USA > Ohio > Crawford County > A centennial biographical history of Crawford County, Ohio > Part 68
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WILLIAM MORROW.
Holding marked prestige among the prominent agriculturists of Craw- ford county is William Morrow, who was born in Auburn township, this county, on the 13th of June, 1832, a son of James and Margaret (Kumler) Morrow. The father was born in Crawford county, Pennsylvania, in 1809, a son of Charles and Mary (Cummings) Morrow, also natives of the Key- stone state. In 1817 they came to Crawford county, Ohio, locating in Auburn township, having been the third family to settle in this locality. The grand- father was a powerful man physically, and to him the word fear was unknown.
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The Indians stood in constant dread of him, and on one occasion he ran six of them from his house with a wagon whip, while at another time, the Indians having stolen some of his horses, he pursued them on horseback, and when they saw him coming with his rifle in hand they abandoned the horses and fled. His death occurred in 1865, having been of Irish descent. Unto Charles and Mary ( Cummings) Morrow were born the following children: Davis, who served as postmaster and justice of the peace of Tiro for many years; James, the father of our subject; Nancy, who became the wife of James Dixon; Eliza, the wife of Walter Dleen, one of the early pioneers of Crawford county ; and Mary J., the wife of Barber Robinson. Unto the parents of our subject were born four children,-William, James, Charles and John. The father died in 1875. In political matters he gave his support to the Demo- cratic party.
William Morrow, whose name introduces this review, was reared to man- hood on the home farm, and his education was acquired in the pioneer log school house of the neighborhood. He remained at home until after his mar- riage, when he purchased and located on seventy-four acres of his present farm. He afterward purchased the eighty acres of land where William Ben- der now resides, where he conducted a tavern for four years, and after re- siding on that property for ten years he sold the tract and purchased four hundred acres of land in Auburn township. He also spent ten years on that property, on the expiration of which period he disposed of the land and re- turned to his original purchase of seventy-four acres, where he now makes his home.
In October, 1859, occurred the marriage of Mr. Morrow and Miss Lucy A. Trux, a daughter of Michael Trux, who emigrated to Richland county, Ohio, locating in Plymouth before a stick of the native timber had been cut from the forest there. Unto this union were born four children,-Abraham, a prominent agriculturist of Auburn township; William, who owns four hun- dred acres of land at Round Lake, Minnesota ; Davis and James, also residents of this township. The wife and mother died, and for his second wife our subject chose Nancy Loudon, a daughter of James Loudon, who came to Auburn township, Crawford county, from Pennsylvania, in a very early day. Two children were born unto the second union, namely: Frank, who makes his home in Crawford county; and Minnie M., the wife of Hays Mallic, of Auburn township. Mr. Morrow has been a third time married, when Mary Lipsett became his wife, but after four years of happy married life she, too, was called to the home beyond. In politics Mr. Morrow supports the Demo-
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cratic party, and socially he is a member of Auburn Grange, No. 556, P. of H. He has now rounded the sixty-ninth milestone on the journey of life, and during this entire time he has been identified with the interests of the Buckeye state. At all times he has endeavored to promote the best interests of this section of the country, and high on the roll of the honored men of Crawford county is found the name of this worthy pioneer.
CHARLES MORROW.
Charles Morrow 'has long been a conspicuous figure in agricultural circles in Crawford county. He was born on the farm which he still owns, in Auburn township, on the 15th of May, 1839, a son of James and Margaret ( Kumler) Morrow. He was reared to manhood on the old family homestead, being early inured to the labors of field and meadow, and his educational advantages were those afforded by the pioneer schools of that day. On reaching his twenty- first year he was employed by a Mr. Hodge, of Connecticut, to assist in driving cattle to that state. He made the return trip and started on a second, but after making a portion of the journey he returned, and on the Ist of January, 1863, was united in marriage with Miss Savina Nickler, a native of Somerset county, Pennsylvania, and a daughter of Benjamin and Nancy (Nicholson) Nickler. The father, who was a native of Germany, came to America with his mother and stepfather when fourteen years of age, his father, who was of French parentage, having died in the fatherland. The family located in Fay- ette county, Pennsylvania, where Benjamin grew to manhood and learned the trade of a tailor. After his marriage he located in Somerset county, his wife's native place, and there divided his time between farming and working at the tailor's trade. In 1863 he emigrated to Crawford county, Ohio, locating in Liberty township, where he followed farming during the remainder of his life, passing away in death in 1864, at the age of fifty-five years. His widow sur- vived him thirty years, dying at the advanced age of eighty years and ten days. At the time of her marriage Mrs. Morrow was residing with a sister, Mrs. Anna Eicher, in Auburn township, and by her marriage with our subject she has become the mother of three children, namely: Martha Ann, wife of W. J. Cleland, who resides on the old Arthur Cleland farm in this county; Ida E., the wife of Frank Will, who now makes his home on Mr. Morrow's farm: and Mary J., the wife of Orin Lake, a prominent agriculturist of Auburn township.
After their marriage Mr. and Mrs. Morrow began their domestic life in
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a little log cabin on one hundred and sixty acres of land which belonged to his father and where his brother William now resides, and there he followed agricultural pursuits for two years, receiving the entire profits from the farm. On the expiration of that period he returned to the old home farm on which he was born, and on his father's death he inherited the property, making his home thereon until 1885. In 1883 he purchased four and a half acres of land in the city of Tiro, and two years later he retired from the active duties of farm life and took up his abode in this city. He has since rebuilt his residence, making it one of the finest in the town, and there he and his wife are now living, surrounded by the comforts and many of the luxuries of life, the result of former toil. In political matters Mr. Morrow is identified with the Democratic party, and socially he is a member of Tiro Lodge, No. 688, I. O. O. F., of which he has been a member for twenty years. In his business affairs he has met with splendid success, and by reason of his energy, ambition and careful discrimination he has been very successful, being now regarded as one of the foremost men of his locality. A man of unswerving integrity and honor, one who has a perfect appreciation of the higher ethics of life, he has gained and retained the confidence and respect of his fellow men, and is distinctively one of the leading citizens of Crawford county, with whose inter- ests he has been identified for so many years.
FRANCIS M. LASH. 1
Among the highly esteemed farmer citizens of Crawford county, Ohio, is Francis M. Lash, who was born in Auburn township, in this county, on the farm which he now occupies, on January 23, 1848. He was a son of Peter and Mary ( Fredline) Lash, who were pioneer settlers of Crawford county, and of whom extended mention is made in the biography of Peter B. Lash in another part of this volume.
Francis M. Lash was the youngest of the family born to his parents, and when his father died, at the age of forty-three, the hard labor of the farm fell upon his sons. The older brothers of our subject first managed the farm, while the latter grew to manhood and acquired his education in the public schools, and in 1870, when his next older brother left the home roof, the re- sponsibility fell upon him. As his circumstances warranted, our subject grad- ually purchased the interests of the other heirs, and by 1885 he had obtained entire control of the homestead, consisting of one hundred and three acres.
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Mr. Lash is a thorough farmer and has brought his land to a fine state of cul- tivation, its value increasing year by year.
The marriage of Mr. Lash was on November 15, 1874, to Miss Almira Crum, a native of Pennsylvania and a daughter of David Crum, who was an old and honored resident of Liberty township, and a sketch of whom appears upon another page of this record. In politics Mr. Lash now supports the Republican party, but for several years he worked diligently for the Prohibi- tion party and at different times was a candidate on that ticket. His interest in the cause of temperance has not diminished, but he believes that the Re- publican party can best adjust the issues of the people. Both Mr. Lash and wife are active and useful members of the United Brethren church, in which his parents were so deeply interested, and for many years he has been one of the trustees, and is one of its most liberal contributors to both home and for- eign missions. Mr. Lash stands high in public esteem and is known to be a man of sterling character and unimpeachable integrity.
GEORGE WEAVER.
Among the prominent citizens of Crawford county, Ohio, George Weaver, of Auburn township, takes a leading position. The birth of Mr. Weaver was in Germany, a country which has contributed a large number of substantial citizens to America. Baden was the native city of Mr. Weaver, and there he was born on June 15, 1831, a member of a family of seven children born to his parents, Frederick and Mary MI. ( Brimley) Weaver. Two of this family are the only survivors, these being our subject and his sister Catherine, who, is the wife of John Zabst, of Steuben county, Indiana.
Both Frederick Weaver and wife were born in Baden, and there they were reared and married, later becoming farmers. When our subject was but six months old his father died and the mother, with her family, emigrated to the United States, coming to Ohio and buying eighty acres of land in what was then a part of Richland county, but is now included in Crawford county. This land was located about one mile west of our subject's present farm, and was placed under the management of her eldest son, who had reached ma- turity. This son died some eight years later, perishing from foul gas in a well. the gas overcoming another young man who went to his assistance. The mother continued to reside on this farm for a number of years, finally selling it and spending her last days with her children and dying early in the '70s,
41
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aged about eighty-five years, having been a good mother and an excellent manager.
George Weaver, of this sketch, grew to the age of fourteen years, spend- ing his time on the farm and in attendance at the pioneer school, where the conveniences and adornments consisted in slab benches and puncheon floor. By the time our subject was fourteen his mother broke up her home and he went to make his residence with a neighbor by the name of Jacob Cruykendall, and remained with him until he had reached his majority. Then our subject began his own career, working as a farm hand until his marriage. This took place on March 19, 1857, when he was united in marriage to Miss Katy A. Aumund, who was a native of this township and was a daughter of Adam Aumund.
After marriage Mr. and Mrs. Weaver located on a portion of Mr. Cruy- kendall's farm, where our subject carried on one summer's operations, on shares. Prior to his marriage he had purchased eighty acres of land in Inliana, but Mrs. Weaver did not feel inclined to go so far from her old home and friends, and our subject respected her desires and exchanged that land for seventy acres of his present farm, and in the fall of 1857 they removed to this new home. An earlier settler had built a log cabin and the young people soon made it cosy and comfortable, and this remained their residence for a number of years, Mr. Weaver later enlarging it. In 1874 he erected the substantial frame house where the family has since resided. The high cultivation to which Mr. Weaver has brought his land proves him a skilled farmer. It con- tains one hundred acres and has excellent improvements and presents a most attractive and thrifty appearance.
Three children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Weaver, these being: Henry, at home, and Clara B. and Royal, both deceased. In politics Mr. Weaver has been a life-long Republican, and the esteem in which he is held by his fellow citizens has been shown by his election to the office of township trustee for three terms. Both Mr. and Mrs. Weaver, as well as their son, belong to the Methodist church, where our subject is recording steward and where he is held in the highest esteem.
Mrs. Weaver was a daughter of Adam, Jr., and Susannah ( Harley) Aumund, the former of whom was born in Lancaster county, Pennsylvania, in 1799, and was a son of Adam and Christina Aumund. Soon after coming to Richland county, when a young man, he was married and located on a farm of eighty acres adjoining his father's home farm, the latter having made pro- vision for his sons by entering four tracts of eighty acres each. Mr. Au-
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mund lived on this farm all his life, adding to it until he had two hundred and thirty acres. He was a man of much influence in his district and was a power in the councils of the Democratic party, serving several years as a just- ice of the peace, township truste and in other local offices, and was also an active member of the Methodist church. His death occurred in 1879, in his eightieth year. After the death of the mother of Mrs. Weaver, her father mar- ried, first, Nancy Harley, and by that marriage one son, Riley W., was born, since deceased; and Mr. Aumund's next marriage was to Mrs. Runyan, for- merly Miss Prudence West, and his last marriage was to Mrs. Vincent, who was formerly Miss Mary Davidson. Seven children survive, these being : Henry ; Samuel; Mary E .; Mrs. Weaver; George W .; Mary A., the wife of R. R. Ross, of this township ; and Henderson P.
SAMUEL A. STOCK.
Samuel A. Stock is one of the leading and influential men of the township in which he was born. His birth occurred on August 14, 1850. in Auburn township, Crawford county, Ohio, and he was a son of John and Christina (Schaffer) Stock, who reared a family of twelve children, six of whom still survive. These are as follows: George W., a resident of Cranberry town- ship; Samuel A., the subject of this sketch; Jennie, the wife of George Hart, of this township; Elvira, the wife of Frank Morse, of Cincinnati, Ohio; Sabine, the wife of Abner McCane, of New Washington, Ohio; and Eva, the wife of Charles Urich, of Cranberry township.
John Stock was born in Pennsylvania and came with his parents in his youth to Richland county, Ohio, where he married and then moved to Auburn township, Crawford county, where he owned an eighty-acre farm. Some time later he sold this farm and returned to Richland county and engaged in farming on the home place. His wife purchased a farm of one hundred and ten acres in Crawford county from her brother-in-law, and some years later exchanged this farm for the one which is now owned by her son George, and there her last years were spent. John Stock was a soldier during the Civil war, and was a member of the One Hundred and Sixtieth Ohio Volunteer In- fantry, and was sent to the front, the privation and exposure bringing on dysentery, from which he died in Philadelphia, and there he was buried.
Our subject grew to manhood amid home surroundings, and obtained an excellent school education in the district schools. He remained at home until he was twenty-six years old, managing his mother's property, and then
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was married to Miss Adelia L. Morse, who was also born in Auburn township. She was a daughter of Amos and Mehetable ( Carlisle) Morse, the former of whom was one of the most influential men in the neighborhood. In his earlier years he was a teacher, but before his death followed agriculture on one hun- dred and sixty acres of land. In politics he was a Republican, and he held the office of justice of the peace for the last twenty years of his life. He was a member of the Baptist church and a man of more than average intelligence, and was the father of three children, viz. : Frank R., Adelia and Amanda, twins.
After marriage our subject rented a farm of one hundred and fourteen acres in Cranberry township, where he remained some two years, removing then to his father-in-law's farm, which he has managed ever since. At the death of Mr. Morse he was made executor, and his esteemed mother-in-law resides with our subject and family. Six children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Stock, and the five survivors are: Otis M., who is a graduate of the Linwood high school and the Woodward high school, of Cincinnati; and Ira W., Charles A., Irma A. and Harold M., all of whom are at home except Ira, who is employed in the tube works in Shelby, Ohio. The one member of the family who is deceased was Olive E.
In politics our subject is a member of the Democraitc party, and he has been quite active in township affairs, serving four terms as assessor. At one time he was made a candidate by his friends for the office of trustee, but he never desired the office and did not work for it, and he was defeated by just one vote. In the order of K. of P. Mr. Stock has been a valued and useful member of Tiro Lodge, No. 592. He is one of the charter members of this lodge and has done much for its advancement. In the township he occupies a position of confidence and trust, and is regarded as one of the progressive and public-spirited citizens who are ever on the alert to advance the interests of Crawford county.
WILLIAM DAWSON.
Among the progressive and representative farmers of Crawford county, Ohio, is William Dawson, who for many years has been a very successful agriculturist of Auburn township. The birth of Mr. Dawson, of this biog- raphy, was in Lincolnshire, England, near the town of Boston, on December 13, 1835. He was a son of William and Susan ( Courtright ) Dawson, and is the only surviving child of his parents.
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William Dawson was born also in Lincolnshire, in 1800, and after the death of his wife, some time after 1840, he came to America and located in Crawford county, Ohio, where he bought a farm of fifty acres, in Auburn township. At a later date he purchased an adjoining thirty acres, and this he improved and lived upon until his death, in 1858. Mr. Dawson was a man of high moral purpose and a most consistent member of the Primitive Metho- dist church. In England he had been a local preacher and exhorter in the church, and always lived an exemplary life. After coming to America he con- tracted a second marriage, Miss Mary Gibson becoming his second wife, and she survived her husband for some years.
After the death of the mother of our subject, when he was about seven or eight years of age, he found a comfortable home with an uncle, Samuel Dawson, and young William remained with him until his eighteenth year. This uncle was an extensive farmer and successful stock-raiser, and under his supervision our subject became well trained in all agricultural pursuits. This severe discipline served our subject well in after life, as he applied on his own land the principles which his uncle had taught, and now owns one of the best developed and valuable farms in Crawford county.
Jn 1853 Mr. Dawson, our subject, came to America, landing in New York City on May 11, 1853, after a tempestuous voyage, in the sailing vessel "Forest King," which lasted forty-seven days. In the furious storm they en- countered the vessel was stripped of her canvas and was almost wrecked. It was with a feeling of great relief that Mr. Dawson found himself again on firm land, and he immediately made his way to his father in Crawford county. With him he engaged in farming, and on January 6, 1857, was united in mar- riage to Miss Rebecca J. Doty, who was a native of Ashland county, Ohio, and a daughter of a prominent farmer of Ashland county. In the following summer our subject took charge of the farm, and as his father died during the next year the property came into his possession.
In 1862 our subject purchased one hundred and fifty-one acres of land in Ashland county, with the intention of moving to that place, but just at this time came a family affliction,-the death of a dear child, and Mrs. Dawson felt unable in her trouble to leave old friends and associations. Therefore, in 1864 Mr. Dawson sold this farm and purchased his present one, which con- sists of one hundred and eighty acres, and resided upon it, improving and beautifying it, until about 1887, when he rented it to his son-in-law and retired to Plymouth. In 1890 Mrs. Dawson died. Five years later Mr. Dawson returned to his farm, having been married on June 28, 1896, to Miss Dora
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Doty, who was a native of Ashland county, and she was a daughter of James Doty, also of that county. To his former marriage five children were born, as follows : Ada A., deceased ; Elmer Lincoln, a farmer of Richland county ; Effe R., the wife of Howard Clark, a farmer of Richland county : Emma R., the wife of Andrew Trobridge, of Chicago; and Ida May, who resides with her sister Effie.
In politics Mr. Dawson is numbered among the stanch Republicans of Auburn township. Socially he is a valued member of the Auburn Grange, Patrons of Husbandry, while he has long been one of the leading members of the Methodist church, in which he is a steward. His farm shows the personal care and attention that has been given it and is an example of what skilled farming can accomplish. He is one of the highly respected citizens of this locality and is well and favorably known over a wide section.
THOMAS B. ENDSLOW.
The history of mankind is replete with illustrations of the fact that it is only under the pressure of adversity and the stimulus of opposition that the best and strongest in men are brought out and developed. Perhaps the his- tory of no people so forcibly impresses one with this truth as the annals of our own republic. If anything can inspire the youth of our country to persistent, honest and laudable endeavor it should be the life record of such men as he of whom we write. The example of the illustrious few of our countrymen, who have risen from obscurity to the highest positions in the gift of the nation, serves often to awe our young men rather than inspire them to emulation, because they reason that only a few can ever attain such eminence; but the history of such men as Thomas B. Endslow proves conclusively that with a reasonable amount of mental and physical power success is bound eventually to crown the endeavor of those who have the ambition to put forth their best efforts and the will and manliness to persevere therein.
Thomas B. Enslow was born in Lykens township, Crawford county, May 6. 1850, and is a son of William and Eliza (Junk ) Endslow, of whose family of eight children five are yet living. The Endslows are of English lineage. William Endslow, the paternal grandfather of our subject, was a native of the Merrie Isle, but when a young man crossed the briny deep to the new world, settling in Juniata county, Pennsylvania, where he followed farming. His wife was Mrs. Margaret Endslow, and among their children was William Endslow, Jr., whose birth occurred in Juniata county, in 1803. In his youth
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he learned the trade of wagon-making, and when he had attained his majority he chose as a companion and helpmate for the journey of life Miss Eliza Junk. In 1831, accompanied by his wife and one child, who was born in the Keystone state, he made his way to Ohio, settling in Richland county, near Shelby, which was then a small hamlet of two houses and a blacksmith shop. He there erected a wagon-maker's shop, but after two or three years came to Crawford county and purchased eighty acres of land in Lykens township, turning his attention to agricultural pursuits. The journey thither was made by way of New Wash- ington, which was also in the period of inception, containing but two dwellings. Mr. Endslow and his brother-in-law erected his first residence of poles, the house being twelve by eighteen feet. It was completed in a day and at once fur- nished shelter for the family. Later they covered the poles with clapboards on the front and sides and plastered the house with straw and mud. This served as the family residence for only a year or two, after which Mr. Endslow erected a substantial hewed-log house. He made his home until his death, which oc- curred in 1876, upon the farm which he there developed. but in the meantime he erected four other houses, the last being a commodious frame residence, erected some time in the '50s. His wild land was transformed into richly cultivated fields that brought to him golden harvests in return for his plowing and planting. In his political views he was a Democrat and in religious faith was first a Presbyterian, but afterward became a member of the Seceders church. During the many years of his residence upon his farm he devoted much of his time to his trade, and thus the care of the fields developed largely upon his children. The five surviving members of the family are : Margaret, who is now living in Crawford county, Kansas ; William, a miller of Columbus, Ohio; Samuel; Eliza, now the wife of R. K. Williams, an agriculturist of Seneca county ; and Thomas B.
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