USA > Ohio > Champaign County > A centennial biographical history of Champaign county, Ohio > Part 14
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The family of which the subject of this memoir was a representa- tive was one which has long been identified with the annals of American history, as will presently be shown. Milo G. Williams was a native son of Ohio, having been born in the city of Cincinnati on the 10th of April, 1804. the son of Jacob and Eunice (Grummond) Williams. His father was born in the year 1775. in New Jersey. He was a son of Joshua and Sarah ( Higgins) Williams, the former of whom was born in the ancient and picturesque old city of Elizabeth, New Jersey, being the son of Miles Williams, who, with his brothers John and Samuel, emigrated from their native land, Wales, to America in the colonial epoch. Records still extant show that Joshua Williams was a patriot soldier in the war of the Revolution, having been a member of the "minute men," who held them- selves in readiness to respond to an alarm in the quickest possible time, thus gaining the name. He lived in New Jersey until his death, having there accumulated a large landed estate and becoming one of the influen- tial citizens of the locality. He had inherited a large estate from his father, and his house, large mill and other property were destroyed by
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fire during the Revolution, but after the close of the struggle he re- couped his fortunes, having for a time maintained his home in New York city. His son Jacob, at the age of fourteen years, was sent to New York, where he held a clerkship in a mercantile establishment for one year, after which he went to Poughkeepsie to learn the blacksmith's trade. At the age of twenty, however, he became imbued with the "west- ern fever," and finally made his way down the Ohio river and disem- barked at Fort Washington (now the city of Cincinnati) in 1795 or 1796. There he was united in marriage to Eunice Grummond, daugh- ter of David Grummond, who, like himself, was a pioneer of Cincinnati. He engaged in the work of his trade there and eventually built up an extensive business, operating a large machine shop, and there he died in the year 1840, his marriage having been blessed with thirteen chil- dren.
Milo G. Williams was reared and educated in his native city and when sixteen years of age gave inception to his long and useful peda- gogic career by engaging in teaching in district schools. He thus began educational work in 1820 and did not withdraw from the same until 1870,-a full half-century later. At the age of nineteen years Mr. Williams established a private school in Cincinnati, and this proved a success, while in 1833 he accepted the general supervision of a manual training school established in Dayton. At the expiration of two years he withdrew from this position to accept the principalship of the Spring- field high school, and in 1840 became principal of a Swedenborgian school in Cincinnati. In 1844 he effected a reorganization of Dayton Academy, at Dayton, and continued at its head until called upon to accept the presidency of Urbana University, in 1850, the charter of the institution bearing date of March 7th of that year, while Professor Williams was numbered among the incorporators, the university being in absolute embryo save for its charter, its organization and a plat of ground in
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Urbana, the same having been donated by John H. James, of this city. Wl'e can not do better at this point than to quote from a historical nar- rative appearing in the Annual of Urbana University, published under the auspices of the Delta Sigma Literary Society, in June, 1901. to com- memorate the fiftieth anniversary of the founding of the college:
In the minds of its projectors the most urgent need of the uni- versity at this stage of its affairs was a suitable person to take charge of its educational interests. and the opinion was unanimous that Mr. Milo G. Williams possessed in an eminent degree the necessary quali- fications. Hle was accordingly invited to accept the position. Mr. Will- iams was at that time conducting an academy in Dayton, Ohio, and his reputation as a teacher was already well established throughout the state. The plan of establishing a New Church university at Urbana being submitted to him, and also the proposition that he should come and assume charge of the same. Mr. Williams took the matter into prayerful consideration. The records made in his private journal at this time fully testify to the weight and responsibility which he attached to the undertaking, and the serious thought which he gave the question of his acceptance of the position offered. In answer to the question, early submitted to him, of the practicability of the undertaking and the suitability of the location at Urbana, he says: "I expressed my be- lief that the time had arrived when the New Church shoukdl adopt more efficient measures for the diffusion of the doctrines of the New Jerusalem, and that there were no better means for accomplishing the end proposed than the proper education and training of the young in the doctrines and life of the church, thus making them fair exponents of the truths of the New Church. As to the locality, there were 110 valid objections to it. but there were many good reasons in its favor."
Mr. Williams decided to accept the task of taking charge of the educational work of the university, in spite of the fact that the "re-
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sponsibility would be greater and the compensation less than those of his present work." His decision was a fortunate one for the interests of the university. He possessed the qualities of infinite patience and perfect self-control, combined with an extensive knowledge of human nature ; he had early learned the lesson that the art of governing others consists in the ability to govern one's self, at all times and under all circumstances. Moreover, he was a born teacher, a member of that noble race of pedagogues, now nearly extinct, for whom the modern methods of teacher-making no longer find a place. In early life Mr. Williams had studied law, and afterward, not being willing, as he ex- pressed it, to make a living out of other people's quarrels, he pursued an extensive course in medicine. His training in the latter afterward proved of great value to him when called upon to give instruction in the various branches of natural science, in which he became a highly successful teacher. Moreover his predilections were strongly in favor of the new feld of work and the possibilities it seemed to offer for car- rying out some long cherished ideas. He had long considered the de- sirability of combining literary and scientific education with an inculca- tion of the doctrnes of the New Church, believing that education is worse than useless unless it elevates and purifies the affections and leads to a pure life. It was deemed best that Mr. Williams should close his academy at Dayton at once and begin the educational work at Urbana. as a preliminary to the organiztion of classes in the college. Accord- ingly he removed to Urbana in the summer of 1850 and engaged suit- able rooms in the town for his school, as but little progress had yet been made in the construction of the university buildings. On the opening day. early in September, 1850, the room was overcrowded with appli- cants for admission. This school was continued until the fall of 1853, when it was removed to the college buildings, new completed, and the classes merged into those of the university. In the year 1858 the Rev.
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Chauncey Giles was elected president of the university, luc lding the office nominally until 1870. Mr. Giles continued his ministerial work in Cincinnati, and was never charged with any teaching of classes. Up to the date of Mr. Giles' appointment Professor Milo G. Williams had filled the office of dean of the faculty and president of the board of trus- tees, having declined to accept the title of president of the college, which had been tendered him, modestly contending that he did not consider himself endowed with the qualifications which should be possessed by a college president. Professor Williams remained more or less actively connected with the college as an instructor in various departments of natural science until the year 1870, during this period, in addition to liis class-room duties, he made many valuable contributions to science, more especially in the departments of botany, conchology and meteor- ology. The plants growing in the vicinity were thoroughly studied and a large herbarium was formed of the specimens collected, and placed in the college museum. His collection of the fresh-water mollusca of the Ohio river and its tributaries contains representatives of nearly all of the known species. For fifty years he made daily observations of the temperature, direction and force of the winds, humidity of the atmos- phere and barometric pressure. Many of these observations were pub- lished in the Smithsonian Institution, at Washington, and constitute some of the earliest contributions to the science of meteorology, antici- pating the present work of the signal-service bureau. At the time of Mr. Williams' death, which occurred at Urbana in the year 1880, the chief signal officer. General Meyer, showed his high appreciation of Mr. Will- iams' services to meteorology in a letter expressing the great value and importance of these services. Up to the time of his death Mr. Williams remained a trustee of the college and took an active interest in its af- fairs.
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The above excerpt gives but little of the detail of Professor Will- iams' twenty years of active service in the university, but enough has been said to show how deep is the appreciation placed upon his life and labors. İle was an able and liberal contributor to educational journals and his interest in the work of his chosen profession remained con- stant until his life's labors were closed in the gentle sleep of death. During the war of the Rebellion he was a member of the "Squirrel Hunters," and thus participated in the defense of Cincinnati. In poli- ties he was an uncompromising advocate of the principles of the Re- publican party from the time of its organization, and he was one of the most influential and devoted members of New Church ( Swedenborgian) in the state of Ohio. His life was one of consecration in all its relations and was ordered upon a high plane. He entered into eternal rest on the 19th of April. 1880, and not only the community, the church and his former pupils felt a sense of deep personal loss, but all could not but rejoice in the benediction afforded by the life thus translated into a larger sphere of usefulness when the veil was lifted to gain the new glory of a noble and useful life.
On the 20th ot October, 1842. Professor Williams was united in marriage to Miss Mary Loring, who was born in Cincinnati, being the daughter of David and Maria ( Lowey ) Loring, who were early set- tlers of Cincinnati, whither they removed from the state of New York, the father being one of the prominent merchants of the city in the early days and a man of influence and sterling worth. The Lorings are collaterally descended from Richard Warren, who was one of the pilgrims who came to America on the Mayflower on the occasion of her first voyage, in 1620. Mrs. Williams, now venerable in years, still re- sides in Urbana, and in the home so hallowed by the memories and as- sociations of the past also abide her two children,-Mary Louise and .Adelaide 11.
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JOHN M. HUNTER.
The stanch Irish type is one which has found many representatives in the New World and is one that has ever been found foremost in giving impetus to the march of progress, in retaining a clear mental grasp and in directing affairs along safe and conservative lines. America owes much to the Irish and has honored and been honored by noble men and women of this stock. In the agnatic line the subject of this sketch is of sturdy Irish extraction. being of the third generation of the family in the United States and in Champaign county, Ohio, where his grandfather, Nathaniel Hunter, took up his abode in 1811, locating in the sylvan wilds. as one of the sterling pioneers of the county and setting himself vigorously to the task of literally hewing out a farm in the virgin forest. the land which he thus reclaimed having been furrowed and refurrowed by the plowshare for many years and giving slight evidence of the toil involved in the early days.
Nathaniel Hunter, the honored progenitor of the family in America, was born in the Emerald Isle, of fine old Celtic stock, and there he was reared and educated, his marriage being solemnized prior to his emigra- tion to America. He left his native land in 1795, and came to the hos- pitable shores of the new world, locating in Greenbrier county, Virginia, where the family maintained their home until ISHI, when they came to Ohio. Mr. Hunter settled on a tract of wild land in the northern part of what is now Salem township, Champaign county, where he cleared and improved a good farm and where he passed the residue of his honorable and useful life, which was devoted to the great basic art of agriculture. In the year 1820 he erected a stone house, an exceptional improvement in those days, when the usual domicile of the locality was the primitive log cabin. and this building is still standing and is in an excellent state of preservation, standing as a landmark of the early days and as a monti-
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ment to the energy and progressive spirit of this noble pioneer. In poli- tics Grandfather Hunter gave his allegiance to the Whig party, and his religious faith was that of the Methodist Episcopal church, of which he was a most devoted member, doing much to promote the cause of the Master in the community, while his house was a sort of religious center and a place where a genuine and cordial welcome was ever accorded to the faithful circuit-riders of the church during the pioneer epoch.
Samuel Hunter, son of the honored pioneer and father of the subject of this review, was born in Greenbrier county, Virginia, and was a lad of about six years at the time of the family removal to Champaign county, where he was reared to maturity and where he devoted his life to agri- cultural pursuits, becoming one of the prominent farmers and repre- sentative citizens of the county. Ile died at the old homestead, in Salem township, in the year 1870, at the age of sixty-five years. He married Maria Miller, who was born in Clark county, Ohio, whither her parents came as pioneers from Kentucky. She passed away in 1885, at the age of seventy-four years, and like her husband was ever sustained and com- forted by a deep Christian faith. being a zealous member of the Metli- odist Episcopal church. Samuel and Maria ( Miller ) Hunter became the parents of ten children,-five sons and five daughters,-of whom one son and one daughter are deceased.
John M. Hunter, the immediate subject of this review and one of the representative citizens and business men of the city of Urbana, was born on the old homestead, in the northern part of Salem township, on the 22d of March, 1838, and he has passed his entire life in his native county, honoring the name he bears by his upright and useful career. Growing up under the invigorating discipline of the farm, he has ever . retained the highest respect for the dignity of the noble vocation which figures as the bulwark of our national prosperity, and he continued to be identified with agricultural pursuits until he had attained the age of
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forty years, his educational privileges in his youth being such as were afforded in the public schools of the locality and period. Upon leaving the farm Mr. Hunter located in the village of West Liberty, where for fourteen years he was successfully engaged in the agricultural imple- ment business. At the expiration of the period noted he disposed of this business and came to Urbana, where he has since devoted his atten- tion to the real-estate and insurance business, in which, by his honor- able business methods and progressive and discriminating management, he has attained marked prestige and developed an enterprise of no inconsiderable scope and importance, his agency taking front rank and retaining a representative support. In politics Mr. Hunter exercises his franchise in support of the principles and policies of the Republican party, but has never sought the honors or emoluments of public office. Fraternally he is identified with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. and his religious faith is that in which he was reared, both he and his wife being active workers in the First Methodist Episcopal church, while our subject has been for thirty-five years prominent in the work of the Sunday-school, where is laid the foundation of true Christian faith and worthy manhood and womanhood.
On the 19th of November, 1862, Mr. Hunter was united in mar- riage to Miss Sallie Baldwin, who was born in this county, the daughter of Richard Baldwin, one of the pioneer farmers of this section. Of this union have been born three children, namely: F. Edgar, who is now a resident of Chicago; Nellie M., the wife of Dr. Ben S. Leonard, of West Liberty, this county: and Ralph Waldo E., who is associated with his father in business. Mrs. Hunter died April 9. 1902.
WILLIAM M. ROCK.
Biography should be written not less for the sake of perpetuating records which prove a portion of generic history than for the purpose of inculcating valuable lessons, that those who read may place them-
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selves in contact with facts and affairs and be inspired to build them- selves up to and into a life of excellence, not in any chance sphere of endeavor, but rather in their own rightful places, where they may keep and their individuality augment its power. With the history of Chain- paign county and the state of Ohio the name of Rock has been indis- solubly linked from the early pioneer epoch. and has ever stood for the most exalted integrity of character and for individual usefulness and honor. Thus it becomes specially consistent that we enter a review of the carcer of William M. Rock, justice of the peace in the city of Urbana, which is his native city, and in which he is honored for his sterling character and also as a representative of worthy pioneer families.
Mr. Rock was born in Urbana, Ohio, on the 16th of February. 1857, being the son of John D. and Mary ( Merrill) Rock, both of whom were likewise born in Urbana, the former in the year 1830 and the latter in 1832. John D. Rock was a son of William and Alice ( Glenn) Rock, the former of whom was born in Virginia, whence he came to Ohio as a young man and here married Miss Glenn, who was born in Champaign county, Ohio, the daughter of William Glenn, who was a pioneer of this county, whither he and his brother John removed from the state of Kentucky. The father of our subject passed prac- tically his entire life in his native town, and here his death occurred in the year 1898. His wife still maintains her home in Urbana. Her father, Rev. David Merrill, was born in the old Green Mountain state of Vermont and was one of the pioneer clergymen of the Presbyterian church of Urbana. Ile eventually returned to his native state in New England, and there passed the residue of his long and singularly noble and useful life. The old residents of Urbana yet recall to mind a stirring temperance sermon which he delivered during his pastorate here. and the same is almost invariably referred to as the "ox sermon." apropos of the principal illustration used in the discourse, which was one of great fervor and power.
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John D. Rock was reared and educated in Urbana and in his youth became a clerk in the establishment of W. D. & C. McDonald, who were pioneer merchants of the town. In 1866 Mr. Rock became an interested principal in the business, the original firm being then succeeded by that of McDonald & Rock, who continued to conduct a general mer- chandise business for a number of years, but finally gave their atten- tion to the handling of dry goods and carpets exclusively, Mr. Rock continuing to be actively identified with this important enterprise until the time of his death. In his political proclivities he was an uncom- promising Republican, but was never an aspirant for official preferment, though he ever maintained the attitude of a public-spirited citizen, doing all in his power to further the general welfare of the community and being honored for his ability and sterling manhood. He was one of the zealous and devoted members of the First Presbyterian church, active in all good works, and for many years he served as an official of his church and was also incumbent of the position of superintendent of the Sunday-school. His widow still retains her active interest in the work of the church, and her gentle influence has been felt in the various depart- ments. She is the mother of two children, -- Alice G., who remains with her mother in the old home; and William MI., the subject of this review.
William M. Rock was reared and educated in Urbana, being grad- uated in the high school as a member of the class of 1874. For a decade after leaving school he was engaged as a clerk in the mercantile establishment of McDonald & Rock. eventually becoming manager of the carpet department. In 1885 Mr. Rock engaged in business on his own responsibility, entering into partnership with J. R. Hughes, Jr .. and establishing a furniture business, under the firm name of Rock & Hughes, operations being continued by this firm for a period of ten years, at the expiration of which our subject closed out his interests in the enterprise.
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In political matters Mr. Rock has ever been stanchly arrayed in support of the Republican party and its principles, and in 1896 was elected to the office of justice of the peace, while he was re-elected in 1899, and elected again in 1902 for a term of three years, having given a most discriminating and able administration of the affairs coming within his jurisdiction. Fraternally he is identified with the Knights of Pythias.
On the 25th of June, 1886, Mr. Rock was united in marriage to Miss Mary Noble, daughter of Orville Noble, a well known citizen of Urbana, and their pleasant home is a center of generous hospitality.
WILLIAM H. MARVIN.
Death often removes from our midst those whom we can ill afford to lose and when William H. Marvin was called from the scene of earthly activities Urbana felt that it had lost one of its most valued and hon- ored citizens, for during his life he had accomplished much for himself and for his fellow men and for the community with which he was asso- ciated. As the day with its morning of hope and promise, its noontide of activity and its evening of accomplished effort, ending in the rest and quiet of the night, so was the life of this honored man.
Mr. Marvin was born in Le Roy, Genesee county. New York, De- cember 15. 1829. and when a small boy accompanied his father on his removal to Morrow county, Ohio, the former settling at Sparta. His business career commenced when he was fifteen years of age, at which time lie began clerking for J. S. Trumble, of Mount Gilead, for whom he worked for three years. In that time by strict economy he saved eighty dollars and then engaged in business for himself at Sparta, car-
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rying on operations there for several years. He then removed to Card- ington, where he engaged in the dry goods business, which he conducted with great success. In 1876 he became an organizer of the First National Bank of Cardington, Ohio, and for ten years thereafter was engaged in the banking business, being interested in and a director of banks in Shelby, Galion and Columbus. He was also the president of the First National Bank of Cardington, and his control of these financial insti- tutions placed them upon a good paying basis and made them import- ant elements in the business life of the cities in which they are located.
In 1886 Mr. Marvin came to Urbana and in company with J. F. Brand established a wholesale grocery under the firm name of W. H. Marvin & Company, beginning business in 1887. This was attended with gratifying success, but in 1896 the firm discontinued the wholesale grocery trade on account of the large increase of the business which they had instituted in the meantime. About 1892 they began cleaning fruit and manufacturing mince meat, and this proved extremely profitable from the commencement. Currants were imported from Greece and cleaned by the process originated by the firm, after which they were packed in cartons and sent to all parts of the United States, from the Atlantic to the Pacific, for the excellent quality of the goods and the. reliability of the house secured them a growing patronage, which made. their business eventually one of mammoth importance. The firm also cleans and packs California raisins, and on an extensive scale manu- factures condensed and wet mince meat. The firm was incorporated en the 13th of October, 1897. under the name of W. H. Marvin Company. The business has had a wonderful growth and the factory presents a scene of great activity, seventy-five employes being there found. Mr. Marvin was the central and controlling figure of this industry until his death, serving as president of the company.
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