A Biographical history of Darke County, Ohio : compendium of national biography, Part 31

Author:
Publication date: 1900
Publisher: Chicago : Lewis Pub. Co.
Number of Pages: 806

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Charles E. Dunkle spent his boyhood days in Gettysburg and Greenville, where he received the educational advantages afford- ed by the public schools. His preliminary course was supplemented by study in Gettys- burg, Ohio, and later he engaged in teach- ing school for one term. He was appointed as railway postal clerk on the 12th of No-

vember, 1887, his route being from Pitts- burg, Pennsylvania, to St. Louis, Missouri, over what is the Pittsburg, Cincinnati, Chica- gr. & St. Louis Railroad. Later he was trans- ferred to the Vandalia Road, which is his present run. He has a force of eight clerks under his control and is now occupying a very important position, to which he has steadily worked his way upward from a hum- ble capacity.

On the 4th of May, 1893, Mr. Dunkle was married to Miss Emma Kraus, daughter of John G. and Anna C. (Gensley) Kraus, residents of Covington, Miami county. She was born May 30, 1875, and received her education in the Greenville and Covington schools and is a very cultured lady. They now have one son, a bright boy of six years. They occupy a fine residence on Washington avenue and their pleasant home is celebrated for its gracious hospitality. Mr. Dunkle is a member of Greenville Lodge, No. 195, I. O. O. F. His long connection with the railway mail service well indicates both his fidelity and his ability, and he is certainly one of the most trusted employes in the mail department.

ALFRED H. JUDY.

Alfred H. Judy, of Butler township, re- sides at his home farm on section 21, and has his office and store rooms at Castine. One of the successful agriculturists of Darke county, he annually does a thirty-thousand- dollar business in farm machinery, vehicles and harness.

A. H. Judy was born at Enon, Clark county, Ohio, June 8, 1861. His father, Samuel H. Judy, of Greenville, Ohio, was born near Plattsburg, Clark county, Ohio, December 23, 1821. He is a son of Jesse

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and Nancy Judy, deceased, who were buried in the family graveyard on the old Judy es- tate near Plattsburg. Nancy Judy's maiden name was Johnson. She was of Irish de- scent ; small and beautiful, and famous as both a horsewoman and a weaver in her day. Jesse Judy, son of John Judy, was born in Germany, in 1753. He came to the United States landing in Virginia, and later went to Kentucky, where he met the famous Dan- iel Boone. Their friendship was lasting, but John Judy crossed the Ohio where Cincin- nati now stands and took up eighty acres of land, exchanging a horse for the settler's claim. Later he disposed of the land and settled near Plattsburg, acquiring the estate referred to. He married Phoebe Lamastrus. She was born in Scotland, in 1760, and they are buried in the grounds referred to above. Samuel H. Judy was married to Miss Lydia Wilson, May 21, 1847. She is the daughter of Isaac and Mary A. (Coffield) Wilson, who are deceased, their remains being in- terred in the cemetery at Fairfield, Ohio. Isaac Wilson was of English descent, came to Ohio from Kentucky and located on the farm east of Fairfield, Greene county. He was a clear-headed dealer, a fine judge of stock, and one of the successful fianciers of his day. At his death, in 1864, he was one of the wealthiest men in Greene county. J M. Wilson, a grandson of Isaac Wilson, and a fine type of the old Wilson stock, owns the old homestead. Mary A. Coffield was born in Ireland and emigrated to the United States about 1816. She was famous as a weaver, and was one of the most charming conversationalists and entertaining hostesses of her day.

The subject's parents resided in Clark county, Ohio, until 1867, when they pur- chased of James Knoff what is now known as

the old Jud- farm, east of Greenville, Ohio, and moved there the same year. This they improved from the forest to a snug home. Eleven children were born to Samuel H. and Lydia Judy. Three died in infancy, while eight grew to man and womanhood, and are known as follows : B. F. Judy, deceased, was a well-known educator of this county. He married Alice Meritt, of Miami county, who with her son, John H. Judy, a fine promis- ing young man, resides at Palestine, Ohio. Swan Judy, deceased, was a member of the Darke county bar, and a graduate of the Uni- versity of Michigan, at Ann Arbor. He married Lillie May Birch, of Darke county, who with her son, Hawes Judy, resides in Dayton, Ohio. Martha C. Judy married Henry Worley, of this county, and they have four children : Kittie and Mattie, who are married; also a son, Luan Worley, who is married; while Clyde, the youngest, lives with his parents. Rev. DeKalb Judy, a min- ister in the Christian church, married Miss Mollie Steele, of Camden, Indiana, and they have three sons and one daughter: B. H., A. H., Paul and Vera Judy. Ada Judy was married to Michael Dwyre, one of the most thorough master builders of Ohio and Indi- ana, and they reside at Anderson, in the lat- ter state. They have one child, Zola, a very charming young lady. Justine Judy mar- ried John Weimer, of the firm of A. Weimer & Sons, millers of Greenville, Ohio. He is one of the rising business men of this county. They have one son. Hattie Judy married Stephen Bard, of this county.

The subject's early days were spent as a little spindle-shanked, white-headed boy, running the woods and prairies over, with a passionate fondness for the flowers and beautiful stones or odd specimens of nature. An early comprehensiveness of what he saw

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and read made gateways for pleasure on every hand in the study of things about him, so at his little duties. at fishing. trapping, bathing, and in all the boys' pastimes of his day, the mixture of acquiring knowledge and work and play has been the means of devel- oping in him a mind broad enough to grasp the great things of the world and complete enough to enter into the joys or sorrows of the smallest child. Ambitious to excel in everything he undertook, he was at the head of his class in the old log schoolhouse at No. 9, Greenville township, and won the honors of graduation in 1880, at the union school, of Greenville, Ohio. After finishing his course in 1880 he secured a clerkship with Henry St. Clair in his retail house on Broad- way, in Greenville. The duties of clerk were not harmonious with his disposition and at the end of four weeks he resigned his posi- tion and engaged to teach the school at Con- cord, east of Greenville: afterward he ac- cepted the principalship of the schools at Hillgrove, Ohio, thence went to District No. 5, in Butler township; next he became prin- cipal of the school at Castine, Ohio. His schools were successes and many of his old pupils are holding positions of honor and re- sponsibility. For fifteen years he has held the office of magistrate, and so earnest has he been in promoting the ideas of arbitration and compromise that years go by without soiling a page in his docket. He has faith- fully represented his party, the Democratic, at county, district and state conventions. In 1899 he made the canvass of the county for nomination to the office of representative. There were five candidates in the field and the best of good will abounded. The Hon. Clem Brumbaugh was the successful man, with Mr. Judy a close second. He is a bi- metalist and an anti-imperialist.

While conducting the school in District No. 5 the subject met Miss Jeanetta E. Cob- lentz. she being one of his pupils at that school, and a daughter of Harrison and Car- oline Coblentz, whose biography will be found elsewhere in this volume. Their daughter, Jeanetta E., seems to have inher- ited from her parents an abundance of their many virtues and the sterling qualities of those old baronial ancestors at Coblentz on the Rhine. As a girl at home her bright and winning ways were the light and sunshine of the parental abode. As a scholar she was ever apt and perceptive ; gifted with a talent for music, and richly endowed in language, she entertained charmingly those about her. Moreover, she has ever been a good counselor and a ready helper. A lady in the fullest sense of the term, it is not strange that she was loved by all who knew her, and quite natural that the teacher and pupil should have a kindly regard for each other and that the association should be kept up-after "school was out," and as a result the subject and this charming lady were united in mar- riage at the home of the latter, by Rev. Ches- ter Briggs, February 16, 1884. The affairs of housekeeping were begun in the old log house in the center of the farm where they now live. Time has been very good to them. In: 1892 they built one of the handsomest res- idences in the county. The fire fiend con- sumed this in 1896, the family barely escap- ing unhurt. Immediately they rebuilt, but on a less pretentious scale, the home they now enjoy. Mr. and Mrs. Judy have had five children born to them: Eva. a sweet little child born September 14. 1888. died September 29, 1888. Edith Esther, born October 11, 1890. is one of the brightest pu- pils of her school, and although very young is an expert pianist. She is a lover of the

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beautiful and greatly resembles her mother; Kate Caroline, born February 17, 1894, reads all newspapers, plays the piano, and is a jolly little sprite and a type of her father ; Harrison Coblentz, born February 28, 1897, is a shrewd little man, can read his primer, and is a type of his father. These little folks are polite and entertaining and favor- ites with all they chance to meet. With the advantages of these times at their hands a bright future surely awaits them. Mr. Judy divides all honors with his worthy help- mate and their home is one of the most pleasant to be found, both being well-in- formed people, although their lives have been crowded with cares and years of hard work have been theirs, yet they have found time to keep pace with the events of the day and the developments that have gradually put forth, so that their stock of knowledge is such that the caller will find a very pleasing and entertaining host and hostess. They are members of the Otterbein class of the United Brethren in Christ; and to their manage- ment is due the fact that their class is able to ask to be set off from the circuit to a sta- tion. Many donations to different institu- tions for good have been made by this wor- thy couple and their names will long be re- membered by the recipients of their gener- osity. The subject is a member of the order of Knights of Pythias and of the Masonic fraternity, and is in high standing with his fellows and brothers. He is quite a fluent speaker and his oratory has frequently been commented upon and complimented. Al- though reticent, when he does talk, as people say, "it is worth hearing." For several years he was a writer for the National Stock- man, of Pittsburg, Pennsylvania. Many of his articles were copied by the leading ag- ricultural journals of the land. And now we

leave them in their cozy home, one of the happiest, brightest families of this great county.

JAMES McCABE.

For almost sixty years this gentleman has been a resident of Darke county, Ohio, and during this long period, which covers nearly the whole span of the county's devel- opment from a primitive state to its pres- ent flourishing condition, he has been active- ly interested in its progress. His upright course in life commands the respect and commendation of every one, and he is justly entitled to prominent mention in the his- tory of his adopted county.

Mr. McCabe was born near Franklin, Warren county, Ohio, October 14, 1826, and is a son of John McCabe, born August 31, 1798, a native of New Jersey and of Scotch-Irish descent. The father grew to manhood in his native state, and followed the occupations of a carpenter and farmer. About 1817 he removed to Warren county, Ohio, making the journey on foot, and there he remained until 1842, when he came to Darke county, locating in Neave township, where he remained until his death, February 8, 1887, at the ripe old age of eighty-nine years. He was three times married, his first wife being Anna Vantilburgh, the mother of our subject. She was a native of Warren county, of which her parents were pioneers, and it is supposed that they were of lowland Dutch descent.

James McCabe is the second child and oldest son in a family of five children, three sons and two daughters, and is the only one now living. During his boyhood he pursued his studies in a primitive log school house, and remained in his native county

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until 1842, when he came with his parents to Darke county, locating on a farm in Neave township, which he helped his father to clear and improve. At the age of nine- teen he started out for himself, working by the month for nine dollars. Having ac- quired a good education he commenced teaching school, in 1845, receiving his first certificate from John Briggs, one of the pioneers of the county. As they had no printed forms at that time, the certificate was all written. At that time the school houses were all of logs, and most of them had greased-paper windows and very rude fur- nishings. His first school was in the Spring Hill district, but was then called the Ohler district. For eight years Mr. McCabe con- tinued teaching, with good success, and came to German township in 1852, having charge of the school in Palestine, where the Teaford twin boys were among his pupils.

In 1854 he turned his attention to farm- ing on what is now known as the Armstrong farm, where he remained two years, and then bought the Weaver farm, now owned by Mr. Philipi, on section II, German township. I11 1863 he sold that place and moved to Pal- estine, where he bought a half interest in a mill, but sold out in 1871. He next formed a partnership with Mr. Kester and bought a saw-mill, which they conducted together until 1874, since which time Mr. McCabe has operated it alone and has met with good success in this venture.

On the 10th of January, 1852, Mr. Mc- Cabe was united in marriage with Miss Eba- liah Wagoner, who was born October 26, 1823, a native of Neave township, this county, and a daughter of George and Sa- rah (Stephens) Wagoner, who were among its pioneers. Mr. Wagoner was a pioneer, and was in the war of 1812, being in the

surrender of Hull. By this union four chil- dren were born, namely: Flora Bell, who died in infancy : Orlando, who married Anna, the daughter of Dr. Stiles, of Greenville, and now lives in Dayton, Ohio; Virgil, who married Jennie Starbuck, of Dayton, and they have five children : Roscoe, Hallie M., Bepo, Emma and Mary; and Ida May, who is the wife of Eli Overman, of Dayton, and they also have five children : Omer, Frank, Mary, and Harry and Terry, twins. Con- cerning Mrs. McCabe, we should add that she lived with her parents until 1852; com- ing to German township, she resided there until her death, which took place July 26, 1899, when she had attained the age of seventy-five years and nine months. She died as she had lived, a member of the Uni- versalist church, and a consistent Christian, believing in the fatherhood of God and the brotherhood of man. The funeral sermon on the occasion of her death was preached by one of her dearest friends in the blessed faith of her denomination, Rev. Thomas S. Guthrie, now of Muncie, Indiana.

In early life Mr. McCabe was a Whig in politics, but he assisted in organizing the Republican party, in 1856, and has since been one of its stanch supporters. He has filled the office of township assessor and township clerk many terms, and has always taken an active and commendable interest in public affairs. In 1864, during the civil war, he enlisted in Company H, One Hun- dred and Fifty-second Ohio Volunteer In- fantry, and served one hundred days. He is now an honored member of Reed Post, No. 572, G. A. R., in which he has served as commander and is now filling the office of chaplain, and he has also been a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows for some years, and the Universalist church.

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He is widely and favorably known through- out the county, and well deserves the high regard in which he is uniformly held.

JOHN G. FISCHBACH.

John G. Fischbach is now living retired upon his farm of eighty acres on section 27, Allen township, Darke county. He is num- bered among the valued residents of this lo- cality that the fatherland has furnished to the new world. He was born in Prussia, Germany, on the 17th of April, 1829, and is a son of Lawrence and Phillipina ( Metz- ker) Fischbach. The father was born in 1778, and his wife was about twelve years his junior. They were married about 1808, and became the parents of nine children, all born in Germany. The eldest child, a daughter, was born about 1812. There are now three living children of the family : Henry, who resides in Dayton, at the age of eighty-one years; John George, of this review; and Christina, the widow of Henry Hass, of Dayton.

When but eighteen years of age the fa- ther volunteered for service in the German army in the Spanish war. He was a carpen- ter and builder, and followed that pursuit both in Germany and in the United States. In 1832 he sailed with his family from Bremen for America, but the vessel on which they took passage was shipwrecked on a sand bar by the captain, who wished to get a heavy insurance. This was a most dia- bolical act, which resulted in the death by freezing of some thirty-nine of the emigrant passengers. Our subject was at that time a little child of only about three years. He, too, was laid with the dead piled upon the deck, but his sister saw the pulsations of his neck and he was thus snatched from the

grave. He had, however, been so severely burned that skin and flesh came off, but life came back to him and he yet lives to tell the wonderful tale. After enduring many hardships, the family finally reached America, and made their way to Dayton, Ohio, where the father followed contract- ing and building and became well-to-do. He died March 21, 1857, at the age of sev- enty-nine years, and his widow passed away May 26, 1858, at the age of sixty-seven years, their remains being interred in Wood- land cemetery. They were members of the Methodist church, and were respected Christ- ian people.

John George Fischbach was reared in Dayton and learned the shoemaker's trade, which he followed to a greater or less ex- tent until 1862. He was drafted for service in the army in 1864, but was not accepted. On the 3d of April, 1850, he was united in marriage to Caroline Kimmel, who was born in Germany, and their union has been blessed with nine children : George, of Dayton, who is married and has two sons and one daughter; Louisa, who died at the age of fifteen months : Emma, who became the wife of Lewis Sink and died at the age of thirty- two years; Edward, a resident of Horatio, Darke county, who has a wife and seven children; Frederick Lawrence, who owns and operates a farm near his father's; Clara, the wife of M. H. Burnhart, a farmer of Al len township, by whom she has two chil- dren; Sarah M., who died at the age of three years; William, who operates the home farm and has a wife and three sons; and Arthur, who is still with his father. The mother of these children was called to her final rest January 19, 1892. She was a faithful companion and helpmeet on life's journey, was a loving wife and tender

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mother, and throughout the community her loss was deeply mourned.

In his business Mr. Fischbach has been successful. He started out in life for him- self at the age of eighteen years, and all that he possesses has been acquired through his own efforts. His has been an energetic and industrious life, and these qualities have en- abled him to overcome all difficulties and work his way upward to a position of wealth, and he is living retired.

HENRY LEPHART.

Henry Lephart is one of the representa- tive German-American citizens of Darke county, and is classified among the prosper- ous farmers of Brown township. The name Lephart is of German origin, and was spelled Lepphardt or Liephardt. The father of our subject, Augustus Lephart, was born in the little duchy of Hesse-Cassel, on the 27th of December, 1818, and is now living a retired life in the city of Greenville. He was edu- cated in his native land, where he spent the first eighteen years of his life, after which he determined to seek a home and fortune in the new world. He accordingly bade adieu to the fatherland and the friends and home of his youth and sailed for America in the year 1836, taking passage on the sailing vessel Henrietta, bound for Baltimore, Maryland. Eight weeks and four days passed ere they sighted land, for contrary winds detained the vessel, but ultimately they reached the Baltimore harbor in safety, and Mr. Lephart landed in America, a stranger among strange people, with whose language he was unfamiliar. He had a capital of only one dollar, but he possessed strong determination and resolute will, and with those essential qualifications of success

he started out to make his own way. He soon secured work on a canal along the James river, and was there employed for four years.

He is a thrifty and industrious man, qualities which have been inherited by his children. Establishing a home in Pennsyl- vania, he there resided for four years, and about 1849 came with his family to Darke county, Ohio, locating in German township, where he was employed as a wage worker. He remained for two years in German town- ship, then known as Washington township, after which he purchased eighty acres of land, of which about twelve acres had been cleared and improved. His first home was a log cabin, and a log barn gave shelter to his stock. Mr. Lephart remained upon the old family homestead until 1886, and then became a resident of Greenville. Through- out the intervening years he had carried on agricultural pursuits, and his untiring indus- try and enterprise enabled him to add to his possessions until he was the owner of a valu- able farm of one hundred and sixty acres and a comfortable competence, which now supplies him with all the necessities and many of the luxuries of life. The thrift and frugality which are cardinal characteristics of the German race were ever manifest in his business career, and he is also known as a man of much resolution and decision of character. In politics he has always been a Democrat, save when in 1860 he cast his vote for Abraham Lincoln. He has never held office, preferring to devote his time and attention to his business interests. In his religious views he is a Lutheran and has been very liberal in his contributions to church work, having aided in the erection of five different churches in Darke county. He gave material assistance to the church in

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Greenville, and has withheld his support from 110 benevolences worthy of considera- tion. His life, honorable and upright, has commanded the respect of all.

In Pennsylvania he was united in mar- riage to Miss Katherine Estella Strukoff, who was born near Hanover, Germany. Her birth occurred in 1814, and her death in 1886. Her life was one of spotless Christ- ian purity and her teachings have had marked influence upon the lives of her chil- dren, to whom her memory remains as a grateful benediction. In the family of this worthy couple were eight children, four sons and four daughters, but only three are now living, namely: Henry; Sarah, the wife of Peter Blizzard, a prosperous agriculturist of Champaign county, Illinois; and Will- iam, who is married and is a successful farmer of Washington township, Darke county. He resides near the old family homestead.

Henry Lephart was born July 15, 1843. in Somerset county, Pennsylvania, and was the second child in his father's family. He was a little lad of six summers when he came with his parents to Darke county, where lie was reared and educated. Throughout his life he has been identified with agricultural pursuits, and for nineteen years he also en- gaged in the manufacture of brick, the prod- ucts of its kilns being seen in many of the most beautiful homes in Brown town- ship. Several of the school-houses of the neighborhood have also been erected from brick manufactured by him, as was the Greenville Bank. He had no special advan- tages to fit liiin for life, receiving but a lim- ited education in the public schools. The first school he ever attended was held in a log building in Washington township, the dimensions of the structure being 16x20

feet. The building was covered with a board roof, and was furnished with a box stove, and slab benches formed of puncheons with the flat side up, placed upon wooden pins. The writing desk used by the big boys and girls was a wide board resting upon wooden pins driven into auger holes in the wall. The discipline of the school was maintained through fear of the rod and the dunce-cap, and the old adage, "Spare the rod and spoil the child," found exemplifica- tion in those primitive institutions of learn- ing. Mr. Lephart remained with his par- ents until he had attained his majority and gave them liis wages during the greater part of the time. He received eighteen dollars per month in compensation for his services, and as one-half of this was turned over to his father he had a small capital of his own when he attained his majority, comprising fifty dollars in money and a young horse. Ile was, however, industrious and energetic, qualities which form an important element in a prosperous career.

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A Biographical history of Darke County, Ohio : compendium of national biography, Part 31

Author: Publication date: 1900 Publisher: Chicago : Lewis Pub. Co. Number of Pages: 806

Author:
Publication date: 1900
Publisher: Chicago : Lewis Pub. Co.
Number of Pages: 806