A Standard History of Ross County, Ohio, Part 2

Author: Lyle S. Evans
Publication date:
Publisher:
Number of Pages: 549

USA > Ohio > Ross County > A Standard History of Ross County, Ohio > Part 2

Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).

Capt. Samuel H. Ewing, born in 1839, was reared and educated in Chillicothe. Patriotic and public-spirited, he enlisted June 5, 1861, in Company B, Twenty-sixth Ohio Veteran Volunteer Infantry, and was elected first lieutenant of the company. On November 8, 1861, he was promoted to the rank of captain, and was then presented by the citizens of Chillicothe with a very handsome sword. He was acting major at the Battle of Chickamauga, where his horse was shot from under him, and he was captured, and subsequently confined in Libby Prison until exchanged March 15, 1864. Immediately rejoining his regiment, 'he remained with his command until honorably discharged at the expira- tion of his term of enlistment, July 25, 1864. Captain Ewing then

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resumed work as a clerk in his father's store, later becoming a clerk in the Revenue office, under the United States Civil Service. He died in 1891.

Capt. Samuel H. Ewing married Alice Maria Thompson, who was born in Chillicothe, September 4, 1840, a daughter of Daniel Thompson. Her paternal grandfather, John Thompson, who married Mary Wood, came with his family from Virginia to Ross County, Ohio, about 1810, and having bought a tract of heavily timbered land in Union Township, hewed a farm from the wilderness, and was there engaged in tilling the soil until his death.

Born at Harper's Ferry, Virginia, April 11, 1809, Daniel Thompson was scarce a year old when brought by his parents to Ross County. He was reared on the farm, but as a young man found a situation in the wood-working department of a carriage factory in Chillicothe. Learn- ing the trade, he returned to Union Township, and having there estab- lished a shop of his own was engaged in the carriage business a few years. Removing to Chillicothe, he embarked in the livery business, and was here a resident until his death, in 1898. He married Louisa Howard, who was born in Chillicothe March 12, 1812, a daughter of James and Sarah (Haynes) Howard. James Howard was born January 11, 1786, in Martinsburg, Virginia. Coming to Ross County in pioneer days, he erected a home in Chillicothe, at what is now 139 East Second Street, and in one room of his house he manufactured spinning wheels, which found a ready sale. He also carried on general farming to some extent, raising corn and other crops, and grazing his cattle and sheep on land now covered with brick buildings. The house which he built, and which is still owned by the Howard family, has been added to, and has given shelter to seven generations. Sarah Haynes, whom he married, was born July 13, 1788, at Antietam, Maryland, and as a child came with her parents to Huntington Township, Ross County. Mrs. Phillips's mother, Mrs. Alice Maria (Thompson) Ewing, still occupies the old Howard homestead on Second Street, the house in which she lives having been built about 1818. Mrs. Ewing reared two children, Carrie and Cora E., twins. Carrie, who married Edward Mabury, died in 1911, leaving one daughter, Cora.

Mr. and Mrs. Phillips have two children, John P., Jr., and Gordon. John P. Phillips, Jr., married Esther M. Scott, a daughter of Milton J. and Mary Alice (Johnson) Scott, and they have one son, John Scott Phillips, and one daughter, Jane Phillips. Active and prominent in legal circles, Mr. Phillips is district counsel for the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad; for the Southwestern Railroad; and also for the Cincinnati, Hamilton & Dayton Railway. He is interested in financial matters, being vice president of the Citizens National Bank of Chillicothe, and of the Merchants and Farmers Bank of Frankfort. He is now serving as vice president of the Chillicothe Electric Railroad, Light & Power Company, and is president of the Chillicothe Hospital, and a director of the Masonic Temple Company.

Fraternally Mr. Phillips is a member of Frankfort Lodge, No. 309,

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Ancient Free and Accepted Order of Masons; of Chillicothe Chapter, No. 4, Royal Arch Masons; of Chillicothe Council, No. 4, Royal and Select Masters; of Chillicothe Commandery, No. 8, Knights Templar; and of the Scottish Rite at Columbus. Religiously both Mr. and Mrs. Phillips are members of Trinity Methodist Episcopal Church, and Mr. Phillips is superintendent of its Sunday school.

ISAAC SCOTT COOK. A homestead with many interesting family asso- ciations is the Willow Branch Farm in Union Township. It has been owned by members of the Cook family for more than a century. It has responded to their care and management, and is not only a landmark but for generations has been a center for some of the most productive farm and stock raising operations in the county. Its present owner is Isaac Scott Cook, who was born there, and who since an early age has been identified with its active managements.

Mr. Cook is a descendant of the Connecticut branch of the Cook fam- ily. His first American ancestor was Henry Cook, who came to Plymouth, Massachusetts, before 1640, from Kent, England. Two of Henry Cook's sons, Henry and Samuel, settled at Wallingford, Connecticut, and became the ancestors of most of the Connecticut branch of the family. In the next generation was Samuel Cook, who was born in March, 16-, and married Hope Parker. Isaac, a son of Samuel, was born January 10. 1681, and died at Wallingford, Connecticut, in 1712. He was married in 1705 to Sarah Curtis. One of their children was also named Isaac and was born July 22, 1710, at Wallingford, and died March 16, 1780. He married Jerusha Sexton, of Wallingford.

A son of Isaac and Jerusha was Colonel Isaac, who was born July 28, 1739, and died in 1810. He served with distinction in the Revo- lutionary war. His wife's name was Martha. They were the great- grandparents of Isaac S. Cook, of Ross County.

The founder of the family in Ohio was Judge Isaac Cook, who was born in Wallingford, Connecticut, in 1768. Soon after his marriage he started with his wife and household goods in wagons to find a home in the great unclaimed West. They went as far as Pittsburgh, and leav- ing his wife there, Isaac Cook continued on a prospecting trip to the Northwest Territory in 1795, going as far as Greenville. He was present there when General Wayne made his treaty with the Indians. After seeing peace secured with the Indians he returned, and in the following year settled in the rich and beautiful valley of the Scioto. He had taken with him from Pittsburgh a commission from General Neville to sell the latter's land grant in the Virginia Military District. This trust he performed with such satisfaction to his employer that the latter presented him with 400 acres of land which had been unsold. Judge Cook added to his nucleus by purchase, and developed a splendid estate before his death. Ile named the old farm the Willow Branch Farm and by that name it is still called. Under his energetic management the soil yielded of its fruits and the log cabin home was soon supplanted by a two-story frame house. Judge Cook was one of the very able men in the early

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life of Ross County. He was appointed associate judge of the Court of Common Pleas in 1803, and filled that position with splendid dignity for twenty-seven consecutive years. He was also elected several times as a member of the State Legislature, and while in the Legislature was a member of the committee on legislation and introduced the bill for the establishment of a public school system in Ohio. Another fact of interest concerning him is that he was a pioneer advocate of temperance at a time when little thought was given to such a cause. He drew up a pledge for his own children and that pledge contained the names of all his grandchildren, their respective parents vouching for them. Judge Isaac Cook was a resident of Ross County upwards of half a century, and died in 1842.

In 1792 he married Margaret Scott of Shippensburg, Pennsylvania, a daughter of Capt. Mathew and Elizabeth (Thompson) Scott. Mathew Scott was first lieutenant in Miles Pennsylvania Regiment in 1776, and a captain in the Pennsylvania State Regiment in 1777. Judge Isaac Cook and his wife, Margaret, reared eight children: Isaac, Mathew Scott, Elizabeth, William, Joseph, Lucy, Maria and Margaret. The oldest daughter, Maria, married Dr. James Webb, of Kentucky, and was the mother of Lucy Webb, who subsequently became the wife of Ruther- ford B. Hayes, afterwards President of the United States. After the death of Doctor Webb, his widow and her three children lived at the old homestead, Willow Branch Farm, in Ross County.

On the Willow Branch Farm, William Cook, father of Isaac S., was born in 1807. He grew up on that farm, and eventually succeeded to its ownership. He was a man of fine character, of great industry, and his tastes and inclinations led him to spend his years in the quiet pur- suits of agriculture. Very successful as a farmer, he at one time owned 1,500 acres. A desire for public office never came to him, and he was content to do his duty as a private citizen. He was first a whig and afterwards a republican. His death occurred September 4, 1892, at the age of eighty-five years. Many years ago he erected a substantial brick house on the Willow Branch Farm and it is still the residence of his son, Isaac S. William Cook married Mary G. Hough. She was born in Zanesville, Ohio, in 1811, daughter of Benjamin and Catherine (Car- rell) Hough, both of whom were natives of England. William Cook and wife reared five children, Ellen Hough, Isaac Scott, Ada, Margaret Scott and Catherine. The daughter Margaret S. is now deceased.

On the farm where he was born and reared, Isaac Scott Cook has worked out his own individual destiny in life. He attended the public schools in the country district and also at Chillicothe. His youth was spent in the dark and forbidding years of the Civil war, and on August 13, 1862, he responded to the call of patriotism and enlisted in Company D of the Eighty-ninth Ohio Volunteer Infantry. He was with this regiment in its various movements until September, 1863, when, being taken ill, he was placed in a hospital, first at Nashville and afterwards at Louisville, and from there was sent to Cincinnati, and in November, 1863, was granted an honorable discharge from the hospital and the

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army and then returned home. As soon as sufficiently recovered, he went to Pennsylvania and entered the Pennsylvania Military Academy, then located at Westchester, but now at Chester. He remained there until completing a two years' course.

He then returned to his father's farm, and was its responsible man- ager for a number of years. Later he succeeded to its ownership, and has done much to make it both a profitable and attractive homestead. Some years ago he formed a corporation, whose members were himself and his sons and daughters, and this corporation now owns the "Willow Brook Stock Farm," so named by his grandfather. Since 1891 Mr. Cook has been a director of the Chillicothe First National Bank.

He married Rowena Nye. Mrs. Cook, who died in 1911, was a daugh- ter of Spencer and Martha (Jacobs) Nye, both of whom, were of early Connecticut ancestry. Mr. Cook has five children : William Hough, Spencer Nye, Margaret Scott, Isaac Scott, Jr., and Edward Tiffin. All these children received the best advantages of local schools and higher institutions. William H. graduated from the University of Minnesota at Minneapolis and is now a successful mining engineer. Spencer Nye is also a mining engineer and a graduate of the Ohio State University. Margaret Scott graduated from Wheaton Seminary at Norton, Massa- chusetts. Isaac S., Jr., is a graduate of the agricultural department of the Ohio State University. Edward Tiffin is a graduate of Cornell Uni- versity, made a record as an athlete while in school, and is now manager of the Willow Brook Stock Farm. The oldest son, William H., married Clara Tandy, and their two children are Margaret Scott and William Hough. Edward Tiffin married Mary Virginia Wilson, who was born near Winchester, Virginia, of colonial ancestry. They have a son, Edward Tiffin, Jr., making the fifth generation on that farm.

EDWARD R. McKEE. For nearly three score years closely associated with the banking interests of Chillicothe, Edward R. McKee possesses to an eminent degree the business ability and acumen that inspire confidence in his integrity and honesty of purpose, while his long record of service with one of the leading financial institutions of Ross County bears speak- ing evidence of his trustworthiness in positions of responsibility. A son of David Mckee, he was born, January 28, 1843, in Chillicothe, of colo- nial ancestry, being a lineal descendant, according to a well-preserved tradition, of one of eleven brothers named McKee that emigrated, in 1769, from Scotland to America, and settled, nearly all of them, in Penn- sylvania. Hugh McKee, Mr. McKee's paternal grandfather, was a life- long resident of Philadelphia, and an active member of the Society of Friends.

Born and educated in Philadelphia, David Mckee came to Ohio in early manhood, locating in Chillicothe, where he was subsequently engaged in the wholesale and retail confectionery business until his death, in 1854, at the early age of forty-three years. His wife, whose maiden name was Mary Ann Reister, was born in Chillicothe, a daughter of

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I!'.TOKY OF ROSS COUNTY

Det ar taniet home. As soon as such-iently recovered, he D'a and entered the Penalvania Military Academy, . ...! a. Wat chester, but now at Chester. He remained there tily & two years' course

u prerued to his father's : rin. and was its responsible man- "" "Theme of years. Later he succeeded to its ownership, and · ink a to make it both a profitable and attractive homestead. ogrebo formed a corporation, whose members were himself 11. I caughters, and this corporation now owns the " Willow so vamed by his grandfather. Since 1891 Mr. Cook w of thet & billionthe First National Bank.

For. Mrs Cook, who died in 1911, was a daugh- Fineobs) Nye, both of whom were of early Nie Lock has five children: William Hough, Soft, Isade Scott, Jr., and Edward Tiffin. All : - best advantages of local schools and higher e winated from the University of Minnesota " a successful mining engineer. Spencer Nye vi a graduate of the Ohio State University. . , , Wheaton Seminary at Norton, Massa- graduate of the agricultural department of .card Tilia is a graduate of Cornell Uni- ? : inote while in school, and is now .i. A Farmi. The oldest son, William II., . Han children are Margaret Scott and Carried Mary Virginia Wilson. who of colomal ancestry. They have a & H.1. generation on that farm.

I's hree more years closely associated i've. Edward R. MeKre possesses to I . Hagen that inspire confidence in this long record of service : Kiss County bears speak- s of responsibility. A son is in Chillicothe, of colo- . ... g 1 . a well-preserved N.n .. that emigrated, in ry all of them, in Penn- sonifather, was a life- water of the Society of , i MoKer came to Ohio in i re he was subsequently Bas business until his death. His wife, whose maiden Chillicothe, a daughter of

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Adam Reister, and to them four children were born, as follows: Estelle Eloise, Edward R., George W. and Harry.

Adam Reister, Mr. McKee's maternal grandfather, was born in Mary- land, in Reisterstown, a village established by his father, who spent his entire life in that locality. Having served an apprenticeship at the carpenter's trade when young, Mr. Reister followed his occupation in Chillicothe until 1840, carrying on a good business as a contractor for several years. Seized with the wanderlust in 1840, he migrated, with teams, to the Territory of Iowa, which was then in its pristine wildness, the greater part of the land being owned by the Government. There were no railroads in the state, the modes of travel and transportation, and the ways of living being very primitive. Taking up a tract of wild land near Iowa City, he cleared and improved a homestead, and there he and his wife spent their remaining days.

Adam Reister married Rebecca Haynes, who was born in Shepherds- town, Virginia, a daughter of George Haynes, who came with his family from Virginia to the Northwest Territory in the spring of 1798, making the removal with teams, his wife, however, coming on horseback, and bringing her infant daughter, the future Mrs. Reister, in her arms. Mr. Haynes was a blacksmith by trade, and he and Joseph Yates, a mill- wright, of Shepherdstown, had assumed a contract to erect for a Mr. Worthington a mill on the north fork of Paint Creek. Locating in Chillicothe, Mr. Haynes moved into a log cabin situated at what is now the corner of Second and Mulberry streets, and after the completion of the mill resumed work at his trade. He made the spikes and bolts used in the construction of the old bridge, and when that was finally destroyed by fire, it was found that it was put together so strongly that the timbers could not be taken apart. Many of the spikes were saved, and are now kept as souvenirs. He lived to the venerable age of ninety-seven years, his wife attaining the age of ninety-four years.

In 1858, having acquired a practical education in the public schools, Edward R. McKee secured a situation as collector for the Valley Bank, of Chillicothe, and has since been connected with that bank and its successor, the First National Bank, until the present time. Proving him- self very capable in his first position, he was made bookkeeper in 1859, and upon the organization, in 1863, of the First National Bank was elected teller. In 1882 Mr. McKee was made cashier of the bank, and since 1905 has been its vice president.

As a young man, Mr. McKee joined Company A, Twenty-sixth Regi- ment, Ohio National Guards, which responded to the call to arms at the time of the Kirby Smith raid, in 1863, and later in the year when Gen. John H. Morgan made his famous raid north of the Ohio River. In May, 1864, Mr. McKee enlisted in Company A, One Hundred and Forty-ninth Ohio Volunteer Infantry, of which he was commissioned lieutenant. After remaining with his command in Baltimore six weeks, he went with his regiment to the Shenandoah Valley, and there took an active part in all of its marches and campaigns, including several encounters with the enemy, during the time, the captain being on detailed

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duty, having command of his company. Returning home at the expira- tion of his term of enlistment, Mr. McKee resumed his position with the First National Bank, and subsequently discharged the duties devolving upon him with characteristic ability and fidelity.

Mr. McKee married, June 17, 1874, Miss Anna R. Meek, who was born in Winchester, Adams County, Ohio, a daughter of William M. Meek, and granddaughter of Rev. John Meek, one of the first Methodist preachers to locate permanently in Ohio. Taking up the study of law when young, William M. Meek was admitted to the Ohio bar, and subse- quently located permanently in Hillsboro, Highland County, where he continued in active practice until his death, for many years serving as probate judge. The maiden name of his wife was Hester De Bruin. Her father, Hyman Israel De Bruin, Mrs. McKee's maternal grandfather, was born in Holland, of French Huguenot ancestry. Immigrating to - America when young, he was engaged in the dry goods trade at Mays- ville, Kentucky, until 1833, when he transferred his residence and his business to Winchester, Adams County, Ohio, where he spent the remain- der of his life. Mr. De Bruin married Rebecca Easton, who was born in Scutter, Lincolnshire, England, and came with her parents, Edward and Mary (Shadford) Easton to America in girlhood, locating first in Mays- ville, Kentucky, and in 1833 coming with them to Ripley, Ohio.

Mr. and Mrs. McKee have three children, Edna, Mary, and William M. Mary married Gustav A. Eerdmann, of Chicago, Illinois, and has one child, Edward McKee Eerdmann. William M., an electrical engi- neer, is in the employ of the Jeffries Manufacturing Company, at Pitts- burgh. He married Jean Bunton, who died April 6, 1915, leaving one son, William M. McKee, Jr. .

Religiously Mr. McKee is an active member of the Walnut Street Methodist Episcopal Church, of which he led the chorus choir for thirty- five years, and is president of its board of trustees. He takes great inter- est in local affairs, and is now serving as president of the Chillicothe Board of Park Commissioners. He is also president of the Old Guard, a military organization; and is a member of A. L. Brown Post, No. 162, Grand Army of the Republic, and of the Loyal Legion. He is likewise a member of Chillicothe Lodge, No. 52, Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, and president of its board of trustees.

THE MEAD PULP AND PAPER COMPANY. An institution whose wheels have been turning and whose product has entered into the commerce of the world over several scores of years is not only an interesting but a valuable factor in any community's progress. One of Ross County's notable institutions of this kind is The Mead Pulp and Paper Company, which is the successor of an industry that had its beginning in Chilli- cothe upwards of seventy years ago.

The present company was organized in 1905, and while a two-machine mill is operated in Dayton, a large majority of their output is produced in Chillicothe, and the general offices are maintained in Dayton. It is a corporation operating under the laws of Ohio, with a capital stock

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of $1,500,000. Its output is soda pulp and a general line of book papers.

The principal officers of the company are: George H. Mead, presi- dent ; H. E. Talbott, vice president; A. L. Rieger, treasurer and sales manager; R. T. Houk, secretary ; Hector McVicker, general superintend- ent ; Henry G. Meyers, comptroller; W. H. Kettra, purchasing agent and office manager.

Historically, the paper industry had its beginning in Chillicothe during the decade of the '40s, and some of the records showing the growth of the business from the beginning have a pertinent place in the local history of Ross County.

The pioneer paper mill was located at its present site on South Paint Street to take advantage of the water power furnished by the Hydraulic Company (a $70,000 corporation), which built a dam on Paint Creek, about five miles up the creek, near Ralston's Run. The water from this dam was carried about half the distance on the south and east side of the creek, crossing in an aqueduct located on what is now the Wissler farm. From this point it was carried in a large canal on the present right-of-way of the Cincinnati, Hamilton and Dayton Railway to Paint Street.

The first paper mill in Chillicothe was established by Entrikin Green & Company in 1847. Water power was leased for ten years from the Hydraulic Company. The dam was washed out in 1848, and rebuilt, but delayed the starting of the mill until the fall of 1848.

In the following year William Ingham became a member of the firm, and continued until 1852, when James Ingham became a partner, and the name was then changed to Ingham & Company. In 1858 the dam and aqueduct were again washed away. After this the Hydraulic was aban- doned and the company installed a steam plant. At this time only coarse papers were manufactured from such material as straw and rags. Ingham & Company continued with fair success until 1876, when William Ingham induced Capt. William B. Mills to take an interest in the busi- ness, and the firm name was changed to the Ingham Mills Company.

During the next ten years a wood pulp mill was started. Mr. Ingham had witnessed the process while visiting the Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia in 1876, and Mr. Mills also went East to investigate the process. Thus was started at Chillicothe one of the first pulp mills in the West.

Some differences developed between James Ingham and Captain Mills which eventually led to the disposal of the entire property to Col. D. E. Mead, of Dayton, in 1889, Colonel Mead being the principal owner of the Mead Paper Company in Dayton.

The business was continued with greater or less success from 1889 to 1905, when Mr. George H. Mead, grandson of Colonel Mead, reor- ganized the company, adopting the name of The Mead Pulp and Paper Company. At this time the Dayton properties were disposed of and the paper machines as well as other valuable equipment were shipped to Chillicothe. The site of the Entrikin Green & Company's mills then became the home of The Mead Pulp and Paper Company.

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It will better serve to indicate the growth of the business of this company during the last thirty-five years to state a few figures as to output and amounts of material consumed at the beginning and end of that period. It should be remembered, however, that much the largest increase and development has occurred during the last ten years.

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A Standard History of Ross County, Ohio, Part 2

Author: Lyle S. Evans Publication date: Publisher: Number of Pages: 549

Author: Lyle S. Evans
Publication date:
Publisher:
Number of Pages: 549