USA > Ohio > Licking County > Newark > Centennial History of the City of Newark and Licking County Ohio > Part 79
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He keeps on hand an average of sixty head of Poland China hogs, all of which are thoroughbreds, among them being Ohio Chief and Highland Lad, the former being a son of old Chief Perfection, the king of Polands, while Highland Lad is a grandson of Chief Perfection and was bred from Ohio Chief by Link Gukins, of Disko, Indiana, one of the largest stock breeders in the United States. Mr. Osburn is quite well known as a breeder of Jersey cattle and owns Exile of St. Lambert, sired by old Exile. He has paid more attention to stock breeding than to any other department of his farm work and his experience in this line of work has made him a recognized authority throughout the county. He belongs to the National Poland China Register and the American Jersey Cattle Club.
In 1900 Mr. Osburn wedded Miss Ora S. Boring, a resident of Franklin township, by whom he has had one daughter, Mary Margaret, who is four years of age. Politically Mr. Osburn does not ally himself with any particular party inasmuch as he has not yet found the principles of any cult on the whole meeting with his approval, and consequently he takes an independent stand, casting his vote for such candidates for political office as he adjudges possessed of personal qualities and political ability which in his judgment will enable them to perform the duties of public office to the best advantage of the commonwealth. In local matters he has taken considerable interest and has been called upon by his fellow townsmen to perform the duties of road supervisor. He does not allow the pres- sure of business affairs to monopolize the time he should devote to his religious obligations. He and his wife are faithful members of St. Johns Lutheran church, of which he is an elder. Mr. Osburn is one of the most prosperous agriculturists of this part of the county, taking great pride in his farm and also in his home, which he has equipped with every convenience for comfort including a telephone. Upright in all his dealings and maintaining a position above reproach, he is held in high esteem by his neighbors and is accounted among the worthy citizens of the community.
WILLIAM CHEEK.
William Cheek, a practical, progressive farmer of Monroe township and a public-spirited citizen, was born July 20, 1849, in Jersey township, Licking county, his parents being William and Elizabeth (Smith) Cheek, who came to Ohio from the state of Virginia when young people. The father was a farmer by occupation and devoted his life to tilling the soil for the benefit of his family.
William Cheek was reared upon the old homestead farm and through the winter months attended the district schools of the township, while in the periods of vacation he worked in the fields. Practical training well qualified him for the same line of work when he attained manhood and lessons of thrift, economy and integrity were early impressed upon his mind. Following his marriage he began farming for himself in Monroe township and carried on general agricultural pur- suits, also dealing in live stock, until 1887, when the family removed to Columbus, Ohio, where Mr. Cheek engaged in real-estate business. He remained a resident of the capital city six years, or until 1893, when he removed to the farm in Monroe
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township, where he has since resided with his family. In addition to tilling the soil he has been a successful stock-dealer nearly thirty years and is one of the best known and most extensive stock-dealers in this section of the state. In all of his business transactions his judgment and integrity are above question. He has been a large buyer both for the local markets of Columbus and also for shipment to the markets of other cities outside the state.
On the 29th of August, 1872, Mr. Cheek was married to Miss Elmira A. Ross, a daughter of Samuel and Catherine (Beem) Ross. Her father came to Licking county from Pennsylvania when a young man, while the mother was a native of Jersey township, this county. Mrs. Cheek here spent her girlhood days and has a wide acquaintance. Unto this marriage have been born eleven children : Ross; Stella M., the widow of William Seeds of Columbus by whom she had four children-Florence, Raymond, William, and Elsie-Mr. Seeds dying in May, 1904 : Iva, the wife of Ethan Allen, of New York; Mott; Lester; Lillie, now the wife of Edgar Welch, of New Holland, Ohio: Pansy, the wife of Carl Stanford, a resi- dent of Columbus, Ohio; Clinton ; Bessie; Grover C .; and Frances.
Mr. Cheek takes a keen interest in public affairs and is an intelligent, broad- minded man, who has done much to promote public improvement and to advance the educational conditions of his locality. He was an influential member of the school board for a number of years and loyally advocated progress and improve- ment in educational lines. He is a member of Johnstown Lodge, K. P., and is prominent in local ranks of the democracy, frequently representing Monroe town- ship in county, district and state conventions. Moreover, he maintains an unsul- lied reputation for honesty and fair dealing in all business transactions and, be- lieving that success may crown the efforts of every individual, he has labored dili- gently to attain his present enviable and creditable position in agricultural circles.
RUFUS F. WRIGHT.
Rufus F. Wright, a prosperous farmer of St. Albans township, represents an honored and patriotic family, his grandfather, Simeon Wright, having served as a major in the war of 1812 and his great-grandfather, Robert Wright, in the Colonial army, during the Revolutionary war. The latter, in those perilous times, in order to protect his wife and family from the Indians, hid his wife and three children in a hollow tree and three children under his cabin floor. The Indians. discovering the latter, took their lives and burned the cabin, while the other three children together with his wife escaped the cruelty of the savages. Incensed by the fiendish work of the Indians, Robert Wright vowed that he would kill every Indian he could and, faithful to his oath, he succeeded in taking the lives of twelve before he passed away in Licking county, at the age of ninety-seven years.
Simeon Wright, one of those who had been concealed in the hollow tree, in company with his family, located on Raccoon Creek, Licking county, in the year 1819. There he followed farming until he was sixty-three years old, at which age he lost his life in a runaway accident. His son. Hiram Wright, father of
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Rufus F. Wright, was born in Rutland, Vermont, July 25, 1803, and when sixteen years of age accompanied his parents to this county, settling in St. Albans town- ship, where he was united in marriage to Eliza Blood, a native of Boston, Massa- chusetts, where her birth occurred in January, 1803, her family settling in this township in the year 1821. Following his marriage Hiram Wright settled in Monroe township but upon the death of his father he returned to St. Albans, where he resided until the year 1870, when he removed to Champaign county, Illinois, settling near Mahomet, in which place he departed this life in August, 1889, his wife surviving him but a few months. They reared the following chil- dren : Sarah, deceased; Elizabeth; Mary; Lucien; Rufus F .; Robert; Charles, deceased ; and Theodore.
Near Johnstown, Monroe township, Licking county, Rufus F. Wright was born April 7, 1835, and when four years of age, accompanied his parents to St. Albans township, where, excepting one year, he has since resided, devoting him- self to agricultural pursuits, in which he has met with remarkable success. In Alexandria, Ohio, on March 26, 1857, he wedded Miss Harriet Elizabeth Lyman, a daughter of Abner and Betsey (Hubbard) Lyman, her father a native of Onondaga county, New York, where he was born on November 1, 1811, and from which place, at the age of six years, he was taken by his parents to Hardin county, Kentucky, and from there, in the year 1820, to Louisville, Kentucky, from which place, in 1825, he drove an ox-team to this county and settled in St. Albans town- ship. At that time he had but fifty cents and a few bed clothes. He was em- ployed as a farm hand until the year 1830, when he purchased forty acres of land in St. Albans township, in the cultivation of which he was quite successful and attained prosperity. On July 10, 1836, he married Miss Hubbard, and they had four children, namely : Harriet Elizabeth; Horace C .; Sarah F .; and Joseph A., who lost his life in the battle of Ringgold, Georgia. Mr. Lyman died in Alex- andria, Ohio, January 24, 1885, at the age of seventy-three years. He was a pioneer member of the Methodist church here, with which he became identified in the year 1848. His wife, a native of Rutland, Vermont, where her birth occurred September 30, 1815, spent most of her life in this county, her parents having settled in Granville township when she was four years of age, later removing to Lock, Knox county, where she was married, upon which she removed to St. Albans township, where she died December 24, 1883.
With the exception of about a year and a half spent in Morrow county, Rufus F. Wright has always resided here with his wife and they have the follow- ing children : Lyman Wright, who wedded Miss Mary B. Stinson on the 24th of October, 1878, has three children: Rufus S., who wedded Miss Hattie Eager, of St. Albans township, and has one child, Ida Louise; Gwen Ethel, the wife of Fred E. Hammond, by whom she has one child, Achsah; and Sarah Elizabeth. S. Ida, the second child of Rufus F. Wright, married L. D. Rogers, A. M., M. D., L. L. D., of Chicago, Illinois, who founded the Chicago Baptist Hospital, one of the largest hospitals in the west. In 1891 he likewise founded the National Medical Uni- versity, which in 1906 had four hundred and twenty-five students, Dr. Rogers' official connection with the institution at the present time being that of dean and vice president. He is also editor of The People's Health Journal and the Chicago Night University Bulletin ; author of "Surgical Cleanliness," "Homeopathy Ex-
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plained" and "Rogers Homeopathie Guide;" and surgeon to the Cook County Hospital of Chicago. He belongs to the American Institute of Homeopathy, the Illinois Homeopathic Association and the Homeopathic Society of Chicago. Mrs. Rogers is also a practicing physician, she and her husband having founded the Emergency hospital and college in Chicago, where they have been following the profession for twenty-four years. Both are graduates of Denison University and Mrs. Rogers has three diplomas which she received respectively in Berlin, London and Vienna, aside from those which she received in this country. Dr. Rogers and his wife have three children, namely : Lyman W., Rufus Boynton and Rose Elizabeth. The third child of Mr. and Mrs. Wright, Frederick J., was united in marriage to Miss Maggie Levering, of Morrow county, by whom he has three children, namely: Roy, Ellis J. and Forest.
Mr. and Mrs. Wright are members of the Methodist Episcopal church. in which he has officiated in many important stations and to which he has given generously. He is a stanch republican and for forty-six years has been affiliated with the Masonic order, in which he has held various chairs. His farm consists of one hundred and sixty acres and is neat and attractive, its well-kept appear- ance evidencing the care and energy of its owner. Mr. Wright retired from active farm life in 1885 and purchased a residence in Alexandria, which he remodeled and made one of the finest dwelling houses in the town.
JACOB SMOKE.
Jacob Smoke, a life-long resident of Etna township, where he engages in agriculture and stock-raising, was born February 11, 1844, on a farm situated one mile south of Etna village, and is a descendant of a pioneer family of this part of the state, his grandparents having located here in the early days and were among those to whom the present generation are indebted for the broad, fertile acres of this county. Dennis Smoke, his father, was born in Ohio and during his boyhood days assisted his father in cutting away the timber preparatory to putting the land under cultivation, and at the time of his death, through his per- severance and industry, he was the owner of three hundred and forty acres of land, all in one tract and all highly improved and productive. He married Eliza- beth Hauser, who was a native of Switzerland, and they had eleven children, namely: Isaac, a resident of Columbus, Ohio; John, who lives in Harrison town- ship; Elizabeth, widow of Daniel Showers, of Etna ; Henry, deceased; Mrs. Mar- garet Mazeland, and Mrs. Maria Brock, both deceased; Nancy, who met death in childhood by turning somersaults; Dennis and Mrs. Laura Jane Brock, deceased : Jacob; and Katharine. widow of Daniel Goode, a resident of the village of Etna.
Jacob Smoke resided on the home place until his marriage, in the meantime assisting his father in the duties of the farm and acquiring his education in the neighboring schools, and at that period of his life, desirous of becoming inde- pendent, he removed to another farm which he occupied for some time. Subse- quently he went to a farm near Baltimore, Fairfield county, where he remained until 1873. during which year he purchased the farm on which he now resides.
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and here he has since lived with the exception of six years which he spent on a tract of land near Kirkersville, Ohio, which he had rented. His farm contains eighty acres located two and one-half miles southwest of Kirkersville and at the time he took possession all, with the exception of twenty acres, was a mass of thick timber which he has since cleared away, so that the entire tract is now under cul- tivation. His farm is provided with substantial, modern buildings, all of which he constructed himself, and all necessary care and attention having been given to the land, his farm is now one of the most productive in this part of the county. He devotes his attention to general agriculture and stock-raising, buying and shipping on a small scale.
In 1865 Mr. Smoke wedded Miss Rachel Blosser, a daughter of John Blosser, a well known agriculturist of Fairfield county. She was born in Fairfield county, October 31, 1844. and her death occurred there on January 31, 1871. The chil- dren of Mr. and Mrs. Smoke are: Silas, a resident of this township; C'lara, the wife of William Mauger, of Granville township; and Arvillah Luella, who resides with her husband, John Waggoner, in Columbus, Ohio. On March 31, 1872; Mr. Smoke was united in marriage to Miss Frances E. Sands, a native of Baltimore, Fairfield county, Ohio, born May 5, 1853, and to this union were born : Zella ; Chloe, wife of Ora Snyder, of Fairfield county; Arley Sylvester, who was born May 4. 1880, and died October 31, 1898: Harvey Lester, who resides with his parents ; Vernon Sylvano, who resides in Etna township: and Harry Galveston, at home.
Mr. Smoke is a stanch democrat and on many occasions he has been called upon to become a candidate for local political offices but has repeatedly declined, at the same time, however, being interested in the welfare of the community and always ready and willing to further measures purposed for its betterment. He belongs to the Evangelical church of Etna township. in which he is an active worker and a member of the board of trustees.
PERRY MUNSON ASHBROOK.
The name of Perry Munson Ashbrook is found on the list of the successful business men of Alexandria and this part of the county. He is conducting a growing trade as a hay and grain merchant and also as a shipper of live-stock and. moreover, is known in financial cireles as one of the directors of the Alexandria Bank Company. One of the county's native sons, his birth occurred near Johns- town, March 26, 1873. He traces his ancestry back to Eli Ashbrook, his great- grandfather, who settled near Johnstown about 1810 and spent the remainder of his life on a farm there, devoting his time and energies to general agricultural pursuits. He was also a local preacher of the old-school Baptist church. His family numbered fourteen children, twelve of whom reached years of maturity. This family included Hiram Ashbrook, who was born on the old homestead farm near Johnstown and after arriving at years of maturity wedded Sarah Ann Jewett, also a native of the same locality. They began their domestic life on a farm in the neighborhood and there lived until 1876, when they removed to Pataskala. In his farming operations Hiram Ashbrook had prospered and had become the owner
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of a valuable tract of land of three hundred acres, which is still in possession of the family. He died in Pataskala in September, 1879, at the age of fifty-nine years, while his widow survived him .for more than thirteen years and passed away January 20, 1893, at the age of seventy-two years, six months and four days. Their family numbered six children : Albert, who died at the age of seven years : Hiram Munson; Mrs. Helen Clark, who is a resident of Marshalltown, Iowa : Omer D., who also lives in Marshalltown; Alice, who died unmarried; and Minnie D., who likewise resides in Marshalltown.
Hiram Munson Ashbrook, father of Perry M. Ashbrook, was born near Johns- town, May 18, 1850, and was reared to the occupation of farming, which pursuit he chose as a life work. He always carried on the task of tilling the soil and cul- tivating the crops but did not confine his efforts to this line alone, for he became well known as a stock dealer and in fact conducted a most extensive business of that character. He handled one hundred thousand dollars worth of stock in 1890 and likewise conducted a profitable business as a wool buyer and dealer in hay and grain. Ile carried on general farming until 1880, when he began dealing in stock and later extended his efforts to other lines. About three months prior to his death he became the owner of an elevator at Johnstown. He passed away in December, 1891, but is still survived by his widow, who was born September 20, 1849, and now resides on the old home farm a mile east of Johnstown. In politics he was a stanch republican and was a citizen of sterling worth, interested in all that pertained to the welfare and progress of the community, while his active sup- port of progressive public movements constituted an element in the city's growth. His widow is a daughter of William Bishop, who came from New Jersey to this county in 1826, when eight years of age, with his parents. His father died immediately after arriving here, his death being occasioned by smallpox. William Bishop still resides in this county about a mile east of Johnstown and is yet en- joying good health, although now ninety years of age. His daughter, Anna M., became the wife of Hiram Ashbrook and, still surviving, resides on the old home farm east of Johnstown. By her marriage she became the mother of seven chil- dren. Perry M. is the eldest. Charles Albert, who was a farmer near Johns- town, died May 5, 1908, at the age of thirty-four years, leaving a widow and six children. Hector Dean is engaged in the hay and grain business and also has an elevator at Johnstown but makes his home in Pataskala. Mary Alice became the wife of J. Clyde Montgomery and died February 2, 1906, leaving one child. Abbie Estelle died December 28, 1905. Byron W. is a farmer living in Johnstown, and Alva H., is a railroad brakesman living in Columbus.
Perry Munson Ashbrook spent his entire life in Licking county and continued on the home farm with his mother until he was twenty-four years of age. The district schools afforded him his early educational privileges and later he was a student in the Johnstown high school for a short time. He spent one year in Johnstown engaged in the hay and grain business, entering the employ of J. R. Alsdorf as a clerk in October, 1897. In October, 1898, he came to Alexandria and established a hay and grain business on his own account. He is also engaged in shipping live-stock and owns a grain elevator and hay storage. In 1907 he shipped over three hundred carloads of farm products and is conducting an extensive busi- ness, his interests proving an excellent market for the farmers and stock-raisers
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of the surrounding district. His capably managed interests are bringing to him prosperity and his financial resources are annually increasing. He is now a director and stockholder in the Alexandria Bank Company, with which he has been connected since its organization.
On the 23d of June, 1897, Mr. Ashbrook was married to Miss Bertha A. Davidson, who was born near Croton, Ohio, September 11, 1877, and is a daugh- ter of George W. and Elizabeth (Graham) Davidson, who are still living near Croton. Mr. and Mrs. Ashbrook became the parents of three children but lost their first born, Paul M., in infancy. The others are: Gordon G., born August 23, 1901; and Allen D., born February 18, 1905. The parents are prominent socially and have a circle of friends almost coextensive with the circle of their acquaint- ances. Mr. Ashbrook belongs to the Knights of Pythias, to the Methodist Epis- copal church and is an advocate of the prohibition party. These associations indi- cate much of the character of his interests and the rules which govern his conduct. He is active in support of the temperance cause and is interested in all that per- tains to the material, intellectual and moral development of the community. His own life is upright in its varied relations and his unquestioned integrity has made his word as good as any bond solemnized by signature or seal. He is a worthy and prominent representative of one of the old and honored pioneer families of the county and justly merits the high esteem in which he is uniformly held.
SYLVESTER L. BUSH.
A well improved farm in Monroe township is the property of Sylvester L. Bush, who is diligent and industrious in his management and control of the place. He was born September 20, 1859, in the county which is still his home, his parents being Noah and Eliza (Longwell) Bush, who are mentioned on another page of this work in connection with the sketch of their son, Wesley Bush. From pioneer times the Bush family has been identified with the agricultural development of the county and Sylvester L. Bush was reared on his father's farm, assisting in its work from early boyhood until twenty-six years of age. During that period he gained intimate knowledge of the best methods of tilling the soil and marketing his crops. He was educated in the country schools of the township and while no events of exciting interest occurred in his youth, he laid the foundation for an honorable and upright manhood and for business activity and enterprise.
. After starting out on life's journey Mr. Bush chose a companion and help- mate, being married on the 15th of October, 1885, to Miss Florence Dague, a daughter of George and Harriet (Beecher) Dague. The father was a prominent and well-known farmer of Franklin county, Ohio. Unto Mr. and Mrs. Bush have been born three children : Leota, who is the wife of Rolland Ravinna, of Johns- town : Russell; and Clinton.
Subsequent to his marriage Sylvester L. Bush began farming on his own account, taking up his abode on a part of the old homestead and within a short distance of the dwelling in which he had been born and reared. He still resides on this place and now has an excellent farm, well-improved with a comfortable,
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modern dwelling, large barn and ample outbuildings for the shelter of grain and stock. He raises good grades of cattle, horses and hogs and his place is well cul- tivated, the fields annually returning to him golden harvests for the care and labor which he bestows upon them. He is continually studying to improve his farm methods and keeps in touch with the general trend of progress which has charac- terized agricultural life in the last half century. Aside from business interests Mr. Bush deserves to be classed with the representative citizens of the community. for he is a public-spirited man, interested in all that pertains to the general prog- ress. He is an advocate of good roads and of all public improvements, is a stal- wart champion of the cause of education and is equally loyal in his support of measures pertaining to the moral development of the community. He gives his political allegiance to the republican party and is a member of the Freewill Baptist church.
F. M. BROOKS.
F. M. Brooks, who for many years was actively and successfully identified with the farming and stock-raising interests of this county, is now living retired on his excellent farm of two hundred and fifty acres in Mckean township. He is num- bered among the worthy native sons of Licking county, his birth having occurred in Mckean township on the 30th of October, 1835. His parents, Martin and Lucy (Blanchard ) Brooks, who were natives of Maine and Vermont respectively. took up their abode in this county in the year 1820. The father here purchased a tract of land and continued a resident of the county until 1859, which year wit- nessed his removal to Missouri, where his remaining days were passed. The mother's death, however, occurred in Licking county. Of their family of six children only two survive, the sister of our subject being Amanda, a resident of this county.
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