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1800
Class
F497
Book
CAC3
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A CENTENNIAL
BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY
OF
CHAMPAIGN COUNTY
OHIO
ILLUSTRATED
NEW YORK AND CHICAGO THE LEWIS PUBLISHING COMPANY 1902
F497 CAC3
52787 JE4
YHASSLI GHT 28380000 10
PREFACE.
UT of the depths of his mature wisdom Carlyle wrote, "History is the essence of innumerable biographies." Believing this to be the fact, there is no necessity of advancing any further reason for the compilation of such a work as this, if reliable history is to be the ultimate object.
Champaign County, Ohio, has sustained within its confines men who have been prominent in public affairs and great industrial enterprises for almost a century. The annals teem with the records of strong and noble manhood, and, as Sumner has said, "the true grandeur of nations is in those qualities which constitute the greatness of the individual." The final causes which shape the fortunes of individ- uals and the destinies of States are often the same. They are usually remote and obscure, and their influence scarcely perceived until manifestly declared by results. That nation is the greatest which produces the greatest and most manly men and faithful women; and the intrinsic safety of a community depends not so much upon methods as upon that normal development from the deep resources of which proceeds all that is precious and permanent in life. But snch a result may not consciously be contemplated by the actors in the great social drama. Pursuing each his personal good by exalted means, they work out as a logical result.
The elements of success in life consist in both innate capacity and determination to excel. Where either is wanting, failure is almost
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PREFACE.
certain in the outconie. The study of a successful life, therefore, serves both as a source of information and as a stimulus and encour agement to those who have the capacity. As an important lesson in this connection we may appropriately quote Longfellow, who said : "We judge ourselves by what we feel capable of doing, while we . judge others by what they have already done." A faithful personal history is an illustration of the truth of this observation.
In this biographical history the editorial staff, as well as the pub- lishers, have fully realized the magnitude of the task. In the collec- tion of the material there has been a constant aim to discriminate carefully in regard to the selection of subjects. Those who have been prominent factors in the public, social and industrial development of the county have been given due recognition as far as it has been possible to secure the requisite data. Names worthy of perpetuation here, it is true, have in several instances been omitted, either on account of the apathy of those concerned or the inability of the compilers to secure the information necessary for a symmetrical sketch; but even more pains have been taken to secure accuracy than were promised in the prospectus. Works of this nature, therefore, are more reliable and complete than are the "standard " histories of a country.
THE PUBLISHERS.
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INDEX.
Abbott, William J., 166 Anderson, James W., 160 Anderson, John J., 205 Aughinbaugh, Barnet A., 197
Bailar. Mrs. Julia. A., 141
Bailar, William F., 140
Baker, C. A., 355
Baker, Lyman E., 586
Banta, Edgar G., 177
Barger. Frederick N .. 665
Barnett, Samuel, 569
Cook, Harry, 623
Bchney. Christopher. 518
Coulson. Joseph. 723 Cowgill. Samuel. 395
Cowgill, Thomas A., 182
Craig, Claude C., 154
Craig, Harrison, 170
Crain, James L., 422
Crane. Marcus H., 713
Crawford, Frank J .. 15
Criffield, George W., 406
Crow, Horace M .. 607
Crow. Thomas D., 306
Crowl, William, 486
Dagger, Charles, 553
Dagger, Jacob, 105
Daniels, Perry, 657
Davis, J. E., 291
Davis, John R., 546
Davis, Joseph W .. 538
Deaton, Sherman S., 428
Calland. William, 555
Chamberlin, Joseph, 51 Chance, Frank, 320 Cheetham, James K., 256
Cheney, E. Erwood, 342 Cheney, James H., 42 Clark, John H., 453 Clem, David. 150 Coffey, Joseph, 31
Colbert, Isaiah H., 596
Colwell, Calvin F., 17
Colwell. Peter E., 353
Berry, Thomas C., 339
Berry, Thomas H., 336
Black, Charles B., 236
Black, Elias P., 402 Black, James W., 77
Black. John R., 525 Black, Peter, 302 Blose, James I., 416
Blose. William, 112
Brand, Frank W., 634
Brand, John F., 637
Brand, Joseph C .. 628
Brand. Thomas, 629
Brand, Thomas T., 631
Brand, Thomas T., Jr .. 635
Brelsford, Charles, 143
Brittin. Lewis, 22
Butcher, John C., 559
Dibble, Robert B., 719
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INDEX.
Dickinson, Martin M., 103 Diltz, Isaac N., 529
Eichelberger, George M., 327 Enoch, John, 466
Fairchild, Ora, 710 Fairchild. Simeon D., 698 Frank, David, 592
Fromme, Grant V., 537 Fulton, James W .. 252
Funk, Aaron B., 460
Fyffe, Edward P., II Fyffe. Joseph, 12
Galligher. Michael, 344 Ganson, Charles H., 440
Gaumer, Edward B., 330
Gaumer, Thomas M., 90 Gehman, William M., 385 Goul, John, 149 Gowcy, Hartland D., 548
Gross, August T., 231
Grove, Shepherd B., 234 Guthridge, Marion, 535 Guy, Charles W., 455 Guy, Edward A., 400
Hagenbuch, Edwin, 293 Halterman, Isaac, 86
Hance, John P., 258
Hanna, Elijah, 364 Happersett, Isaac B., 700
Marlan, John, 134 Harris, Benjamin F., 282 Hledges, Emory, 66
Heiserman, Clarence B., 677
Henderson, Robert, 300 Hitt, John W., 715 Hitt, Samuel W., 349
Hodge, John II., 567 Hopkins, A. G., 418 Horr, Jacob, 18
llouser, Daniel C., 599 JJull, Benjamin F., 571
Hull, Daniel J., 347 Hunter, Calvin R., 152 Hunter, John M., 221 Hunter. Thomas E., 635 Hupp, George W., 717 Hyde, William F., 76
James, Daniel, 284 Jenkins, Oliver P., 551
Jennings, Absalom C., 46
Jennings, Edward. 59 Johnson, David J., 62
Johnson, James B., 317
Johnson, Nelson B., 124
Johnson, Silas, 495 Jones, Caleb, 43I
Kenaga, John W., 408
Kenfield, David, 271
Kenton, Gabriel, 590
Kenton, Simon, 579
Kiser, G. R., 381
Kizer, Isaiah P., 19
Kizer, Jason, 674
Klapp, George S., 201
Knight, John P., 473
Lauppe, Charles. 497
Lee. James A., 449
Logan John G .. 420
Longfellow, Joseph E., 286
Loudenback, Abraham P., 366
Londenback, Jonas, 684
Loudenback, Lewis C., 243
Loudenback, Washington, 533
Madden, Benjamin M., 94
Magrew, Hamilton, 208
Magruder, Vesalius S., 410
Marvin, Clitus H., 230
Marvin, William B., 231
Marvin, William H., 226
Mast, Joseph K., 379 McCarty, Enoch, 192 McCarty, Thomas, 122
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INDEX.
McClellan, Elwood S., 601 McClellan, Hiram, 605 · McConnell, Thomas, 706 McCrea, George G., 652 McDonald, Duncan B., 576 Mellvaine, James F., 445 Mckinney, Tulley, 574 Mclaughlin, Clarence MI., 478
McMorran, Jacob, 188
Middleton, A. H., 669
Middleton, Levan P' .. 323 Miller, Benjamin F., 110 Miller, Cyrus, 426 Moody, John R., 465 Moore, William, 530 Morgan, Maskell E., 437 Moses, Joseph S., 499 Mosgrove, Adamı, 620 Mosgrove, James M., 276
Mosgrove, Samuel M., 372 Moulton, R. C., 661 Murphey, Roger 11 .. 200
Neer, Adam, 26 Neer, Fred, 362 Neer, John P., 500 Neer, Jonathan S., 694 Noble, Orville, 358 Norman, John C., 688
O'Brine, David, 696 Offenbacher, Charles A., 179 Organ, Charles F., 714 Owen, Thomas B., 563
Pangborn, William C., 296 Patrick, Frank B., 233 Patrick, Mrs. Maria, 164
Patrick, William, 240
Pearce, A. B., 383 Pearce, Henry C., 172
Pearce, Henry M., 176 Pence, Elijah, 72 Perry, D. S., 659 Pickering, George W., 300
Pickering, R. H., 676 Poland, George W., 721 Porterfield, Homer, 604 Powell, James D., 510 Printz, Franklin, 25
Rawlings, Thomas, 580 Keam, George, 523
Ring, William F., 340
Rock, William M., 223 Rouse, William, 557
Runyon, John H., 200
Russell, Joseph G., 703 Rutan, Daniel W., 136
Sanders, Robert, 374
Sarver, Jacob S., 92 Saxbe, Martin B., 681
Sceva, John C., 388 Scott, Asa N., 87
Seaton, John A., 447 Shanely, Christian, 640
Shanely, David, 649
Shanely, Isaac, 651
Shanley, Jacob, 644
Shanley, John, 647
Shockey, Abraham, 595
Shrigley, Winfield T., 68
Sibley, Warren D., 126
Slusser, Samuel, 55 Smith, Azro, 433
Smith, John N., 40
Snapp, Benjamin, 251 Snodgrass, Morton M., 368
Sowers, Samuel K., 33 Spain, James F., 520 Speece, William, 274
Stickley, Philip L., 392
Stone, Ferdinand F., 588 Stone, Samuel L. P., 480
Talbot, Marion, 399 Talbott, George A., 194 Taylor, Alfred F., 74 Taylor, Charles O., 132
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8
INDEX.
Taylor, Oliver, 129 Taylor, Simeon, 507
Thatcher, Jonathan, 90
Thomas, Ivan B., 81
Thomas, John H., 492
Thomas, Marion W., 614
Thomas, William, 488
Thompson, William, IOI Todd, David, 625
Todd, David W., 36
Todd, John E., 564
Todd, Thomas M., 027
Toomire, John W., 561
Tritt, Randolph, 396
Vance, Alexander F., 279 Vance, Alexander F., Jr .. 246
Ward, William, 671
Warnock, William R., 263 Weaver, George A., 701 West, Mrs. Hester, 457
Whetsel, Fenton, 412
Whitmore, Simon W., 312
Williams, Milo G., 214
Williams, Richard Du Val, 603
Wilson. Andrews, 106
Wilson, Ebenezer, 686
Wilson, Willian. H., 692
Wilson, W. W., .609
Woodcock, Elijah T., 61I
Yeisley, John W., 83 Young. John H., 31I
Ziegler, Augustus M .. 116 Zimmer, Frank A., 672 Zirkle, Samuel, 667
EDWARD P. FYFFE
A CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY
OF
CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. OHIO
EDWARD P. FYFFE.
Edward P. Fyffe was born in Urbana, April 23, 1810, and was a son of William H. and Maximilla ( Petty ) Fyffe. The father was a native of Virginia and emigrated to Kentucky, whence he afterward came to Urbana in 1805. Here he was married to a daughter of Joseph Petty, one of the first settlers of the city.
In the early schools of Urbana, Colonel Fyffe acquired his pre- liminary education and was later a cadet at West Point for a short time. In 1846 he was graduated in medicine and was engaged in practice at the time the Civil war was inaugurated. Ile served with distinction. rose to the rank of colonel and was brevetted brigadier-general.
Dr. Fyffe was united in marriage to Sarah Ann Robinson, a native of Franklin county. Ohio, but a resident of Urbana at the time of her marriage. They became the parents of four children, who reached years of maturity: Joseph; Max F., the widow of Frank James Crawford ; Mrs. Mary F. Thornton, of Pontiac, illinois: and Mrs. Sarah A. Gee. of Cleveland, Ohio.
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CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.
In his political views Colonel Fyffe was a Republican, strongly endorsing the principles of the party and both he and his wife were members of the Methodist Episcopal church. He died September 25, 1867. and Mrs. Fyffe survived him for five years. During the Civil war he was a most brave and loyal officer and his utter fearlessness in the face of danger often inspired his men to deeds of valor. In his chosen profession he won distinction by the superior skill and ability which he acquired as the result of his study and investigation, as well as practical experience. In the first half of the nineteenth century he was a promi- nent figure in social and professional life of Urbana and well does he deserve mention in her history.
REAR ADMIRAL JOSEPH FYFFE.
The history of the American naval service contains a record of no greater loyalty, valor and capability than that of Rear Admiral Joseph Fyffe, who devoted the long years of his manhood to his country's serv- ice. He was born July 26, 1832. His father, General Edward P. Fyffe, is mentioned above and his record as a brave and loyal defender of the Union was a stimulus to the son. When he was fifteen years of age, however, Joseph Fyffe was appointed to the navy on the 9th of Septem- ler, 1847, being in active service for over forty-seven years, and was then retired at the age limit of sixty-two years in July, 1894. His first duty was on the Cumberland and afterward on the bomb vessel Strom- boli in the Gulf of Mexico. He saw active service in the Mexican war. although not yet sixteen years of age. The following year he was or- dlered on duty off the coast of Africa on the sloop-of-war Yorktown, and was serving on her when she was wrecked off the Cape Verde Islands.
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CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.
Later he was highly commended for his gallant conduct on that occasion. His third cruise was in the frigate St. Lawrence, which was sent to England to represent the United States at the time of the World's Fair in London. Subsequently he returned to the Naval Academy at Annapo- lis for one year, and on the 15th of July, 1854, was promoted to the rank of passed midshipman. In 1855 he made a special cruise in the San Jacinto. In 1856 he volunteered for and was detailed on the Grinnell expedition to the Arctic regions under Lieutenant Hartstine on the ship Release, in search of Sir John Franklin, rescuing and bringing home Dr. Kane and his party while on that trip. For his services in this expedi- tion the queen of England decorated him with the medal of the Arctic Order of Victoria. On his return to the United States he was commis- sioned master and lieutenant on the same day- September 16. 1856.
Admiral Fyffe next served on the Relief in the Brazil Squadron in 1856 and 1857, which was followed by a three-years cruise in the East India Squadron on the sloop-of-war Germantown. In 1860 he was ordered to the steam sloop Lancaster on the Pacific station and then to the frigate Minnesota, the flagship of the North Atlantic Block- ading Squadron. He was commissioned lieutenant commander in July. 1862. On the Minnesota he experienced two years of active service, during which time he took part in the destruction of the blockade run- ner Hebe and commanded the landing party which captured the two- gun battery that protected the blockade runners near Fort Fisher, North Carolina, in August, 1863. He also took an active part in the destruc- tion of the Ranger, another blockade runner, and was in an engage- ment with infantry below Fort Casewell, North Carolina, in January. 1864. In 1864-5, Admiral Fyffe commanded the double-ender gunboat Hunchback on the James river with brilliant success.
The Civil war being over, he took part in his first shore duty at the Boston yard in 1860. The next year he was ordered to the Oneida,
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CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.
sailing for the Asiatic station. On the 2nd of December, 1868, he was commissioned commander and placed in command of the monitor Cen- taur of the North Atlantic Squadron. Later he was lighthouse in- spector of the fourteenth district. He next commanded the Monocacy on the Asiatic station in 1875, continuing there until 1878 and in 1879 he was promoted to the grade of captain and commanded the receiving ship St. Louis, from which, in 1880, he was transferred to the Frank- lin, acting as its commander for eighteen months. Through the suc- ceeding six months he was captain of the flagship Tennessee, of the North Atlantic Squadron, followed by service as commander of the flag- ship Pensacola in the Pacific station.
Admiral Fyffe was then sent home on sick leave. In 1888 he was ordered as captain to the Boston Naval Yard, remaining there for more than three years. He was promoted to the grade of commodore in February, 1889. and was assigned to special duty at Boston in 1890. During the succeeding summer he was ordered to command the New London naval station until July 13, 1893, when he took charge of the Boston Naval Yard,-his last duty ending with his retirement July 20. 1804. His name was on the navy register for forty-nine years and his active service continued for over forty-seven years, while his actual sea service covered twenty years. No more patriotic and thoroughly Amer- ican officer ever sailed under the stars and stripes : no officer took better care of his men or maintained discipline with less severity. As a sailor he had few equals and no superiors. Ilis fighting qualities were unsur- passed, as is his war record. Tender in all his sympathies, he was yet a man in dignity and strength. His strong personality impressed all who came in contact with him. Generous, kindly, chivalric and brave,-those were the qualities that drew men toward him and made them love him. His last year of duty was one of great happiness. He was encleared to every one-officers and their families, subordinates, sailors and em-
FRANK J. CRAWFORD.
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CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.
ployes,-in fact, all connected with the Boston station, and he thor- oughly delighted in the kindly feeling which all entertained for him. Then came the promotion to the rank of rear admiral-the ambition and culmination of an officer's career.
At Pierce, Nebraska, on the 25th of February, 1896, Admiral Fyffe died of acute gastroenteritis, from which he had long suffered in a chronic form, the result of fevers contracted in tropical countries during active service in earlier years. He was buried at Urbana, Ohio, his birthplace and for many years his home.
FRANK JAMES CRAWFORD.
Deeds of bravery have been the theme of song and story from the earliest days, and the world pays a tribute of respect and admiration to the man who fights for his country and his principles. One of the distinguished officers of the Civil war was Frank James Crawford, who was born in Birmingham, Huntingdon county. Pennsylvania, July 12. 1834. He was educated in Alleghany College, in Meadville, Pennsyl- vania, where he won the degree of M. \. \ short time after his grad- ration he engaged in teaching school in Maryland and in Pennsylvania, but predilection for the law led him to prepare for the bar. Going to La Salle county, Illinois, in 1855, he studied law in Ottawa and was admitted to practice in 1858. He then opened an office there and steadily rose to prominence. No bitter novitiate awaited him. Nature bountifully endowed him with the peculiar qualifications that combine to make a successful lawyer. Patiently persevering. possessed of an analytical mind, and one that is readily receptive and retentive of the fundamental principles and intricacies of the law ; gifted with a spirit of
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CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.
devotion to wearisome details; quick to comprehend the most subtle problems and logical in his conclusions; fearless in the advocacy of any cause he may espouse, and the soul of honor and integrity, few men have been more richly gifted for the achievement of success in the ardu- ous and difficult profession of the law.
At the time of the Civil war, however, Alr. Crawford entered his country's service, enlisting as a private of Company E, Fifty-third Illi- nois Infantry, on the 28th of December, 1861. The same day he was appointed quartermaster sergeant of the regiment. On the second day of the battle of Pittsburg Landing, he displayed marked gallantry as well as knowledge of military tactics, and for this reason was promoted to the rank of second lieutenant. On the ioth of November, 1862. he was appointed by President Lincoln, commissary of subsistance with the rank of captain, in which position he served throughout the Tennessee and Vicksburg campaigns with marked distinction. Later he was on duty at Port Hudson, Louisiana, where he was stationed until the close of the war, having served for three years and eight months. When hostilities were ended he was brevetted major of the United States Vol- unteer Infantry for meritorious service in the field.
Returning to Ottawa, Illinois, in December, 1865, Mr. Crawford there resumed the practice of law, but in 1872 sought a broader field of labor in the growing metropolis of the west, and became a distinguished. prominent and honored member of the Chicago bar, where he practiced successfully, enjoying a large and distinctively representative clientage until his death, which occurred in Urbana, October 14, 1898.
Major Crawford had married in Urbana, Ohio, in 1865, the lady of his choice being Miss Max F. Fyffe, a daughter of Brigadier-General Edward P. Fyffe. She now resides in Urbana and has one daughter, Mrs. Annie Crawford Merritt, of Highland Park, Illinois.
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CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.
CALVIN FLETCHER COLWELL.
When a citizen of worth and character has departed this life it is proper that those who survive him should keep in mind his life-work and hold up to the knowledge and emulation of the young his virtues and the characteristics which distinguished him and made him worthy of the esteem and confidence of his fellow men. We therefore are grati- fied in having the privilege of entering at this point a memoir of the representative citizen of Urbana whose name appears above. He lives in the memory and affection of his family and friends as a devoted hus- band, kind father and public-spirited citizen and as one whose life was one of singular beauty and nobility. He passed his entire life in Ur- bana and was always liberal in his contributions to aid the social, ma- terial and religious advancement of the city and county of his home. while his prominence in local business circles was through enterprises of marked importance.
Mr. Colwell was born in Urbana. Champaign county, Ohio, on the 26th of February, 1831. the son of Peter R. and Lavina ( Fitch) Col- well, the former of whom was born in New Jersey, whence he came to Ohio and located in Urbana in 1815: while the latter accompanied her parents on their removal from her native state, Kentucky, to Urbana about the year 1806, so that in both the agnotic and maternal lines the subject of this memoir was identified with pioneer families of this fa- vored section of the Buckeye state. He had such educational advantages as were afforded in the early schools of his native town, and then learned the trade of chairmaking under the direction of his father, who was here engaged in that line of enterprise for many years. Calvin F. worked at his trade up to the time of his marriage, soon after which event he became interested in the manufacturing of flooring and in the cabinet- making and furniture business, being first associated with his brother,
IS
CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.
the late Robert Colwell, and later having other partners, while the na- ture of the business underwent various changes, meeting the exigencies of trade and expanding in scope and importance. Finally was effected the organization of the Colwell Lumber Company, which conducted a flourishing business for a long term of years, our subject standing at the head of the enterprise, whose affairs were guided with that dis- crimination and ability which marked his entire business career, in its varied avenues of usefulness. He continued to be identified with this concern until within a few months prior to his death, while for a score of years he was president of the Citizens' National Bank, in which he was the chief stockholder and to which he gave the benefit of his mature judgment and distinctive executive talent, doing much to give it its high reputation as a solid financial institution.
As has been before stated. Mr. Colwell was imbued with the deep- est public spirit and was ever ready to lend his aid and influence in sup- port of all legitimate measures advanced for the general good, and though he gave an unwavering support to the principles and policies of the Republican party, he never sought nor consented to accept the honors or emoluments of political office. His interest in the cause of Christianity was vital and unflagging and his faith was that of the Methodist Episcopal church. He was one of the charter members of Grace church, whose spiritual and temporal affairs received his devoted care and support until the close of his honorable and useful life. He held various official positions in the church, and a quarter of a century practically represents the period of his incumbency as class-leader of his church. lle was a man of lofty ideals and spotless integrity, and in his cleath, on the 16th of June, 1900, the community in which he had passed his entire life was called upon to mourn the loss of one of its noblest and most valued citizens, while to those associated with him in the sacred
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CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.
ties of the home his memory will ever rest as a benediction that follows 1 after prayer and bespeaks true spiritual exaltation.
On the 22d of November. 1855, was solemnized a marriage which united the life destinies of Mr. Colwell and Miss Malinda M. McCom- sey, who survives him and who remains in the home so hallowed by the associations of the past. She was born near Mechanicsburg, Cham- paign county, Ohio, the daughter of Joseph and Elizabeth ( Burnside) McComsey, who were early settlers of the county. Mr. and Mrs. Col- well became the parents of two children,-Elizabeth, who died at the age of six years ; and Max F., who is the wife of Frank Ross, of Chi- cago. Illinois.
ISAIAH P. KIZER.
Isaiah P. Kizer. a member of the firm of Kizer & Long, prom- inent lumber dealers of Saint Paris, is a member of a prominent old pioneer family of Champaign county. His paternal grandfather, Jo- seph Kizer, was born in Shenandoah county, Virginia, and was there married to Catherine Comer. a daughter of David Comer also of the Old Dominion. Two children were born to them in that commonwealth, Peter and Daniel. and afterward the family started with teams and wagons for the Buckeye state, arriving about 1811, and on the journey they were accompanied by the Comer family. They took up their abode in the locality near Millerstown, where a few Virginia families had pre- viously settled. and there Mr. Kizer entered a tract of heavily timbered government land. on which he erected a cabin and began life in true pioneer style. Five children were added to the family circle in this state,-Benjamin. Philip. Charles, Martin and Polly. The daughter be- came the wife of Jacob Rhoades, but the children are now all deceased.
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