Century history of Springfield, and Clark County, Ohio, and representative citizens 20th, Part 71

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 71

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Mr. Stewart was married September 9, 1880, to Elizabeth Theodosia Sellers, a daughter of Albert and Harriet (Johnson) Sellers, of Cedarville Township, Greene County, Ohio. Mrs. Stewart's father was from Berkley County, Virginia, and her mother from an old family of Clark County, Ohio. Two children were the issue of this union: Lea Virginia, who died in infancy; and Hazel Marie, who was, on November 21, 1907, joined in mar- riage with Nathan Nesbitt Murray. Po- litically, our subject is a Republican and has served on the School Board and as supervisor. He belongs to the Knights of Pythias, and religiously is a member of the Presbyterian Church.

WILLIAM MAHLON ROCKEL, the only child of Peter and Margaret Rockel, was born on the banks of Mad River, one mile east of Tremont City, July 18, 1855. It is tradition that the ancestor of the Rockel family was a German schoolmas- ter, who came to the colonies in 1752. The great-grandfather, Peter Rockel, having intermarried with one Anna Maria Brown, lived near Allentown, Pennsyl- vania, until 1822; he was a miller by oc-

cupation. At this latter date he gathered together his belongings and with his wife and six children, leaving three elder ones, started in a wagon overland and landed one mile south of Tremont City in the same year. Here he purchased a small tract of ninety-six acres, which is still in the Rockel family. As his will on file in the probate judge's office shows, he died in 1824, when sixty-three years of age, his family here remaining being his wife, who died about 1841, and his son Adam and five daughters. Adam was born in Allentown, Pennsylvania, November 12, 1793, and died May 13, 1884. In 1829 he married Mary M. Baker, daughter of Phillip and Elizabeth Baker. She was born in Shenandoah County, Virginia, in 1810, and came with her father's and grandfather's family in 1813 to a tract of Jand which her grandfather had pur- chased a short distance west of Eagle City. She died in 1886.

Adam Rockel did service in the War of 1812, under General Henry Shearing. He had learned the shoemaker's trade, but was well educated, speaking and writing both the English and German languages, and served in various official capacities in German Township.

Peter Rockel, father of the subject of this sketch, was the eldest son of Adam. He was born on the old homestead one mile south of Tremont City in May, 1831. In 1854 he married Margaret Shick, who was born in Harrison County, Ohio, in 1833, and came with her father to Logan County, Ohio, in 1837. William Shick, her father, was born on the banks of the Potomac River, twelve miles above Wash- ington, in 1808. In 1825 he started for the West, stopping in Harrison County,

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where in 1829 he married Catherine no opportunity of gazing outside, unless Shawver. William Shick died in 1894, his wife having preceded him to the grave in 1891. They were people of good re- pute and resided for over a half-century one mile north of Bellefontaine. Mar- garet, the mother of the subject of this sketch, died in April, 1864.

In 1866 the father remarried, his bride being Sarah Ilges. After his first mar- riage he moved east of Tremont City on the banks of Mad River, and after his second marriage in 1867 moved two miles further east on the Urbana Pike, where he died in 1896, having never changed his post office address. He was an active, en- ergetic citizen, well liked and popular in his community. For a number of years he was justice of the peace in Moorefield Township.

William M. Rockel had the lot usually falling to farmers' sons, forty-five years In order to earn some money to assist in his education, in the winter of 1875 and 1876 he taught the common school at Franklin, and while teaching this school he also kept up his studies in the high school. This was too much of a strain on his eyes and he had serious trouble with them, which materially interfered with his further education. ago the loss of his mother, at an early age, depriving him of the loving kindness and tender care that only a mother knows how to bestow upon a child. The means of attending school were not as good then as at this time, and being a small and rather delicate child, he did not start until eight years of age. The first school- house which he attended was one of the old-time log school buildings, located át the southeast corner of the cross roads west of Bowlusville. This building was shortly afterwards burned. It was a typical schoolhouse of the early days. A In 1877, having the previous winter commenced the study of Blackstone, he entered, as a student, the law office of Keifer & White, afterwards Keifer, White & Rabbitts. General Keifer was then in his first year in Congress. Charles R. log had been omitted or taken out along the sides of the building. In this space single window panes or two of small di- mensions were put in horizontally, fur- nishing the light for the schoolroom. This was up so high that the little fellows had White afterwards became Common Pleas

it were at the sky. Immediately below this window on each side was a broad board, which served for a desk, the larger pupils sitting with their faces to the light. The smaller pupils sat on benches around a stove in the center of the building. The next schoolhouse young Rockel attended was what is known as Dears, in the same neighborhood, the brick for the building of which, in 1864, he helped to haul.

In 1867-72 he attended the Franklin school district, on the Urbana Pike. He was very desirous of going to Wittenberg College, but other arrangements were made which ultimately defeated his in- tention of obtaining a collegiate educa- tion, and he accordingly went to live with his grandfather near Bellefontaine, where he attended the high school, being gradu- ated in 1876.

In the fall of 1876, however, he gradu- ated in the business department of the Normal University at Lebanon, Ohio, and as his eyes would permit, took up some special studies in the following year.

PETER ROCKEL

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judge. James H. Rabbitts became county clerk, editor, and is now postmaster. He was admitted to the bar in April, 1879, by the old District Court, at London, Ohio.

In the fall of this year he opened a law office in a rear room of the Kizer Build- thereafter. ing, 251% East Main Street. All of his ancestors were of the Democratic faith, and he started out in life voting that way. In 1880 he was the nominee of the Demo- cratic party for prosecuting attorney, but was defeated by the usual Republican ma- jority. For some time he had been dis- satisfied with the various views and pol- icies of the Democratic party. Not liking the position taken by it in the past on ma- terial national questions, and its then at- titude, Jocal particularly, in regard to the temperance question, only the exemplary life of W. S. Hancock, the Democratic nominee for president, kept him in line in the presidential election of 1880.

In 1881 he announced that he had left the Democratic party. This gave great offense to many of his former Democratic friends, and many presaged and possibly hoped for dire results, and in the same spirit pressed for a reason. Feeling that whatever reason he might assign would be misconstrued, he declined to give any, other than what he later stated in his pub- lic addresses. Some of his former Demo- cratic friends not being able to extract from him a reason, started one of their own, and gave out the report that he had said that there was no chance in the Dem- ocratic party to get any public position, and for that reason he had changed his politics.

This was absolutely false; however, it was such a report as those who were not friendly to him were glad to believe, and

it had considerable weight in preventing him from securing any political prefer- ment. In 1890 he was nominated for pro- bate judge by the Republicans, elected in the same year and re-elected three years

In 1904 he was an unsuccessful candi- date for Common Pleas judge, being sec- ond in a race of three.

In 1889, unsolicited, he received the appointment by the Supreme Court as one of the examiners upon the board to examine applicants for admission to the bar, and served until he took up the active duties of probate judge. Not having a very large or active practice, he began along in the eighties to prepare articles of a legal nature, which were published in the Weekly Law Bulletin and the Cen- tral Law Journal. These led afterwards to his selection by the editors of the first edition of the American and English En- cyclopedia of Law to prepare some of the articles for that work. This was termin- ated by his incumbency of the judgeship. Shortly after his admission to the bar he had made a selection of questions from the Supreme Court decisions. The editor of the "Bulletin" coming in contact with these, requested the privilege to print them, and this was done in 1886 in pampn- let form. Afterwards, on solicitation of Judge Charles R. White, he joined with him in 1889 in getting out the first book in Ohio on Mechanics' Liens, and in 1890 his book on Township Officers was issued, which is now in its tenth edition. During his incumbency of the probate judge's of- fice a number of his decisions were print- ed, and upon his retirement from this po- sition he was engaged by the W. H. An- derson Company to prepare a work on

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Probate Law and Practice. This came from the press in 1903, and is the leading book in Ohio on this subject. In 1905 he was engaged by the American Law Book Company to assist in the preparation of an article on Mechanics' Liens, which ap- pears in Volume 27, CYC. In 1906 his 1907 a guide for executors and adminis- trators.

guide to school officers was issued, and in lives, in 1818, and was a son of George

He became a Master Mason in 1883, and the Knights of Pythias in 1886, going through the chairs, etc., and in 1896-90 served as judge advocate general on the Ohio Brigade of the Uniform Rank.

In 1896 he became a member of the First Lutheran Church, of Springfield, and is now an elder of that organization. From 1897-1903, during the period of the erection of the first Y. M. C. A. Building, he was a director in that organization.

In 1896 he was united in marriage to Miss Nettie Grace Curly, who then lived in Beatrice, Nebraska. Miss Curly was the daughter of Isaac L. Curly, and was born in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania. Of this union there are three children : Peter Curly Rockel, aged ten; William M., Jr., aged seven, and Margaret, aged four years.

In 1904 Mr. Rockel moved to his farm south of the city, near Possum School- house, where he built a modern residence, in which he now resides. On retirement from the probate judge's office, 1897, he opened a law office in the Bushnell Build- ing, which he still occupies.

JOSEPH H. STAFFORD, owner of sixty acres of farm land on the west boun- dry line of Clark County, in Pike Town-

ship, has been, up to date, a life resident of that community. He was born October 3, 1848, on the home farm, and is a son of Finley and Catherine (Mitchell) Staf- ford.

Finley Stafford was born on the old home place, on which his son, Joseph, now

Stafford, who came from Virginia at a very early day and entered 219 acres of land. He had a large family of children, of whom Finley was the youngest son. The latter was born in the old log house on the farm, and during his younger days assisted greatly in clearing the land of its heavy timber. In his later days he erect- ed a good substantial brick house on the place, the one in which his son, Joseph H., now lives. He was joined in marriage with Catherine Mitchell, a native of Miami County, Ohio, and a daughter of Howard Mitchell. They lived on the old Stafford farm until 1887, when he retired from business activity and located at New Car- lisle, where his death occurred in 1894. They were parents of seven children, as follows: Loretta, who died young; Jo- seph Howard, whose name heads this biography ; Edwin, who died in childhood; Albert, who owns a farm of ninety-eight acres adjoining that of Joseph H., and lives at New Carlisle with his mother; Clara, who died young; Laura Cecil, who is the wife of Tully J. Scarff, of Clark County ; and Charles Pence, who lives in Illinois.

Joseph H. Stafford was reared and ed- ucated in Pike Township, attending the common schools. He was born in the old log cabin which stood on the home place for many years, and has lived on this farm all his life except two years spent

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on his Grandfather Mitchell's farm after the latter's death. He has followed gen- eral farming, raising some stock, and has met with good success.

Mr. Stafford was married July 3, 1874, to Miss Laura B. Black, a daughter of Robert and Ann (Wallace) Black, and they have five children-Florence; Carrie F. (wife of Charles C. Wilson, by whom she has a son-Allen S.) ; Ross G .; Walter T .; and Grace. Fraternally, our subject is a member of Lodge No. 505, I. O. O. F., at New Carlisle, and also belongs to New Carlisle Encampment No. 222, I. O. 0. F.

GEORGE K. ERNST, trustee of Moorefield Township, is a leading citizen and resides on his valuable farm of forty- five acres, on which he was born, October 3, 1865, and is a son of Noah and Mary (Maxwell) Ernst.

Noah Ernst, father of George K., was born in Virginia and was a son of Jacob Ernst, who came to Moorefield Township, Clark County, Ohio, when the former was two years old. Noah Ernst was married twice, first to a Miss Mckinnon, who left two children, namely: Martin Luther, who is deceased; and Mrs. Emily J. Kip- linger. The second marriage was to Mary Maxwell, and the following children were born: Jacob, who is deceased; Mrs. Fran- ces Ellen Maxwell; Mrs. Sarah Hyle; John L .; George K., and Noah F.

George K. Ernst was reared in Moore- field Township and after completing his early education in the country schools, he entered Wittenberg College, where he re- mained one year and then spent one year at Antioch College. When he returned

home he engaged in farming, and this has been his main occupation ever since. It is one to which many intelligent, educated men have devoted their attention, and the time has come when agriculture is num- bered with the professions.

Mr. Ernst married Elizabeth W. Wil- son, who is a daughter of Justus S. and Louisa (Bains) Wilson. The maternal grandfather of Mrs. Ernst, Horatio Bains, was born in Berkley County, Virginia, and in boyhood accompanied his parents to Warren County, Ohio. He was born in 1791, and came to Clark County in 1811, settling in Moorefield Township. There he married Mary Miller, a daughter of Rev. Ralph Miller, who came to Clark County from Kentucky, and in addition to becoming a large landowner, was a pio- neer preacher in the Methodist Episco- pal Church. For many years Mr. and Mrs. Bains lived in Moorefield Township, where Mrs. Wilson was born. Justus S. Wilson was born in Champaign County, Ohio, and was a son of Reason Z. Wilson, of Virginia. Justus S. Wilson spent the greater part of his life in Champaign County, leaving there and moving to Moorefield Township in 1878, where he died eleven years later. He was a Knight Templar Mason. Mr. and Mrs. Wilson had five children. She survived her hus- band and was a beloved member of the household of Mr. and Mrs. Ernst at the time of her death, March, 1908. Mr. and Mrs. Ernst have three children: Jennie Irene, who is a student in the Springfield High School; John Wilson, and Sarah Frances.

Mr. Ernst is serving in his second term as township trustee, having been elected on the Democratic ticket in a township

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which generally goes Republican. He has also served three terms as township asses- sor. Fraternally he is connected with the Junior Order of American Mechanics.

AARON T. ALLEN, a well known edu- cator of Clark County, who at present is performing the duties pertaining to the office of market master, at Springfield, was born at Cincinnati, Ohio, in 1856, and is a son of Dr. Aaron and a grandson of the Aaron Allen, who built the first steam- boat to ply on the Ohio River between Cincinnati and Pittsburg.

Aaron Allen was one of the energetic, progressive, far-seeing men of his day. He brought the first steam-power mill into Clark County, and he located it at what is now Allentown. He sawed in his mills the rails used for the Pan Handle Railroad, at a time when the rails were of wood construction, covered by strap iron. His son, Dr. Aaron Allen, who was a graduate of the Cincinnati Medical Col- lege in 1849, first practiced at Frankfort, Kentucky, later moving to Cincinnati, and then practiced for four years at Spring- field. Following these changes, he then located at Catawba, where he continued in the practice of medicine for twenty- eight continuous years.

Aaron T. Allen was liberally educated, completing his studies at Wittenberg Col- lege, and at Lebanon, Ohio, after which he devoted himself to teaching, and for eigh- teen years taught school in Springfield Township, and for eight years longer in different parts of the county. When he retired from the educational field he in- terested himself in an insurance and col- lection business. On February 1, 1908,

he assumed the duties of market master, to which office he was appointed by the Springfield Board of Public Service.

In 1886, Mr. Allen was married to Hat- tie C. Bustrum, and they have five chil- dren, namely: Inez O., Beatrice E., Vivi- an, Bernice and Livia. Mr. and Mrs Allen belong to the Luther Church. Fra- ternally, he is an Odd Fellow.

MARTIN LUTHER STIPP, one of Pleasant Township's representative men, whose valuable farm of seventy-one acres is situated on the Ellsworth turnpike, three miles from Catawba, was born in Clark County, Ohio, December 21, 1851, and is a son of Abraham Stipp.

Abraham Stipp was born in Virginia, in 1818, and came to Champaign County, Ohio, in 1849. He rented a farm there upon which he resided until 1851, when he moved to the farm now occupied by his son, Martin Luther, in Pleasant Town- ship. His wife died on this farm in 1893 and his death took place in 1896. They had two sons and one daughter, namely : Martin Luther; Elizabeth, who is the widow of T. N. Davisson, their one child dying in infancy ; and Henry M., who re- sides in Champaign County. He married Belle Hardman and they have one child, Essie K., who was born in 1891.

Martin Luther Stipp grew to manhood in Pleasant Township and has always followed agricultural pursuits. The farm he owns was left jointly to him and his brother. In 1898 he purchased the latter's interest and has carried on gen- eral farming here ever since, meeting with very satisfactory success. He is a man of practical but also progressive ideas,

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and believes in the use of modern methods and good farm machinery.

On October 25, 1877, Mr. Stipp was mar- ried to Arabella Bumgardner, who is a daughter of Abraham Bumgardner and wife, the former of whom is deceased. Mrs. Bumgardner was born January 31, 1826, and she resides with Mr. and Mrs. Stipp. There were nine children in the Bumgardner family, as follows: George, who married Emma Vanskiver; Eli P., who was married (first) to Mahala Climer, and (second) to Maggie Yeazell; J. N., who married Sarah Stypes; J. R., who is serving in the honorable office of mayor of Catawba, married Ella Earnhart; Ara- bella, who became Mrs. Stipp; Marietta, who married T. M. West, who is town- ship trustee, has five children; Clara, who married Thomas Castello, resides at Springfield; A. L., who married Sadie Neer, resides in Greene County, Ohio, has had three children; and Charles V., resid- ing at Springfield, who married Jessie Garrett and has two children.

Mr. and Mrs. Stipp are prominent mem- bers of the Methodist Episcopal Church of Pleasant Township. He takes a good citizen's interest in public affairs, and has served for upwards of fifteen years on the School Board.

SCIPIO EUGENE BAKER, president and general manager of the Foos Gas Engine Company, of Springfield, Ohio, the largest and most important plant in the United States for the exclusive manu- facturing of Internal Combustion En- gines, has been a resident of Springfield since 1876 and is one of the most prom- inent citizens and leading business men

of the city. He was born June 12, 1860, in Donnelsville, Clark County, Ohio, a son of Dr. A. A. Baker, a native of Enon, and one of the leading pioneer physicians of this county. Ezra D. Baker, grand- father, came from New Jersey in 1805, and laid out the village of Enon, Clark County.

Scipio E. Baker was reared and re- ceived his primary education in this coun- ty, later graduating, in 1881, from Witten- berg College, after which he engaged in the newspaper business and read law in Judge Mower's office for some time. He then formed a partnership with his father and D. R. Hosterman and established the Springfield Metallic Casket Company, of which he was general manager until 1890. In 1887 Mr. Baker promoted and organ- ized the Champion Chemical Company, of which he is president and principal stock- holder. The company started with a very small capital and has grown to large proportions and is the largest and most important concern of its kind in this or any other country. One of the principal products of the Champion Chemical Com- pany is the Baker Burglar Proof Metallic Grave Vault, an invention of Mr. Baker. In 1890 Mr. Baker became general man- ager and for fourteen years has been pres- ident of the Royal Salt Company, miners and shippers of rock salt, the mines be- ing located in Central Kansas, where they have an output exceeding 100,000 tons an- nually. He is also director of the West- ern Salt Company, of St. Louis.

In 1897 Mr. Baker headed the corpora- tion which purchased the plant of the Foos Gas Engine Company, a co-partner- ship consisting of John Foos and P. P. Mast, who sold out their entire interest

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and retired from the company, the new corporation retaining the old name, how- ever. When Mr. Baker and partners as- sumed charge of the plant, the volume of business being done by the concern was very small, and not over a dozen men, in- cluding office and factory force, were em- ployed. The Foos Gas Engine Company now has a world-wide reputation, em- ploying several hundred men, and carry on an extensive foreign as well as do- doestic trade. Mr. Baker, who has been president and general manager of the corporation since its reorganization, has been largely instrumental in building up the plant from a small concern to the largest plant in the United States for the exclusive manufacturing of Internal Com- bustive Engines.

Mr. Baker was united in marriage June 25, 1895, to Jessie Foos, a daughter of John Foos, one of the pioneer manu- facturers of Springfield. Mr. and Mrs. Baker have one daughter, Margaret. Mr. Baker is one of the foremost men of Springfield, enterprising and public-spir- ited, and is held in highest esteem by his - fellow-men. Fraternally he is a Mason, having attained the degree of Knight Templar. Religiously he is affiliated with the High Street Methodist Episcopal Church.

Mr. and Mrs. Baker reside in the ele- gant old Foos homestead, which is one of the finest residences in Springfield, and is situated on the corner of High and Syca . more Streets, having been purchased in July, 1904, from John Foos.

One of the principal products of The Champion Chemical Co. is the Baker Burglar Proof Metallic Grave Vault, an invention of Mr. Baker's.

SAMUEL J. KISSELL was born at Beatty, Clark County, Ohio, February 4, 1876, and is a son of Silas G. and Mar- garet (McClure) Kissell. Silas G. Kis- sell, the father, was born in Maryland and came to Clark County when he was nine- teen years of age. He died in Mad River Township, Clark County, in 1905. He and his wife, Margaret, were the parents of eight children.

When Samuel J. Kissell was two weeks old his parents set out with their family to Mad River Township, where the father owned a farm of 100 acres, on which Mrs. Silas G. Kissell still lives. He attended the country schools during boyhood, and under his father's training and with his mother's encouragement, he developed into a capable farmer, and has devoted himself to agricultural pursuits entirely, with the exception of three years, when he traveled. He married Zella B. Rice, who is a daughter of William and Matilda (Gowdy) Rice.

William Rice was born in Clark Coun- ty, Ohio, February 17, 1833, and died in April, 1907. He was a son of Edward and Lucy (Pool) Rice, natives of Ver- mont, who came to Clark County at an early day. On January 3, 1856, William Rice was married to Matilda Gowdy, who died July 10, 1906. She was a daughter of Andrew and Elizabeth (McBeth) Gowdy. They came to Springfield Town- ship in 1826 and settled on the farm which later passed into the possession of William Rice, and still later into that of his daughter, Mrs. Samuel J. Kissel !. Mrs. Kissell was born on the farm on which she still lives and on which she was married to Samuel J. Kissell on Decem- ber 31, 1902.

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Century history of Springfield, and Clark County, Ohio, and representative citizens 20th, Part 71

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

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