USA > Ohio > Hancock County > A centennial biographical history of Hancock County, Ohio > Part 9
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A. J. FISHER.
We have here a gentleman who has for long years been intimately con- nected with the development of Hancock county, in which he was born in Cass township, February 19, 1849. He is at the present time residing at Findlay, having by thrift and business sagacity been able to acquire a com- petence. He is a son of John and Katherine A. (Dunlap) Fisher, both of whom were natives of Lancaster county, Pennsylvania, and came to Hancock county about 1835, where they located in Cass township, buying eighty acres with very little cleared. They continued to reside on this farm, which they gradually brought under a high state of cultivation, and upon which they made many substantial improvements. John Fisher is remembered as an
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exceedingly social, kind hearted man, a Democrat in politics, though not taking much part in public life. He was married in 1827 to the lady above mentioned, and to them were born fifteen children, only four of whom are now living, James W., Vincent, Joseph L., and our subject, A. J. Fisher. The father of the family died on the 2d of June, 1864, mourned by a large circle of friends. His wife continued to live a widow until her death in Au- gust, 1872.
A. J. Fisher passed the period of his adolesence on the farmi with his parents, conning his lessons in the primitive log school house of that day. He later finished his literary education at the Findlay high school. Here he applied himself with such diligence that he was able to enter the teaching profession and in 1868 taught his first school in Washington township. For a period of fifteen years he continued to teach during the winter, giving his at- tention to agricultural pursuits in the summer. He, however, in 1882, aban- doned the teaching profession entirely and since that time has given his undi- vided attention to farming. He made his first purchase of real estate in 1875, buying sixty acres in Allen township. He subsequently added to this sixty, which he continued to improve and beautify until he had one of the finest prop- erties in Hancock county. During his active life in the community he held the offices of assessor, school director, councilman and infirmary director. He never shrank from giving his time and talent to the furtherance of the best interests of his county. His marriage occurred in 1872, when, on the 19th of November, he was joined to Miss Martha E. Hart. This lady was the daugh- ter of Cyrus and Elizabeth Hart, and has borne him two children, Ottis W., born April 19, 1874, and Lizzy M., born October 28, 1879, now Mrs. John E. Betts, her husband being a leading young attorney of Findlay. The son, Ottis W. Fisher, was united in marriage on the 23d of March, 1898, to Miss May, the accomplished daughter of Henry and Susana George, and they have one daughter, Gertrude L., born September 10, 1901. Mrs. Fisher, who was born November 13, 1847, and died November 1, 1902, was a member of one of the old pioneer families of the county, which will be found mentioned else- where in this volume. Her parents located in Portage township in 1836, bought eighty acres of land on which they lived about fifteen years, and then exchanged it for one hundred and sixty acres in Allen township. Cyrus Hart is remembered as a practical farmer, and a good neighbor. In 1887 he sold his farm and removed to Findlay, where he died March 3, 1891. This re- moval was caused by the death of his wife, which occurred July 27, 1887. These parents were both consistent members of the Methodist Episcopal church, in which Mr. Hart was a very active member, having served many
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years as a class leader. Their family numbered eleven children, of whom the six now living are Rachel, Mary J., Izabelle, Eli R., Parley C. and John W.
A. J. Fisher has always been prominently identified with the material interests of Hancock county, and is remembered as having been president of the company which opened the oil field north of Findlay. This company, which opened the first oil well, was afterward absorbed by the Ohio Oil Com- pany. Mr. Fisher is one of the esteemed citizens of Hancock county, whose efforts during a useful career have added to the general prosperity.
JAMES WILLIAMSON.
The family to which the above named belongs can show a creditable rec- ord both in civil and military life, as it has been well represented in two of the country's wars. Aaron Williamson, grandfather of our subject, was a soldier in the war of 1812, and two of his descendants upheld the flag during the great rebellion of 1861-5, which threatened destruction both to the Union and lib- erty itself. Peter and Rachel (Pinkerton) Williamson may justly be consid- ered pioneers of Hanccok county, as they arrived in 1832 when but little im- provement had been made in that part of the state, and agriculture, especially, was in a decidedly raw and backward state. Peter was born in Pickaway county, March 19, 1816, but his wife was a Pennsylvanian, and after their ar- rival they located in what is now Jackson township. The father died Septem- ber 3, 1890, and the mother January 9, 1878, after becoming the parents of six children, of whom four are now living. James Williamson, the eldest, was born in Findlay township, Hancock county, Ohio, June 24, 1837, obtained his education at the schools of the vicinage and was trained to do farm work during his growing years. Shortly after reaching manhood the Civil war was raging and he determined to take his part in the great work of saving the Union. For this purpose he enlisted in August, 1862, as a private in Company G, Ninety-ninth Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry, for the three years' service in the Western army. He took part in all the battles in which his regi- ment was called on to engage, and bore himself with that fortitude, self- denial and obedience to orders that characterized the soldiers of the great struggle between the states. He was discharged with an excellent record and no demerit marks against him in the summer of 1865, after all serious hostilities terminated. His father was also one of the heroes of the mighty conflict, and served in Company D, same regiment in which his son was en- listed. Mr. Williamson returned home immediately after obtaining his re-
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lease from the army and lost no time in renewing his acquaintance with farm work. His first purchase of real estate was made in Putnam county, where, in 1865, he secured a farm of forty acres and cultivated the same for the next four years. At the end of that period he sold all his belongings in Putnam county and moved over to Hancock county, spending one year at Findlay and the next four years at other places without obtaining a permanent location. In 1887 he found a place to suit him in Blanchard township, where he bought the sixty-four acres which he has since cultivated and which constitute his present homestead. Mr. Williamson is a general farmer, confining himself to raising the standard cereal crops and sufficient stock for domestic purposes, but not atempting anything in the "fancy" line.
In 1861 Mr. Williamson was united in marriage with Miss Azubah D., daughter of Steven and Betsey Smith, and they had scarcely passed their honeymoon when he went to the front in obedience to his country's call. They had the unusually large family of fourteen children and succeeded in raising eleven to maturity, their names being Francis M., Peter, Alexander, Jasper, Eddy, Nancy J., Mary, William, James, Alice and Benjamin H. Mrs. Will- iamson, the mother of this interesting family, is a native of Blanchard town- ship, where her birth occurred in 1844. Mr. Williamson takes a natural pride in all things relating to the Civil war and its surviving veterans, with whom he renews relations and recalls old times as a member of Engle Post IIO, Grand Army of the Republic. He is a stanch Republican, having cast his first presidential vote for Abraham Lincoln in 1860 and voted the Repub- lican ticket ever since.
JAMES A. BOPE.
From whatever viewpoint assumed, it must be acknowledged that the lawyer is a pre-eminent factor in all affairs of private concern and national importance. The man versed in the laws of the country, as distinguished from business men or politicians, has been a recognized power. He has been depended upon to conserve the best and permanent interests of the whole people, and without him and his practical judgment the efforts of the states- man and the industry of the business man and mechanic would prove futile. The reason is not far to seek. The professional lawyer is never the creature of circumstance. The profession is open to talent, and no definite prestige or success can be attained save by indomitable energy, perseverance, patience and strong mentality. Among the representative members of the bar of Hancock county is Colonel Bope, who has been engaged in the practice of
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his profession in the city of Findlay for two score years and whose is the added distinction of having rendered the valiant service of a true son of the republic when the integrity of the nation was menaced by armed rebellion. His life has been one of signal honor and usefulness, he has high rank in his profession and he has so lived as to gain and retain the confidence and esteem of his fellow men. It is certainly consistent that a review of his career be incorporated in a work of the province assigned to this publication.
James A. Bope is a native of Ohio, having been born in Winchester, Adams county, on the 30th of November, 1833. His parents removed to Lancaster in 1838, and there he received his preliminary educational disci- pline, after which he was matriculated in Wittenberg College, at Springfield, Ohio, where he was graduated as a member of the class of 1855. There has been no element of vacillation in his nature, and thus it was to be expected that he would early form definite plans as to his course in life. He began reading law in Lancaster, being a close and assiduous student and so rapidly advanc- ing in his technical knowledge as to secure admission to the bar of the state in 1857. He served his novitiate as a practitioner in Lancaster, where he re- mained until 1859, when he came to Findlay, where he has ever since main- tained his home and where by his life and services he has added to the dig- nity of the bar of the state.
In 1861 Colonel Bope had been elected prosecuting attorney of the county, but the responsibilities of this incumbency and the demands of his general practice did not deter him from promptly responding to the clarion call to arms when the dark shadow of Civil war obscured the national horizon. In July, 1862, he enlisted as a member of Company D, Ninety-ninth Ohio Volun- teer Infantry, of which he was made captain and in which he served until July 10, 1864, when he was appointed acting inspector general in the brigade commanded by Colonel P. T. Swaine. In the battle of Atlanta our subject was severely wounded and was sent home by General Schofield, presumably never to return to the front or even to survive his injuries. He, however, re- covered and rejoined his command in North Carolina. He was made lieu- tenant colonel and was placed in command of the Ninety-ninth and Fifteenth Consolidated Regiments of Ohio Volunteer Infantry, in which capacity he served until the close of the war, being mustered out in July, 1865. He was an active participant in all of the engagements of his command, from Perry- ville, Kentucky, to the end, including the battles of Lookout Mountain, Chick- âmauga and Missionary Ridge, and from Dalton to Atlanta. He had re- ceived several minor wounds prior to being incapacitated by his injuries at Atlanta.
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After being mustered out Colonel Bope returned to Findlay and resumed his interrupted professional work, in which the long intervening years have brought him marked precedence and a representative clientage. For more than a decade he was retained as counsel for the Findlay city council, and thereafter served for four years as city solicitor. He devotes his attention principally to corporation law, having nothing in the line of criminal cases in connection with his professional work, though he has proved a strong advocate, versatile and thorough and learned in the minutiæ of the law and precedents and the general science of jurisprudence. He is counsel for a number of important corporations, including leading banking institutions, and is attorney for the Cincinnati, Sandusky & Cleveland and the Big Four rail- roads and also for the Bowling Green & Southern Traction Company. His political allegiance is given to the Republican party, of whose cause he has ever been a stalwart supporter and advocate.
In 1861 Colonel Bope was united in marriage to Miss Martha J. Meeks, a daughter of Rev. J. A. Meeks, and their home is a center of gracious hos- pitality.
JOHN BAKER.
A pioneer family whose descendants have done much to sustain the repu- tation of Hancock county in the great state of Ohio, is here presented for the consideration of our readers. Grafton Baker, the paternal grandfather of the gentleman named above, was the original pioneer, he with his wife Mary and four sons and a daughter removing to the county in 1835. They located in Washington township and entered one whole section, three-fourths of which was in Cass township, which he afterward divided into equal parts, giving one to each son. Grafton and his wife were strong advocates of the tenets of the Methodist Episcopal church, and in that early day did much to estab- lish it in the county. Politically he was a Whig. After a life of toil and care for the welfare of his family, a life uneventful but useful, he passed to his rest in 1849. He was born in the year 1767, so that he lived to a ripe old age. The wife of his bosom died at an advanced age. Alexander Baker, one of the four sons of this pioneer couple, was born in Carroll county, Ohio, in 1816, and was a youth of nineteen years when the family located in Han- cock county. Here in 1843 he married Katherine Eckert, who was born in Fairfield county, Ohio, in 1824, and whose pioneer parents are noticed else- where in this volume. These parents reared three children: Lucinda, de- ceased ; Amanda, now Mrs. G. W. Norris ; and John, the subject of this sketch.
The father of the family, Alexander Baker, was a practical farmer re-
MRS. JOHN BAKER
JOHN BAKER.
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siding on the quarter section given to him by his father. He had been given more than the average education, and had taught school during the early part of his life, but after his marriage he confined himself to farming. He was a member of the Methodist Episcopal church, and a man of good judg .. ment as well as sound morals. His useful career was cut short by premature death in 1849 at the age of thirty-three years, but his wife, who survives to honor his name and memory, lives with her son John on one of the original quarter sections. John Baker, the youngest child, was born in Cass township in 1847 and educated in the usual way in the district schools. He has been a continuous resident of this immediate section of the county during his entire lifetime, and his character has been such that he wields influence for good throughout all the county. After he reached his majority he set up an estab- lishment of his own, and was joined in marriage to Miss Sara, daughter of Michael and Ann Binger, the event occurring in 1868. Of the six children re- sulting from this union only three are living: Alexander, Lemuel and Amanda. The mother, who died in 1887, is remembered as a woman of good heart and gentle disposition. Mr. Baker, like his ancestors, has confined him- self to agricultural pursuits in a practical way. He enjoys the full confidence of his fellow citizens, who have honored him with several of the offices of the township, and at different times he has been trustee and justice of the peace. The last mentioned office he has held for twenty years, a fact which speaks eloquently of the manner in which he has administered its duties. Mr. Baker has a place of one hundred and sixty acres which he devotes to general farming.
IVILLIAM AND JAMES M. CUSAC.
Few names are better known in Hancock county than that of Cusac, and no citizens are more highly esteemed than those who bear this honored desig- nation. For many years and through two generations they have been identi- fied with the agricultural and industrial development of that portion of Ohio in which their lots were cast. The founders of the family were Daniel and Sarah (Sellers) Cusac, natives of Pennsylvania, who removed in 1839 from Perry county. Daniel was a wagonmaker by trade and a good workman, who combined skill with intelligence. At different times he purchased land in Hancock county, which in the aggregate amounted to one hundred and twenty acres, and on this he settled after his arrival in Ohio. By dint of much hard work and assisted by his sturdy sons, this land was eventually cleared and brought into that high state of cultivation so characteristic of the Ohio farms.
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In the fullness of time and years the parents were called to their long rest, after rearing a family of sons and daughters who rank among the best class of Ohio citizens. Of the nine children, the eight now living are Nancy, Mary A., Sarah E., Margaret, John, James M., Isaac and William. All the chil- dren were reared and educated in Hancock county and like their parents were trained in the doctrine and discipline of the Presbyterian church. After the death of his parents William Cusac, the youngest of the living children, pur- chased the interest of the other heirs and since 1877 has had full possession of his father's estate. About the year 1886 he leased the oil privileges of his land to a responsible company and from this transaction has received a profitable revenue. In addition to this, however, he operates an oil field on his own account and this also has proved remunerative. Since he took charge of his father's estate Mr. Cusac has made many needed improvements by the erection of necessary buildings, beautifying of the grounds and other addi- tions, both ornamental and useful, which go so far towards the enhance- ment of landed property. Mr. Cusac stands high in the community, as a citi- zen of moral worth and blameless character, and is active in religious work, holding the position of trustee and treasurer of the Presbyterian church. December 10, 1858, the nuptials of William Cusac and Phebe A., daughter of Amos and Elizabeth Cooper, were solemnized at the home of the bride's parents. This union, which proved a happy one in every respect, was blessed by the birth of four children, of whom Amos N., Daniel J. and Elizabeth A. are living, while Joseph M. has departed this life. Mrs. Cusac, the beloved mother of this family and a lady of most excellent traits, is a native of Han- cock county, having been born in Liberty township in 1836.
James M., another son of Daniel and Sarah Cusac, also deserves especial mention as a successful man of affairs. His birth occurred November 25, 1832, and he was seven years of age when his parents moved to Hancock county. He early exhibited those traits of character which have made the name of Cusac notable, and from his youth has been industrious, saving and cautious in the transaction of business. The result of this steady application and exercise of good judgment has been marked success in his ventures, and at this time James M. Cusac owns one hundred and thirty-five acres of valuable land, upon which are operated thirty-one oil wells. Besides this property, however, of which he still retains control, Mr. Cusac has deeded one hundred and fifty acres to his children. His first investment in real estate was in 1862, when he made a modest purchase of twenty-three acres of land. This nucleus, within the next twenty years had been increased by Mr. Cusac to one hundred and eighty-five acres of as valuable land as Hancock county
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affords. Not only as a business man, but in private life, in religious circles, as a neighbor and as a citizen, James M. Cusac enjoys the highest standing and consideration. Everybody likes him and everybody respects him. For six years he filled the important position of infirmary director and for a long period, in fact from his earliest youth, he has been a consistent and honored member of the Presbyterian church. In 1856 he was married to Miss Rachel W., daughter of Ebenezer and Sarah (Davis) Wilson. The latter were Kentuckians and among the first settlers of Hancock county, where the fam- ily has always been highly respected. Rachel Wilson, who became Mrs. Cusac, was born in the neighborhood where she now resides and there her happy married life has been spent since 1882. The children of James M. and Rachel W. Cusac, ten in number, are named as follows in order of birth : Marilla D., Sallie, Josephine, Milan D., Mary V., Alice B., Lulu R., Edson J., George V. (deceased) and Mack W. In politics Mr. Cusac is a Democrat.
CORNELIUS S. JAMESON.
This worthy and respected farmer lives in Big Lick township, on a farm of seventy-one acres, which he devotes to general farming. This tract of land has been in the family for a number of years, he having been born there May 25, 1838. His father was the Rev. Ira Jameson, an efficient and popular minister in the Methodist Episcopal church, who removed to this county in 1833, where he bought the land upon which our subject now resides. Be- fore he died he added forty-five acres to the tract, all of which he cleared to a great extent. He was a regularly ordained minister of the gospel, and preached for a number of years with great acceptance. He was a native of the Blue Grass state, where he was born near Paris, in 1802. He married Rebecca Polston February 6, 1822, the issue being ten children, viz .: Cor- nelius S .; Sarah, who was born August 12, 1840; Ira M., August 9, 1843; Susana, July 12, 1825; Prior B., February 9, 1827; Andrew, March 16, 1829; Anna, July 2, 1831; Maria B., September 19, 1833; Asbury, December 17, 1837; and an unnamed infant. Ira, the father of this family died July 21, 1848. The wife, Rebecca, was a native of Maryland. She died October 27, I868.
Cornelius S. Jameson, as stated above, has passed the entire period of his life in Big Lick township, where he has always been engaged in agri- cultural pursuits with the greatest success. He purchased his first farm in 1876, and two years later he called to preside over his home Miss Sara A., the daughter of William and Sara Stokes. To this union, which was a union
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of hearts, were born Edith D., March 23, 1881; Ira W., January 12, 1883; Jason, June 30, 1885, and a deceased infant. Mrs. Sara A. Jameson was born in Indiana in 1845. The Jamesons were natives of Ireland and came here before the Revolution and were Protestants from a remote period.
Mr. and Mrs. Jameson are worthy and active members of the Meth- odist Episcopal church, whose interests they delight to forward. Mr. Jame- son is an acceptable and efficient class leader and steward in the organization. They have been prominently and honorably associated with the history of Hancock county, and as such it is a pleasure to give them representation in this volume.
In the summer of 1902 a company drilled a well on Mr. Jameson's farm, and produced oil. Rev. Ira Jameson's mother was a Brown, and her mother was a Ball, and as Martha Washington was of the latter family, a relation- ship is shown.
Mr. Jameson was a member of the Squirrel Hunters, a body of men called out by Governor David Tod to protect the state of Ohio from the rebel inva- sion of 1862. In September, 1862, he received his discharge, signed by Gover- nor Tod, Charles W. Hill, adjutant general of Ohio, and Malcom Mc- Dalad, major and aide de camp. Daniel Brown, brother of Ira Jame- son's mother, was killed by the Indians in Kentucky. He had sent his family to the blockhouse for protection, and while looking after the stock was sur- prised by the Indians and killed by having sixteen shots fired into his body.
ROBERT DAVY.
Robert Davy, deceased, was a prominent farmer of Washington town- ship, Hancock county, where he was during his lifetime held in great respect. He was born in Carroll county, Ohio, November 14, 1824, and there received his training and education. Upon arriving at manhood he engaged in agri- cultural pursuits, which he followed with great success during his life. In June, 1847, he was united in marriage with Rebecca, daughter of Henry and Rachel Newhouse, and a year later left their old home for Hancock county, where they purchased eighty acres of land, to which they subsequently added one hundred and twenty. The latter tract, after Mr. Davy's death, was divided among his children, the original purchase of eighty acres remaining still in the possession of his widow. Mr. Davy was a worthy man, a practical farmer, a loyal citizen, a loving husband, and an indulgent father. The date of his decease was April 14, 1872. The children of Mr. and Mrs. Davy were Ruth, James, Elza, Alley and Effie.
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