A Biographical history of Darke County, Ohio : compendium of national biography, Part 65

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

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Hugh Armstrong passed his boyhood

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and early manhood on his father's farm and was there at the time of the civil war. In the spring of 1864 he enlisted in the Union army as a member of the One Hun- dred and Fifty-second Ohio Volunteer In- fantry, for one hundred days' service, and at the end of that time was honorably dis- charged. Returning home, he continued work on his father's farm until 1867. That year he purchased eighty acres, cornering with his father's land. Two years later he sold this tract and bought one hundred and twenty-nine acres in Washington township, which was his home nine years and which he then exchanged for a farm in Franklin township. On the last named place he lived two years. In 1881 he sold out and came to his present location in German township. where he has a fine farm of two hundred and five acres, nicely improved and specially fitted for stock purposes. Ile has one of the finest barns in the county. The residence is just outside the corporate limits of Pales- tine.

Mr. Armstrong was first married, in Oc- tober, 1867, to Miss Elizabeth J. Van Skaik, who was born April 14. 1839, and died De- cember 20, 1880, leaving four children, namely: Ida J., born March 13. 1870. who is now the wife of W. M. McCartney, a Disciple minister near Worden, Ohio; Eva C., born December 14, 1873. at home; Ret- tie A., born August 6, 1876, is the wife of Charles Wilt, of Palestine ; and George, born September 16, 1879, is a farmer of Jackson township, this county. Mr. Armstrong's present wife was formerly Miss Carlesta McCabe, who was born July 4, 1865, and who is a daughter of George McCabe, of Palestine, a native of Darke county, Ohio. By this marriage there is one child, Mer- jdeth. born March 23. 1894.

Mr. Armstrong harmonizes with the Republican party and is a member of that popular organization, the G. A. R., hokling his membership in Reed Post, No. 572.

JAMES A. SNYDER.

The subject of this sketch is one of the representative farmers and stock raisers of Mississinawa township, Darke county, Ohio, whose success in life is due to their own well-directed and energetic efforts. Mr. Snyder is the sixth child and fifth son in a family of eight children -seven sons and one daughter. The father. John K. Snyder, was born in Hunterdon county. New Jer- sey, February 10, 1811, and was married in Butler county, Ohio, February 10, 1835, to Amy Hidley, who was born in Hunter- don, New Jersey, February 10, 1818, their marriage being celebrated on the anniversary of both their births. The bride's trousseau consisted of a calico dress, and being in very humble circumstances they began their mar- ried life in a most primitive manner. In 1838 they removed from Butler county to Mississinawa township, Darke county, where the father died July 28, 1849, leaving his widow with eight small children to care for. On the 13th of December, 1855. she mar- ried Hugh Mckibben, who died January 8. 1881, and her death occurred February 4, 1888, within six days of her seventieth birthday.

After his father's death James .A. Snyder and the other children were put out to earn their own living. While in his ninth year he left home hurriedly to escape a whipping from his stepfather, who he thought had no right to whip him, and he well remem- bers what good time he made in climbing fences and race down the road. He finally

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reached the residence of Mahlon Peters, with whom he found a good home, living with him without wages until fifteen years of age, when he made an agreement to stay until he was twenty-one, Mr. Peters giving him a new suit of clothes and eleven dol lars and a quarter per month, but soon after this his employer discontinued farming and Mr. Snyder found employment in the lumber woods, driving two yoke of cattle at thir- teen dollars per month and board during the winter.

On the last day of December, 1867, Mr. Snyder landed in Iroquois county, Illinois, where he contracted to work for a man who had a hard name, at twenty-five dollars per monthi as long as they could agree. He re- mained with him mnine months and they parted good friends. Here Mr. Snyder was in his element as his employer was a drover and stock dealer, for he had become thor- oughly familiar with that business during his boyhood at home. The following year he worked for another farmer in Iroquois county and then decided to return to Ohio Before going west he had saved one hundred and seventy-five dollars, and while there increased the amount to three hundred, but was defrauded out of one hundred dollars in a business transaction, leaving him two hundred when he returned to Ohio. Lo- cating in Darke county, he rented his pros- pective father-in-law's farm in Mississinawa. where he still resides.

Mr. Snyder was married, September 16. 1869 to Miss Sarah I. Dutro, a daughter of John M. and Susan ( Bechtol) Dutro. The father was born in Frederick county, Mary- land. in 1822, the mother in Berkeley coun- ty. West Virginia, in 1827, and they were married in Montgomery county, Ohio, in 1848. In 1862 they came to Darke county,

and in the midst of the forest Mr. Dutro purchased one hundred and three acres of land for which he paid six hundred dollars. At that time it was all wild and unimproved, but has since been transformed into a fine farm. Mr. Dutro worked at his trade of bricklaying during the sumn.er, while through the winter months he would clear ten acres of land. He died February 17. 1893. honored and respected by all who knew him. His widow is still living and finds a pleasant home with Mr. and Mrs. Snyder. She is still quite active both in body and mind, and enjoys household cares and work among the flowers. Of her five children only two reached maturity, Mrs. Snyder being the younger. Oliver T., the only son, is a brick mason, now serving as a foreman for a large firm in Buffalo, New York, and he stands high in business circles. He is married and has three children.

Mr. Snyder is now the owner of the old Dutro homestead, comprising two hundred and eighteen acres, which he has placed un- der a high state of cultivation. As a stock raiser he has been eminently successful, hav- ing made the most of his money in that way. He raises cattle, sheep and horses, and also buys cattle, which he fattens for market and then sells. During the first few years of their married life he and his wife toiled hard. early and late, but prosperity has crowned their efforts and they can now take life easy. They have a charming home, their brick residence being surrounded by extensive grounds shaded by a fine variety of fruit and ornamental trees.

Fraternally Mr. Snyder is a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, and politically is an ardent Republican. During the civil war he made an effort to enter the service, but was prevented from enlisting-

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by his family on account of his youth. In civil affairs he has rendered his full share of public service, having for a quarter of a century filled some office, including those of school director and supervisor. In 1872 he was elected trustee of Mississinawa town- ship. overcoming the Democratic majority of sixty, his opponent receiving only twenty votes in the caucus and twenty in the elec- tion. He most creditably filled that office for ten years, and has faithfully discharged every duty devolving upon him, whether public or private.

JOHN RUFUS HILL.

German township, Darke county, Ohio, includes among its leading farmers John Rufus Hill, who is a native of this county and is a member of one of its pioneer fam- ilies. He was born in Harrison township, April 13. 1845. a son of Hugh L. and Eliza- beth ( Kunkle) Hill. Elizabeth Kunkle was the daughter of John and Susan Kunkle, was born in Bedford county, Pennsylvania, January 25. 1815, and came with her par- ents to Darke county in 1818. She was united in marriage with Hugh L. Hill March 16, 1837, and died at her home in Palestine No- vember 25, 1894.

J. R. Hill is the fourth in a family of eight children, seven of whom are still liv- ing. When he was twelve years of age the family removed from Harrison township to German township, where he grew to man- hood on his father's farm, and where he has since lived. The first school he attended was held in log school house in the woods of Harrison township : later he attended dis- trict school in German township, and it may be added that the greater portion of his education has been obtained in the broad

school of experience. When the civil war broke out he was too young to enter the ser- vice of his country, but before the conflict was ended he enlisted and was in active sery- ice four months. It was May 2, 1864, at the age of nineteen, and as a member of Com- pany H, One Hundred and Fifty-second Ohio Volunteer Infantry, that he entered the Union army. This was a one-hundred-day regiment, under Colonel Putnam. Mr. Hill was on some hard marches, guarding a pro- vision train, and performed faithful service. after which, September 1, 1864, he was hon- orably discharged.

Returning home after his army experi- ence, Mr. Hill resumed work on the farm and remained there until after his marriage. in September of the following year, when he located on a farm of his own on the Hol- lansburg & Palestine pike, three miles south of Palestine. He lived on that farm three years. Then he sold it and bought the farm on which he has since lived, one hundred and twenty-three acres, in section 15, German township, all of which is under cultivation,. devoted to a diversity of crops.

September 11, 1875. Mr. Hill married Miss Amanda Harding. a native of German township. Darke county, Ohio, and a daugh- ter of James and Polly Harding, early set- tlers of the township. In the Harding fam- ily were six children, of whom Mrs. Hill is the eldest. She received her education in the schools near her home and for a short time previous to her marriage was engaged in teaching. Mr. and Mrs. Hill have four children-Alba, Ressie. Odlin and James- all at home.

On reaching his majority Mr. Hill sup- ported the Republican party and has adhered to it ever since. He has always taken an active interest in public affairs in his lo-

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cality and has served officially in various ca- on farming, and in 1853, with Mrs. Framp- pacities. He was land assessor in 1890. school director about six years, and at this writing is township treasurer. He is a mem- ber of Reed Post. No. 572. G. A. R .. and a member of the Knights of Pythias, Palestine Lodge. No. 652. Mr. and Mrs. Hill are mem- bers of the Universalist church at Palestine and contribute to its support and all measures calculated to advance the public welfare. An upright citizen, honorable in all his deal- ings, having at heart the development of the county and giving his support to whatever he believes is intended to advance its best interests, he is entitled to the esteem in which he is held by his fellow citizens.

ADAM C. FRAMPTON.

The subject of this memoir. now de- ceased, was born in Richland township, Darke county, Ohio, November 5. 1826, the son of Hugh and Mary ( Coppess ) Framp- ton, early pioneers of Darke county. Hugh Frampton was the son of Arthur Framp- ton, and Englishman, and was born in P'enn- sylvania. from which state he came to Ohio in 1824 and took up his residence in Darke county, where he soon afterward met and married Miss Coppess. She was a native of North Carolina. and when a young woman came with her father. Adam Coppess, to Darke county, Ohio. Hugh and Mary Frampton were the parents of five children, Adam C. being the eldest. The others were William, Martha, Mary Jane and Ellen.

Mr. Frampton was reared on his fa- ther's frontier farm, and in his young man- hood was engaged in teaching school. teach- ing during the winter months, both before and after his marriage. He was married in 1849. From that time until 1853 he carried

ton's brothers, John and Samuel Patterson, he turned his attention to the saw-mill busi- ness, in which he was engaged until 1866. That year he removed to a farm in AAdams township, where he passed the rest of his lite in agricultural pursuits, and where his widow. Mrs. Mary Jane ( Patterson ) Framp- ton, still resides. Here he died, March 30, 1892. He was a Democrat until the break- ing out of the Civil war in 1861, when he joined the Republican ranks, to which he ever afterward gave active support. He served as a trustee of Adams township, also filled. acceptably. other local offices, and ever took a deep interest in all that pertains to the welfare of the locality. The church of his choice was the Christian church, in which he was an active and worthy member for many years. Fraternally he was for twenty-five years identified with the Inde- pendent Order of Odd Fellows, and during that time the records show that he never drew a benefit. He helped to organize the Farmers' Mutual Fire' Association in 1877, was elected its secretary at the time of organ- ization, and continued to fill that position up to the time of his death.

Mrs. Mary Jane Frampton, nce Patter- son, was born in Washington county, Mary- land, January 20, 1826, of Irish and German descent. Her father, Robert Patterson, a native of the north of Ireland, born in 1794, came to America at about the age of twenty years and took up his residence in Maryland, where he subsequently married Miss Anna Stahl, a native of Pennsylvania, born in 1792, who had moved with her parents to Maryland in her young womanhood. The Stahls were of German origin. After their marriage Robert Patterson and wife located it: Washington county. Maryland, where they

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lived until 1833, and that year came to Darke county, Ohio, and settled in Rich- land township, where he engaged in farming and where he resided until his death, Sep- tember 23, 1842. His wife died January 27, 1855. They were the parents of five chil- dren, two daughters and three sons, as fol- lows : John, Esther. Samuel and Michael, all deceased, and Mrs. Frampton, the third born and the only living representative of the family. All had as good educational ad- vantages as the schools of the community afforded and all spent some time in teach- ing. The eldest son, John, was a great student and an author of some note. He wrote "Conflict in Nature and Life." "Re- forms : Their Difficulties and Possibilities," and a number of other works.

Mrs. Frampton is the mother of five children, one son and four daughters, name- ly : Pobert P., born August 17, 1850, mar- ried Emma Herberger in December, 1883. and died April 8, 1898. Currie F., born Oc- tober 8, 1854, married, May 27, 1873, Will- iam H. Burns, a farmer of Adams township. and they have seven children-Earl F., Harry D., Rossella, Mary, Adam C., Cath- erine and Minnie-and one-Stella-de- ceased. Minnie, born October 17, 1857, re- sides with her mother. Rossella, born .April 16, 1861, died March 3, 1878. Lillian F., born June 20, 1863, married, June 7. 1883, WV. B. Marshall, a farmer and teacher, and they have three children living-Hugh F., Robert P. and Clement H .- and twins- Mand and Minnie-that died in infancy.

W. B. Marshall, who was born in Mont- gomery county, Ohio, May 22, 1862, and came to Darke county, settled in Adams township, in 1873. His father came to Ohio from Rockingham county, Virginia. He (the father) enlisted in the Seventy-

first Ohio Volunteers and was killed at Shiloh, in April, 1862. His mother's .peo- ple came from Ireland.

The subject of this sketch is a member of Gettysburg Lodge, I. O. O. F .. a Republi- can in politics and has taught in the coun- try schools continuously since 1883.

JOHN W. LARIMER.

In the origination and evolution of sur- names there have been many transitions and corruptions, and this is true of the honored patronymic borne by the subject of this sketch, the name being a corruption of the old orthography, Lorimore, which as desig- nating a worthy Scottish race has been known in the annals of Scottish history from the earliest days, the name being familiar in both the highlands and lowlands of bon- nie Scotland and having been borne by many brave men and many women of most genteel breeding. In the United States are found various corruptions of this illustrious and patriarchal name, which appears so frequent- ly in Scotch song and story. In Ivanhoe and Rob Roy, the beautiful productions of Sir Walter Scott, the names of Lord and Lady Lorimore appear, and of this line our subject is clearly a representative. Two of his ancestors adopted the present orthog- raphy, which has obtained for the past cen- tury.

Mr. Larimer is a native of Perry county, Ohio, having been born near Lexington, on the 24th of June, 1846, the fifth in order of birth of two sons and four daughters of Isaac and Margaret ( Ray) Larimer. Five of the children are yet living, namely : Ma- tilda. wife of John Rodaheter. a prosper- ous farmer of Fairfield county, Ohio; Sam- tiel R. was a soldier in the civil war and

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for the past twelve years has been a guard at the Iowa state prison, at Anamosa; Re- becca, wife of William Rowles, a farmer of Fairfield county, Olio ; Mary E., who is the wife of George Seitz, a carpenter and con- tractor of Effingham, Illinois, and a brother of Professor Enoch Seitz, of Greenville, Ohio, one of the most profound and emi- nent mathematicians in the world ; and John W., who is the immediate subject of this re- view.

The father was born about the year 1808, and his death occurred in 1874. He was a man of great decision of character, strong intellectuality and vigorous thought, having a fine command of language and being a forcible and ready public speaker in an im- promptu way. His fountain of knowledge was not fed so much by definite scholastic training as by self-application and careful study of the best literature and of the prob- lems and questions of the day. As may be imagined he had clearly defined political convictions, which he always had the cour- age to maintain. He was a Democrat and was a strong advocate of abolition, though at variance with the majority of his party in the crucial period culminating in the war of the Rebellion. He was held in high es- timation by the people of Perry county, which he represented with signal efficiency in the state legislature, being also district member from Perry, Hocking and Fairfield counties. He advocated strenuously the cause of abolition during the Lincoln-Doug- las campaign and was a great admirer of the martyr president. The public-school sys- tem was then in its infancy and he was one of the foremost advocates of its expansion and careful maintenance. In religion his faith was that of the Presbyterian church. His father, who also bore the name of Isaac

Larimer, was a soldier in the war of 1812, entering the service as a private and being mustered out with the rank of captain. He held this office at the time of his capture by the enemy when General Hull made his ig- nominious surrender, and he was the only officer in his regiment who was allowed to retain his side arms. When the British offi- cer approached and demanded his sword and revolver Grandfather Larimer raised his sword in the air and said: "When I took tliis sword I resolved to free my country or die in the attempt." The officer smiled and passed on, and the subject of this review has his grandfather's sword in his posses- sion to-day-a souvenir. to him of priceless worth.

Isaac Larimer, the father of our subject, came to Darke county in 1865 and pur- chased land in Greenville township, south- east of Greenville, and there he made his home until his death. His wife, who was likewise a native of Olio, died in Novem- ber, 1873, at the age of sixty years. She was also a member of the Presbyterian church, in whose work she took a zealous in- terest. John W. Larimer passed his youth- ful days in Perry and Fairfield counties, as- sisting in the work of the farm and attend- ing the district schools. He had entered a select school or academy, for the purpose of continuing his studies, but at this time the nation was menaced by armed rebellion and the young man showed his loyalty and patri- otic ardor by entering the Union service, putting aside all personal consideration to go forth in defense of his country. On the 23d of February, 1864, at Bremen, Fairfield county, he enlisted as a member of Company B, Seventeenth Ohio Volunteer Infantry, under Captain J. T. Weakley. The regi- ment was ordered to report at Chattanooga,

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Tennessee, and arriving there. the first night he slept on the battle ground of Mission Ridge, and at dawn of the next day Mr. | Larimer was awakened by h's comrade, who 1 said, "Wake up, comrade, and see whom you have been sleeping with;" and as he looked around to where his head had rested he saw a half-buried human hand protruding from the ground the gruesome sight sending a shudder through his system! He was in the command of General "Pap" Thomas and participated in every battle and skirmish in which his regiment took part, among the most prominent engagements being Resaca and the siege of Atlanta. He was present at all the battles in the Atlanta campaign, including the engagements at Kenesaw Mountain and Jonesboro, Georgia; and he participated also in the battles of Fayette- ville, North Carolina, Bentonville and Ra- leigh, North Carolina, after accompanying General Sherman on his famous march to the sea. He experienced many of the hard- ships of the soldier's life. At Savannah, Georgia, where the boys were suffering from hunger and foraging was the one topic of conversation, they were called upon to again take up the long and weary march through the Carolinas to Richmond and thence on to Washington, the aim of certain officers being to see who could reach the capital first, no matter at what suffering and sacrifice to the poor fellows in the ranks. The engagement at Bentonville, North Caro- lina, was the last of the war, and the Fed- eral army encamped near Jonesboro, where the news of Lee's surrender was learned by the second division in town, who hailed the intelligence by firing their guns and other demonstrations. The division in which Mr. Larimer was assigned was encamped about five miles distant, and when the firing in the

town was heard it was thought another at- tack was being made by the Confederates and the division made ready to take part in the affray. On reaching the out-picket line the news of the surrender was communicated and the boys began to fire their guns, where- upon General Baird,commanding, exclaimed : "Stop that at once! If the other fellows have made d-d fools of - themselves, don't you!" The regiment finally marched on- ward to Washington, where it participated in the grand review, one of the most impos- ing military pageants of modern times. Mr. Larimer served his country faithfully and bravely for eighteen months, within which time he was never absent from his regi- ment, never in the guard house or hospital and always ready to perform the duties as- signed him. Receiving his honorable dis- charge, he returned to his home to resume the vocations of peace.

On the 12th of November. 1872, Mr. Larimer was united in marriage to Miss Margaret C. Mowen, and to them one son and four daughters were born, the son, Isaac Wright, having died at the age of nine years. The daughters are as follows: Pearl, who . was educated in the public schools, and is a member of the Reformed church and of the Aid Society; Ethel, who has also received good educational ad- vantages, and has shown marked musical talent ; Sara has attended the public schools in her native county and also the graded schools at Effingham, Illinois, being an earnest student; and Virgie is the youngest of the family.

Mrs. Larimer was born in Darke county, January 18, 1847, a daughter of David and Sarah ( Hartle) Mowen. She has one sis- ter and one brother-Urilla, the widow of George Creager, a contractor and buikler,

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is a resident of Columbus, Ohio; and Frank- lin, who resides in Dayton, this state, being a successful carpenter and builder. Mrs. Larimer has been reared and educated in this county and is a woman of high character and ideals, presiding with grace and dignity over her pleasant home. At the beginning of their married life our subject and his wife rented land in Greenville township, where they remained about a year, when they took up their abode on the old homestead of Mrs. Larimer's father, the same comprising two hundred acres, where our subject asso- ciated himself with' his brother-in-law in renting the place for one year, after which he decided to purchase eighty acres of the homestead, assuming an indebtedness of one thousand seven hundred and fifty dol- lars. By industry and good management, and aided by the efforts and counsel of his devoted wife, Mr. Larimer has not only met all financial obligations but has also made many fine improvements upon his homestead, All the barns and other outbuildings have ! been built by our subject and 2,500 rods of tiling have been put in. In addi- tion to the home place Mr. and Mrs. Lari- mer have purchased another farm of seventy- three acres, which is likewise free from en- 1 cumbrance. Their success has been notable and has been worthily achieved and in the community no family enjoys a more marked popularity and esteem. Mrs. Larimer has in her possession the original deed of the farm, executed August 14, 1834, and signed by President Andrew Jackson.

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A Biographical history of Darke County, Ohio : compendium of national biography, Part 65

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