has not only gained a lucrative practice in this and adjoining counties, but is recognized as one of the ablest physi- cians the county affords. He is a member of the Grant County and State Medical Societies, the Masonic fraternity, and in poli- tics he is a Democrat. The Doctor was married in 1857 to Miss Matilda E. Franklin, a daughter of Benjamin and Mary (Per- sonate) Franklin, of Henry County, Indiana. Five children were born to this union-Edgar A., John E., Benjamin F., Jennie M. and Mary B. (deceased).
NELSON T. TILMAN, proprietor of the Tilman House, is a native of Darke County Ohio, his birth occurring May 8, 1835, a son of Jacob and Mary (Thomas) Tilman, natives of South
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HISTORY OF MIAMI COUNTY.
Carolina and Tennessee respectively. The father removed with his parents to Tennessee, thence to Ohio, where he resided until 1843, in which year he came to Wabash County, Indiana, where he followed farming, and died in 1869. His widow surviving him until 1871. The paternal grandfather was Tobias Tilman a native of Germany, who came to America and served his adopted country in the Revolutionary war, was a farmer, and was mar- ried to Catharine Sharp, also a native of Germany. They died in Darke County Ohio. The maternal grandfather, John Thomas, was also a native of Germany, was married to Catherine Albright. He served in the war of 1812 and died in Darke County, Ohio, as did also his wife. Nelson T. Tilman was reared on a farm and came with his parents to Wabash County, Indiana, and at the age of Twenty he began doing for himself by engaging in saw-milling and the lumber business. He continued in this for a period of eleven years, then engaged in the mercantile business for one year, and then farmed for three years. In 1868 he came to Xenia and engaged in the drug business, continuing till the fall of 1885, since then he has conducted the Tilman House, of which he is the present popular proprietor. In 1856 his marriage with Miss Sarah A. was solemnized, and one child, Minerva C., blessed this union. In 1864, Mrs. Tilman died, and in 1866 he was united in marriage with Jerusha A. Druley, who died No- vember 27, 1880, after bearing the following children: Edy T., Ora L., Bertha, Cassandra, Mary and Edith. He chose for his third wife, Clara Atchinson, who died shortly after marriage. Mr. Tilman's fourth and present companion was formerly Mrs. Mary E. Hadley. Mr. Tilman has, by industry, accumulated a com- fortable income. He is a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church, and politically is a Republican.
CHARLES N. WALES, postmaster at Xenia, is a native of Union County, Indiana, where he was born, August 15, 1845, the youngest of eight children born to James and Jane (Haynes) Wales, the former a native of Sussexshire, England, born in 1789 and the latter a native of Tennessee, born in 1805. The father came to Union County, Indiana, in 1819, where he followed farm- ing, and resided there until his death, February 29, 1856. His widow still survives and is living in Miami County at an advanced age. Peter Wales, the paternal grand-father of Charles N., was a native of England, was married to Martha Caffin and resided in his native country all his life. The maternal grandfather was Richard Haynes, a native of Virginia, born in the year of 1763, was a farmer by occupation, a soldier in the Revolutionary War, and died in Union County, Indiana. Charles N. was raised to manhood in his native county, where he received a common school education and in 1873, came to Miami County, located at
A. D. Coe, M. D.
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JEFFERSON TOWNSHIP.
Xenia and engaged in the hardware business for one year and then for a period was engaged in the lumber business. In the fall of 1885 he was appointed Postmaster at Xenia and in addi- tion to this he carries a stock of blank books, stationery, etc. He was married in September, 1876, to Miss Clara Kimball, by whom he is the father of one living child, Fannie. Mr. Wales is a member of the Masonic fraternity and a Democrat in poli- tics.
CHAPTER XV.
JEFFERSON TOWNSHIP-PHYSICAL FEATURES-EARLY SETTLERS -PIONEER LIFE -- INDUSTRIES-RELIGIOUS HISTORY-EARLY EVENTS-MEXICO-DENVER --- STRINGTOWN --- BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.
J EFFERSON TOWNSHIP was named in honor of the great Statesman and President, Thomas Jefferson. It is situated near the west-central part of the county, and contains a super- ficial area of about thirty-three square miles, or 21,120 acres of land, with the following boundaries: Union Township on the north, Richland and Peru Townships on the east, Peru on the south and Cass County on the west. The surface of the country is level in some parts and pleasantly diversified in others. Eel River flows through the township from northeast to southwest and receives in its course a number of small tributaries which traverse the country in various directions. A part of the country lying adjacent to the river is high and rolling, while other sec- tions on the opposite side are comparatively level and character- ized by a deep soil which for general agricultural purposes is not excelled by that of any other part of Indiana. Jefferson is with- out doubt the best and most highly improved farming district of . Miami County, a claim which all who have seen her elegant country residences, commodious barns, large stock farms, and other evidences of thrift and prosperity visible on every hand, will readily acknowledge.
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The river bottoms are unsurpassed for the production of the leading cereals while all parts of the. township produce abundantly all the crops and fruits adapted to the climate of Northern Indiana. The whole area of the township was origi- nally a dense forest but the steady drain upon it for fuel and
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HISTORY OF MIAMI COUNTY.
manufacturing purposes has materially reduced the original supply. In the remaining forests may be found a good proportion of beech, elm, maple poplar, ash, black and white walnut and the different species of oak. Both iron and lead ores have recently been discovered near Denver in the northeastern part of the township, but as yet the mineral wealth of the country has not been developed.
Settlers .- Within the area of Jefferson Township were made some of the earliest permanent settlements of Miami County. "Doubtless the question will arise as to how it happened that the pioneers selected the lands in this part of the county in preference to that of some other township." A partial answer is found, per- haps, in the following: While the early survey ol Miami County proved a great benefit in determining and fixing beyond dispute the location of claims, there were details unnoticed which were of the utmost importance in deciding the pioneer's choice of a home. A fertile soil was an important consideration, but not any more import- ant than others which have long since become absolute. The demands of the pioneer grew out of the undeveloped conditions of the country, and made him a hunter as well as a tiller of the soil. His resources as well as inducements for the cultivation of the land were of the most limited kind, and obliged him to depend upon nature far more than upon art for his subsistence. His education and experience prepared him to prefer this kind of existence, and while he sought a locality which was likely to invite immigration and thus lead to the appreciation of his pre-emption, his main hope of ultimate competence, his experience led him to seek a land where the meager demands for the supplies of his family could be most readily supplied. This implied a rich soil, an abundance of game, a good range for his few head of stock, convenient materials for the construction of his rude dwelling, and an abundent supply of good water. These conditions were all happily blended in this highly favored part of the country." "Through the central part of the town- ship, from east to west, flows Eel river, adjacent to which were found dense forests indicating a deep, rich soil." Springs bubbled up in various parts of the country which, with the natural drainage of the land, were among the many inducements that lured the pioneer to locate his home in what is now the garden spot of Miami. But what excited the admiration of the emigrant, as much as any of these things, was the profusion of game which every where abounded, and included beasts of nearly every American kind. Deer, moving in small companies or herding together to the number of a hundred or more, thronged the woods, while an occasional bear and wolves in large numbers, were also found, adding piquancy to the mingled duty and pleasure of the hunt. Turkeys, foxes, and those woodland friends of man, the squirrel and raccoon, were
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hardly deemed worthy the ammunition and trouble to kill them, while the streams swarmed with water fowl and the choicest varie- ties of the finny tribe, which served to vary the pioneer's bill of fare. Into this highly favored locality the older settlements sent forth an eager settlement ready to riot in its charms, and as early as 1830, several claims were located and patents for the same obtained from the Government.
On December 13th of the above year one Samuel Walkin- son, who came to the county on a tour of inspection, entered the northeast quarter of the northeast quarter of section 6, township 27 north, range 3 east, and erected a small cabin on the present site of Mexico, to which he removed his family the following spring. This, from the most reliable information accessible, appears to have been the first settlement attempted within the boundar- ies of Jefferson. "Mr. Wilkinson laid claim to much land adjoin- ing his place, which he and his sons subsequently entered." "He had seven sons-Ratliffe, John, Jacob, Jesse, William, Simeon and Baalam, all of whom took an active part in the early devel- opment of the country." "At this time it required almost an iron constitution, a determined resolution, supported by untiring energy to grapple successfully with the many obstacles presented, and procure the necessaries of life until a crop could be raised." "The Wilkinsons were true types of the pioneer settlers of fifty years ago, and so well did they play their parts that others, stimu- lated by their example, were induced later in the year to take up their abode in the wild woods of Jefferson." They were Wood Beard, who located near the central part of the township, and Abra- ham Beard, who laid claim to the land owned at this time by J. T. Hood. Contemporaneous with the above were William Smith, who took a claim near the present site of Mexico; John Smith, who made some improvements on what is known as the Leonard farm, not far from the village, and Thomas Smith, who settled in the same locality. William Conner moved to the country in 1832, and chose for his home what is known as the Brower and Bond farm, about one mile north of Mexico. Mr. Conner was a natural-born hunter, and spent his early years in quest of such game as the region afforded, resorting to farming only when the wild animals disappeared from the country. Others who made settlements as early as 1832 and '33 were Alexander Jameson, on the Harter farm, about one-half mile northeast of Mexico; William Bain, about one mile east of the village on Eel River; Isaac Hicks, on the river two miles southwest of the town; Eli Cook on the Matthews farm, and Samuel Newman, who is still a resident of the township.
Among the arrivals of 1834 was Thomas Harmon, who settled on the Graft farm, about one mile west of Mexico, where he opened and operated the first blacksmith shop in the township. William
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HISTORY OF MIAMI COUNTY.
Eidson settled near the western boundary the same year, entering and obtaining a patent for a tract of land lying in section 35, 28 north, 3 east. Hamilton Duff settled on Eel river one mile and a quarter above Mexico, some time in 1834, and was one of the first manufacturers of the township, operating a water-mill within a short time after coming to the country. About this time Charles Murden moved to the township, and settled about two and a half miles northeast of Mexico. He came here from the State of Maryland, making the journey in a two-horse wagon, and was on the road from May 28 till July 5. He reached his home in this township September of the above year, and for the first two months and a half lived in a small tent, building a rude cabin and clearing a patch of ground in the meantime. His sons-Matthew, Imri, Timothy, Henry and Thomas all became prominent citizens of the township.
Anothor settler of 1834 was Burrell Daniels, who located on the north bank of Eel River, on what is now the Denison farm where he built the first mill in the township shortly after his arrival. Wil- liam Daniels entered the northeast quarter of Section 5, Township 27, Range 4 East, in 1830, and became a permanent resident a few years later. Adrian Wynkoop settled on the Joseph Fisher farm, two miles west of Mexico, as early as 1834, and the same year John Ratliff entered and improved a tract of land in Section 20, near the northern boundary of the township. Peter Fisher purchased from the government in 1834 a tract of land in Section 30, now owned by his son, Jacob Fisher. After receiving his land Mr. Fisher went back to Ohio for his family, and the following year returned to his new home in Jefferson Township, where he lived the remainder of his days, dying quite recently at an advanced age. · He was a repre- sentative citizen of the township, and always manifested a deep inter- est in every movement tending to advance its welfare. His sons, Isaac, Joseph, Aaron, Noah, Jacob and George Fisher, are among the most prominent and public spirited citizens of the county at this time. Joseph Clymers settled about one and a half miles east of Mexico, as early as 1834, and was joined a little later by John and Levi Clymer, who made improvements near the central part of the township. Among others who came to the township prior to 1835, were William Leach, who settled about two miles northeast of Mexico; Elijah Cox, near the Denison farm, and Charles Lowe, on the Kunse farm. David Vinnedge entered the east half of the southeast quarter of Section 31, in 1830, and afterwards became a resident of the township. Thomas McGinnis, in 1833, obtained a patent to a tract of land in Section 28, and early became a settler. Nathaniel Leonard came early in 1835, and purchased land two miles northwest of Mexico. Asa Leonard moved about the same time, and entered land in Section 33, a short distance from the Rich- land Tonship line. Reed Leonard settled in the same locality as
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JEFFERSON TOWNSHIP.
early as 1836, as did also Daniel Allbaugh, of whom the latter obtained a patent of Section 28, in 1834. The following settlers moved to the township in an early day and bore an active part in the subjugation of the wilderness: Elder Jacob Brown, pioneer minister of the German Baptist Church, near Mexico; John Brower, two miles northeast of Mexico; Abraham Louman, near the Cass County line; Henry Brower, near Mexico; Jeremiah Manson, south- east of the village, in Section 5; John Shadinger, east of Mexico, in Section 33; Henry Howe, a short distance northeast of the town; Thomas and David Walling, near the central part of the township, in Section 6; Jacob Hoover, Section II; Isaac Newman, near the northwest corner of the township, where he still lives; Joseph Hol- man, on Eel river, northeast of Mexico; Jesse and Isaac Bond, near Eel river, in the southwest corner of the township, where they still live; William Gallagher, in the southwest part of the township; Hiram Butler, in Section 20; Jesse S. Williams, Section 32; Abra- ham Branaman, in southwest part of the township; Bernard Van Dorn, Section 34, Michael Fouts, Section 3, Township 27, Range 4 East; John M. Keen, Section 7; Isaac Stewart and Jonas Wolfe, Section 10; James B. Sayers, Section 37, Township 28, Range 4, East; James Marsh, Section 4, Township 27, Range 4, East; Stephen Marsh, Section 9; in southwest corner of the township; James Cook, southwestern part of the township; Samuel Brown, Israel T. Canby, John Long, William Burnett, Samuel Edwards, Jacob Kress, William Collett, Francis Edwards and Samuel Ander- .son, who located in various parts of the township.
Pioneer Life .- Many were the hardships endured by the pio- neers in clearing away the forests and fitting the land for cultiva- tion. When first seen by white men, this part of the country was the hunting grounds of the Indians who moved at will through the dense forests in search of game. They offered no violence to the early settlers, many of whom lived upon terms of intimate friend- ship with their savage neighbors. Life in the backwoods is about the same under all circumstances, and it is not the object of these pages to give in detail an account of the manners and customs of men who bore so gallant a part in laying the foundation of our pres- ent advanced and intelligent community. The earlier settlers gen- erally brought their families with them, and until a cabin could be erected, the entire family would either live in the wagon, tent, or hastily constructed habitation made out of poles and bark. Later as cabins were more frequently found in the country, the emigrant manifested no hesitation in breaking up his home in a distant State, and with his family and few household goods on pack animals or wagons, start out for a new home, influenced and guided solely by rumors and picked up information on the road. Deciding upon a locality for his future home, he found no difficulty in securing tem-
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