Centennial History of the City of Newark and Licking County Ohio, Part 6

Author: E. M. P. Brister
Publication date: 1909
Publisher:
Number of Pages: 913

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In taking up the personal history of John David Jones we present to our readers the life record of one who is widely and favorably known in this part of the state. He was reared to farm life, early becoming familiar with all the duties and labors that fall to the lot of the agriculturist, and in the winter seasons he devoted his attention to the mastery of such branches of learning as were taught in the district schools. He afterward attended the Denison University at Gran- ville, Ohio, and was but eighteen years of age when he offered his services to the government in defense of the Union during the dark days of the Civil war. He was numbered among the boys in blue of Company I, Second Ohio Heavy Artillery, and served until the close of hostilities, being engaged in active duty in Kentucky and Tennessee, where he met the enemy in a number of hotly contested battles. War is a stern school in which to learn the lessons of life and going forth a youth Mr. Jones returned a man in his knowledge of all of the hardships and dangers incident to warfare.

Following his military experience he took up the study of law under the direction of the Hon. J. B. Jones and after a thorough preliminary reading was admitted to the bar in 1869. He then located for practice in Newark, where he has since remained, being now for almost forty years a member of the legal fraternity of this city. He possesses a mind of singular precision and power. capable of an impartial view of both sides of the question and of arriving at a just conclusion. In his practice he is absolutely fair, never indulging in artifice or concealment, never dealing in indirect methods but winning his victories, which are many, and suffering his defeats, which are few, in the open field face to face with his foe. The court records show that he has been connected with much important litigation and that he has won many verdicts favorable to his clients.

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HISTORY OF LICKING COUNTY.

Aside from his profession Mr. Jones has done much important public service, having several times been called to positions of trust and responsibility. He was school examiner from 1872 until 1881 and was a member of the school board for nine years, putting forth earnest and effective effort to advance the standard of education. He was elected to represent his district in the state senate of the sixty-fifth general assembly, where he gave earnest consideration to each question that came up for settlement and thus left the impress of his individuality upon the legislative enactments of that period. He was prosecuting attorney for Licking county for two terms and again his fidelity and ability in office were unassailable. On the bench of the common pleas court from 1897 until 1902 he showed that he was capable of giving a fair and unbiased opinion based upon comprehensive knowledge of the law and its correct application to the points at issue. Aside from his legal practice and his official service he has been associated with business interests, is now a stockholder in the Franklin National Bank, in the Newark Cold Storage Company and in other concerns.

On the 31st of August, 1876, Mr. Jones was married to Miss Rachael A. Giffin, a daughter of the Hon. C. B. Giffin. They became parents of five children : Roderick, his father's partner in the practice of law; Rufus R., an assistant civil engineer with the Grand Rapids & Indiana Railroad Company; Janet R .; Marguerite; and Kenneth. The wife and mother died October 17, 1889, and on the 30th of June, 1892, Mr. Jones was married to her sister, Miss Jessie F. Giffin. While practicing in Newark, Judge Jones maintains his residence in Granville. He is a member of the Licking County and State Bar Associations and is one of the best known and most prominent residents of this county. Aside from his superior professional ability there are cther qualities which render him a valued citizen of the community. He is stalwart in his friendships, actuated by a strong spirit of fidelity to what he believes to be right and manifests the utmost conformity to a high standard of professional ethics. His friends are many, for nature and culture have vied in making him an interesting and entertaining gentleman.

GEORGE T. PIGG.

George T. Pigg, who owns and operates a well improved farm of ninety-six and a half acres, situated in Madison township, is known through this section of Licking county as an extensive raiser of sheep and dealer in wool. He is a native son of this township, born January 24, 1843, a son of George and Jane (Knox) Pigg, both of whom were natives of Cumberland county, England, where they were reared and married. Six months after their marriage they set sail for the United States and upon reaching American shores made their way to Licking county, Ohio, locating on a farm in Madison township, the year 1834 witnessing their arrival here. The father first rented what is now known as the Wilson property, but meet- ing with success in his operations he was eventually justified in making a purchase of land and at the time of his death had accumulated two hundred acres of valuable farm land. He and his wife were devoted and faithful members of the Methodist Episcopal church, the father dying in that faith September 16, 1862, when he was

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HISTORY OF LICKING COUNTY.

sixty-three years of age, while his wife surviving for about two decades, passed away in 1882 at the age of seventy-three. They were well known pioneers of the county, highly respected in the locality where they so long made their home. They had a family of four sons : Charles A., who resides in Madison township; William, who also makes his home here; George T., of this review; and David H., who makes his home in Newark.

George T. Pigg was reared on the home farm and acquired his education in the district schools near by. He was reared to the pursuits of farming, assisting his father during the period of his boyhood and youth. He was a young man of about nineteen years at the time of his father's demise, after which he and his brothers continued to operate the homestead property. In addition to the cultiva- tion of the fields they engaged in raising sheep on a very extensive scale, keeping at times as high as seven hundred head. For many years they were thus engaged as partners and in this connection were widely known throughout Licking county, and since dissolving partnership the brothers are still known individually as exten- sive sheep raisers and dealers in wool. George T. Pigg remained at home until the time of his marriage, since which event he has followed farming on ninety-six und a half acres, located in Madison township, this property being a portion of what he and his brothers accumulated subsequent to the father's demise. His fields are highly cultivated and much of his land is devoted to pasturage. The place is improved with good farm buildings, which are kept in excellent repair.

Mr. Pigg was married in 1875 to Miss Clara Shaw, a daughter of Andrew Shaw, formerly well known in Licking county but long since deceased. The home of Mr. and Mrs. Pigg has been blessed with a daughter and son: Laura Belle, at home; and George A., who follows farming in Madison township.

Mr. Pigg gives loyal support to the men and measures of the republican party but has never been active as an office seeker for his private business affairs fully claim his time and attention. He is a typical American-wide-awake, progressive and energetic-and his labors are resulting in a very gratifying measure of success. while at the same time he is well known as an honest and straightforward citizen and a worthy representative of an honored pioneer family.

EDWIN M. SHARER.

Edwin M. Sharer, who owns an excellent farm known as "Elmwood Place," in Union township, on which for many years he has engaged in agricultural pursuits, with special attention to stock-raising. was born in the old family home- stead, located one and a half miles south of Luray, this township, April 5, 1851. a son of David and Mary (Weatherwax) Sharer, both of whom were natives of Herkimer county, New York, where they were born on April 2, 1802, and May 13, 1806, respectively. There they were united in marriage. In November, 1832, they went to Akron, Ohio, where they remained for a short period and then located in Hebron, Ohio, where they owned property which they subsequently traded for a farm in Union township, on which they spent the remainder of their lives. He was a merchant and conducted a store while a resident of Hebron but, upon

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MR. AND MRS. EDWIN M. SHARER

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HISTORY OF LICKING COUNTY.

locating in Union township, gave his attention exclusively to agricultural interests on a productive farm which contained one hundred and sixty-eight acres. He departed this life December 29, 1892, having survived his wife by ten years. In their family were six children, namely: Albert, who passed away in infancy; Julia, who is the widow of Benjamin Powell and resides with her brother Edwin; Frances H .; Cordelia, of Hebron; Irving D., who departed this life in 1867; and Edwin M.

On the home farm Edwin M. Sharer spent his boyhood days in a manner not unlike that of most farm boys of the period. He aided in the plowing, planting and harvesting and when winter came attended the district schools. He continued to assist his father until his marriage, when he left home and purchased his present farm of one hundred acres located on the Fairfield county line and on the Granville and Lancaster roads. His farm is in a region noted for the richness of the soil and he has been quite successful in the production of hay and the various cereals best adapted to climatic conditions. In addition to general farming he also takes an interest in stock-raising. His farm is in fine condition, being provided with a comfortable home and all conveniences. He uses the latest improved machinery to till his fields and has made his farm one of the most desirable in the township, it bearing every evidence of the thrift and enterprise of its owner.

In 1877 Mr. Sharer wedded Mary E. Long, a native of Greene county, Pennsylvania, born January 10, 1855. Her ancestors were among the pioneers whose self-sacrifice amid primitive conditions laid the foundation for the present prosperity and civilization. Her great-grandfather, William Spicer, a native of Maryland, located in Greene county, Pennsylvania, and there resided until he, his wife and six of his children, were massacred by the Indians, June 4, 1851. Two children escaped-a son and a daughter, Elizabeth, who were taken into custody by the Indians. The son remained with them, living on the Western Reserve, where he was reared, and finally married a squaw. His sister Elizabeth was among those who were exchanged as prisoners of war by the influence of Lord Dunmore and later wedded William Daugherty, after whose death she became the wife of Thomas Bowen, by whom she had two daughters-Nancy Steele and Mary Woods. One of the family who were victims of the savages was Joanne, the wife of Corblez Bowen. Their daughter wedded John Steele, who was of Irish extraction. They had a daughter Ruth, who became the wife of I. M. Long, on December 30, 1852. . Both were natives of Greene county, Pennsylvania, where he was born January 24, 1831, and his wife on July 23, of the same year. When she was thirteen years of age her parents removed from that county and settled in Luray, Ohio. Mr. Long was a son of George and Mary (Burge) Long, natives of the Keystone state, where they spent their lives. His father reared a family of eleven children, together with two belonging to a neighbor. His youngest child, although in her seventieth year when she acquired the art of writing, learned to pen a beautiful hand. The remaining members of the family all attained prominence, among them being successful school teachers and clergymen. George Long was a devoted Christian and a member of a church situated eight miles from his residence at the services of which, notwithstanding the distance, he was a regular worshiper but eventually, in order to bring religious influence within

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his immediate neighborhood, he constructed a small church building out of timber taken from his land in order that his family and neighbors might have a more convenient place of worship. This was long known as Grandfather Long's church, the theology of which was that espoused by the New School of Baptists.

In 1878 1. M. Long and his wife removed to Mount Ayr, where they are now living in retirement. In their family were nine children: Marion, who resides in Cedar Rapids with her children, Earl and Nellie; Mary E .; Mrs. Nancy A. Tennant, of Delphos, Iowa, who has five children, Lillian, Frank, Stanton, Florence and Ernest; Simeon, a widower residing with his parents in Mount Ayr, Iowa; Mrs. Clara Belle Hoover, who has three children and resides in Des Moines, Iowa; William G .; Minnie M. and Jesse D., both of whom died in infancy; and Mrs. Sadie Flynn, who has three children, Ruth, Francis N. and Ethel, the family residing in St. Joseph, Missouri.

The children of Mr. and Mrs. Sharer are: Mary Ruth, who resides at Niagara Falls, New York, with her husband Wayland C. Marlow and one child, Wayland ; Edwin Ernest, deceased ; Ethel Julia, a pupil at the Newark high school ; and Frank Carrolton, who attends school at Newark. Mr. Sharer has been a life-long supporter of the republican party and is a public-spirited citizen, at all times ready to further whatever measures are purposed for the benefit of the community. He and his family belong to the Licking Baptist church and for a number of years he has served in the office of deacon. Wherever known he is honored and respected and most of all where best known.

CHARLES P. FLEMING.

In a history of the stock raising interests of central Ohio it is imperative that mention be made of Charles P. Fleming, for he is closely connected with this important source of revenue to the county. Throughout his entire life he has been actively identified with the breeding and raising of fine stock, making a specialty of standard bred horses and polled Durham cattle. He was born in Perry township, Licking county, June 28, 1871, and is a son of Nathan Quinn Fleming, of whom extended mention is made elsewhere in this volume. He was reared on the home farm, early becoming familiar with all of the duties and labors that fall to the lot of the agriculturist and after acquiring his preliminary education in the common schools he entered the Ohio Wesleyan College at Delaware and there com- pleted his education. He afterward returned home and was associated with his father in his farming enterprise up to the time of his marriage.

It was on the 22d of October, 1903, that Mr. Fleming wedded Miss Florence Jones, a daughter of Ellis Jones, of whom mention is made elsewhere in this volume. After their marriage they removed to their present farm, the residence being in Hanover township, while his tract of land of one hundred and fifty-six acres, which he purchased in 1893, lies across the boundary line in Madison town- ship. He also owns one hundred and twelve acres of land in Perry township which is sown to blue grass and is all in one field, used entirely for pasturage for his stock, for Charles P. Fleming, like his brother and father, is extensively engaged in the

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HISTORY OF LICKING COUNTY.

breeding of standard horses and polled Durham cattle. In 1894 they had one hundred and forty head of standard bred horses and have probably furnished more fine horseflesh to this section of the state than any other family. They sell exten- sively in Pennsylvania, making large shipments of both horses and cattle to that state. At present they have some forty head of fine horses, having reduced their stock greatly in the past year. During the last two years they have been very successful in their business and are able to speak authoritatively upon every phase of the work of breeding and raising fine horses and cattle.

In his political views Charles P. Fleming is a stalwart republican and keeps well informed on the questions of the day, but has never sought nor desired office. He is a member of the Methodist church and is interested in all that pertains to the substantial development and improvement of the community along lines of educational and moral progress. He is well known in business as an energetic, reliable man, accomplishing what he undertakes and is today accounted one of the leading stock breeders of central Ohio. His friends find him a genial, courteous gentleman and wherever he goes he wins the kindly regard of those with whom he is associated.

W. S. TURNER, M. D.

W. S. Turner, M. D., is recognized as one of the able and learned members of the medical profession in Ohio, being honored by his fellow practitioners with the presidency of the State Eclectic Medical Association in 1903. He practices at Newark, where his ability has gained him a large patronage that is bringing to him merited prosperity. One of Ohio's native sons, he was born in Auglaize county, January 20, 1861, a son of John D. and Harriet (Brown) Turner, who were likewise natives of this state. The father died in 1865 when but twenty-eight years of age, and in 1870 the mother gave her hand in marriage to Joshua Montague, of Auglaize county, a well-known and respected citizen and extensive farmer of that locality.

Dr. Turner was educated in the common schools of Auglaize and Allen counties and in the Ohio Normal University at Ada, Ohio. Losing his father in early boyhood, he was thrown upon his own resources and from youthful years until the present time has depended upon his own labors. He worked on a farm and, after his graduation at Ada, engaged in teaching school for four years. A laudable ambition, however, led him into a broader field of activity and in prepara- tion for the practice of medicine he began studying with Dr. Thomas, of West Newton, Ohio, as his preceptor. He afterward attended the Eclectic Medical Institute, of Cincinnati, and was graduated in 1884. He has since pursued post- graduate work in Chicago, where he studied in 1897. He began practice in partnership with Dr. Woodell, in Leipsic, Ohio, where he remained for a year and then bought out the practice of Dr. R. I. Kribs in Waynesfield, Auglaize county, near his old home. While at that place he also interested himself in lyceum work and secured for the town some of the best talent that has ever been seen or heard there. He continued in Waynesfield until the 1st of January, 1906, when he came

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HISTORY OF LICKING COUNTY.

to Newark. Although he has practiced here for only about three years, his ability has gained him recognition as one of the leading physicians of the city, and he now has a large and growing practice that attests the confidence reposed in him by the general public. He keeps in touch with the best medical literature and his continuous research has brought him a knowledge that is evidenced in his ready and correct solution of the many difficult problems which continually confront the physician. He also finds further inspiration for his work in his membership in the Central, the State and National Eclectic Medical Associations. He served as president of the state association in 1903 after three years' incumbency in the office of secretary. He is likewise a member of the Licking County and Ohio State Medical Societies. He recognizes the fact, as all broad-minded men do, that the physicians of different schools are coming nearer and nearer together in their methods of practice, as the non-essential is being discarded and the essential retained, for the benefit of suffering humanity.

In 1885 Dr. Turner was married to Miss Mary C. Patterson, a lady of educa- tion, who was born in Allen county, Ohio, and is a daughter of Henry and Margaret Patterson, who are still living in that county. Dr. and Mrs. Turner have one son, Victor, who is now a senior in the Denison University, where he is studying for the medical profession. From there he will be sent to Harvard University to take a post-graduate course and will then enter the practice of medicine, his chosen profession.

Dr. Turner is a member of the Masonic fraternity and filled all of the chairs during his membership in Wayne Lodge No. 569, A. F. & A. M., at Waynesfield, Ohio. On severing his connection with that organization the members of the lodge presented him with a beautiful and valuable Masonic emblem as a token of their esteem and continued friendship. He transferred his membership to Acme Lodge, of Newark. He is also a member of the Baptist church and active in the Young Men's Christian Association work in Newark. He has been of great assistance to the association here, has promoted its lyceum interests and has done other effective service in its behalf. His cheerful, hopeful nature, as well as his scientific knowledge, constitues an element in his skill in practice, and it is also characteristic of him that he speaks words of encouragement to those in need of such and is ever ready to aid a fellow traveler on life's journey.

THOMAS RICHARDS.

A valuable farm of two hundred and fifty acres in Granville township pays tribute to the enterprise and ability of Thomas Richards, who is a self-made man, having a most creditable business record. Starting out in life empty handed. his success has come as the merited reward of earnest labor. He has now traveled far on life's journey and the more active work of the farm is left to others but from his property he derives a substantial income. As he is well known. his history cannot fail to prove of interest to many of our readers. He was born in Car- marthenshire, South Wales, November 22, 1827, and was a youth of seventeen years when, in 1844, he became a resident of Licking county, Ohio, settling in

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THOMAS RICHARDS

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HISTORY OF LICKING COUNTY.

the Welsh Hills. He made the voyage to the new world and the journey across the country with his parents, David and Mary (Jones) Richards, who were also natives of South Wales, the former born in 1799 and the latter in 1809. Both died here on the old home farm on the Newark and Granville road, the death of the father occurring in 1852, while the mother survived until 1872. The father had but one pound of English money, equal to about five dollars, when he arrived in America and he worked for other people on shares and later rented land until from his earnings he had saved a sum sufficient to enable him to purchase property. However, he became the owner of a farm of one hundred acres, which he brought under a high state of cultivation. In his family were four sons and two daughters: Thomas; Mrs. Rachel Watkins, now deceased; David and Howell, who have also passed away; Esther, the wife of E. Griffith, of East Newark; and Richard, who died when about four years of age.

The family journeyed westward by way of the canal and arrived at their destination about two o'clock in the morning. The same day Thomas Richards began binding barley in the harvest field, beginning work for David Jones, by whom he was employed for two months. He afterward worked as a farm hand for several years or until about twenty years of age, when he became connected with railroad construction on the Baltimore & Ohio and the Pan Handle road, being thus employed for six or seven years. He then turned his attention to farming and was busily employed at the work of the fields for a long period or until his sons grew up and could relieve him of the farm work, when he took up bridge building for the county. At the time of his marriage, having no money with which to purchase land, he rented a farm. Later he bought a house in Newark and when he sold that property invested in forty-nine acres, it being on the south fork near the fair grounds. Subsequently he disposed of that property and bought a farm of one hundred and six acres in Hanover township, while two or three years later he invested in one hundred and four acres in Hopewell township. On selling that property he purchased his present farm in 1874 for fourteen thousand dollars. He made a payment of seven thousand dollars and then paid ten per cent interest on the remainder. The farm comprised two hundred acres a mile and a half north of Granville on the Mount Vernon road, and last fall he bought one hundred acres more, of which he sold fifty acres to his son Charles, so that his property holdings now comprise two hundred and fifty acres. He is giving his attention to general farming and stock raising, although leaving the active work of the fields to others. He yet superintends the work, however, and has remained throughout his life a progressive farmer, keeping in touch with the advancement that has been con- tinually made along agricultural lines.

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Centennial History of the City of Newark and Licking County Ohio, Part 6

Author: E. M. P. Brister Publication date: 1909 Publisher: Number of Pages: 913

Author: E. M. P. Brister
Publication date: 1909
Publisher:
Number of Pages: 913