USA > Ohio > Darke County > A Biographical history of Darke County, Ohio : compendium of national biography > Part 81
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The date of Mr. Armacost's marriage has already been given. Mrs. Armacost was before her marriage Miss Sarah Hoo- ver, and is of German origin, her great- grandfather having been born in Germany. The German for Hoover is Huber, and the
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name was changed after the settlement of the family in this country. Both Ulrich and Henry Hoover, the grandfather and father of Mrs. Armacost, were born in Pennsylva- nia, near Hanover, and from there Henry Hoover, after lis marriage, moved to Bal- timore county, Maryland, where the rest of his life was spent on a farm, and where he died at the age of seventy-three years. His wife, nec Susannah Dubbs, was a native of Pennsylvania, as also was her father, Os- walt Dubbs, and the Dubbs family also was of German origin. Henry and Susannah Hoover were the parents of ten children, namely : David, deceased; Mrs. Lydia Cooper, lives in Rutland, Illinois ; Mary, de- ceased; Sarah, now Mrs. Armacost ; Henry, deceased; Catharine, deceased; John, de- ceased; and Margaret, Peter and Susan- nah. Sarah, the fourth born and third daughter in the family, was born in Balti- more county, Maryland, January 17, 1813, and is the only member of her family in Darke county, Ohio. She is the mother of ten children, as follows: Eli, living; Henry, Amanda, Louisa, John and Elizabeth, all deceased ; Lydia, wife of John Harnish, of Washington township, Darke county; Mary P., wife of J. B. Jones, of Randolph county, Indiana ; Margaret C., wife of George Mike- sell, of Republican county, Kansas; and James B.
James B. Armacost, the youngest of the above named family, resides with his aged mother on the home farm. He was born here, April 8, 1857, and in May, 1881, was married to Miss Emma R. Heironimus, a native of Darke county, Ohio. She died in 1889, leaving him with four little children : Eva Gertrude, born March 9, 1882; Her- bert E., October 23, 1883 ; Henry Glen, Sep- tember 3, 1887; and Justin Ray, October 18,
1 889. Mrs. Armacost has other grand- children, numbering in all thirty, and her great-grandchildren at this writing number tivelve. Her son, James B., has charge of the home farm and is ranked with the repre- sentative citizens of the community. Like his father before him, he affiliates with the Democratic party. He served three years as a township trustee, and at this writing is a school director. Fraternally he is identi- fied with the Knights of Pythias, having huis membership in Lodge No. 476, at Hol- lansburg.
HENRY ERISMAN.
Henry Erisman was born in Lancaster county, Pennsylvania, and there passed his early boyhood. As one of a family of fif- teen children lie accompanied his parents to Ohio, and with them settled in the woods of Darke county, where he assisted in the work of clearing and improving the farm. On reaching manhood he married Miss Mary J. Reck, and soon afterward located on the farm in Adams township, this county, where lie passed the rest of his life and died, and where his widow still resides. He was a man of sterling worth, interested in what- ever tended toward the development of the community, and was ranked with the lead- in:g farmers and most respected citizens of the township. For many years lie was a consistent member of the Presbyterian church. He died July 14, 1892.
Mrs. Henry Erisman, whose maiden name was Mary J. Reck, dates her birth in Bedford county, Pennsylvania, September 22, 1828. Her parents were Jacob and Mary M. (Seips) Reck, natives of Adams county, Pennsylvania. When she was a small child her father died and at the age
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of eleven years she accompanied her mother to Ohio, and in Darke county was reared and married. She has one brother and two sisters living : William Reck, of Green- ville, Ohio; Eliza, the wife of John Walker, of Van Buren township, Darke county ; and Susan, the wife of John Morrison, of Green- ville. Of the children born to Mr. and Mrs. Erisman four are now living, namely : Samuel J., who has been twice married, first to a Miss Clark, and after her death to a Miss Forman; John I., who married Miss Mellie Livingston; William H., who mar- ried Anna Katzenberger; and Charlie. The deceased were Frances, Della, Mary and Josephı Ed. The grandchildren of Mrs. Erisman now number nine. Samuel J. has four children-Fay, Ray, Ruth and Helen ; Jolın I. has two-Della and Clyde; and William H. has three-Nellie, Floe and Myrtle.
The Erisman farmi comprises eighty- eight acres, and is under the management of William H. Erisman, who resides at the home place with his mother.
LEONARD MARKER.
Leonard Marker, a well known under- taker and furniture dealer of Versailles, Ohio, has the distinction of having won the proud American title of self-made man. Ifis great determination and energy have en- abled liim to overcome all difficulties and ob- stacles in his path and work his way stead- ily upward to prosperity.
He was born near Dayton, Montgomery county, Ohio, June 9, 1846, and is of Ger- man descent, his paternal great-grandfather having been a native of Germany. The grandfather, George Marker, was born in Maryland and became a wealthy slaveholder
of that state, but being a very liberal man he lost his property by going as security for others. He then came to Ohio with his family, and located on the site of the present Soldiers' Home near Dayton, Montgomery county, where he spent the remainder of his life, dying at about the age of seventy-two years.
Raymond J. Marker, the father of our subject, was born in Maryland, in 1824, and was four years of age when the family re- moved to Montgomery county, Ohio, where he grew to manhood and married Eliza Bachman, who was born in Lancaster, Penn- sylvania, but was reared in Montgomery county, this state. Her father, Christian Bachman, was a native of Germany. She died at the early age of twenty-eight years, leaving four children: Leonard, our sub- ject; Allen, who is engaged in the transfer, dray and express business in Versailles ; Hi- ram, who died at the age of eighteen years; and Maggie C., the widow of George Burns and a resident of Cleveland. In early life the father followed the butcher's trade, but after coming to Darke county, in 1850, he purchased a farm near the old Bowers Mill and turned his attention to agricultural pur- suits. He died there in 1855, at the age of thirty-one years. He was serving at that time as justice of the peace, and had also filled the offices of township clerk and land appraiser. In religious belief he was a Lutheran, and in politics a Democrat, and lie was one of the most highly respected citi- zens of his community.
Left an orphan at the early age of nine years, Leonard Marker went to live with his uncle, Perry Marker, in Liberty, Ohio, re- inaining with him until nineteen years of age and attending the village schools. He then spent two years with B. Engelken, of Ver --
Leverand Marker
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sailles, learning the cabinet maker's trade, working the first six months for no material compensation. On attaining his majority he embarked in the furniture and undertak- ing business on his own account at that place, and now has the oldest established house of the kind in Darke county. He has kept a complete record of all the funerals of which he has had charge since 1867, the date of the same, the name of the deceased and the number of miles traveled. He has buried over two thousand people. When he first became connected with the business he manufactured all his own coffins from the rough lumber, often working all night. He now has two diplomas as an embalmer, one from Professor Clarke at Springfield, Ohio, and the other from Professor Sullivan, of the Indianapolis (Indiana) School of Embalm- ing. He has one of the finest funeral out- fits in the county, and is doing a large and successful business. Having prospered in his life work, he is now the owner of con- siderable property, including his business block and residence in Versailles.
At Versailles, April 1, 1869, Mr. Mar- ker married Miss Gertie Reed, a native of that place and a daughter of J. C. Reed, one of its first business men. By this union were born four children, namely: Grace, who was graduated at the Versailles high school, and has successfully engaged in teaching in the same for eight years ; James R., also a graduate of the same school, who has engaged in teaching for five years, and is now completing a four-years classical col- lege course; Maud, who was graduated at the Versailles high school and is at home; and Raymond J., who is still in school.
As a Democrat Mr. Marker has taken an active interest in local politics, and has been honored with a number of offices, hav- 38
ing served as a member of the board of liealth, the school board and as township clerk. Ile has been the chief of the fire de- partment almost continuously since 1884, and superintendent of the Greenland Ceme- tery Company since its organization in 1896. It is one of the finest cemeteries of Darke county. Mr. Marker has a fine collection of geological specimens, and Indian, war and family relics, and is interested in the found- ing of a reading room for young men. So- cially he is a prominent member of the Odd Fellows Lodge, of Versailles, in which he has filled all the chairs, and has served as deputy grand master of the Independent Or- der of Odd Fellows. Ile is a member of Lodge No. 290, F. & A. M., and has served as the secretary for a number of years. Re- ligiously he and all of his family are mem- bers of the Christian church. He has ever taken an active part in its work, was a mem- ber of the building committee of the par- sonage, and is now serving as the clerk of the church. In all the relations of life he has been found true to every trust reposed in him, whether public or private, and has done all in his power to advance the inter- ests of his town and county.
MORRIS HUHN.
Morris Huhn was born in stadt Langs- feld, in the province of Saxony, Prussia, Germany, June 21, 1871. His father was Isaac Huhn, who was born in the same lo- cality in the year 1836. The mother, Mrs. Sophia Huhn, was born in 1840. By their marriage they became the parents of five children, three of whom are yet living. As is the custom in his native country, Morris Hulin attended the common schools until lie was twelve years of age, and then entered
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the high school, where he pursued his stud- ies until he had attained the age of fifteen. His school life was tlien ended and he en- tered upon his business career in a hardware store, where he served as a clerk for sev- eral years. Believing that the new world might furnish him better opportunities for advancement, he took passage on the Ger- man steamship Kaiser Wilhelm on the 12th of September, 1893. After a voyage of ten days he arrived in New York city, and at once came to Greenville, where he entered the clothing store of his uncle, the late Moses 'Huhn, being there employed as a clerk until the death of the proprietor, which occurred three years after our subject's ar- rival in the new world. After his uncle's death Mr. Huhn purchased the store and carried on business alone for one year. He then admitted to partnership Frank Point- ner, who had for many years been a clerk in the establishment. Success has attended the enterprise, and the trade has constantly increased, the firm now enjoying a large and liberal patronage.
On the 18th of October, 1899, Mr. Huhn was united in marriage to Miss Lottie Stricker, of Tiffin, Ohio, a daughter of Samuel and Eurika Stricker, who were na- tives of Germany, and in early life came to the United States. The Huhn residence is a: No. 415 West Fourth street, and is cele- brated for its gracious hospitality, which is enjoyed by many friends of the family. Mr. Huhn is the only member of his father's family who has visited the new world. Al- though he has been in America for only seven years, he speaks the English language with remarkable fluency and ease. It is wonderful with what readiness one of for- cign birth adapts himself to the manners, customs and methods in vogue in this coun-
try. Without capital, our subject came to the new world and has steadily worked his way upyard, securing through determined purpose and honorable effort an enviable po- sition in the business and social world. Close application and gentlemanly demeanor have gained for the firm of Huhn & Pointner a very enviable reputation and secured for them a business which is bringing to them excellent financial returns.
HUGH T. MCKIBBEN.
Hugh T. Mckibben is a retired farmer living on his seventy-five-acre farm on sec- tion 26, Mississinawa township. The com- petence which enables him to rest from his labors was acquired by active toil in former years. He was born in Clermont county, Ohio, December 27, 1826, and his grand- father, Hugh Mckibben, was one of the pio- neers of that locality, to which he removed from his former home in Pennsylvania. His wife was Susanna Hughes, and they became the parents of thirteen children, six of whom reached adult age and were married. Of the family, however, William and Wesley died in early life. Three sons reached ma- ture years, and Hugh and Joseph died in Illi- nois, while Samuel Parker Mckibben died in Kentucky.
John A. Mckibben the father of our sub- ject, was born in Clermont county, Ohio, June 13. 1802, and was reared amidst the wild scenes of the frontier. After he had at- tained to man's estate he married Jem ma Pigman, who was born in Greenbrier county, Virginia. They were married about 1821, and became the parents of six children. five sons and one daughter, all of whom were born in Clermont county. One son, Harri- son, died in that county, at the age of eiglit
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years. On the 15th of September, 1839, the family arrived in Darke county, and the fa- ther purchased a quarter-section of land about two miles from the present home of our subject. In the midst of the forest he cleared and developed a farm, the timber being so dense that he liad to cut away the trees in order to erect liis log cabin, which was built of round logs, while the roof was made of boards cut from a large red oak tree which stood on the site of the cabin. The floor above also was made of red oak, while the lower floor was made of puncheons. The father, with the aid of his sons, cleared the greater part of the land, and there he made his home for eighteen years. But about 1857 he went to live with his son Hugh, and his death occurred in ISS1, when he had reached the age of seventy-nine years, his remains being interred at Rose Hill. His widow was called away about four years later, when eighty-four years of age. Of their children we observe: Joshua R., who was born in 1821, followed carpentering and died in In- dianapolis, Indiana, about 1877, being sur- vived by his widow; Levi P. was born in 1824, and died in Rossville in 1895, when about seventy-one years of age; his only child, a daughter, is also deceased; Hugh T. is the third of the family ; Joseph H. was the next youngest and died in childhood ; Su- sanna Jane died when about twenty-one years of age ; and William W. was born in 1834, was a farmer and is now living in Knobnos- ter, Missouri, his family consisting of four children, of whom two sons and a daughter are now living.
The educational advantages which Hugh H. Mckibben enjoyed were limited. He pursued his studies in a log schoolhouse, six- teen by sixteen feet, with puncheon seats and floors. His training at farm labor, however,
was not meager, and he remained at home until twenty-four years of age, when he was married to Mary Nesmonger, who was born in Montgomery county Ohio, in 1827. They took up their abode in the midst of the forest and the farm upon which Mr. Mckibben re- sides has been cleared almost entirely by his OW11 efforts. For forty-six consecutive years he aided in building houses and barns, attending all the log-rollings, and was thus an active factor in the development of this portion of the county. He always enjoyed good health, being never ill except on one oc- casion, when he suffered an attack of sickness lasting thirteen days. His life has been one of marked industry, bringing to him credita- ble and desirable prosperity.
Eight children were born unto Mr. and Mrs. McKibben. Amanda, the eldest, became the wife of William Funke, and after his death married Jacob Seacrist, of Darke coun- ty ; he has one living child by the first mar- riage ; Mary A. is the wife of George Brooks, a farmer of Jackson township, and they have five sons and four daughters, and have lost two other children; Hiram A., a farmer re- siding five miles from Arcanum, is married and has three sons and one daughter yet liv- ing : Sarah J. is the wife of Gottlieb Coupp, and they have two children living. Albert J. is married and has five sons and three daughters; Irving Grant manages the home farm and has four daughters; Elmer Els- worth, twin brother of Irving, resides in Jackson township and has one son and one (laughter; and Dora Ellen is the wife of William Stauffer, of Union City, Indiana, and they have a son and daughter. Mr. Mc- Kibben has been a member of the Methodist Episcopal church for fifty-seven years, and the house of worship is located on his farm. His wife and most of the children are also
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members of the same church and the family is one of the highest respectability, enjoying the warm regard of many friends in the community.
DAVID L. MEEKER.
Perhaps the public record of no man in Darke county has extended over a longer period than that of Judge David L. Meeker, and certainly none has been more fearless in conduct, more faultless in honor and more stainless in reputation. He served for nearly twenty years as judge on the common pleas bench, and his career was marked by the ut- most fidelity to duty, while a comprehensive knowledge of law and great accuracy in ap- plying the principles of jurisprudence to the points in litigation won him high standng among the legal fraternity.
Judge Meeker was born in Darke county, Ohio, on the 18th of July, 1827, a son of David M. and Nancy Ann (Miller) Meeker. The former, a native of Newark, New Jersey, came to Ohio in 1802, when about ten years of age, and for a time worked in brickyards in Cincinnati. On attaining his majority he turned his attention to agricultural pursuits, following farming for a short time in Hamil- ton county, Ohio, whence he removed to Darke county, settling within its borders when it was a wild region almost on the ex- treme limit of frontier civilization. There the remainder of his life was passed in the work of transforming the wilderness into a pro- ductive farm, and, by the assistance of his wife rearing a large family of children, who have honored his memory and added lustre to his name. He died in 1852, respected by all who knew him.
Upon his father's farm Judge Meeker spent his boyhood, becoming familiar with
all of the hard work and discomfort of clear- ing the land and cultivating the soil when the financial reward of agriculture was scarcely greater than the advantages offered for edu- cation. He attended the school in his native district a portion of each year and enjoyed the limited amusements which the country afforded. The privations of pioneer life were more than offset by the helpfulness of neigh- bors and the genuine, unpretentious hospital- ity characteristic of the occupants of log cabins in pioneer times. When sufficiently advanced in his studies he was employed in teaching the district school for several win- ters and extended his studies to the advanced branches in the academy, which marked the progressive instincts of the people among whom he lived. While engaged in teaching. he directed his course of reading with a view to entering the legal profession as soon as the opportunity offered.
His preliminary study of the law was prosecuted under the instruction of the late Judge Ebenezer Parsons, of Miami county, and he was admitted to the bar in June, 1851, For almost a year thereafter he was traveling in the west, and it was not until 1853 that he settled in Greenville for the practice of his profession. The discipline acquired by study and teaching, the habits of industry formed and his close application to books, together with an excellent natural capacity, qualified him for success in the law. He made his way unaided among the attorneys of the county and soon established himself as a lawyer. In 1856 he was elected prosecuting attorney for the county .and re-elected in 1858, serving four years. His preference for the practice of law rather than the duties of public office was so pronounced that he yielded reluctantly to the solicitation of friends to accept even the judgeship. He
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persistently declined to permit the use of his name as a candidate for congress, although lie was frequently urged to become a nomi- niee for that important position. In 1861 he was elected judge of the common-pleas court of the first subdivision of the second judicial district for a term of five years, but resigned after four years of service and was succeeded by Judge William Allen. Resuming the prac- tice, he was permitted to continue it without interruption until October, 1872, when he was appointed judge by Governor Noyes, on the unanimous recommendation and petition of the bar in every county of the judicial dis- trict. This appointment was for the unex- pired portion of the term to which Judge Mc- Kemy had been elected. Judge Meeker's service on the bench was so acceptable to all the people that he was chosen at the next election for the position without opposition. Both of the leading political parties nomi- nated him, and the members of the bar witli- out dissent recommended his election. After this he was re-elected for two terms and de- clined a third because of failing health.
It is given to few men to enjoy the pub- lic confidence to a degree that disarms all political opposition. The example of Judge Meeker is almost unique. Although a mem- ber of the Democratic party and a partisan, in the sense of supporting its principles and1 candidates, he was known to be so fair and impartial as to be universally trusted by polit- ical adherents and political adversaries alike.
The Judge was married, on the 18th of June, 1857, to Miss Mary A. Deardorff, of Darke county, and to them were born eight children : Frank D., who married Emma An- derson, of Franklin, and is engaged in the real-estate and loan business in Greenville ; Sadie E., who is the wife of D. L. Gaskill, who was associated in the practice of law
with her father ; Walter S., who was also his father's partner, married Minnie Lowry; Mary C., who is the wife of J. R. Smith, a druggist, of Dayton, Ohio; Nana, who is the wife of Dr. S. A. Hawes, of Arcanum, Ohio; Virginia G., who is the wife of W. H. Gilbert, an attorney at law, of Troy, Ohio; Alice M., who is the wife of A. R. Crawford, of Ventura, California, where he is serving as deputy clerk of the court ; and Carrie W., at home. The mother of these children died November 21, 1876, and the Judge was afterward married, on the 5th of September, 1878, to Miss Jennie D. Crisler, of Eaton, Preble county, a lady of many accomplish- ments, who presided over his household with dignity and grace, assisting him to dispense the hospitality for which his home was noted. She is a native of Ohio. Her father, Albert G. Crisler, was born in 1810 in Culpeper county, Virginia ; and her mother, Ann nce Foos, was born in Pennsylvania in 1812. They were married in 1831 in Preble county, Ohio. The mother died February 28, 1857, and the father passed away October 19, 1857, near Columbus, Indiana.
Mrs. Meeker attended the country schools in her early girlhood, but later en - joyed, and took advantage of tlie privileges afforded by a private school. At the age of sixteen she began teaching and followed that profession for a few years, when she went to reside with her uncle, J. H. Foos, a promi- nent attorney of Eaton, Preble county, Ohio. After hier marriage to Mr. Meeker she took charge of his household, discharged faith- fully all the duties of helpmate, and at once took a motherly part in caring for, educating and advising his eight children in the moral and religious duties of life, the youngest child being at the time only three years of age. After the death of the Judge she erected
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her present residence from a fund set apart by him, and with the request that after his death a new dwelling-house should be built for her because it required too much care and expense to keep the former residence-a pal- atial brick-in proper condition. The new dwelling was planned by Mrs. Meeker, as- sisted by her stepson, Walter S. Meeker. It is modern in architectural design, neat, and commodious in all its appointments. Mrs. Meeker is an acceptable member of the First Presbyterian church, is consistent in her pro- fessions, and her life of Christian fortitude may well be imitated by all.
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