USA > Ohio > Ross County > A Standard History of Ross County, Ohio > Part 6
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seek a location on Deer Creek, at the mouth of Waugh Run. Following his cousin's advice, he purchased a tract of land at the mouth of the run, and in the midst of the wilderness erected a log cabin. The country was new and undeveloped, and the land in its primitive wildness, its dense growth of timber being inhabited by the wily red man and the wild beasts of the forest, neither, however, proving very troublesome. With the aid of his children, he improved his land, and later bought other farms in that vicinity. Subsequently buying a farm at Good Hope, he was there engaged in agricultural pursuits until his death, in 1823. An elder brother of Samuel Day, John Day, was also a soldier under General Marion, and after the Revolutionary war became a mem- ber of the Lewis and Clark expedition and was the only man to die of the party. His death occurred at a point on the Columbia River where it is joined by another stream from the south. This was named John Day River by General Clark and still bears that name. There is also a county and town of the same name.
The rifle which Samuel Day carried in the Revolutionary war was afterwards used by his son Orvington in the War of 1812, and is now one of the most treasured possessions of his great-grandson, Louis M. Day, of whom we write. The coat which he wore when he was wounded in battle is also preserved by one of his descendants. He married, at the close of the Revolution, Margaret Ann Cohagne, who was born in North Carolina, and died, in 1835, in Ohio. Ten children were born to them, as follows: Hedgeman, Ransom, Orvington, Addison, Allison, DeMoville T., Rebecca, Dorcas, Charles and Samuel.
Samuel Day, the youngest member of the parental household, was born in Pendleton County, West Virginia, May 22, 1805, and when scarce three months old was brought by his parents to Ross County. Finding the peaceful pursuit to which he was reared congenial to his tastes, he began farming for himself in early manhood, locating on a farm situated in Deerfield and Concord townships, the land having been given to him by his father, who purchased it in 1811. Building his dwelling house on the Concord side of the line, he was there successfully employed in tilling the soil the remainder of his life, dying at the age of seventy-six years.
The maiden name of the wife of Samuel Day was Margaret Hewett. A daughter of William Hewett, she was born on an adjoining farm, in May of 1806, and died January 15, 1858. William Hewett, a native of Londonderry, Ireland, married Mollie MacArthur, who was born in Edinburgh, Scotland. Locating in Ross County in 1798, he built a substantial double log house of walnut logs, using wild cherry for the flooring and joists, all of the timber being grown on the home farm.
The house stood until 1902, many years after his death, which occurred in 1850, while that of his wife, Mrs. Hewett, occurred in 1858. Samuel and Margaret (Hewett) Day were the parents of six children, namely : Mary E., Rebecca J., Margaret Cohagen, Samuel O., Milton, and Orvington.
Born December 3, 1845, in Concord Township, Ross County, Milton
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Day was educated in the rural schools, and while assisting his father became familiarly acquainted with the various branches of agriculture. Subsequently coming into possession, by inheritance, of a portion of the parental homestead, he there followed general farming a number of seasons. Making good use then of his native mechanical talent, he took up carpentering, and for fifteen years was in the employ of the Balti- more and Ohio Railroad Company, being connected with the construction department. Resigning his position with that company, he has since lived retired in Chillicothe. He married Elizabeth Shockley, who was born July 9, 1845, in Ross County, near Clarksburg, which was likewise the birthplace of her father, Benjamin Shockley. Her grandparents, Charles and Mattie (Butler) Shockley, natives of Culpeper, Virginia, came to Ross County about 1800, settling near Clarksburg, where they kept a public house for many years, being among the pioneer tavern keepers of the county. Benjamin Shockley was born near Clarksburg, and married Nancy Vass, a daughter of Canley and Mollie (Dennis) Vass, natives of Maryland, Mr. Vass having been born in Worcester County, and Mrs. Vass in Dorchester County. Both the Vass and the Dennis families were pioneers of Ross County, Ohio.
The only child of his parents, Louis M. Day was born July 29, 1870, on the home farm in Concord Township, in the same house in which his father first opened his eyes to the light of this world. Completing his rudimentary education in District No. 19 School, in Concord Town- ship, he subsequently studied for two years under Prof. Alfred Holbrook, at the Lebanon Normal School. A short time later Mr. Day accepted a position as traveling salesman, with headquarters at Hartford City, Indiana, and when through with that work became a clerk in the furni- ture store of Bowers & Billings, in Chillicothe. Subsequently beginning the study of law in the office of Mayo, Yaple & Phillips, Mr. Day was admitted to the bar on March 7, 1895, and has since been in active prac- tice in Chillicothe, by close attention to his legal work winning distinct prestige in his profession. From his practice at Chillicothe Mr. Day was called to one of the most responsible offices of state administration at Columbus, when Governor Frank B. Willis appointed him, December 21, 1915, a member of the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio.
Deeply interested in the issues affecting the welfare of the nation, Mr. Day has never shirked the responsibilities of public office. A demo- crat in politics, he was elected a member of the State Legislature in 1908, and served so efficiently and so satisfactorily to all parties that he was re-elected in 1910, being the first Ross County democrat to succeed himself since 1858, when Lawrence T. Neil was honored with a re-election to the same position. While there he served as a member of the com- mittees on railroads, telegraphs, judiciary, prisons, and privileges. The only fraternal organization to which he belongs is the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks.
Mr. Day married, October 29, 1891, Ida A. Maughmer, a daughter of John and Lucinda (Harley) Maughmer, and granddaughter on the paternal side of Jacob and Margaret (Nichols) Maughmer, and on the
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maternal side of John G. and Elizabeth (McCune) Harley. Both the Maughmer and the Harley families were pioneer settlers of Ross County. Mr. Day's grandparents were stanch Presbyterians, but his parents are Methodists, while both Mr. and Mrs. Day are active members of the Presbyterian Church.
L. C. ANDERSON. One of the well-known old residents of Ross County, proprietor of the Lawnsmere farm in Paxton Township, L. C. Anderson has spent his lifetime within the limits of this county, and his people located here more than a century ago.
His fine country estate, ranking among the best in the county, lies one mile southeast of Bainbridge. That farm comprises 350 acres, and he also owns 200 acres in Perry Township of Pike County. Mr. Ander- son was born in Union Township of Ross County, March 18, 1865, a son of James R. and Mary J. (Morris) Anderson. His father was born in what was then the Village of Chillicothe, October 22, 1817. The paternal grandparents were Levi and Isabella (Swarts) Anderson. Levi Ander- son and wife were Virginia people, who moved from that state to Ken- tucky in pioneer days, and in the early years of the nineteenth century moved to Ross County. One of the pioneers of Chillicothe, Levi Anderson was for a number of years the leading merchant of that city, and built up a business which had a high place among the commercial activities of the county. His enterprise entered actively into much of the early industrial life of the county. He was one of the first to manufacture woolen goods, and his capital was also invested in the large farm in Union Township where his son, James R., lived for so many years.
James R. Anderson during his early youth assisted his father in the store at Chillicothe and was also connected with the Valley Bank, now the Ross County Bank. Giving up a business career, he found a more congenial occupation on the large homestead of his father, to which he removed in his twenty-fourth year. This farm comprised 1,000 acres of fine land and under his ownership it was made one of the most pro- ductive estates of the county. He lived there until his death on March 16, 1889. The name of James R. Anderson should find a permanent place in Ross County annals because of his pioneer efforts as a stock breeder. He was among the first in this section of Ohio to introduce the fancy shorthorn cattle. He brought in the nucleus of his splendid herd in 1854, and he maintained this strain of cattle until his death thirty- five years later. His cattle were shown all over the United States, and they took many of the first prizes. James Anderson was one of the wealthy men of his day and a very prominent citizen. Besides shorthorn cattle, he kept some fine Berkshire hogs on his farm and also indulged a fancy for trotting horses. While a farmer, he had the training and instincts of the thorough business man, and it was judgment and effi- ciency that gained him so high a place in the esteem of his community. James R. Anderson married Mary J. Morris, who was descended from prominent American ancestry and was connected with one of the promi- nent actors in the Rogers and Clark expedition, by which the Northwest
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country was conquered from the British during the war of the Revo- lution. James R. Anderson and wife became the parents of ten children : John S., who died at the age of about seventy years; Thomas L., who lives in Kansas; Mary M., wife of John S. Steele, of Chillicothe; Isa- belle, who died in infancy; Jeannette, living at Chillicothe, the widow of Alexander Steele; James, Jr., of Twin Township, Ross County; Wil- liam D., of Union Township; Lewis F., now deceased; Margaret M., who died young; and L. C. Anderson.
L. C. Anderson grew up in a home of substantial comfort and with those influences which mold and develop the character of sterling man- hood. He attended the country schools and also was a student in the private academy at Chillicothe conducted by Professor Poe. He finished his early training in the National Normal University at Lebanon. The chief interests of his early career were at the old home of his father, where he employed himself as overseer of the farm and for a number of years was in complete control of the cattle department. He knows every phase and detail of cattle raising, and is a worthy successor of his father in that respect.
On October 29, 1891, Mr. Anderson married Sallie Blosser, a daughter of Jacob and Margaret (Biszantz) Blosser. Mrs. Anderson was born at the Slate Mills in Twin Township of Ross County. Her father, Jacob, died March 8, 1908, and her mother on September 28, 1906. Jacob Blosser was born in Page County, Virginia, and in early childhood accompanied his parents to Pike County, Ohio. He grew up there, mar- ried Miss Biszantz in that county, and a little later they removed to Ross County, where Jacob Blosser bought the Slate Mills. He operated those mills for the grinding of flour and other grains for a number of years, sold them about 1891, and devoted his remaining years to the management and care of his extensive farm interests. He was one of the foremost men of Ross County in his generation in point of material interests and prosperity. His wife, Margaret Biszantz, was born in Pike County, Ohio. There were seven children in the Blosser family, five of whom reached maturity and four are still living: Anna is the wife of G. W. Struckman, of Celina, Ohio; the second in age is Mrs. Anderson ; Peter J. is a large land owner and a practicing attorney at Chillicothe ; Margaret is the deceased wife of Rollo W. Marchant; Elizabeth is the wife of Judge Frank L. Touvelle, of Oregon.
After his marriage, Mr. Anderson lived for two years on the old home- stead, and then on March 6, 1894, took possession of his first place of 250 acres near Bainbridge. He has since added 100 acres to his control, and now has enough land and sufficient equipment in order to follow out his ideas of practical farming and stock raising on a large scale. Mr. Anderson is a republican and is a trustee of the Methodist Episcopa! Church at Bainbridge, of which his family are members.
Mr. and Mrs. Anderson have one son, Jacob Blosser Anderson, who was born January 9, 1893. He graduated from the Bainbridge High School, from the Ohio Wesleyan University at Delaware, and took a course in engineering which has made him a valuable assistant on the
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home farm, where he has lived and worked with his father since leaving college. He is also a member of the Ohio National Guard and at this writing is in the training camp at Columbus.
LEWIS H. TAYLOR. To mention the name Taylor in Ross County is to recall the fortunes and experiences of one of the oldest families to find a home in this part of the early wilderness of Ohio.
It was soon after Gen. Anthony Wayne had subdued the Indians and had made an effective treaty for possession of Ohio Territory in 1795 that the Taylors ventured into this portion of the wilderness from Ken- tucky. The earliest member of the family in Ross County was William Taylor. He was a Revolutionary soldier. He had been reared in New Jersey and had enlisted from that colony for service in the war for inde- pendence. Later he led his family from the Atlantic seaboard across the mountains into the wilds of Kentucky, and from there in 1796 crossed the streams and penetrated the woods of Southern Ohio until they arrived in Ross County. There he secured patent to a large tract of land and spent the rest of his years. A part of that land is still intact and in the Taylor ownership, and it is one of the few farms that can boast a continuous possession by one family through nearly a century and a quarter.
Jonathan Taylor, a son of the pioneer and revolutionary soldier. William Taylor, was born in Kentucky and was only three years of ' age when he came to Ross County. He grew up on the frontier, became skilled in all the arts and accomplishments of that day, and also had some of the culture and refinement that go with schools and books. He spent his life on the Taylor homestead in Ross County and reared his family there.
Alexander Taylor, representing the third generation of this family in Ross County, was born on the old homestead in Paxton Township in 1817. After his marriage he located near Frankfort, but after the death of his father, Jonathan, he bought the interests of the other heirs in the old homestead, which originally contained 260 acres, and there he worked, prospered, exercised a wide range of influence and passed away in 1896. His death occurred just a century after the family had come to Ross County. He was a man of quiet, unassuming character, attended strictly to his own business, and while public spirited to a high degree, he was never drawn into the activities of public life. He married Isa- belle Porter, who was born in Twin Township of Ross County, January 12, 1832. Her father, Joshua Porter, was also born in Ross County, and the Porters are one of the very early families of this section, having come from Virginia and settled in this part of Ohio before the close of the eighteenth century.
The only son and child of Alexander Taylor and wife is Mr. Lewis H. Taylor, who was born near Franklin October 3, 1862. The farm where he now resides is his property, and its 162 acres are situated 116 miles southeast of Bainbridge. He has always been identified with its man- agement since his early youth, and being the only child, he provided a
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home and gave constant care to his parents during their declining years.
On January 20, 1903, Mr. Taylor married Miss Melda Carter, who was born in Pike County, Ohio, a daughter of Elijah and Nancy Carter, who came from Bainbridge when Mrs. Taylor was a girl. Without chil- dren of their own, Mr. and Mrs. Taylor have an adopted daughter, Mary Pauline.
Mr. Taylor has land and facilities sufficient to allow him to indulge his fancy for good livestock, and his farm is up-to-date and modern in every detail. He also has a number of other business interests besides his farm. In politics he is a republican.
CHARLES R. KINSLEY. One of the most energetic business men and citizens of Bainbridge during the past quarter of a century has been Charles R. Kinsley, who is manager of the Bainbridge Lumber Com- pany, and is also a competent architect by profession.
He is a native of Ohio, having been born in Perry Township of Pike County, a son of James H. and Nancy (McCord) Kinsley. His father was reared near Bainbridge, in Ross County, while the mother grew up in Pike County, Ohio. James H. Kinsley was a wagonmaker by trade, and was also an honored veteran of the Civil war, in which he served for one year until discharged on account of disability. Of the seven sons of the family, the three now living are Charles R., D. E. Kinsley, of Xenia, Ohio, a contractor, and Edwin, of Springfield, Ohio.
Charles R. Kinsley spent his early years chiefly in Highland County, Ohio, where he attended the public schools. Having a bent for mechan- ical lines, he took up the trade of carpenter, became a successful con- tractor, and on March 17, 1892, removed to Bainbridge, where he has since been in the lumber business and has also furnished plans for a great many houses put up in that section of Ross County. He owns buildings where the lumber company is located, and his own energy and personality have been important factors in the growth of that splendid business.
March 28, 1888, Mr. Kinsley married Miss Susan E. Peabody, who was reared in Highland County, Ohio, and received a common school education. To their marriage were born seven children, Kate, Omer, Imogene, Clarence, Thelma, George and Virginia. The daughter Kate is a graduate of the high school and is now teaching in Bainbridge. Omer is also a high school graduate. Imogene graduated from the high school and is also one of the teachers at Bainbridge. Clarence, after leaving high school, became bookkeeper in the Rockhold Bank at Bain bridge, a position he still occupies.
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Mr. Kinsley is a member and past grand of Bainbridge Lodge, No. 437, Independent Order of Odd Fellows, and politically is a democrat. He has served in the town council and as a member of the board of public affairs. Strictly honorable and upright in all his dealings, he has the confidence of all the people in his section of Ross County, and his career has been one of the finest honor and success.
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HUGH FRANCIS EGAN. A native son of Ross County, Mr. Egan has for a great many years been known as an editor and newspaper pub- lisher and has made himself and his paper valuable factors in the growth and development of the little city of Adelphi. In addition to publishing and editing the Adelphi Border News, which is recognized as the home paper for a large number of subscribers not only in Ross but adjacent counties, he is owner, publisher and editor of the Ohio Red Man, the official organ of the Improved Order of Red Men in Ohio. He also conducts an extensive job printing plant, and has one of the most completely furnished offices in Southern Ohio.
Born in the City of Chillicothe August 24, 1856, Hugh Francis Egan is a son of Joseph and Sarah A. (Savage) Egan. His parents were of humble Irish birth, and like many people who came from that country in the middle years of the last century they had to work hard for all they ever got or enjoyed. The maternal grandfather of Mr. Egan was quite active in the early days in Chillicothe and held a number of commissions of trust. The Egan family came by sailing vessel to America and settled in Chillicothe in 1850. Joseph Egan, who was a native of Limerick, married Miss Sarah Savage in Chillicothe in 1852. He was for several years a laborer and then became a gas plumber. He was a man of but moderate education, but was industrious, careful and a man properly honored in his community. He did his share toward maintaining his church, the Catholic, the parochial schools and other local institutions. His death occurred at the age of eighty-four. His · wife, who was born in County Cork, Ireland, died in 1869 at the age of thirty-five.
Hugh Francis Egan, who was one of a family of ten children, had to assume certain serious responsibilities connected with making his way in the world at an early age. He attended both the parochial and public schools of Chillicothe, and at the age of fifteen entered the office of the old Advertiser to learn the trade of printer. He remained in that office until 1883, and then removed his family to Adelphi and bought out the Adelphi Border News, a weekly paper which had been founded in 1879. Mr. Egan confesses to many hard struggles and ups and downs in his early career as a newspaper man. He finally gave to Adelphi a paper of which that community is proud. It has a wide · circulation not only in Ross County but in Pickaway, Hocking and Fairfield counties.
In September, 1874, Mr. Egan married Sarah T. Bennett. They have reared and educated eight children, five sons and three daughters. All are married now. The sons all learned the trade of printing with their father, and four of them are now working at the trade. A brief record of these children is as follows: Hugh B. Egan, who was born in Chillicothe, is a printer by trade, and is married and lives in Colum- bus; Sarah, born in Chillicothe, married, at Adelphi, Elgernon Flannigan, a farmer; Joseph Henry, who is a barber by trade and is married and living in Adelphi; Carolyn Egan, born in Chillicothe, was married in Adelphi to Hugh L. Reedy, a clerk in the United States mail service,
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Hugh J. Egan.
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and they live in Columbus; George W., born at Adelphi, is married and lives in Columbus, where he is a salesman; Mary M., born at Adelphi, married William H. Barton, principal of the Adelphi schools; Edward, born in Adelphi, is a printer and is married; Robert, born at Adelphi, is also a printer. All the children received their education in the public schools.
Mr. Egan was reared in the faith of the Catholic Church. While a resident of Chillicothe he was identified with several religious, civil and military organizations, and has always enjoyed the confidence of his fellow men in every position of life. He served as mayor of Adelphi for twelve years and was clerk of the township board of education and board of trustees for twelve years, and was also for several years a councilman and member of the local board of education. He was a member of the Board of Trustees of the Ross County Memorial Com- mission by appointment from James M. Cox, governor of Ohio, Sep- tember 4, 1914. Through these positions, as editor of the leading paper, and as a private citizen, he has done much to build up and promote the welfare of his home locality.
He is particularly well known not only in Ohio but throughout the country for his work in the Improved Order of Red Men. He joined that order in June, 1895. In 1897 he represented Corn Planter Tribe in the Great Council of Ohio and continued as representative until 1901. He was then elected Great Junior Sagamore of the Great Council of Ohio, and in 1902 was elected Great Senior and in 1903 became Great Sachem. That high post he filled with credit until May, 1904, when he presided over the Great Council at Mansfield. He has also represented Ohio in the Supreme Great Council of the United States and in the national body has served on several important committees. Mr. Egan has been a member of Adelphi Lodge of the Knights of Pythias for fifteen years, and formerly held membership in the Modern Wood- men of America. At Adelphi he superintended the construction of the magnificent Red Men's Building, was for ten years secretary of the Knights of Pythias Fair and Carnival, and helped make the local lodge of Knights of Pythias highly successful.
Mr. Egan deserves much credit for the establishment of the Adelphi Banking Company, in which he has held the position of secretary to the board of directors since it was founded. He has a beautiful modern home, and has also employed his taste and experience in supervising various public buildings at Adelphi, including the Opera House. Though now in his sixtieth year, Mr. Egan is found at work from morning until night and when questioned on that matter he is disposed to ascribe to hard and constant work what measure of success he has attained in the world.
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