Centennial History of Butler County, Ohio, Part 75

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 75

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Mr. Caldwell was connected with the above concern until the failure of Mr. Gra- ham, in 1852, at which time he engaged in the paper-making business in partnership with Robert Cooper, the firm thus consti- tuted lasting only a short time, when it was dissolved by mutual consent. In the year 1854 the subject accepted the position of foreman in the Globe Paper Mill, Middle- town, and continued to act in that capacity for a period of two years, when he again em- barked in business upon his own responsi- bility, effecting a co-partnership with George Jacoby and purchasing in conjunc- tion with the gentleman the lumber yard which stands on the corner where his pres- ent establishment is now situated. The firm of Jacoby & Caldwell lasted from 1858 to 1864. when the former gentleman withdrew and was succeeded by his son, thus forming a new partnership, which, under the style of Caldwell & Jacoby. continued until the death of the junior member, two years later. In 1866 the interest of the deceased partner was again taken by the elder Jacoby, who remained a member of the firm until the year 1877. when Mr. Caldwell bought the entire plant and became sole proprietor. After running the business very successfully until 1898, he admitted his son-in-law, J. M. Iseminger, to a partnership, since which time the establishment has been conducted under the name of Caldwell & Iseminger, this firm now being one of the most widely

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known and extensively patronized industries of the kind in Middletown. Their yards are equipped with a large and complete stock of all kinds of lumber, and their sash, door and blind factory is one of the most complete in the Miami valley. They are general contractors and builders and manu- facture everything in the line of woodwork pertaining to all kinds of buildings. They make a specialty of hardwood interior house finish and stair work and have built up a reputation for this kind of work that can not be excelled by any concern in the coun- try.

As already indicated. Mr. Caldwell is in every respect a representative business man and his success in the industrial world has coming years will give additional luster.

been the result of sound, practical intel- ligence and mature judgment, directed and . controlled by wise forethought. From the beginning his progress has been steady and substantial, and no obstacle or discourage- ment has interfered with or in any way hin- dered the constant growth and wide-reach- ing influence of the large establishment of which he is the senior partner and which for so many years has contributed so much to the general prosperity of Middletown.

Mr. Caldwell married, in the year 1849, Miss May J. Lewellen, who was born in Millville, Butler county, Ohio, and who died in 1896, after a happy wedded experience resulting in the birth of four children; three of these offspring are deceased, the only survivor being Laurie E., now the wife of J. M. Iseminger, the subject's business partner.

In his political affiliations Mr. Caldwell is a Republican, but he has never been a very active participant in party affairs nor an aspirant for office. Presbyterianism

represents his religious creed and for many years he has been a prominent member and influential worker in the First Presbyterian church in Middletown, being at this time a deacon in the organization, also its treas- urer. The private life of Mr. Caldwell has been singularly free from those faults and habits which tend to undermine and destroy the characters of so many men, and his honor and integrity in his social relations as well as in business affairs have ever been above criticism. Honest and upright, he has earned the esteem of his fellow citizens, and the influence he has always exercised for the good of the community has made for him a name and reputation to which the

DR. SAMUEL H. MILLIKIN.

The subject of this review is a repre- sentative of one of the early established families of Butler county, the history of which covers almost a century. The Mil- likin family needs no introduction to the people of this county, as since 1807 they have been prominently identified with its growth and progress. The annals of the county record the history of no family more conspicuous or more honorable in the ad- vancement of public thought and action. and none of more diversified interests. They have been represented in all the va- rious lines of human effort, and have al- ways borne and sustained an exalted posi- tion in the social, professional and business affairs of the county. It is not the purpose of this volume to give undue prominence to any individual or to extol the merits of the

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living to the neglect of the dead. The worthy pioneers, by whose aggressiveness, self-sacrifice, industry and frugality was rendered possible the high state of advance- ment which we enjoy today, are worthy of more than a passing notice in the annals of history. This recognition must come through individual families. The Millikin family was established in .Hamilton on the 7th of May, 1807. The founders were Dr. Dan Millikin and his brother Samuel. They came from Washington county, Pennsyl- vania, and were sons of James and Dolly (McFarland) Millikin. James Millikin was born in County Antrim, Ireland, Janu- ary 5. 1752, and came to America in 1771. He married Miss Dolly McFarland in Washington county, Pennsylvania, March I, 1778, she being a native of Massachu- setts. They were the parents of nine chil- dren, who attained to years of maturity, namely : Daniel, James, John H., Samuel, William S., Robert B., Andrew, Abel and Mary. Five of the family became residents of Hamilton as the years passed and are now buried in Greenwood cemetery.

Samuel Millikin, the fourth son of James and Dolly Millikin, was the paternal grandfather of the subject of this sketch. He was born in Washington county, Penn- sylvania, February 28, 1786. He was in his twenty-first year when he accompanied his brother Daniel to Hamilton. He took up his residence in his brother's family, and for a few years turned his attention to the study of medicine. Later he came to re- alize that the practice of medicine would not be congenial to his tastes, and he utilized the knowledge acquired in his pre- vious studies in establishing the first regu- lar drug store in Hamilton. His brother

Daniel was the first physician in the town of Hamilton. Samuel Millikin continued in the drug business for several years. On the 28th of September, 1813, he was married to Miss Mary Hunter, a daughter of Joseph Hunter, an early pioneer of Fairfield town- ship. As a result of this union, three chil- dren were born, the eldest of whom was Hannah, who became the wife of William Anderson, a prominent merchant in Hamil- ton at that time; the second born was James H., who became a partner with his brother- in-law, Mr. Anderson, until the death of the latter in 1845. Mrs. Anderson died on the 25th of May, 1834. James Millikin continued in mercantile business for a num- ber of years, subsequently removing with his family to Decatur, Illinois, where he died. John Millikin was the youngest of the family of Samuel and Mary (Hunter) Millikin, and the father of Dr. Samuel H. Millikin of this sketch. He was born in Hamilton on the 24th day of October, 1826. His mother died when he was a small child, on the 12th of July, 1828, and he was reared as a companion of his father in Hamilton, and later on a farm in Vermil- ion county, Indiana. On attaining the age of manhood he continued to operate a farm in Indiana for many years. He married Miss Mary C. Snively, a daughter of Samuel Snively, a well-known and prosperous citi- zen of Butler county. He was descended from pioneer ancestors in Franklin county, Pennsylvania, his father's family having lo- cated there in a very early day. Samuel Snively amassed a fortune in the tannery business and was considered wealthy at the time of his death, in 1863. The father o Dr. Millikin was engaged in various line of business, but after leaving the farm

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which he operated successfully for seventeen years, he engaged in the milling business. but the fluctuations of war-time prices were disastrous and he sold out his interests, en- tered the employ of the well-known firm of Long & Allstatter, with whom he was em- ployed as superintendent of agencies for more than twenty years. He was thus em- ployed at the time of his death, on the 28th of August, 1892. He was a man univer- sally esteemed for his sterling integrity and upright life. He was a devoted husband and father, indulgent and generous to his children, devoted to his home and its en- vironments, ever thoughtful of the comfort and happiness of others. He was a man of high moral instincts and broad philanthropy, He had no enemies, but all who knew him were his friends. The memory of John Millikin will long be remembered, even out- side of the family circle. His family com- prises four sons and four daughters who attained to years of maturity. The names are, in order of birth : Adda S., wife of S. B. Berry; Ella, who became Mrs. J. W. Shields; Henry L .; Samuel H .; Agnes, wife of John W. King; Horace F .; Mary Eliza- beth and John M. Mary died in young womanhood unmarried. John W. died in 1899. Adda is in Beatty, Kansas; Ella, now Mrs. Shields, is in Greensburg, Indiana; Henry is at San Bernardino, California; Mrs. Agnes King resides in Richmond, In- diana; Horace is located at Danville, Indi- ana.

The subject of this sketch was born dur- ing the family residence in Vermilion county, Indiana, on the 9th of February, 1853. The first nine years of his life were spent at the place of his birth. The fam-

ily then returned to Hamilton, and the sub- ject here resumed his school studies. Being of a self-reliant nature, he was soon enrolled among the aggressive corps of little mer- chants in distributing newspapers. This engagement, of itself unimportant, was nevertheless an education in familiarizing the young salesman with some of the un- pleasant affairs of business life. He spent one year in a photograph gallery, but that business was not congenial, and he learned the trade of a carriage blacksmith. This business engaged his attention for seven and one-half years, a part of which time was spent in preparatory study for the dental profession.

After completing an elementary course under Dr. Drake, of Marion, Ohio, a prac- tical dentist, he went into the office of Dr. L. M. Griffis, of Hamilton, as a student for two years, but not being satisfied with his qualifications, though successful in practice, he took a thorough course in dentistry and was graduated from the Dental College of Cincinnati in 1881. This was the acme of the Doctor's ambition and, with only a temporary respite, he has been in active practice for nearly twenty-five years. For a few years following 1889 Dr. Millikin was in the mercantile business in Hamilton, in which he was successful, but he returned to his professional life, determined to con- tinue unless something specially alluring may detract his attention temporarily.

On the 15th of September, 1886, Dr. Millikin was united in marriage with Miss Mary, daughter of John and Elizabeth (Schneider) Schelly. Mrs. Millikin was a lady of culture and refinement, a woman of strong domestic tastes, a lover of home,

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where her energies were centered in the cultivation of those features which render the home sacred and more charming than any other place on earth. She was a devout Christian, holding membership in Zion's Evangelical Lutheran church. She died January 14, 1897. Dr. Millikin is a mem- ber of the Presbyterian church, the religious home of his ancestors. He holds member- ship in the Knights of Pythias lodge and the Royal Arcanum, and is also a member of the Ohio State Dental Society. In political views Dr. Millikin is disposed to be liberal, exercising his rights of suffrage independ- ently of party lines. In local political affairs he supports men rather than measures. He has never sought political honors, hence he is free from political debts and can assert his independence with. impunity. The Doc- tor is a cheery. companionable gentleman, social in his nature. liberal in his views, and generous toward afflicted humanity. He has made a success of life and enjoys the confidence of all with whom he comes in contact. He is a worthy representative of the distinguished family whose name he perpetuates. Dr. and Mrs. Millikin became the parents of two sons, Arnold Schelly and Eugene Donald, both of whom are at home attending school.

Dr. Millikin has been phenomenally suc- cessful in his business career and is rated very well-to-do. He owns a valuable farm of two hundred and twenty-five acres near Hamilton, two business blocks in the city. besides residence property and important lots. Some of this property came by in- heritance to his wife, but much of it is the product of the Doctor's careful and system- atic business methods.

HENRY TABLER.

Henry Tabler. a member of the Butler county infirmary board and clerk of that body, was born in Hamilton on the 20th of February, 1841, and is a representative of a family of three children born to Henry and Mary A. (Von Benken) Tabler, natives of Hanover. Germany. The father was born in 1800 and came to America in 1836, estab- lishing a home in Hamilton, Ohio. The wife of Charles Beck, who was Miss Cath- erine Tabler, is, besides the subject of this sketch. the only survivor of the family. The parents were early residents of Hamilton, and closely identified with the city's growth and progress, where they contributed their share in establishing a branch of the thrifty and prosperous German-American citizen- ship now so prevalent and popular in Butler county. The father spent his life here in various pursuits and lived to advanced age.

Henry Tabler. the subject of this arti- cle. was reared and educated in the city of his birth. His parents were devout Cath- olics in religious views and he was educated in the parochial schools until he attained his fifteenth year, when he began life's strug- gles on his own account. In later years he added to his educational acquirements and took a business course in Bartlet's Business College, at Cincinnati. He served an ap- prenticeship to the carriage painter's trade under the tutorship of Christian Morgan- thaler. with whom he worked until the be- ginning of the Civil war.

Mr. Tabler was one of the first to re- spond to the President's call for seventy- five thousand men for the three-months serv- ice. He enlisted on the 17th of April. 1861.

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and was assigned to Company K, First Ohio Charles Beck repurchased his former inter- Volunteer Infantry, this being the first com- pany to leave Hamilton for the seat of war. Mr. Tabler went with his command to the defense of the national capital and took part in numerous skirmishes leading up to the historic battle of Bull Run. In that sanguin- ary engagement the First Ohio bore a con- spicuous part and assisted in ushering in the struggle, with a true appreciation of the formidable character of the enemies of the national union. A depleted treasury. plundered arsenals, and a chief executive whose sympathies were clearly on the side of disunion .-- it is not strange that the first great battle proved a national disaster. The poorly armed and equipped volunteers from the offices, shops and farms, with scarcely a knowledge of the manual of arms, met thor- oughly skilled troops, well-armed and equipped, under command of some of the best generals the nation has ever produced.

Mr. Tabler served out his term of enlist- ment, received an honorable discharge from the service, and located in Buffalo, New York. where he followed his trade until 1865. Returning west, he completed a course in bookkeeping and commercial work and continued at his trade until 1870, when he became a partner in the mercantile and tail- oring establishment of Kortemeyer. Freer & Company, of Cincinnati. Mr. Tabler subsequently disposed of his interests in this firm and became associated in the boot and shoe business with his brother-in-law. Charles Beck. Soon after this Mr. Beck was elected to a county office. in which he served nine years, his father having pur- chased his interest in the mercantile busi- ness, which was continued by the elder Beck and Mr. Tabler. Retiring from office.

est, and the two brothers-in-law continued in profitable business associations until 1883, when Mr. Tabler sold out. After a year's retirement, he engaged in the grocery busi- ness for a period of three years, and in 1888 he took up insurance, in which he is still profitably engaged. The subject took his initial work as a salesman in the employ of the well-known house of T. V. Howell & Son. In an official capacity Mr. Tabler has served in various offices of trust and respon- sibility. He was secretary of the Hamilton board of health for five years, and served several years as assessor of real and personal property in the third ward. He was a member of the board of county infirmary directors for six years, when he retired for two years, and was re-elected and is now serving the fifth year since his return to that office, and was president for four years and clerk for one year. In his official capac- ity Mr. Tabler is careful and conservative, ever alert to the interests of the taxpayers, vet generous and open-handed towards the deserving poor. His long continuance in the responsible position in which he is now serv- ing the people is the best evidence of his fitness for it. He is a man of great energy and perseverance. coupled with broad expe- rience in the world of affairs and a close ob- servation of human nature. His keen de- tection of fraud and imposition has been the means of saving many dollars to the county. while the same discriminating power has sought out the deserving wards of the coun- ty and rendered to them timely aid. Mr. Tabler is careful and methodical in all of his business relations and bears an enviable record for honesty and integrity in his pub- lic life.

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vi the Butler lerk of that a the 20th ci sentative of a to Henry and ler, natives ci ther was born in 1836. estal- n. Ohio. Tor was Miss Cath- : subject of the the family: Tx its of Hamilte the city's grou" contributed the: inch of the three American citire ! popular in Bett nt his life here : ! to advanced as abject wi this e ... ated in the city were dever ia id he was eluczt. until he attaine ... began He's cz In later years " i acquirements a" 1 Bartlet : Base He servel an ", age painter': tr .: Christian Noc Forked until the'

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On the 26th of June, 1866, Mr. Tabler was united in marriage with Miss Mary Jo- sephine Tieben, a highly accomplished young lady of Covington, Kentucky. This happy union has been blessed with a family of ten children, eight of whom are now living. The names are, in order of birth, Charles H., a machinist employed in Niles Tool Works Company ; Herman A. has charge of the re- pairing department in the Deuber-Hampton Watch Company, at Canton, Ohio; Eleanora is the wife of Walter F. Cahill, of Linden- wald, her husband being a pattern maker; Albert J. is a machinist at the Niles Tool Works; Adeline is at home; George T. is a soldier in the regular army, now in the Philippines, being clerk of Troop E, Four- teenth United States Cavalry; Louisa is in the senior year of the city high schools; Robert is a student in the public schools; the first two born are dead; Elizabeth mar- ried John M. Fallert, with whom she had a daughter named Antoinette Cornelia. Mrs. Fallert died in 1897, at the age of thirty years. . The infant child was taken by the maternal grandparents in whose family she is being tenderly reared and characterized as the "baby of the household." One child, Henrietta, died in infancy. Mr. Tabler and his family are devout Catholics in religious belief, sustaining membership in St. Ste- phen's church. They are members of the vari- ous social and religious societies within the sanction of the church and the family stands very high in the community. Mr. Tabler is a member of the Catholic Knights of Amer- ica, the Catholic Knights of Ohio, and of Wetzel-Compton Post, No. 96, Grand Army of the Republic. In his political affiliations he is an active and zealous Democrat, with which party he has always wielded a potent

influence in local politics. He is quiet and unassuming in manner and genial and cour- teous in temperament. No citizen of But- ler county is better known or more univer- sally esteemed than Henry Tabler.

EZRA TAYLOR ELLIOTT.

Prominent among the foremost pioneer families of Butler county is the one of which the subject of this review is a worthy representative. For nearly a century the name has been a familiar sound in this part of Ohio, during which time its honor has remained bright and unsullied and its stand- ing such as to commend its various mem- bers to the confidence and esteem of their fellow citizens. Major W. W. Elliott, father of the subject, was born in Baltimore, Maryland, July 24, 1800, the son of Wil- liam and Rachael (Bosley) Elliott, both na- tives of England. In 1810 these parents migrated to Butler county, Ohio, and settled near Princeton, in what is now Liberty township, where the father purchased land and cleared a farm, on which he and his good wife spent the remainder of their days. W. W. Elliott was a lad of ten years' growth when the family moved to Butler county, and he spent his youth and young manhood on his father's farm, in the de- velopment and cultivation of which he took an active part. In the year 1823 he mar- ried Miss Sarah Mutchner, of Maryland, following which he purchased of William Henry Harrison, afterwards President of the United States, a tract of land in Union township and at once addressed himself to the task of its improvement and cultivation.

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His first dwelling, a small log structure, answered the purpose for which intended for a number of years, but in time it was replaced by the substantial brick residence which the family occupied until his death, in 1889. Major Elliott was a man of sound, practical intelligence, mature judgment and high social standing, and for many years was a prominent factor and influential leader in the civic affairs of his township and county. He took the initiative in a number of internal improvements, especially roads and highways, was one of the original con- structors of the old Cincinnati and Dayton turnpike and for a period of fifty years served as superintendent of the same. He was for a long time one of the trustees of Union township, in which capacity he did more than any of his predecessors in the matter of public improvements, and to him as much perhaps as to any other individual is due the credit of laying the foundation of the prosperity for which his part of the county has since been noted. Major Elliott always manifested a lively interest in the history of Butler county and was well in- formed in the same and an authority on all matters pertaining to the early settlement and subsequent development of the country. He was a leading spirit and prominent figure at all of the old settlers' meetings. frequently made addresses to these large assemblages, and for many years was presi- dent of the Pioneer Association of Warren and Butler Counties, the success of which organization was greatly promoted by his able and judicious management. He was also an influential church worker of the Methodist denomination in this part of the state, being especially effective in establish- ing Sunday schools, a branch of religious

endeavor for which he seems to have been peculiarly adapted. He was a clear, forcible and logical speaker, and his services in this direction were in frequent demand. He made many addresses in churches before Sunday school associations and other public assemblies, and in this way did much to counteract some of the prevalent evils of the times and arouse a healthy moral sen- timent in different communities, much of his life having been freely devoted to the good work of winning men and women to a higher plane of living.

Major Elliott served his day and gener- ation ably and faithfully and left the impress of his strong personality upon the com- munity in which he had so long been a leader among his fellow men. His upright conduct, unimpeachable integrity and ster- ling worth were appreciated by all who came within the range of his influence and in his death, at the ripe old age of eighty-nine years, Butler county suffered the loss of one of its strong characters, whose influence is still felt among the circles in which he moved, and whose place in the hearts and affections of the people constitutes his most enduring monument.

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Centennial History of Butler County, Ohio, Part 75

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