Centennial History of Butler County, Ohio, Part 63

Author: Bert S. Bartlow, W. H. Todhunter, Stephen D. Cone, Joseph J. Pater, Frederick Schneider, and others
Publication date: 1905
Publisher:
Number of Pages: 1149

USA > Ohio > Butler County > Centennial History of Butler County, Ohio > Part 63

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On the 29th of June, 1874, Mr. Smith was united in marriage to Miss Christianna Kindred, who was born and reared near Zanesville, in Muskingum county, Ohio, and who is a woman of gracious refinement.

JOHN CASSIDY.

One of the native sons of Butler county who has been identified with its industrial development and the cultivation of its fertile soil since the pioneer days and who is now numbered among the prosperous and repre- sentative farmers of Lemon township, is the subject of this sketch, concerning whose life history we are gratified to offer a resume in this work.

He was born on the farm which is now his home, on the 25th of April, 1837, and is a son of Ezra and Elizabeth (Sinkey)

Cassidy, both of whom were of stanch Irish extraction. `He was reared on the home- stead farm, early beginning to contribute his quota to the work involved in its cultiva- tion and improvement, and duly availing himself of the advantages of the common schools of the day. He has remained unmar- ried, and he and his unmarried sister, Miss Ida, have for many years resided in the old homestead and has continued the cultivation of a portion of the farm which was secured by his father in the pioneer epoch, while it may be said that the place is hallowed to both him and his brother and sister through the memories and associations of the past, since all have here spent their entire lives thus far. They own ninety acres of the finest bottom land in the fertile valley of the Miami river, and everything pertaining to the homestead gives indication that the manager is a man of progressive ideas and industrious habits, and the farm may be properly mentioned as one of the model places of the county. The residence is a substantial and attractive brick cottage and is a home in which a generous hospitality is ever in evidence, Miss Cassidy presiding over the domestic affairs with ability and gracious dignity, while both she and her brother number their friends by the circle of their acquaintances in the community. Miss Cassidy received her early educational dis- cipline in the common schools and there- after supplemented the same by attending Miami University, at Oxford, Ohio, for several terms. In politics the subject gives his allegiance to the Democratic party, and is ever ready to assist in the furtherance of all worthy enterprises for the general good. The sister has been a member of the Baptist church.

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CAPT. JOSEPH W. MYERS.

Capt. Joseph Myers was born in Ham- ilton, Butler county, Ohio, August 26, 1843. and is a son of Peter and Mary J. (Ward) Myers. His father was a native of Penn- sylvania, born in 1815, and came to Hamil- ton in 1827, being here engaged as a car- penter. He reared to years of maturity five sons, four of whom were soldiers in the Union army during the war of the Rebel- lion. But two of them are now living. Joseph W. and Edward, both of Hamilton. Peter Myers lived to a ripe old age and dur- ing the building of the Soldiers' Home at Dayton he held a position as assistant fore- man in the building department.

When a lad of sixteen years Joseph Myers began an apprenticeship to the car- penter's trade, and was working in that busi- ness in the spring of 1861, when he laid aside the implements of civil life and shouldered a musket in defense of his country. He en- listed in Company D, Thirty-fifth Ohio In- fantry, and participated in nearly all of the engagements of his regiment. He com- manded his company in the battle of Buz- zard's Roost and took part in the siege of Atlanta. He was absent from his regiment on recruiting service during the battles of Chickamauga and Missionary Ridge, being detached from his company to assist in fill- ing up the depleted ranks. These were the only engagements of the regiment in which Captain Myers did not participate. He was mustered out of service on the 8th of Sep- tember, 1864.

facturing brooms at Indianapolis. Dispos- ing of that business, he returned to Hamil- ton and was engaged in the confectionery business for a number of years. He was captain of the fire department from 1869 to 1871, and was elected street commissioner . in 1875 and served two years in that ca- pacity, his administration being character- ized by careful attention to details and the economical expenditure of public money. He resumed the building and contracting business for two years, and in 1879 he was appointed captain of the police force, serv- ing two years in that capacity. In 1881 he entered the employment of the Bentel Margedant Company and remained with that firm for a number of years. In 1879 he was appointed United States revenue storekeeper by President Harrison and served four years.

Captain Myers has always taken an ac- tive interest in the welfare of his old com- rades and has been prominently connected with the Grand Army of the Republic since its organization in this city. He also served as captain of the. Veterans Guard, an or- ganization corresponding to that now known as the Sons of Veterans. In recent years the Captain has been greatly interested in the building of the Soldiers, Sailors and Pioneers' Monument, and, in fact, was one of the first to agitate that proposition. He has been a member of the various commis- sions from the inception of the matter to the present time and has probably done as much work as any one else connected with it. Since the erection of the monument became an assured fact, Captain Myers has been un- relenting in his efforts and tireless in his work. He was one of the original in-

Returning home, Captain Myers re- sumed his trade as a carpenter, but aban- doned that employment soon afterward and in 1868 and 1869 he was engaged in manu- corporators, associated with nine other well-

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known citizens of the city and county, and has served as financial secretary and treas- urer of the corporation. To him has fallen largely the task of securing names of the thousands whose memories are to be per- petuated on the marble tablets which con- stitute the principal historic feature of the ·monument. This is a delicate and arduous service, for which the Captain's great per- sonal interest eminently qualifies him.

Joseph W. Myers was married, in 1870, to Miss Mary Stafford, a Christian lady of prominence and high social standing. She is a devout and active member of the Methodist Episcopal church. Besides the various soldiers' organizations, Captain Myers is a member of the Royal Arcanum.

JAMES E. ROTHENBUSH, D. D. S.

The profession of dentistry has de- veloped, within the memory of man, from a code system of practice, engaged in by any one, without regard to professional ethics, into a thoroughly scientific profession. guarded by the law and fostered and en- couraged by colleges throughout the entire land. To be a dentist today requires the same preparation, by judicious and well-di- rected study, that is required by the medical profession, of which dentistry is a recog- nized part. A thorough and practical knowl- edge of chemistry and anatomy are essen- tials, while equal familiarity with minor surgery and prompt and ready diagnosis of the effects of anaesthetics, as administered to persons of different physical constitutions. are equally important. Thus hedged about by the protecting arm of the law, the pro-

fession of dentistry becomes one of the most important and responsible callings in all of the learned professions. Measured by the standards briefly mentioned, the patient naturally looks about to find his ideal near- est approaching to requirements. In the se- lection, he also considers successful experi- ence as well as unquestioned theoretical knowledge.

Dr. J. E. Rothenbush has attained more than ordinary prominence in his profession and stands today in the first rank of Hamil- ton's corps of practicing dentists. He be- gan his educational career in the city schools of Hamilton, his native city, where he was born on the 27th of December, 1867. By diligent study and close application he acquired a thorough preliminary education, and early selected the dental profession as his life work. At the age of nineteen years he entered upon a course of study in the Ohio Dental College, at Cincinnati, and was graduated with honors on the 4th of March, 1889. He selected a location at Manchester, Adams county, Ohio, and there engaged in practice for about two years, but the allure- ments of the parental home and early boy- hood companions were strong and he de- cided to return at the sacrifice of a good practice already established. In 1891 he re- turned to Hamilton, since which time he has built up and sustains a highly successful and lucrative practice. His rooms, at the corner of Third and Court streets, are filled up with all modern appliances and conveniences.

Dr. Rothenbush is a close student, not only of professional literature, but is a careful reader and zealous student of current history and is thoroughly well informed. His curriculum of study is only restricted by the absence of time and opportunity.

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The Rothenbush family is one long-es- tablished in Hamilton, and thoroughly identified with the history of Butler county since 1828. On the date last written Chris- tian Rothenbush, the paternal grandfather of this subject. took up his residence in Hamilton. But the family history is fully presented under the title "Captain Philip Rothenbush," elsewhere in this volume, to which the reader is referred.

Dr. Rothenbush was happily married on the 18th of November, 1891, choosing for his companion in life Miss Hattie, daughter of Frank and Harriet (Pieper) Hites, a prominent Butler county family. Mrs. Roth- enbush is a lady of culture and possesses many accomplishments as a wife, mother and good neighbor. The only child born to these parents is Harold, born February 6. 1893, a student in the city schools. Mr. and Mrs. Rothenbush are highly regarded in social circles and active and zealous in Christian life. They are members of the Presbyterian church in Hamilton. Of the social fra- ternities Dr. Rothenbush is a member of the Knights of Pythias, Modern Woodmen of America, Independent Order of Foresters and Fraternal Censer. In his political af- filiations he is allied with the Republican party. Has never sought nor held official place, but devotes his time and talents ex- clusively to his profession. The business requires the employment of two or more as- sistants.

CAPT. AUGUST W. MARGEDANT.

This distinguished young business man was born in Hamilton on the 3d of Septem- ber, 1869. He is a son of the late Capt.

William C. Margedant, a most exemplary citizen, a patriot of the Civil war, and a man whose public and private life record will long be cherished in the memory of all who knew him. His history as a valiant officer and soldier in the war of the re- bellion reads like a romance, so thrilling is it in details of gallant services and superior efficiency. He was one of the first to re- . spond to the President's call for seventy-five thousand three-months men and enlisted a company of forty-eight men in a few hours. These were mostly from a gymnastic as- sociation of which the captain and all were members. Subsequently the company was recruited to two hundred men and became a part of the Ninth Ohio Volunteer Infantry. Captain Margedant received at the com- pany's organization one hundred and ninety- nine votes for the office of captain, and, though loth to accept a commissioned office, he could not well decline in the face of such an indorsement. He left Hamilton on the 15th of April, 1861, and was elected cap- tain at Cincinnati on the 16th. Soon after- ward the regiment joined Mcclellan's army in western Virginia and took part in the first battles of the war. These were Philippi, Beverly, Camp Garnet, Rich Mountain, Car- nifax Ferry, and later in the engagements at Ganly Bridge, Hawk's Nest, Sewell Mountain, Fayettesville, New River and others.

Captain Margedant's early training eminently fitted him for the perilous duties of a topographical engineer and he was soon detached from his regiment and as- signed to duty as such. He made the first detailed topographical maps, even entering the enemy's lines for this purpose and en- countering untold dangers and privations in

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this hazardous work. He organized the army engineer service and was prominently associated with that branch of military ma- neuvering throughout the war. On many occasions he received complimentary men- tion in official reports of General Rosecrans, under whom he served. These reports em- braced, somewhat in detail, a resume of the Captain's gallant services and his supreme usefulness to the army. He served also on the staff of General Fremont, and later Gen- eral Siegel, receiving from each high com- mendations for his efficiency. The minutae of these commendations and official recom- mendations will be found fully detailed in the records of the war department.

At the expiration of his term of enlist- ment, General William T. Sherman issued a special order (No. 141) retaining Captain Margedant in the field, because of the great need of his further services. He remained at the front until the latter part of 1864, when, being prostrated with sickness, he was sent to the North. He took part in thirty-six engagements, from the battles of West Virginia, through the Shenandoah valley, and the states of Tennessee, Ala- bama and Georgia.

Captain William C. Margedant was born in Dusseldorf, Prussia, November 15, 1835, and was a son of August Margedant, who was born August 3, 1807, at Bamberg, Ger- many. His mother in maidenhood was Miss Sophia A. Bergman, a native of Soest, Westphalia, born in 1805. Both parents died in Eberfield, Germany, the mother in 1868, and father in 1876. William C. Mar- gedant received a thorough education in his native country, including polytechnical and technical training, and a course in the fine arts, painting and drawing. He was dis- inferred, he was liberal and sympathetic

inclined to enter the military service of his native land, particularly under a monarchial form of government, and therefore secured release from military duty and permission to leave the country. He came to America in 1854, and was employed for a time at Cincinnati. There he assisted in construct- ing the first steam fire engine in this coun- try. He came to Hamilton early in 1855 and entered the employ of the firm of Owens, Lane & Dyer, as a machinist. Sub- sequently he became a partner in the Bentel & Margedant Company, in the manufacture of wood-working machinery. He was president of this well-known corporation for many years and sustained active business relations with it at the time of his death. Mr. Margedant was an active and public- spirited citizen, always foremost in the ad- vancement of public interests. He took a ' prominent part in the centennial celebration of 1891 and the Columbus celebration of 1892. He was a member of the board of school examiners, and president of the Pio- neers, Soldiers and Sailors' Permanent Monument Association of Butler county. His patriotism led him to take an active in- terest in the Spanish-American war, though too enfeebled in health to join the boys at the front, but he was president of the Citi- zens' War Committee of 1898. He was much interested in the founding of Mercy Hospital, a liberal contributor to the build- ing of the beneficent institution, and presi- dent of its board of managers from its founding. Captain Margedant was a man of intensely strong convictions. Whatever he believed to be right he advocated with zeal and energy, often at the sacrifice of his own personal interests. As may well be

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towards unfortunate humanity. No man ever lived in Hamilton who maintained a higher grade of citizenship, or whose career, both public and private, evinced more sterl- ing traits of character. His exalted in- tegrity, purity of life and uncompromising loyalty are themes of every-day discussion among those who knew him best.

Capt, W. C. Margedant was married on the 28th day of January, 1864, to Miss Caro- lina, daughter of the late John W. and Catherine Sohn. She was born in this city, July 14, 1841, and departed this life on the 28th of May. 1885. Nine children were born to this union, viz: Caroline A., Capt. August W., Sophia F., Adelaide (deceased), Carl E., Clara, Augusta and William C., Jr. The survivors of the family are all residents of their native city. The death of Captain Margedant occurred on the 12th day of January, 1900, and was the occasion for universal mourning throughout the entire community. Beautiful and touching' en- comiums on his life and character were freely pronounced. the most prominent among these being a eulogy from the pen of General Boynton, president of the Chickamauga Park Association. It ap- peared in the Indianapolis News, on Thurs- day, January 18, 1900. It is a rich tribute to the memory of a comrade. who shared with the writer the perils and exposures of the battlefield. It recounts his onerous du- ties, and how faithfully he performed them; his pride in the army which he served, and his devotion, to the last, to his late comrades. Closing, it says : "After a long, earnest and honorable life, this pathfinder of our army sleeps well."

Capt. August W. Margedant, whose name heads this article, was reared and edu-

cated in his native city. At an early age he evinced a taste and talent for the military, a characteristic no doubt inherited from his illustrious . father. He entered into his father's business with zeal and promptitude and discharged his every duty with efficiency and skill. On the Ist of January, 1891, he was mustered into the Ohio National Guard, as a private. His soldierly bearing and ready adaptation to military tactics gained for him prompt recognition and led to rapid promotions. He served as corporal, ser- geant, second lieutenant and first lieutenant, holding the latter position from January 21, 1894, until May II, 1896, when he was com- missioned captain of the Ohio National Guards and assigned to the command of Company E. On the 7th of May, 1898, he enlisted at Columbus as a member of Com- pany E, First Ohio Infantry, United States Volunteers, and was mustered into service as captain of this company, a position for which he was eminently qualified by pre- vious military service. The term of service was necessarily short, by reason of the early termination of the war. Captain Marge- dant gave promise 'of a brilliant military career, having the full confidence of his su- perior officers and the highest regard of his men. 'At the close of hostilities he received his honorable discharge from the service, and resumed the peaceful pursuits of life. Upon the death of his father he was elected president of the Bentel & Margedant Com- pany, giving his attention to the extensive manufacturing interests of this well-known industry.

Captain Margedant was married on the 12th of June, 1901, to Miss Jessie Jones, a highly accomplished and popular young lady of Hamilton. She is a daughter of the

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late H. H. Jones, ex-county treasurer of this sketch. Grandfather Clark was twice Butler county. These young people have a delightful home in the first ward and have the promise of a happy future before them.

ALBERT W. CLARK.

Albert W. Clark, the popular jailer at the Butler county bastile, is a native of Venice, Ohio, and a great-grandson of Dr. Benjamin F. Clark, who laid out the village of "Venus" in 1816. Dr. Clark was a na- tive of New York and came to this county in 1814. He selected as a home the present town site of Venice, and there established a hamlet in the wilderness which, because of the natural beauty of the spot, he named "Venus." He was a man of rare profes- sional skill and well educated. He is de- scribed as a tall, sparely-built man, of much physical and mental force. His mission to humanity on the western frontier was well performed, and during the twelve years of his life he was a tireless worker among the sick and distressed. Dr. Clark was a man of broad views and liberal in his consider- ation of others' rights. He donated one acre of land to the town of "Venus" for burial purposes and was otherwise public spirited and active in the interest of the town and community. He continued in active prac- tice until his death, June 22, 1826, at the age of fifty-seven years. His wife, Eliza- beth Clark, died February 15, 1861, at the age of seventy-seven years, and both are in- terred in the cemetery which the Doctor founded. A son of this early pioneer was also named Benjamin F. and he was the paternal grandfather of Albert W. Clark, of

married, his first wife, who was Rhoda Ful- ler, being the mother of the subject's father, Benjamin Allen Clark. There were four children in this family, Benjamin A. and Lavonia, now Mrs. Burch, being the only survivors. The others were named Per- milla and Melvina. Benjamin Allen Clark was born at Venice, October 13, 1834, mar- ried Miss Elizabeth R. McFeeley, and both are living. Their home has been for many years at the village of Shandon, formerly known as Paddy's Run, near which place they own a valuable farm. They were the parents of nine children, eight of whom are living. The eldest was David Ozro, who died in childhood, in 1860. Frank followed farming until recently, when he removed to Hamilton and engaged in other pursuits. , Mrs. Rhoda E. Henry lives on a farm at St. Charles, in this county. Albert W., of this sketch, was the next in order of birth. Mrs. Lillian Bauer resides on a farm near Venice. Ralph W. has exiled himself from home and friends since 1890, and his where- abouts is unknown to his family, an unhappy marriage being the cause of this estrange- ment. Ernest is operating the home farm. He married Miss Carrie Vogt, and they have one child. Frances E. became the wife of William Robinson, a retired farmer, now operating a hotel at Shandon. Emmazetta G. is the wife of Roger Evans, a brother of Mrs. Albert Clark. Mr. Evans is a me- chanic at Shandon.

The subject of this article received a good practical education in the public school at Shandon, and began his business career as a farmer. He followed the plow during most of his life and owned and oper- ated a threshing outfit for seventeen

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seasons. He has been a hard-working, in- dustrious man, seeing but little of the com- forts of life except as he took pleasure and comfort in his endless work. He was born on the 2d of August, 1862, and, though yet a young man, he is broken down from the effects of a lifetime of persistent toil, from early dawn until late at night. Fortunately, a change came in 1900, when he was selected from numerous applicants as the jailer at the Butler county prison. He served in this capacity during the four-years term of Peter Bisdorf, as sheriff, and was re-ap- pointed in 1904 by Sheriff Luke Brannon. Mr. Clark has official charge of the jail, and inmates and appurtenances, under direction of the sheriff. In his official capacity Mr. Clark has witnessed some touching scenes and has had charge of some of the most hardened criminals. Among these are mur- derers, thieves, burglars and others, guilty of minor crimes. The notorious strangler, Alfred Knapp, now awaiting electrocution for wife-murder, was one of his most "dis- tinguished" guests for many months. The Butler county jail is a massive stone struc- ture, erected in 1848, with due consideration for the character of its occupants. It is fitted with twenty-four steel cells, which, with the impenetrable stone walls and the watchful vigilance of the jailer, render es- cape impossible.

. Mr. Clark was married on the 31st of January, 1884, when he chose for his com- panion in life's journey Miss Alice Evans, who was born at Shandon, Butler county, and is a representative of a numerous and prominent old family in the county. Her parents were Robert N. and Margaret (Davis) Evans, both descendants of Welsh ancestors. John Evans, the paternal grand-

father, a native of Wales, established a home on Paddy's Run in 1818. He reached Cincinnati with the modest sum of twenty- nine cents as the nucleus, to which he in later years added a large fortune. He was reputed to be very wealthy and made liberal provisions for all of his children. But as he neared the end of life's journey, a trusted friend who handled a large part of his for- tune proved unfaithful and the doting old man was defrauded in the sum of several thousand dollars. He died possessed of about a hundred thousand dollars, mostly in real estate and stock.

The happy union of Mr. and Mrs. Clark has been blessed with eleven children, nine of whom are now living. The eldest of these was Wayne Ozra, a promising youth who met a tragic death at the dawn of bright young manhood. On the 15th of July, 1904, while bathing in the reservoir near Hamilton, he was drowned. This calamity was a severe blow to the family and elicited the sympathy of the entire city, where the young man was well and favor- ably known. At the time of his death Wayne was a trusted employe of the T. V. Howell & Son Dry Goods Company, where he was held in high esteem by his employers and associates." He was a most exemplary young man, whose correct habits of life and conduct never gave his loving parents a mo- ment's trouble. The body was buried in the family lot at Venice, where four gener- ations of the name are represented. Wayne was but two months past his twentieth year. The other children, with the exception of Albert A., who died in early infancy in August, 1900, are still under the parental roof. They are Arline, Keith, Bryce, Ruth, Virginia. Rowland, Miriam, Rowena and

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Centennial History of Butler County, Ohio, Part 63

Author: Bert S. Bartlow, W. H. Todhunter, Stephen D. Cone, Joseph J. Pater, Frederick Schneider, and others Publication date: 1905 Publisher: Number of Pages: 1149

Author: Bert S. Bartlow, W. H. Todhunter, Stephen D. Cone, Joseph J. Pater, Frederick Schneider, and others
Publication date: 1905
Publisher:
Number of Pages: 1149