USA > Ohio > Champaign County > A centennial biographical history of Champaign county, Ohio > Part 9
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47
Charles Oliver Taylor, the only living child of Oliver and Catherine (Caraway) Taylor, is a native of Champaign county, having been born on the parental farmstead in Concord township, on the 12th of August, 1852. He was reared under the sturdy and invigorating discipline of the farm and received his preliminary educational training in the public schools of the county, subsequently supplementing the same by a course of study in a business college in the city of Cincinnati. He began his independent career in that vocation to which he had been reared, engag- ing in farming and stock-raising in his native county. Later he became the owner of the Arrowsmith mills, three and one-half miles northwest of Urbana, and operated the same successfully for a number of years, while from 1879 to 1881 he did a notable and profitable business in the importing of high-grade draft horses from Scotland and in the breeding of this line of stock, having in the connection raised and owned the well known "Khedive." a horse of celebrity and one of the finest of its type ever bred in this country. For several years Mr. Taylor was engaged in the lumber business and the operation of a sawmill in Urbana, having removed from his farm to this city in 1891, and his was the distinction of having been the first manager of the Market Square Theatre, in Urbana. of which he thus had control for a period of three years, pre- senting a select line of attractions and proving a most discriminating amusement caterer, giving to the citizens of Urbana and the county the benefit of a very superior class of entertainments. For the past four years he has conducted a very successful retail hardware business in
134
CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.
Urbana, having a finely equipped establishment and securing a repre- sentative support. He became the owner of the same in September, 1898, and through his correct business methods and unmistakable reliability has built up a most gratifying and satisfactory trade, the enterprise being one of the most important of the sort in the county. Mr. Taylor served for eight years as a member of the National Guard of Ohio. and during seven years of this interval was incumbent of the office of lieutenant of his company, while he was in active service with his regiment during the riots in the city of Cincinnati, in 1883-4. In politics Mr. Taylor gives a stanch allegiance to the Republican party, but he has never had political ambition in a personal way and has never desired the honors or emolu- ments of public office. Fraternally he is identified with the Knights of Pythias, holding membership in Launcelott Lodge, No. 107. of Urbana.
On the 29th of March, 1876, Mr. Taylor was united in marriage to Miss Emma E. Downs, who was born in Champaign county, Ohio, the daughter of William and Cathrine Downs, and of this union three chil- dren have been born, namely : William, Vance and Goldie. William, who was born on the 26th of May, 1878, graduated in the high school of Urbana with the class of 1898. He afterward received a three years' course in eicetrical engineering in the Ohio State University, of Colum- bus, and he is now employed by the Westinghouse Electric and Manu- facturing Company, of Manchester, England. The second son, Vance. was born on the 10th of October, 1880, and he is also a graduate of the Urbana high school. During the past year he has been assisting his father, and in the fall it is his intention to enter the Ohio State Uni- versity.
JOHN HARLAN.
John Harlan, one of the commissioners of Champaign county. Ohio, was born in New Castle county, Delaware, May 3, 1832, a son of John and Lydia (Woodward) Harlan, natives of Chester county, Pennsyl-
135
CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.
vania. The genealogy of the family is authentically traced to two brothers, George and Michael, who, in 1687, left the home of their fore- fathers among the sheltering hills of Wales and for a time cast their fortunes with the scarcely improved prospects of Ireland. Intent upon yet broader chances, they came to America and settled on the Brandy- wine in Pennsylvania.
The parents of Mr. Harlan came to Champaign county in 1833. and in the spring of the following year made a permanent settlement in Rush township, where the father died in 1874, at the age of eighty, while the mother died in 1889, at the age of ninety. These pioneers in a strange state faithfully tilled their land and labored for the general well being of their locality, and at the same time reared a large family of .children, four of whom attained maturity. This same farm, with its associations of parental care and early struggles, is now owned by the commissioner of Champaign county. The father was a Democrat in political affiliation, and both he and his wife were reared in the Quaker faith.
The youth of John Harlan did not differ materially from that of the farmer boys whom he met at the district schools and at the little meeting house, but he acquired practical ideas of life and work, which later found vent in his individual management of the old homestead. In 1855 he married Lydia Margaret Runyon, daughter of Elias and Martha ( Crockett ) Runyon, the Runyons being natives of New Jersey. The Harrisons were related to the William Henry Harrison family, and the Crocketts were related to David Crockett. Mrs. Harlan's grand- father, John Runyon, was an early settler and prominent citizen of Champaign county, and for several years served as judge of the circuit court. He and his wife, Mary (Conkling) Runyon, were natives of New Jersey, and removed to Kentucky, and thence to Ohio in 1802,
136
CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.
settling in Union township, this county. The family is of Welsh descent.
During the Civil war Mr. Harlan served for one hundred and twenty days as a private in Company D. One Hundred and Thirty- fourth Ohio Volunteer Infantry, and since the war has been a member of the W. A. Brand Post, Grand Army of the Republic. Though re- markably successful as a farmer, and abreast of the times as to agri- cultural science and general improvements, he retired permanently from his old-time occupation in 1899 and took up his residence in Urbana. As a stanch Republican he has been foremost in the political affairs of the county for many years, and his first election as commissioner occurred in 1896, and he is now holding his second term in this important capacity. His service has been well received throughout, and he is cred- ited with possessing not only intelligent knowledge of the needs of the community but with absolute integrity in furthering the fulfillment of practical measures.
DANIEL W. RUTAN.
A representative of one of the prominent pioneer families of Cham- paign county, Daniel William Rutan has spent his entire life within its borders, so that his history is known to many of its citizens. His large circle of friends is an unmistakable evidence of a well spent life, and it is therefore with pleasure that we present his record to our read- 'ers as that of one of the leading and honored business men of the com- munity.
He was born in Goshen township, Champaign county. April 30, 1839. His paternal grandfather, Daniel Rutan, claimed Maryland as the state of his nativity. and he was one of the very early pioneers of this county, where he resided on a farm in Goshen township. He was
Denciel W. Kular.
139
CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.
twice married, his first union being with Mary Hazel, while for his second wife he chose Mary Riddle. Daniel M. Rutan, the father of our subject, also had his nativity in Goshen township, Champaign county, and for his wife he chose Hannah Colwell, a native of Rush town- ship. this county, where her father, John Colwell, had removed from New Jersey. After their marriage they took up their abode on a farm in Goshen township, where the father died before his son had reached the age of three years, but the mother, who was born in 1812, lived to the age of seventy-four years. They became the parents of two chil- dren, a son and a daughter, and the latter is the widow of George A. Rowinsky. She is a correspondent for the Urbana Citizen.
Daniel W. Rutan, the younger of the two children, received the advantages of a common-school education in his youth, and at the early age of eighteen years he started out in life to battle for himself. He first secured employment on the neighboring farms, and later he taught school until his labors were interrupted by the Civil war, when, in 1861, he enlisted for service in Company D, Thirteenth Ohio Volun- teer Infantry, entering the ranks as a private, and was soon promoted to the position of corporal, and at the close of his service, in 1864, was discharged with the rank of second lientenant. During his military career he took part in many of the hard-fought battles of the war, in- cluding those of Pittsburg Landing, Stone River, Chickamauga, and Missionary Ridge. Although he was ever in the thickest of the fight he was never wounded or captured, and he participated in every en- gagement in which the gallant Thirteenth took part up to the time of his discharge in 1864.
After his return home Mr. Rutan again took up the quiet duties of the farm. After his marriage he located on a small farm in this locality, but later he sold that tract and purchased a part of his present place. He is now the owner of two valuable farms in Champaign
140
CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.
county. consisting of three hundred and twenty-nine acres. During recent years, however, he has abandoned the raising of the cereals and has devoted his attention entirely to the stock business. He is an ex- tensive feeder of stock, and his efforts in this direction are meeting with success. His methods are in keeping with the progressive spirit of the times and his well improved property is a monument to his thrift and business ability.
On the Ist of September, 1864, occurred the marriage of Mr. Rutan and Miss Lucy A. Kimball. She is a native of Union county, Ohio, and was reared in both Union and Champaign counties. By her marriage to our subject she has become the mother of eight children, namely : Warren, who married Clara Gove and is a prominent farmer of Union township; Glen, who was first married to Nettie Doak, and for his present wife he chose Della McAdams; Hiram E., who is still unmarried and makes his home in Greene county, Ohio; Benjamin M., married Jennie Owen and is engaged in the creamery business at Marys- ville, Ohio; Mary, the wife of A. E. Bullard, a farmer of Goshen town- ship; Nellie, the wife of Dr. A. O. Whitaker, a practicing physician of South Charleston, Clark county, Ohio; David W., who is also in Greene county, and Martha D., at home. In politics Mr. Rutan is a Republi- can, and a member of Stephen Baxter Post, No. 88, G. A. R., in which he maintains pleasant relations with his old army comrades. He is widely known throughout Champaign county, many of his friends hay- ing been his associates from boyhood, and all respect and honor him for his genuine worth.
WILLIAM F. BAILAR.
As one reviews the history of the county and looks into the past to see who were prominent in its early development he will find that almost throughout the entire century the name of Bailar has been closely con-
141
CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.
nected with the progress and advancement of this section of the state. William F. Bailar is a native son of Champaign county, his birth occur- ring in Adams township March 24, 1852. His father, George W. Bailar, was born in the same locality on the 21st of October. 1825, and the lat- ter's father, Jolin Bailar, came to Champaign county from Pennsylvania, his native state, taking up his abode on a farm in Adams township. At that time only one other family resided in the township, and wild was the region into which he came. He secured a farm of one hundred and twenty-four acres, which he cleared and improved, and he soon became recognized as one of the leading citizens of the county. In his political views he was what is now called a Democrat. In this county he was married to Catherine Pence, who was a member of a prominent old fam- ily of Virginia, and they became the parents of nine children.
George W. Bailar, the third son in the above family, remained at home until his marriage, during which time he assisted his father in the arduous task of clearing and improving the home farm. In Adams township, about 1850, he was united in marriage to Julia A. Licklider, who was born in Virginia on the 18th of October. 1825, but when nine years of age, in 1834, she came with her parents to this county, the fam- ily locating on a farm in Johnson township, where she was reared and educated. She was a daughter of David and Catherine (Clem) Lick- lider. Six sons blessed the union of Mr. and Mrs. Bailar,-John David, William F., Sanders, George R .. Corey E. and Charles. Three of the sons, John David, Sanders and Charles, died in infancy, and all were born on the old homestead in Champaign county. The father of this family was a Democrat in his political views, and for several years he served his township as its trustee. In his social relations he was a men- ber of the Masonic fraternity, and religiously was a member of the Christian church, having assisted in the erection of its house of worship
142
CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.
at Carysville, and he was treasurer of the same for many years. He was called to his final rest in 1888, but is still survived by his widow.
William F. Bailar, whose name introduces this review, was reared in the township of his nativity, and to its public school system he is in- debted for the early educational privileges which he was permitted to enjoy. He remained at home until he was twenty-four years of age, assisting his father in clearing and cultivating the old homestead. In 1876 he was married, but still continued to live on the old homestead for seven years, during which time he followed farming. He then moved to a portion of his present farm, consisting of seventy-eight acres, but as the years have passed by he has been enabled to add to his original purchase until he is now the owner of one hundred and thirty- nine acres, most of which is under a fine state of cultivation. Like his father and grandfather, he upholds the principles of the Democracy, and for two terms he has served as a trustee of his township.
The marriage of Mr. Bailar was celebrated in 1876, when Miss Flora I. Newcomb became his wife. She is a native of Champaign county and is a daughter of Howell Newcomb, who was born in Adams township, this county, October 6, 1825. The latter's father, Joseph New- comb, came from New Jersey to this county, where he was among the very early pioneers. He located on a farm in Adams township. In this locality Howell Newcomb, the father of Mrs. Bailar, was married to Miss Eliza Johnson. a native of Adams township and a daughter of Walker Johnson, the first settler of Johnson township. He cleared and improved one hundred and sixty acres of land there, and was one of the influential citizen's of the community. He was a Democrat in his political views and was a member of the United Brethren church, in which he was an active worker, and assisted materially in the erection of its house of worship in Adams. Mr. and Mrs. Newcomb became the parents of six children,-Napoleon F., Hamilton G .. Sarah A .. Mary
143
CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.
Jane, Flora I. and Victoria. With the exception of the two last men- tioned all died when young. Three children have blessed the union of our subject and wife, namely: Victoria May, the wife of John E. Huffman, the proprietor of a creamery in this county; Enda C., the wife of Clyde Stevenson, a farmer of Adams township; and Goldie M. The two eldest were born on the old Bailar homestead, and the youngest was born on our subject's present farm. In his social relations Mr. Bailer is a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and the Anti- Horsethief Association. both of Rosewood. He is a member of the Christian church at Carysville, in which he has long served as treasurer and as a deacon, and for a long period was superintendent of the Sunday- school.
CHARLES BRELSFORD.
This honored veteran of the Civil war is now a resident of Saint Paris, Ohio. A true patriot and devoted citizen in both times of peace and war, he merits the high regard which is universally bestowed upon him. He was born near Madison, Wisconsin, November 20, 1846, and is a son of William and Hannah ( Scott) Brelsford. In a very early day the Brelsford family removed from New Jersey to Montgomery county, Ohio, and in a small town in that county the father of our subject was reared to mature years and there followed pump-making. In an early day he came to Champaign county, where for several years he followed the same occupation near Lena. He was there married to Hannah, a daughter of Asa and Mary ( White) Scott. The Scotts were also mein- bers of a prominent New Jersey family, but in an early day they left their eastern home for the Buckeye state, taking up their abode near Lena, Champaign county. There the father died on the old homestead
144
CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.
farm in 1864, after reaching the Psalmist's span of three score years and ten. He followed the tilling of the soil as a life occupation. Unto Mr. and Mrs. Scott were born four children, namely: Hannah. now Mrs. Brelsford; Harvey Y., who died in Faribault, Minnesota, in 1901; James G., who died near that city in 1896; and Jasper. James G. and Harvey G. were among the "forty-niners" who crossed the continent to seek the treasures of the Golden state, making the overland trip, and after leaving the Pacific coast they settled in Minnesota.
After his marriage Mr. Brelsford continued to reside in Champaign county until the early '4os, when he removed with his family to Wiscon- sin, locating on government land near Madison, and there he followed agricultural pursuits in connection with pump-making until his death, in 1849. After his demise Mr. Scott went to Wisconsin and with a team and wagon brought Mrs. Brelsford and her children to Champaign county, where they made their permanent home near Saint Paris. The children born unto Mr. and Mrs. Brelsford were: Caroline, the widow of Edward Flowers: Sarah, who became the wife of A. E. Pond; Phoebe, who was first married to J. T. Northcott and afterward to Simeon Pence, and she is now a widow; Harrison: Asa: Mary E., the wife of Ira Poffenberger, of Urbana: Emma, the wife of Henry Gibbs ; and Charles. Mrs. Brelsford still survives her husband and is living in Saint Paris, in the eighty-fourth year of her age. For fifty years she has been a devoted member of the Baptist church.
Charles Brelsford, of this review, received butt limited educational advantages during his youth, as he was only permitted to attend the public schools during the short winter months, while during the sum- mer season he assisted in the work of the home farm. In 1862 he enlisted for three months' service in the Civil war, entering the service as a member of Company H. Eighty-sixth Ohio Volunteer Infantry, and during the term of his enlistment was engaged in guarding the Balti-
145
CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.
more & Ohio Railroad through West Virginia. The regiment was dis- banded at Delaware, Ohio, and for the following year Mr. Brelsford re- mained at home, working on his grandfather's farm. In January, 1864. he re-enlisted, entering Company L. Eighth Ohio Volunteer Cavalry, and his first service in that command was under General Hunter in the Lynchburg raid in Virginia. After participating in the battles of Lynchburg and Liberty he, with a part of his regiment, was transferred to the Shenandoah valley, under the command of General Averill, where he remained until November, 1864. He participated in the hard-fought battle of Winchester and was much on detached service as a scout. In November, 1864, the two sections of his regiment were reunited at Beverly, West Virginia, where they were engaged in picket duty until the IIth of January, 1865, when General Rosseau made an attack on that city and captured about four hundred and eighty soldiers, including the Eighth Ohio Cavalry. The prisoners were taken to Richmond, Virginia, and the journey to Libby prison was a most trying one, the weather being cold and rainy, and icicles often clung to their clothing. They were obliged to wade all the rivers on the route, and for three days Mr. Brelsford was without food, after which he was given a small piece of fat pork, which he ate raw. They were incarcerated in Libby prison until the 17th of February, when they were exchanged, and our subject returned home on a thirty-days' furlough. On the expiration of that period he returned to Philippi, West Virginia, where a part of his regi- ment was stationed, and at Clarksburg. Virginia, it was mustered out of service in August, 1865, our subject leaving the ranks as a corporal. His brother Asa also enlisted for service in 1861, becoming a member of Company A, Second Ohio Volunteer Infantry, in which he served for three years. During a part of enlistment he was on detached service as a blacksmith, and he was honorably discharged in 1864. Mr. Brels- ford. of this review, took with him into the service a small pocket Bible,
146
CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.
with his name and regiment inscribed on the fly-leaf, but the Bible was lost at the battle of Lynchburg. Thirty-four years after that engage- ment he received a communication from the commander at the govern- ment arsenal at Augusta, Georgia, stating that a lady there residing had in her possession a Bible found on the battlefield of Lynchburg and bearing Mr. Brelsford's name. The latter was located through the pen- sion department and he received his Bible.
After his return to civil life Mr. Brelsford located at Millerstown, Champaign county, and in that city and also in Bowlusville and Saint Paris he was engaged at the blacksmith's trade for a time, spending seventeen years in the last named place. For the following three years he was engaged in agricultural pursuits in Champaign county, on the expiration of which period he removed to Shelby county. Ohio, and from that time until 1890 he there followed the tilling of the soil. After his return to Champaign county he was first engaged in the imple- ment business with a Mr. Kite, which relationship was maintained for five years, and since that time during the winter months he has been en- gaged in the poultry business. For a time he was engaged in that enterprise with the late Mr. Cline at Jackson Center, and previously he was associated with a Mr. Riker in Saint Paris. He owns a tract of one hundred and fourteen acres in Champaign county.
In the year 1868 Mr. Brelsford was united in marriage to Mary E. Hanback, and four children were born of that union. The eldest. D. Orrin, is a popular and successful teacher in the public schools of Saint Paris, and is also president of the teachers' examining board. The second son, Millard, is the pastor of the First Baptist church at Urbana, Ohio. He is a graduate of the Saint Paris high school, of the Granville College, of the Rochester, New York. Theological School, and was ordained to the ministry in June, 1900. Asa and Sarah are both de- ceased. The family are members of the Baptist church of Saint Paris,
MR. AND MRS JOHN GOUL.
149
CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.
of which Mr. Brelsford is one of the charter members and for many years he has held office therein. His political support is given to the Republican party, and while residing in Shelby county he held the office of trustee. In his fraternal relations he is a member of Saint Paris Lodge. No. 246, I. O. O. F., and also of Scott Post. No. III, G. A. R .. of which he has served as commander. He is truly an honored hero of the Civil war. During his army career he was imprisoned and suffered much from privations and exposure, yet he was always found faithful to the duties imposed upon him, and at all times he is a loyal citizen, true to the interests of county, state and nation.
JOHN GOUL.
John Goul, who resides on the Mechanicsburg and Bellefontaine pike, was born in Union township. Champaign county, on the 6th of February, 1832. His father, Christian Goul, was a native of Rock- bridge county, Virginia, where he was born on the 6th of September, 1804. In 1817, when thirteen years of age, he came with his parents to Champaign county. His father. Adam Goul, was born near Frank- fort. Germany, in 1761, a son of Frederick Goul, also a native of the fatherland, and he died at sea while on his way to America. Adam Goul came to America in 1763, and during the latter part of the Revo- lutionary war he served as a teamster therein. He was married to Miss Elizabeth Lutz, who was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 1773. and after their marriage they moved to Rockbridge county, Virginia, where they made their home until 1817. In that year they came to Champaign county, locating in Goshen township. about two miles north of Mechanicsburg, where they cleared and improved a farm. They be-
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.