USA > Ohio > Clark County > Springfield > 20th century history of Springfield, and Clark County, Ohio, and representative citizens > Part 94
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Since retiring from public life, Judge Weaver has continued in the active prac- tice of law at Springfield, which city has been his chosen home for forty-three years, His business offices are situated in the Bushnell Building, Rooms 43-44-45.
Judge Weaver was married on May 24, 1881, to Mary Hardy, who is a daughter of Thomas Hardy, of Lebanon, Ohio, and the family consists of himself, wife, a son and a daughter. Judge and Mrs. Weaver are members of the Second Presbyterian Church of Springfield. He belongs to the Masonic order, being a member of Clark Lodge No. 101, at Springfield.
GEORGE D. BUNYAN, who is en- gaged in general farming on a well-im- proved farm of one hundred and eighty acres in Mad River Township, was born February 14, 1843, in Mad River Town- ship, Clark County, Ohio, and is a son of William Bunyan and a grandson of James Bunyan.
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Martin Cosler; George; David; and Mar- garet, all now deceased. In 1837 James Bmyan and family removed to Ohio, traveling by wagon and canal. His son William had previously been to Ohio and purchased the present Bunyan farm in Mad River Township, from Mr. Loof- borrow, the land having been entered from the Goverment by a Mr. Sronfe. William Bunyan and his father stopped for a short time in Lancaster, Ohio, be- fore settling on the farm, where James later died.
William Bunyan married Martha A. Ot- stott, a native of Pennsylvania, who came to Springfield, Ohio, with her parents. Daniel and Hannah Otstott. After re- siding for several years in the old log house which was on the farm, William Bunyan in 1843 built the large brick house in which George D. now resides. His wife died in the fall of 1877. and in the following year William Bunyan and other members of the family removed to Dela- ware, Ohio, where he died March 5, 1900, at the advanced age of eighty-three years. Six children were born to William Bun- yan and wife, namely: George Dushane; Leonidas H., who is a resident of Indi- ana; Frances Emma: Ellen A., who died in 1901; Edward T., who resides in Con- necticut ; and William H., who died quite young.
He then returned to the home farm, where he has since been engaged in general farming. Mr. Bunyan was first married, in October, 1866, to Susan Terry, who came to Yellow Springs from Dayton, Ohio. She died in 1869. In 1878 he mar- ried Florence Tulleys, a daughter of Erasmus and Julia A. Tulleys.
Politically, Mr. Bunyan is an adherent of the Prohibition party, and is religious- ly associated with the Methodist Episco- pal Church.
ALVA B. HURD, one of Harmony Township's representative citizens, where he operates a valuable farm of one hun- dred and eleven acres, was born in Clark County, Ohio, in 1863, and is a son of Simeon and Rhoda (Goodfellow) Hurd. The grandparents of our subject, Simeon and Nabby Hurd, were born in New York. bnt both died at Warren, Pennsylvania. Simeon Hurd, father of Alva B., was born in New York and became a resident of Clark County in 1857, when twenty-seven years of age. He married Rhoda Good- fellow, of Clark County, and they had three children, namely: Rumina A., born in 1858. who resides with her brother, Alva B .; Kate C., born in 1860, who also resides with her brother; and Alva B. The mother of these children was born in 1830 and died in 1867.
George D. Bnnyan was born in a frame house near his present home. He was reared on the farm and attended the dis- triet schools and later the college at Dela- Alva B. Inrd attended the country schools through boyhood and ever since has been concerned with the affairs of the home farm, which his father bonght in ware, Ohio, for two and a half years. In. 1867 he went to Yellow Springs, Greene County. Ohio, where he opened a general store, which he operated successfully un- 1864 from Philip Smith. He is a member til 1877. when he sold to Charles Shaw. . of the Methodist Episcopal Church at
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MR. AND MRS. BIRCH R TAYLOR
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Brighton and holds official positions in it. The family is one well-known and highly esteemed in Harmony Township.
BIRCH R. TAYLOR, a general farmer and respected citizen of Mad River Town- ship, owns one hundred acres of fine farm- ing land near Enon. He was born on his father's farm in Clark County, Ohio, Feb- ruary 20, 1869, and is one of a family of five children born to his parents who were Llewellyn and Delilah (Barfield) Taylor. He was reared on the home farm and obtained his education in the public schools. Shortly after his marriage he moved to his present farm, which his father had bought in 1879 from David Bailey, and which was known as the old Cox farm. Mr. Taylor purchased the property from his father and has greatly improved it by erecting excellent build- ings and placing the land under a fine state of cultivation.
On August 25, 1891, Mr. Tavlor was married to Maggie Cahill, who was born in Highland County, Ohio, and who is a daughter of George and Alice (Hart) Cahill. Mr. and Mrs. Cahill moved from Highland County to Springfield, Ohio, in 1886, where they lived for seven years. They then went to Muncie, Indiana, where they remained for ten years, when they settled at Enon, in Clark County, Ohio. They had five children, namely, Verda, Maggie, Albert, Clarence and Harry, Mr. and Mrs. Taylor have three children- Bessie, Alice and George. In politics Mr. Taylor is a Republican. He belongs to the order of Knights of Pythias, at Enon.
JOHN S. BROWN, who conducts the largest loan, real estate and insurance business at South Charleston, with office adjoining the Bank of South Charleston, has long been one of the leading men of affairs in this city. He was born March, 1867, in Cleveland, Ohio, and is a son of Samuel G. and Jennie (Ferris) Brown.
Samnel Brown was born in Scotland and was a son of Thomas Brown, also a native of that country, and was one of a family of four children born to his par- ents. Upon coming to this country, Sam- uel Brown located at Cleveland, Ohio, where he was united in marriage with Jennie Ferris, a daughter of George Ferris, also a native of Scotland. To this union were born six children, two of whom are still living: Jennie E. Bowers of Steelton, Pennsylvania; and John S. Samuel Brown served three years and nine months in the army during the Civil War, and was severely wounded four times, his death, which occurred in 1885, resulting from a wound received during the long period of military service. He was one of the charter members of Mitchell Post, Grand Army of the Repub- lic, of Springfield. After his return from the war, he engaged as a type-setter and printer for a number of years. He is survived by his widow who is a resident of Springfield, Ohio.
John S. Brown was reared in Cleve- land, Ohio, and received his education in the elementary schools of that eity, and the High School of Yellow Springs, and later worked as a printer for a few years. He then engaged in the manufacture of sweat-pads, with C. H. Wentz of Sonth Charleston for a short time, after which he was employed for five years by A.
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MeIntire in conducting a bakery. He next was associated with the Bank of South Charleston for a period of four years, when he again embarked in the bakery business, establishing the bakery now owned by George Flowers, and continued in that for five years. Since then he has been most successfully engaged in the real estate, insurance and loan business, handling all kinds of city and country property.
Mr. Brown was joined in marriage with Mary M. Carr, a daughter of Samuel Carr, and to them have been born three children, but two of whom are living : Ger- trude, and John S.
Politically, Mr. Brown is a Republican and has served ten years as Central Com- mitteeman and five terms as township clerk. He was a member of the Board of Election for some time and was for ten years clerk of the township School Board. He is fraternally a member of the I. O. O. F .. and Fielding Lodge, F. & A. M .. of the former being financial secretary for thirteen years and for two terms deputy district Grand Master. His re- !igious connection is with the Methodist Church, of which he was treasurer for a period of ten years.
HARRY A. TOULMIN, B. L., who has been identified with the interests of Springfield for the past twenty-two years, is known all over the State of Ohio as an able patent law lawyer. Mr. Tonlmin was born November 26, 1858, at Toulmin- ville, Alabama, where his family was of such importance that its name is perpet- uated in a thriving place. His parents were Morton and Frances H. Toulmin.
Harry A. Toulmin was primarily edu- cated in the private schools of the city of Mobile, Alabama, and he completed his literary course at New Orleans and at Washington, D. C. He pursued his law studies in the National University at Washington, where he was gradnated with high honors, in June, 1882. In 1883 he was admitted to the Maryland State bar, and in 1884 to practice in the Supreme Court of the District of Column- bia.
Mr. Toulmin's specialty is patent law and he first became interested in this line through serving, during his course of study, as a clerk in a patent law office, and shortly after his admission to the bar he decided to make this branch of law his special line of practice. In September, 1885, at the solicitation of several Spring- field manufacturers, who recognized in him an attorney capable of defending their patented interests, Mr. Toulmin opened an office in this city, although he did not locate here permanently until in February, 1887. Mr. Toulmin has been admitted to practice in all the Federal Courts in Ohio, and in those of many other states, and in 1893 he was admitted to practice in the Supreme Court of the United States. His success has been re- markable and his legal victories have brought fame and fortune both to him- self and his clients.
Mr. Toulmin has shown deep interest in Springfield's development, has given much encouragement to its educational movements, and has assisted in the pro- motion of many of its charities and phil- anthropie enterprises. From 1895 until 1897, during the mayoralty of Hon. P. P. Mast, he was an advisory member and
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vice president of the Springfield Board of Public Affairs. It was during this period that the city received the gift of Snyder Park. Among Mr. Toulmin's many / services performed at this time which contributed to the development and improvement of this property, was the composition of the beautiful and appro- priate inscription on the memorial stone which decorates the park.
In the spring of 1887, Mr. Toulmin was married to Rosamund Evans, who is a daughter of Dr. Warick and Mary Mason (Washington) Evans, residents of Wash- ington, D. C. They have had two sons: Warick Morton and Harry Aubrey, Jr., the former of whom is deceased. The family belong to Christ Episcopal Church, Mr. Toulmin being a member of its vestry. The beautiful family home is at No. 359 North Fountain avenue, Springfield.
JOHN W. HUMBARGER, a well known farmer and stock-raiser of Mad River Township, and owner of 210 acres of highly improved farm land in Clark County, was born December 6, 1851, in Clark County, Ohio, and is a son of Will- iam and Mary (Kenny) Humbarger.
Jacob Humbarger, the great-great- grandfather of John W., a native and life- long resident of Germany, was a gunsmith by trade and was the inventor of the first pistol which fired one shot. All of his male descendants down to the grandfather of John W. Humbarger became gunsmiths. His son Benjamin, great-grandfather, followed the trade for many years in Ger- many and in later years came to America, where he continued work as a gunsmith.
William Humbarger, father of John W.,
was born in Perry County, Ohio, and was a son of Peter Humbarger, a native of Pennsylvania, who came to Ohio at an early period when the country was new and undeveloped. William was reared on his father's farm in Perry County. He subsequently came to Clark County, where he learned the cooper's trade with his second cousin, Adam Humbarger, and worked in a cooper shop for James Grun- dle, then situated near John W's present farm. He lived at Mr. Grundle's home, having a bunk in the garret, which was so openly built that the snow often blew in, covering his bed. He later bought a farm of fifty-one acres, from William Black, and after the war devoted his en- tire time to agricultural pursuits, having followed his trade until that time. The first year he farmed he cultivated thirty acres of corn with one horse, in new and undeveloped ground. He then took the corn to David Cross, two miles away, for which he was to receive twenty-five cents per bushel, but as Mr. Cross failed in business, he never received his money, and thus suffered quite a loss. He married Mary Kenny, who was born in Virginia and came to Ohio with her parents when young. William Humbarger and wife were the parents of five children : Anna, who married David Hilt; Elizabeth, who married W. Sultzbaugh; Amanda, who married William Deitrick, deceased; John W .; Charles, who married Alice Swadner. Mrs. Humbarger died on the farm in 1852 aged fifty-three years. William died in Yellow Springs, Ohio, at the home of his daughter, Mrs. David Hilt, in 1904, at the advanced age of eighty-six years.
John W. Humbarger was born on his father's farm in Mad River Township,
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and when about nine years old his parents removed to German Township, where they lived for seven years. He then worked out on various farms for a period of five years, during which time he saved $500. Mr. Humbarger's success in life is entirely due to his own efforts, having started out with nothing but a two-acre tract of land and a will to work. After his marriage he went to live on his little farm and later purchased the entire home farm. He subsequently sold this land to Samuel MeClure, for which he received $1,800, which was the first payment made on his present home. Hle bought his farm, consisting of eighty acres of timberland, from R. Miller, and lived for nine years in the old cabin which was then on the place. The cabin is now used by Mr. Hum- barger as a stable, having been replaced by the present home which his son-in-law, Raymond Shellaharger, and family oc- cupy. Mr. Humbarger has made many other important changes, and has added all the other buildings which are on the land. He is extensively engaged in stock- raising, having at the present time 140 hogs, and thirty-five head of cattle, all of which he has raised during the past three years. He has held four big public sales.
On March 6, 1876, he married Miss Anna Sultzbangh, a daughter of Joseph and Catherine Sultzbaugh. Mr. and Mrs. Humbarger have had two children, name- ly: Pearl, who died aged four years; and Lydia, who married Raymond Shella- barger, a son of Ephraim Shellabarger. They have one child, Rilla Evelyn.
Mr. and Mrs. Humbarger were for nine- teen years members of the First Presby- terian Church of Springfield, but are now connected with the Christian Church of
Enon, of which he is a trustee. Mrs. Humbarger is a remarkable Bible student, having won a ten-dollar Bible for memo- rizing the book of Matthew, and at the same time was awarded a five-dollar Bible for repeating two-thirds of the con- tents of each book in the Bible. This prize was offered by Mr. Ross Mitchell of Springfield. The committee which ex- amined her was as follows: Mrs. George Huntington, Mrs. Samuel J. McClure and Mrs. Robert Latimore. Politically Mr. Humbarger is an adherent of the Prohibi- tion party. Mr. Humbarger is now liv- ing retired on the farm recently pur- chased from the Sheridan estate.
ADAM GERMAN, who comes of a prominent old family of Springfield Township, Clark County. Ohio, has a fine farm of ninety-two and a half aeres, the old German home place, just off the Na- tional Pike about four miles from the city of Springfield. He was born on his present farm September 14, 1868, and is a son of Peter and Margaret (Germ) Ger- man. His father died in 1890, while Mrs. German survived till 1895. They were pio- neer residents here and were most highly respected by a large circle of friends throughout this community. A son. John German, may be found mentioned else- where in this work.
Adam German was reared on the home farm and obtained his edneational train- ing in the public schools of his home com- munity. He has always followed general farming and stock-raising, and has one of the best appointed and equipped places in the township. He farms according to the most modern and approved methods, and
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success has attended his efforts on every hand. Mr. German was united in the holy bonds of matrimony with Miss Catherine Greiser, who was also born and reared in Clark County, Ohio, and who is a daughter of George Greiser. Three children were born to bless their home, namely : Effie. Lena, and Edna. Mrs. German died April 13, 1908, after an operation for appendicitis. Mr. Ger- man takes an earnest interest in local polities and all that affects the welfare of his home community, and is at present a member of Springfield Township school board. Fraternally he belongs to the Knights of Pythias.
JOSEPH RAPER PROCTER, who re- sides upon a fine farm of ninety-two acres, sitnated one and one-half miles west of Dialton, Clark County, Ohio, comes of a prominent old family of this vicinity, the oid home place being located across the line in Champaign County. He was born in Jackson Township, Champaign County, Ohio, November 9, 1837, and is a son of William and Mary ( Maxwell) Procter, and a grandson of William Procter. The last named was a lifelong resident of Yorkshire, England, where he followed farming; he had a brother, General Proc- ter, who was beheaded for his activity in furthering the American cause in Rev- olutionary days.
William Procter, father of Joseph Raper Procter, was born in Yorkshire, England, November 5, 1795, and there grew to manhood on his father's farm. He was married February 13, 1816, to Ellen Whitaker and later in the same year came to America, in a sailing vessel. The
voyage consumed four months, the vagaries of the wind carrying them to points north, where winter clothing be- came necessary and so far south they again donned their summer garbs. On arriving in New York, William Procter contracted with a man to escort them to Cincinnati, Ohio. As he would be gone from home for a long period, this man set about preparing wheat for bread for his family during his absence. William thus learned, in assisting him, to "wind wheat," a pioneer process of separating wheat from chaff, by tossing it in the air from a sheet. Mr. Procter's wife and children rode in a wagon drawn by one horse, while he and the escort walked over the rough roads. While on the way, an axle of their wagon broke, but they cut down a sapling and put it in instead and con- tinued their journey to Cincinnati, where they arrived seven weeks later after many hardships and trying experiences. After residing in that city for two years, William Procter walked to the land of- fice at Lima, Ohio, and entered one hun- dred and sixty-three acres of land in Jackson Township, Champaign County. Ohio, on the last section of land to be set- tled in that township. He erected a log cabin in which he lived for two years, then rented it to James Benson, and re- turned to Cincinnati, where he engaged in whip-sawing, a strange occupation for a man unused to the woods. However, he was a man of energy, patience, and en- terprise and attained success, working at this industry for ten years, and during his residence there could have made num- erous investments, which in the light of subsequent events, would have made him independently wealthy. At that time, ten
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acres, lying in the heart of Cincinnati, perienced the hardships incident to pio- could have been purchased for a paltry $200. Returning to Champaign County, he spent the remainder of his days there, dying aged eighty-five years. By his first wife he had four children, two of whom grew up, James and John, both of whom lived in the West and died aged eighty- five years.
William Procter was married a second time, in Cincinnati, Ohio, to Mrs. Mary (Maxwell) Truer, who had one daughter, Harriet, by her first marriage who died at eighteen years. Mrs. Procter's grand- mother, Maggie (Foulton) Maxwell, was a sister of Robert Foulton, inventor of the first steam-boat. Her grandfather Maxwell was killed by Indians, his wife escaping by hiding in a hollow log. but her two sisters, although scalped, man- aged to crawl to a boat and thus save their lives. William and Mary (Maxwell) Procter were parents of nine children : Nancy Jane, deceased; Martha Elizabeth, deceased; William, deceased; David W .; Joseph; Charles, who was killed in trying to escape from Andersonville Prison, dur- ing the Civil War, after having dug his way out ; Mary Ellen, deceased; Ann M., of Indiana; and Elias G., of Michigan, who was also in the Civil War. Mrs. Procter was born in Carrol County, Ken- tueky. and died in 1888, aged eighty-five years.
Joseph Procter was born in the old log cabin erected by his father and helped clear up the home place. His father paid eight and one-third cents per day for his schooling and he attended the old log schoolhouse of that district, which was the first in that vicinity to have a fire- place. In his youth Mr. Procter ex-
neer days, and during his lifetime has witnessed wonderful changes in life on the farm, in the conveniences and com- forts of living, the improved facilities for putting ont and harvesting erops, and the value of products. Well does he remem- ber his father hanling oats to Urbana for six cents per bushel; selling chickens for eight cents each, and maple sugar at two and a half and three cents per pound. A medium sized coon skin was worth twen- ty-five cents in those days. The family wove and spun their own clothing. Twice a year a minister came on horseback from Cincinnati and held meetings in the woods or in a cabin, always being sure of a con- gregation. Mr. Procter has always fol- lowed general farming and also for seven years taught music, and being a careful manager and an industrious worker, has met with success. He lived in Champaign County until 1874, when he bought his present farm of Henry Verity. It is lo- cated on the county line.
On January 14, 1863, Mr. Procter mar- ried Ellen Tonlin, who was born in Pike 'Township. Clark County, Ohio, and is a daughter of John and Mary (Carter) Tomlin, who were married in England. Upon coming to this country they located in the woods in Pike Township, Clark County, and cleared up a farm. Mrs. Procter is one of six children born to her parents: William T., Mary Ann, John. Sarah, Ellen M., and Joseph. She and John are the sole survivors of the family. Mr. Procter and his wife have one child, a daughter, Olive G., who is wife of Samuel Ray and they live with her parents. Politically Mr. Procter is a Republican.
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Seventy-seven years ago a company was formed, the object being to dig down eighty feet ou Mr. Procter's farm for salt, but owing to the enormous quantity of water they encountered the project was abandoned.
LAWRENCE L. CIRCLE, a well known resident of German Township, who is engaged in general farming and stock- raising on a farm of seventy acres, was born August 4, 1878, in Lawrenceville, Clark County, Ohio, and is a son of Will- iam and Lnticia (Rust) Cirele.
William L. Circle, also a native of Lawrenceville, was a son of Emanuel Circle, a farmer, who came from York County, Pennsylvania, at a very early period and was one of the pioneers of Clark County. He laid out the town of Lawrenceville and acquired a large tract of land, owning four hundred aeres in German Township. He was a wagon maker by trade and conducted a shop in Lawrenceville for seventeen years before loeating on his farm, which he purchased in 1883 and upon which he erected a fine frame house. He married Luticia Rust and to them were born the following chil- dren: Minnie. wife of Charles Lutz of Marion, Indiana; Worthy A., a resident of Springfield, who has been employed in the postoffice of that city for nine years; Lawrence L .. the subject of this sketch; Naomi, is the wife of William Chaney. Mr. Circle passed ont of this life Septem- ber 7, 1901, and is survived by his widow, who makes her home with her son Law- rence.
Lawrence L. Circle spent his early childhood days in Lawrenceville and when
seven years old his parents moved to the farm of one hundred and forty-three acres in German Township, of which he now owns seventy acres, having resided here since 1885. He assumed the management of the farm upon attaining his majority and has since been engaged in general farming and stoek-raising, making a specialty of Durock hogs. Mr. Circle was united in marriage March 17, 1902, with Frieda Critchfield, a daughter of Charles Critehfield, and they have three children -- Lewis LeRoy; and Elma and Thelma, twins.
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