USA > Ohio > Clark County > Springfield > 20th century history of Springfield, and Clark County, Ohio, and representative citizens > Part 106
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Although Mr. Milligan is necessarily greatly absorbed in his private business enterprises, he has always found time to devote to civic interests, and in such measure as to win the full confidence and esteem of his fellow citizens. In April, 1901, he was elected mayor of Springfield, and during his serv- ice of two years the city made marked progress. Politically he is identified with the Republican party. Mr. Milligan is one of the board of directors of the American Trust and Savings Com- pany, at Springfield, a corporation which occupies the substantial nine-story struc- ture to which the city points as its larg- est and finest building.
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On August 30, 1887, Mr. Milligan was married to Jennie Fairbanks, who is a daughter of Loriston M. and Mary Ade- laide Fairbanks, of Columbus, and a sis- ter of Hon. Charles W. Fairbanks, vice president of the United States. Mr. and Mrs. Milligan have five children, namely : Loriston F., Harry S., Mary Adelaide, Robert L., and Rachel Iolene. The fam- ily residence is located at No. 1029 South Fountain Avenue, Springfield.
JOHN HENRY BLOSE, one of Ger- man Township's substantial and repre- sentative citizens, resides on his valuable farm of 150 acres, which lies directly north of Tremont, on both sides of the road. Mr. Blose was born in Mad River Township, four miles west of Urbana, Champaign County, Ohio, Angust 29, 1838, and is a son of Daniel and Susanna (Pence) Blose.
Daniel Blose was born.in Shenandoah County, Virginia, and was a son of John and Amelia Blose, who moved to Cham- paign County, Ohio, when Daniel was a child of two years. The latter grew up on a farm situated four miles north of that on which his son, Jolin Henry, re- sides. In early manhood he married a daughter of Henry Pence, who came from Virginia to Champaign County, in 1801, and in that county Mrs. Blose was born: This marriage was a very early one and the couple went to live on the old Pence farm, where four children were born, of whom John Henry was the eldest. The other three were, Minerva, who died aged one year: Ennice Elizabeth, who married Samuel Sowers, and, with her husband, is now deceased, they being survived by
five children ; and Marietta, also deceased, with her husband, who married Christian F. Rohrer. The first wife of Daniel Blose died in 1846 and he was married (sec- ondly) to Louisa Colbert. They had seven children, namely: James Irvin, who fol- lows farming and is also in the grain busi- ness at Urbana; Leroy, who is engaged in the grain business with his brother; Dan- iel, who is a traveling salesman; Emery, deceased, who was also in the grain busi- ness; Edward, who died in young man- hood; and two children who died in in- fancy. The father of the above mentioned family died in 1871, aged fifty-three years.
John Henry Blose was reared in Cham- paign County, where he attended the country schools, and when about seven- teen years of age he also taught school. His father owned a flour mill and also a distillery, and he worked in both of these and also engaged in farming. At the age of nineteen years he was married to Caro- line Steinberger, and for two years after- ward they lived on one of his father's farms. Mr. Blose then came to German Township, Clark County, and bought an interest in a farm of 200 acres, which was jointly owned by his father and a Mr. Jacob Seitz, and this he operated from 1859 until 1871, in connection with milling and distilling. He built a house near his mill, but occupied it only a short time, moving then to his present farm. After retiring from the milling and distilling business, which he did in 1871, he settled down to farming and stock-raising, serv- ing at various times in the important pub- lic offices to which his fellow citizens have frequently elected him.
Mr. and Mrs. Blose have had eight chil- dren, namely: Rose, who died an infant;
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Alpha Williams, Charles Vallandigham, as one of the Congressional district dele- Ollie Estella, Frank Pendleton, Clyde gates to the Democratic National Conven- tion held at Baltimore, Maryland, which nominated as its candidate for president, Horace Greeley. Edward, Mary Elizabeth and Lettie May. The eldest son, Alpha Williams, has been a successful teacher for the past fifteen years and resides at home. The second In 1873 he was elected a member of the Constitutional Convention of Ohio, which met then at Columbus, but was adjourned to Cineinnati, on account of the preva- lence of cholera at that time in the former city. In 1875, Mr. Blose was elected a county commissioner of Clark County and served faithfully as such for a term of three years. He is a member of the local Grange. As an active and interested citi- zen, he has always performed publie du- ties with an eye to the welfare of his com- munity, and is held in high esteem by his neighbors, and by the public generally. son, Charles V., married Lida Dingledine and they have three children-Hazel E., Lucy May and Mary Margaret. Ollie Estella married Charles K. Collins, and they have had seven children-Martha Eunice, Tandy Blose, Ruth, Roger A., Pauline and Lucy and Edna, the latter two being deceased. Frank Pendleton, who is a teacher, and is also serving in the office of justice of the peace in German Town- ship, married Nora Weigel, and they have one child, Helen Iona. Clyde Edward Blose, the third son, who is train dis- patcher at Springfield for the D., T. & I. Railroad, married Viola May Kiplinger, and they have had nine children-James Elwood, Rulil Willard, Lettie Eileen, Ethel Caroline, Emily Josephine, Flor- ence Nell, John Henry, Joseph Philip and Mary Lonise. Mary Elizabeth Blose mar- ried U. G. Karg, and they live near Tre- mont.
In politics Mr. Blose is a Democrat. From 1863 until 1893, he served as a jus- tice of the peace in German Township, and during this long period in this im- portant position adjusted many important cases and gave many valuable decisions. He was chosen as one of the Congress- ional district delegates to the Democratic National Convention held in New York City in 1868, at which Horatio Seymour was nominated for President. He was at that time a great admirer of George H. Pendleton, and earnestly worked for his nomination. Again, in 1872, he was chosen
JOHN OTSTOT, a prominent citizen of Springfield Township and a member of the township school board, owns three valuable farms which aggregate 290 acres. He was born on the farm which is now occupied by his son, John Frederick Otstot, in Springfield Township, Clark County, Ohio, March 28, 1847, and is a son of William and Rebecca (Knaub) Otstot.
The Otstot family came to Ohio from that old German stronghold, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. Adam Otstot, the grandfather of John Otstot, came to Co- lumbus, Ohio, in 1831, and was accompa- nied by his son, William Otstot, who had been born in Pennsylvania, December 25, 1811. The family remained at Columbus for two years and then came to Clark County, settling on the farm on which John Otstot was born. William Otstot
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was married in Clark County to Rebecca Knaub, who died in December, 1902. She was a daughter of George Knaub and was born in York County, Pennsylvania. The thirteen children of William and Rebecca Otstot were reared on the farm south of Springfield, and all of them, with one ex- ception, reached maturity. William Ot- stot died July 16, 1895, aged eighty-four years.
John Otstot attended school in the neighborhood of his home, but early be- gan to assist in the farm work and has continued to be interested in agricultural pursuits up to the present time. His early training was not lost, for there is little pertaining to farm work that he does not thoroughly understand. After his mar- riage he went to housekeeping on the Wil- liam Perrin farm, in Springfield Town- ship, where he lived until the spring of 1883, a period of seven years, and then came to the present farm, which he bought in the spring of 1882.
Mr. Otstot married Sarah Kershner, who is a daughter of William A. and Ellen (Way) Kershner. Mrs. Kershner was born in Lancaster County, Pennsyl- vania, and is a daughter of Capt. Michael Way, who operated a shoe factory there. He was an officer in the War of 1812. After coming to Clark County Ellen Way attended and graduated from the old Springfield Seminary, and for a number of years afterward taught school both in Springfield and in the country. She mar- ried William A. Kershner, who was born in Clark County and who was a son of Jacob Kershner, who came to this section from Hagerstown, Maryland. Mr. and Mrs. Otstot have four children, namely : William A., who married Minnie
Hayman and has two children-Anna Ruth and Christel; Mabel who married August Getz and has one child-Lewis; John Frederick, who married Florence Self, and they have one child-John Ed- gar; and Harry, who is residing at home.
Mr. Otstot has always taken a good eit- izen's interest in public affairs and on several occasions has consented to serve as a member of the school board.
BENJAMIN FRANKLIN PRINCE, A. M., Ph. D. Benjamin F. Prince was born December 12, 1840, near Urbana, Champaign County, Ohio; he is a descend- ant of some of the first settlers in west- ern Ohio. His maternal grandparents settled in Champaign County, Ohio, in 1805, and his paternal grandparents in 1809; grandfather participated in the War of 1812. Benjamin was raised upon a farm, and received the usual education in the country schools. In 1860 he entered the preparatory department of Witten- berg College (Springfield) and graduated from that institution in 1865. He entered upon the study of theology, but was ap- pointed instructor in his alma mater in the spring of 1866, and has been connect- ed with that institution since that date, serving for more than twenty years as professor of Greek and History, and now occupying the professorship of History and Political Science. He is ex-president of Clark County Historical Society and a life member and trustee by appointment of Governor Bushnell, and re-appoint- ment by Governor Nash, of the Ohio State Archaeological and Historical So- ciety.
Dr. Prince was married in 1869 to Miss
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Ellen Sanderson of Springfield. She was born in Lebanon, Pennsylvania, her mother for many years was postmistress of Springfield. They have been blessed with four children, Gracella, Flora, Wal- ter and Mabel. Dr. Prince has always taken an active interest in public affairs, having served for many years in the city council, and is today, perhaps, one of the best known persons connected with Wit- tenberg College. Notwithstanding his nearing three seore years and ten, he is exceedingly active and energetic and bids fair to add some years to his already long service with his alma mater.
WILLIS JACOB DRAKE, a prosper- ous farmer of Pike Township, Clark County, Ohio, is located on a farm of seventy-one acres about eighteen miles northwest of the city of Springfield, and in addition has a tract of twenty-five acres in Jackson Township, Champaign County. He was born on what is now known as the Jacob Sultzbach farm in Pike Township, March 20, 1861, and is a son of Thomas and Mary (Deaton) Drake. Thomas Drake was born in Eliza- beth Township, Miami County, Ohio, September 18, 1836, and was a son of Jacob Drake, who came from New Jersey to Miami County during pioneer days. Jacob Drake was first married January 12, 1814, to Phoebe Stout, by whom he had two sons, Thomas and William. He was again married June 27, 1839. to Ruth A. Titons, and they had four chil- dren, Ezra H., Willis H., Albert and Mary A. (Lamme).
Thomas Drake, father of our subject. spent his boyhood days on the home farm,
which he assisted in clearing. They lived in a log house for many years, and in 1853 Mr. Drake erected a magnificent frame house, the finest in the county at that time. After his marriage he moved to the Ful- ler farm in Pike Township, Clark County, which he rented for two years; then, dur- ing the following three years, lived on the farm of his wife's mother. At the end of that time he moved to Champaign Coun- ty, farming near Addison for five years, and then moved to a farm on the Clark County line. The family next lived on the Sheets farm near Tippecanoe for a period of eighteen years, then on the Strock farm in Pike Township for nine years. From there they moved to Jack- son Township, where they remained but a short time, locating soon after on a sınall farm that Mr. Drake bought near Addison. Three weeks after moving on the place, Mrs. Drake died, on Decem- ber 13, 1907. Mr. Drake is now retired and lives in the village of Addison. His wife, Mary (Deaton) Drake, was born in Pike Township and was a daughter of William and Catherine Deaton, early pioneers of the county. Six children were horn to them: William, Willis Jacob, Elizabeth F., who died at nine years; Sherman, who died at eight years; Grant and Levi.
Willis J. Drake was reared on the farm and attended the district schools. He be- gan dealing in stock in a small way when a young man and also followed general farming. He lived at home until one year after his marriage. October 30, 1891, he purchased his present farm from the Samnel Lind heirs and erected a fine nine-room frame house, a good barn and other buildings. He makes a specialty of
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hogs and cattle, particularly the former, ried. He was a collier by trade, which oc- and has nine acres in tobacco.
December 20, 1883, Mr. Drake was united in marriage with Catherine Wide- ner, a daughter of William and Amie (Rollins) Widener, her father coming from Pennsylvania and her mother from Indiana. Mrs. Drake is one of eleven children, as follows: Charles, deceased; Catherine (Drake) ; William Elmer; War- ren E .; John E .; Harry F. and Hattie F., twins, the latter, wife of James Dick; Caroline E. (Staley) ; Hays; Ross; and Laura (Cottingham). Mrs. Widener died in 1896 and is survived by her husband, who lives in Troy, Ohio.
Mr. and Mrs. Drake have three chil- dren, as follows: Tully L., who was married December 15, 1907, to Amelia Group, and is now farming in Champaign County; Florence E., who died in in- fancy; and Eva E., who attends the Wil- lis Business College in Springfield. Mr. Drake is a Republican in politics, and served as supervisor in Elizabeth Town- ship, Champaign County; and many years as road superintendent in Pike Township. He and his wife are consistent members of the Christian Church.
WILLIAM H. BURTON, a general farmer, stock raiser, and dairyman of Bethel Township, Clark County, Ohio, re- siding on a well improved farm of 189 acres, situated about seven miles west of Springfield, was born July 6, 1856, on his father's farm in Gallia County, Ohio, and is a son of James and Armenta (Blank- enship) Burton.
James Burton and his wife were both natives of Virginia, where they were mar-
cupation he followed for the greater part of his life. He came to Scioto County, Ohio, in his later years, and settled on a small farm, where he resided until his death, at thed age of seventy-eight. Eleven children were born to James Bur- ton and wife, namely: Janette, Sally Jane, James Harvey, Ruth L., Isaac Mil- ton, Amanda, wife of Asa Cander; Na- thaniel, George Riley, Eliza Jane, wife of Thomas McGilvery; Harvey M., and Wil- liam H., the subject of this sketch. The five first mentioned are now deceased, as also is Harvey M.
William Burton was reared on his fath- er's farm in Scioto County, and for a short time attended the district schools. At the age of twenty he went west, to Hastings, Minnesota, and worked for some time in a wheat elevator and at vari- ous other odd jobs, remaining there for twenty-two months. Then he returned to Scioto County, Ohio, for a short time, after which he came to Clark County and worked by the month on various farms in the county. He continued thus occupied for some time after his marriage, and then rented the Charles Thomas farm in German Township for three years, after which he rented the Demormandie farm for one year, moving thence to the Peter Ebersole farm, which he operated for five years. He then lived for one year on the Sipes farm, near Urbana, and in Novem- ber. 1906, bought his present farm of 189 acres from the Wittenberg College estate, where he has since been engaged in gen- eral farming, stock-raising and dairying, and is recognized as one of Bethel Town- ship's most enterprising and successful farmers.
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Mr. Burton was united in marriage De- cember 27, 1883, to Clara Belle Callison, who was born October 5, 1841, in German Township, and who is a daughter of Ja- cob and Margaret Jane (Argabright) Cal- lison, who came to this county from Vir- ginia. Mrs. Burton was the eldest of a family of five children, namely: Clara Belle, Lucinda Jane, widow of Fred Wert; Charles A., John M., and George, the three last mentioned being now de- ceased. Her mother is still living. Nine children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Bur- Clifford J., Joseph D., William Russell, who died aged fourteen months; James Dwight, George H., Elsie M., and Nellie I.
ROBERT ELDER, owner of a large general store in the village of Selma, and president of the Miami Deposit Bank, of Yellow Springs, Ohio, was born in this vicinity Jannary 16, 1872, and is a son of Robert and Julia Ann (Stewart) Elder. The old Elder homestead in Green Town- ship was established by Robert Elder, grandfather of our subject, and a native of Dauphin County, Pennsylvania, who came to Ohio when eleven years of age, locating in Clark County. He married Nancy Elder, a native of Clark County, and reared a family of nine children, three sons and six daughters, of whom five are still living.
Robert N. Elder, father of the present Robert, was born and reared on the home
farm in Green Township and there spent his entire life, engaged in farming. He married Julia Ann Stewart, a daughter of Perry and Rhoda Stewart, of Green Township, Clark County, and they be- came the parents of eleven children, of whom six still survive, the subject of this sketch being the eldest of those living. Robert N. Elder's death, which occurred July 18, 1907, was caused by his sustain- ing a fall in the barn of the home farm.
Robert Elder, subject of this sketch, was reared on the home farm and re- ton, as follows: Lawrence E., Ira A., ceived his educational training in the dis- triet schools of the township, after which he assisted with the work at home until twenty-three years old. He then engaged Politically Mr. Burton is a Prohibition- ist, but was formerly a Republican. Both he and his wife are members of the Ger- man Baptist Brethren Church. as clerk in the store then operated by Wildman & Company and two years later bonght a half interest in the store, of which he took entire charge the year fol- lowing, and has conducted same ever since. Mr. Elder is also financially inter- ested in the Miami Deposit Bank, of Yel- low Springs. In 1895 he and his uncle, P. M. Stewart, bought the defunct Citi- zens' Bank of that town, and again put it in operation, it now being known as the Miami Deposit Bank, Mr. Elder acting as president and P. M. Stewart as cashier.
Politically Mr. Elder is a Republican and has served as a delegate to County, District and Congressional Conventions, is clerk of the School Board, and cashier of the Ohio State Fair. The school dis- triet of this vicinity was the second or- ganized under the New Special School District Law of 1904, and it was through the efforts of Mr. Elder and others who have always taken an active interest in all affairs which tend toward the advance- ment of the community that this fine
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school with its excellent facilities was made possible.
Mr. Elder was joined in marriage Sep- tember 14, 1898, with Rachel T. Wildman, a daughter of William and Eliza Wild- man, now residents of Springfield. They are the parents of four children. Robert Newell, Lois, Malcolm and Julia, two of whom are attending school. Religiously Mr. Elder is a member of the Methodist Church and his wife is a Friend.
SILAS BAKER, a well known resi- dent of the pleasant village of Lawrence- ville, and the owner of 103 acres of valu- able farming land in German Township, was born in Clark County, Ohio, on land he still owns, February 16, 1824. His parents were Samuel and Mary (Naw- man) Baker.
Samuel Baker was born in Virginia and in young manhood, in 1811, came to Springfield, Ohio, and participated in the War of 1812. He was a blacksmith by trade and after he returned to civil life he built a shop in the woods, in German Township, Clark County, where he had ae- quired a small farm. He married Mary Nawman, who had accompanied her par- ents to German Township from Virginia, and they lived out their quiet, useful lives on their farm in this township. Samuel Baker died at the age of seventy- one years, and his wife at that of seventy- nine.
Silas Baker grew to manhood on the home farm, attending the district schools for three months during the winter sea- sons in his boyhood, but from youth as- sisting in the duties pertaining to the raising of stock and cultivating the land. For many years he gave his whole atten-
tion to his farming interests and has owned his present property since the death of his parents. In the spring of 1906 he bought his comfortable cottage in Lawrenceville, where he and wife are passing their declining years.
In 1849 Mr. Baker was married to Elizabeth Friermood, who was born in German Township, a daughter of Reuben Friermood, who came to Clark County from Virginia. Mr. and Mrs. Baker have four children living, four others be- ing deceased. The former are: Alice, who is the widow of Harry Ryman; Will- iam Wesley, who is in the optical business at Troy, Ohio; Emory, who resides at Springfield; and Martha Ellen, who mar- ried Thomas B. Ream, a leading grocery merchant at Springfield. Politically Mr. Baker is a Democrat. During his resi- dence in the county he served fourteen successive years as clerk of German Township and frequently as township trustee.
JOSEPH ULERY, who is engaged in farming on a tract of eighty-two acres in Pike Township, comes of one of Clark County's well known pioneer families. He was born September 12, 1851, on his fath- er's farm near Liberty, Pike Township, and is a son of John R. and Mary (Zieg- ler) Ulery, and a grandson of John and Elizabeth Ulery.
His great grandparents were the first of the Ulery family to come to this coun- try, their native home being Germany. John Ulery, the grandfather of Joseph, was born in Franklin County, Pennsylva- nia, where also he was reared and mar- ried. He subsequently came to Ohio to
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enter land, walking the entire distance of 500 miles, both ways. In 1842 he brought his family and household goods overland to Ohio in wagons and located on a tract of 200 acres near Liberty (two and one- half miles northeast of New Carlisle), the family living for some time in a log cabin which stood on the land. Here John and his wife Elizabeth spent the rest of their lives, dying each at an advanced age. They were the parents of five children, of whom but two are now living-Jacob, and Nancy, the widow of David Nysewander.
John R. Ulery, father of the subject of this sketch, was born in Franklin County, Pennsylvania, in 1825, and at the age of seventeen years came to Clark County, Ohio, with his parents, who, as above noted, located at Liberty. Here he mar- ried Mary Ziegler, a native of Maryland, also of German descent, whose parents came to Logan County, Ohio, at an early period, when the Indians still inhabited this section. She saw the last of the tribes leave, and well remembered them stopping at her father's house to trade their bead-work for food. After his mar- riage John and his wife located on a farm adjoining that of his father, and there spent the remainder of their lives, en- gaged in agricultural pursuits. Mrs. John R. Ulery died in 1897 when she was seventy-one years of age, and she was survived by her husband until April 2, 1907. They were the parents of ten chil- dren, as follows: Sarah, Anna, Joseph, whose name begins this article; Lydia, David, Elizabeth, Mary Catherine, George, Daniel and Emery. Of these chil- dren the following are deceased: David aged three, Sarah aged thirteen, Anna aged ten, Lydia aged twelve, Catherine
aged three and Daniel aged twenty-three. Five of these died with diphtheria.
Joseph Ulery was reared on his father's farm near Liberty and received his educational training in the common schools of that locality. Much of his time was devoted to work on the farm and his entire industrial career since has been devoted to agriculture. For five years subsequent to his marriage he farmed the home place and then, in 1878, moved to his present farm of eighty-two acres, pur- chasing the land from George Cramer, it having been originally entered by the grandfather of Mrs. Ulery. Mr. Ulery erected the large house which the family occupy, and also made other important improvements. He was engaged in oper- ating a cane factory and hydraulic cider- press in connection with his farming oper- ations and has met with success in both lines of activity.
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