20th century history of Springfield, and Clark County, Ohio, and representative citizens, Part 84

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 84

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).

er died in 1880, and Mr. Shroyer formed field, and was engaged there in farming a second marital union, March 5, 1899, until his death in 1892. with Adelia A. Whiting, a daughter of Giles and Margaret W. (DeGroot) Whit- ing, her father being a native of New York, and her mother of New Jersey. Her parents were married in New York, and went from there to Michigan, and lat- er to Xenia, Ohio, where Mr. Whiting con- ducted a store for a time and afterward a hotel. They then moved to Preble Coun- ty, where he died, and after his death Mrs. Whiting moved to Franklin, Warren County, where the remainder of her days were spent. Mrs. Shroyer was one of nine children, six of whom grew to matur- ity, namely: Mary, William W., Adelia A., Lucy A., Junius F., and Frances Helen.

Politically Mr. Shroyer is a Democrat and has served two terms as supervisor. While in discharge of the duties pertain- ing to that office he was buried in a gravel pit, breaking a leg in three places, and after the expiration of his term he de- clined to run for the office again. Relig- iously he is a member and elder of the Reformed Church.

A. VAN BIRD, county surveyor of Clark County, and a well known resident of Springfield, was born September 19, 1857, four miles east of Springfield in Springfield Township, and is a son of Si- las Van Bird.

Silas Van Bird was born in Virginia and came to Springfield, Clark County, Ohio, in 1816. He was a millwright by trade, and followed the same for many years during his early life, but subse- quently located on a farm near Spring-

A. Van Bird was reared in Springfield Township, and attended the district schools, later graduating in 1880 from Wittenburg College, after which he spent much time in traveling. In 1888 Mr. Bird was elected township clerk and also as- sistant to county surveyor William Sha- ron, and in 1897, upon the appointment of the latter to the Board of Public Service, Mr. Bird was appointed county surveyor by Judge J. C. Mills and Judge Distin, and has since served continuously in that capacity. In 1886 Mr. Bird was united in marriage with Martha J. Hoffman, and they became the parents of two sons and two daughters, namely: Laura E., Silas Van, Martha M., and Paul S. Mr. Bird is a member of the First Baptist Church of Springfield.

JEREMIAH FROCK, one of Clark County's most substantial citizens, re- siding in a pleasant home at Vienna Cross Roads, owns 160 acres of valuable farm- ing land in Harmony Township and 203 acres in Moorfield and Springfield Town- ships. He is a native of Ohio and was born May 12, 1836. His parents were Samnel and Mary Ann (Wient) Frock. The paternal grandparents of Mr. Frock, Benjamin and Malinda Frock, were Maryland people, who came to Ohio in 1844.

Samuel Frock, father of Jeremiah, was born March 7, 1812. He was married, first, to Mary Ann Wient and they had six children : Jeremiah, Henry, John and Daniel (twins), Amos and an infant. llenry was born June 12, 1840, and died

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in 1906. He served for over three years in the Union Army during the Civil War. In 1865 he married Martha Clark and they had two children, Harry and Frank. John and Daniel were born January 6, 1842. John died in 1861 and Daniel died in 1864, while serving as a soldier in the Civil War. Amos was born June 7, 1846. He married Sarah Pentony and they have two children, Pearl and George; they re- side in Indiana. The mother of the above family died November 15, 1854, and the father was married, secondly, to Barbara A. Teach, who was born August 29, 1826. They had four children, namely : Samuel, born in 1859, who married Emma Stan- ford in 1882 and has one child, Maud; Fannie J., born in 1856, who married Emory White in 1877 and has three chil- dren-Arthur, Fred, and Edward; Ed- ward, born in 1867, who died in 1904. He married Minnie Rathburn in 1890 and they had one child, Ellen. The fourth child died an infant.

Jeremiah Frock has been a resident of Clark County since 1859, with the excep- tion of three years spent in Illinois prior to his marriage. He first rented farming land on Mad River. In 1868 he bought forty-seven acres of his present farm and has kept adding to it until he now owns a great amount of property. He has car- ried on a large business in raising grain and stock and has been one of the largest hog-raisers in Clark County. He now lives retired at Vienna. In 1864 he en- listed at Camp Demison and served until the close of the war as a member of Com- pany F, One Hundred and Fifty-third Regiment. Ohio Volunteer Infantry. His main service was in doing guard duty at Harper's Ferry and other points, and

during this period he took part in a num- ber of sharp skirmishes. For ten days he was confined in a hospital suffering from measles, but otherwise he returned un- harmed to his home when his services were no longer needed.

On January 16, 1862, Mr. Frock was married to Sophia Christina Rudolph, who was born Angnst 14, 1844, and who was the only child of John W. and Eliza- beth (Baldner) Rudolph. Mrs. Frock's father was born in Pennsylvania in 1810, and died in 1873. Her mother was born in Germany in 1816, and died in August, 1896. Mr. and Mrs. Frock have had four children, as follows: Charles, born in 1862, married Jessie Walker in 1886, and they have one son, Robert; George Ed- ward, born in 1864, lives at Vienna ; Effie J., born in 1867, died aged ten years; and Orran, born in 1868, married Minnie Shellebarger in 1903, and they reside in Clark County. Mr. Froek is of German ancestry.

WILLIAM H. BITNER, who is mana- ger of the Pure Milk Company at Spring- field and the owner of 145 acres of excel- lent farming land in Springfield Town- ship, is one of the representative men of this section. He was born in Pennsylva- nia August 18, 1855. and is a son of Henry and Nancy (Glass) Bitner.

The parents of Mr. Bitner were natives of Pennsylvania and both died at Biglers- ville, in Adams County, in that state. For a number of years Henry Bitner op- erated a grist-mill and then kept a hotel at Mummasburg, later removing to Big- lersville, where he followed a butchering business until 1862, when he sold out and

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served one year in the Civil War, during an end on Friday, although smoke of gun- which period he was wounded. After re- powder still hung over the battlefield on turning to Biglersville he engaged in a nursery business for a time, but later in life he rented his lands and operated a sinall store. He married Naney Glass and they had the following children: Jennie, Elizabeth, William H., George, Emma and Alice, both of whom, with Jennie, are deceased. Henry Bitner was married (second) to Rose Bean and they had two children, one of whom, Bessie, survives. Sunday, when Mr. Bitner, accompanied by two others, went to view the scene. It was a terrible sight, horses and men lying in every position so close together that the horrified visitors could scarcely touch ground with their footsteps. The great Lutheran College had been thrown open as a hospital, and every poor mangled body in which there still remained a spark of life had been gathered up and erowded in this building in the hope of easing their sufferings. This was no sight proper for a child of eight years, and probably Will- iam Bitner was one of the few ever an eye- witness of such an appalling sight on American soil. He walked ten miles to the scene of battle and then tramped over the grounds, returning to his home after covering a distance of twenty-five miles without even a morsel to eat. It is no wonder that Mr. Bitner has ever been a man of peace.

Since he was a lad of nine years Will- iam H. Bitner has been self-supporting, for at that tender age he started out to work on farms in his native neighborhood, engaging by the mouth. Prior to this, in July. 1863, while he was living at home, in a small town named Heidelberg, the great battle of Gettysburg was fought, ten miles distant, and the scenes before, during and after, that came under his own eyes. made impressions which can never be effaced from his memory. Mr. Bitner relates that on the day before the battle the Confederate troops eame to the qniet little Dutch town of Heidelberg, where they encamped, tearing down the residents' fences to feed their camp fires. A large detachment settled on a vacant lot immediately next to the boy's home, and at first demanded all the food in the house and then gave the family three minutes to vaeate the premises. His father had for- tunately driven his horses to Lancaster and thns saved them. He was preparing to leave the home to the invaders, when the order to vacate was suddenly counter- manded and they were not further dis- turbed.

The great battle of Gettysburg came to

When about fourteen years of age, and living at Biglersville, he suffered a very severe accident through catching his arm in a eirenlar saw. After his recovery he went to work again on different farms, but received such meager compensation that when eighteen years old he became a miner and worked in the ore mines of Pine Grove. Pennsylvania, for two years. Mining is a dangerous industry, and Mr. Bitner was once taken from a mine cave- in, supposed to be dead. A strike was de- clared while he was working in these mines and he left that neighborhood and went to Noble's Mine, near Mt. Holley. Here some fifteen or twenty men lived to- gether in one honse, doing their own cook- ing. Mr. Bitner remained there six

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months and then went back to Adams County and engaged in farming for Daniel Sheeley. In August, 1875, Mr. Bit- ner came to Ohio in company with Wilson Walley, stopping first with Michael Kline, near Medway. The first work he ever did after reaching Clark County was for David Neff, near Medway, later worked for Michael Kline, still later for John Lipp and then worked as a farm hand for A. Holcomb, in Springfield Township, for four years and seven months. Another ac- cident laid him prostrate for a long time, he being run over by a team with two and one-half cords of wood, and although he was obliged to go about on crutches for a considerable period, he survived this, as he had done other serions injuries. This, however, was not the end of his misfor- tunes. After his marriage he bought an interest in a steam threshing and saw- mill, and while operating it he fell from a log and thereby broke a bone in his leg. This accident, which would have made an invalid of a less courageous man, kept Mr. Bitner from his business for two days only. His physician gravely advised him to keep in bed, he having had his leg placed in a plaster cast, but with this in that condition and with a crutch and cane he ran a saw until his recovery.

In 1883 Mr. Bitner rented the Creighton farm, on the Dayton Turnpike, south of Springfield. and there he started into the dairy business in the fall of 1884. In April, 1885, Mr. Bitner removed with his family to the Snyder farm on the Valley Turnpike, north of Springfield, where he remained, renting, for thirteen years and eight months. On October 25, 1898, he sold out the stock he had accumulated and bought the home farm of his wife's par-

ents, where the family has continued to reside, although Mr. Bitner has other in- terests. This farm is situated on the south side of the National Turnpike Road, two miles west of Springfield. The com- modions residence was on the place, but the many modern features have been add- ed and substantial improvements have been made by Mr. Bitner. He has here a beautiful rural home.

On December 29, 1880, Mr. Bitner was married to Elmira A. Miller, who is a daughter of Cornelius and Henrietta (Kieffer) Miller, old and respected resi- dents of this section. Mr. and Mrs. Bit- ner have two daughters, Etta B. and Grace M. Both these young ladies have been given educational and social advan- tages and both are graduates of Witten- berg College.

In September, 1902. Mr. Bitner was one of the organizers of the Springfield Pure Milk Company, the starting of the enter- prise, being largely due to his persistent efforts, and now one which is recognized to be of incalculable advantage to the farmers of this whole section. He was the first purchaser of stock and holds a large amount at the present time. Since October, 1903, he has devoted his entire time to the business and is its general manager and one of its board of directors. He is also a director of the Lagonda Na- tional Bank and of the Springfield Coal and Ice Company. In considering the fact that when Mr. Bitner reached Ohio, a five dollar bill represented his entire capital, his present ample fortune and re- sponsible position among his fellow-citi- zens tells a story of industry and perse- verence that should not be lost on those who read. With his family he belongs to

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the English Lutheran Church and for many years has been superintendent of the Sunday-school.

In 1898, accompanied by his wife, Mr. Bitner made an extended trip through many of the western states, the only un- pleasant feature of which was the experi- ence of being snow-bound at one point. The travelers visited a lead mine in Warder, Shoshone County, Idaho, where 600 men are at work, and this was a very interesting sight to Mr. Bitner, recalling as it did his old experiences in the Penn- sylvania mines. Mr. Bitner continues very active in promoting dairy interests and on December 14, 1907, he made an ex- cellent address on dairy farming before the Farmers' Institute, at Donnelsville, Ohio. The subject was so well handled that the address was secured from Mr. Bitner and was published in the local newspapers.

JAMES CLARK, who was one of the leading citizens of Moorefield Township, and for over a quarter of a century filled uninterruptedly the office of township treasurer, was born November 20, 1838, in Moorefield Township, Clark County, Ohio, under the same roof that sheltered him through the whole of his long and busy life. He was a son of John David and Susan M. Clark.

John David Clark was an early settler in Moorefield Township and was one of the wealthy agriculturists of his day. He erected the fine brick residence which is occupied by the widow and younger son of the late James Clark, one of the most pretentious of this section. James Clark continued his father's activities and de-

veloped still greater business qualities. He gained almost a national reputation as a breeder of fine trotting horses, and was able to secure very large sums for these valuable animals, the price occasionally being as much as $20,000. He bred what was known as the fastest yearling trotter in the world, which was purchased by Frank Rockefeller, who then was a mem- ber of the Standard Oil Company. James Clark was also engaged extensively in farming and stock-raising and became one of the capitalists of Clark County. He was also one of her most useful and re- spected citizens. For ten years he was a prominent member of the Clark County Agricultural Society and in his own town- ship he was held in such esteem that he could have filled any office in the gift of his fellow-citizens. When his death oc- curred on March 16, 1906, not only Moore- field Township but Clark County felt the loss of a man of unusual worth.

James Clark married Emma S. Morgan and they had two children: Lester, who died aged four years; and Emerson E.

Emerson E. Clark was born October 24, 1879, and was educated in the schools of Moorefield Township and the Nelson Bus- iness College. For a number of years prior to his father's death he had been the practical manager of the farm. On Feb- ruary 26, 1903, he was married to Ethel McConkey, who is a daughter of Oliver Y. McConkey. They have one little daughter, Mary Katherine. She is very fortunate in having a large number of devoted relatives, for not only her imme- diate ones but both of her great-grand- mothers still survive, Mrs. Mary Morgan and Mrs. Catherine Nicklin. The mater- nal grandfather of Emerson E. Clark was

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the late Charles Morgan, who is remem- bered as the proprietor of the old Taylor mill. His widow still survives, at the age of eighty-two years. A picture of the res- idents of Mr. Clark's home would show four generations, from the aged great- grandmother to the little babe just upon the threshold of life.

JAMES T. EICHELBARGER, who is engaged in agricultural pursuits in Green Township, owns a tract of fifty acres on which he resides, and has also for the past twenty-five years rented eighty-two acres of land from his mother. He was born on his present farm April 29, 1847, and is a son of Michael and Margaret Ann (Todd) Eichelbarger.

Michael Eichelbarger was born Sep- tember 3. 1815, in Washington County. Maryland, and was a son of John and Fanny (Baker) Eichelbarger, both na- tives of Maryland and farmers by ocen- pation. Michael, who was a farmer, car- penter and millwright by occupation, eine to Ohio in 1836, when about twenty years old, and worked with James Todd at carpentering and as a millwright.

James Todd, the maternal grandfather of our subject, was born near Philadel- phia on October 22. 1796, and was by oc- cupation a farmer and millwright. He married Elizabeth Garlongh, who was also a native of Maryland and who was born January 12, 1799, and of their union were born nine children. Mr. Todd sub- seqnently came to Clark County, Ohio, and built all of the mills which are on Mad River. Margaret Ann Todd was born November 21, 1819, and was married May 27, 1841. Her union with Michael

Eichelbarger resulted in the birth of four children-Frances Elizabeth (Tuttle), Margaret Ann (Paschall), James T., the subject of this sketch, and J. W., who is deceased. Michael Eichelbarger died Jan- uary 7, 1867, and is survived by his widow, who lives in Pitchin and is now eighty-eight years of age.

James T. Eichelbarger was reared on his present farm, which is part of the old home place, and attended the district schools of Green Township. He worked for his father until the death of the latter, and at the age of nineteen assumed the responsibilities of the home place, having followed farming, with the exception of seven years spent in operating a saw-mill, all his life. Mr. Eichelbarger was united in marriage with Eliza Nave, a daughter of Jacob and Mary ( Knable) Nave, who lived on the farm just below Mr. Eichel- barger's farm. Mr. Nave was born on the Garlough farm in Clark County, Ohio, and died in 1865; his wife, who was a na- tive of Pennsylvania, died in 1903. Mr. and Mrs. Eichelbarger have been the parents of four children-John, Nina, Clande (deceased) and Byron. The three living reside at home and assist in the work on the farm. In politics Mr. Eichel- barger is an independent voter.

FRED SNYDER, clerk of Clark Coun- ty and a life-long resident of Springfield, where he was born October 26, 1875, is a son of John Jacob Snyder, deceased.

John J. Snyder was born in Somerset, Pennsylvania, and in 1848 came to Ohio and located in Springfield, where he en- gaged in the practice of law until the time of his death in 1898. He served two and

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a half terms as Mayor of Springfield.

Fred Snyder was reared in Springfield, and obtained his education in the public schools and Wittenburg College, after which he was for six years manager for the New York Life Insurance Company, having three counties in this vicinity. In 1896 he became a member of the Signal Corps of the Third Regiment, Ohio Na- tional Guards, and served in the Spanish- American War in Company D., United States Regular Army. He saw service in Cuba and Porto Rico and was mnstered out in Washington in November, 1898.

Mr. Snyder is a Republican in politics and has always taken an active interest in the affairs of that party. He was elected clerk of Clark County in November, 1905, and has served two terms as secretary of the Republican Central Committee. Fra- ternally Mr. Snyder is a member and past Exalted Ruler of the Springfield order of Elks, and is also a member of the Knights of Pythias.

In 1906 Mr. Snyder was united in mar- riage with Miss Genevra R. Carey of Springfield, Ohio. They are members of the First Presbyterian Church of this city.

ELI F. SILVERS, general farmer and stock-raiser, whose farm of forty-three acres is situated in Pleasant Township, was born in Clark County, Ohio, July 27, 1854, and is a son of T. M. and Elizabeth (Ropp) Silvers.

T. M. Silvers was born in Clark Coun- ty, Ohio, February 15, 1828, and is a son of Francis Silvers. His occupation through his active years was farming. He was married July 23, 1850, to Eliza-

beth Ropp, who was born September 10, 1825, and is now deceased. They had three children-William, Eli and John W. William Silvers, born December 1, 1852, married Lida Melvine and they have the following children: Esther, Florence, Laura, Howard, Perry, Bertha and Omar.

John W. Silvers was born August 8, 1858, married Anna Erwin and they have three children: Chester, Celesta and Mary.

Eli F. Silvers attended the schools of Pleasant Township and grew to manhood on his father's farm, which he now owns. He was married, first, in 1877 to Floretta Sewell, a daughter of Thomas and Mary Sewell, of Clark County. They had one child, William Clyde, who was born De- cember 17, 1880, and died in 1898. On March 22, 1903, Mr. Silvers was married, secondly, to Mary E. Tarbutton, who died December 6, 1907, leaving no chil- dren. She was a daughter of Jesse and Abigail Tarbutton. Mr. Silvers is a member of the Knights of the Golden Eagle, Lodge No. 4, of Catawba, being past chief of the same and at present fill- ing the office of venerable hermit. He is a member of the M. P. Church, at Catawba.

H. E. BATEMAN, a retired agricultur- ist and highly respected citizen of South Charleston, Clark County, Ohio, was born in Greene County, Ohio, in 1837 and is a son of Daniel H. and Elizabeth (Surlott) Bateman, and a grandson of William Bateman, who was a native of Maryland, residing there when that present state was a colony, under the administration of Lord Baltimore. William Bateman mar-

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ried a Miss Ducker, also a Maryland colonist, and they became the parents of five sons and two daughters, Daniel H., father of the subject of this sketch, being the only one who married. William Bate- man was a soldier in the War of the Rev- olution, and was by profession an edu- cator.

Daniel H. Bateman was born and reared near Baltimore, Maryland, and was one of the early settlers of Greene County, Ohio, going there in 1816. He came to Clark County, Ohio, in 1851. He was united in marriage with Elizabeth Surlott, a de- scendant of the Carrolls, of Maryland, and to them were born three sons and two daughters, all of whom are now deceased but two-A. L. Bateman, of London, Ohio, and I. E. Bateman, whose name ap- pears at the head of this article.

H. F. Bateman was about fourteen years old when he came to Clark County from his native county, Greene, and was for many years successfully engaged in farming in Madison Township. He is now living in retirement in South Charles- ton, enjoying a well earned rest after years of unceasing activity. Mr. Bate- man married in 1866 Ann Amelia Paullin, who was a danghter of Newcomb and Mary A. Paullin, and of this union were born two children -Howard D. and Mary A. Howard D., who is engaged in bnsi- ness in Cincinnati, Ohio, was educated at Andover College, Massachusetts, Mary A. attended Miss Phelps' school, of Co- lumbus, Ohio, and also the MeDonnel- Ellis school, of Washington City. In politics Mr. Bateman supports the Re- publican party. He and his family are members of the Presbyterian Church.

HON, JAMES JOHNSON, JR., for- merly mayor of the city of Springfield and a leading member of her bar, was born in Springfield, Ohio, December 3, 1856, and is a son of James and Catherine (Eby) Johnson.

The late James Johnson was long one of Springfield's honored citizens and for many years he was prominently identified with her building interests. He was born in County Donegal, Ireland, December 4, 1821, and was a son of James and Ellen Johnson. He was seven years of age when his parents came to America and, subsequently, to Springfield. James was the eldest of the family of eight children and he proved of great assistance to his father in the clearing of the 400-acre farm on which the family settled. When . he reached his majority he learned the car- penter's trade and in the course of time built up a business in this and other re- lated trades that brought him both posi- tion and wealth. Through his publie spirit he became prominent in civic life and was tendered many offices of trust and responsibility by his fellow-citizens. He was a member of the city School Board, of the City Council and was twiee postmaster of Springfield.

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20th century history of Springfield, and Clark County, Ohio, and representative citizens, Part 84

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