A history of Scioto County, Ohio, together with a pioneer record, Part 89

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 89

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He was active in politics and was a Whig until the founding of the Republican party and then became a Republican. He was ap- pointed Township Trustee in 1839 to take the place of Jacob Andre and was elected the following year to the same office. He was Jus- tice of the Peace from 1844 to 1847. He was Commissioner of Sci- oto County from 1840 to 1816 and was a prominent man in the County. He was not a member of any church but held the Uni- versal doctrine. He died July 12, 1870.

Peter Feurt Boynton

was born near Franklin Furnace, Ohio, October 17, 1822. He is the son of William L. Boynton and Nancy Feurt, his wife. His father was of direct English lineage and his mother of French descent. He was quite an active boy and liked boyish sports. When a young man he was very fond of dancing and many a pleasant evening the Boyntons spent together dancing and playing the old fashioned games. His schooling was very meagre and he attended one school when he was twenty-one. He offered his services to his coun- try at the breaking out of the Civil War but was rejected on ac-

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count of a crippled hand. He was a Whig and is now a Republican. He was a trustee of Green Township in 1856-7 and in 1858-9, serv- ing two terms.

He joined the Methodist Episcopal Church when he was thirty years old and has missed but three quarterly meetings since. He has always been an active and enthusiastic worker and has held some office in the church all the time. He is a member of the Haverhill M. E. church.

He was married to Eliza J. Cadot, January 10, 1848. She was the daughter of Claudius Cadot. To them were born three chil- dren ; Orin, (deceased), married Urania Bush, now Mrs. George M. Clary, of Ironton, Ohio; Asa of Haverhill, married Margaret, daugh- ter of Henry and Mary A. (Winkler ) Feurt ; and Carrie married H. IV. Farnham. After he was married he bought the farm just south of Haverhill now owned by Samuel Krickenberger. He sold this and bought a fourth interest in Raccoon Furnace in Greenup County, Kentucky ; but the war breaking out immediately afterward, he sold this and resided with his father two years. He then rented the Hamilton farm between Hanging Rock and Ironton. Next he bought the Ironton ferry and conducted it for a while. He then moved to Haverhill and bought his present farm in 1866. Nearly all the time since, he has owned and run a threshing machine in addition to his farming. He has been a hard worker and is now eighty years old and is as straight as an arrow and as active as most men at fifty. Mr. Boynton is just in all his dealings. He is a good citizen and a conscientious Christian and is respected by all who know him.

John Brown, Sr.,

was the first man to leave Alexandria and locate in Portsmouth. Uriah Barber had built a two story log house on Front street on the first alley above Scioto street, and intended to keep hotel in it, but his wife dying, he gave up the idea, and induced Mr. Brown to take his house and open it as a tavern. The tavern keepers were the aristocrats of those early days, and they answered all the purposes of bankers, as they obtained all the currency which was afloat. John Brown was about the beginning of things in Portsmouth; he was first in almost everything. He was among the first settlers, he kept the first tavern, he built the first school house, the first grist mill, (a horse mill), the first ware house, and he was the first Justice of the Peace who ever administered the office in the town of Ports- mouth. He was the first Postmaster Portsmouth ever had, and he aided in digging the first well. He opened the first road from the top of the bank down the grade to the river edge, opposite the Vin- cent Brodbeck property on Front street. There was no other road down the river bank until 1810. At that time there was not a wagon or dray in Portsmouth, and the goods were hauled on sleds, pack

MAJOR JOHN BROWN, JR.

SOLDIER OF THE WAR OF 1812. TOWN COUNCILMAN. COUNTY TREASURER. BORN 1793-DIED 1865.

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horses, or carried on men's backs. John Brown owned and used the first cart ever used in Portsmouth. From 1807 until 1812, he was the principal citizen. He was the first commission merchant who ever did business in Portsmouth. He appeared to have performed all his duties well. The first court held in the town was held at his house. He was one of the first nine councilmen of Portsmouth, and was one of the three to draw a two years term. On March 10, 1817, he was elected for three years, and that same year was the town supervisor. His son, John Brown, Jr., was elected councilman in 1817 and held that office for two years, while at the same time his father was a councilman. He seemed to be fond of pleasure, as balls and dances were frequently held at his tavern. He was a small man, and slender, with sharp visage. As a Justice, he administered his office with se- verity. He had a rough class to deal with and he dealt with them according to their deserts. Mr. Brown built the first market house in Portsmouth. On one occasion when he was administering jus- tice one John Cutright, was brought before him. As soon as he told his name, John Brown, said, "Well, John Cutright, you have cut wrong this time." When a supervisor of the road, he announced that "God willing" they would work the road Monday and Tuesday, but they would work it on Wednesday anyway. It was in 1806 that he took the contract to build the first school house in Portsmouth.

He was a native of dear old Ireland, and was born not later than 1760. He stopped in Harrisburg, Pa., long enough to get him a wife, and floated down the Ohio river with her, the same as everyone else did at that time. We know his wife's name was Hannah, but her maiden name has not been preserved. He had one son, John Brown, Jr., and two daughters: Rachel, who married General William Ken- dall, May 29. 1806, the ceremony being performed by Robert Lucas, a Justice of the Peace, and Eliza, who was married to General Robert Lucas, April 4, 1810. Both of them raised large families, as did John Brown, Jr.

Our subject was a very active citizen; he was connected with almost every enterprise started in Portsmouth and was one of the charterers of the Commercial Bank. He owned the site of the present post office in Portsmouth, where his son, John Brown, Jr., kept a tavern. He was post master of Portsmouth from July 1, 1808 to March 7, 1812, and was succeeded by Dr. Thomas Waller.

In politics, he was always a democrat. His religious affiliations are not known to the writer, but he was a Protestant.

Major John Brown, Jr.,

was born December 9. 1783, near Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, the son of John Brown, Sr., who has a sketch herein. His father and his grandfather, Adla Brown, were natives of Ireland. His father came to the United States and located near Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.

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HISTORY OF SCIOTO COUNTY.

There he married his wife, Hannah, whose maiden name is unknown. John Brown, Jr. must have been about ten years old when he came to Portsmouth. He went out in 1813, in the War of 1812, in the troop of horse commanded by his brother-in-law, William Kendall, better known as General William Kendall. He belonged to a brig- ade commanded by his other brother-in-law, General Robert Lucas. His name is numbered seventeen on the original roll, now in posses- sion of Mrs. John W. Overturf, of Columbus, Ohio. He entered the service July 28, 1813, and served one month. His pay was $8.00 per month for himself, and 40 cents per day for his horse. He was paid for one month and one day, $21.05. His age was put down as eigh- teen on the muster roll, which was a mistake of two years too young. While stopping at Chillicothe he had his picture painted on a board and sent to his mother. It is now in possession of Mrs. Charles P. Kehoe, of Portsmouth, Ohio, his grand-daughter, and looks as well as when it was painted seventy-eight years ago. A cut from it is shown on the opposite page.

John Brown, Jr., was a very active citizen. He was elected a member of the town council, in 1817, to fill a vacancy, and for two years he and his father were members at the same time. Two ninths of the town Council were Brown. In 1818, he was re-elected to Council, but in 1819 he resigned and moved out to the William Ken- dall place. On June 1, 1818, he was appointed County Treasurer for one year and gave bond of $4,000, with John R. Turner and William Kendall as sureties. On September 9, 1818, he had an advertisment in the only newspaper in Portsmouth, stating that "a stitch in time saves nine," and calling on those who owned him to come and settle, and if they did not, on October 1, 1818, he would put his accounts in the hands of Ezra Osborn, J. P., for collection.

He was once notified that he had a large estate in Ireland, near Dublin, which he could enter into possession of by swearing allegiance to the then king of England. He declared he would not do that for all of Ireland for an inheritance.

At one time he kept a tavern where the post office now stands in Portsmouth, Ohio. He also conducted a grist mill at the same place.

He was a Democrat in his political views, and a Methodist in re- ligion. In 1826 he was a candidate for Justice of the Peace of Wayne Township, but was defeated. The vote stood, Ezra Osborn, 71; John Brown, 48. He married Charity Johnson, of Mason County, Kentucky, February 2, 1815. She was born August 19, 1793 111 Hampshire County, Virginia. Their children were: Ist, Eliza, born February 1, 1816, married John F. Day, April 2, 1835; 2nd, John Johnson, born August 5, 1817, married a Miss Monroe of French Grant, and went to California: 3rd, Hannah, born January 19, 1820, married Franklin Bliss, of Wheelersburg; 4th, Isaac Brown, born

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April 15, 1822, married Susan Rickey, of Jackson, C. H .; 5th, Wil- liam Washington, born September 3, 1824, died in 1826; 6th, Ben- jamin Franklin, born February 17, 1827, married Susan Calvin, and located in Greenup, Kentucky: 7th. James Lawson, born September 23, 1830, married Ann Salisbury ; 8th, Thomas, born December 22, 1823, and resides in Knoxville, Tennessee.

Our subject was wharf-master in Portsmouth in 1839, and real- estate appraiser in 1840. As the latter he served 145 days and his compensation was $295.00.

In 1834, he was a partner in Watson's Hotel with William Wat- son, Sr., for eighteen months. He attained the rank of Major in the State Militia. At one time he obtained the boot hooks of General Anthony Wayne; they are now in possession of Mrs. Charles P. Ke- hoe, before mentioned.

His wife died April 22, 1857. He survived until May 4, 1868, and he and she were buried at Mount Zion, Kentucky.

He was a useful and prominent citizen, but in obtaining munic- ipal distinction was largely overshadowed by his father, John Brown, Sr., who has an interesting sketch elsewhere.

Royal Brown

was born April II, 18II, in Vermont. His father was David Brown, a native of Massachusetts, and his mother's maiden name was Sarah Hubbard, born in Connecticut, daughter of Wm. Hubbard. Our subject remained in Vermont three years, and in 1816, came to Ports- mouth on a flat boat, with his father who had twenty-five cents in money left when he landed. Royal was then five years old. His father located on the east side of the Scioto river above Portsmouth. On account of fever and ague he left there and moved in Madison Township, and took part of the Dow Mckinney farm now owned by his grandson. After residing here a few years he sold out, and bought land in Marion Township, Pike County, Ohio. He survived his wife. He was a Whig, and a member of the Methodist Protestant Church. He was a stock dealer as well as a farmer and owned a 200 acre farm. He lived an honorable and respectable life, but never made or accumulated money, as his sons, who made their own way, made money and became substantial farmers. His son, Royal Brown. be- fore mentioned, married Rachel Beauchamp, August 18, 1833, whose mother was a native of England, but of French ancestry, daughter of John Beauchamp and Elizabeth Prettyman. Royal Brown began with a farm of eighty-three acres and afterwards acquired more land. He was a stone cutter, and built a great many chimneys for his neighbors. He was an ordained preacher of the Methodist Protestant Church and very active in his work. The children of Royal Brown were as follows: Harriet, married Thomas Allard, father of Dr. Allard, of Portsmouth, born June 27, 1834; Milton Wesley, born September

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HISTORY OF SCIOTO COUNTY.

2, 1836, has a separate sketch herein; Francis Asbury, born Nov. 5, 1838, a minister in the Methodist Protestant Church; Elizabeth, bor !! March 16, 1841, died in infancy ; William, born August 23, 1842. died September 20, 1860; John Shepherd, born August 18, 1844, resides at Stockdale, was in Company "G" 91st Ohio Volunteer Infantry ; Roy- al Benton, Born Jan. 12, 1847, resides at Stockdale; David Tipton, born May 18, 1849, lives at Stockdale; William Beauchamp, born December 12, 1860, also lives at Stockdale; Rachel Ellen, born Jan- uary 28, 1848, married James Wallace, August 10, 1876. Royal Brown was the organizer of the Methodist Protestant Church at Stockdale. He was a lover of mutual rights, and claimed that the laity in every church should have the same privileges as the Clergy. He died December 31, 1894, aged 83 years, 8 months and 13 days.

Benjamin Brush

was born in Suffolk County, New York, April 1, 1817. He was the son of Joseph and Amy (Smith) Brush. His father was a native of New York and his mother of Connecticut. His parents located at Haverhill, Scioto County, Ohio, in 1822. Benjamin's early life was spent on the farm and in attending a subscription school, where he re- ceived a meager education. He worked at the shoe maker's trade and earned the money which enabled him to attend Dennison University, at Granville, in Licking County, where he fitted himself for a teacher. He taught school several years but finally gave it up and began farm- ing, which occupation he followed until his death, November 5, 1893. He served as Justice of the Peace six years and as Township Clerk twenty-five years. He was a Republican although he favored Prohi- bition. He was a member of the Methodist Church for over forty years. In 1846, he married Ellen Butterfield, daughter of Benjamin and Mary Butterfield of Scioto County. He has five children living . Charles, Amy, Ida and William A., of Gervais and Benjamin of Du- rango, Mexico. He was a just man, a good Christian and a good citizen.

Henry Buchanan

was born in Kentucky, of Scotch parents, about 1800. His parents removed to Chillicothe, Ohio, while he was young. He received such education as he could obtain there. His elder sister married John Woodbrige, a banker of Chillicothe, and as he grew up he ob- tained a position in Woodbridge's bank, where he learned the business. In 1828, he married a Miss Woods, and removed to Portsmouth to take charge of the Commercial Bank as Cashier. His wife died at childbirth, the child, John Buchanan, lived to be fifty years of age, and died at Yellow Bud, Ross County. In 18344, he was elected a fence viewer of Wayne Township. This was evidently intended as a joke by those who voted for him, as it was customary to elect the most prominent men of the Township to that office. None of the

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fence viewers elected were ever known to have anything to do except Martin Funk.

March 22, 1837. he was married to Elizabeth Belt, the daughter of Judge Belt of Chillicothe then a resident of Washington City. She died March 16, 1838, aged 19 years, 9 months and 17 days, in child- birth. Her daughter is now the wife of Lyman Perrin of Cincinnati, Ohio. This second wife of Mr. Buchanan's is buried at the foot of a large tree in Greenlawn cemetery, and the growth of the tree has broken the slab covering her grave. In 1842, he married the third time to Maria Louisa Nixon at Mobile, Alabama. Her parents were Irish; and she was the mother of six children, three boys and three girls. Of the sons, Harry and Austin are deceased, Frank is now living at Newport. Kentucky. Of the daughters, Alice and Kathleen are deceased, and Florence is the wife of one Dewitt, of Baltimore. Mr. Buchanan was prominently connected as financial agent and cor- respondent of the New York Company through the Stetsons, Bank- ers of New York. He attended to their business in Portsmouth, he also took quite an active part in the publication of a History of Ohio by Caleb Atwater, of whom he was an intimate friend. He visited West Union and other places with the author in the interest of the work. Mr. Buchanan was connected with the Commercial Bank of Portsmouth during its existence, and afterwards conducted business as a broker in Portsmouth. In 1843, he was Councilman of the town, and on the Committee to receive Ex-President John Quincy Adams, on the occasion of his visit to Portsmouth. He was Recorder of the town from November 15. 1844 to April 4. 1845. He was again Recorder of the town from March, 1846 to April, 1847. On July 20, 1849, he resigned his position as Councilman and left the city. He was always honorable in ail his dealings, and had considerable property. He and all his family were communicants of All Saints Church. In 1849, he was in partnership with Thomas Dugan for a short time, as Buchanan & Dugan. He was also an Insurance Agent, and was agent of the Protection Insurance Company of Columbus. During this same year, he returned to Ross County and went into partnership with John Woodbridge, his brother-in-law, then a banker of Chillicothe and owner of the Rapid Forge Iron Works, to further improve the Rapid Forge property ; but after failure to secure a suf- ficient dam across the Rocky Fork, a few hundred yards above the Rapid Forge dam in Paint Creek, the enterprise was abandoned, after the loss of many thousand dollars. In 1852, Henry Buchanan with his family moved to Newport, Kentucky, and took charge of the in- terests of the Ohio Life Insurance and Trust Company of Cincinnati. When this institution was closed under the State Banking Law, Mr. Buchanan was elected President of the Newport Safety Fund Bank, which was successfully managed by him, and ceased to do business only after the U. S. Banking Law went into effect. During the clos-

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ing years of his life, Mr. Buchanan with his sons, Harry and Frank. managed the interests of the Hartford City Life Insurance and Trust Company in Kentucky as State Agents. He died in 1872 in New- port, Kentucky, and is buried there. He left a wife and five children. He was a man of fine personal presence. His weight was seldom less than two hundred pounds. He was six feet and two inches high. In politics, he was first a Whig, but during his later years he voted with the Democrats, though he was never prominent in politics.

Rev. Erastus Burr, D. D.

Of all those who ever lived in Portsmouth, there is no finer or more admirable character than the subject of this sketch. His his- tory and life is largely the history and life of the community in which he dwelt and spent his life. If ever there was a life spent in Ports- mouth which was illustrative of the excellences and nobilities of hu- man character, it was this one. It makes no difference from what point of view the life and character of Doctor Burr be viewed, the re- stilt is the same; there is ever some noble element to call out admi- ration. And yet Doctor Burr's life was nothing but a round of simple every day duties, which every clergman is called on to observe and perform, but he elevated and ennobled them. Doctor Burr never made any show of goodness, such a thing never ocurred to him in the course of his long and useful life. He simply lived to do each day what was before him, to do it well and on his conscience. He was a man of extensive learning, of broad scholarship, but he never attempt- ed to display it. As a matter of course he could not conceal it, for it was part of his life. He was a beacon light to all those about him. He was a man of most excellent judgment, and it served him on all oc- casions. He was never perturbed or excited. There was nothing nervous or excitable about him, and he always said, advised and did the best thing to be advised, said or done; and his advice, his state- ments and his actions, on or about any subject, seemed to be conclu- sive. His diction in public speaking was perfect. He never violated the rules of syntax, never used slang and his qualifying words of every subject of which he spoke, seemed to be perfect. While his delivery was slow, his thoughts and ideas were always instructive and inter- esting. At the conclusion of his career, when the memory of his life was most vivid, it was said of him, that the loved clergyman and citi- zen had passed away. He was at that time revered and respected above any citizen of Portsmouth. When discussing goodness and ex- cellence in the community he was always placed first. He was a man of broad views on every subject. He was always conservative, never impetuous or inconsiderate. He was never carried away by new ideas or notions, never adopted extreme views or followed extreme courses in respect to any subject. He was wise in the best and broadest sense of the term. Where his advice was sought and followed, the recip- ient always found he had adopted the very best course.

REV. ERASTUS BURR.

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He was born at Bridgeport, Conn., April 15, 1805, of a long line of honorable ancestry. At the age of thirteen his father settled in Worthington, Ohio, and here, in 1820, he began his preparations for college under Bishop Philander Chase. He attended school in Worth- ington until 1825, when the school was removed to Gambier, Ohio. He attended the school there until 1828, when he entered Trinity Col- lege at Hartford, Conn., where he graduated in 1830. On his return from Hartford, he went . to Nashville, Tenn., and studied theology, though he really went on account of his health. On January 6, 1833, at Lexington, Ky., he was ordered deacon, and on August 29, 1834, he was ordained priest by Rev. Dudley Smith, Bishop of Kentucky. This was Bishop Smith's first ordination of a priest. In April, 1833, Doctor Burr took charge of the St. John's Church at Worthington, Ohio, and remained there until he came to Portsmouth. On Febru- ary 7, 1833, he was married to Miss Harriet Griswold at Worthing- ton. On November 9, 1838, he became Rector of All Saints Church at Portsmouth, and there he spent the remainder of his life. On November 9, 1873, he retired froom the Rectorship of All Saints Church, and on that occasion preached his thirty-fifth anniversary sermon. The writer heard it, and it is one of his cherished memories. Again on November 9, 1891, fifty-three years after taking the Rector- ship, and at the ripe age of 86, he again addressed the All Saints Con- gregation. He stood on his feet and spoke for one hour and twenty minutes and no one was restless. He held the strict attention of all his hearers, and his mind was bright and clear as in his youth. He desired the Congregation to consider that address his last words, and so they proved. He stood on the brink of eternity and gave his people tender and affectionate advice and counsel, and words of loving farewell.

He was an examiner of the Public Schools of the city from 1839 most of his life. He was County School Examiner for forty years continuously, and had the confidence, respect and affection of the teachers. In the duty of granting certificates, he was always just, and he invariably gave the teacher the benefit of the doubt. He re- signed the County Examinership in 1888, but held the City Examin- ership till his death, because his colleagues insisted on it. In the Councils of his own Church no clergyman was better known or more highly respected. In the Convention of his own Diocese, he was always on the most important Committees. From 1856 to 1887, he was on the Committee on Canons, which dealt with the laws of the Church and had the best talent and learning of the Convention. The Bishop frequently called on him as temporary chairman, and he was the Bishop's own counselor. The Bishop always sought his advice and it goes without saying, followed it. In the discussion of all questions in the Convention, after Dr. Burr spoke, the body was ready for a vote, and his views were nearly always adopted. After he

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had spoken on a question, the members wondered why they had not seen it that way before. Doctor Burr's influence in his own church was not limited to the Diocese. He was a Trustee of Kenyon Col- lege and of Bexley Hall for 48 years, and his labors on those Boards were most highly appreciated by his colleagues. He attended each General Convention of his Church from 1840 until 1877, and was most favorably known in that body. This was the highest honor his Diocese could confer.

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A history of Scioto County, Ohio, together with a pioneer record, Part 89

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