A Centennial biographical history of the city of Columbus and Franklin County, Ohio, Part 85

Author: Lewis Publishing Company
Publication date: 1901
Publisher: Chicago : Lewis Pub. Co.
Number of Pages: 1156

USA > Ohio > Franklin County > Columbus > A Centennial biographical history of the city of Columbus and Franklin County, Ohio > Part 85

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Mr. Wheeler, the subject of this memoir, was a member of the Masonic fraternity and attained the Knight Templar degree, being a member of Mount Vernon Commandery, No. I, K. T., Columbus. He was a charter mem- ber of Enoch Lodge of Perfection; Franklin Council, Princes of Jerusalem; and Columbus Chapter Rose-Croix. He was also a prominent member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. He was an active and valued member of the Trinity Episcopal church, contributing liberally to its support and doing much for its upbuilding. In the midst of a successful business career he was stricken by death, passing away at his home at No. 413 East Broad street, on the 28th of March, 1887. His interest in everything which affected the welfare of the people of Columbus and the growth and development of the city in industrial, commercial and financial lines was deep and abiding. He had the respect of all who had knowledge of his straightforward methods and his uprightness of character. Business men esteemed him and trusted him, and his social acquaintances had for him warm friendship. His activity 44

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in business affairs resulted in the acquirement of a handsome competence, and thus he left his family well provided for. His widow still resides at her elegant home on East Broad street and is widely known to a large circle of friends in the capital city.

PAUL O. RHOADS.

Among the representatives of the railway service on the Pennsylvania line is Paul O. Rhoads, who occupies a beautiful home at No. 357 West First avenue, Columbus. A native of Franklin county, he was born in Reynolds- burg on the 26th of March, 1854. His father is Hope Rhoads. His grand- parents, natives of Pennsylvania, came to Franklin county, Ohio, at an early period in its development and lived upon a farm, being numbered among the enterprising agriculturists of the community in pioneer days. Hope Rhoads also engaged in the tilling of the soil, owning a valuable tract of land near Reynoldsburg. There his wife died in 1861, and he afterward removed to Muncie, Indiana, where his death occurred in 1866. In their family were three daughters and two sons: Elizabeth, wife of George Hill, a resident of Indiana; Belle, now deceased; Kate, wife of J. Johnson, also a resident of Indiana; and Charles, who was a seaman and has not been heard from since 1859.

Paul O. Rhoads, the fifth member of the family, acquired his education in the country schools during the winter terms. He was reared upon the home farm, early becoming familiar with all the duties and labors that fall to the lot of the agriculturist. He followed farm work until 1870, and in 1871 he became a brakeman on the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad, working for six months with that company. In July, 1872, he was made a brake- man on a freight train on the Pennsylvania road and was afterward on a passenger train as brakeman and baggageman for twelve years. He was then urged to accept a position as conductor on a freight train, which he reluctantly did, and afterward was promoted to passenger conductor, in which capacity he is now serving. For twenty-eight years he has been continuously in the employ of the Pennsylvania Railroad, on the Pittsburg division between Columbus and Pittsburg. The only personal injury which he ever sustained in the railway service was in the first year of his connection with the line, when he was acting as brakeman on a freight train, and had the bones of one of his limbs fractured.

Mr. Rhoads was married, November 17, 1874, in Wragram, Ohio, to Miss Sallie Matthews. Her mother died five years ago and her father, who was a farmer, passed away before her marriage. The children of Mr. and Mrs. Rhoads are as follows: Estella, who was born in 1876 and died in 1887; Cornelia, at home; Arthur, who was born in 1880, and is now holding a clerkship in Columbus; and Charles, who was born in 1883 and is now a student in the high school. For twenty years the family have resided in Columbus. Mrs. Rhoads and her children hold membership in the Methodist

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Episcopal church, and he is identified with several fraternal organizations. In 1888 he became a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and now belongs to Capital City Lodge, No. 334, and also the encampment in Columbus. His name is also on the membership roll of the Maccabees, and he enjoys the high regard of his brethren of these fraternities.

ANDREW C. WISLER.

For a quarter of a century Mr. Wisler has been in the railroad service, and occupies the position of conductor on the Panhandle road. He was born at Gettysburg on the 19th of May, 1857, and is a son of Ephraim and Louisa Wisler, both of whom spent their last days in Gettysburg, the father dying on the IIth of August, 1863, at the age of thirty-one years, while the mother passed away on the Ist of September, 1874. ] In the family were but two sons, Andrew C. and Joseph Edward, the latter now a resident of Great Falls, Montana. With his parents and his brother Mr. Wisler was residing on the Chambersburg pike, three miles west of the town of Gettys- burg, when the battle began. The first shell fired that day struck their house. It was early morning and they were eating breakfast. A hole was knocked through the end of the house, but none of the family were injured. As' the Confederates advanced they were told to leave at once, so, locking up their little home, they made their way to the grandfather's home, remaining upon his farm near Gettysburg during the battle. After the Confederates retreated they returned to their own house, but found that it had been used as a hospital during their absence and all the furniture had been removed, so that they suffered considerable loss thereby. Although but a young boy at the time, Mr. Wisler vividly remembers and relates in an interesting man- ner many of the incidents' which occurred in connection with one of the most important engagements that occurred throughout the Civil war.

Leaving home and entering upon an independent business career, he became connected with the railroad service in 1876, as a brakeman on the Pennsylvania Central. He left that road in January, 1883, and on the 3d of July, 1884, he entered the employ of the Panhandle Railroad Company as a brakeman, serving in that capacity until the 12th of January, 1889, when he was made a conductor. For twenty-five years he has been in railroad service, and this fact indicates the efficient manner in which he discharges his duties. The patrons of the road find him a most obliging and courteous official, and he has thus won many friends among those who often travel over his line. He indeed has an enviable record. Although he has been in many wrecks, he has never sustained a personal injury. He is prompt and methodical in the discharge of his duties and at the same time does every- thing in his power to promote the comfort of those who are in his care.

Mr. Wisler was married, in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, June 13. 1876, to Miss Annie Mackley. Her mother is still living on a farm near Gettys- burg, Pennsylvania, but her father died in 1897. The marriage of our sub-

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ject and his wife has been blessed with two sons: Samuel, who was born in 1878 and was married, in January, 1899, to Miss Mary Keef, who died December 16, 1900, leaving a baby girl that died six weeks later. Samuel Wisler is employed by the Pennsylvania Railroad Company. Grover, who was born in 1884, is also in the service of the same road. Whatever suc- cess Mr. Wisler has achieved in life is due to his own efforts and has resulted from persistency of purpose and fidelity to the trusts reposed in him.

HUGH L. FERGUSON.

American citizens of Irish descent are often found in the ranks of the leaders in business and professional life. This reflection applies with full force to the family of Ferguson of which Dr. Hugh L. Ferguson, of Wester- ville, Franklin county, Ohio, is a representative. Doctor Ferguson was born in Hopewell township, Perry county, Ohio, March 13, 1835, and Daniel Ferguson, his father, was a native of the same township. Daniel Ferguson was a successful farmer and dealer in tobacco and stock until eight years before his death, when he moved to Galesburg, Kansas, where he died at the age of seventy-five years. He was a Whig and later a Republican, was a Mason and for several years a local preacher in the Baptist church. He was a son of Joseph Ferguson, a native of Pennsylvania, who was a soldier in the war of 1812. He was married in the Keystone state and was an early settler in Ohio, where he died at the age of about sixty-two years. His father, the great-grandfather of Hugh L. Ferguson, was a Presbyterian from the north of Ireland, who sought in the United States larger liberties and better opportunities for advancement than were afforded him in his native land.

Mr. Ferguson's mother was Louisana Holmes, a daughter of John and Chloe (O'Neal) Holmes, and a native of Virginia, who was brought to Perry county, Ohio, when a girl by her parents. Her father was born in Virginia also, and was of English extraction. He lived to be four score and ten years old. Mrs. Ferguson, who was a devout Baptist, died in Kan- sas, aged about eighty-three years. Daniel and Louisana ( Holmes) Fergu- son had nine children, of whom Hugh L. was the second born.

Doctor Ferguson spent his boyhood on his father's farm and was edu- cated in the common school, the high school, Dennison University and in Ohio University at Athens. At the age of twenty years he began teaching in a district school, being thus employed for ten years, reading medicine meanwhile under the preceptorship of Dr. W. C. Lewis, of Rushville. Perry county, Ohio. He was graduated from the Cincinnati College of Medicine and Surgery in 1869, but had been practicing medicine successfully in Perry county since January, 1866. In the spring of 1871 he went to Stoutsville, Fairfield county, Ohio, and entered upon a satisfactory career there, which continued until 1888, when, in order to better educate his children, he removed to Westerville, where he has since continued his medical practice.

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His medical studies were broken in upon by the Civil war, and July 31, 1862, he turned his back on the school-room and his' medical studies and enlisted in Company H, Ninetieth Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry, with which he served, in the Army of the Cumberland, until the close of the war, when he was mustered out of service, his regiment having been in the Fourth Corps, First Brigade and First Division. He entered the service as first duty sergeant of Company H; in the spring of 1863 he was promoted to orderly sergeant; in 1864 to first lieutenant; and at Rome, Georgia, he was transferred to Company F. He participated in every battle in which his regiment engaged, including those at Murfreesboro, Stone River, Chicka- mauga, Resaca, Jonesboro, Franklin and Nashville. At the close of the war he resumed the study of medicine. After his graduation he practiced for a short time in partnership with his preceptor.

In 1860 Doctor Ferguson married Susan Hitchcock, a native of Perry county, Ohio, and a daughter of John F. and Rosannah Hitchcock, and they have had five children: Minerva D., who married A. W. Grove, of Picka- way county, Ohio; Maggie, now deceased; Frank Reese, of Chicago, Illi- nois, a railway mail clerk, whose route is between Chicago and Grafton, Vir- ginia; Rosannah, who married George Balthaser, of Westerville; and Charles D., a grocer at Plain City, Ohio. Doctor Ferguson is a Republican in poli- tics, has been an active member of the city council and is now filling the office of mayor. He was received as an entered apprentice, passed the fellow craft degree and was raised to the sublime degree of master mason in Blendon Lodge, No. 339, F. & A. M., of Westerville, Ohio. He is a member of James Rice Post, No. 50, Grand Army of the Republic and is its surgeon and one of its' past commanders. Doctor and Mrs. Ferguson are active and helpful members of the Methodist Episcopal church.

ALPHEUS D. MYERS.

Many of the men employed in the different railway companies whose trains enter Columbus are residents of the capital city and among this number is Mr. Myers, conductor on the Pennsylvania road, whose home is at No. 159 North Seventeenth street. He was born June 23, 1852, on a farm in Licking county, Ohio. His father, David Myers, passed away in 1865, and the mother's death occurred in 1860, both departing this life at their old home in Licking county. The former was born in Virginia and became a resident of the Buckeye state at an early day. In his family were two daughters : Jennie, wife of A. D. Mount, now a retired business man living in Cheny, Washington; and Maria, wife of M. J. Parkinson, a resident of Springfield, Missouri.

Alpheus D. Myers, the subject of this sketch, spent the first thirteen years of his life upon his father's farm, working in the fields and meadows until after crops were harvested in the autumn, when he entered the public schools, there to pursue his studies. Between the ages of fifteen and seven-

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teen years he engaged in driving a hack. In 1869 he began working on the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad, running from Columbus to Zanesville, under Conductor Armentrout. After nine months' service he was placed in charge of the train, although only eighteen years of age at the time, his run being between Columbus and Bellaire. He continued in that position for six years and then left the company. In 1876 he accepted a position on the Pennsylvania road as brakeman, but after a few months left that service and traveled through the southwestern part of the United States and down into old Mexico. In 1877 he returned and resumed work on the Pennsylvania road. He was promoted to conductor in the same year, and has been in the service of the same company continuously since that time.

On the 27th of April, 1884, was celebrated the marriage of Mr. Myers and Miss Carrie Rogan, the wedding ceremony being performed by the Rev. Anderson, of Columbus. Her father, William Rogers, came to the United States from Ireland when a young man, and he died before Mrs. Myers was old enough to retain any recollection of him. Her mother was born in Warren county, Ohio, and her father was the owner of a grist- mill on Tods Fork in that county. Since the death of her first husband the mother of Mrs. Myers has again married and is now Mrs. Helen Shields. She lives with her daughter in Columbus. Alonzo Rogan, a brother of Mrs. Myers, is a carriage trimmer of this city. Alice, her sister, married Judson Outcalt, and has been a widow for ten years. She has a young lady daughter, Edna, and they, too, reside in Columbus. Mr. and Mrs. Myers have but one child, Lora, who was born July 2, 1887. She is in the seventh grade at school and has marked ability as an artist, as several pictures on the walls of her home attest. Mr. Myers has been a member of the Knights of Pythias fraternity since attaining his majority. As the result of his industry and energy he has acquired a comfortable competence, and is now enabled to surround his family with all of the comforts of a modern home.

CHARLES H. KECK.

One of the most reliable engineers on the Pennsylvania line, running on the limited express between Columbus and Indianapolis, was born February 25, 1854, in Cincinnati, Ohio. His father, Charles Keck, was born in Penn- sylvania, in 1818, and in an early day removed to Cincinnati, Ohio, where he died in 1870. He had five brothers: George, William, Adam, Leonidas and Samuel, all of whom have passed away with the exception of Adam. One of the number, William Keck, served in the Civil war for four years, being with the Army of the Potomac. He was with his regiment in many important engagements, yet he was never wounded. The mother of our sub- ject, Mrs. Mary Keck, is still living in the old home in Cincinnati with her daughter, Mrs. Elizabeth Davis. In addition to Charles H. the members of their family were as follows: Mrs. Unity Robinson, a widow, Mrs. Mary Davis, George and Samuel, all residents of Cincinnati. Samuel Keck has

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been in the service of the Pennsylvania road for a number of years and is now a Pullman conductor, while George is an electrician.

On the 4th of September, 1877, Charles H. Keck entered the employ of the Pennsylvania Railroad Company in the capacity of fireman, and thus served until the 9th of July, 1883, when he was made engineer and has since occupied that position. For the past five years' he has been on a passenger train and until three years ago was on the run between Cincinnati and Spring- field, Ohio. Since that time he has been on the limited express between Columbus and Indianapolis. In 1884 he became a member of Division No. 480, B. L. E., of Cincinnati, Ohio. He has always been true to the trust reposed in him, manifesting particular care in the discharge of his duty, and, realizing fully the responsibility which devolved upon him, he has carried forward his work in a manner that he has avoided accidents and gained the highest commendation from those whom he served, which praise he well deserves.

JOSEPH FOOR.

Joseph Foor, who has one of the best improved farms' in the county, his home being in Plain township, was born in Fairfield county, Ohio, July 6, 1848. His parents were William and Mary (Ward) Foor. . His father was born in Pennsylvania, in 1816, and when only two or three years of age was brought by his parents' to Ohio, settling in Fairfield county, where he was reared and married. For twenty years he engaged in farming there upon rented land and for some time, in addition to his farming operations, he conducted a shingle factory. Late in the '50s he purchased a small farm of fifty acres in Bloom township and afterward added to it a tract of fifteen acres, upon which he lived up to the time of his death. In politics he was a Democrat, and in religious connection was a Methodist for a number of years, but in later life he became associated with the Evangelical church, which erected a house of worship upon his place, and there he worshiped until his decease. He passed away August 19, 1895, and his wife, who was born November 12, 1817, died on the 6th of March, 1876. Her father was a well known business man in Circleville, Ohio, at an early day. Unto Mr. and Mrs. Foor were born twelve children, and of that number the following are yet living: Irvin; Elizabeth, the wife of Israel Gayman; Sarah, wife of Charles Brown; Joseph; Calista, wife of David Brownback; Catherine, wife of Wesley Lecrone; Mary F., wife of Theodore B. Moss; and Clara, wife of David Keiser.

In his parents' home Joseph Foor spent the days of his childhood, and his' education was obtained in the common schools. As a companion and helpmate on the journey of life he chose Miss Mary E. Notestine, their mar- riage being celebrated on the 14th of January, 1872. The lady is a native of Muskingum county, Ohio, and a daughter of William Notestine, who was born in Pennsylvania. Of the six children who graced their union, three

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still survive, namely: Charles E., a resident farmer of Plain township; Jesse W., at home; and Layton E., who is a member of the United States navy.

After his marriage Mr. Foor operated a farm for two years and then removed to Piqua, Ohio, where he rented a farm for two years. On the expiration of that period he returned to Fairfield county, carrying on farming just within the boundary line that separates Franklin from Fairfield county. After his mother's death he returned to the old homestead and rented the property for five years. In 1882 he purchased his present farm of ninety- five acres in Plain township, and has made his home thereon continuously since. He has good buildings for the shelter of grain and stock, a com- fortable residence, well kept fences and richly cultivated fields, and ha's made his farm one of the best improved and desirable properties in the county. In his political affiliations he is a Democrat and religiously is connected with the liberal branch of the United Brethren church. In all life's relations he has been true to duty and to the right, and his career is one which has gained for him the confidence and good will of all with whom he has been associated.

CHARLES A. POGUE.

In the railroad service of the Pennsylvania line Charles Allen Pogue is employed as a conductor. He makes his home at No. 443 Denmead street, in Columbus, and is numbered among Ohio's native sons, for his birth occurred in Caddis, Harrison county, January 3, 1859. His father, James Pogue, had two brothers, William and John. The paternal grandfather was a tailor and worked at his trade in Caddis, Ohio, where he died many years ago. His wife was a member of the Bancroft family of Pennsylvania and was a Quaker in religious belief. James Pogue, the father of our subject, conducted a cigar factory in Caddis and there died in the year 1864. His wife, Mrs. Sarah A. Dratton, is yet living in Caddis. They had but one son, Charles A., of this review, but their family numbers three daughters, Mrs. Elizabeth Marshall, who is now living in Woodbury, New Jersey ; Mrs. Anna Browning, a resident of Fort Calhoun, of Washington county, Nebraska ; and Mrs. Mary Martin, who is living in East Liverpool, Ohio.

Charles A. Pogue was only five years of age at the time of his father's death. His mother afterward married again, and when in his thirteenth year our subject began carrying the mail for his stepfather from Caddis to Cam- bridge, Ohio, being thus employed until he had attained his eighteenth year. The most important event which occurred in his life during that period was his attendance at the Centennial Exposition, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 1876. After carrying the mail he worked upon a farm in New Jersey for a year and then returned to his home, where he remained until 1880. In the winter of 1880-I he began work on the railroad as an employe of the Baltimore & Ohio line, running out of Newark, New Jersey. as a brakeman. In the spring of 1881 he returned home, remaining until June of the same

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year, when he secured a position as brakeman on the Pennsylvania Railroad, being in that service until July, 1882. Subsequently he worked on the Colum- bus & Toledo division of the Hocking Railroad for four months. His next service was at Fort Calhoun, Nebraska, where he remained until 1885, when he returned to his home in Caddis, Ohio. On the 27th of August, 1885, he began braking for the Pennsylvania Railroad Company, and on the Ist of January, 1889, he was promoted to conductor, since serving in that way on the run from Columbus to Dennison, Ohio.

Mr. Pogue was married, August 27, 1883, when Miss Addie Tice, of Columbus, became his wife. Her parents, John and Maria E. Tice, are liv- ing in the capital city. Her father served as a member of the Seventy- sixth Ohio Volunteer Infantry during the Civil war and her mother had four brothers in the Federal army, namely: William, Jacob, Saul and Nelson Conine. The last named was wounded and died during the war from the effects of his injuries. Mr. Pogue, of this review, has a nephew, Charles A. Marshall, who is now serving his country in the Philippines, as a member of the Eleventh Regiment of United States Volunteer Infantry. For the past ten years Mr. and Mrs. Pogue have resided in Columbus and have formed a wide acquaintance and gained many friends. Their children are: Samuel B., who was born May 17, 1886; Charles Earl, born March 14, 1889; and Lawrence C., born October 23, 1897. Mr. Pogue exercises his right of franchise in support of the men and measures of the Republican party and keeps well informed on the issues of the day, although political office has no attraction for him. He has many admirable qualities which have gained for him high regard, and his worth as a citizen and individual as well as in the line of his chosen occupation is widely acknowledged.

FRANK ARMSTRONG.

Frank Armstrong, a reliable and popular conductor on the Pennsyl- vania Railroad, is numbered among the residents of the capital city, his home being at No. 562 Hamilton avenue. He was born January 22, 1862, near Gallipolis, Ohio, and is of Irish lineage. His father, Robert Armstrong, was born on the Emerald Isle in 1830, and when a young man came to this country. In 1852 he married Miss Angeline Sharp and their children are as follows: John F., who is engaged in farming in Delaware county, Ohio; Joseph William, who resides in Washington, Ohio; Ida, now the wife of Brent Hornbeck, a conductor on the Norfolk & Western Railroad, living in Columbus; Andrew F., who died July 1, 1897, at his home in Delaware county; and James Henry, who died in Columbus October 30, 1894.

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A Centennial biographical history of the city of Columbus and Franklin County, Ohio, Part 85

Author: Lewis Publishing Company Publication date: 1901 Publisher: Chicago : Lewis Pub. Co. Number of Pages: 1156

Author: Lewis Publishing Company
Publication date: 1901
Publisher: Chicago : Lewis Pub. Co.
Number of Pages: 1156