USA > Ohio > Richland County > A centennial biographical history of Richland county, Ohio > Part 48
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valued service to their country in defense of the Union during the Civil war. Hezekiah, the eldest, died in 1862, while a member of the army; William H. now resides in Indianapolis, Indiana ; James was killed at the battle of Shiloh; and Hiram died two years after the close of hostilities between the north and the south.
Ezra J. Potter was only sixteen years of age when he joined the "boys in blue." He served as a member of Company E, Third Ohio Cavalry, en- listing on the 7th of September, 1861, for a term of three years. Among other engagements in which he participated were the battles of Stone River and Missionary Ridge. At Benton, Tennessee, he was captured and held as a prisoner of war for eleven months and eighteen days. He was taken from Atlanta to Libby prison, where he was incarcerated two nights and one day, after which he was held for six weeks on Belle island and for seven months was detained in the famous Andersonville prison, whence he was taken to Florence, South Carolina, and afterward to Charleston, where he was ex- changed and placed on board a vessel which sailed for Annapolis, Maryland. On reaching that city he proceeded to Columbus, Ohio, where he was honor- ably discharged in January, 1865. He is a member of the Grand Army of the Republic and thus maintains pleasant relations with his comrades of the "blue" who fought for national honor and national supremacy.
While Mr. Potter was absent at the front his mother had moved to Mans- field, and here he joined her. He afterward learned the art of photography, becoming interested in a gallary in Mansfield in 1866. Here he has since fol- lowed his chosen calling save for a brief period of about two years. He now lias a well arranged studio, equipped with all accommodations and appoint- ments for the execution of a fine line of work. He has done a large volume of business, the number of his patrons reaching into the thousands. He is widely and favorably known and has long enjoyed the reputation of being a proficient artist in his line and an honest business man.
In 1866 Mr. Potter was united in marriage to Miss Mary Backenstoe, of Richland county, and unto them have been born two sons, William and James. He and his wife hold membership in thie Congregational church and are numbered among the representative families of Mansfield. His political sup- port is given the Republican party. He is a self-made man in the fullest sense of that oft misused term, his prosperity in life being due to his industry and integrity. His record is a living illustration of what ability, energy and force of character can accomplish, and the city and county have been enriched by his example.
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SAMUEL MARRIOTT.
The subject of this review, who holds marked prestige among the mem- bers of the bar of Richland county, is a lawyer who has used his profession for the benefit of his fellow men, to advance the interests of good govern- ment and promote the general welfare, entertaining a just conception of the purpose of law as the conservator of the rights and liberties of the people, as the protector of the weak against the strong, the just against the unjust. As few men have done, he has seemed to realize some of the ideals of the pro- fession to which he devotes himself, and his reputation as a lawyer has been won through earnest, honest labor, and his high standing at the bar is a merited tribute to his ability.
Mr. Marriott is a native son of Richland county, having been born in Cass township, in the year 1847, the son of R. B. Marriott, who came to the county from Rochester,. New York. The mother of our subject was Ann E. (Hill) Marriott, and she was the daughter of Samuel Hill, a worthy resi- dent of the old Keystone state, who did yeoman service as a soldier in the war of the Revolution.
Our subject attained his preliminary educational discipline in the public schools of this county, supplementing this by further pursuing his studies in Savannah Academy and Oberlin College. He early formulated plans for his future career, and in this he showed no vacillation of purpose, but availed himself of the opportunity afforded him and began reading law under the direction of Judge May, of Mansfield, of whom detailed mention is made on other pages of this work. Under such effective preceptorship Mr. Marriott diligently continued his technical reading and study until he proved his eligi- bility for admission to the bar, being admitted to practice in 1874, since which time he has been successfully engaged in the practice of his profession in Mansfield. He is a man of strong, intuitive judgment and this has been fortified by the most careful and discriminating study and investigation, his knowledge of jurisprudence and precedents being so exact and comprehensive, and always responding to any exigency which may occur, have gained to Mr. Marriott a reputation as not only one of the best read members of the bar of the county but as one whose counsel is always along safe and conservative lines. In the court room his powers are equally in evidence, and he invariably presents a case upon its merits, moving steadily toward the point in issue and winning by cøgency of argument rather than by sophistry or verbal pyro- technics. His is essentially a legal mind, well trained in the science of juris-
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prudence, and he is also endowed with a marked quickness of comprehension, which makes him a powerful adversary.
Mr. Marriott has maintained an active interest in state and national politics, giving his allegiance and unwavering support to the Republican party and its principles. In his private and professional life he is implacably op- posed to chicanery and fraud, intolerant of wrong and always prepared for the defense of abstract right or an oppressed individual, and although his intellect is of a keen and incisive quality, he prefers the arguments of right and equity to any that savor of sophistry or subtleties.
In the year 1880 was solemnized the marriage of Mr. Marriott and Miss Ada M. Courtney, a daughter of William Courtney, who was born in this county, where he still resides, one of our honored pioneer citizens. Mr. and Mrs. Marriott are attendants of the Lutheran church.
GEORGE W. HOFMAN.
George W. Hofman, the efficient postmaster of Plymouth, is a trust- worthy officer who discharges his duties with promptness and fidelity, thus win- ning the commendation of all concerned. He was born in October, 1831, in Mansfield. His grandparents came from Maryland to Richland county, and died in Mansfield. The grandfather was a German Lutheran clergyman and his death occurred about the year 1832. He is the son of John H. Hofman, who worked at the jewelry trade in Mansfield at a very early date with John R. Robinson. In 1824 the parents of our subject were living in the Key- stone state, but removed to Ohio, locating in Mansfield, where they resided until April, 1843, when they came to Plymouth. After a few years they removed to Bucyrus, Ohio, where the father died in 1852, the mother passing away in 1875, at the age of seventy-nine years.
George W. Hofman, whose name introduces this review, is indebted to the public-school system for the educational privileges he received. In 1858 he was united in marriage to Miss Susan E. Fry, the wedding ceremony being performed by the Rev. Mr. Peters, a Lutheran clergyman. Unto them were born two daughters. Clara Belle, the eldest, was married in 1879 to Robert McDonough, and they have two sons, George and Charles, and they now reside in Plymouth. Maud was married, in Plymouth, in 1893, to W. F. Reed, and they are living in that place, having three children,-Helen, Floyd and Donald.
During the Civil war Mr. Hofman of this review responded to his country's call for aid, enlisting in 1862 as a member of the First Ohio Inde-
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pendent Battery. He took part in all of the hotly contested engagements in which that famous battery participated, and his service was arduous, but he met duty uncomplainingly, being ever found at his post in defense of the old flag. At the close of the war Mr. Hofman returned to Plymouth and his fellow citizens, recognizing his worth and ability, elected him to the office of mayor in 1866. He has served in many positions of public trust, including both school and municipal. He was appointed by General Benjamin Harrison to the position of postmaster and served for four years, after which he was succeeded by a Democrat, during President Cleveland's administration. By President Mckinley Mr. Hofman was again appointed to the office, of which he took possession on the Ist of January, 1898. He is a popular postmaster, courteous and obliging, and his administration is one which has gained for him high commendation. Since the organization of the party he has always been a stanch Republican, keeping well informed on the issues of the day and doing all in his power to secure the growth and success of the party. For many years he has been a valued representative of the Grand Army of the Republic. In ante-bellum days he became identified with the Masonic order, whose beneficent principles he exemplifies in his daily conduct. His family are members of the Presbyterian church at Plymouth, and the members of the Hofman household are people of high social standing, occupying a leading position in the circles of society. Their true worth and intelligence are re- ceived as passports. Mr. Hofman has long been in service, both municipal and national, and has ever been found true to the trust reposed in him. He has a creditable record and he justly deserves the high regard of his many friends.
PERRY B. KOHLER.
Perry B. Kohler, who follows farming on section 34, Franklin town. ship, was born here on the old family homestead, March 5. 1860, a son of Hezekiah and Rebecca C. (Myers) Kohler. The paternal grandfather, Jacob Kohler, was born in York county, Pennsylvania, August 17, 1787, and died April 27, 1870. He married Miss Elizabeth Miller, who was born October 20, 1791, and died December 17, 1868. Their marriage was celebrated in 1813 and in 1829 they came to Ohio, casting in their lot witli the pioneer settlers of Richland county. They had nine children : Daniel, who was born August 1, 1814, died April 9, 1881 ; Jeremiah, born November 25, 1815, died July 20, 1852; Jacob, born March 22, 1817, died July 26, 1871; Mary Ann, born July 28, 1818, died January 18, 1892; Elizabeth, born April 15, 1822,
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died March 29, 1880; Hezekiah, born April 25, 1825, died October 5, 1895; Leah M., born February 28, 1827, died August 8, 1885; John M., born July 22, 1830, died February 14, 1875 ; and Amos, born June 27, 1833, is living in Franklin township.
The maternal grandfather of our subject, Samuel Myers, was born in Huntingdon county, Pennsylvania, October 1, 1798. He was married to Sarah Albaugh, who was born in Westmoreland county, Pennsylvania, January I, 1798. They were married January 1, 1821, and removed from Pennsylvania to Ohio, locating near Lucas. In the spring of 1832 they took up the'r abode in Franklin township and Samuel Myers established the first nursery in the township. He died March 12, 1863, and his wife passed away April 3, 1879. They had nine children: Belinda, who was born November 9, 1821, died April 9, 1896; Sarah Ann, born August 6, 1826, died September II, 1828; Elham W. was born August 22, 1828; Rebecca C. was born November 19, 1830, and became the mother of our subject; Maria A. was born Octo- ber 26, 1833; Hiram, born June 20, 1836, and died October 16, 1839; David R. P., born September 7, 1838, resides in Mansfield ; Mary M., born November 16. 1840, died October 9, 1878; and Francis M., born March 15, 1843, died June 1, 1851.
The Kohler and Myers families became united through the marriage of Hezekiah Kohler and Rebecca C. Myers, the wedding taking place Septem- ber 26, 1854. The father of our subject was born in York county, Penn- sylvania, but removed from Adams county, that state, to Richland county, Ohio, in 1829, taking up his abode on a farm one mile west of the home of our subject. He was a successful agriculturist whose capable business man- agement brought to him a desirable financial return. His death occurred October 5, 1895, and the community thereby lost one of its valued and highly respected citizens. Mr. and Mrs. Hezekiah Kohler were the parents of eight children : Adaline M., born July 15, 1855, died January 11, 1867; Marion M., born September 14, 1856, was married, January 22, 1880, to Lucretia Osbun, and they have three children,-Wallace, Howard and Elsie; Mary M., born August 24, 1858, was married, on the 4th of May, 1881, to Henry WV. Crum, of Jackson township, and they have a daughter,-Frances ; Perry B. was born March 5, 1860; Sabina, born March 30, 1862, and died in infancy ; Sarah M., born August 26, 1863, became the wife of John Dixon, September 27, 1899, and they reside in Mansfield; Flora B., born October 4, 1869, was married, December 24, 1890, to WV. L. Morthland, of Jackson township, and they have a daughter,-Lois ; and Myrtle C., born January 29,
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1876, was married, May 20, 1896, to Park W. Osbun, and they reside in Franklin township.
The old Kohler homestead on section 34, Franklin township, formed our subject's playground in his youth and has been the scene of his man- hood's labors. He was educated in the common schools and in the Ohio Normal University, at Ada, and thus well equipped for life's practical duties he began farming. He is regarded as one of the most enterprising and suc- cessful agriculturists of his community, having a well improved place, his highly cultivated fields indicating his careful supervision. He is a member of the Odd Fellows lodge of Mansfield and has a large circle of friends, having many qualities which commend him to the good will and high regard of those with whom he is associated. Through more than seven decades the Kohler family has been connected with Richland county and its mem- bers have ever been active in supporting measures which contribute to the substantial upbuilding and material development of this section of the state.
MRS. L. R. COWAN.
Among the esteemed residents of Mansfield is numbered Mrs. L. R. Cowan, who has a wide acquaintance in the city. Her husband, Washington Cowan, was born in Chester county, Pennsylvania, in 1812, and at the age of twenty-three years came to Ohio, locating in Holmes county, where he remained for about thirty-five years. There he engaged in farming and was also the proprietor of a hotel. He owned two large farms near Millers- burg, and in the cultivation of his land met with gratifying success. On his removal to Columbus he became an agent for the Garrett Land Company, of Garrett, Indiana. He secured the site of that town and laid out the place in 1875-6. The town grew rapidly and the officials of the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad purchased much property there. They located their repair shops at that place, which is half way between Chicago and this city. In 1873 Mr. Cowan became a director of the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad, of which his son, John K. Cowan, is now the president. He married Elizabeth Lemon, whose parents were from Columbia county, Pennsylvania. She was a woman of strong character, of splendid mental qualities and most carefully reared her family. Her high intellectuality seems to have been inherited by her children, upon whose lives she left the impress of her strong individuality and her noble example. She died in Millersburg, Ohio, in 1875, when about sixty years of age. In 1876 Washington Cowan married the widow of the late Dr. W. Blecker, of Mansfield, for many years a promi-
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nent physician of Richland county and twice a representative in the Ohio legislature. About twelve years before his death Washington Cowan took up his abode in Mansfield and there he passed away in 1891, at the age of seventy-nine years. He acted as a director of the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad up to the time of his demise. He was 'a man of splendid business ability, quick to recognize and improve every opportunity. His sagacity and foresight enabled him to make judicious investments, while his enterprise, indomitable energy and unfaltering perseverance won him a prosperity that numbered him among the most substantial citizens. In politics he was a Democrat, but would never accept office. He was a man of striking per- sonal appearance, straight, well proportioned and of distinguished bearing ; and his pleasing personality, combined with the best traits of character, won him the respect and admiration of all with whom he was brought in con- tact. His widow, Mrs. L. R. Cowan, still lives at her home in Mansfield, where she has a wide acquaintance and is an active factor in intellectual, social and church circles. She is a lady of innate culture and refinement, and her hospitality is greatly enjoyed by her large circle of friends.
John K. Cowan received his education in the local schools of Hayes- ville, Ohio, and in Princeton College, being graduated in the latter institu- tion in the class of 1862. He then began preparation for the bar and was graduated in the law department of the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor about 1864. His birth occurred in Holmes county, Ohio, in Novem ber, 1845. Upon his admission to the bar he located in Mansfield, and, although he was a stranger here, he soon won prominence. He tried some cases in the Millersburg courts, which made him widely known, and after practicing for a short time alone in Mansfield he entered into partnership with Judge Manuel May, about 1867. His preparation for the bar was very thorough and thus well equipped he entered upon a very successful career. His preparation of cases was most thorough and comprehensive. He seemed almost intuitively to grasp the strong points of the law; in fact he presented his cause with such force and logic as to leave no doubt as to the correctness of his views or of his conclusions. In the fall of 1871 he was elected county attorney of Richland county, and in 1872 he was called to Baltimore by John Garrett, the president of the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad, as an assistant attorney to Reverdy Johnson, a celebrated jurist, and then serving as attorney-general for this railroad company. On the death of Mr. John- son Mr. Cowan was made his successor. He continued as the legal adviser and advocate for the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad until elected its president. about 1894. He has proved himself a man of excellent business ability,
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extremely resourceful and with splendid powers of management, and under his control the railroad of which he is the president is becoming one of the most important in the country.
PROFESSOR JONATHAN C. TORRENCE.
No history of the educational interests and advancements of Richland county would be complete without the history of Professor Jonathan C. Tor- rence, who for four years was connected with the schools of Mansfield. While the influence of the instructor upon his pupil is immeasurable, the world gener- ally recognizes its great force. It has been an important factor in shaping the course of many a life, and in this way Professor Torrence contributed largely to the world's good.
He was born in Pennsylvania, on the 17th of July, 1839, and was a representative of one of the most aristocratic Scotch families of the Keystone state. He came of an ancestry honorable and distinguished, embracing among its members many teachers, ministers and lawyers, men of strong mentality and marked individuality. Professor Torrence was a graduate and teacher of one of the leading colleges of Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, and in 1873 came to Mansfield to accept a position in the public schools here. For four years he remained in this city prosecuting his work and then went to Indiana, in response to a position offered him, and for seven years remained in that state, after which he became allied with the educational work in Pennsylvania, con- tinuing his professional labors there until his death.
In the year 1876 Professor Torrence was united in marriage to Miss Joanna M. Knapp, a native of Mansfield and a daughter of John N. Knapp, who located in Mansfield about the year 1838, coming to Ohio from near Philadelphia. Both himself and wife were of German ancestry. The mother died in 1898, at the advanced age of eighty-six years. She spent her last days in the home of her daughter, Mrs. Doll, now of Cleveland, and retained her mental faculties unimpaired until the last.
In her girlhood days Mrs. Torrence enjoyed the privileges afforded by the public schools, and before her marriage she successfully engaged in teaching. She entered the school-room as an instructor in 1860 and for many years devoted her energies largely to educational work. She had the ability to maintain discipline and impart readily to others a knowledge of the branches of English learning taught in the public schools. At her home in Mansfield, in 1876, she gave her hand in marriage to Professor Torrence, who was then the principal of the Hedges street school.
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Professor and Mrs. Torrence held membership in the Presbyterian church and Mrs. Torrence is still identified with that denomination in Mansfield. She has two sons, Bartley M. and Carl F. Torrence, who are holding good positions in the business world in Mansfield, while Etta Torrence, a daughter of the Professor, is living in Mansfield with Mrs. Torrence. In March, 1894, she was called upon to mourn the loss of her husband, with whom she had traveled life's journey for eighteen years. He was a man of high intellect- tality, broad human sympathies and tolerance, was imbued with fine sensibili- ties and clearly defined principles. Honor and integrity were synonymous with his name, and he enjoyed the respect, confidence and high regard of all with whom he was associated.
JOHN W. WILSON.
John W. Wilson is a retired farmer living in Butler. He was born in this locality January 8, 1830. His father, William M., was a native of Ire- land, born in 1795, and when only two years of age was brought to America by his parents. His father, Hugh Wilson, also a native of the Emerald Isle, took up his abode in what was then Mercer county, Pennsylvania, but is now Lawrence county. This was in 1797. He followed farming until the inaugu- ration of the second war with England, when he entered the service of his adopted country, later resuming his agricultural pursuits. He died in Mercer county, at the age of eighty-seven years, and his wife also reached an advanced age. In their family were five children. William M. Wilson, the father of our subject, was reared on the old home farm in the Keystone state, and, after arriving at years of maturity, he married Elizabeth Williams, who was born in Mercer county, Pennsylvania. About 1818 they came to Richland county, taking up their abode upon a farm in Worthington township. Butler has since been built upon a portion of their land. There Mr. Wilson carried on agricultural pursuits until his death and met with a fair degree of success in his undertakings. He donated the ground for the cemetery and was a public- spirited man, interested in everything pertaining to the welfare of his com- munity. He became an active member of the Baptist church, doing much to promote its work and serving for some years as one of its elders. In politics he was an active Democrat and filled the office of justice of the peace for nine years and was a trustee of his township. He died in 1852, at the age of fifty- six years. His wife, long surviving him, passed away in Iowa, at the age of seventy-eight. She, too, was an earnest member of the Baptist church. In their family were eight children, three of whom died in youth, while the others
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reached mature years, but all are now deceased with the exception of our sub- ject and one sister.
John W. Wilson is the seventh in order of birth and was reared in the usual manner of farmer lads, becoming familiar with the labors of field and garden and continued under the parental roof until twenty-two years of age, when, in 1852, he joined a party of thirty who went by wagon to Cali- fornia. There he engaged in mining and ran a pack train from Marysville to the mines. He owned claims of his own and in the Golden state met with prosperity. After eighteen months spent upon the Pacific slope he returned to Butler, Ohio, where he spent the winter and during that time engaged in the erection of a hotel, which he sold the following spring. In 1857 he went to Keokuk county, Iowa, where he conducted a sawmill for two years, after which he engaged in the operation of a rented farm until August, 1862.
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