A history of Scioto County, Ohio, together with a pioneer record, Part 133

Author: Evans, Nelson W. (Nelson Wiley), 1842-1913
Publication date: 1903
Publisher: Portsmouth, O. N. W. Evans
Number of Pages: 1612

USA > Ohio > Scioto County > A history of Scioto County, Ohio, together with a pioneer record > Part 133

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John B. Gregory was brought up in Portsmouth, where he received his academic training, graduating from the High School of that place at the age of twenty. In 1850, he was employed as division engineer on the Scioto & Hock- ing Valley railroad, and in 1853, was promoted to assistant civil engineer, su- perintending the completion of the road from Portsmouth to Hamden. He re- mained in this position until 1856. In the following year, he was employed as engineer and surveyor in the construction of a blast furnace in Carter county, Kentucky, of which he was one of the projectors and part owner. In 1857, he was appointed by the Board of Public Works, resident engineer for the southern division of the Ohio canal. In 1858, and 1859, he was engaged in railroad en- gineering and in the running of railroads. From 1859 to 1860, he was Surveyor of Scioto county.

In 1859, Mr. Gregory was elected a member of the Board of Public works, a position he held for three years. He was remominated in 1862, but was defeated with the rest of the Republican State ticket. From 1862 to 1864, he was deputy Surveyor of Scioto county. In 1859, he was made financial agent of the Boone Furnace Company, filling the position until 1864, and at the same time rendering valuable service to the cause of the Union, as military agent of the government, keeping watch of rebel movements and reporting whatever was discovered to the Federal officers in the field and to Governor Dennison. In 1864, he was appointed by the Treasury Department at Washington, to make a survey and execute a plat of the country along the Mississippi river, with a view to confiscation. In 1865, he removed his family to the furnace site in Kentucky, where he remained as manager of the business until 1867.

In this year, he sold his interests in the furnace and returned to Ports- mouth. In 1868 and 1869, he was engaged in engineering and constructing a turnpike road two miles out of Portsmouth, now forming a part of the Portsmouth and Buena Vista road. This was a work of considerable labor, and one of the most difficult of the kind in Ohio, and was made under the greatest possible disadvantages.

In 1869, the Atlantic and Lake Erie Railroad Company (now the Ohio Central) was formed, Mr. Gregory being selected as its chief engineer. In the

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autumn and winter of that year, he made the survey from Pomeroy to Toledo, and completed them the following year, when the work was begun, and con- tinued under his supervision until the fall of 1871, when he resigned.

In 1872, he was appointed on a committee for the inspection of the pub- lic works of the state, and was directed to report on their condition to the leg- islature. He was subsequently employed in laying out the Columbus and Fer- rara Railroad, now a branch of the Ohio Central Railroad. He continued en- gineering and surveying during 1873 and 1874. From 1876 to 1880, inclusive, he was city civil engineer of Portsmouth, and was deputy Surveyor of Scioto county in 1871, 1874, 1876 and 1879 and in the meantime contracted and built, twenty miles of the grading of the Scioto Valley railroad, between Ports- mouth and Big Run. May 20, 1880, he was appointed by Governor Foster and confirmed by the Senate, as chief engineer of the public works of the state, which office he held until May, 1884.

On December 2, 1854, he was married to Miss Kate Smith, daughter of Thomas Smith, of Wheeling, West Virginia. They had three children, two of whom are now living. Harry Gregory, the older son, died at the age of sixteen. The other two are Hiram D. and Mrs. Harriet E. Barney. The son has a separ- ate sketch herein. The daughter, Harriet, married Ariel D. Barney, of New York, and is now a widow.

After retiring from public office, Mr. Gregory resided in Columbus until the spring of 1887. He then moved to Carter county, Kentucky, to look after some large property interests he had there. He opened a marble quarry, but abandoned it. He then undertook to ship timber from his lands, which was sent to Liverpool, England. He spent the remainder of his life in his Ken- tucky home, where he did much good both in church and state affairs. He gave the land and built the Methodist church in the vicinity of his home. He took great interest in politics, being always a strong republican. He was a delegate to the State Republican Convention in Louisville, Kentucky, which met in June. 1895, and nominated William O. Bradley, for governor. At that convention Mr. Gregory was prominently mentioned for one of the State Rail- road Commissioners. He was chairman of the Election Commission for Carter county, appointed under the Goebel law. He was a very useful citizen in his community. Mr. Gregory died on the 17th of January, 1902.

During his residence in Kentucky he was noted for his hospitality. He was always careful to entertain travelers and especially the ministers of any and all denominations in the vicinity. Mr. Gregory had a great many friends in Kentucky, and was beloved by all sorts and conditions of men, his neigh- bors and acquaintances. While he took an interest in all churches, he remained a faithful communicant of the Protestant Episcopal church. When he made a friend, that friend remained his friend always, and no one ever lived who possesed a greater list of excellent qualities of mind, heart and character.

Harry Shackelford Grimes

was born September 5, 1851, in Portsmouth, Ohio, on Jefferson street be- tween Second and Third streets, in a frame house on the west side of the street. His father was James Grimes, and his mother's maiden name was Mary A. Tobin. His father was a native of Birmingham, England, born in 1805. His mother was a native of Pittsburg, Pennsylvania. His father came to the United States in 1832 and located in Philadelphia. Afterwards he went to New Orleans, Louisiana, and subsequently returned to Pittsburg, Pa., where he commenced business and was married. He was a man of great inventive gen- ius, and for many years he was engaged in the iron foundry business. He came to Portsmouth in 1837, and was very active and enterprising in his business. He bought and sold real estate, and built many fine residences. He built the house lately occupied by the late J. D. Clare. He died September 27, 1877. His wife died November 15, 1896.

Mr. Harry 'S. Grimes is his youngest son. He attended the schools of Portsmouth as a boy and youth until the year 1868, when he was in the High School. In that year he left school and began traveling. At the age of twenty he engaged in the commission and grain business in Portsmouth, Ohio, under the firm name of Gibbs & Grimes, and he has been in that business ever since, together with agricultural implements. He was a member of the

HARRY S. GRIMES.

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City Council of Portsmouth from 1883 to 1885 and from 1895 to 1897. He was elected a cemetery trustee of Portsmouthi in 1889, and has been re-elected for the same office tri-ennially ever since, his last election being in 1901. He has been a director of the State Board of Agriculture for eleven years. He was president one year of that time, and treasurer one year. He has been president of the Board of Trade of Portsmouth for six years, and is now occu- pying that position. He has been the president of the Portsmouth Savings and Loan Association ever since its organization. He is now president of the Ohro Grain Dealers' Association, and vice president of the National Grain Dealers' Association, and the Portsmouth Hotel Company, of which project he was the originator.

He is president of the Ohio Grain Dealers' Insurance Company, and president of the Commercial Club of the City of Portsmouth. He has been a vestryman of the Christ Episcopal church.

Mr. Grimes was married December 9, 1873 to Miss Mary C. Vaughters, daughter of John A. Vaughters, of Friendship, Ohio. They have three chil- dren: two sons, Shirley V., and John Alexander; and one daughter, Leah Pauline, who married Harry E. Taylor of the Portsmouth Times.

Mr. Grimes is a republican in his political views. He is noted for his wonderful industry and energy in any business matter or any matter of public interest. If he fails in anything he has the happy faculty of making his failure the ground of success in the next venture. His failures he never tells. He possesses vim and vigor to a remarkable degree, and so plans all his operations as to bring success in every outcome. He is one of the leading citizens and business men of Portsmouth. He is always in favor of any meas- ure for the public benefit or public good, and if anybody has a scheme to benefit the town. Mr. Grimes is one of the first men who should be consulted upon the subject. It is not difficult to interest him in anything of that char- acter, and when once interested he will do everything in his power to make the project a success.

Dustin Willard Gustin

was born at Junior Furnace, Green township, Scioto county, Ohio, April 1, 1857. His father was Benajah Gustin and his mother's maiden name was Ann B. Isaminger. She was the daughter of Philip Isaminger. His boyhood and youth were passed on a tarm near Powellsville, and at Empire and Junior furnaces until he was eighteen years of age. He attended the district schools and one term at Lebanon. He read medicine two years with Doctor Slagel from 1884 to 1886. He was appointed Deputy Sheriff in 1886 and serv- ed one year under A. J. Finney. In 1887, he was re-appointed and served four years under Yeager. In 1890, he was elected Sheriff and served for four years. From 1895 until 1901 he was engaged in the real estate and lumber business. He was elected City Marshal of Portsmouth in April, 1901. He is a republican. He was a delegate to the Congressional Convention that nom- inated H. S. Bundy. He was a delegate to the State Republican conventions of 1891 and 1892. August 15, 1899, he was married to Mary W. Finney, daughter of A. J. Finney. They have two children: Willard and Edith.

Mr. Gustin is a man of sterling integrity, a citizen much respected and highly honored by his fellow citizens. He makes an efficent officer and is of a most determined and resolute disposition.

Felix Haas,

son of Michael and Clara (Eisman) Haas, was born in Waldorf, Saxe-Meinin- gen, Germany, August 21, 1867. He was educated in the public schools of Waldorf and attended a short period in the gymnasium at Meiningen. He left school at the age of fourteen, and went to Eisenach and became a clerk in a dry goods store serving an apprenticeship of three years. After serving his apprenticeship, he came to America and directly to Portsmouth, where he re ceived employment with his uncle, Leopold Eisman, in his clothing store. For nine years he worked for his uncles and then formed a partnership with Will H. Schwartz and Abraham Smith under the firm name of Haas, Schwartz & Smith. The business flourished under efficient management and in 1900 a department was added for the manufacture of men's clothing.

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The business grew so rapidly that it became necessary to find new and larger quarters. In March, 1902, the Connolley building on the corner of Chillicothe and Fifth streets was fitted up and the entire business was concentrated under one roof. The trade is both wholesale and retail and it is one of the largest and most prosperous firms in Portsmouth.

Mr. Haas is a republican in his political views and is a member of the Jewish Congregation of which he has been secretary for the past twelve years. He served as a member of the City Board of Election's from 1895 to 1899 and was president of the Board for one year. He is a member of Aurora Lodge, F. and A. M., Past Chancellor of Massie Lodge K. of P. and a member of the United Commercial Travelers and of the Royal Arcanum. He was married to Clara Labold, daughter of Henry Labold and Fanny (Rosen- feld) Labold, June 23, 1891. They have had three children: Esther, deceased, Miriam and Julia.

When a person knows Felix Haas, he is soon recognized as a man of noble determination, stimulated only by lofty aspirations, of keen intellect and quick perception, of literary tastes necessarily giving way to business duties, a man true and just to the country of his choice and adoption, a man of devotion to his friends, to all that is pure and beneficial to mankind, and above all to his family and home whose ties he holds most dear, even in sa- cred reverence. In Felix Haas is found a worthy representative of self made, but none-the-less well made men: one whose energy, ambition and integrity any boy might safely emulate.

William Timothy Hackworth

was born February 1, 1866, at Forestdale, Lawrence county, Ohio. His great- great-grandfather, Thomas Hackworth, emigrated from Roanoke county, Vir- ginia, to Wayne county, West Virginia. His son, William emigrated to Lawrence county, Ohio, and located near Forestdale in Perry township. George Hackworth, son of William, and father of our subject, removed to Mt. Joy, this county, in 1877, with his family. George W. and his father Wil- liam were both members of Company C, 5th W. Va. Infantry. George W. en- listed September 14, 1861, at the age of twenty-three and entered service as a Corporal. He re-enlisted February 14, 1864 and was finally discharged . September 21, 1864, with the company. William entered the service August 12, 1861, at the age of forty-four, re-enlisted December 24, 1863 and was dis- charged with company September 21, 1864. William was wounded at the sec- ond battle of Bull Run in both legs by gunshot. He received another gun- shot wound in the head at Winchester, Virginia, and another wound in the elbow was received in a later battle. He carried this bullet in his elbow until his death, July 20, 1890. The mother of our subject was Susan (Carry) Hackworth, daughter of Timothy F. Carry and Mary J. (Wooten) Carry. Her father was a member of Company F, 56th O. V. I. enlisted October 31, 1861, at the age of forty. He was wounded by a horse's hoof at Pittsburg Land- ing in a cavalry charge. He was drowned at Cincinnati while being trans- ferred with his company from one boat to another July 28, 1862.

Our subject was raised on a farm and attended the country schools. He commenced the mercantile business in April, 1897, at Mt. Joy, where he did business for five years. He removed to Rarden in 1902 and is now con- ducting a general store there. He is a republican and a member of the Mt. Joy Baptist church. He is also a member of the Improved Order of Red Men. He married Nora McBride, daughter of A. B. McBride of Rarden, January 25, 1894. Their children are: Ruth, aged six and Hazen, aged two.

Henry Hall

was born October 11, 1829, in the Aaron Kinney homestead. His father was William Hall and his mother, Margaret Kinney. They were married No- vember 30, 1828, at the Kinney homestead. He has lived all his life in Ports- mouth. He graduated from the Portsmouth High School in 1846. A. L. Childs was superintendent of schools and his teacher. R. S. Silcox was also one of his teachers. He attended school first at the Fourth street school. A Mr. Sample was superintendent at that time. There were then nine schools.

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After leaving school at 16, he went into his father's store, on Front street. where Webb's saw mill formerly stood. In the spring of 1846, he went east to buy goods and afterwards bought all the goods and managed the store until 1855. In 1853, he became a partner with his father and the firm was W. Hall & Son. In 1855, the firm sold out to the Scioto Rolling Mill Co.

In the fall of 1855, he went into the banking house of Dugan, Means, Hall & Co. composed of Thomas Dugan, Thomas W. Means, Hugh Means, Wil- liam Hall, J. L. Watkins, Wm. and George Wertz, J. M. Shackelford, W. V. Peck, Wm. and John Ellison and Wm. Means. He was teller. It was loca- ted where the Farmer's National Bank stood, for a while and then moved where the First National is now. In 1858, the firm became Means, Hall & Co., and Watkins was manager, and Henry Hall, Cashier. The Bank con- tinued until 1862 and Hall was Cashier until that time.

In 1862, he was appointed First Lieutenant and Quartermaster of the 91st O. V. I., but did not serve over six weeks. When D. McFarland was made U. S. Assessor, our subject became editor of the Portsmouth Tribune, and remained two years. In 1864, he was made special agent of the Treasury Department, and continued so to the close of the war. After the war, he made wheelbarrows for four years. He ran a canal packet from Portsmouth to Chillicothe for ten months. From 1874 to 1876 he was clerk of the Water Works Board, and superintendent. From 1876 to 1881, he was a flask maker at Neill's foundry.

In 1881, he was elected Justice of the Peace for Wayne township and served ten years. He was elected Mayor of Portsmouth in 1891, and served two terms. In 1896, he was elected Justice of the Peace for Wayne town- ship, and re-elected in 1898. He was a whig and is a republican.

On February 19, 1852, he was married to Miss Caroline Clark Thomp- son, a native of Portsmouth. Her father was John C. Thompson, a soldier of the Mexican war. Her grandfather was Moses Thompson, an early citizen of Portsmouth. He has two children, George W. Hall, of Cincinnati and P. Kinney Hall of Portsmouth. He was made a Mason in Aurora lodge in 1851 and has been such ever since, and was secretary of the Portsmouth lodge, No. 395 until it united with the Aurora Lodge in 1902.

John Wikoff Hall

was born about two and a half miles above Rome on the Ohio river, on the old Wikoff homestead, June 30, 1861. He is the son of Charles N. and Calista (Wikoff) Hall. She is a sister of General A. T. Wikoff, formerly Sec- retary of State. The grandfather of our subject was James H. Hall, son of Benjamin Hall. His maternal grandfather was John Wikoff, son of Peter Wikoff, born in Shelby county, Kentucky, of Welsh descent.

His father enlisted in Company I, 91st O. V. I., August 9, 1862, for three years, was appointed First Sergeant October 28, 1862; promoted to Second Lieutenant February 17, 1864; and to First Lieutenant November 3, 1864, discharged March 21, 1865. He was wounded at the battle of Opequan. After his discharge from the army, he was elected Clerk of Adams county in 1866 and served for one term. After this he was Deputy Sheriff for a time.

Our subject attended the public schools at West Union until the family removed to Columbus, Ohio in 1872, when he entered the High School there and was graduated in 1876. He immediately entered the Ohio Agricultural and Mechanical College there and attended for the two years following. During this time, his father was Chief Clerk in the office of the Secretary of State. The family returned to the farm in Adams County in March, 1878, where our subject labored for two years and then became a clerk in the United States Pension Office at Columbus, Ohio. He only remained here about six months and then took a position with the Columbus, Hocking Valley and Toledo railroad. He did clerical work there for eighteen months. After this he spent one year at home in Adams county and three years in Missouri and Kansas and then settled in Scioto county and has been a farmer ever since. He has always been a republican and is a member of Dirigo Lodge, No. 702, I. O. O. F. at Rome, Ohio. He was married June 30, 1885, to Elizabeth F. Kirk, daughter of T. J. and Eliza (Glass) Kirk. Their children are Horace L., Gracie E., Bessie P., Mary Susan, William A. and Lulu I.

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HISTORY OF SCIOTO COUNTY.

Vallee Harold

was born at Fredericktown, Madison county, Missouri, June 4, 1857. His father was Doctor John Harold, a native of Ireland. His mother was born Aimee Vallee. She was descended from distinguished French and Spanish ancestry. Her great-grandfather was the last Commandant of the Province of Louisiana and her grandfather the last Commandant of the post of Ste. Genevieve, under the French government. Both of Mr. Harold's parents died before he was eight years old and he was given by his mother to her sis- ter Eleanore, the wife of Col. Joseph Bogy. Although she had reared twelve children of her own, this gentle and lovable woman gave the orphan the same affection and care as if he were of her own flesh and blood, and never, in word or deed, was he regarded as other than the child of this generous and noble couple. By them he was reared and taught, by tutor and in private school, and finally sent to finish his education in the college of the Christian Brothers, at St. Louis. From this institution he graduated, the head of his class, at seventeen years of age.

At the age of twenty, he was licensed to practice law. In 1880, he was elected Prosecuting Attorney of Ste. Genevieve county, Missouri and re- elected in 1882. In the year 1884, he resigned the office and moved to Green- ville Illinois, where he devoted himself to the newspaper business, which he had entered upon in Ste. Genevieve in 1880. At Greenville, he held the office of Master-in-Chancery from 1886 to 1891, and resigned that office, in the latter year, to become editor of the Portsmouth Times, having bought a half in- terest from the late Hon. James W. Newman.

On November 25, 1891, Mr. Harold was married at Greenville, to Miss Anna Belle Tiffin, who was a relative of Governor Tiffin, of Ohio. She died October 13, 1895.

In religion, Mr. Harold has always been a Catholic and in politics he is a democrat. He is opposed to character comments in a work like this, but. the editor wishes to say that Mr. Harold is one of the energetic and enter- prising citizens in Portsmouth. Socially lie stands the best and as a newspa- per man, he has made the Times one of the best journals in the state.

Benjamin Gaylord Harris

was born in Portsmouth, Ohio, May 8, 1867. He is the son of William and Ann (Lewis) Harris. His father was a foreman of the Gaylord Mill for a number of years. Our subject spent his boyhood and youth in Portsmouth where he attended the public schools. He learned his trade of J. W. Lutz and worked with him for six years. In 1892, he started in business for him- self as a photographer at Springfield, Ohio, and remained there three years. He then went to Osborn, Ohio, and remained there four years. He was a member of the City Council of Osborn for two terms in 1896 and 1897. In 1899, he removed to Portsmouth where he has conducted a photograph gallery since.

In December, 1893 he was married to Miss Laura Hershey. They have one child, Louis, age seven. Mr. Harris is a republican and a most excellent friend and citizen.

Paul Howard Harsha

was born August 19, 1859, in Harshaville, Adams county. His father was William Buchanan Harsha and his mother Rachel McIntire, daughter of Gen- eral William McIntire. He was the second son of his parents. He has a common school education. He learned the practical business of milling from his father. From the time he arrived at the age of twenty-one years, until 1884, he was employed in his father's mill at Harshaville, and had charge of the entire milling operations. In 1884, he took an interest with his father, under the firm name of W. B. Harsha & Son, which has continued until the present time.

On January 11, 1884, he was married to Miss Ada Barnard, of Cincin- nati. He resided at Harshaville from 1884 until 1892, when he removed to the city of Portsmouth, Ohio, In 1889, he formed a partnership with John

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P. Caskey, under the firm name of Harsha & Caskey, built a flour mill in the east end of the city, and that business continued until October, 1901, when he and Mr. Caskey dissolved. Since that date he has conducted the business alone. He is one of the progressive men of the city. He is a member of the United Commercial Travelers, Elks and Knights Templars. He was in Ports- mouth from August, 1889, but did not remove his family there until April, 1892. He has four children: Edith Armstrong, Elizabeth Lucile, William Howard and Philip Barnard.

He and his wife are members of the Second Presbyterian church. He has always been a republican. He has never held a public office except that of member of the City Council of Portsmouth.

Daniel H. Harwood

was born February 3, 1828 in Twin township, Ross county, Ohio, near Bourne- ville. His father's name was Benjamin Harwood. He was a native of Mary- land. He died in the autumn of 1848, aged fifty-five years on what is now the Davis farm, then the John A. Turley farm. His mother's maiden name was Mary Ward. She was born in Twin township, Ross county, Ohio, in 1799, and died in Lucasville in 1884, being over eighty-five years of age.

The subject of this sketch never received any school training. When twelve years of age, he hired as a jigger boy at $4.00 per month on public works, building the turnpike from Chillicothe to Bainbridge. His work was to go around with a jug of whiskey and a pepper box and give each man the full of it with whiskey six or eight times a day. The next year, when thirteen years old, he drove a cart making a cut through a hill. When he was four- teen, he worked on building the turnpike between Kingston and Tarleton. In 1843 and 1844, he worked on the turnpike from Chillicothe to Portsmouth. He drove a two horse team and his wages were $6.00 per month. Men on a farm at the same time were receiving $7.00 per month.

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A history of Scioto County, Ohio, together with a pioneer record, Part 133

Author: Evans, Nelson W. (Nelson Wiley), 1842-1913 Publication date: 1903 Publisher: Portsmouth, O. N. W. Evans Number of Pages: 1612

Author: Evans, Nelson W. (Nelson Wiley), 1842-1913
Publication date: 1903
Publisher: Portsmouth, O. N. W. Evans
Number of Pages: 1612