USA > Ohio > Ross County > A Standard History of Ross County, Ohio > Part 42
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spent in comfort and prosperity. He died at the age of eighty-four. Philip Hammann married Martha Bumgarner, who was born in Pike County, Ohio, daughter of Reuben Bumgarner, who was a native of Vir- ginia and an early settler of Pike County. Reuben Bumgarner married Ellen Carson, a native of Virginia, and a daughter of Robert Carson, who came from that state and was also numbered among the early set- tlers of Pike County. Mrs. Climer's mother died at the age of eighty- three. Mrs. Climer was one of twelve children: John, Catherine, Reuben, Margaret, Elizabeth, Jacob, Ellen, Philip, Laura, Mary, George and Benjamin. From the time that Philip Hammann and wife were married until the youngest child was twenty-one years of age, it is said that no doctor had ever been called to visit the family, and render pro- fessional services. It is remarkable also that eleven of the twelve chil- dren are now living, the oldest being seventy-four and having celebrated his golden wedding anniversary.
Mr. and Mrs. Climer have reared four children whose names are Herschel, Carlton, Carrie and Martha Estella. Herschel, who now lives in Texas, has two children, Geneva and Mildred Joyce, by a former mar- riage, and he married for his second wife Frances Sprouse. Carlton, who lives in Wyoming, married Catherine Lever and has a daughter Margaret Eleanor. Carrie is the wife of Otto Haubeil and has one daughter named Ina Carrie. Martha Estella is the wife of Homer Belt, and they have a son, Robert Carlton. Mrs. Climer is an active member of the Methodist Episcopal Church, and her husband is aligned with the republican party.
MERRETT Cox. Among the native sons of Liberty Township who are not only maintaining the pioneer records of their fathers but are estab- lishing precedents for their successors, mention is due Merrett Cox, who is cultivating his 280-acre farm on Gillespieville Rural Route No. 1, in the Salt Creek Valley. Mr. Cox has passed his entire life in this vicinity, where he is known as an able agriculturist and as a citizen, who has always done his best to advance the community's interests.
Merrett Cox was born in Liberty Township, Ross County, Ohio, Feb- ruary 4, 1855, one of the seven children born to John and Ruth (Dixon) Cox. His father was born in Pennsylvania, and, when a small boy, was taken by his parents to Virginia, soon thereafter being brought to what is now Chillicothe, Ross County, although there was, at that time, no indication that the community was to develop into a large and impor- tant city. After spending one year there, the family moved to Vinton County, Ohio, where John Cox resided until his marriage, after which he and his wife purchased 160 acres of land. They resided there but a few years, then coming to the present farm of Merrett Cox, the original purchase made by John Cox consisting of 350 acres. To this he later added by purchase an additional 600 acres, and at the time of his death was considered one of the substantial men of his locality. He cleared a large amount of his land and put it under cultivation and in various ways contributed to the upbuilding of Ross County. Mr. Cox was a man of sincere religious faith, while his wife was also a devoted church
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member, and their children were reared to consider honesty, integrity and consideration as among life's greatest and most valuable virtues. Their children were as follows: Martha, Joseph, Abraham, Annie, John, Winnie and Merrett. All are now deceased except Merrett and Winnie, the latter being the widow of Benjamin Drummond, of Liberty Town- ship.
Merrett Cox received his education in the public schools of Liberty Township and passed his boyhood like other farmers' sons in Ross County, assisting his father and brothers in the fields during the sum- mer months and devoting his winters to his studies. He was only about eighteen or nineteen years of age when he was compelled to take com- plete charge of the farm, all the other members of the family having passed away, and until 1895 he managed the entire estate. In that year he bought 400 acres of land formerly owned by his father, and moved thereto, but after seven years spent in cultivating that property sold his interests and moved back to the original homestead, of which he owns 280 acres. Mr. Cox's home is well built and comfortable, his barns large and convenient, and his implements, fences and general improve- ments give indication of a progressive, practical and inquiring mind. General farming has received the greater part of his attention, for he is equally informed in regard to all departments of his calling.
In November, 1879, Mr. Cox was married to Miss Margaret Clipner, who was born in Vinton County, Ohio, daughter of Daniel and Marie Clipner, of that county, and to this union there have been born seven children : Clifford, a graduate of the Ohio State College, and now engaged in the practice of electrical engineering at Columbus; Althea, the wife of Elzie Scott, of Kingston, Ohio; Ethel, living at home, a graduate of the university at Athens, and a teacher in the graded school at Clarksburg; Annie, who attended the Athens institution and now a teacher in the Liberty Township schools; Ruth, a graduate of the Chilli- cothe High School; and Ray and Mildred, attending the graded schools. Mr. Cox is a member of the Odd Fellows lodge at Richmond Dale. Politically he is a democrat, and his public services have included a long membership on the township school board under the old system. He has supplied an element of strength and substantiality to the township since young manhood, and has been one of the most interested as well as the most active observers of its developing prosperity.
OSCAR M. HOWSER. One of the foremost business men of the Clarks- burg community in Ross County is Oscar M. Howser, who has lived in that locality more than half a century, has taken part in its various activities and has been also an interested student of its local history.
A native of Ross County, he was born on a farm in Concord Town- ship. His grandfather William Howser was a native of Holland, and was probably the only member of his father's family to come to America. He came to this country when a young man, located in Loudoun County, Virginia, and there spent the rest of his life. His death occurred when he was quite young, and he left a widow and five children named John, James, Alfred, Jane and Rose.
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William R. Howser, father of Squire Howser, was born in Leesburg, Loudoun County, Virginia, in 1808, and gained his education in a school at Leesburg where he was a classmate of Robert E. Lee, the famous leader of the Confederate armies. Later he learned the trade of shoe maker. When he began to make shoes it was the custom for the shoe- maker to travel about the country and do much of his work in the homes of his customers, and of course every shoe was made to order. At the age of fourteen William R. Howser made his first visit to Chilli- cothe, Ohio. He had walked the entire distance from Virginia. At that time Ohio was entirely innocent of railroads or canals, and surplus products from the farms found little market unless transported by flat boats down the rivers to the South. In those early days he saw fat hogs sold for a price as low as $1 apiece. After one year in this part of Ohio he returned, again on foot, to Virginia. At the age of eighteen he came back to Ohio, lived for a time with his mother in Lancaster, and then moved to Concord Township in Ross County, where he bought a home and established a custom shoe shop. He lived there until 1858, and after that was a resident of Clarksburg until his death which occurred in 1894. William R. Howser married Naomi Warfield, who was born in Somerset, Fairfield County, Ohio, where her parents were early settlers. Orphaned at an early age she was reared and educated in the home of Mr. and Mrs. Ruff. Her death occurred at the age of sixty-six. The children of William R. Howser and wife were: Chris- tina A., Margaret J., Ellen, Rose, Rebecca, Virginia, Mary, William R. and Oscar M. The son William enlisted in 1862 in Company K of the Eighty-ninth Ohio Infantry, went south with his command, fought in a number of battles, and at Chickamauga was captured by the enemy. For a time he was confined in a prison at Richmond and later was sent to the notorious prison pen at Andersonville, where he starved to death. He was at that time twenty-six years of age.
Oscar M. Howser grew up in Ross County, attended the district schools and found his first regular occupation as a traveling salesman for the Hocking Valley Manufacturing Company. In 1860 he located at Clarksburg, and with the exception of the two years on the road as a salesman has been a resident there ever since. Business and public duties of various kinds have occupied his time and attention, and he is now vice president of the Clarksburg Commercial Bank.
A keen student of local history, Squire Howser has done much to preserve some of the early records concerning the county. In his col- lection is one record of special interest. This is an old book on the title page of which appears the following: "Record of marks and brands entered by the inhabitants of Deerfield township, Ross county and State of Ohio, Apr. 5, 1805." In the early days in Ross County, as later in all parts of the West, horses, cattle and hogs ran at large, and each owner of stock had some particular brand or mark by which to identify such stock, these brands being recorded in the township clerk's office. It will be a matter of historical interest to quote some of the entries found in the book owned by Squire Howser. The township clerk at that time was Samuel Langdale. The following are a few of the entries:
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"Michael Atken marks with a crop off the left ear." "William Nolin marks with a crop off each ear, an upper bit out of each ear, and the tail cut about half off." "Catharine Nathan marks with a crop off the left ear and a hole in the same ear with two under nicks or slits in the right ear." "William Clark marks with a slit in the left ear and a swallow fork in the right ear." Across this record was written: "This mark transferred to John Timmons and recorded by him." "William Reddin marks with a slit in each ear." "Samuel Phebus marks with a crop off the left ear, a hole in the same, and a slit from the hole to the extremity of the ear." "John Dillman marked with a crop off the right ear and a half crop off the left ear and branded on the buttock I. D." "John McCallister marks with an upper slope of the left ear and an under slope of the right ear." "Thomas J. and John W. Tim- mons brands with the letters T. J. T. on the right horn." "Solomon Vincent brands on the left shoulder with the letters S. V."
Squire Howser is an active member of the Christian Church and has the first record of a meeting for the organization of that church. This record reads as follows: "September 8, 1845. This day the Christian church of Clarksburg was organized by Elder Joseph Thomas and Gideon Phoebus. The following agreement was signed by the members :
"We whose names are hereunto set have agreed to unite ourselves together in a church capacity for the purpose of bearing our brothers' burthens and so fulfill the law of Christ and watch over each other for good. And we for this purpose have agreed to take the scriptures for our rule of faith and practice in life and conversation and for the gov- ernment of the church on earth. For the law of Christ is opposed to all tyranny. If the Son has made us free then we are free indeed. As a test of fellowship we require Christian character." The names of the brethren signed were: Elder James Baker, Thomas Betts, Jacob Funk, John Hanny and Thomas Brown. The names of the sisters: Mary Baker, Magdalene Praps, Mitty Peck, Sarah A. Betts, Mahala Hanny and Margaret Ater.
In April, 1889, Mr. Howser was elected a justice of the peace, and by re-election has been continued in that office ever since. His has been a long and faithful record of service. In 1883 he was appointed a notary public and that position he has also filled by regular reappointment to the present time. He is affiliated with Williamsport Lodge, Free and Accepted Masons, with Chillicothe Chapter No. 4, Royal Arch Masons, and with Chillicothe Commandery No. 8, Knights Templar. Formerly he was a member of Frankfort Lodge of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, but subsequently became a charter member of Clarksburg Lodge No. 721.
At the age of twenty-nine he married Hannah Wilkins, who was born in Ross County, a daughter of Isaac Wilkins. Mr. and Mrs. Howser have five children: William, Allen T., Oscar W., Jeanette and Della. The daughter Jeanette is the wife of C. D. Tinker and their four children are named Dean, Oscar, Robert and Ruth.
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EPHRAIM H. MINEAR. The career of a very useful and influential citizen can be traced in the life of Ephraim H. Minear, who has been known to the citizens of Ross County for more than half a century and has filled many places of honor and trust in Union Township, where he was born, and where with the exception of the time spent in the army during the Civil war, he has lived to the present time.
His birth occurred on a farm near the village of Yellowbud in Ross County, November 25, 1840. He represents one of the very oldest fam- ilies in this section of Ohio. His great-grandfather was Philip Minear, who was a native of Virginia and served with the Continental troops in the struggle for American independence during the revolution. After the close of that struggle he emigrated west to Ohio, and was one of the first to claim a farm from the wilderness in Union Township of Ross County. He located in the midst of the woods, and lived there until death overtook him.
The grandfather, Stephen Minear, was born in Virginia, was brought to Ross County when very young, and though not of military age en- listed for service in the War of 1812. He started with other Ohio troops for the purpose of relieving General Hull at Detroit. Some years later he bought a partly improved farm near Yellowbud in Union Township, and was one of the useful citizens and farmers of that locality until his death at the age of sixty-six. He married a Miss Bradley, and one of her children was William Minear, who was born in Union Township of Ross County and spent his brief lifetime usefully and honorably as a farmer in that locality. His death occurred in 1844 when only twenty- six years of age and when his son, Ephraim, was four. William Minear married Margaret Hobbs, who was born in Gallia County, Ohio, a daughter of Ephraim and Mrs. (Dodridge) Hobbs. She was the mother of three children, named Ephraim H., Ella and Lucy. She married for her second husband Joseph Kirkendall.
In one of the early schools of Union Township, conducted after the manner of fifty years ago, Ephraim H. Minear received his early train- ing. He worked on a farm, and was early thrown upon his own resources by the early death of his father. Seeking an occupation he learned the trade of painter and carpenter, and that was the business by which he gave his chief service to the community for many years.
On August 11, 1862, Mr. Minear enlisted as a musician in Company K of the Eighty-ninth Ohio Volunteer Infantry. He went south with that regiment and was with it in its various campaigns and battles until he was incapacitated by illness. He received an honorable discharge in June, 1863, and soon afterwards returned home and as soon as able resumed work at his trade. In 1886, Mr. Minear moved to Anderson- ville, and in that community has lived for the past thirty years. Several years ago he retired from the active work of his trade and is now en- joying the fruits of a well spent career in a comfortable home.
In 1868, a few years after the war, he married Ellen Gamble. Mrs. Minear was born in Darbyville, Pickaway County, Ohio, a daughter of Samuel and Eliza Gamble. She and Mr. Minear lived together for twelve
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years, and her death occurred in 1880. She was survived by one son, Fletcher. In 1886, Mr. Minear married for his second wife Ida Madden. She was born near Yellowbud in Ross County, a daughter of William and Minerva (Bryner) Madden. Mr. and Mrs. Minear have a daughter, Ella Belle, who is a successful teacher in the public schools.
Besides the trade which he followed for so many years, Mr. Minear has been able to serve his community in several offices of trust to which his fellow citizens have called him. In 1868, he was elected township assessor, and was continued in that office consecutively by repeated elec- tions for a period of seventeen years. He also served as township clerk from 1887 to 1912, and for several years was a member of the township school board.
GEORGE C. PARRETT, superintendent of the Ross County Infirmary, is a member of the Parrett family that established a home in Buckskin Township fully a century ago and through the activities and influence of its various members has contributed a great deal to the development of that section of Ross County. It was from a farm in Buckskin Town- ship that George C. Parrett was called to his present position and for fully three generations the Parrett family have reaped the fruits of their industry as farmers in this county.
The American ancestor of this sturdy stock was a native of Switzer- land. From the best available information it is found that he came to America in 1730, locating in Virginia, where he spent the rest of his life. Five of his sons were soldiers in the Revolutionary war. One of them, Frederick, great-grandfather of George C. Parrett, was born in Virginia, and many years after he had helped to win independence for the colonies he started for the western frontier and in 1814 arrived with his family in Ross County. He located in Buckskin Township and was among the first to make clearings in the woods there. The farm which he improved was his home at the time of his death in 1842. Frederick Parrett married Elizabeth Keller. She died many years before him, and was the first person to be laid to rest in the South Salem burying ground.
George Parrett, grandfather of George C., was a native of the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia and was still very young when he came with his parents to Buckskin Township. He became a prosperous farmer and resided in that township until his death. The maiden name of his wife was Millie Wilkins. Her parents were Henry and Rachel Wilkins, both of whom were of Swiss stock. Henry and Rachel Wilkins came from Virginia to Ohio in 1802, the year Ohio became a state, locating eight miles south of Hillsboro in Highland County. Elizabeth Parrett was a typical pioneer woman. In the early days she did all her cook- ing by the fireplace. She also spun and wove the cloth required to clothe her family, and the old iron oven with its inverted cover which she used in cooking and the grease lamp which furnished the dim light for the house after dark are now carefully preserved by Mr. George C. Parrett. The latter has taken great interest in some of these old time relics, and
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has also in the course of his lifetime secured a valuable collection of Indian implements and curios. One of them is a specially rare and valu- able specimen. It is a stone plowed up on the Ashland farm in Buck- skin Township and shows the face of an Indian maiden chiseled probably by the hand of some Indian artist of a bygone generation.
Frederick Parrett, father of George C., was born on the same farm in Buckskin Township on which George C. first saw the light of day in 1864. He grew up amidst pioneer scenes, attended pioneer schools, and eventually succeeded to the ownership of a part of the old home- stead. There he lived a useful and honorable life and died a number of years ago. He married Lucinda Kuhl. She was born in Fayette County, Ohio, daughter of John and Charity (Hopkins) Kuhl. She passed away at the age of fifty-two, having reared four children named George C., Charity, Charles and Ruth.
Mr. George C. Parrett grew up on the old homestead in Buckskin Township. The rural schools supplied him with his early advantages and he afterwards continued his education in Salem Academy. When not in school the farm supplied him with abundance of work to do, and he thus acquired a valuable preparation for his life career. At the time of his marriage he located on a farm belonging to his wife and her brother, Edgar M. Pinkerton. in Fayette County. He operated that for seventeen years continuously, and then returned to the Parrett home- stead in Buckskin Township. There he was closely identified with gen- eral farming and stock raising until in May, 1915, he was appointed superintendent of the Ross County Infirmary in Union Township. He has proved an able executive and manager in this position, and has in- troduced many improvements during the year since he took charge.
In 1885, Mr. Parrett married Miss Fannie Wilson Pinkerton. She was born in Fayette County, Ohio, daughter of William M. Pinkerton. Mr. and Mrs. Parrett have six children, named Agnes, Edgar, Lucy, Grace, Robert and Dorris. Agnes is the wife of Rev. Edwin Lodwick and her two children are Edwin and Robert. Edgar married Lillian Porterfield. Lucy is the wife of Frank E. Beard and has two children, named Helen and Weldon. Grace is the wife of Wilbur Smalley and they have a son, Richard. Robert married Ellen Hennegan.
Fraternally, Mr. Parrett is a prominent member of the Knights of Pythias, being affiliated with the lodge at Bloomington and also with the Uniform Rank and has served on the staff of the brigadier general of Ohio with rank of major. He is also a member of Salem Camp of the~ Modern Woodmen of America.
CHARLES METZGER. An honored veteran of the Civil war, and a man who has passed his three score and ten years almost entirely within the limits of Ross County, Charles Metzger is a prosperous resident of Union Township and by many years of close application to his work as a farmer has acquired a prosperity sufficient for all his needs.
His birth occurred in the Village of Chillicothe, June 15, 1846. His father, Frederick Metzger, who was born in Germany, June 23, 1813,
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was one of the early German residents of Ross County. He was the only one of his father's children that came to the United States, but two of his half-brothers by his mother's second marriage, named Leach, also came to this country and were soldiers in the Civil war.
In his eighteenth year, Frederick Metzger emigrated to America in a sailing vessel, landing at New Orleans, and from there coming up the river to Ohio. His first settlement was at Zoar in Tuscarawas County. At that time the greater part of Ohio was still sparsely settled and the Indians regarded portions of the state as their hunting ground. From Zoar, Frederick Metzger came to Chillicothe, which was still a village in the woods. During the construction of the canal he was employed on that work, and afterwards assisted in building what is now the Balti- more and Ohio Railroad and was with the railroad service for several years. He continued to make his home in the City of Chillicothe until his death on June 23, 1898. Frederick Metzger and his wife, Christiana (Kafer) Metzger, who was born September 22, 1808, and died January 4, 1873, reared six children, named George and Christopher, twins; Mary, Charles, Jacob and Henry.
The early life of Charles Metzger was spent in Chillicothe, where he attended the public schools. A few weeks before his sixteenth birthday he began working on a farm. Then in June, 1862, he enlisted in Com- pany F of the One Hundred and Sixth Ohio Volunteer Infantry. His term of enlistment was for three years. He went to the front with the regiment and was soon stricken with illness which kept him in a hospital four months. After rejoining the regiment he was placed on detached duty as a scout and continued in that hazardous and difficult service until the close of the war. He was honorably discharged with his regi- ment in May, 1865. Mr. Metzger is now one of the two surviving mem- bers of Lutz Post No. 336 Grand Army of the Republic.
With the close of his army career, and when still under age, he began working in the country districts of Ross County, and having saved a small amount of capital invested it in tools and equipment and began farming on his own account as a renter. In 1886, Mr. Metzger bought the farm that he now owns and occupies in Union Township. Thirty years under his management have sufficed to give this farm a place among the best in Ross County in point of productivity and improve- ments. He and his family occupy a fine brick house, and have all the comforts and conveniences of rural life.
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