USA > Ohio > Licking County > Newark > Centennial History of the City of Newark and Licking County Ohio > Part 71
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cess, a careful analysis will always reveal the fact that persistency of purpose and unremitting industry constitute the foundation upon which prosperity rests. Mr. Shrader's life history is another exemplification of this fact. With him a promise made or a pledge given has ever been regarded as a sacred obligation, and at all times his commercial integrity has stood as an unquestioned fact in his career.
While Mr. Shrader is preeminently a business man, his fellow townsmen recog- nized in him the qualities that make for efficient, faithful and progressive service in public office and, contrary to his ambitions and wishes, he was elected mayor of Johnstown in February, 190 ?. His administration is proving the wisdom of the people in selecting him as the head of the town government. In politics he has always given his allegiance to the republican party and has ever been interested in its success, yet from no desire for office but because he believes its principles are most conducive to the welfare of the state and nation. He is a member of the uniformed rank of the Knights of Pythias and of the Modern Woodmen of Amer- ica. He belongs to the Methodist Episcopal church with which he has been identi- fied since fourteen years of age, and stands as a high type of the honorable and upright citizen, reliable and energetic business man and the faithful friend.
FRED B. MORELAND.
General agriculture and stock-raising have commanded the attention of Fred B. Moreland of Lima township for many years, although recently he has with- drawn somewhat from active life and is living in retirement. He was born near St. Louisville, in Newton township, Licking county, January 2, 1840, a son of Philip F. and Elizabeth (Wortham) Moreland, natives of Virginia. His grand- parents were Bazel and Margaret ( Foss) Moreland, the former a native of Mary- land. They were united in marriage in Virginia, and came from that state to Ohio with a family of twelve children, all of whom were married and reared large families. Philip Moreland was born in 1815 and departed this life on the farm now in possession of his son, Fred B., in 1875, and his wife, born March 13, 1819, is now residing with her children in this township. She was a daughter of Theo- dore and Martha (Burdette) Wortham, who came overland by wagon to Newton township, this county, subsequently settling in Lima township, where they spent the remainder of their lives. Philip Moreland was a farmer all his life and he owned four hundred acres of land, to which he had given sufficient attention to make it one of the most desirable in the township. In his family were four chil- dren, namely : Alonzo, who departed this life here October 1, 1908; Frederick B .: Susan, wife of William Slain, of Lima township; and Bun Moreland.
On his father's farm Fred B .. Moreland was reared, and during his boyhood acquired his education in the district schools. He was about ten years of age when his parents removed to Lima township and here he has since resided with the ex- ception of four years spent in Knox county. He assisted in performing the duties of the home farm until he was united in marriage, at which period of his life he purchased ground for himself and engaged in agricultural pursuits independently. For many years he tilled an excellent farm containing one hundred acres, which
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he disposed of in 1900 and at present he has a thirty acre farm, which is all he desires to care for since his sons have married and left home. He has followed general farming all his life in connection with stock-raising and in both has been quite successful, but in recent years, being in comfortable circumstances, he decided to give up active life for the most part and enjoy the fruits of his long season of toil in retirement.
On October 2, 1861, Mr. Moreland was united in marriage to Frances Recce, who was born in Granville township, October 21, 1843, a daughter of John and Judith (Jones) Reece, natives of Wales, who came to Granville at an early date with their parents, her maternal grandparents having been Thomas and Sarah Jones, who had ten children, one of whom was born in Wales. Mrs. Frances (Reece) Moreland lost her mother when she was six weeks old and when eight years of age she was sent to Lima township to live with her uncle, John C. Jones, with whom she remained for twelve years. To Mr. and Mrs. Moreland were born : Clement and Eva, twins, she having died in infancy and he at the age of forty years, leaving a widow and three children, Claudine, Ethel Lee and Elsie G .; Elmer, of Columbia Center, who is married and has four children, Guy, Clair, Charles and Ned, while Theodore, the twin brother of Ned is deceased ; Zona, who departed this life when nine years of age ; and Mary, wife of Frederick Lewis.
Mr. Moreland is a stalwart democrat, being loyal to his party, and a firm believer in its principles. For three terms he has served as township trustee, has been assessor of the township for ten consecutive years and has served as land ap- praiser. He is a man who, on account of his intelligence and executive ability, has been chosen to serve in a number of responsible positions, among them being that of a director of the County Infirmary, in which position he officiated for six years. Mr. Moreland is a man of marked personality, being thoughtful and well informed, and by his industry and public spirit has contributed much to the general welfare of the community in which he is held in high respect.
S. V. RUGG.
S. V. Rugg, proprietor of a general merchandise establishment in Outville, Harrison township, conducting the enterprise in partnership with his son Francis M., is a native of New Lexington, Perry county, born in October, 1847, and a son of Samuel and Nancy (Imel) Rugg. The father, who was born in Somerset county, Pennsylvania, passed away at the advanced age of eighty-seven years. while the mother, a native of Perry county, departed this life in Alexandria, this county. when in her seventy-second year. Samuel Rugg, who had been active in agricultural life here for many years, was living in retirement at Newark. Ohio, when his life's career was terminated. In his family were the following children : Nathaniel, who died in Newark in 1905: S. V .; Amy. the wife of Leslie Wise, of Columbus, Ohio; Elijah P., a merchant of Outville; Ephraim T., a resident of Newark, Ohio, where he is engaged in banking. the real-estate business and manu- facturing : John S., also of Newark; Katharine, a resident of Granville: Thomas. who lives in Newark : and Ella, the wife of James A. Blank, of Newark.
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S. V. Rugg remained on the home farm with his parents until he was twenty years of age, in the meantime pursuing his education in the neighboring schools and completing a course of study in the New Lexington high school. He after- ward located in McCuneville and engaged in general merchandising with John Storer, the firm being known as Storer & Rugg. Continuing in that partnership for about five years, at the termination of that period, in company with his brother Nathaniel, he engaged in business in McCuneville under the name of Rugg & Brother for two years and in 1875 came to Outville, where he has since resided. He continued the business with his brother Nathaniel, and later another brother, Elijah P., was admitted to the partnership. They conducted a general merchandise store, dealing extensively in hardware and at the same time running a railroad agency for the Baltimore & Ohio and Pennsylvania Companies. The three brothers con- tinued in partnership until 1900 when Nathaniel severed his relation with the firm and went to Newark to take a position in the county treasurer's office under his brother Ephraim T., who was elected head of that department of the city, and Elijah P. also withdrew from the firm and is engaged in business for himself, the enterprise of this place being now solely under the control of S. V. Rugg. In con- nection with dealing largely in hardware and other merchandise he also trades in vehicles and harness. Recently he associated with him his son Francis M. and the firm is now known as S. V. Rugg & Son. Mr. Rugg owns the store building and the site upon which it stands and also two dwelling houses in Outville, one of which he rents, and he also has a fine farm of eighty acres located a mile and a half north of the town. He has been very successful in his business ventures and his industry and enterprise have made him one of the most influential commercial factors in the township.
In 1881 Mr. Rugg wedded Emma C. Alward, who was born near Granville, this county, a daughter of James and Martha Alward, and to this union have been born a son and two daughters: Francis M. wedded Isabelle Harrison, of Jersey, Ohio, and they have one child, Janice; Louise D. is the wife of Allen W. Smith, of Pataskala, and they have a son, Paul; and Beatrice, a pupil in the Pataskala high school. In politics Mr. Rugg is a democrat but the pressure of business has been so great as to prevent him from taking an active interest in the affairs of his party, although he has always been loyal to its candidates and regularly casts his vote to secure their election. He is a man of keen business judgment, whose industry has given him a high place in the commercial circles of the town of which he is a leading business man.
ELIJAH P. RUGG.
Elijah P. Rugg, long a prominent representative of commercial interests in Outville, was born September 21, 1852, in New Lexington, Perry county, Ohio, where he was reared on a farm until he was eighteen years of age, in the meantime availing himself of the educational advantages of the neighboring schools. At that period of his life he removed with his parents to a farm situated four miles north of Outville, in St. Albans township, later returning to his birthplace, where he
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attended the high school. After his graduation he taught for four terms in Pick- away county, subsequently completing a course of study at the Pataskala high school, in which he later taught for two terms. He then spent one year on the farm, at the same time becoming interested in general merchandising with his brother in Outville. In 1898 they dissolved partnership and Elijah Rugg started in business for himself. His perseverance and enterprise have enabled him to acquire a large patronage and he has been so successful that his trade has enabled him to own the store he occupies and also an elegant residence. He is recognized throughout the township as an honest and reliable business man and it has been through his own exertions and untiring efforts, together with solicitation to please and accommodate his customers, that he has developed his present remunerative business, which plays a large part in the commercial welfare of the community.
In 1877 Mr. Rugg wedded Lois Nichols, a native of this county and a daugh- ter of Leonard E. and Mary (Lewis) Nichols. Her mother, a native of Wales. was brought here in infancy by her parents, who located in St. Albans township. To Mr. and Mrs. Rugg have been born three children, namely: Leona Leota, a stenographer for the MeLaray Insurance Company of Columbus, Ohio; Edna Dell, the wife of Edward Rickley, of Reynoldsburg, Ohio; and Iola N., a pupil in the Pataskala high school. Mr. Rugg, like his brother, gives his allegiance to the democratic party and in local political affairs he has exerted considerable influence, his enthusiastic public spirit contributing much toward the improve- ment of the community in various directions. He belongs to the Presbyterian church, of which he is a trustee and an ardent supporter, and, his life being in close keeping with the teachings of his faith, he deserves the reputation of being one of the township's honorable and representative citizens.
CHARLES C. METZ.
The firm of Charles Metz & Brothers, one of the oldest in the meat business of the county was composed up to May, 1898, of Charles C. Metz, Henry A. Metz and David C. Metz, and then, on the death of Henry Metz the business was con- tinued by the two brothers, Charles C. and David C. The father before them was a professional butcher from the old country. He was born in Berge an der Werra. a small village in Saxony, Germany, on April 9, 1814. He received his early edu- cation in his native town, served his apprenticeship in the near by city of Saxe Weimer and when he became of age served his prescribed time in the army. Army life being distasteful to him he was granted a prolonged furlough, but was still held as a member of the reserve, liable at any time to be called. It was customary for men learning a trade to go away from home to follow their vocation, so he went to the city of Hamburg, where he procured employment with one of the large estab- lishments of that city and worked there for four years, becoming very proficient in the manufacturing department. Fearing the possibility of being called back into the army he left Hamburg for America and arrived in Newark with some of his fellow travelers who were bound for Ohio. in April. 1836. Four years later he became acquainted with Elizabeth Sebina Fisher. who had just come to Newark
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from the old country and they were married May 28, 1841. She was born in Hor- heim, Wertemburg, Germany, May 16, 1816. Mrs. Metz, mother of the Metz brothers, is still alive and in fairly good health being able to relate all the principal incidents of her life, and if she lives until May 16, 1909, she will have arrived at her ninety-third birthday. The absolute faith of this old lady in the rulings of Divine Providence and her strong personal responsibility have carried her through the many difficult trials of her life and will be her anchor to her life's end.
Upon taking the responsibilities of married life Mr. Metz began business for himself. His first venture was to open a meat market, and as his means were lim- ited to only a few dollars, some tools and a horse and wagon which a friend loaned him, his beginning was very unpretentions. His meat market was in a small room on Canal street in the rear of what is now known as the Crane Bliss Hardware Company. This was in 1844 the principal thoroughfare of the town, and canal boat navigation being at its height, the trade with owners of these boats was the competition of the times. The passenger boats were called packets and as they passed through Newark on their way from Cleveland to the Ohio river, to Ports- mouth, they would lay in a few days' supply, as this town was even then one of considerable importance. He prospered from the first, but Newark being at that time only a town of about three thousand inhabitants, business was limited to small proportions.
Charles C. Metz was born in Newark December 9, 1842, Henry A. Metz De- cember 25, 1845, and D. C. Metz March 19, 1852. The two years before the break- ing out of the Civil war were extremely dull and the presidential campaign of 1860 being a very turbulent one, the financial depression was very keenly felt by the smaller business interests of the country. Among those who suffered by the pre- vailing conditions was Mr. Metz and with a family of seven children, the eldest only eighteen years old, it took heroic efforts to maintain his household and keep out of debt. He was a person of strict integrity and high honor and nothing would worry him more than the necessity of incurring a debt that he could not see his way clear to pay. When the war commenced the following spring, every thing in the way of produce advanced and the demand in nearly every line of busi- ness increased beyond every expectation, so that his trade took on new life and the mark of actual prosperity really began. About this time the eldest son, Charles C., although closely identified with his father's business from a mere boy of ten, took a managing interest in the business. He became the buyer and continued in that capacity for many years. Henry, the next younger, being then a lad of fifteen years, took charge of the slaughtering branch of the business and D. C. took the part of an all-round assistant as his youthful ability permitted him to do, and few of riper age could have done better. The father now was enabled to devote his whole energy to the work in his market and office. About this time he purchased the property on West Main street, known now for a period of forty-seven years, as the Metz Meat Market. The business flourished as it never had before and Charles C. Metz became the partner of his father. From time to time they added facilities to meet their growing trade, until few plants in the state could boast of better equipment. In the spring of 1869 the father retired, Henry Metz became a part- ner and the firm name was changed from Charles Metz & Sons to Charles Metz & Brother. In 1875 David C. Metz was taken in as a partner and the name of the firm was again changed by adding "s" to "Brother." Their business constantly in-
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creased and as time progressed their trade reached out into fields far beyond their local environment. Though doing a pork packing, wholesaling and manufacturing business, they however always kept a keen eye on their local trade and were always up to date. The partners all acquired for themselves valuable properties in different parts of the city.
In January, 1908, Charles C. Metz retired from the meat business in order to devote his time to other enterprises in which he is interested. The old stand was rented for other business. D. C. Metz had the year previous constructed a fine brick building in East Newark which he is at present occupying with a grocery and meat market. Having been the buyer for the firm for many years he is prob- ably one of the best known men throughout the county and has a host of friends among all classes. Consequently he maintains a fine and prosperous business. He was elected a member of the city council a few years ago and served his term with much credit. Charles C. Metz besides being actively engaged for many years in a prosperous business, found time to represent many and varied interests in public life and filled many positions of distinction and trust. In 1876 he organized Com- pany G, Seventeenth Regiment, Ohio National Guard Infantry, the first military company organized in Newark after the Civil war. It was a crack company and made its first public appearance doing escort duty at the inauguration of Governor Bishop in the spring of 1877. He was elected township treasurer at one time and was president of the Newark Board of Trade for a number of years and is at pres- ent an honorary member of that body. He was a charter member of the Security Loan & Building Company before its change in 1903. When the Newark Trust Company was organized, having served in the old company as a director for the fourteen years of its existence, he was reelected as a director in the new bank and later was elected its vice president, which position he now holds. He is also con- nected with church work, having been a vestryman in Trinity Episcopal church of this city, and at present being junior warden. He was one of seven who guaranteed the rent for a room in which to hold meetings of the Young Men's Christian Asso- ciation upon its first establishment here, by this means enabling them to hold out until they could be more permanently reestablished. He has considerable real estate under his control, so he is about as busy as ever, enjoying good health and he therefore feels that under divine protection he may still be spared for many years of usefulness.
HOMER B. CONWAY.
Homer B. Conway, who for many years has been identified with the agricul- tural interests of Monroe township, this county, was born October 18, 1847, on the farm where he now resides, a son of John and Elmira (Williams) Conway. His ancestors were strict Covenanters and came to the new world from the north of Ireland. His father, a highly educated man, was graduated from Marietta Col- lege, at Marietta, Ohio, and was an able minister of the Presbyterian church, noted for his zealous Christian character and spiritual qualifications for his holy calling. He had been in the active ministry of the Gospel but three years, however, when
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he was taken with a severe illness which terminated his life's labors. His wife, who was a faithful adherent and one of the original members of the Johnstown Presbyterian church, departed this life February 10, 1908, in her eighty-fourth year.
Among their children was Homer B. Conway, who was born and reared on the farm and acquired his education in the public schools of Johnstown. After completing his studies he settled on the old homestead, where he has since engaged in general farming and stock-raising. He owns four hundred and sixty acres of land, in a desirable location. Its soil is rich and arable and through the persever- ing efforts of Mr. Conway the place has been so improved as to be one of the finest farms in the entire township. By a careful study of the nature of the soils and the adaptation of crops to them he has been able to work his land to the best advantage and obtain approximately the maximum yield, which from year to year has remuner- ated him with bountiful harvests. He also deals to some extent in sheep, horses and cattle, breeding some of the finest specimens of draft and road horses and feeding a number of head of cattle in readiness for market. While Mr. Conway, owing to his advanced years, is not actively engaged in the routine work of his farm, he still superintends its affairs and management.
On January 31, 1867, Mr. Conway wedded Miss Emma Mann, daughter of Thomas and Catherine (Straight) Mann, natives of the state of New Jersey, and now residing in Delaware county, Ohio. Mr. and Mrs. Conway are parents of : Milton, an agriculturist of Delaware county, Ohio; Ora, wife of Milton Shauba, who engages in farming in this township, and David, engaged in the same occupa- tion in Jersey township. Mr. Conway supports the republican party, to which he has been loyal all his life and the principles of which he is convinced are in every sense adequate to promote the best interests of the commonwealth. A man of high intelligence and culture, enterprising and progressive, throughout his life he has been solicitous for the highest good of the community and has always exerted his influence toward advancing the moral, educational and material interests of the community.
COLONEL HAMLIN D. BURCH.
Colonel Hamlin D. Burch is numbered among those who have made the his- tory and molded the destiny of Licking county. Concentrating his energies largely upon business interests in Hebron, he has figured as a general merchant here since 1869 and has served almost continuously as postmaster since 1870. Moreover he is entitled to distinctive mention in this volume from the fact that he is an honored veteran of two wars, having responded to the country's call for troops at the time of the Civil war and again in the recent conflict with Spain.
Colonel Burch was born in Muskingum county near Dresden, Ohio, Septem- ber 21, 1846, a son of Jonathan and Eliza (Doughty) Burch, both of whom were natives of Muskingum county and spent their last days in Hebron. The father followed farming throughout his entire life and was a quiet, industrious man, whose rules of life commended him to the good will and trust of all with whom he was brought in contact. Both he and his wife held membership in the Methodist
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Episcopal church. Their family numbered seven children. Leonidas F., who enlisted for service in the Union army as a member of Company. H, Thirty-first Ohio Volunteer Infantry, was captured at the battle of Chickamauga and died in Andersonville prison. Homer C., who enlisted in the same company and regiment, was wounded in the battle of Resaca and died in Hebron, in 1882, from the effects of the injuries which he had sustained in war. Hamlin D. is the next of the family. Richard Watson, the fourth in order of birth, is deceased. David P., a retired merchant, lives in Hebron. Joseph is a resident of Newark ; and Mrs. Mary E. Chinn has passed away.
Colonel Burch was thirteen years of age when he accompanied his parents on their removal from the old home farm in Muskingum county to Hebron, where he has since lived. He was but fifteen years of age when in October, 1862, he offered his services to the government and became a member of Company A, Tenth Ohio Volunteer Cavalry. He served as a private under Captain William Thayer, took part in all of the engagements of his command, was in Sherman's march to the sea and was honorably discharged in August, 1865. When the country no longer needed his aid he returned home and worked on the farm with his father until 1868 but, thinking to find commercial pursuits more congenial, he accepted a clerkship in the store of I. E. Kelsey, of Hebron. In 1869 he established his present general mercantile business and has conducted it continuously since or for a period of forty years, during which time his labors have been a feature in the growth and progress of the town. In 1870 he was commissioned postmaster of Hebron and has continuously served in this capacity save for the period of Presi- dent Cleveland's administrations.
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