USA > Ohio > Franklin County > Columbus > A Centennial biographical history of the city of Columbus and Franklin County, Ohio > Part 101
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Edward Hopper, the father of our subject, was one of the earliest set- tlers' of Franklin county. He was only two years of age when brought by his parents to America, and in Virginia he was reared. In Hardy county, that state, he married Susan Neff, a native of the Old Dominion and a daughter of Jacob Neff, who was born in the fatherland, whence he came to the United States in early manhood. He took up his abode in Virginia and was married there to Margaret Jones, an English lady: Both Mr. and Mrs. Neff spent their last years in Hardy county, Virginia, where the former died at the advanced age of ninety-five years. He was the owner of four hundred acres of land and a large number of slaves. In his ninety-fifth year he planted and cared for a five-acre field of corn, retaining his vigor and strength to a remarkable degree.
About 1806 Edward Hopper came with his wife and two children to Franklin county, locating at Franklinton, where he purchased one hundred acres of land in what is now Prairie township. At that time he received no deed, but was given a title bond which proved his ownership until he paid for the property, for which he gave five dollars per acre. Coming to the farm upon which our subject now resides, he made a clearing and bought a log cabin. After a year spent in a home in Franklinton he removed his family to what is now the old Hopper homestead, but the Indians were so numerous that they had to return to Franklinton, where they remained through the suc- ceeding year. On the expiration of that period they once more settled on the farm in Prairie township, living in true pioneer style. Mrs. Hopper had to grind her corn for meal in a coffee mill. At times the land was covered with water and people throughout this section of the state suffered greatly from milk sickness. The father died of that disease in November, 1822, at the age of thirty-three years, leaving a family to carry on the farm work which he had begun. Two and a half years after his death the mother was again married, becoming the wife of Henry Sly. By her first marriage she had the following children: Mary, who became the wife of Thomas Wilcox and died in Norwich township in June, 1853; John, who died at Palestine, Ohio, while visiting relatives there; Alexander, who died in Alton, Ohio; Margaret, now Mrs. Samuel Fleming, of Franklin county : Solomon, who died in St. Louis; Elizabeth, who died in childhood; and Edward. The children of the second marriage were Henry C., Amanda and Jacob, the last named now deceased. Their mother is deceased.
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Edward Hopper, one of the honored pioneers of the county, was born on the old homestead farm June 23, 1822. His educational privileges were lim- ited to those afforded by the schools of the times in a frontier district. His teacher was David Kennard. He became quite a good penman and was also very proficient in arithmetic. He pursued his studies mostly through the winter season and also read and studied at home in his leisure hours. At one time he was a student under Lorenzo Taylor, a teacher from Massachusetts. Mr. Hopper aided his stepfather in clearing and developing the farm, remaining at home until fourteen years of age, when he accepted a clerkship in a store in Alton owned by his brother. He occupied that posi- tion for five years and sold as high as eighty dollars worth of goods in a single day. He afterward learned shoe-making at Alton in his brother's shop under a man who had been employed to conduct the shoe-making department of the business. After his marriage he turned his attention to farming, locating on his present farm of fifty acres. He had inherited sixteen and two-thirds acres of his father's estate, but the remainder has been purchased by him with money acquired through his own efforts. He continued to engage in agricultural pursuits until 1892, when he retired from business life, now living in the enjoyment of the fruits of his former toil.
On the 22d of August, 1843, Mr. Hopper was united in marriage to Miss Rebecca Keller, a daughter of Ezekiel and Elizabeth (Wright) Keller, who came from Virginia to Franklinton on horseback. Her father was one of the strongest men in the county. On one occasion he and a Mr. Scott became engaged in an altercation, and Mr. Scott made for him with an ax, but when he got near enough Mr. Keller struck him and he dropped like a log, people thinking that he was killed. Mrs. Hopper died February 19, 1854. The children of that marriage were: Hiram, who was born July 3, 1844, and died in 1847 ; Mary Elizabeth, who was born March 3, 1846, married Clarence Case and died in 18 -; John A., a farmer of Madison county, who was born December 9. 1849, and married Jemimah Reardon ; Jacob, who was born June 9, 1854, and died November 28, 1881. On the 25th of Novem- ber. 1854, Mr. Hopper was again married, his second union being with Nancy L Wiley, who was born in Perry township, Franklin county April 9, 1834, a daughter of Levi and Elizabeth (Lugg) Wiley.
In his political affiliations Mr. Hopper is a stanch Democrat. He cast his first vote for Taylor and twice supported Abraham Lincoln, but has usually given his ballot to the Democratic candidates. He served for nine years and six months as treasurer of Prairie township, filling the office with ability and to the satisfaction of all concerned. He was also trustee for one term. He has ever been well known for his kindness, his hospitality, his charity, and is a popular and highly esteemed citizen. Numbered among the honored pioneers of the county, he has experienced all the hardships and trials of pioneer life as well as enjoying the recreations common in early days. He lived in the county when few improvements had been made and has seen as many as twelve teams stuck in the mud near Alton. It would require
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many hours to extricate them, but the people of the community would lend their assistance until the task was accomplished. Mr. Hopper has ever given an active support and co-operation to movements calculated to prove of benefit to the community, and is now one of the valued citizens of Franklin county.
LOUIS GLASS.
One of the old and respected citizens of Prairie township Mr. Glass has long been numbered among the representative men of Franklin county, and in this volume he well deserves representation. He is of German lineage, and his grandfather, who was a farmer by occupation, died in Rhineberger, Ger- many. Louis Glass, Sr., the father of our subject, was born in that place and also gave his time and attention to agricultural pursuits. He pursued his education in the schools of his native land, continuing his studies between the ages of six and fourteen years, in accordance with the laws of his country. He married Wilhelmina Everly, also a native of Rhineberger, and in 1848 they bade adieu to friends and native land, sailing from Bremen to the United States. They were thirty-two days upon the voyage and then landed at New York, whence they came direct to Ohio, locating in Columbus. The father died in the capital city in 1849, of cholera, and his wife passed away about the same time, her death being occasioned by that dread disease. They were consistent members of the Lutheran church. They had seven children, namely : Charles, who died of cholera in 1849; Louis; Jacob, who died in Georgesville, Franklin county ; Caroline, deceased wife of Joseph Bush ; Katy, deceased wife of Frederick Michel; Elizabeth, wife of John Kizer, of Columbus; and Mina, wife of Louis Stohler, of Columbus.
Louis Glass, now a well known resident of Prairie township, was born in Germany February 4, 1820, and there attended the public schools until four- teen years of age. At that time he was confirmed in the Lutheran church. He was reared as a farmer boy and escaped service in the German army by drawing a high number at the time the allotments for military service were made. He accompanied his parents on their emigration to the new world and was married, in Columbus, in 1855, to Miss Sophia Durpin, who was born in Germany in 1830, and was a daughter of Jacob and Susan (Stuse) Durpin. Mrs. Glass came to the United States in 1852 with her parents, the family taking passage on a sailing vessel which weighed anchor at Havre, France, and reached the New York harbor thirty-six days later. They, too, became residents of Columbus, where they made their home for a time and then removed to a farm near Hilliard, where the parents both died. Their chil- dren are: Mrs. Glass; Barbara; Sarah; Caroline, of Columbus; Jacob, deceased ; Christian, of Prairie township; and John, who is living in Marion county, Iowa. Unto Mr. and Mrs. Glass have been born four children : Fred- erick, whose home is in Madison county: John and Christian, who are under the parental roof; and Elizabeth, wife of Charles Michel, of Prairie township. For some time after their marriage Mr. and Mrs. Glass resided in Colum-
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bus, where he was employed for a time in a tool factory and afterward engaged in the manufacture of brooms with a partner, but that venture proved unprofit- able and he lost all that he had saved. He then rented his father-in-law's farm near Hilliard for a period of four years and continued to operate rented land through the succeeding decade. Within that time his industry and econ- omy had brought to him some capital, and in 1869 he invested this in a farm of twenty acres in Prairie township. He has since added to this another tract of twenty acres, so that he now owns a good property of forty acres, one-half of which has been cleared and is under a high state of cultivation. Industry has been one of the marked features in his career, and it is this which has enabled him to work his way upward. for without capital or influential friends he started out in life for himself. In his political views he is a Democrat and in religious affiliations is a Lutheran.
ELE W. TULLER.
It is the busy man that leads the forward movement of progress and whose activities stimulate trade, feed the flames of commerce, drive the shafts of industry. give impetus to the strides of agriculture, promote the schemes of finance and lend encouragement and hope to the struggles of men. It is the man of business who creates and maintains public confidence and starts and perpetuates the spirit of development, which, in reality, is the real great- ness of a community. He is the axis around which everything else seems to rotate, the magnet producing a common center toward which all things within its sphere seem to trend. He is the acme of strength and influence and nothing thrives and prospers without his moral and material encourage- ment. Such are the men who make history, furnish object lessons and inspira- tion to the youth, and of such it is the province of this volume to speak.
The grandfather of our subject, Bela M. Tuller, was born June 19, 1773, in Connecticut, and on the 15th of November, 1794, was united in marriage to Miss Lydia Holcomb, whose birth occurred in the Charter Oak state June 19, 1776. With their five children they emigrated westward to Ohio, making the journey in wagons. They located just west of Worthington in the midst of a wilderness, which was infested by Indians, and all kinds of wild game could be obtained. Their home was a log cabin and for a num- ber of years they kept an inn, entertaining many officers who were in that part of the country. In 1812 General Harrison's army was on its way from Franklinton to Sandusky and the Tullers sold him butter, cheese, eggs and provisions. The grandparents of our subject suffered many hardships and privations in those early days. The squirrels were so numerous that they would destroy the crops, and many other difficulties met the sturdy pioneers who had come to the west to found homes in the wilderness. In early pioneer times the grandfather, in connection with the operation of his farm, also con- ducted a small distillery. He continued the cultivation of his land until his death, which occurred on the old homestead. He was a man of strong force
E. W. TULLER AND SARAH E. TULLER.
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of character, of marked industry, and as the result of his untiring labor he became a wealthy man. His wife died in Tiffin, Seneca county, Ohio, March 27, 1848, and her remains were brought back to Worthington and buried in St. John's cemetery. Five of their children were born in Connecticut, the others after the removal of the family to Ohio.
Flavel Tuller, their eldest child, was born December 7, 1795, and in partnership with his brother Homer conducted a general mercantile estab- lishment and real-estate business and also operated a distillery near Worth- ington. He married Miss Lucinda Holcomb. Homer, the second son, was born April 13, 1797, and married Miss Eliza Kilbourne, a cousin of Colonel Kilbourne. The marriage occurred July 21, 1836, and Homer Tuller died in Worthington July 27, 1866. Flora, born March 24, 1800, became the wife of Zoker T. Moore, of Wooster, Ohio. Her husband conducted a gen- eral merchandising store and one of her sons, Treadwell Moore, was grad- uated at West Point prior to the Civil war and served as lieutenant when the country became involved in the war of the Rebellion. His sister became the wife of Rufus Brewster, who went to California in 1849. He there became very wealthy and died in Marysville, Ohio. Elvira, the first of the family, was born December 4. 1803, and died in March, 1806. Lydia, born August 30, 1804, was married, July 13, 1828, to James E. Woodbridge. They located in Mount Vernon, where her husband conducted a general store and there both died, Mrs. Woodbridge passing away March 26, 1875. Achilles, born May 31, 1812, was married, October 18, 1853, to Miss Laura A. Morse, of Akron, Ohio. They located in Tiffin, Ohio, where he engaged in the brokerage business. Elvira, the second of the name, was born May 13, 1818, and was married April 1, 1839, to Reason W. Shawhan. They located in Tiffin, Ohio, where the husband carried on business as a general merchant, pork-packer and grain buyer. Her death occurred there May 20, 1880. Aurelius, born September 5, 1815, died in childhood.
Holcomb Tuller, the father of our subject, was born December 25, 1809, in Connecticut, near the town of Simsbury. During his boyhood he accom- panied his parents on their removal to Ohio, and for a few weeks he pur- sued his education in the log school house, but his privileges in that direction were extremely meager. He learned to write after his marriage. His serv- ices were needed on the home farm and he aided in the arduous task of clear- ing the land. On the 22d of October, 1835, he married Miss Jane Wood- ruff. Her parents were about to start from Worthington for Peoria, Illi- nois. Mr. Tuller had become acquainted with the daughter of the household, and the morning after they left town for the west he went to say good-bye to his sweetheart. The family were encamped on the bank of the Olentangy river and in a little private conversation the young lady said to her lover, "If you ever intend to marry, do so now; if you don't, I'll go west and never expect to see you again." Mr. Tuller at once proceeded to Columbus, where he secured a license and they were married. The bride remained behind, while her parents with their family proceeded to Illinois. Mr. Tuller took his young
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wife to the old home farm, which he rented of his mother. On the expira- tion of the year they removed to Dublin, in 1836, making their home in what is now the L of the Sells Hotel. A year was there passed, after which they returned to the old homestead and continued its cultivation for another twelve months. Once more they located in Dublin, where Mr. Tuller gave his atten- tion to merchandising on a site now occupied by the store owned by the sub- ject of this sketch. At that time he could not write, and every Sunday he would go to the home of his brother Flavel in Worthington and would give him a list of credits which the brother would then put on paper. He carried a stock of general merchandise and did a good business, supplying the needs of the country and town trade.
On the 23d of January, 1855. Holcomb Tuller was called to mourn the loss of his wife, who was on that date called to her final rest. He was again married, December 23, 1856, his second union being with Mrs. Mary Sells, a widow, who was born March 20, 1830. He continued his mercantile pur- suits, carrying on business in a building which had been used on Sundays as a Presbyterian church, while school was held in the basement. He pur- chased the building from the Presbyterians and erected an addition, after which he removed his stock to the new location. Many of the old residents remember the "good old sole leather" which he kept in his basement, where they gathered to slake their thirst. In this store Mr. Tuller remained for a number of years. In the meantime his old store had burned, and when he built on that site he removed into the new structure, carrying on business there until 1861. He then disposed of his mercantile interests and took up his abode at the home now owned by his son, John Tuller. There he resided for several years, engaged in no business save the management of his investments. Subsequently he returned to his farm in Perry township, living in the little farm house that stood on the place. He afterward purchased thirty-seven and a half acres on the river from William B. Hayes, and resided there until his death, which was occasioned by apoplexy, April 26, 1868.
Holcomb Tuller was always an energetic and industrious man, accurate and reliable in business. The first bill of goods which he sold on credit went to James Jimison, who was cruelly murdered in Perry township by three unknown men. His carefully conducted business affairs brought to him suc- cess. He took quite an interest in public affairs and gave his political sup- port first to the Whig and afterward to the Republican party. For several terms he served as township treasurer. During the Civil war he loyally defended the Union and raised much money to hire and send men to the front. He never held membership in any church, but regularly attended service. His second wife died September 7. 1872. The children of his first marriage are as follows: Ele W., of this review; Elvira was born October 7, 1838, and was married, February 7, 1861, to Henry Baldwin, at which time they located on a farm in Norwich township, where they have since resided. John T., of Dublin, was born April 4, 1842, and was married, Sep- tember 18, 1864, to Caroline Shipman. Viola was born February 20, 1846,
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and died May 31, 1849. Holcomb was born. April 22, 1848, and died August 15, 1849. Woodruff was born November 24, 1852, and was married, Jan- uary 23, 1878, to Miss Lucy Chapman, their home being now in Columbus. Lillie was born April 16, 1850, and died July 26, 1866; and Jane was born January 18, 1855, and died on the 3Ist of August of that year. There were four children by the second marriage: Hartwell, of Columbus, born April 29, 1858; Flora, who was born December 9, 1859, and died September 8, 1878; Ida May, who was born June 20, 1864, and is the wife of William Williams ; and Herrick Holcomb, who was born March 20, 1866.
On the maternal side Mr. Tuller, of this review, is a representative of an old American family. His mother was born March 3, 1815, in Worthing- ton, Franklin county, which indicates that the Woodruffs were pioneers of this locality. Her father was Samuel Woodruff, who was born April 12, 1789, was a grandson of Samuel Woodruff, Sr., who married. Miss Elizabeth Norton on the 24th of January, 1754. His death occurred April 10, 1777, and his wife passed away October 22, 1798. Their children were as follows : Lot, born November 24, 1754; Mark, born November 19, 1756; Rachel, born May 29, 1759; Elizabeth, born May 27, 1761 ; and Darius, born August 7, 1765. Of this family Mark died in the Continental army when aiding in the cause of independence, his death occurring at Skeensborough, August 31, 1776, when he was twenty years of age. Lot, the eldest child, was mar- ried, March 9, 1780, to Miss Martha Hart, who was then twenty-one years of age. Their children were: Sarepta, born June 29, 1781; Dolly, born November 28, 1782; Samuel, the grandfather of our subject, was born April 12, 1789; Mark, born November 23, 1792; and Asahel, born August 21, 1798. The father of this family passed away April 26, 1810.
Samuel Woodruff, the grandfather of Mr. Tuller, was married, October 10, 1808, Clementine Woodruff becoming his wife. With his family, except the mother of our subject, he removed to Illinois, locating in Peoria, where he followed the cooper's trade. His wife died there and his death occurred in that city September 17, 1838. The following is the record of their family : George, their eldest child, was born July 13, 1809, was married, October 17, 1841, to Miss Elizabeth Schlotman and died in Peoria. He had two chil- dren : Mary Clementine, born July 19, 1842; John Henry, born January 4, 1845 ; Aseneth, born April 6, 1812, and died April 13, 1814; Jane, who was born March 3, 1815, and became the mother of Mr. Tuller; Lot Nelson, born May 16, 1818, and died in Peoria, Illinois; Marinda, who was born March 20, 1820; Ambrose Hart, born June 9, 1823; Richard, born November 20, 1825, married Miss Sarah Davis and died at Plain City, Ohio; Celestia, who was born September 8, 1831; and Emily, the youngest, who was born Jan- uary 9. 1833.
We now take up the history of Hon. Elle Woodbridge Tuller, whose name introduces this record. He was born on the old family homestead, near Worthington, Perry township, Franklin county, September 27, 1836, and when he was two years of age his parents located permanently in Dublin.
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Here he grew to manhood amid pleasant surroundings and evironments, hav- ing a good home in which culture and refinement were marked characteristics. At the usual age of six years he entered the schools of Dublin, his first teacher being William Lusk, an Irishman, who compiled the first almanac in Ohio. Hle was kind and considerate and school life therefore made a favorable impression upon Mr. Tuller. He continued his education under the direction of John Carson in the same school. After school hours and during the periods of vacation he worked in his father's store, being thus employed until about sixteen years of age, when his father sent him to Antioch College. He remained for only a week, however, for he became homesick and returned to the parental roof. At the age of nineteen he matriculated in Heidelberg College, at Tiffin, Ohio, but after three months was called home to attend his mother's funeral. She died very suddenly and little did the young man think when he told her good-bye as he started for college that it was the last time that he would ever see her alive.
In 1859 Mr. Tuller received a diploma from Granger's Commercial Col- lege, of Columbus. He then began the study of law under the direction of James E. Wright, of Dublin, being admitted to the bar in 1861. On the 5th of February of the following year he married Miss Sarah E. Evritt, the wedding ceremony being performed by Rev. Archibald Fleming, the Methodist Episcopal minister, while Francis Riley and Amos S. Brelsford were wit- nesses. Mrs. Tuller was born in Perry township, Franklin county, February 10, 1840, upon her father's farm. She is a daughter of Zephaniah Evritt, who was born in June, 1805. in Pennsylvania. Her paternal grandfather, Samuel Evritt, was a native of Germany and when a small boy accompanied his parents on their emigration to America, the family locating in New York, where he was reared. He there married Miss Sarah Wilcox and for a time resided in Tonawanda, New York, later removing to Pennsylvania and thence to Ohio. He settled on a farm near Franklinton, where his wife died. He was a shoemaker by trade and owned a kit with which he traveled from place to place, mending and making shoes. He was also a lover of fine horses and usually owned several good specimens of the noble steed. After the death of his wife the family became scattered and he died at the home of his son Zephaniah, about 1848, having survived his wife for thirty-six years. Their children were: Thomas, who died near St. Joseph, Missouri: Jane, who became the wife of Samuel Mickey and died in Missouri; Aaron, who mar- ried Elsie Miller and died on a farm in Perry township, this county ; Zephaniah, the father of Mrs. Tuller, died June 14, 1872; Elisha, who died in Missouri; Mary, who became the wife of Henry Willis and died in Missouri: Mercy, who became the wife of Jesse Miller and also died in Missouri. The father of this family was a second time married and the children of the second union were: Charity, wife of Robert Marshall, of Plain City, Ohio; Avis, who married and moved to Missouri; and Ann, deceased.
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