USA > Ohio > Licking County > Newark > Centennial History of the City of Newark and Licking County Ohio > Part 59
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Mr. Keckley was united in marriage with Miss Sarah Staley, whose birth occurred in Union county, Ohio, March 16, 1840. She was one of a family of eight children and her parents passed away in the county of her birth. Mr. and Mrs. Keckley are the parents of the following children : Ida O., deceased ; Clarence S .; Emma S., wife of J. R. Parks; Ernest U .; Abbie L., wife of A. J. Ferguson, of Newark, Ohio; William 1 ..; and Delbert I., of the same place; Osie O. and Buddy G., both of whom are deceased; and Harry L. Mr. and Mrs. Keckley are adherents of that religious body known as the Disciples of Christ, and are very faithful in the observance of their church obligations. In politics Mr. Keckley is a republican. While he does not reach out after political preferment he is a deep student of political questions and his investigation of the principles of the repub- lican platform has led him to the conclusion that they are entirely adequate to assure the permanent prosperity of the country. It has been through his good judgment, modest habits, and careful management that he has won success and enjoys his present prosperity.
GEORGE L. SMITH.
George L. Smith is well known and highly respected in the business circles of the city, and as well in political circles. He is manager of the Newark Gear-Wood Company and, while he has not put himself forward as an aspirant for political office, yet owing to his honesty. thoughtfulness and executive ability he has been sought by his fellow citizens to come before the public, and consequently has for some time held the honor of representing his ward in the city council. He is a man of sound judgment and acknowledged as reliable in all matters of business and is looked upon as one of the most conservative men in commercial lines in the city. He was born in Franklin township. Tuscarawas county, Ohio, February 26, 1866. Ile is of German and Scotch extraction. His father, George W. Smith, was a native of Lawrence township in the same county. In his younger days of activity the elder Smith was acknowledged to be one of the finest carpenters throughout the entire region. He is still living in his native town and is in ex- cellent health at the advanced age of seventy-four years. George Smith, grand- father of the subject, migrated from Scotland in the early days and settled in Tus- carawas county. He had been a basket maker in the old country and upon locating in the United States established himself in the basket making business, which he followed until the time of his death. Catherine Patterson Smith, mother of the subject, was also a native of Tuscarawas county, where she is still living. Mr. Smith's ancestors, as far back as they can trace in history, are long lived on both sides of the house, and many of them have lived to attain great age.
George L. Smith had few advantages in an educational line. When a mere lad he was enrolled as a pupil in the schools of Tuscarawas county, but was compelled to give up his studies before he had completed the entire course and go out into the world for himself. He initiated himself into the business world when he was ten years of age. He employed at whatever he could get until finally he appren- ticed himself to a gear maker and wood worker in Canton, Stark county, Ohio. He continued in this line of work for some time, all the while showing a natural
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aptitude for wood mechanism. His progress was rapid and he finally succeeded in becoming a master gear maker and wood worker. In 1894 he repaired to New- ark, Ohio, and secured employment with the Newark Gear-Wood Company. At the time Mr. Smith entered the employment of the firm it was in its infancy. He had not been at work long for this company when his artisanship was recognized as being of high class. He soon made himself one of the most useful men in the employ of the firm, and one who was adding greatly to its interests. The class of fine work which Mr. Smith turned out gave the company a wide reputation. His services finally became appreciated as invaluable and he was promoted to the respon- sibile position of manager of the company, in which station he has been serving for the past three year.
In 1894 he wedded Marguerite Nalbach, who was a native of Germany. They have the following children : Loren, Gladys, George, Harold, Helen and Catherine. Mr. Smith is affiliated with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, the Modern Woodmen and the American Insurance Union. Religiously, he is a member of the Lutheran church. While Mr. Smith is abreast of the times with respect to political issues he has always withheld becoming actively interested in politics beyond casting his vote and using his influence for the election of candidates best fitted for public service. He has always himself been opposed to holding public office, although being a popular citizen he has been invited to launch out in the political world. However, he has been prevailed upon to be a politician to the extent of representing the citizens of his ward in the city council. He has been a councilman for the past four years.
ARTHUR J. BALDWIN.
Arthur J. Baldwin is one of the most widely known florists and nurserymen in the state of Ohio. He descends from an old pioneer family whose record runs backward through Revolutionary times. He entered the florist's business when a youth and has since developed a trade which has not only been extraordinarily profitable but has also established his reputation as a florist throughout a large portion of the country. His business has grown from a very small beginning until now he possesses one of the largest nurseries in the state, and a number of the most capacious greenhouses. He has been instrumental in developing a large sec- tion of the country in which he located, and which at that time was in a wild and marshy condition. Mr. Baldwin is still active in the pursuit of his business and, having kept abreast of the times in horticulture, conducts his interests according to the most modern methods.
Mr. Baldwin was born on South Third street, Newark, Ohio. ITis great- grandfather on his mother's side was Robert Handy, who served with distinction in the Colonial army during the Revolutionary war. His father, William M. Baldwin, was a native of Newark, New Jersey, and migrated to Newark, Ohio, with his father, Enoch Baldwin, in 1834. Here for a number of years he ran the old boat yards, in Lockport. He was one of the pioneer shoemakers of the country and bought his leather from a tannery which was then located at Fifth
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and Church streets. After a long and prosperous career he passed away at an advanced age in a place known now as Massillon, Ohio. By Father Wiley, on October 7, 1838, William M. Baldwin was united in marriage, in Newark, Ohio, to Caroline M. Coleman, a native of Stark county, Ohio, who came to Newark when four years of age with her parents, who made the journey from Stark county by wagon. At that time there were few signs of civilization along the route and surrounding her destination, for this district was practically in a primitive state.
Arthur J. Baldwin was the ninth of a family of twelve children, four of whom are now living in Newark. In the old school house on Morris street, East Newark, he was enrolled as a pupil and having completed the course of study was sent to the Central high school. Upon graduating from that institution he at once engaged in gardening. Having a natural aptitude therefor he took great interest in his work and decided that he would follow it as his life's vocation. During his later years his father had also engaged somewhat in gardening and devoted some time to the cultivation of plants for commercial purposes. His son inherited the same liking and little by little, from a very small beginning, has developed the large business which he is now conducting. He is acknowledged as one of the most successful florists in the state of Ohio. He engages in the cultivation of a wide range of both domestic and foreign flora. In 1894 he decided to enlarge his business by undertaking greenhouse work. He built a large greenhouse on East Main and Madison avenue, and in 1896 constructed a number of greenhouses on Cedar street opposite the cemetery. When Mr. Baldwin decided to cultivate this property the ground was in a swampy and undeveloped condition. It had every appearance of being undesirable land and few would have thought of purchasing it, but through his keen discernment Mr. Baldwin foresaw its future value and took possession of it. Since he made the purchase he has so improved the land that it is admitted to be one of the most beautiful plots in that portion of the state.
In 190? he wedded Mary Van Atta, a native of Newark, Ohio, and daughter of Mr. and Mrs. George Van Atta. Mr. Baldwin finds little leisure in the midst of his business affairs to take active part in secret societies. However, he is affiliated with the Modern Woodmen and the Tribe of Ben Hur. In religious faith he is a follower of Emanuel Swedenborg, and a member of the New Jerusalem church.
DWIGHT SMYTHE.
Dwight Smythe, who is among the enterprising and progressive farmers of Burlington township, and whose family for upwards of a century has engaged in tilling the soil in this county, was born on the farm, of which he is now proprietor, July 8, 1833. His parents, James N. and Maria (Comstock) Smythe, were New Englanders, born and reared in the state of Connecticut, and settled in this county in the year 1828. Immediately upon their arrival they took up land for farming purposes, but at that time it was far from being in a fit condition for cultivation, but being among the sturdy characters of the olden days they recognized neither discouragements nor difficulties. Mr. Smythe at once set about energetically to
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so improve the land as to make it respond to the plow and bring forth the harvest. Little by little he cleared off the land and finally succeeded in transforming the entire tract which he owned into fertile and fructitious fields, amid which he and his wife passed their lives until they were summoned into eternity. Mr. Smythe passed away in the year 1852 and his wife survived him thirty-nine years. They had four children, Dwight Smythe being the only one surviving.
Amid the usual scenes and experiences of faim life Dwight Smythe was born and reared, and received his education at the neighboring school, in the mean- time assisting his father in the general routine of the farm. When he was but eighteen years of age his father departed this life and the entire management of the farm fell upon his shoulders. Ile plied his occupation arduously under the experienced supervision of his mother until her death, at which time he purchased the old homestead, which consists of one hundred and forty acres, and has been so successful in its cultivation as to accumulate means sufficient to also own and operate one hundred acres of excellent farm land in Knox county. Aside from general farming he makes a specialty of raising and breeding sheep. In this line of work he is one of the most proficient men in the countryside, and enjoys a wide reputation as a judge of that class of stock.
In the year 1860 Mr. Smythe wedded Miss Mary Condon, whose birth occurred in Maryland, January 18, 1832. She was a school teacher in her early years and was a daughter of Robert and Cordelia Condon. Mr. and Mrs. Smythe are parents of the following children : Emma, widow of George Wright, of Granville. Ohio; James N. and Oren D., who assist in the management of the farm; and Jessie F., a graduate of the high school, residing at home. In politics Mr. Smythe is a republican, but during his life has never been so enthusiastically interested in political affairs as to desire to hold public office. However, he rejoices in the success of his party and uses his vote and influence toward the election of its candidates. Mr. and Mrs. Smythe are consistent Christians and faithful in their adherence to the teachings of the Presbyterian church.
A. R. PITSER.
A. R. Pitser, who since 1902 has been a member of the board of publie ser- vice at Newark, was born in Licking township, this county, on the 9th of March, 1846. His father, James Pitser, was also a native of the same locality, born in 1809. For more than a century the family has been represented in this part of the state. for Richard Pitser came from Allegheny county, Pennsylvania, in 1800 and settled in Licking county when Ohio was still under territorial rule. The red men far outnumbered the white population and the state was a vast unbroken wil- derness so slightly improved that even along its castern border it was known as the "western reserve." Richard Pitser had lived in Ohio for three years when he was joined by his brother Anthony Pitser, who was the grandfather of A. R. Pitser and who arrived in 1803. Much of the land was still in possession of the govern- ment, few having begun the work of farming in this locality. He settled in Licking township, secured land and began the development of a farm which is now in pos-
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session of the subject of this review. James Pitser was reared amid the wild scenes and conditions of pioneer life and early aided in the arduous task of trans- forming the wild land into cultivated fields. For many years he followed farming in Licking township and watched with interest the progress of events which marked the development of the county as it threw off the evidences of pioneer life and tock on all the conditions of modern civilization. He married Nancy Park, a native of Union township, this county, born in 1812. Her father, John Park, came from Virginia at a very early day and followed farming in Union township, where he reared a large family of children, all of whom have now passed away with the exception of Mrs. Jane Belt, of Granville, who is now over ninety years of age. The death of Mrs. Nancy Park occurred in 1848 and the father, long sur- viving her, passed away in 1875. Thus one by one the pioneers have been called to the long home, leaving only the memory of their good deeds and their substan- tial work in the foundation upon which has been built the modern progress and prosperity of the county.
A. R. Pitser began his education as a pupil in the district schools and after- ward attended the Newark high school. When but twenty-one years of age he was appointed county surveyor to fill a vacancy and was afterward elected to that office for several terms. He served for twenty-six years in the county auditor's office, twenty years as deputy and six years as auditor, after which he retired in 1905 with a most creditable official record. In 1907 he was elected a member of the board of public service and is now occupying that position. No other resident of the county has been so long continued in public office and over the record of his career there falls no shadow of wrong nor suspicion of evil.
In 1878 Mr. Pitser was married to Miss Clara Ball, a native of Newark and a daughter of Albert Ball, one of the carly residents of the county, the family con- ing from New Jersey to Ohio in pioneer times. Mr. and Mrs. Pitser have two daughters: Ethel, the wife of Fred Mosteller, a railroad contractor ; and Shirley, the wife of Frank C. Webb, of Newark. Mr. Pitser belongs to the Benevolent & Protective Order of Elks and the Independent Order of Odd Fellows while in Masonry he has attained high rank, having taken the thirty-second degree of the Scottish Rite and the Knight Templar degree of the York Rite, being now eminent commander of St. Luke's commandery. His political allegiance has always been given to the democracy and the official record of no citizen of the county has ex- tended over a longer period while none have been more faultless in honor, fearless in conduct and stainless in reputation, than has A. R. Pitser.
JACOB ANDERSON.
Jacob Anderson. a veteran of the Civil war, who for a number of years has been interested in farming pursuits in Lima township, is a native of the Keystone state, his birth having occurred in Washington county, August 18, 1842. His parents, James and Sarah (Allison) Anderson, are also natives of Washington county, Pennsylvania, and in 1854 located in Lima township, Licking county, Ohio, where his mother departed this life three years later, his father surviving her by five years. They resided on a farm, in the duties of which they spent their
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lives. In their family were fourteen children, namely: Benjamin, deceased, who enlisted in this county for military service during the Civil war; Joseph, deceased, who enlisted in Adams county, Indiana; Mrs. Margaret Crooks, deceased; Sam- uel, who resided in Franklin county, Ohio, and died in March, 1909; John, Mrs. Jane Palmer and Mrs. Sarah Hoffman, who have passed away; Mrs. Anne Lloyd, who resides in Columbus, this state; James and Isaac, deceased; Jacob; Andrew, deceased, who served in the First Ohio Volunteer Cavalry from this county; Mary Combs, of Columbus, Ohio; and one who died in infancy.
In the Keystone state Jacob Anderson spent his boyhood days and was reared on the home farm where he learned to till the soil, in the meantime acquiring his education in the district schools. In 1854 he came to this county with his parents. settling in Harrison township, where he remained but a short time and then removed to Fairfield county where he spent two years, at the expiration of which period he came to Lima township, where he has since resided. He was pursuing his occupation as a farmer when the war broke out and at the first call for soldiers he enlisted in July, 1861, in Company C, Twenty-seventh Ohio Volunteer Infantry, and served under General Sherman from the battle of Chattanooga until the close of the war, remaining throughout the conflict in the same company and regiment. His entire military career from 1861 until the termination of the war was as a private and during that time he served on many occasions as a courier and was out of the ranks only once and that for a short period to attend the funeral of his father. Following the war he returned to his farm, which he has since actively cultivated. He has one hundred and fifty-five acres in two adjoining farms, both of which are supplied with dwellings and other buildings and are located one and one-half miles nor of Pataskala on the Jersey road. General agriculture and stock raising has commanded his attention and although he does not engage in the latter on a large scale he raises annually a number of head of the best breeds of cattle and sheep, in which he does a remunerative shipping busi- ness to various parts of the state.
In 1865 Mr. Anderson wedded Miss Martha Moreland, a native of Lima township, where her birth occurred September 14, 1846, and where she has always resided. She is a daughter if Nimrod and Sarah (Moon) Moreland, her father having been a native of Virginia and her mother of Fairfield county. When ten years of age Mr. Moreland came to this county with his parents and here resided until his death, in 1888, having attained the ripe old age of eighty years, having survived his wife, who departed this life in 1881, by seven years, she having been sixty-nine years old at the time of her death. In their family were nine children. three of whom passed away in infancy, the others being: Mrs. Mary Headley. of Indiana ; Sarah Ann and Hanna Bessie, deceased; Martha; Mrs. Rosetta Peters: and William, deceased. To Mr. and Mrs. Anderson have been born three children : Ida, who passed away in her nineteenth year; Dora, the wife of Charles Alword. residing in Columbus, Ohio, with their three children, Albert, Russell and Helen : and Mabel, who became the wife of Burr Harris, an agriculturist of Jersey town- ship. Their children are Lora, Nelson and Mary.
The democratic party has always received the support of Mr. Anderson because its free trade and other policies have always appealed to him as best adapted to preserve the original character of the country's free institutions and at the same time to inspire competition by which trade, commerce and industry is made healthy
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and prosperity distributed, and consequently he is enthusiastic during campaigns in striving for the election of its candidates. In local affairs he has taken quite an interest: served as postmaster of Pataskala under the first administration of Grover Cleveland; was for six years a director of the county infirmary; served as township assessor; and also in a number of other local political offices. In the midst of his business affairs he has never neglected his religious duties, and is regular in his attendance at the Methodist Episcopal church where the members of his family also attend and in the various departments of the work he takes a lively interest. Mr. Anderson is favorably known throughout the township as an honorable, upright and industrious man whose manly spirit and activity make him one of its most valued citizens.
C. H. SPENCER.
Secretary and manager of the Advocate Printing Company, secretary of the Newark Independent Telephone Company, secretary of the Newark Real Estate and Improvement Company, president of the Arcade Realty Com- pany and director of the Franklin National Bank, C. H. Spencer occupies a prominent position in the business life of his adopted city, his activity constituting an element in its business progress and consequent prosperity. A native of Browns- ville, Ohio, he was born July 26, 1870, but in his first year was brought to Newark where he has since made his home. His parents were Dr. Benjamin F. and Susan Spencer, the father for more than sixty years an able and honored physician and surgeon of this city where he died in 1907 at the venerable age of eighty-seven years.
Mastering the elementary branches of learning in the public schools of New- ark, C. H. Spencer later attended Denison University at Granville, Ohio, from which he was graduated in 1892 with the Bachelor of Science degree. He after- ward pursued a short course at Harvard University before accepting the position of teacher of chemistry, physiology and physics. He taught natural sciences in the preparatory department of Denison University in the scholastic year of 1892-1893 under President D. B. Purinton, but before the close of the year decided to enter the journalistic field. He did not at any time expect to make teaching a life pro- fession but accepted the position in educational circles as a supplement to his college course. He entered the newspaper field in 1893 as a reporter of the Newark Daily Advocate and later was correspondent for a number of out of town news- papers. His promotion to the position of associate editor of the Advocate followed in 1896. He acted in that capacity under the management of the late Andrew H. Pierson and so continued until 1907 when, at Mr. Pierson's death he was made secretary and manager of the Advocate Printing Company. In this connection he has held to high standards of journalism, avoiding the sensational that is too cur- rent in newspapers today, his policy being to make the Advocate an attractive journal for the dissemination of local and general views of interest to the majority of people. His business policy has led to the financial success of the enterprise, the circulation and advertising support of the paper being continually increased. Opportunities for judicious investments in other business lines have led to Mr. Spencer's connection with various important concerns of the city. He has contrib-
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uted to its substantial upbuilding and improvement as president of the Arcade Realty Company which in April, 1909, completed a handsome 400-foot arcade, and as secretary of the Newark Real Estate & Improvement Company. He is also secretary of the Newark Independent Telephone Company and is not unknown in financial circles as a director of the Franklin National Bank.
In community affairs Mr. Spencer has also figured somewhat prominently as a director of public thought and action and as a factor in promoting work for the city's growth and progress. Ile has always been a democrat though never a candi- date for public office. He however served for five years in the appointive position of member of the board of elections in the later '90s. For a number of years he was a director of the board of trade and cooperated in various movements of that organization to extend commercial and industrial interests of the city and thus promote it- welfare.
On the 6th of December, 1894, Mr. Spencer was united in marriage to Miss Katharine HI. Winegarner, a daughter of the late David C. Winegarner, former mayor of Newark and president of the old Franklin Bank. Mr. and Mrs. Spencer have five children, Elizabeth, Frank, John, Marian and Emily. In social and fra- ternal relations Mr. Spencer is well known. He has been a member of the Beta Theta Pi fraternity since 1888 and since 1891 has held membership in Center Star Lodge No. 11, F. & A. M. of Granville, Ohio, belongs also to the Warren Chapter R. A. M., Bigelow Council R. & S. M., and St. Lukes Commandery K. T. of New- ark. with which he has been associated for about ten years. Since November, 1902, he has been a member of Aladdin Temple of the Mystic Shrine of Columbus and he is a trustee of the First Presbyterian church of Newark. He is a dependable man, one in whom the public justly reposes confidence, for his worth has been proven in various relations to the public both as a business man and a citizen.
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