USA > Ohio > Champaign County > A centennial biographical history of Champaign county, Ohio > Part 3
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hundred and sixty-eight acres, and he carries on diversified farming and also raises a high grade of cattle, horses and swine. In politics he has ever given a stanch allegiance to the Democratic party, and served as treasurer of Mad River township for one term, having been elected to this office for two terms and having given a most capable and economical administration of the fiscal affairs of the township. He is a member of the Masonic fraternity and the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, in Urbana, and is one of the substantial and popular men of the county.
On the 12th of December, 1861, Mr. Sowers was united in mar- riage to Miss Eunice E. Blose, who was born in Mad River township on the 28th of July, 5841. being the daughter of Daniel and Susan ( Pence ) Blose. Her father was an infant of about six weeks when his parents came to Mad River township, from Virginia, and located in the forest wilds of the early pioneer days, and here he was reared to maturity and passed the remainder of his life. Susan ( Pence ) Blose was born in Mad River township, whence her parents came from Vir- ginia and became numbered among the early settlers in this township, which was then practically a virgin forest, while the Indians far out- numbered the white settlers in the locality. She became the mother of four children, of whom Mrs. Sowers was the third in order of birth and about three years of age at the time of her mother's death. Mr. Blose subsequently married Miss Louisa Colbert, and they became the parents of eight children. Mrs. Sowers was reared in this county, attend- ing the district schools in her childhood and completed her educational discipline in the Urbana Seminary. Mr. and Mrs. Sowers have had five children, and of them we here enter brief record. in order of birth : Lillie V. is the wife of Andrew J. Broyles, a merchant of Westville, this county, and they have five children,- Jean S., Lucy M., Homer D., Eunice and Elizabeth; Daniel H. Sowers ( who has one son, David D.), who is a representative member of the bar of Columbus, married
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Elizabeth Deshler, a daughter of William G. Deshler, a prominent busi- ness man of that city ; Mary L. is the wife of Edward Taylor and the mother of three children, Helen M., deceased, Harry O. and Edgar S. Mr. Taylor is a successful farmer of this township and the son of Simeon Taylor, of whom mention is made on another page; John K., who is not married. is engaged in the lumber business in Columbus ; and Emory, who is a graduate of the Ohio State University, at Colum- bus, is a scientific electrician and now located in Columbus.
Since the above was written Mr. Sowers has passed away, having died June 24, 1902.
DAVID W. TODD.
David W. Todd. best appreciated as a lawyer, politician and soldier, and for many years a resident of Urbana, was born in Dauphin county, Pennsylvania, December 31. 1835, a son of David and Sarah ( Mc- Cormick) Todd, natives also of Pennsylvania. The father brought his family to Ohio in 1846, and while prospecting in Champaign county left them in the care of a brother in Warren county. Greatly impressed with the advantages to be found in this part of the state he settled the fol- lowing year in Pretty Prairie, near Urbana, where his death occurred in 1868.
The first impressions of life and work gained by David W. Todd were on his father's farm, where he performed his share of the arduous duties, attending at the same time the district schools. His higher ed- ucation was acquired at Miami University, at Oxford, Ohio, from which he graduated in 1860, and he thereafter studied law in the office of Shellabarger & Goode, of Springfield, being admitted to the bar in 1863. Almost from the beginning of his practice in Urbana a fair measure of
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success came his way, and in the fall of the same year he was elected county prosecutor, and re-elected in 1865. From 1873 until 1875 he embarked upon a business venture as superintendent of the Urbana Ma- chine Works, but this proving somewhat disastrous, he returned to law, and in October of 1878, was elected probate judge of Champaign county, serving in all four consecutive terms of three years each. This service performed, he again returned to his former professional allegiance, and has since assembled under his erudite and capable banner many import- ant cases in the county and city.
The same energy and devotion to duty apparent in the general life of Mr. Todd found emphatic expression in his Civil war career, during which he won the rank of colonel. He joined Company F, of the Second Ohio, which was organized at Springfield. Ohio, and went to Columbus, from which they were ordered to Washington, D. C. At Lancaster they were mustered into the United States service. His enlistment occurred April 29, 1861, and he was mustered out of the three months' service July 31, 1861, at Columbus, Ohio. In 1862 he assisted in the organiza- tion of Company B, Eighty-sixth Ohio Volunteer Infantry, of which he was commissioned second lieutenant June 1, 1862, and later first lieu- tenant, after which he served as regimental quartermaster from June 16. 1862, until September 25. of the same year. He was mustered out at Camp Delaware, Ohio, and May 6, 1864, was commissioned lieutenant- colonel of the One Hundred and Thirty-fourth Ohio Volunteer In- fantry. After participating in the first battle of Bull Run and many minor skirmishes, and in 1864 in the advance on Petersburg and Rich- mond, Virginia, he was again mustered out, August 31, 1864. Since the war Mr. Todd has been very active in Grand Army circles, and is a member of the W. A. Brand Post, Number 98, department of Ohio.
In 1863 Mr. Todd married Virginia H. Hamilton, who died in 1868, leaving two children, Lee H., who is a merchant in Urbana ; and
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Robert M., a resident of Columbus, Ohio. In 1869 Mr. Todd married Ella W. Hovey, and of this union there are two children, Nancy H., the wife of Clarey Glessner; and Frank W., a newspaper reporter of this city. Mr. and Mrs. Todd are members of the Presbyterian church. Mr. Todd is one of the foremost progressive elements of Urbana, and his professional standing is an enviable one. Courteous and faithful to clients, attentive to business, measuring professional duty and effort by recognition of obligations and ends attainable, together with available knowledge of legal principles and an aptitude in their application, all combine to bring him a creditable place among the positive forces of the bar.
JOHN N. SMITH.
John N. Smith, who is residing in Mad River township, was born in Warren county, Ohio. March 1, 1846. His father, Stafford Smith, was a native of the same county and was a farmer by occupation, fol- lowing that pursuit throughout his entire life. He died at the age of seventy-two years. The family had been founded in the Buckeye state by the grandfather of our subject, who emigrated westward from New Jersey. The mother of our subject bore the maiden name of Letitia Morgan and was also a native of Ohio. Her life span covered seventy years. Her father, Reese Morgan, was a native of Virginia and a brother of John Morgan, who made the raid into Ohio at the time of the Civil war. Unto Mr. and Mrs. Smith were born nine children. five son- and four daughters, all of whom reached mature years, with the exception of one daughter who died when about fourteen years of age.
John N. Smith is the eldest son and second child, and when about
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two years old was taken by his parents to Clark county, Ohio, where he was reared and educated, attending the common schools. He re- mained at home until 1863. when he enlisted in the Civil war, respond- ing to the country's call for aid as a member of Company F. Forty- fourth Ohio Volunteer Infantry. Later he enlisted in the Eighth Ohio Infantry and served for about two years and eight months as a private. He took part in many important engagements, including the battles of Lynchburg and Liberty. His command then proceeded to the Shenan- doah valley and he was under fire at the engagements of Cedar Creek and Winchester when Sheridan made his famous twenty-mile ride, rallied the Union forces and thereby turned the tide to victory. He was taken prisoner on the 11th of January, 1865, at Beverly. West Virginia, and sent to Libby prison, where he remained for forty days. When cap- tured he weighed one hundred and eighty pounds, and when released weighed but ninety-six. Afterward he was sent to Columbus, on a thirty days' furlough, and on the expiration of that period he rejoined his regiment at Philippi. West Virginia, being mustered out at Clarksburg. Virginia, on the 5th of August. 1865. Ile received an honorable dis- charge at Camp Dennison, near Cincinnati, and with a most creditable record for valiant service he returned to his home in Clark county, Ohio.
Mr. Smith there engaged in farming until 1868. when he came to Champaign county, settling in Mad River township, and here on the 9th of September, 1869, he was united in marriage to Miss Martha E. God- dard, whose birth occurred in Mad River township. Champaign county, April 18, 1850. Her parents were the Rev. Jesse and Mary ( Edmiston) Goddard. Her father was born in Kentucky and when a young man came to Champaign county, settling in Mad River township. He was a minister of the Methodist Episcopal church and his influence was marked throughout the community. His wife was born in Tennessee and there spent the first ten years of her life, after which she came to
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Ohio, her people settling in Pike township, Clark county. In the family were two sons and three daughters, of whom Mrs. Smith was the fourth in order of birth. She pursued her education in the district schools and was reared upon the home farm. Four children grace the union of our subject and his wife: Emory H .; Elliott G., who married Edith Lutz; Nannie, at home; and Minnie, deceased.
Mr. Smith is well known throughout Champaign county. Here he engaged in the operation of a threshing machine for thirty-six years and was also engaged in the agricultural implement business, selling farm machinery for more than twenty years. He likewise conducted a feed mill and sawmill for a number of years, and is now agent for Reeves & Company, threshers and engineers of Columbus, Indiana. He has given his time and attention also to the development and cultiva- tion of his own farm, and is a representative agriculturist of his town- ship. He votes with the Republican party and is a member of Powell Post, No. 381, of Tremont, Ohio, and is likewise identified with the Masonic fraternity, belonging to the blue lodge and chapter in St. Paris and the commandery in Urbana. He holds membership relations with the Knights of Pythias fraternity in Tremont; the Junior Order of American Mechanics and with Storm Creek Council, T. H., of Ohio. He is popular in fraternal circles and esteemed in social circles, and in all life's relations commands the respect and regard of those with whom he has been brought in contact.
JAMES HENRY CHENEY.
Collectively the farmer in whose hands has rested the fundamental development of communities, however great their ultimate commercial inclination, needs no epitaph to sound his praises in the ears of posterity.
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His accomplishments are an ever present blessing, and it is sufficient that the acres wrested from primeval inactivity yield of their abundance with the coming of every summer, and that while factories burn and industries are crowded out of existence by the progress of science or the amalgamation of interests, the husbandman comes into his own with the sole hindrance of his own incapacity or the inclemency of the weather. And because of his inestimable services in all lands it may be said that the monument of the agriculturist is the luxury and opulence of the world, no matter how remote this happy state from his own fireside, and his enduring fame is the dignity of labor and the nobility of col- laborating with nature. Individually his sphere is enlarged or narrowed by his ability to cope with the political and governmental elements by which he is surrounded, and his personality is reflected in the condition of his fences and barns, his sanitation and cattle, his appreciation of modern improvements, and his tact and enterprise in bringing within the borders of his possession the pleasures and conveniences of present day existence. But the stable prosperity of this or any other section of the country cannot be noted solely from the standpoint of generaliza- tion. In the early days more than ordinarily astute and progressive minds came to Champaign county, and with splendid faith in its possi- bilities not only guided the plow, but raised their voices in the legislature in behalf of the most intelligent welfare of the community. A name associated with agricultural and political advancement through all the succeeding years since 1808 is that of Cheney, a family of pioneer and present distinction, and of which James Henry Cheney, one of the large land-owners of Champaign county, is a typical representative.
In Union township, first pioneered by the Cheneys, James Henry Cheney was born in this county, December 1, 1839, a son of Jonathan and Rachel ( Williams) Cheney, and grandson of Benjamin and Saralı (Cochran) Cheney. Accompanied by his wife, Benjamin Cheney left
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his native state of Virginia in 1808, and on the backs of horses made the journey to his future home in Union township. He inherited 110 wealth, his best possessions being an honest name, good business ability. strong intellect and nobility of purpose. The unsettled conditions had need of just such material for the furtherance of general activities, and Mr. Cheney soon made his influence felt to a conspicuous extent. His unsurpassed thrift and sagacity resulted in the accumulation of an estate comprising nearly two thousand acres, but up to the time of his death, in 1834, he never moved from his first location. As a politician he entered into all the important county undertakings, and was not only a justice of the peace for many years, but was a member of the lower house of the Ohio legislature for twelve years. His political career was char- acterized by incorruptible integrity, and his duties were discharged with rare discretion and fidelity and commendable zeal. The wife, whose life terminated soon after his own, was the mother of seven sons and one daughter, and of these Jonathan, the father of James Henry Cheney, possessed many of the admirable traits of his father. Jonathan Cheney was born on the paternal farm in Union township in August of 1816. and in 1836 married Rachel, daughter of John W. and Eleanor (Duval) Williams. Of this union there were eight sons and three daughters. The life occupation of Mr. Cheney was stock-raising, and, like his sire, his interests extended beyond his fertile fields to the general improve- ment of the county. He also was a justice of the peace for many years, and for two years he represented his county in the state legislature. He had the faculty of recognizing and improving opportunities, and his death, March 6, 1864, removed one of the honored, progressive and popular members of the community.
At the present time James Henry Cheney controls nearly a thousand acres of fine farm land in Champaign county, and his operations are on an extensive scale, both as to general farming and stock-raising. His
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life has contained inany elements of interest, and his many capabilities have connected him intimately with the latter day advancement of his locality. During the Civil war he served for a short time in Company F. One Hundred and Thirty-fourth Ohio Volunteer Infantry, and is now a member of the Stephen Baxter Post. No. 88. Department of Ohio, Grand Army of the Republic. In 1860 he married Beatrice S. Tullis, daughter of Ezra C. and Sarah Elizabeth ( Edmondston ) Tullis, natives respectively of Champaign county. Ohio, and Maryland. The paternal grandfather, Ezra Tullis, was a Virginian who removed to Ohio in the early days, and after living a few years in Warren county settled in Champaign county, which remained his home until his death. The parents of Mrs. Cheney were married in Champaign county, thereafter settling in Goshen township. where she was born, and where her early days were spent. Her father was a very successful farmer and large land-owner, and he was an influential man in the county up to the time of his death, in 1869, at the age of fifty-four years. His wife, who is now living with her daughter, Mrs. James Henry Cheney, still retains the mental alertness which rendered her such an invaluable aid to her husband in his early struggles, and a large share of his energy is devoted to work in the Methodist Protestant church, of which she has been a member for many years. She is seventy-four years old, and is the mother of one son and one daughter, of whom the former. William E. Tullis, died in the service of his country, July 9, 1864, while a soldier in Company C. One Hundred and Thirty-fourth Ohio Volunteer Infan- try. To Mr. and Mrs. Cheney have been born the following children : E. E., of whom a personal sketch appears elsewhere in this work ; Brooke E., who died at the age of twenty-seven; Lizzie R., who is the wife of Marion L. Burnham ; and William H., who is living with his parents.
In 1875 Mr. and Mrs. Cheney left the farm near Mutual, upon which they had settled after their marriage, and took up their residence
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in Mechanicsburg that their children might receive better educational training. Both were fortunate in inheriting landed possessions, which, however, have been increased by wise management, and a scientific study of agricultural methods. For many years the Cheney home has been the center of gracious hospitality, the chatelaine thereof being a woman of sterling traits of character and much tact, and who for years sang in the choir of the Methodist church. Mr. Cheney has maintained and even exalted the prestige established by earlier members of his family, yet he is withal an unassuming gentleman of the old school, and modestly bears his honors as one of the most public spirited and substantial citi- zens of the town and county. He is a Republican in national politics.
ABSALOM C. JENNINGS.
The history of a state as well as that of a nation is chiefly the chron- icles of the lives and deeds of those who have conferred honor and dignity upon society, whether in the broad sphere of public labors or in the more circumscribed, but not less worthy and valuable realm of in- dividual activity through which the general good is promoted. The name borne by the subject of this memoir is one which has stood ex- ponent for the most sterling personal characteristics. the deepest appre- ciation of the rights and privileges of citizenship, and is one which has been identified with the annals of Ohio history from the early pioneer epoch, when this now great and prosperous commonwealth lay on the very frontier of civilization. Upon the personal career of our subject rests no shadow of wrong. His life was one of signal activity and use- fulness, his efforts being disseminated in various fields of endeavor and his success being the direct sequel of his own discriminating and well
ABSALOM C. JENNINGS.
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directed efforts. He did much to promote the industrial prestige of champaign county, and here his name is held in lasting honor by all who know him. As a detailed record of the ancestral history appears in connection with the sketch of Edward Jennings, brother of our sub- ject, on another page of this work, it will not be necessary to recapitulate in this article.
Absalom C. Jennings was a native son of the Buckeye state, hav- ing been born on a pioneer farm in Clark county, Ohio, on the 28th of February, 1815, being the second in order of birth of the five chil- dren of George and Jane (Chenoweth) Jennings, who emigrated from Virginia to Clark county, Ohio, in the year 1814. Further details con- cerning them will be found in the sketch to which reference has already been made. All of the children are now deceased. Our subject was reared on the homestead farm and his early educational privileges were such as were afforded in the primitive district schools of the day. When a young man he came to Urbana. Champaign county, and here entered the employ of E. B. Cavalier, who was engaged in the general mer- chandise business. Here also he learned the saddlery and harness trade, and eventually he engaged in business in this line, at Marysville, Union county, Ohio, where he conducted a successful enterprise for a period of four years, being a natural salesman and a progressive and able busi- ness man, as was manifest in every portion of his long and honorable business career. In 1844 Mr. Jennings removed to New York city, where he was for two years in the employ of a leading merchant, J. L. Cocliran. At the expiration of this period he associated himself with T. B. Read, under the firm name of Jennings, Read & Company, and engaged in the wholesale hat, cap, straw goods and fancy millinery busi- ness, the enterprise being conducted with consummate skill and discre- tion and proving successful. In 1859 Mr. Jennings disposed of his inter- ests in this concern and returned from the national metropolis to Cham-
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paign county, Ohio, locating in Urbana. He had purchased a tract of land in this county, and after residing in Urbana for a time he removed to his farm, in Salem township, in order the better to supervise his in- terests there. He erected the "round barn" on the place, and the same remains as one of the landmarks of this section of the state. Here he became one of the pioneers in the introduction of the important enter- prise of breeding fine horses and Jersey cattle in the county, and through his vigorous and timely efforts there was given an impetus to these lines of industry that has continued to be felt to the present, the value of his initiative efforts being inestimable. His place was known as the Nut- wood Farm, and under his supervision became one of the noted stock farms of this section of the Union. He gave special attention to the raising and training of standard and thoroughbred horses and the breed- ing of the highest type of Jersey cattle, being exceptionally successful and acquiring an extensive and valuable landed estate in the county. From 1874 to 1877, inclusive, Mr. Jennings was engaged in the dry- goods business in Springfield, this state, but after disposing of this busi- ness he continued to devote his entire attention to his farming and stock interests in Champaign county until his death, maintaining his resi- dence in the city of Urbana, where his death occurred on the 10th of March, 1895. and where his widow still maintains her home, the beau- tiful residence being hallowed by the memories and associations of the past.
In his political adherency Mr. Jennings was originally an old-line Whig, but upon the organization of the Republican party he transferred his allegiance to the same and thereafter continued to support its prin- ciples and policies. While he was public-spirited and every ready to co-operate in any enterprise for the promotion of the general good, he never aspired to the honors of public office, holding his business interests as worthy of his undivided attention. He was beyond the age limit
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of military service at the outbreak of the Rebellion, but manifested his loyalty and deep patriotism by sending two men into the service at his personal expense. He was broad and tolerant in his views, having a high regard for basic religious principles, though he never became a member of any church. He was however, a liberal contributor to the support of the Presbyterian church, of which Mrs. Jennings has long been a de- voted adherent. Fraternally he was identified with the Masonic order and the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. His integrity of purpose was beyond cavil, in person he was genial and courteous, winning warm and enduring friendships, and in all the relations of life he stood as an upright, high-principled gentleman, commanding the respect and esteem of all with whom he came in contact.
On the 26th of November, 1839, Mr. Jennings was united in mar- riage to Miss Julia A. McNay, who was born in Logan county, Ohio, the daughter of David and Rhoda ( Wilcox) McNay, natives respectively of Kentucky and New York, from the former of which states they came to Ohio in the pioneer days, settling in Logan county. Mr. and Mrs. Jennings had no children.
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