20th century history of Springfield, and Clark County, Ohio, and representative citizens, Part 67

Author: Rockel, William M. (William Mahlon), 1855-1930, ed
Publication date: 1908
Publisher: Chicago, Biographical publishing co.
Number of Pages: 993

USA > Ohio > Clark County > Springfield > 20th century history of Springfield, and Clark County, Ohio, and representative citizens > Part 67

Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).

In 1867 Mr. Bookwalter was joined in marriage with Mary E. Croft, and to them have been born two children-John A., who is secretary of the James Leffel Company, and May L., wife of George Richmond Prout, who is associated with the American Seeding Company. Social- ly, Mr. Bookwalter is a member of the Commercial Club and the Lagonda Club. of this city, and is fraternally a thirty- second degree Mason, a member of the Scottish Rite, of Dayton, and of the Shrine, of Cincinnati.

PERRY HERBERT STEWART, re- siding on a farm of 135 acres, located eight miles southeast of the city of Springfield, in Green Township, comes of one of the oldest and most representative Clark County families. He was born in Green Township, one-half miles south of his present home, December 12, 1862, and *is a son of Osear Nesbitt and Rachel (Nicholson) Stewart.

F. M. BOOKWALTER. a highly re- spected citizen of Springfield, and vice Oscar N. Stewart was born in Green president and treasurer of the James Township, Clark County, Ohio, February

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5, 1833, and was one of ten children born year and Lebanon College a few terms. to John Templeton and Ann ( Elder) Returning home he took up farming as Stewart. He was reared on the old Stew- his life work, operating the home place art home place, and when twenty-two. until 1895, when he moved upon his pres- years of age began life on his own ac- ent farm, which he had purchased the previous year from the David Elder as- signees. He erected outbuildings and made other substantial improvements, and in 1899 built a commodious house, which, with the fine lawn and shade trees, makes one of the most attractive country homes in this section of the county. count, having inherited one hundred and forty acres upon his father's death. This he set about improving and devoted his attention exclusively to farming until the outbreak of the Civil War. Upon the first call to arms he responded. enlisting April 23, 1861, in Company E, Sixteenth Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry, un- der Captain Philip Kershner. He was in the army about four months with the division that was at Phillippi and Car- rick's Ford. After his return from the front, he was soon married, and with his wife lived on the farm in Green Township until 1884, when he removed to his farm in Harmony Township, where he erected a fine home. A successful farmer and business man in every way, with the as- sistance of his faithful wife, he accumu- lated some eight hundred acres of land.

Oscar N. Stewart was married Jann- ary 28, 1862, to Miss Rachel Nicholson, who was born in Harmony Township, and is a danghter of Andrew and Rache! (Hammond) Nicholson. They became parents of three children: Perry Herb- ert; Ralph Nicholson, who is secretary of the Mutual Aid Society, and lives in Springfield: and Frank, who lives on the home farm. Fraternally he is a member of Wilson Post No. 602, G. A. R., at Vienna. He is a member of the Christian Church, at Plattsburg, of which he is a deacon. Politically he is a Republican. .

Perry Herbert Stewart was reared on the farm and attended the district schools. afterward attending Antioch College one

January 24, 1889, Mr. Stewart was joined in the bonds of matrimony with Miss Ermina Tuttle, who was born in Green Township. December 29, 1862, and is a daughter of Isaac and Fannie (Eich- elbarger) Tuttle. Four children were born to them: Ira E., born Angust 14, 1891; Roy Levon, October 5, 1893; Walter Nesbitt, October 26, 1895; and Elmer Arthur, born November 28, 1900. Polit- ically onr subject is a Republican, casting his first presidential vote for James G. Blaine. He has served fourteen years on the school board, but has never been an office seeker. With his family he attends the Methodist Episcopal Church.

F. O. JONES, head of the firm of F. O. Jones & Company, which is extensively engaged in sheet metal work, roofing, etc., has been a prominent citizen and business man of Springfield, Ohio, since 1894.

Mr. Jones was born in Darke County, Ohio, in 1868, and was six years old when his parents moved to Indiana, where he was reared and educated. When twenty- one years of age he went South, locating at Harriman, Tennessee, where he spent three years in the hardware and tinware

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business. He was thereafter engaged in the same line of business in various towns in Indiana and Kentucky until 1894, when he came to Springfield. The following nine years were spent with the l'eet & Schuster Company, the last six years of which he served in the capacity of fore- man. In September, 1904, in connection with Mr. W. E. Tuttle, he formed the firm of F. O. Jones & Company, which since has become one of the leading firms of the city. He is a man of ability and standing in the community, and has a host of acquaintances and friends throughout this section of the state.

In 1892, Mr. Jones was united in mar- riage with Emma Collins, a native of In- diana, and they have two children, Harley and Grace. Fraternally, he is a member of the Masonic Order. He and his wife are members of the First Baptist Church, of which he is a deacon.

FRANK E. STEWART, manager of a farm of 380 acres belonging to his pa- rents and operating also his own farm of fifty acres, is one of Harmony Township's leading agriculturists. He was born in Green Township, Clark County, Ohio, April 15, 1870, and is a son of Oscar N. and Rachel (Nichelson) Stewart.

The grandparents of Mr. Stewart. John T. and Anna E. Stewart, came to Clark County about 1818 and settled in Green Township. There Oscar N. Stewart was born, February 5, 1833, he being the sev- enth son in a family of nine children. He was married January 28, 1862, to Rachel Nichelson, who was born June 3, 1842, and still survives. They had four children: Herbert P., Effie, Ralph, and

Frank E. Herbert Stewart was born De- cember 12, 1862, and is a resident of Green Township. He married Ermina Tuttle and they have four sons: Ira E. Roy, Walter and Elmer. Effie, born in 1865, died aged eighteen months. Ralph, born in 1868, resides at Springfield. He married Grace Carlton and they have two children, Oscar Carlton and Rachel May. Oscar N. Stewart served 100 days in the Civil War, answering the first call for troops in 1861. He was a member of Com- pany F of the Sixteenth Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry.

Frank E. Stewart was educated in the schools of Green and Harmony Town- ships. His occupation has always been farming and for some years he has had charge of his father's interests as well as his own. At Columbus, Ohio, January 7, 1904, Mr. Stewart was married to Katb- erine Franklin, who was born June 14. 1884, and is a daughter of Patterson and Ann (Widdicombe) Franklin, the former of whom was born in 1851 and the latter in 1852, and they reside at Plattsburg. Mr. and Mrs. Franklin had four children, namely: Edna, who was born in 1879, married Charles Haering, resides at Co- lumbus, and they have one child, Kather- ine; Estella, who was born in 1882. re- sides at Columbus; Katherine; and Grace, who was born in 1887, resides with her parents at Plattsburg. Mr. and Mrs. Stewart have one daughter, Edna Car- men, who was born September 26, 1905. Mr. Stewart is a member of the Christian Church at Plattsburg, of which he is treas- „urer.

In politics, Mr. Stewart is a Repub- lican and has served as a member of the Republican Central County Committee.

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SMITH SIDNEY TWICHELL

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On May 15, 1894, he was initiated into Vi- enna Lodge No. 660, Knights of Pythias, since when he has passed through all the chairs and was a delegate to the Grand Lodge at Toledo, in 1897. He formerly belonged also to the organization of patri- otie character, the Sons of Veterans.

HARRISON L. DETRICK, proprietor of the Eagle City mills, owns other prop- erty in German Township, consisting of two residences and twenty-two acres of land, and is a well-known and substantial citizen. He was born in Springfield Town- ship, Clark County, Ohio, December 27, 1855, and is a son of Philip and Susan (Leffel) Detrick.

The Detrick family was established in Clark County, Ohio, by the grandfather, Daniel Detrick, who brought his family from Virginia when his son Philip was a boy of eight years. Both father and son were farmers. Philip Detrick owned a farm that was situated in both Bethel and Springfield Townships, the residence standing on the Bethel Township section, and the barn on the Springfield section.

Harrison L. Detrick was small when his father located on the above farm and there grew to manhood. In 1883 he mar- ried Mary Kollfrath, after which he moved to a farm of his own. Later he sold his property to the Freemason fraternity, and on it the beautiful Masonic Home has since been erected. The farm contained 155 55-100 acres and Mr. Detrick lived on it for nine years. He then moved to the old home place in Bethel Township, where he resided for nine years, after which he bought the Olds farm of 141 acres, situ- ated west of Tremont, and resided on that

place from March 11, 1904, until October 23, 1906, at which time he moved to Eagle City, taking charge of the Eagle City mills at that time. Ever since he went into busi- ness he has done a certain amount of farm- ing and has also engaged in dairying. For eighteen years he operated a dairy and for nine years of this period he ran a milk wagon without missing one day in all this time, a somewhat remarkable record. Mr. Detrick's flour, specialties are "Bismark" and "Kitchen Queen."

Mr. and Mrs. Detrick have two children : Jessie and Marguerite Elizabeth. The former graduated at the Rockaway School, spent two years at Wittenberg College and then graduated from the Nel- son Business College at Springfield. She is her father's bookkeeper.

Mr. Detrick is an Odd Fellow. He takes no very active interest in politics.

SMITH SIDNEY TWICHELL, for- merly a leading citizen of Clark County, lived a long and useful life, passing away December 13, 1907, at the age of seventy- one years, seven months and sixteen days. He was born in Oswego County, New York, May 27, 1836. In early manhood, Mr. Twichell went to Minnesota, in which state he resided for fourteen years, re- moving thence to Upper Sandusky, Ohio, in 1870.

It was during the period of his residence in Minnesota that he enlisted for service in the Civil War, to which he gave three years of his life, passing through innum- erable dangers and surviving them all. His position was that of a non-commis- sioned officer of Company K, Eighth Regi- ment, Minnesota Volunteers, which at that

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time was known as a part of the Army of that office in 1903. During a part of his the Frontier. Two of the hardest fights second term as commissioner his health prevented his personal attendance at some of the meetings of his colleagues. but he exert his usual beneficial influence in favor of the general welfare. He was greatly interested in securing the new county building and this fine structure stands as a monument to the efforts of Mr. Twichell and his associates. with the Indians occurred during the first year of his enlistment. After the transfer of his regiment to the South, he partici- pated in the battles of Murfreesboro and the Pines, under command of General Sully. Subsequently he marched with Sherman's forces to the sea, and was in the closing campaign of the war, witness- ing the surrender of General Johnston to General Sherman. On more than one oc- casion he was proffered the captaincy of a company, but he declined to assume the superior rank. He was a courageous and patriotic soldier and always took pride in the fact that he had helped his beloved country in her time of need, although no doubt his death was due in some measure to the hardships he suffered while in the army.

On November 27, 1868, Mr. Twichell was united in marriage with Jennie Hedges. Two sons were born to them, namely: Clayton and Foster. In 1875, Mr. Twichell removed from Upper San- dusky to his farm in Moorefield Township, on which he resided for thirty-two years, with the exception of six years, during which period he served as superintendent of the Champaign County Infirmary, to which office he was elected in 1879. He was a man well qualified for public posi- tion. His many sterling traits of char- acter were so generally recognized by his fellow-citizens that his frequent election to public office was a natural consequence. He was for thirteen years a justice of the peace, and he twice served as decennial appraiser of Moorefield Township. In 1900 he was elected a county commissioner of Clark County, and was re-elected to

In early life, Mr. Twichell united with the Methodist Episcopal Church, and throughout his long life he was a consist- ent exemplar of the faith. He was gen- erous in his support of the church's Chris- tian activities and benevolences, and he served in its various offices. Personally he was a man of great self-control, and this was especially manifested during the closing days of his life, when his bodily afflictions were borne without a murmur. He was a devoted husband, a kind and loving father, a true friend, and an hon- est, upright man. It can be truly said of him that his life was a blessing and that his memory will ever be kept green. Dur- ing his long continued illness he was at- tended by his family with an untiring de- votion.

H. E. FREEMAN, secretary and treas- urer of the American Trust & Savings Company, at Springfield, located in this city in August, 1906. He was born at Cuyahoga Falls, Summit County. Ohio.

Mr. Freeman passed through the com- mon school course at Cuyahoga Falls and also through the High School, and then entered the Western Reserve University, where he was graduated in 1898, with his degree of A. B. Immediately afterward

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he became connected with the Garfield Savings Bank, of Cleveland, and when he left that institution in order to accept his present connection, he was assistant sec- retary and treasurer. During his period of residence at Cleveland, he was identi- fied with a number of other successful business enterprises. He thus came to the American Trust & Savings Company as an experienced financier. He is a mem- ber and treasurer of the Springfield Com- mercial Club. He belongs to Anthony Lodge, F. & A. M., the Masonic Club, the Lagonda Club and the Country Club.

JACOB SNAUFER, township trustee of Moorefield Township and one of the leading citizens of this part of Clark County, where he owns a valuable farm of seventy-one acres which is situated in section 25, on the Villa road, was born in Germany, September 23, 1835. His pa- rents were John and Magdalene (Weid- man) Snaufer.

In 1852, John Snaufer, accompanied by his wife and four children, made his way to Liverpool, England, and took passage for America on a sailing vessel that was then in the harbor. It was an unfortunate choice and doubly so on account of his be- ing the only German family on board. None of the passengers nor any of the officers were able to speak the German language and this, of itself, would have made the position of the little family one of more or less hardship. For nine days the vessel was tossed about in terrific storms, but when cholera broke out, the passengers were in a pitiable state indeed. Over 160 of them died and among these were the father and mother of Jacob Snau-

fer. The mother lived but a few hours after being attacked but the father lin- gered for ten days. Their burial was in the sea. The ship, after forty-three days at sea, finally reached New York.

Jacob Snaufer was then sixteen years of age and was the eldest of the four chil- dren. When he landed in what seemed a very unfriendly country, he took his brother and two sisters to a small hotel and as he knew that he had two uncles living in Ohio, one in Logan and the other in Shelby County, he determined to com- municate with the latter, in the hope of getting some assistance. The letter was written to the uncle and one can easily imagine the anxious waiting for an answer which followed. It was a very serious position for a boy of his years to find him- self placed in, never having been forced to assume responsibility before this, and when ten days had gone by and no reply had come from the uncle, he decided to investigate the reason for himself. He left the three children in the shelter he had found for them and made his way to Shelby County, where he easily found his uncle. There were no rural mail carriers in those days and the boy's missive was found awaiting call in the country post- office, never having been delivered. With true German family affection, the uncle hastened to New York and brought the three waiting children to his hospitable home. Of these, John subsequently be- came a soldier in the Federal Army in the Civil War, in which he was so seri- ously injured that consumption attacked him and he died in 1892. in South Dakota. Margaret grew to womanhood and mar- ried Reuben Culp, and the youngest sis-

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ter, Magdalene, married John Keif, and both sisters live at Eureka, Illinois.

Jacob Snaufer remained in Shelby County with his uncle for two years and then worked with a farmer in Champaign County for three years, and at other work, up to 1862, having operated a rented farm for one year, and then he entered the army. He enlisted in August, 1862, at Urbana, Ohio, in Company H, Forty- fifth Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry, in which he held the rank of corporal. This regiment was in General Thomas' command during a large part of the time and was prominent in the hard campaign- ing of that great force. Although Mr. Snaufer was a brave and fearless soldier and was always at the post of duty, he was never either captured or wounded, the worst that befell him was contracting rheumatism from the exposure and hard- ships. On one occasion a bullet went through his cap, coming that near to end- ing his life. He remained in the service until the close of the war and was mus- tered out at Nashville, Tennessee, June 12, 1865.

For some time prior to entering the army, Mr. Snaufer had work in a ceme- tery in Champaign County and when he went back after his military service he resumed this work for one year and then turned his attention to farming, in which he has been interested ever since. He continued to live in that neighborhood until February, 1882, when he came to a rented farm in Moorefield Township, in which township he has lived ever since, with the exception of one year spent in Harmony Township. In February, 1897, he purchased his present excellent farm and moved to it in the same year.

On December 21, 1865, Mr. Snaufer was married to Rebecca W. Sampson, who was born and reared at Urbana, Ohio. Her father is William Sampson and she is a first cousin of the naval hero, Rear Ad- miral Sampson. Mr. and Mrs. Snaufer have descendants numbering six children and fourteen grandchildren, as follows: Lura Belle, who married Walter D. Yea- zell, has two children, Bertha Belle and Mary Evalyn; Annie Grace, who married George T. Walton, has four children, Crystal, Edwin, Harlan and Margaret; Walter D., who married Claret B. Yeazell, has six children, Blanche, Ruth, Sevina. Edith, Carl and Hazel; John M., who re- sides at Springfield, is one of the pro- prietors of the Buckeye hat store; Flor- ence Edith, who married Harry R. An- derson, has two children, Maude and Mil- dred; and Jacob W., who lives at home and operates the farm. He married Jes- sie May Yeazell.

In politics, Mr. Snaufer is a Republi can. He served for three years as a jus- tice of the peace in Moorefield Township and for ten years has been a township trustee. Since the age of twenty-one years he has been a member of the Odd Fellows. With his wife he belongs to the Methodist Episcopal Church.

WILLIAM A. MARTIN, president of the Central Publishing Company, at Springfield, and identified also with many of the city's successful enterprises. was born at Dayton, Ohio, in 1854. Mr. Mar- tin attended the public schools of his na- tive city and in boyhood began to learn the printer's trade, first with the old Oliver Crook Company and later with the

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United Brethren Publishing Company, counted on to further religious move- where he completed his apprenticeship, ments. During five years of his earlier life Mr. Martin was a member of the Ohio State Guards. He is an Odd Fellow and a member of the auxiliary order of Re- bekahs, is past state councilor of the Junior Order of United American Me- chanics, and he belongs to the Lagonda and to the Springfield Commercial Clubs.

remaining until 1880, when he came to Springfield. He was first with the J. S. Crowell Company, and when it became an incorporated concern he was a stock- holder and a director and was also super- intendent of the plant until it was sold to Eastern parties in 1906. Mr. Martin continued with the new owners until the summer of 1907, when he organized the Central Publishing Company. The of- ficers of this company are: William A. Martin, president and treasurer; Arthur Martin, vice president; and W. A. Mar- tin, Jr., secretary. The company estab- lished the family magazine known as "The Household Journal," a successful

venture. Mr. Martin owns stock in a num- ber of other enterprises. He has been a member of the board of directors of the Merchants' and Mechanics' Building and Loan Association since its organization. He is president of the Board of Educa- tion, of which he has many years been a member, and is identified with many benevolent and useful organizations.

In 1878 Mr. Martin was married to Lucy Danneker, of Dayton, and they have the following children: Arthur, who is a graduate of Dartmouth College of the class of 1900; Elsie, who married Otto R. Largent, who is secretary of the Y. M. ( A. at East Liverpool, Ohio, Mellie; Will- iam A., Jr., who is a graduate of Dart- mouth College of the class of 1907; and Belle, Dorothy, Hortense and Paul A., all residing at home. Mr. Martin and family belong to the Blessed Hope Baptist Church, of which he is a trustee. He takes a deep interest in Sunday-school work and his influence may always be space on which to build his log cabin, in

J. QUINCY SMITH, one of Clark County's most substantial citizens, re- sides on his valuable farm of 287 acres, which is situated in Bethel Township, west of New Carlisle. Mr. Smith was born on this farm, April 5, 1843, and is a son of David Johnson and Sallie (Cory) Smith.

David JJohnson Smith was born in Scotland and was brought to America by his parents when he was a child one year old. He resided in New York until he was seventeen years of age, when he came to Clark County, Ohio. Prior to 1834, when he settled down to farming and stock- raising, he had done various kinds of work, always being a man of great in- dustry. In 1827-28 he was engaged by the Government on a stone and brick work contract at Sault St. Marie. Later he had a blacksmith shop at New Carlisle, which he conducted for two years. He was married in Clark County in 1827 to Sallie Cory, whose father, Elnathan Cory, came to Ohio from New Jersey in 1793-4 and to Bethel Township in 1803. At that time the present farm of Mr. Smith, which was the old Cory place, was a wild plum thicket. Mr. Cory had to grub out the roots of these trees in order to find

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which he lived for many years. A few one that died in infancy. David, the Indians still remained in this section, and eklest son, died at the age of twenty-three there was plenty of game, but few white years. settlers. He died in 1842 at the age of sixty-four years. Elnathan Cory mar- ried Hannah Jennings, who died of chol- era in 1834. Mrs. Smith was born in the log cabin on this farm, which stood until after her marriage, when David Johnson Smith erected the present commodious brick house. She died in March, 1903, at the age of ninety-three years. David Johnson Smith died in 1878, aged eighty- four years. They had ten children, two of whom died young. The others were: Nana, Henry C., David H., Hannah, El- nathan, John Quincy, Lydia and Faunie.

John Quincy Smith was reared on the farm he now owns and the clearing of which he helped to complete. In 1861 he enlisted for service in the Civil War, be- coming a member of the Sixteenth Bat- tery, Independent Light Artillery. During his thirty-seven months of service Mr. Smith participated in many of the most important battles of the war, including Champion Hill, where Captain Mitchell was killed, the Vicksburg campaign, and many others, and when he was mustered out in September, 1864, he was with his battery on the Gulf of Mexico. Although he was exposed to ahnost constant danger during all this time, Mr. Smith returned home practically unharmed.

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20th century history of Springfield, and Clark County, Ohio, and representative citizens, Part 67

Author: Rockel, William M. (William Mahlon), 1855-1930, ed Publication date: 1908 Publisher: Chicago, Biographical publishing co. Number of Pages: 993

Author: Rockel, William M. (William Mahlon), 1855-1930, ed
Publication date: 1908
Publisher: Chicago, Biographical publishing co.
Number of Pages: 993