USA > Ohio > Richland County > A centennial biographical history of Richland county, Ohio > Part 67
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49 | Part 50 | Part 51 | Part 52 | Part 53 | Part 54 | Part 55 | Part 56 | Part 57 | Part 58 | Part 59 | Part 60 | Part 61 | Part 62 | Part 63 | Part 64 | Part 65 | Part 66 | Part 67 | Part 68 | Part 69 | Part 70 | Part 71 | Part 72
Levi H. Humbert spent his boyhood days at his parents' home, and in the district schools of the neighborhood acquired a limited education, his privi- leges in that direction being somewhat limited, for the sons performed the greater portion of the farm work, their father devoting his time to his trade. After arriving at years of maturity Mr. Humbert was married, on the 28th of November, 1867, to Miss Nancy Pifer, a native of Rome, Ohio, and a daughter of Jacob Pifer, a harness-maker and farmer of that place, where he resided for many years, his death ultimately occurring there. Mr. and Mrs. Humbert began their domestic life on a portion of the old homestead, in a log cabin which had been erected in pioneer days. For four years our subject continued to cultivate that land, and in 1872 removed to Marion
641
CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.
county, where he engaged in the sawmill business, having previously oper- ated a sawmill for one year in Rome. He remained in Marion county for eighteen months and then sold his mill, returning to Rome, where he engaged in merchandising for a year. On disposing of that business he removed to Mercer county, where he purchased a farm of eighty acres, fol- lowing agricultural pursuits for six months. After harvesting his crops he sold his land, on account of the excessive rains in that district, and removed to Fayette, Fulton county, where he bought another tract of land of eighty acres. During his residence in that county he purchased and operated the first thresher ever seen in the locality. After remaining there for eight years he once more sold out and at that time took up his abode in Olney, Illinois, purchasing a farm of five hundred and twenty acres, and resided in the city. He was engaged in selling threshing machines, buggies and farm implements of various kinds. Since 1897 he has been a resident of Rich- land county, his home being on his present farm of one hundred and ten acres in Weller township. For a number of years he was a well known representative of various firms dealing in farming implements, threshing machines, sawmill machinery and buggies, representing these firms on the road, while for two or three years he was their chosen representative at the St. Louis exposition, having charge of the displays.
After the death of his first wife Mr. Humbert married Miss Izora Pifer, of Williams county, and on the 17th of March, 1897, he wedded Sarah M. Foulks, a daughter of William Foulks, now deceased. Her father was born in Beaver county, Pennsylvania, in 1800, and with his parents came to Ohio in 1824, his father, William Foulks, entering a quarter-section of land from the government in Weller township. There he and his wife spent their remaining days. After his father's death William Foulks, Jr., purchased the interest of the other heirs in the home place and there carried on agricult- ural pursuits until his own demise. For many years he served as a justice of the peace and was widely known throughout the county as Esquire Foulks. He also served as a township trustee, proving a capable and reliable officer. His wife bore the maiden name of Mary Grimes and was a daughter of James Grimes, who lived near Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, and in 1821 removed from that place to Richland county, entering a farm in Weller township, which is still in the possession of the family.
Mr. Humbert became the father of nine children. By his first wife he had two children, one of whom is living, Frederick Leroy, now a resi- dent of California. Of the seven children of the second marriage four are yet living, namely: Alfred, at home; Harry, who is engaged in the hotel
642
CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.
business in Olney, Illinois; Frank, at home; and Ray, who also is with his father. In political views Mr. Humbert is an inflexible adherent to Demo- cratic principles. He belongs to the Presbyterian church and is a member of Olney Lodge, I. O. O. F. He owns one hundred and thirteen acres of land, constituting a valuable farm, and his residence is situated on the sixteen acres in Blooming Grove township, while the remainder of his land is in Weller township. Throughout the years of an active business career his industry and diligence have added to his capital, and he is now numbered among the substantial citizens of Richland county.
AARON E. PETERSON.
Prominent among the progressive and successful farmers of Monroe township, Richland county, Ohio, is the gentleman whose name introduces this sketch. His birth occurred in that township on the 22d of July, 1846, and he is a son of William and Esther (Gladden) Peterson, whose sketch appears on another page of this volume. During his boyhood and youth he acquired an excellent knowledge of all the duties which fall to the lot of the agriculturist, and he obtained his literary education in the public schools near his home and the Greentown Academy at Perrysville. Ohio.
At the age of seventeen years he entered the service of his country during the dark days of the Rebellion, enlisting March 25, 1864. in Com- pany I, Thirty-second Ohio Volunteer Infantry. He was with Sherman's army in the siege of Atlanta, and participated in the battles of Ackworth, Kenesaw Mountain, Big Shanty Station, Marietta, Peach Tree Creek, Jones- boro and Lovejoy. The war having ended, and his services being no longer needed, he was mustered out at Columbus, Ohio, July 28, 1865, and returned to his home in this county.
Going to Perrysville, in the fall of 1866, Mr. Peterson worked in a general store and grain warehouse that winter, and the following spring began railroading as a brakeman on the Fort Wayne Railroad. Four years later he was advanced to the position of conductor, which he held for two years, and then accepted a similar position on the Erie Railroad, which he held for two years. He was then employed in the Bee Line yards at Galion until 1880, having charge of the same a portion of the time .. In 1880 he located upon his present farm in Monroe township, this county, and has since engaged in general farming, meeting with marked success in his labors.
On the 23d of February, 1871, Mr. Peterson was united in marriage
643
CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.
with Miss Livonia Taylor, a native of Ashland county, Ohio, and a daugh- ter of Hon. John and Lucretia (Bell) Taylor. Her father was a promi- nent stockman of that county and one of its most influential and popular citi- zens. He was a member of the state legislature two terms, and was serving as a probate judge at the time of his death, which occurred in 1882, when he was sixty-eight years of age. Mrs. Taylor, who was born in 1820, is still living and makes her home with her son William in Ash- land. Mr. and Mrs. Peterson have five children, four sons and one daugh- ter, namely: Karl D., a farmer of De Kalb county, Indiana ; Zella M., the wife of George L. Rummel, a farmer of Monroe township. this county; William H., a mandril dresser in the Shelby Tube Works, of Shelby, Indi- ana; Harry E., who assists his father in the labors of the farm; and Rex C., who is attending the home school.
Mr. Peterson is unswerving in his allegiance to the Republican party, and is now efficiently serving as a member of the school board. Richland county has no more patriotic or loyal citizen, whose support is never with- held from any enterprise tending to advance the public welfare. His wife is a member of the Baptist church, and although he is not associated with any religious denomination he supports church work.
ELMORE D. NELSON.
Elmore D. Nelson was born in Wayne county, Ohio, on the 3d of April, 1839. His father, Andrew Nelson, was a native of Lancaster county, Penn- sylvania, and a son of William Nelson, who came with his parents to Wayne county, Ohio, while his son Andrew was a mere boy. A location was made on a farm of one hundred acres, one mile from West Lebanon, and there the father of our subject was reared to manhood. After his marriage to Miss Rachel Doty he located upon his father's farm, which he operated until 1853, when he came with his wife and children to Richland county, set- tling on a farm of eighty acres south of Olivesburg in Weller township. He purchased and improved the land and continued to make his home there until his declining years, when he retired from active business life and removed to Olivesburg, where he spent his remaining days, his death occur- ring in May, 1890. He was a stanch supporter of the Republican party and several terms served as a trustee of his township. In the Methodist church he held membership and took an active part in its work, and was one of the progressive and influential men of his section of the county. He prospered in his business undertakings and became the owner of a valuable
644
CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.
farm of one hundred and sixty-eight acres. Unto Andrew and Rachel (Doty) Nelson have been born seven children, but only three are now liv- ing, namely : Elmore D .; Amanda, the wife of Michael France, a farmer of Ashland county ; and Levi, an agriculturist living in Olivesburg.
Elmore D. Nelson spent the days of his boyhood and youth under the parental roof and pursued his studies in the common schools of the neigh- borhood. As a companion and helpmeet on life's journey he chose Miss Angeline Ward, their marriage taking place on the 26th of January, 1860. The lady is a native of Olivesburg and a daughter of P. B. Ward, who at the time of his retirement was one of the oldest representatives of the under- taking business in Richland county, carrying on an establishment in Olives- burg and later in Shiloh. For more than forty-five years he continued operations in that line. At the time of their marriage Mr. and Mrs. Nel- son began their domestic life upon his father's farm, renting the property, but they were not long permitted to enjoy their new home, for in June, 1861, the wife died, leaving a little son, who was born on the 9th of May of that year and died on the 24th of August.
On the 19th of September, 1861, Mr. Nelson offered his services to his country, enlisting as a member of Company G, Fifteenth Ohio Infantry, in which he served for three years, four months and four days. Fourteen months of that time was spent in rebel prisons. He was first incarcerated at Richland and on the 17th of February left there, arriving at Andersonville on the 23d of that month, being one of the prisoners on the first train-load to that point. On the 7th of July following he was transferred to Savan- nah, Georgia, where he was held for one month, and next was sent to Millen, Georgia, where he remained as a prisoner of war until the 20th of May, 1864. On that date the sick were paroled and Mr. Nelson pur- chased his own liberty and that of four others, being selected by a Rebel captain to act as a nurse for the sick who were taken to Annapolis, Mary- land. Mr. Nelson then received a thirty-day furlough and went to Colum- bus, where he was discharged on the 13th of January, 1865.
His service was indeed arduous, for in addition to the time spent in Rebel prisons he participated in many important engagements, including the battles of Pittsburg Landing, the siege of Corinth, Stone River or Murfrees- boro, Liberty Gap and Perryville. From that place the troops proceeded to Louisville, Kentucky, and thence to Chickamauga, where an engagement occurred, and on the 20th of December, 1863, Mr. Nelson was captured, together with Henry Satterwaith, of Bellaire, Ohio; W. G. Malin, of Des Moines, Iowa, who is serving as a member of the state legislature; John
645
CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.
Capper, of Van Wert, Ohio; and another comrade, who is now living in Illinois. Mr. Malin and Mr. Capper now have sons named for the subject of this review. On one occasion Mr. Satterwaith tried to escape from Andersonville and was badly lacerated by the hounds that were put upon his track, all of his clothing being torn from his body.
On the 28th of March, 1865, Mr. Nelson was united in marriage to · Miss Mary Ruth, of Ashland county, a daughter of Henry Ruth. He then began cultivating the farm belonging to his father-in-law and continued for three years. In 1868 he purchased his present farm of one hundred and sixty acres and has since made it his home. In 1895 he also became the owner of the old Clayberg place of one hundred and sixty acres adjoining his farm on the west, so that his landed possessions now aggregate three hundred and twenty acres. The home of Mr. and Mrs. Nelson has been blessed with six children, namely: Henry S., a shoe merchant of Plymouth, Ohio; Cora, the wife of Dayton Shayne, of Cleveland, Ohio; Alice, wife of Alanson Martin, of Weller township; Myrtle, the wife of Tully Cham- berlain, a merchant of Olivesburg; and William A. and Edward T., who are working their father's land.
· Mr. Nelson is a stalwart supporter of Republican principles and does what he can to promote the growth and secure the success of his party, yet has refused all offices. He is, however, recognized as one of the influential men of Richland county and is classed among its leading farmers, owing to the creditable methods which he follows in his work and to the success which has attended his efforts.
JOSIAH CHAMBERLAIN.
Among the veterans of the Civil war now connected with the farming interests of Richland county is the gentleman whose name heads this sketch. He was born on Christmas day of 1832, in what was then Richland county, but is now Clear Creek. township, Ashland county, his parents being James and Sarah (Peterson) Chamberlain. The father was born in West Vir- ginia in 1799, and spent the days of his boyhood and youth in that state, coming to Ohio when a young man. With some friends he located in what is now Ashland county, and during the first winter he engaged in hunt- ing, finding this a pleasant as well as profitable work. During that season he killed fifty-two deer, for he was an expert with the rifle, seldom failing to bring down any game at which he aimed. After his marriage to Miss Peterson he located on a quarter-section of land which he had entered from
646
CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.
the government some time before, and there he erected a hewed-log cabin, which is still standing. The young couple bore all the hardships and trials incident to pioneer life and were also hampered by a very limited income. They dug and sold ginseng in order to buy their first bedding; but as the years passed and their farm became productive they were enabled to add many comforts to their home. About fifteen years later, when Mr. Cham- berlain had placed more land under a high state of cultivation, he sold his · farm with the intention of removing to Illinois, but finally abandoned that plan and purchased one hundred and ten acres of land in the southern part of Clear Creek township, where he made his home until his death, which occurred in 1876. In politics he was first an old-line Whig, but on the dis- solution of that party he joined the ranks of the Republican party and con- tinued to march under its banners throughout his remaining days. A con- sistent member of the Christian church, he was a man highly esteemed and beloved by all who knew him for his many noble traits of character. His wife was born in Westmoreland county, Pennsylvania, in 1809, and died in 1897. She was a daughter of Abraham N. Peterson, who married a Miss Middleton and came with his family to Richland county, Ohio, soon after the war of 1812, but some years later removed to Fulton county, Illi- nois, where he and his wife spent their remaining days.
By the marriage of Mr. and Mrs. Chamberlain ten children have been born, of whom seven are yet living, namely: John, a resident of Monroe county, Iowa ; Mary, the widow of Charles Stout, of Ashland county ; Josiah, of this review ; James, who is living in Havana, Kansas; Henry H., of Lin- coln, Nebraska: Weeden S., of Greenwich, Ohio; and Abraham, who is a resident of Weller township, Richland county.
Upon the home farm amid the wild scenes of the frontier Josiah Cham- berlain spent the days of his boyhood and youth, and the work of the field and meadow early became familiar to him. In the common schools he acquired his education and five years prior to his marriage he began operat- ing a threshing machine for his father. In 1853 he chose as a companion and helpmeet on life's journey Miss Rachel A. Stratton, their wedding being celebrated on the 10th of November of that year. The lady is a native of Butler township, Richland county, and a daughter of David and Mary (Logan) Stratton, who came to Ohio from Beaver county. Pennsylvania, soon after the war of 1812, locating in Richland county. Her father was born in Amsterdam, Holland, and was brought to America during his boy- hood. When the country became involved in the second war with Eng- land he joined the army, and a wound which he sustained during the service
647
CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.
later caused his death, when he was forty-seven years of age. He left a widow and fourteen children. The mother was a woman of great courage and determined spirit. She paid off the incumbrance upon the farm, pur- chased from her son forty acres of land, which had been willed to him by his father, and thereon carefully reared her family, providing them with fair educational advantages and instilling into their minds lessons of indus- try and honesty that proved of great value to them in later years.
After his marriage Mr. Chamberlain worked his mother-in-law's farm for nine years, and then put aside personal considerations to aid his coun- try in her struggle to preserve the Union. In February, 1864, he enlisted as a member of Company B, Eighteenth Ohio Infantry, and served until hostilities ceased, being mustered out at Chattanooga, Tennessee, in Septem- ber, 1865. He belonged to a family noted for its loyalty, for four of his brothers were also numbered among the "boys in blue," Henry having been a member of the Sixth Iowa Infantry; Washington, now deceased, of the Fifty-fifth Ohio Infantry; and Abraham, of the Twenty-fifth Ohio Regi- ment; while Weeden served in the Forty-second Regiment of the Ohio Vol- unteers, commanded by General James A. Garfield.
After his return from the front Mr. Chamberlain, of this review, pur- chased a farm of eighty acres on section 7, Butler township, and there made his home for nine years, when he sold that property and became the owner .of a farm of one hundred and sixty acres in South Clear Creek township, Ashland county. A year later, however, he exchanged that farm for the Mitchell Starr farm, which continued to be his place of abode for eleven years, when he sold out owing to his wife's failing health. He then went to the west, hoping that the trip would prove beneficial to Mrs. Chamber- lain. After a year they returned and he purchased his present farm, com- prising eighty acres of rich and valuable land, the well tilled fields bringing to him a good income. Here he and his wife still reside. Three chil- dren have been born to them, of whom two are now living: Sarah Eliza- beth, the wife of George Scroggie, of Butler township; and James Logan.
In politics Mr. Chamberlain is a stanch Republican and for several terms was a trustee of his township, giving careful consideration to his official duties and discharging them with promptness and ability. For many years he has been a member of the school board and the cause of educa- tion has found in him a warm friend, doing all in his power to promote the efficiency of the schools. He belongs to the Grand Army of the Republic and the Christian church, and is interested in all that pertains to the wel- fare and prosperity of the community along social, intellectual, material and moral lines.
648
· CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.
JUDGE MANUEL MAY.
For a half century Judge Manuel May has been a representative of the bar of Mansfield and has been a prominent factor in public affairs. Both as a statesman and lawyer he has won fame and is to-day numbered among the honored and distinguished citizens of Richland county. A native of Mans- field, his entire life has here been passed. Among the educators of his boy- hood were the Rev. James Rowland, Professor Lorin Andrews and the Hon. William Johnston. He was fortunate in having his early mental development thus directed by men of superior ability. Later he attended Kenyon College, of which he is a graduate, and after reading law under the direction of his father he matriculated in the Cincinnati Law School and completed the regu- lar course. In 1858 he received the degree of Master of Arts from Kenyon College.
Judge May began practice in Mansfield, with his father, under the firm name of J. M. & M. May, and his subsequent law partners have been Thomas McBride, John K. Cowen, who is now the president of the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad Company, and S. L. Geddes. From the beginning he attained suc- cess in his professional career. His is a natural discrimination as to legal ethics, and he is so thoroughly well read in the minutiæ of the law that he is able to base his arguments upon thorough knowledge of and familiarity with precedents, and to present a case upon its merits, never failing to recognize the main point at issue, and never neglecting to give a thorough preparation. His pleas have been characterized by a terse and decisive logic and a lucid presentation rather than by flights of oratory, and his power is the greater before court or jury from the fact that it is recognized that his aim is ever to secure justice and not to enshroud the cause in a sentimental garb or illusion which will thwart the principles of right and equity involved. A number of the successful lawyers and prominent men of to-day have read law under his guidance.
In his fraternal relations the Judge is a thirty-second-degree Mason,. be- longing to Cincinnati Consistory. He has been the presiding officer of the Mansfield Commandery of Knights Templar and also the two branches of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows in Mansfield. In religious belief he is an Episcopalian. He has long been a recognized leader in political circles. For many years he was the county school examiner of Richland county, and has been identified with the educational interests of the county the greater part of his life. He served as prosecuting attorney from 1858 until 1862, and for four years represented the fourth ward in the city council, acting as
Menul May
649
CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.
the president of that body a part of the time. In 1866 he was sent to the Ohio state senate from the district comprising Richland and Ashland counties, and so ably served the interests of the state that he was re-elected for a second term, continuing in office until 1870. During the second term he was a men- ber of the judiciary committee and was identified with very important meas- ures during that time. In 1882 Mr. May was elected a judge of the court of common pleas for the second division of the sixth judicial district of Ohio, composed of the counties of Ashland, Morrow and Richland ; was re-elected, and served until 1892. As a judge Mr. May was fair and impartial in his rulings, stanch in principle, clear in perception, with unswerving integrity and honesty of purpose, combined with a thorough knowledge of the law. He was an honor to both bench and bar. He deserves the good things which have come to him and the high esteem in which he is held by fellow citizens, regardless of party affiliations.
WILLIAM PETERSON.
Among the prosperous and influential citizens of Monroe township none stand higher in public esteem than William Peterson, who was born here October 31, 1820, and is a worthy representative of one of the honored pioneer families of this county. His father, John G. Peterson, was born in New Jersey, in 1791, and being left motherless at a tender age he was taken by a neighboring family to rear. Shortly afterward they moved to Virginia and later to Coshocton, Ohio, where Mr. Peterson grew to man- hood. There he wedded Mary Vail, a native of Coshocton county, and about 1814 they came to Richland county, locating on what is now known as the old Peterson place in Monroe township, where he took up two quar- ter-sections of land. Building a rude cabin, he at once commenced the arduous task of clearing and transforming it into well cultivated fields. He added to his original farm a tract of ninety-six acres, and also acquired two hundred and thirty acres of land in Crawford county, having become one of the well-to-do and substantial citizens of his community. He was an active member of the Baptist church, and one of the most highly respected citizens of his township. He died in April, 1845, in his fifty-fourth year. and the mother of our subject departed this life in 1830. Of the ten chil- dren born to them only three are now living: Polly, the wife of William Jones, of Ashland county, Ohio; William, of this review ; and Solomon, also a farmer of Monroe township, this county.
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.