USA > Ohio > Champaign County > A centennial biographical history of Champaign county, Ohio > Part 29
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John H. Georg
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Mrs. Lee was their fifth child and third daughter and in Clark county she was reared and educated, completing her studies in the high school at Lawrenceville, after which she engaged in teaching for about two years. The Lee home is one of the best residences in the township and was erected in 1890. It was planned and designed by our subject and is a monument to his architectural skill as well as to his business thrift. He has one hundred and six acres of land under a high state of cultiva- tion and in connection with general farming is engaged in the manufac- ture of butter. Mr. and Mrs. Lee have no children of their own, but have reared two children, who are now married and at the present time they have a boy living with them. Eugene Gudten, who will be taken care of by our subject. Wilber Falk, whom our subject reared, is now married to F. F. Cook. He also reared Elba Shrader, who married Samuel Edwards, and they at present have no children. Mr. Lee gives his political support to the Democracy and has been a member of the school board for several years. His wife is a member of Brethren in Christ church and both are highly esteemed throughout the community, where their circle of friends is almost co-extensive with their circle of acquaintances.
JOHN H. CLARK, M. D.
A name inseparably associated with the highest development of medical science in Champaign county is that of John Il. Clark, who was born on a farm in Union township, this county, September 28, 1829, and died in Mechanicsburg, the city for whose all around well being he had so faithfully labored, in 1901.
Stephen Clark, the father of John H., was one of the very first white children born in Champaign county, whither his parents, John
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and Phoche ( Mintern) Clark, had removed from New Jersey at a very carly day. The family is of English descent, and the emigrating ancestor came to America long before the Revolutionary war. Stephen Clark was a farmer by occupation, and spent his early life in Ohio, although he eventually removed to Illinois, and died there at the age of sixty-two years. He married Hannah Jones, also a native of Champaign county, and a daughter of Abraham and Mrs. (Howard) Jones, Quakers front Pennsylvania, and pioneers of this county. Of the children born to Stephen Clark and his wife, John H. was perhaps the most ambitious, his natural energy and aggressiveness being evinced on the home farm when he was yet a boy. He attended the public schools of his neigh- borhood, and later the Ohio Wesleyan University at Delaware, Ohio, and his professional training was received at the Starling Medical Col- lege, at Columbus, Ohio, from which he graduated in 1853. His first practice was undertaken at Mutual, in his native county, and in 1859 he located in Decatur, Illinois, removing two years later to his permanent home in Mechanicsburg. During the Civil war the Doctor served for three months on the United States Sanitary Commission, and from March 1, 1874, until May of 1876, he was medical superintendent of the Asylum for the Insane ac Dayton, Ohio. With the exception of these two absences Dr. Clark had been continuously associated with pro- fessional work in Mechanicsburg, and he arose to a truly enviable posi- tion as a physician and surgeon. He was a member of the Champaign County and Ohio State Medical Societies, as well as the American Medical Association, and was an occasional contributor to medical jour- nals. In 1870 he was president of the County Medical Society. In political affiliation he was a Democrat, and he was a member of the Episcopal church. Fraternally he was associated with the Masons.
In 1852 Dr. Clark married Elenor, daughter of William Williams, a most estimable pioneer of Champaign county. Mr. Williams was
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born in Maryland March 30, 1810, a son of John W. and Eleanor ( De Vall) Williams, natives of Maryland, and of Welsh and French descent respectively. In 1831 Mr. Williams married Ann Clegett, born in Maryland in 1811, and soon after their marriage the parents came to Champaign county. where the father engaged in mercantile business in Mechanicsburg with considerable success. His wife died in 1862, and his second wife was formerly Elizabeth Boswell. Mr. Williams died in 1887. and his wife died a few years after. He was a member of the Methodist Episcopal church, and a stanch believer in Republican prin- ciples. The county contained no more honored or respected citizen. Mrs. Clark, who survives her husband, has one son living. William by name, who is now operating in the lead and zinc mines of Missouri. Dr. Clark was president of the Farmers' Bank at Mechanicsburg for inany years.
CAPT. CHARLES WARREN GUY.
Captain Charles W. Guy, a prominent representative of the busi- ness interests of Mechanicsburg and a member of the Farmers' Elevator Company, was born in Madison county, Ohio, November 8. 1843. and is a son of William and Adelaide ( Fullington) Guy, whose history will be found in the sketch of E. A. Guy in this volume. Our subject was reared to years of maturity in Pike township, Madison county, Ohio. and in its public schools he received the educational advantages which it was his privilege to enjoy in 'his youth, while later he became a student in the Mechanicsburg high school and the Delaware University. When eighteen years of age. in 1862, he voluntarily offered his service for three years to the Union cause, entering the army as a member of Company D, Sixty-sixth Ohio Volunteer Infantry. He entered the ranks as a pri-
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vate, but for meritorious conduct on the field of battle was soon pro- moted to the position of first sergeant, later was made first lieutenant of Company G, and subsequently became captain of Company K. serving in the latter capacity until his discharge from the service at the close of the struggle in 1805. During his military career he participated in the hard-fought battles of the war in which his regiment took part, including those of Chancellorsville, Gettysburg. Lookout Mountain, Mis- sionary Ridge, Ringold, Georgia, and was with Sherman on his cele- brated march to the sea. He was on duty continually from the time he entered the service until the struggle had passed. and during that time, although he was ever in the thickest of the fight, he was never wounded or captured. He was ever found at his post of duty, loyally upholding the starry banner, and his war record is one of which he has every reason to be proud, having re-enlisted with the regiment in 1864. thereby becoming a veteran soldier.
After his return to the old homestead Mr. Guy at once resumed the labors of the farm, and is now the owner of his father's old homestead, which consists of two hundred and eighty acres, and he and his wife also own another tract of two hundred and twenty acres, which is the old Kennedy homestead. He continued to make his home in Pike township until 1894, when he removed to Mechanicsburg and took charge of the Farmers' Elevator, of which he is now one of the stockholders and managers, and is also a stockholder and director in the Central Bank of Mechanicsburg. His reputation in all trade transactions is above question and to an unusual degree he enjoys the confidence and regard of those with whom he has been brought in contact through busi- ness dealings. Ile is a close student of the questions and issues of the day, and his political support is given to the principles of the Republican party. While residing in Madison county he served for a time as a
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justice of the peace, and also as trustee of Pike township. For two years he served as president of the school board of Mechanicsburg.
The marriage of Mr. Guy was celebrated in 1879. when Miss Florence E. Kennedy became his wife. She, too, is a native of Madison county and is a daugliter of John Hi. and Abigail ( Mitchell ) Kennedy. who were members of pioneer families and large land owners of that county. Mrs. Guy is the eldest of their three children, and the knowl- edge which she received in the public schools of her native county was supplemented by a course in the Ohio Wesleyan University, at Delaware, Ohio, where she enjoyed superior advantages. By her marriage to Mr. Guy she has become the mother of two children, a son and a daughter. The elder. Earl W., received his education in the Ohio State University at Columbus, Ohio, and is now assisting in the duties of the farm. The daughter. Irma Belle, is a graduate of the Mechanicsburg high school. of the Ohio Wesleyan University, of Delaware, Ohio, and the Cincinnati School of Music. In his social relations Captain Guy is a member of the Stephen Baxter Fost. No. 88, of Mechanicsburg, of which he has been commander. He is also identified with the Masonic fraternity, holding membership in the blue lodge, chapter and Raper Commandery of Urbana. He is a broad-minded, progressive man and a public-spirited citizen, and in all life's relations is found true to the duties of business and social life.
MRS. HESTER WEST.
Mrs. Hester West, one of the most highly esteemed residents of Jackson township. Champaign county, is the widow of William West. The West family has been identified with the history of Champaign county almost since its organization. The great-grandfather of William
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West was governor of Maryland under the British crown, and the family is of English descent. The grandfather. Byel West, was born in Mary- land, and was a soldier under Washington throughout the period of the Revolutionary war. He with three brothers served for seven years, an:] when they finally returned to their home they found that their parents had passed away in death. Stockwell West. the father, was born in Maryland in 1790, and in 1808 he came with an uncle, Adamson Cow- hick. to Champaign county. Ohio, where they erected a small pole cabin at what is now Big Spring, on Honey creek, Jackson township. AAbout 1812 the family located on another branch of Honey creek. Mr. West took the place of a younger brother in the war of 1812, in which he served as a private, and during that struggle he assisted in building Fort McCarty. In this neighborhood the Indians murdered three men, and Mr. West assisted in their burial. He spent nearly his entire life in Jackson township, and cleared and improved the farm now owned by a Mr. McCarty and others. He was a well known and influential resident of his locality, and long served as a superintendent and trustee of his township .. His political support was given the Whig party, and on the place where he had so long resided he passed away in death on the 4th of July. 1852, dying in the faith of the Baptist church, of which he was a worthy and consistent member and for a long period served as deacon of the Honey creek church.
On the 30th of May. 1816, in Jackson township. Stockwell West was united in marriage to Elizabeth Merritt, a native of Virginia and a daughter of John and Margaret ( Stroup) Merritt. The latter was born in Germany, her father having been a burgomaster there, and she was a very handsome woman. When a child she was brought by her mother to America. John Merritt was born in Virginia, where he was a mem- ber of a prominent old family, and about 18to he came to Champaign county, Ohio, where he entered nine quarter sections of land in Jackson
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township, which he afterward divided among his children, giving to each a quarter section and retaining the same amount for himself. He was one of the oldest settlers of the locality, and his death occurred at the age of ninety-two years. After their marriage Mr. and Mrs. Stockwell West located on the farm on which Mrs. William West now resides, and there the father passed away at the age of sixty-two years, but the mother reached the age of eighty-six years. This worthy couple became the parents of nine children, five sons and three daughters, namely : John, who died at the age of twenty-five years; William, who reached the good old age of eighty-four years; Sarah, who died at the age of twenty-four years ; David, who passed away at the age of twenty-five years : James, deceased at the age of twenty-four years ; Mary, who died at the early age of twenty-two years; Henry, a resident of Champaign county : and Jerry, the youngest of the family.
William West, the second son in the above family, was born in Jackson township, Champaign county, Ohio, July 13, 1818, and in the place of his birth he spent his entire life. Throughout his active busi- ness career he followed the tilling of the soil, and in his political views he was a Republican, having on its ticket been elected to many positions of honor and trust. As a companion on the journey of life he chose Miss Hester Grafton, who was also born in Jackson township. Cham- paign county, November 18, 1822. Her father, Ambrose Grafton, was a native of Virginia, and was one of the caily pioneers of this county. He, too, was a farmer by occupation, and he lived to the age of seventy- nine years. He married Elizabeth Kelley, also a native of the Old Dominion, but in her girlhood she was brought by her parents to Cham- paign county. They became the parents of thirteen children, of whom Mrs. West is the fourth in order of birth, and all were born in this county. In 1848 Mrs. West gave her hand in marriage to William West. and they had three children .-- John, who died at the age of five
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years ; George W., a farmer of Jackson township; and Henry C., who- makes his home with his mother. The mother of this family has now reached the age of eighty years, and she still resides on the old West homestead in Jackson township, consisting of one hundred and sixty acres, the work of which is carried on by her sons. Her many admirable qualities and social nature render her popular among a large circle of friends in Jackson township. Mr. West was called from the scenes of earth's activities in 1900, but his memory is still enshrined in the hearts of his many friends.
AARON B. FUNK.
For more than two-thirds of a century Aaron B. Funk has been a resident of Champaign county, and his memory forms a connecting link between the primitive past and the progressive present, for he has not only watched with interest the progress of others, showing the trend of civilization and improvement, but has borne his part in the work of advancement. He now resides in section 23. Salem township, and it was in this township that his birth occurred on the 8th of October. 1833. His father, Joel Funk, was a native of Maryland and was there reared, also spending a portion of his youth in Pennsylvania. The paternal grandfather, Jacob Funk, died in Maryland or Pennsylvania. He was descended from one of the three brothers that came from Hol- land at a very early period in the history of this country and settled on the Atlantic coast. The father of our subject was married in Mary- 'and and there took up his abode, following the occupation of milling for some time. In the year 1816 he arrived in Ohio, coming to this state on a visit, but being pleased with the prospect he returned to make it his permanent residence, in 1829. bringing his family. The journey
AARON B. FUNK.
MRS ELIZABETH FUNK.
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was made by teams and they were twenty-nine days in crossing the country. He settled in Salem township, where he secured a tract of wild land and began the development of a farm, and as the years ad- vanced this land returned to him an excellent income. There his remain- ing days were spent and he departed this life in 1861, at the age of seventy-two years. Ile was a very prominent member of the Methodist Episcopal church, active in its work and a liberal contributor to its sup- port. He voted the Whig ticket until the organization of the Union party, when he became a Republican and continued one of its earnest supporters until his demise. He filled the office of justice of the peace and was a delegate to the Baltimore convention that nominated Bell and Everett in 1860. His interest in politics was deep and sincere and as all American citizens should do he kept well informed concerning the issues of the day. He married Elizabeth Kanaga, a native of Penn- sylvania, where she was reared and married. She was brought up in the faith of the Mennonite church, but became a member of the Meth- odist Episcopal church. She lived to be about eighty-four years of age. Iler father was Christopher Kanaga, who was of German lineage, and thus the blood of German and Holland ancestors flows in the veins of our subiect. His parents had a family of eight children, five of whom reached adult age, three sons and two daughters, but only two of the number are now living, the sister being Mrs. Caroline Share, of Min- nesota.
Mr. Funk, of this review, was the seventh child and fifth son and is the only representative of this family in the county. He was reared in his native township, pursuing his education in the log school house of the early days. He remained at home during the days of his youth, assisting in the cultivation and development of the home farm and thus his experience well fitted him to carry on agricultural pursuits on his own account.
24
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On the 13th of November. 1860, Mr. Funk was united in mar- riage to Sarah Russell, a native of Champaign county, who was born in Concord township January 31. 1836. Her parents were James and Julia ( Mitchell) Russell. Her father was a native of Loudoun county. Virginia, and was about a year old when brought by his parents to Champaign county, Ohio, the former settling in Concord township. There he was married and made his home through most of his remaining days, but died in Salem township in 1897, at the ripe old age of eighty- five years. His wife reached even a more extreme old age, departing this life at the age of eighty-eight. In their family were nine children, of whom two are now living. Mrs. Funk and Mrs. Dellie Outran, who makes her home with her son in Salem township. Mrs. Funk was the second of the nine children and was reared in Concord township, the public schools of that locality furnishing her early educational privileges, and later she became a student in the school of Belle Fountain.
Our subject and his wife began their domestic life upon the farm where they are still living. They have no children of their own, but have cared for some adopted children. Mr. Funk has given his atten- tion to the conduct of his farm, which comprises one hundred and forty acres. He has also been engaged in the grain business, buying and sell- ing grain to a considerable extent in connection with his farming opera- tions. His entire life has been passed in Salem township, with the exception of a period of seven years, during which time he was engaged in the grain and stock business in Urbana, when he rented his farm. He is a stanch Republican, giving his unfaltering support to the prin- ciples of the party. As a member of the craft he belongs to King Creek Lodge, i. & A. M., which he joined at the time of its organization. Ile "low has been a good Mason for forty-five years. For some years previous he was a member of the West Liberty Lodge in Logan county. Ile is identified through membership relations with the Methodist Epis-
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copal church at King's Creek is serving as one of its board of trustees and is a most active worker in its behalf, doing all in his power to pro- mote its growth and extend its influence. Mr. Funk has led a useful and upright life and has gained the high regard of young and old, rich and poor. He is a worthy representative of an honorable pioneer family and at all times his career has been such as to reflect credit upon an untarnished family name. Abner Riddle was a nephew of Mrs. Elizabeth Mitchell, Mrs. Arom being a cousin a third removed. The Riddles were a very old and honored family of Mifflin county. Pennsylvania.
JOHN R. MOODY.
The life history of him whose name heads this sketch is closely identified with the history of Champaign county, which has been his home throughout nearly his entire life. His career has been one of untir- ing activity, has been crowned with a degree of success, and none more than he deserves a fitting recognition among the men in this section of the state.
Mr. Moody was born in Mechanicsburg, Ohio. June 3, 1848, a son of Moses U. and Mariah (Guy) Moody, the former a native of New Hampshire and the latter of Canada. The father came with his par- ents to Champaign county in a very early day, and the mother's people were also among the pioneers of this locality, and both became prominent and successful school teachers, teaching in both Madison and Champaign counties. Their marriage was celebrated in Madison county, and they became the parents of five children, our subject being the second child and only son. The father was called to his final rest at the age of fifty- three years, but the mother reached the age of three score years and ten.
The educational advantages which Mr. Moody, of this review, re- ceived in his youth were those afforded by the district schools of Union
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township, and after completing his studies he was for five years engaged in teaching in those same schools, while for one year he was employed in the school at Mutual. After his marriage he located on a farm in Union township, but after a time removed to Mechanicsburg. He car- ried on agricultural pursuits on the old home farm in Union township, there remaining until the fall of 1891. when he removed to Schuyler county, Missouri. After a short residence there of two years he returned to the Buckeye state, locating on the farm which he now owns and occu- pies. His landed possessions now consist of one hundred and ninety acres, one hundred and fifty-seven of which are located in Union and the remainder in Goshen township. By close application and earnest labor he has worked his way steadily upward, until to-day he stands among the foremost representatives of agricultural interests in his section of the Buckeye state.
In September, 1868, was celebrated the marriage of Mr. Moody and Miss Serepta Bowen. She, too, is a native of Goshen township, Champaign county. Unto this union have been born four living chil- dren, as follows: Carl E., who is married and resides on a farm in Union township: Lula, the wife of Will Millice, a farmer of Goshen township ; and Maggie and Laura, at home. In politics Mr. Moody is a stanch Republican and keeps well informed on the issues of the day. He has served his township as its trustee, and has ever taken an active interest in everything pertaining to the welfare of his locality.
JOHN ENOCH.
John Enoch, father of the subject of this sketch, was born in Red- stone Fort, near Uniontown, Pennsylvania, August 2. 1773, when the Indians had it under siege. At the age of twenty he was married to
John Eworks
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Miss Mary Tucker, of Elizabethtown, New Jersey. In the fall of 1797 he descended the Ohio river in a flat-bottomed boat, landing at Fort Washington, now the city of Cincinnati. He settled on a farm near Middletown, Butler county, Ohio. It was at this place that the subject of this biography was born, in the territory of Ohio, on the 12th of June, 1892, in a Buckeye cabin. In 1808 Mr. Enoch moved to a farm near Franklin, Warren county, Ohio, and built mills there. In the fall of ISI0 he moved to a farm five miles west of Springfield, Ohio, near a small town called New Boston, the birthplace of the famous Shawnee Indian chief, Tecumseh. In the fall of 18122 he moved to his estate, comprising three thousand acres, in the Mad river and Macachuk val- lies, to the place where General A. S. Pratt's mill stands. In that day very few advantages of civilization were enjoyed by the settlers in this locality. Mr. Enoch sent his wheat to a mill on the site where the vil- lage of Kingston is situated, following an Indian trail, they being the only outlined paths in the country. The mill was operated by a Mr. Taylor. The prairie fires swept the country annually, destroying all vegetation. There was but one habitation from Macachuk to Kingston. and that was a cabin occupied by a Mr. Smith. War was declared shortly after Mr. Enoch's arrival at Macachuk, which created great alarm among the settlers. Much of their property was pressed into the service and Mr. Enoch shared this misfortune largely with the other settlers. In the fall of 1813 he moved his family to Urbana, and resided in a two-story log house on the present site of Grace Methodist Episcopal church. In March, 1814, he returned to Macachuk. In 1815 he moved to the price where West Liberty is located and built a mill and resi- dence there, both of which are standing intact to-day. In 1817 he gave the land and laid out the town, the plat being drawn by Thomas Thompson. Previous to Mr. Enoch's arrival at Macachuk a great many Indians resided in this part of the state, representing the Shawnee, Seneca
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