USA > Ohio > Richland County > A centennial biographical history of Richland county, Ohio > Part 17
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and roofer of Bellville. Benjamin Harter died a few years after his marriage just referred to.
Mr. Ramsey votes for men of any party where only questions of local importance are involved, but at national elections votes with the Democracy. He belongs to the Grange and both he and his wife are members of the Evangelical church, in which he has served as a trustee for three years. Their home is on their pleasant farm of one hundred and seventy-three acres, and in addition to the cultivation of his land Mr. Ramsey raises some horses, cattle and sheep. He also has a house and lot in Butler. His entire life has been passed in this portion of Ohio and all who know him esteem him highly for his sterling worth.
HARRY H. BEAVER.
Harry H. Beaver, a member of the firm of Williams & Beaver, con- tractors and builders, was born in the town of Shiloh, Richland county, Ohio, May 30, 1867. His father, John Beaver, is a retired farmer, of the town of Shiloh, and was born in Perry county, Pennsylvania, in 1832, and came to Ohio, locating at Tiffin in 1866, and in Richland county in 1867. His father was also named John and was a tanner, carrying on a large and prosperous business. He married a Miss Bower, by whom he had eight children,-four sons and four daughters,-all but one of them, a daughter, having families of their own. Three of the eight are still living, the father of our subject and two of his sisters. Grandfather Beaver died at the age of sixty-four and lies buried in Pennsylvania, his widow surviving him until about 1890, dying at the age of eighty, in Pennsylvania.
The mother of the subject of this sketch, whose maiden name was Mar- garet Hewitt, was a daughter of Thomas and Elizabeth (Miller) Hewitt, and was born in West Virginia, near the Pennsylvania and Virginia line, July 21, 1835. She was married to Mr. Beaver at Tiffin, Ohio, in 1866. She and her husband lived in Tiffin one year, at the end of which period they removed to Shiloh, where they now reside. Mr. Beaver for many years followed the trade of cooper, being a foreman in the shop in which he worked. He had to begin with but a few hundred dollars, which he inherited, and is not a wealthy man to-day. For other years he followed farming, but moved to town for the purpose of educating his children, of whom he had five,-four sons and one daughter, the latter dying in infancy. These children are as follows: Harry H., the subject of this sketch; Frank L., a commercial traveler
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for a Dayton (Ohio) millinery establishment, and living in Columbus : he has a wife and one young daughter; Charles R., a commercial traveler living in Plymouth, Ohio, who is married and has one daughter; and Willard W., a machinist connected with the Shelby Spring Hinge Company, of Shelby, Ohio. Mr. Beaver and his brothers received a good common and high school education, and at the age of seventeen, after graduating at the high school, began to learn the carpenter's trade at Shiloh, and being a natural mechanic soon began earning wages, receiving as high as one dollar and fifty cents per day, besides his board, the first year. He has been in the business four years, the firm of which he is a member. being three years old and well established in the place. They have erected numerous dwelling houses, besides the Car- michael block, the United Presbyterian church and, notwithstanding they had strong competition, they received on July 16, 1900, the contract for the erection of the high-school building, which is to be of stone and brick and to cost thirty-one thousand dollars. The members of this firm are workers and thoroughly practical men in their line, employing as many as eight men.
Mr. Beaver was married February 23, 1888, to Miss Jennie Lilian Kerr, of Crestline, a daughter of Isaiah and Amy (Head) Kerr, farmers of Jack- son township, the former of whom was from Pennsylvania, but married his wife in Iowa. Mrs. Beaver has one brother, Thomas A. Kerr, an artist of Loudonville, Ohio, who is married and has one daughter. Mr. and Mrs. Beaver have three sons and one daughter, viz. : Fred A., born July 21, 1889, and died in infancy ; Vera A., born July 20, 1891 ; Franklin Howard, Decem- ber 12, 1894; and Donald K., December 23, 1899. While Mr. Beaver was reared a Democrat yet he now votes the Republican ticket. He resides in his own house, No. 12 Oak street, into which he removed in April, 1896. He is a thorough gentleman besides being a thorough mechanic, and is by all who know him highly esteemed.
BAILEY & WALTERS.
The firm name of Bailey & Walters is one ever familiar to the residents of Mansfield. There James Bailey and John M. Walters, associated in a part- nership, are engaged in the livery, feed and sale business. They enjoy a liberal patronage and have a large trade, which is accorded them by reason of their straightforward dealing, their uniform courtesy and their earnest desire to please their patrons.
James Bailey was born in Sharon township, Richland county, on the 18th
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of April, 1868, his parents being James H. and Amanda (Root) Bailey. The father also was born in Sharon township, his natal day being July 4, 1830. The paternal grandfather was William Bailey, whose parents were natives of Ireland. From Westmoreland county, Pennsylvania, he removed to Rich- land county about 1824 and purchased eighty acres of land in Sharon town- ship. He was a man of excellent education and for a number of years engaged in teaching in the public schools. By trade he was a tanner, and for some time after his arrival in Ohio he conducted a tannery on his farm. Later he removed to Newville and there engaged in the tanning business for a number of years, but finally returned to Sharon township, where he spent his remain- ing days. He was a member of the United Presbyterian church, took an active part in its work and died in the faith of the church, at the age of seventy years.
James H. Bailey, the father of our subject, was reared at his parental home, and on attaining his majority purchased two farms of forty acres each near his father's home place. At the age of thirty-five he married Amanda Root and located on one of his farms. After his father's death he purchased the old homestead upon which he was born and reared and con- tinued agricultural pursuits there until 1872, when he sold his lands and re- moved to Sandusky township, where he purchased three hundred acres, resid- ing thereon until the spring of 1900. He then retired from active farming and removed to Mansfield, where he is now living in the enjoyment of a well earned rest. He is an ardent Republican in politics. His business career has been a prosperous one and has been characterized by diligence, capable management and resolute will. Unto Mr. and Mrs. Bailey were born five children, of whom four are living: Clara, the wife of W. H. Gifford, a promi- nent attorney of Mansfield; Minnie, James and Mattie. The daughters are still at home.
James Bailey, the senior member of the firm of Bailey & Walters, passed his boyhood days quietly in his parents' home and in the common schools acquired his elementary education, which was supplemented by study in the Ohio State Normal, at Ada, Ohio. On attaining his majority he entered upon an independent business career by operating a part of his father's farm on the shares. In early life he had manifested special fondness for horses and had clearly demonstrated that he was a good judge of "horse- flesh." He began buying and selling horses, gradually extending his operations in that line of business in connection with his farming interests. Being an excellent judge of horses he was enabled to make wise purchases,
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that brought to him a good financial return, and as the years passed he be- came one of the most extensive buyers and shippers of horses in this section of the country. In 1897 he became associated in the business with John M. Walters, and in 1898 he went to Kansas as the representative of the firm. There he purchased a car-load of western horses. This proved a profitable venture and since that time the firm has made extensive purchases throughi Iowa, Indiana and Illinois. On the Ist of September, 1899, they purchased the well known livery and sale barn of E. L. Miller and began a general livery business in connection with dealing in horses. The partners are both enterprising and progressive young business men, and through their good judgment have prospered and are now extensive buyers of the Chicago market.
Mr. Bailey is a Republican in his political views and earnestly advocates the principles of the party, doing all in his power to promote its growth and success. Socially he is connected with Arcadia Lodge, No. 536, K. P., of Ontario.
John M. Walters was born in Mifflin township, October 21, 1867, one of the nine children of George and Mary J. (Simpson) Walters. His father, also a native of Mifflin township, was born in 1840 and was there reared to manhood. He engaged in farming for five or six years after his marriage and then moved to Mercer county, Ohio, where he purchased eighty acres of land, which he cultivated for two years. On the expiration of that period he sold the property and returned to Richland county, settling in Mifflin township, where he resided up to the time of his death, which occurred when he was only thirty-three years of age. He was for some years a constable of the township and was one of the well known, influential and highly respected men of the county. His political support was given the Democracy. Of his children seven are yet living : Frank S., an expert machinist of Dallas, Texas; Ella, the wife of William S. Brown, an engineer of the Pennsylvania Rail- road system living at Crestline, Ohio; Ida, the wife of J. K. McIntyre, a fruit (lealer of Crestline ; John M .; Cora A., the wife of Fred F. Findley, a wood- worker, of Galion, Ohio; Laura A., the wife of James Adams, also an engineer on the Pennsylvania Railroad, living in Crestline; and Lulu, the wife of Charles N. Wilson, a farmer of Franklin township.
John Walters was only six years of age when he became an inmate of the home of Solomon Everett, a prominent farmer of Sandusky township, by whom he was reared. He pursued his education in the common schools, in the Galion Business College and in the Lima Business College, being graduat- ed in the last named institution with the class of 1890. On reaching man's
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estate he began operating a portion of his foster father's farm on the shares and continued his identification with agricultural interests until September I, 1899, when he became associated with James Bailey in their present business. He is a member of Arcadia Lodge, No. 536, K. P., of Ontario, which he joined on its organization. He votes with the Republican party and is rec- ognized as one of its leaders in this locality. For two years he was a member of the central committee of Sandusky township and for several terms served as a member of the election board. He belongs to the Methodist Episcopal church, and is a young man of ability and enterprise who well merits the high regard reposed in him.
NEWTON R. EASTMAN, M. D.
Although one of the younger members of the medical profession of Richland county, Dr. astman's years seem no bar to his progress and suc- cess. He has well qualified himself for his chosen profession, and in a calling where advancement depends upon individual merit he has won an enviable position. Ohio is his native state, his birth having occurred in Crawford county, near Bucyrus, November II, 1871.
His father, Rev. James Eastman, was for fifteen years an active member of the ministry of the Methodist Episcopal church and now makes his home in Mount Vernon, Ohio. He is also prominent as a leading Re- publican, and his labors in behalf of the party during campaigns have been very effective. He is an orator of ability, and has delivered many addresses in support of the party through western states. He was born in the east- ern part of New York, and in early life became a resident of Seneca county, Ohio, being reared upon a farm near Tiffin. When a young man he entered his country's service as a member of the Forty-seventh Ohio Infantry, and for three years faithfully followed the old flag upon the battle-fields of the south. At Atlanta, while on horseback, he was wounded in the head by a sharpshooter, and still carries the rebel lead. For several years he was engaged in merchandising in Tiffin, Ohio, but is now a well-known merchant of Lorain, Ohio. At the age of sixty-four he is still very active in business and maintains a deep interest in all public affairs.
His father, Rev. Ward Eastman, was born in the Empire state, and became a Baptist minister. In 'an early day he emigrated to Ohio, where he carried on agricultural pursuits until his death, which was occasioned by Asiatic cholera, when he was fifty-five years of age. He belonged to
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an old New England family. The progenitor of the Eastman family in America was Ward Eastman; he was a native of Wales, and in 1614 sailed from Wales, landing on the coast of New Jersey, and there is a complete record of fourteen generations succeeding this progenitor. Rev. Ward Eastman's wife, Margaret ( Pierce) Eastman, was a cousin of President Franklin Pierce, and died at the age of seventy years. Mrs. Eastman, the mother of our subject, bore the maiden name of Catherine Vance. She was born in Crawford county, Ohio, and is still living, at the age of fifty- four years. Her grandfather Vance was a pioneer of West Virginia. and at the time of the inauguration of the Civil war he freed one hundred and forty slaves. Mr. and Mrs. Eastman had four children, three daughters and one son. Both parents are members of the Methodist Episcopal church and are people of the highest respectability. The Doctor's father had but one brother, David M., who is now a prominent wholesale and retail grocer in Tiffin, Ohio. Our subject is the only male representative of his branch of the Eastman family.
Amid the refining influences of a good home Dr. Eastman was reared, and his preliminary education was acquired in the public schools of Mount Vernon and were supplemented by study in the Baldwin University, where he continued his studies for three years. He then began preparation for his professional career as a student in Starling Medical College at Colum- bus, Ohio, and on completing the three-years course in that institution was graduated in March, 1895. Previous to this time he had pursued a course of reading for four years under the direction of Dr. John E. Russell, of Mount Vernon. On the 19th of April, 1895, he opened an office in Bell- ville, where he has since been extensively engaged in practice. His knowl- edge of the science of medicine is comprehensive and accurate, and his efforts have been attended with excellent results, when viewed from both a professional and financial standpoint. In addition to a large private prac- tice he is acting as a surgeon for the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad Com- pany. He keeps in touch with the progress that is being made by the fra- ternity through his membership in the North Central Medical Society, the Ohio State Medical Association, the Association of Baltimore & Ohio Rail- road Surgeons, and the American Medical Association. He is an examiner for the Northwestern Life Insurance Company, of Milwaukee, Wisconsin; the Union Central and National Union Insurance Companies; the Ancient Order of United Workmen, and the Travelers' Insurance Company. of Connecticut.
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The "Doctor was united in marriage to Catherine Schuler, a grand- daughter of Frederick Fitting, whose sketch is to be found elsewhere in this work. They now have two sons,-Russell Vance and Robert. Mrs. Eastman is a member of the Presbyterian church and an estimable lady, having many warm friends in the community. The Doctor affiliates with Bellville Lodge, No. 376, F. & A. M., of Bellville, and the Benevolent Protective Order of Elks of Mount Vernon. His political support is given the Republican party, but he has never sought nor desired office. for him- self, his time being given to his professional duties. No man has stricter regard for the ethics of his profession than has Dr. Eastman. He has a just appreciation of the great responsibility that rests upon the physician and is very careful in diagnosing disease. His comprehensive knowledge is manifest in his practice, and the liberal patronage accorded him is well deserved.
JAMES V. THOMPSON.
Few men who have passed the seventy-third milestone on life's journey can claim the distinction of being one of the native sons of Ohio, but on the pages of the pioneer history of the state James V. Thompson well deserves mention, for throughout his entire life, covering a period of more than seven decades, he has watched with interest the progress and development of the commonwealth. He was born July 2, 1827, in Guernsey county, Ohio, his parents being William and Margaret (Raitt) Thompson.
His father was born in Adams county, March 27, 1793, and after attain- ing his majority he wedded Margaret Raitt, of Fairview, Ohio. In 1828 he removed to a farm in Monroe township, Richland county, near Lucas, where he spent his remaining days, and in addition to the operation of his land he conducted a sawmill which was propelled by water power and was known as the old Mud mill. About 1852 Mr. Thompson was disqualified for further work in that direction by rheumatism and therefore abandoned the mill. Not long afterward his eyesight began to fail and in the latter part of the '6os he became totally blind. He died October 13. 1877. A member of the United Presbyterian church, he for many years filled various church offices and at all times did whatever lay in his power to promote the cause of Christianity. While his educational privileges were limited he was broad-minded and a liberal thinker, and his word was as good as his bond. His honesty was proverbial and all who knew him had for him the utmost confidence. His father, Adam Thompson, died during the childhood of his son William; therefore no family records have been preserved.
Alice W. Thompson
James V Thompson
.
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Mrs. Thompson, the mother of our subject, was a native of Dundee, Scot- land, born May 3, 1799, and was a daughter of David and Lillis (Angus) Raitt, who were probably also natives of Dundee. An old volume says that the Raitt family has for many generations been represented in Dundee. The parents of Mrs. Thompson were married in March, 1798, and in 1802 emigrated to America, settling in Rockbridge county, Virginia. The voyage was a long one, owing to the stormy passage. Eleven weeks had gone by ere they reached the American harbor and they were almost upon the verge of starvation. They located in the south, but the practice of slavery was so distasteful to them that in 1810 they removed to Belmont county, Ohio, and in 1815 to Guernsey county. Two years later they loaded their household effects into a wagon and came to Richland county, settling on a small farm at Windsor, in Mifflin township, where they spent their remaining days. The grandfather of our subject was a weaver by trade and after coming to Ohio he continued to work at his loom, while his sons ran the farm. His wife was a woman of most kindly spirit and noble character, beloved by all who knew her. She acted as a nurse, and her services were in frequent demand throughout the neighborhood. She always made her trips on horseback .. Both Mr. and Mrs. Raitt were members of the burgher's branch of the seceders' church in Scotland, then composed of some of the most enlightened. people of the land. Mrs. Raitt died January 10, 1856, in her eighty-third year, and on the 8th of July, following, Mr. Raitt passed away, in his ninetieth year. Their daughter Margaret became the wife of William Thompson and the marriage was blessed with eleven children, of whom four are yet living, namely : William, a retired farmer, of Blairstown, Iowa; Maria, who lives with her brother William; Isaac N., a retired farmer of Monroe township, Richland county ; and James V.
The last named was reared upon the home farm. . The family was a large one and a liberal share of the work of the farm and mill devolved upon him. His educational privileges were therefore limited. He was ambitious to acquire knowledge' and through reading, experience and observation he became a well informed man. In the month of December, 1851, he decided to seek his fortune in California, and in February of the following year he took passage on the steamer Oregon for the Golden state, making the trip by way of the isthmus of Panama from New York city, and reaching California he went through that state and up the Yuba river until he reached Nevada City, where he spent the greater part of four years. His mining ventures were reasonably successful, and in the summer of 1856 he started on the return trip by way of the isthmus route, arriving home in the month of July.
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On the 18th of December of that year Mr. Thompson was united in marriage to Miss Hadassah Wilson, a native of Harrison county, Ohio, and a daughter of William H. Wilson, a prominent farmer and stock dealer of that county and one of the leading abolitionists of his day. His home was one of the stations on the famous underground railroad prior to the Civil war, and he aided many a negro on his way to freedom. Twelve children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Thompson, five of whom are now deceased. Those living are : John S., a minister of the United Presbyterian church, now located in Shannon City, Iowa; Margaret L., the wife of Orin Tucker, a Pullman car builder, of North Harvey, Illinois; Mary A., the wife of Cary Welty, of Wooster, Ohio; Lillian L., the wife of C. B. Shorev. of Chicago, Illinois ; Willard Jay, a successful teacher now attending the Ohio Normal University at Ada, Ohio; Lawrence A., who is operating the home farm; and Ira V., a farmer of Odessa, Washington.
After his marriage Mr. Thompson purchased eighty acres of land from his brother and later bought an eighty-acre tract from his father. For forty- two years he engaged in agricultural pursuits, placing his fields in a high state of cultivation and adding many modern improvements and accessories to his farm. In 1898 he turned his farm over to the care of his sons and removed to Lucas, where he is now residing, in the enjoyment of a well earned rest. He is liberal in his political views, but usually supports the Republi- can party. For several years he served as a school director, and the cause of education has found in him a warm friend. Though not a member of any religious denomination, he regularly attends Sunday-school and church serv- ice. His wife is a member of the United Presbyterian church. They are people of the highest respectability, known and honored for their sterling worth. Mr. Thompson has witnessed the great changes which time has wrought in Ohio. He has seen its forests cut down to make place for wav- ing fields of grain, while towns and villages have sprung up and churches and schoolhouses have dotted the landscape, giving indication of the advanced civilization. At all times he has manifested a deep interest in the work of public progress and has done what he could to promote and substantially upbuild the community with which he was identified.
JAMES M. FIRST.
One of the veterans of the Civil war, who upon the field of battle mani- fested his loyalty to the Union cause, is Captain James M. First, now an esteemed resident of Lucas. He was born in Lancaster county, Pennsyl-
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vania, December 1I, 1831, his parents being Jeremiah and Ruth M. (Critch- field) First. Their children were James M .; Amos, who served for three years as a private of the Third Ohio Volunteer Cavalry during the war of the Rebellion; Caroline, the widow of William Switzer; and Elizabeth, the wife of William A. Hulit, a veteran of the Civil war.
Captain First, of this review, was only four weeks old when his father brought his family to Ohio, making the journey by team from Pennsyl- vania. He located in Holmes county, and some time afterward removed to Knox county, and in 1846 came to Richland county, settling on a farm in Madison township, where he lived for three years. He then removed to Lucas, where he resided until his death, which occurred in 1878, when he had attained the age of sixty-five years.
Captain First was a youth of fifteen years at the time of the arrival of the family in Richland county, and at the age of eighteen he began an apprenticeship to John Marshall, of Lucas, to learn the shoemaker's trade. He served two years, during which time he thoroughly mastered the busi- ness and then opened a shop of his own in Lucas, securing a good trade, which constantly increased. In 1862, however, he put aside all business considerations, for he felt that his duty was to his country, and on the 4th of August, of that year, he enlisted as a private in Company B, One Hun- dred and Twentieth Ohio Infantry, being mustered in at Mansfield for three years' service. He was sent to the Covington barracks in Kentucky, and thence to Tennessee, where the regiment was assigned to the Thirteenth Army Corps in Sherman's division. Later Captain First took part in the engagement in the rear of Vicksburg, thence went with Grant into Arkan- sas, participating in the battle of Arkansas Post, and still later went to Young's Point, Louisiana, where he remained until March, 1863, when he was discharged on account of disability and returned to his home in Lucas. He again enlisted in Company H, One Hundred and Sixty-third Ohio Infantry, on the 2d of May, 1864, thus again offering his service, was elected second lieutenant, and went to the front for one hundred days' serv- ice. On the expiration of that period he received an honorable discharge.
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