Century history of Springfield, and Clark County, Ohio, and representative citizens 20th, Part 105

Author: Rockel, William M. (William Mahlon), 1855-1930, ed
Publication date: 1908
Publisher: Chicago, Biographical publishing co.
Number of Pages: 1086


USA > Ohio > Clark County > Springfield > Century history of Springfield, and Clark County, Ohio, and representative citizens 20th > Part 105


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worked for two years in a tile factory, after which he returned to the farm. He carries on general farming, raises excel- lent stock and keeps eight cows, shipping his milk to his brother, John Michael, who is a milk dealer at Springfield. Mr. Michael married Maggie Rust, who is a daughter of Henry and Drusilla (Cost) Rust, farmers, of German Township. They have two children-Ernest Leroy and Glendon Ray. Mr. Michael is a mem- ber of the Junior Order of American Me- chanics, at Northampton.


ISAAC KAY, M. D., whose long and uninterrupted career as a physician and surgeon at Springfield has made him the oldest resident medical man in this city, has also brought him the esteem and con- fidence of his fellow-citizens, as well as deserved honors and fitting emolument in his profession. Dr. Kay was born in Franklin County, Pennsylvania, not far distant from the beautiful city of Cham- bersburg, December 8, 1828. He is a son of William and Susanna (Unger) Kay, a grandson of John Kay and a great-grand- son of John Kay, who, at the date of the Revolutionary War, was already a man of business enterprise in the city of Phila- delphia. It is not difficult to trace the family still farther back, even in the days when its early settlers accompanied Will- iam Penn to Pennsylvania and assisted him in his civilizing efforts.


In 1836, when Isaac Kay was a boy of nine years, his parents left the old fam- ily home in Pennsylvania and journeyed over the mountains in the primitive man- ner of the time and established a new home in Ohio. Other members of the


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family took up the burden of clearing the land and developing a farm in the wilder- ness, but from early youth Isaac had made up his mind to be a physician. Through many obstacles he pushed his way and in 1849 he secured his diploma from Starling Medical College, at Colum- bus. On May 18, 1853, he came to Spring- field, having already had four years of medical experience at Lewisburg, Ohio, and with the growth and progress of this city, for a half century, he has been in- dissolubly connected. One of his early and continued interests has been the spread of medical knowledge within his own profession, and early and late he has worked to establish organizations of this character and to make them fulfil their mission. Almost since its inception he has been an active member of the Clark County Medical Society, in which he has frequently held official position, and for many years his name has been one of those most honored in the Ohio State Medical Association. Colleges and con- ventions, associations and societies have conferred degrees upon him for valuable services rendered, all feeling that they have profited from his scientific re- searches, his valuable literary contribu- tions and his enlightening lectures on subjects of the gravest importance.


Dr. Kay was married November 4, 1852, to Clara M. Deckert, of Miamisburg, Ohio. They have two sons, Charles S. and Clarence H. During almost the en- tire period of his mature life he has been an active member of the Baptist Church. Politically he is a Republican, always earnest in his efforts to encourage good government, but never descending to the methods of mere party politicians. His


connection with the Masonic fraternity dates back to 1850 and he has felt it to be one of his great privileges to live up to the demands and aims of this brother- hood.


MILTON J. BAIRD, a representative farmer and well known citizen of Pleas- ant Township, residing on his valuable farm of seventy acres, which is situated on the Columbus Road, was born in Clark County, Ohio, November 27, 1870, and is a son of William J. and Nancy J. (Kim- ble) Baird.


His grandparents on the paternal side were residents in 1794 of Pennsylvania, whence they migrated to Kentucky, com- ing from the latter state to Clark Coun- ty, Ohio, in 1808 and settling in Harmony Township. William Baird, the great- grandfather, had been a soldier in the Revolutionary War, fighting for Ameri- can independence. At one time he was placed as a guard over certain Hessian prisoners, and accidentally overhearing several of them express sentiments favor- able to America, and declare that they would never return to Germany, but would, if they could escape, become citi- zens of the new republic against which they had been hired to fight, he purposely relaxed his vigilance, with the result that they got away, and, it is to be presumed, fulfilled their intentions, to the benefit of the land of their adoption. The family tradition is that the Bairds originated in Scotland, were driven to Ireland by re- ligious persecution and subsequently came to America. In Kentucky they intermar- ried with the Breckenridges and other prominent families.


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Mr. Baird's grandparents, Peter C. and Frances (Wilson) Baird, were born, re- spectively, in Kentucky and North Car- olina. They resided in Harmony Town- ship, Clark County until their death, about 1872. Peter C. Baird came to Clark County in 1808. His ten children bore the following names, respectively: William J., Clara J., Willis, Caroline, Susan, Lewis E., John, Robert, Dorothy and Mary Ann.


William J. Baird father of Milton J., was born March 27, 1826, in Clark Coun- ty, Ohio, and was married twice, first to Frances Hayward. Three children were born to that marriage: John, who mar- ried Susan Slagle, resides at Springfield, and they have two children, Lewis and George; Margaret F., who married George Eberhart, residing in Clark Coun- ty ; and Lewis R., who resides in Kansas, married Lena Perro, and they have five children. February 19, 1867, William J. Baird was married (secondly) to Nancy J. Kimble, and the following children were born to them: Clara E., born in 1868, married Frank Jones, and they re- side in Clark County and have had four children: Milton J .; Nellie, born Novem- ber 2, 1872, married Clark Jones; Eva, born November 2, 1875, resides at Vienna Cross Roads; and Laura, born November 14, 1877, married Minor Slagle and they have two children. William J. Baird died February 20, 1907. His widow sur- vives.


Milton J. Baird was reared on the home farm and attended the district schools. His main occupation has been farming. In 1902 he purchased his present proper- ty from Andrew Goodfellow, and has been engaged in improving it ever since.


On December 26, 1900, Milton J. Baird was married to Floy Neer, a daughter of Nathan O. and Millie (Comstock) Neer. The father of Mrs. Baird was born Janu- ary 8, 1850, and in 1875 he married Millie Comstock, who was born November 8, 1856. Mr. and Mrs. Neer had the follow- ing children: Floy, wife of Milton J. Baird, was born October 24, 1876; Anna B., born July 18, 1879, married Eugene Grubb, and they have two children, Evlyn and Mildred; Benjamin, born Oc- tober 31, 1882; Laura, born May 20, 1887 ; Ruth, born April 13, 1894; Mahlon, born April 20, 1898; and Clark, who was born March 16, 1885, died in the same year. Mr. and Mrs. Neer still survive.


Mr. and Mrs. Baird have four children, namely: Herbert, who was born January 8, 1902; Roland, who was born July 11, 1903; Howard, who was born September 14, 1905; and Florence, who was born March 26, 1907.


Mr. Baird takes a good citizen's inter- est in township affairs and gives liberal assistance to many public-spirited enter- prises. In politics he is a Republican. He is a valued member of the township school board.


LEVI KAUFFMAN, who is engaged in agricultural pursuits on a well im- proved farm of 166 acres, located about twelve miles west of Springfield, on the north side of the Valley Pike, was born September 3, 1833, in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, and is a son of Christian and Anna (Erb) Kauffman.


The Kauffman family is of German ex- traction, the great-grandfather having come from Germany in 1717. He settled


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near 'Lancaster, Pennsylvania, where the family later became very prominent. Christian Kauffman, grandfather, was born in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, where he followed farming all his life and acquired a full section of land. He mar- ried Anna Miller, also a native of Lancas- ter County, and they became the parents of three sons and three daughters.


Christian Kauffman, father of Levi, was born in Lancaster County, Pennsyl- vania, and became both a farmer and miller. For many years he operated a water-power grist mill. He was married to Anna Erb, a daughter of Jacob Erb, of German extraction, and a native of Lan- caster County, Pennsylvania. In 1840, Christian Kauffman and family moved to Ohio, making the trip, which required three weeks, in wagons. They passed through Springfield, then a small village, and located in Bethel Township, Clark County, on the farm which is now partly owned by Levi Kauffman, purchasing 500 acres of timberland from Samuel Bur- nett. The family began life here in a small cabin, which was standing, later building a brick house, which was one of the first erected in this section, and was made of bricks of their own manufactur- ing. Mr. Kauffman engaged in farming here the remainder of his life, and he also operated a water-power sawmill, which he sold shortly before his death, which oc- curred in 1870, when aged seventy-one years. His widow survived him a num- ber of years, her death occurring when past seventy years of age. Thirteen chil- dren were born to Mr. and Mrs. Kauff- man, all of whom but the four youngest, were born in Lancaster County, Pennsyl- vania: Emanuel, deceased; Jacob, de-


ceased; Christian; John; Elizabeth, de- ceased wife of H. Huber; Mary, wife of Benjamin Kneisley, both deceased; Levi; Benjamin, deceased; Reuben, deceased; Anna, widow of Samuel Musselman; Henry; Sarah, wife of J. H. Mouk; and Abraham.


Levi Kauffman was a small child when his parents moved from Pennsylvania to Ohio, where the greater part of his boy- hood days were spent in assisting his father in clearing and placing the farm in a tillable condition. His education was such as could be obtained în the district schools at that time, which were of the pioneer type, with slab benches, and these- he only attended about four months dur- ing the winters, when his services could best be spared. At the outbreak of the Civil War, Mr. Kauffman enlisted in the army, serving under Captain Mckinney, in Company E, One Hundred and Fifty- third Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry, and participated in several important skirmishes. Mr. Kauffman remained at home engaged in farming until his mar- riage. In 1870 he purchased his farm from the Kauffman estate, where he has since been engaged in general farming and has added many improvements to his place.


On March 7, 1861, Mr. Kauffman was united in marriage with Anna Harnish, a daughter of John and Esther Harnish, and to them have been born the following children: Laura, who is the wife of George S. Lotterett; Benjamin, who mar- ried Melvina Herr; Hattie, and Hettie, . twins, the former of whom died young, and the latter of whom, Mrs. H. K. Smith, with her son, Ward L., lost her life during the Johnstown Flood, while on the train


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HISTORY OF CLARK COUNTY


when enroute to Pennsylvania; Susan S., born to Robert and Martha Hyslop, but who died aged fourteen years; Anna E., five of whom are living. Mrs. Hyslop died who died aged twenty-five years, was the about 1867 and Robert Hyslop died in Xenia, Greene County, Ohio, in 1896. wife of Clarence Tannyhill, also de- ceased; Emma B., who is the wife of Nor- man R. Bear, has three children, Robert, Lawrence, and Anna Virginia; Elizabeth; Dora and Cora, twins, the latter of whom is deceased. Mr. Kauffman and his wife are members of the Reformed Mennonite Church.


WILLIAM W. HYSLOP, residing on a well improved and highly cultivated farm of 140 acres located about four and one- half miles northwest of Springfield, on the Jordon and Miami Pike, has been a resident of German Township since the spring of 1894, and is one of the enter- prising and substantial farmers of this section. He was born October 1, 1862, on the old home place in New Jasper, Greene County, Ohio, and is a son of Robert and Martha (Bogle) Hyslop.


Robert Hyslop is also a native of Greene County, Ohio, having been born on the same farm on which our subject was born, and is a son of George Hyslop, a native of Scotland, who came to this country at a very early period and set- tled in the woods of Greene County, near New Jasper. There he built a log cabin, cleared a large tract of land and died at an advanced age. Robert Hyslop, father of William W., was reared on this farm and followed farming there throughout his life. He married Martha Bogle, who was a sister of Col. James Bogle, formerly a well known and highly respected citizen of Springfield, Ohio, now a resident of California. There were eleven children


William W. Hyslop was reared in Greene County, and has always followed farming in a general way on a scientific basis. Subsequent to his marriage he rented a farm near Clifton, Green Town- ship, Clark County, for a period of six years, but in 1894, he bought and located on ninety acres of his present farm in German Township. To this he added twenty acres in 1900, and thirty acres more in 1907. Here he has made many improvements, having built in 1902 a large, modern frame house with all mod- ern improvements, including furnace, nat- ural gas, etc. A lane formerly ran from Miami Pike to the old house, but Mr. Hys- lop has opened a lane from Jordon Pike to his new residence, which is located in German Township, but part of the land lies in school district No. 11, Springfield Township.


Mr. Hyslop was married February 27, 1888, while still a resident of Greene County, to Mary Crawford, a daughter of Harper Crawford, who was a well known agriculturist of Greene County, Ohio. Two children have been born to our sub- ject and wife, namely: Earl, who is tak- ing a special agricultural course at the Ohio State University; and Frances, who lives at home.


Mr. Hyslop served as a member of the Springfield Township School Board two years, 1905-1907, inclusive, having been elected on the Independent ticket, and when a resident of Greene County served two terms as township clerk of New Jas- per Township, being elected on the Re-


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publican ticket. He is affiliated with the Rockway Grange, No. 1626, and his relig- ious connection is with the United Presby- terian Church of Springfield.


CHARLES J. BOWLUS, proprietor of the Bowlus Fruit Company, manager of the National Stogie Company and ex- mayor of the city of Springfield, Ohio, was born December 17, 1866, in Bowlus- ville, Clark County, Ohio, and is a son of George C. Bowlus, of this city.


George C. Bowlus, one of the leading real estate men of Springfield, was born in Frederick County, Maryland, and in about 1851 came to Clark County with his fath- er, Captain Samuel H. Bowlus, who was a member of a local military company of Maryland and subsequently became a farmer and grain dealer in this county.


Charles J. Bowlus was reared and ob- tained his educational training in Clark County, and early in life became a gro- cery clerk in Springfield, where he subse- quently engaged in the wholesale fruit business. In 1894 the Bowlus Fruit Com- pany, well known wholesale and retail dealers of foreign and domestic fruits and produce, was established, and is now rec- ognized as one of the leading business en- terprises of the city. Mr. Bowlus is also interested in various other enterprises of the city, among them the well known Ridgely Trimmer Company, of which he is vice president and a director. He has always taken an active interest in the political affairs of the city and served his first term as mayor of Springfield from 1899 to 1901. He was again elected mayor in 1903, serving until 1905.


On March 31, 1887, Mr. Bowlus was


joined in marriage with Fannie Lee Du- vall, of Springfield, and four children were born of this union: Roger C .; William D., who is attending college at Elberton, Georgia; Charles J., Jr., and Thelma, who died in infancy.


Fraternally Mr. Bowlus is a thirty- second degree Mason, holding lodge mem- bership at Dayton; he also belongs to the Knights of Pythias, the Elks and the Commercial Travelers. He is a director of the Children's Hospital, of Cincinnati, and, religiously, is affiliated with the Heavenly Rest Episcopal Church, of which he is vestryman.


TUNIS FERMAN MUMFORD, resid- ing on a fine farm of 100 acres, situated in the northwest corner of Pike Township, has been a life-long resident of Clark County. He was born in Pike Township, Clark County, Ohio, July 4, 1860, on the old homestead farm of his maternal grandfather, and is a son of William H. and Nancy (Carmen) Mumford.


William H. Mumford was born in the old log cabin on his father's farm in Pike Township, Clark County, March 4, 1835, and is a son of Richard Mumford, who came from Maryland to Ohio on horse- back and was one of the pioneers of this section. The latter died here at a ripe old age, and was the father of the follow- ing children: William H .; Alexander; Mary, widow of Peter Barley; John A. and Daniel, deceased. William H. Mum- ford helped clear the farm and has fol- lowed farming all his life, except the time spent in the army during the Civil War. He was a member of the' Seventy-first Regi- ment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry, and dur-


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HISTORY OF CLARK COUNTY


ing his service of three years and six lodges in many counties of Ohio, Mich- months participated in many important igan, Kansas, Oklahoma and Minnesota. engagements. He married Nancy Car- On February 20, 1878, Mr. Mumford was united in marriage with Martha Wrightsman, a daughter of Richard and Minerva (Adamson) Wrightsman, of In- diana. Her father died in July, 1901, and her mother now resides in Portland, In- diana. Mr. and Mrs. Wrightsman had the following children: Munford; Will- iam, deceased; John; Martha; Adolphus, deceased; Allie, deceased; Phoebe, de- ceased; Charles; Thomas; Effie; and Florence, who died young. men, who was born in a log cabin on the pioneer farm of her father, John Carmen, who came with his wife from Pennsylva- nia, at an early date, and lived in Pike Township until his death, at the age of eighty years. Mr. and Mrs. Mumford be- came parents of the following children : Mary, who is the wife of Henry McCros- son, of Dayton, Ohio; Sarah, who is the wife of Sharon Scott, lives in Miami County, Ohio; John A., deceased; Tunis F .; Charles R., deceased; Wilbert H., who resides in Miami County; and Clara Adella, who is the wife of David Little- john, lives in Champaign County, Ohio. Mrs. Mumford died in April, 1900. Mr. Mumford resides at the home of his youngest daughter.


Tunis F. Mumford was reared on the home place and received his educational training in the district schools. He early engaged in agricultural pursuits and rent- ed a farm from the time he left the pa- ternal roof until 1896, when he purchased forty-five acres of his Grandfather Car- men's old farm. To this he added twelve acres of the Henry Shell farm, and con- tinued to reside on that place until 1908, when he traded it as part payment on the David Strock farm of 100 acres, where he now lives. He has always followed general farming, and in addition to this, during the past twenty-five years, has op- erated a threshing machine all through this section. For three years he was deputy for the Threshers' Association, an organization national in its extent, its object being the protection of threshers, and during his term of office organized


Tunis F. Mumford and his estimable wife are parents of three children, as fol- lows: Clarence, who lives in Troy, Ohio, married Mary Hill, and has a daughter, Glenna May; Glenna, who died aged nine years; and Blanche, who is the wife of Wilber Maxson. Fraternally Mr. Mum- ford is a member of Castown Lodge No. 426, I. O. O. F. He is a Democrat in pol- itics. Religiously he is a member of the Honey Creek Church.


CHARLES N. RITCHIE, one of Pleas- ant Township's leading citizens, owning a valuable estate of ninety-eight and two- third acres, all in one farm, situated in Sections 37 and 42, about three miles southeast of Catawba, was born July 4, 1847, and is a son of Solomon and Eliza Ann (Ropp) Ritchie.


The parents of Mr. Ritchie were born in Virginia and they lived near Harper's Ferry. They had the following children : Mary E., deceased, who married Oliver Young, also deceased, had four children, Effie, Willie, Tillie and Bertha, Effie and Tillie being deceased; John S., who was a


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soldier and was killed during the Civil War; William, who was born in 1845, married Mary Ann Brown, and they have three children, Edward, Celia and Anna, all being residents of Champaign County ; Charles N .; Edward, who married Lu- cinda Curl, had four children, Nina, Ora, Elta and a babe that died in infancy ; and Martin Luther, who died aged six years.


Charles N. Ritchie was married in Pleasant Township, September 24, 1876, to Mary Wiet, who was born February 15, 1851, and is a daughter of Michael and Ann (Runyan) Wiet. Michael Wiet was born in Virginia and his wife in Clark County, Ohio. They had nine children, as follows: James, who was born in 1847, married Hannah Potee; Eli F., who was born in 1849, married Savilla Paine, and they had two children, Hattie May and Sallie; Mary, who became Mrs. Ritchie; Katherine, who was born in 1853, married Amos Smith, and they had six children, Clifford, Sylvia, Leona, Nina, Fostora and Kate; Sarah, who was born in 1855, died aged two years; Asa, who was born in 1857, died unmarried, aged twenty-six years; Lucinda, who was born in 1858, married Harry Tavner and they had six children, and she died March 17, 1906; Amelia, who was born in 1860, died at the age of thirteen years; and the youngest child, a son, was born and died in 1862.


Mr. and Mrs. Ritchie have had three children, the two survivors being Howard and Lora Estyl. The eldest, a son, was born May 19, 1880, and died an infant. Howard Ritchie was born January 16, 1882, and married Nellie Bumgardner, and they have one child, Gwyneth, who was born December 10, 1904. They re- side on their farm of twenty-five acres.


Howard operates both his own and his father's farm. Lora Estyl Ritchie was born March 27, 1884, and was married August 25, 1904, to Paul Bronson. Both children of Mr. Ritchie received an ex- cellent public school education.


Mr. and Mrs. Ritchie have lived in Pleasant Township ever since their mar- riage and on the present farm for the past seven years. It is a valuable prop- erty, situated conveniently on the Ells- worth Turnpike, near Catawba, and has been well improved. For a term Mr. Ritchie served as a member of the town- ship School Board and terms as road su- pervisor. Both he and wife belong to Pleasant Chapel, of which he is one of the trustees.


JOHN RAY, the oldest resident of Clark County, Ohio, residing in Pike Township, was born July 29, 1812, and has lived here all his life, a period of over ninety-five years. He makes his home with his daughter, Mrs. George Freeman, who lives on the old home place near Dialton.


Lewis Ray, father of John Ray, was born in Virginia and after his marriage to Elizabeth Zigler, in 1812, came to Ohio, making the journey in wagons. They settled in the woods in Pike Township, made a clearing and erected a log cabin. They subsisted largely on wild game, deer and other wild animals abounding, and corn bread, but once a week, usually Sunday, they had a change to white bread. Lewis and Elizabeth Ray spent the re- mainder of their lives on the quarter sec- tion of land they owned here, he dying at the age of sixty-six years and she at


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ninety. Both were members of the Meth- odist Episcopal Church. Ten children were born to them, eight grew up, as fol- lows: John; Mary, who was wife of Timothy Wones, both deceased; Henry, deceased; Susan, widow of Duncan Thackery, is one of the oldest women living in the county; Michael, deceased; Samuel, deceased; Lewis, deceased; and Sarah, who was wife of Rev. John Black, both now deceased.


John Ray was reared in Pike Township and has witnessed a remarkable change in conditions since his boyhood days. Then wild game was plentiful and Indians still roamed about this section, some times their hostility driving his parents to leave their home for a place of greater safety. He attended school in the old log school- house, and assisted in clearing the home place of its wild growth of timber, ex- periencing many hardships of pioneer life. He engaged in farm work there for a time, then picked up the carpenter trade, which he thereafter followed, and as a carpenter and builder for more than thirty years, sometimes employing a large force of men. He put up many of the frame houses and barns of this town- ship, some of which are standing today. While a young man he purchased of Jacob Harner eighty acres of land for $600, be- ing given six years in which to make pay- ment, without the requirement of interest. He later bought an additional eighty acres for $800, and from time to time add- ed to his original purchase until he had 300 acres. He was always successful in a business way, but success came only through hard, persistent and well direct- ed effort. Upon retiring from business activity he divided his property among




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