USA > Ohio > Clark County > Springfield > 20th century history of Springfield, and Clark County, Ohio, and representative citizens > Part 101
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EDWARD H. RITCHIE, general farm- er, residing in Pleasant Township, owns two farms, comprising 240 acres of val- uable land. He was born in Loudon County, Virginia, and was six years old when his parents came to Clark County.
The father of Mr. Ritchie settled first on a farm three miles west of Catawba, which he rented for one year. He then removed to the J. Chance farm, one and one-half miles west of Catawba, a year later moving to what was known as the Yeazle farm. From there he removed to the Banngardner farin and while liv- ing on the latter property commenced to build a house on a farm that he had pur- chased in 1859. It contained 101 acres and the father of Mr. Ritchie bought the land for $16 an acre. It now belongs to Edward H. Ritchie, and he would not sell it for $70 an acre, it being now very valuable property. When the Ritchies settled on that land it was covered with timber and brush and it required a large amount of hard work to clear, cultivate and improve it. The father died on that farm in 1901, the mother having passed
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away in 1889. There were four sons and one daughter in the family, namely : Mary, who is now deceased; Martin Luther, who died at the age of five years; John, who died in the army during the Civil War, aged twenty-six years; William, who re- sides in Champaign County, Ohio; Charles, who resides in Pleasant Town- ship; and Edward H., the direct subject of this notice.
Edward H. Ritchie was married in Pleasant Township, December 17, 1875, to Lucinda Jane Curl, who was born No- vember 1, 1849, in Clark County, Ohio, where she has passed her whole life. She is a daughter of John and Malinda (Frankelbery) Curl. Mr. and Mrs. Rit- chie have had four children, namely : Ni- na, horn January 8, 1877, who married Edgar Evans, April 9, 1902, and they re- side on the Evans homestead. in Cham- paign County; Ora born September 23. 1879, who married Oscar Mumper, April 18, 1900, they residing on what is known as the Rollins farm in Champaign Coun- ty; an infant daughter, who was born January 5, 1882, and died unnamed aged three weeks; and Elta M., born Jannary 21, 1884, who married, May 29, 1906, Ed- gar Wood, a son of Henry Wood. The last mentioned reside on a farm near that of Mr. Ritchie.
Mr. and Mrs. Ritchie live on the old homestead farm of the Curls which Mr. Ritchie purchased in 1882. He is one of the leading citizens of his township and has filled many of its important offices at various times, just now being the pres- ident of the board of trustees of Nation Chapel. He belongs to the order of Knights of Pythias. Mechanicsburg Lodge, No. 474.
THOMAS A. PAINE, of the firm of W. E. Tuttle & Company, grain mer- chants, has been a resident of Spring- field, Ohio, since 1900, and takes rank among the most active and successful of the younger generation of business men of the city.
Mr. Paine was born in London, Ohio, in 1865, and was a small boy when his father, Bushrod Paine, was killed by a stroke of lightning, leaving his mother with three small children to look after. As a result he was obliged to enter the field of business at an early age, his edu- cational training being limited to the com- mon schools of London. He began as a messenger boy and while thus engaged learned telegraphy, after which he became operator and assistant agent at London. He continued in that capacity six years, then became identified with the grain business of James Hamilton in 1888. He continued in the service of Mr. Hamilton and his snecessors until 1900, when he moved to Springfield, Ohio, and began his connection with W. E. Tuttle & Company. He has continued here since, giving am- ple demonstration of superior business ability. He moves in the best cireles, en- joying a wide acquaintance and a host of friends.
GEORGE J. TIPPIE, a representative citizen and successful farmer of Harmony Township, owns one hundred and ninety- five acres of fine land in this section, on which he has resided since 1881. He was born March 9. 1838, in Athens County. Ohio, and is a son of Joseph and Anna ( Wilkins) Tippie.
Joseph Tippie was born in Athens
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County, Ohio, in 1809, and was a son of John Tippie. In 1829 he married Anna Wilkins and he died in 1894. Their fam- ily consisted of eight children, namely: Sylvina, who married Ephraim Sayers, and whose children were Agnes, Ollie, Or- ran, Julia, Lizzie and George; Wesley, who married Elizabeth Brolley, and has five children-Addison, John, Warren, Silas and Nettie; Eliza, who married Will- iam Ogg, and has three children-Sarah. Wesley and Joseph; George J .; Julia, who married William Keeffer, and whose children are Frank and Kittie; John, who died aged thirty-one years; Silas, who married May Bruner, and has three chil- dren-Ollie, Grace and John; and Martha, who married James James, and has two children-Freddie and Florence.
George .J. Tippie received a district school education, such as was afforded the youths in his neighborhood, and his life has been devoted almost continuously to agricultural pursuits. In 1881 he pur- chased his present farm of James MeMil- len and James Sprague. He has made many substantial improvements on it and has put the land under fine cultivation. Besides hay and the usual cereals he raises some cattle and other live stock. When the Ohio Electric Road was seek- ing a right of way through this section, Mr. Tippie sold the company five acres of his land and now the line runs directly in front of his residence.
Mr. Tippie was married in 1863, in Athens County, Ohio, to Orcha Stephen- son, who was born in that county, Octo- ber 29, 1845. Her parents, Jerome and Anna (Southerton) Stephenson, had ten children-Orcha, Bruce, Beulah, Priscilla, Jerome, Hattie, Media, Zelphia, Forestine
and Dollie. Mr. and Mrs. Tippie have had four children-Eva, Decatur, Owa and Etna. Eva, the eldest daughter, who mar- ried George Olinger, died in 1895, leav- ing one daughter, Mary, who was born in 1890, and who resides with her grand- parents. Decatur, the eldest son, horn in 1865, married Fannie Smith and they re- side at Vienna. They have two children, Edna and Frank. Owa, the second daugh- ter, was born in 1869, and in 1890 married George Kephart. They have had two chil- dren, George Henry, born in 1895, who died in 1899, and Ruth, who was born in 1899. Etna, the youngest daughter, born in 1871, married Fred Kemp and they re- side at Dayton, Ohio. They have five sons-Fred B., George L., Homer F., Russell L. and Harry S.
Mr. Tippie has always been an active and public-spirited citizen. He has served three terms as township trustee and has shown his interest in the public schools by consenting to act as school director. He is a member of Lodge No. 345, Odd Fellows, at Vienna, in which he has held all the chairs.
JOEL L. LITTLE, a prominent citizen of Villa, formerly postmaster and also justice of the peace, was born in Ross Township, Greene County, Ohio, Decem- ber 20, 1836, and is a son of Cyrus and Susanna (Dalbey) Little, and a grandson of Jacob Little.
Cyrus Little was born in Frederick County, Virginia, in 1814, and died .July 21, 1905, aged eighty-nine years. When he was three years old his parents came to Ross Township, Greene County, this being in the fall of 1816, and between that
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and 1820, Jacob's brothers, Martin, David in the Civil War, he entered into partner- and John, came also to this section of Ohio and all bought large farms. Their father, George Adam Little came from Germany to Virginia, in 1795. His trade was that of nail-maker and he manufactured some of the spikes that were originally used in the construction of the White House, at Washington City. After the death of James Demint, who laid out Springfield,
ship in a blacksmith business, with his father, at Van Wert, which continued for eighteen months. Mr. Little then came to Springfield and worked at his trade for eleven years, five of these being spent in the Champion Works. On December 13, 1863, he enlisted in a heavy artillery regiment, at Yellow Springs, Ohio, but at Camp Cleveland he was transferred to Ohio, his widow, Mrs. Nancy Demint, be- . Company I, One Hundred and Twenty- eighth Regiment, Ohio Volunteer In- fantry, and served until July 13, 1865. He was in the Department of Ohio and during the larger part of his service, was under the command of Gen. Joseph Hooker. During fourteen months of this time he was stationed at Johnson's Island, Sandusky Bay, as a guard over Confederate prisoners.
came the second wife of Jacob Little, the ceremony taking place July 12, 1821. A brother-in-law of Jacob Little was a somewhat noted character of that day. His name was Joseph Thomas, but he was known all through Ohio as the Singing Pilgrim or the White Pilgrim. He travel- ed all over the country preaching and singing his hymns, having published a hymn book of his own. He always dressed in white, hence his appellation, and he was a welcome visitor wherever his wander- ings led him. Ile married a sister-in-law of Jacob Little. He was born in Orange County, North Carolina, March 7, 1791. and died at Zanesville, Ohio.
Cyrus Little and his brother Joseph learned the blacksmith's trade with their father, and Cyrus ran a blacksmith shop in Ross Township. Greene County, until 1864, when he moved his shop to Van Wert, retiring after working as a black- smith for fifty-two years. He married Susanna Dalby, who died December 6, 1904, aged eighty-five years. The celebra- tion of their sixty-seventh wedding anni- versary had been planned, but Mrs. Little died three days before.
Joel L. Little learned the blacksmith trade with his father. in Greene County, and after the termination of his service
In 1877, Mr. Little came to Villa and started a blacksmith shop which he oper- ated for fifteen years and then went into a grocery business for eleven years, dur- ing nine years of this period being post- master of the village. He succeeded his brother, Daniel Little, who had been post- master for six years previously.
On February 4, 1858, Mr. Little was married to Charity Gordon, who was born in Bethel Township, Clark County, Ohio, on a farm adjoining the one on which her grandfather, Richard Gordon, had settled. Her father, Richard Gordon, was born in Frederick County, Virginia, and was nine years old when his father settled on a farm south of Springfield. The elder Richard Gordon had made a previous set- tlement in this region bnt had gone back to Virginia on account of the hostility of the Indians in. Ohio at that time. Subse- quently he returned to his former farm
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on which he lived out the rest of his life, His father was William Otstot, who was and on which he reared a family of seven- teen children all of whom reached matur- ity. When Mrs. Little was ten years old her parents moved to Ross Township, Greene County, where she was residing at the time of her marriage.
Mr. and Mrs. Little have three children, namely: Willis, who is engaged in a blacksmith business at Urbana, his father owning the property; Cyrus G., who died December 9, 1907, was a resident of Den- ver, Colorado, and he had been in an ex- press business for the past twenty-two years, until 1906 being agent for the Pacific Express Company, at Cleveland; and Ida M., who married Peter Lynch, who is principal of the Eastern School, at Springfield. Mr. and Mrs. Little have fifteen grandchildren and six great-grand- children.
In 1881, Mr. Little joined the Odd Fel- lows and was a member of Ephraim Lodge. which he subsequently left in order to become a charter member of Lone Star Lodge, No. 732, Lagonda. He is a member of the United Brethren Church at Lagonda. For nine years, Mr. Little was a justice of the peace and is still familiarly addressed as Squire Little.
JOHN FREDERIC OTSTOT, residing on one of his father's farms, which is sit- uated in section 20, Springfield Township, and consists of ninety-four and one-half acres of valuable land, was born in Springfield Township, Clark County, Ohio, September 26, 1882, and is a son of Jolın and Sallie (Kersliner) Otstot.
John Otstot was born in the house which is the present home of his son, Jolm F.
a native of Pennsylvania and an early set- tler in this section. William Otstot built this commodions brick house in 1832 and at that time it was one of the finest resi- dences in all this part of the country, and many a social gathering has been held here and kind hospitality dispensed. It is still known as the old William Otstot place. John Otstot was reared in Spring- field Township and trained to be a good farmer. When he reached manhood he married Sallie Kershner, who was also born in Springfield Township, and is a daughter of William A. Kershner. To John and Sallie Otstot were born four children, namely: William A .; Mabel, who married August Getz; John Frederic; and Harry, who remains at home. John Otstot is a large farmer residing east of Springfield, and is a member of the Springfield Township School Board.
John F. Otstot was reared in Spring- field Township, and attended school dur- ing his boyhood and youth, in the neigh- borhood of his home. He grew to man- hood acquainted with all the practical de- tails of farming and has ever since given his attention to this business. For some months following his marriage he lived at home and then moved to the present farm which he has successfully operated for the past three years. He raises wheat, corn, oats and hay, also some stock, and keeps enongh cows to have a good private dairy. He is one of the sensible, in- dustrious and enterprising young farmers of the township.
On June 1. 1903, Mr. Otstot was mar- ried to Florence Self, who is a daughter of Joseph and Lettie Self. Mrs. Otstot was left an orphan when she was five
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years old and was reared by her grand- Metal Wheel Company, becoming its man- father, James Self, of Madison County, ager in August, 1903. He has numer- ous other interests and is a director of the Springfield Street Railway Company.
Ohio. Mr. and Mrs. Otstot have one son, a bright little child, whom they have named John Edgar.
W. H. STACKHOUSE, manager of The Bettendorf Metal Wheel Company, at Springfield, has been identified with the interests of this city for the past ten years. He was born at Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, in 1865, and was reared and educated at Davenport, Iowa.
His early business efforts were con- nected with railroading and he subse- quently became cashier at Davenport, for the Rock Island Railroad, and he served also as private secretary to the assistant president of the road, for eight years. He then turned his attention to life insur- ance, representing the Northwestern Mu- tual Life Insurance Company of Milwau- kee. About this time he also entered ac- tively into politics, becoming an import- ant factor in the Democratic ranks. For some years he continuously represented his party at district and state conven- tions, and he was sent as a delegate to the Democratic national convention, in 1896, and was still further honored by an ap- pointment as a member of the committee selected to notify the vice-presidential nominee. From 1889 until 1893, he was associated with the Democratic national committee. During the second adminis- tration of President Cleveland, he was appointed collector of internal revenue, for southern Iowa.
In 1896, Mr. Stackhouse came to Springfield and accepted the position of assistant manager of The Bettendorf
He is also identified with various pub- lic enterprises, his fellow-citizens having long since learned that he is a man of sound sense and unusual business capac- ity. He is one of the three members form- ing an advisory board appointed to look after the investment of the endowment fund of the Springfield City Hospital. For the past year he has been president of the Springfield commercial club, and he belongs also to the Ohio State board of commerce and is a member of the commit- tee on business corporate law.
On July 16, 1890, Mr. Stackhouse was married to Elizabeth Lenihan, of Du- buque, Iowa, and they have a family of four sons and four daughters, Mr. Stackhouse and family belong to St. Raphael's Catholic church.
WILLIAM H. OVERHOLSER, a much esteemed resident of Lawrenceville, and owner of a farm of fifty acres in German Township, was born two miles northwest of Lawrenceville on the farm which he owns, October 20, 1853, and is a son of Moses and Eva (Rust) Overholser.
Moses Overholser, a native of Virginia. came to Ohio when six years old with his father, Christian Overholser, who first settled at Newark, Ohio, moving from there to Terre Haute, Champaign Coun- ty, and thence to German Township, Clark County, where he purchased a tract of 200 acres, of which the subject of this sketch owns fifty acres. Moses assisted his father in clearing this land and made
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his home on the place all his life. He Junior Order of American Mechanics, and married Eva Rust, who was born in Clark Mrs. Overholser belongs to the Daughters of America. The former is a member of the Reformned Church, of which he has been deacon since 1900. County, a daughter of Abraham Rust, a native of Virginia. Seven children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Overholser, namely : Abraham; Susan, who married James Reckner; Elizabeth, who married Will- iam Roach; Sarah Jane, the wife of Fred- erick Michael; William H., whose name begins this article; Martha, who married Daniel Myers; and Moses. Mrs. Over- holser died November 19, 1900, and her husband on May 7, 1904, aged seventy- eight years.
William H. Overholser grew to man- hood on the old homestead in German Township and has always been a farmer by occupation. Although a resident of Lawrenceville since November 1, 1906, he still continues to manage his farm. Mr. Overholser owns a fine residence in Law- renceville, and also erected a large barn when the house was built.
Mr. Overholser was married October 20, 1875, to Mary Davis, who was born and reared in German Township, Clark County, and is a daughter of Elkanah and Rachel (Baker) Davis, who were promi- nent farmers of German Township. Mr. and Mrs. Davis had six children, five of whom are living - Edward, Samuel, Smith, Sylvester, who died aged eleven years; Mary (Mrs. Overholser), and Dr. Elisha B. Davis of Troy, Ohio. Three children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Over- holser, namely: Minnie, who married John Marshall and has the following children : William, Stewart. Everett, Howard, Carroll, Adrian; Florentine, who married John Hallstine, and Roger Eu- gene, who still attends school.
Mr. Overholser has membership in the
ADOLPHUS H. SMITH, JJr., an enter- prising and progressive citizen of Mad River Township, has been a continuous resident of Clark County since 1864, and throughout his entire business career has devoted his attention to agricultural pur- suits in this community. He was born October 1, 1850, in Cincinnati, Ohio, where the first fourteen years of his life were spent.
After Mr. Smith's father became pos- sessed of land in Clark County, the fam- ily spent the summer months on the farm here, returning to the city for the win- ters. His early education was obtained in his native city, and this was supple- mented by a two years' course in a mili- tary college at Springfield, conducted by Chandler Robins, and later he attended Notre Dame University, South Bend, In- diana, for two years. In 1864 Mr. Smith came to Clark County and resided on his father's farm until after his marriage, when he rented a farm of one hundred and sixty acres located two and one-half miles west of Enon. This he cultivated with much success and was enabled to lay aside sufficient capital to purchase a farm for himself in 1877. He also became manager of his father's large interests in this local- ity and at his father's death inherited an equal share with the other children in the estate.
On October 17, 1871, shortly after at-
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taining his majority, Mr. Smith was joined in marriage with Sarah J. Shella- barger, a native of Mad River Township, Clark County, Ohio, and a life-long resi- dent of this community. She is a daugh- ter of Reuben and Elizabeth (Baker) Shellabarger, the former of whom passed out of this life in 1889. His wife died in 1873. Seven children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Smith: Amelia, who is the wife of L. Baylor of Springfield, has three children; Maria L., who is the wife of P. Johnson, has one child; May K., who is the wife of Clarence W. Engledue of Springfield, Ohio, has four children; Rilla J., who is the wife of J. E. Drake, has one child; Justin B., who married Amelia Smith, has had six children, and follows farming in Mad River Township; Ger- trude E .; and Helen V.
Mr. Smith has always been a man of public spirit and enterprise, giving his support to all measures which tend to- ward the advancement of his community. He cast his first presidential vote for Horace Greeley and is a staunch advocate of the Democratic party. Although never seeking political preferment, he has filled the office of township trustee of Mad River Township for about twenty-two years and has taken an active part in securing and maintaining good roads. He is fraternally affiliated with the Yellow Springs Lodge No. 441, F. & A. M., and New Carlisle Chapter No. 57. R. A. M. He is also a member of the subordinate lodge and encampment of Odd Fellows at Fairfield, Greene County, Ohio, and holds membership in the Knights of Pythias order at Enon, having filled all the chairs and served as a representative to the Grand Lodge.
JACOB LESLIE MCCLELLAN, who died on his farm in Springfield Township April 30, 1892, was one of the highly es- teemed citizens of this section, in which a large part of his useful life had been spent. He was born May 2, 1821, in Penn- sylvania, and was a son of George and Isabella (Leslie) Mcclellan.
In his infancy Mr. MeClellan was brought by . his parents to Richland County, Ohio, where his father followed shoemaking. He was educated in the coun- try schools and at Wittenberg College, at Springfield, after which he began to teach school. He became very popular as a teacher, first in Springfield Township and later in other sections. He was the teacher at the Sinking Creek School for several years, also at the Reid School, and during a part of this time he was a boarder at the home of Caleb Tuttle, the leading farmer of the community, whose daughter Rachel he subsequently married. He continued teaching for sev- eral years after marriage, and then turned his attention to farming and moved to the farm of one hundred and four acres on which Mrs. McClellan resides. It was formerly the property of her father, Caleb Tuttle, who owned about a thousand acres of land in Clark County. Mr. Me- Clellan resided on this farm and carried on a general line of agriculture. He was an elder in the Presbyterian Church.
On April 8, 1852, Jacob L. MeClellan was married to Rachel Tuttle, who is a daughter of Caleb and Mary (Prickett) Tuttle. Caleb Tuttle was born in Vir- ginia in 1799 and was a son of Sylvanus Tuttle, who came to Clark County in 1806 and settled on a farm in Moorefield Town- ship, near the present home of Mrs. Mc-
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Clellan. Caleb Tuttle married Mary Prickett, who was a daughter of Nicholas Prickett, who came from Claremont County to Clark County, Ohio, and ran the first flour mill at Lagonda. Of Caleb Tuttle's large family but two survive- Mrs. McClellan and Miss Laura Tuttle. In her girlhood Mrs. McClellan taught one lerm of school, but otherwise her atten- tion has always been directed to looking after her domestic affairs and to provid- ing for the happiness and comfort of her family. Mr. and Mrs. McClellan had five children born to them, as follows: Mary Isabella, who married John H. Gower, re- sides in Harmony Township; Eliza Jane. who married G. W. Yeazell, resides in Springfield Township; Emma, who mar- ried W. B. Curtis, resides at Springfield; Alice, who married. M. D. Doyle; and William Leslie, who died February 18, 1903. For eight years he was money order clerk at the Springfield postoffice. He married Maud Leuty and she survives with two sons, John Leuty and James Henry.
Mrs. McClellan attended school in the building that is now utilized for a relig- ious edifice and is known as the Union Sinking Creek Church. Mrs. McClellan belongs to the Presbyterian faith. She has resided on her present farm since 1857.
NATHAN GRIEST, residing on his well-improved farm of seventy-nine acres, which lies in Sections 19 and 20, German Township, was born on this farm, Novem- ber 25, 1839, and is a son of Willing and Hannah (Thomas) Griest.
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