USA > Ohio > Clark County > Springfield > Century history of Springfield, and Clark County, Ohio, and representative citizens 20th > Part 94
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David King, Jr., is president of the Springfield Paper and Merchandise Com- pany, at Springfield, and he is a veteran officer of the Civil War, enlisting twice and leaving the service with the rank of lieutenant-colonel. He subsequently en- tered the wholesale paper business. In 1864 he married Mary M. Danforth, of New Albany, Indiana, and they have two children, Noble C. and Mary J.
David King, Sr., was one of the lead- ing members of the First Presbyterian Church of Springfield and was a generous promoter of its work. His children have
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all remained attached to the same re- ligious organization. The family is one that has always been identified with all that is best in the business and social circles of Springfield.
JOHN M. ZELLER, who owns some eighty acres of land in Bethel Township, Clark County, Ohio, is an old and respect- ed resident of that community. He is a man who has made his way in the world through hard work and perseverance, making the success he has attained all the more creditable to him. He was born in York County, Pennsylvania, August 31, 1828, and is a son of Henry S., and grand- son of John Zeller. John Zeller was a native of France or Germany, it is not certain which, and upon coming to Amer- ica located in York County, Pennsylva- nia, where he followed his trade as a sad- ler. He subsequently moved to the block- house settlement at the head of the Sus- quehanna River, where he lived until his death.
His son, Henry S., father of John M .. was born in York County, Pennsylvania, and was one of a family of three children. He had a brother, Charles, and a sister, Catherine, the latter of whom was wife of John Giesey, a wagonmaker of York County. Henry S. Zeller was a sadler and painter by trade, which he followed in York County, until his marriage, then in Mount Joy, Lancaster County, Penn- sylvania. While at the latter place he served a number of years as justice of the peace. He later moved with his wife to Northumberland, where he plied his trade, then later removed to Lancaster County and engaged in school-teaching a
number of years. They spent the latter years of their life in Clark County, Ohio, near Medway, having followed their son, John, to this county. They were parents of eight children, as follows: John Mill- er; Henry, who died in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania; Theodore, who lives in Mi- ami County, Ohio; George, who resides in Kansas; Susan, who is the wife of An- drew Mouk, of Clark County; Margaret, who is the wife of Samuel Brosey of Clark County ; Benjamin, who is a physician of St. Paris, Ohio; Martha (Jones), whose home is in Clark County. . i . ło
John M. Zeller was but a child when his parents moved to Lancaster County, where he was reared and received his edu- cational training in the district schools. When a lad of fifteen years he took up the plastering trade, which he thereafter followed for many years, When about twenty-one years old, he came to Ohio and for a time made his home with Gottleib Brosey, who lived on a farm adjoining that now owned by Mr. Zeller He started at once to work at his trade and in a short time was able to buy an acre of his pres- ent place, which was then heavily tim- bered. This he cleared and in the course of time erected thereon the brick resi- dence in which he lives. He now, has thir- ty-one acres in the home place, in addi- tion to which he has two other tracts in Bethel Township, At the outbreak of the Civil War, he was a member of the Ohio National Guards, under, Captain McKen- ney, and went into camp, with his regi- ment at Camp Dennison. He was there taken so seriously ill, that he was sent back home, and for two years, was an in- valid. He never followed his trade after that illness, but turned his attention to
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farming and tobacco raising He has grown and shipped tobacco for the Miami Leaf Tobacco Company of Cincinnati, for more than forty years, and in 1885 he erected a large warehouse. Mr. Zeller has retired from active work, his sons growing and selling the tobacco at the present time.
John M. Zeller was united in marriage with Esther Harnish, a daughter of Rev. John and Esther (Bowman) Harnish. Her father came from Pennsylvania, where he followed farming. He was one of the pioneer Mennonite preachers of Clark County, Ohio, whither he moved with his family in wagons, in 1840, Mrs. Zeller being six years old at that time. He became owner of large landed inter- ests here. He and his wife were parents of the following children: Henry; Mary, deceased, wife of Jacob Neff; Esther; John, who was a Mennonite minister; Anna, wife of Levi Kauffman; Amos, of Dayton; and Emma, wife of Cyrus Hel- man of this county. Eight children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Zeller, as follows: Alonzo, who married Mollie Brosey; Henry; Frank; John; William, a black- smith at Osborn, who married Rose Harnish; Christopher, a graduate of the Ohio Dental College at Cincinnati, who is engaged in practice at Yellow Springs, Ohio; Cyrus, who married Fannie How- ett; and Lorenzo, who died at the age of six years. Politically, Mr. Zeller was a member of the Whig party until the organization of the Republican party. He voted for Abraham Lincoln, and later united with the Greenback party, being the only one in the township. He is a man who takes an active interest in all that pertains to the welfare of his home
community and county, and is always found supporting those measures and en- terprises tending to benefit the people.
JOSEPH A. BECKER, who for more than forty years has been engaged in the butcher business in Springfield, Ohio, oc- cupies stall No. 48 in the Springfield Mar- ket. He has a valuable tract of seven and a half acres situated about three and a half miles west of Springfield on the Na- tional Pike, in Springfield Township, and resides in a fine, large brick house. He has been very successful in a business way, and is held in the highest esteem by a large circle of acquaintances and friends with whom he has had business and social relations for many years.
Mr. Becker was born in Dauphin Coun- ty, Pennsylvania, August 7, 1847, and is a son of John and Elizabeth (Zimmer- man) Becker. He was one year old when his parents moved west to Clark County, Ohio, in wagons, settling first in Moore- field Township and subsequently in Eagle City, German Township, where he was reared. When a young man he began learning the butcher's trade with Mr. Reeder, who lived close to the Masonic Home, and continued in his employ for four years. He then bought a lot on the north side of Sugar Creek Hill and start- ed a market in the old brick market-house in Springfield. He later carried on his business in what was known as the Wig- wam, and upon the completion of the new Springfield Market moved there, occupy- ing stall No. 48.
Mr. Becker was joined in marriage with Barbara Lohnes, and they had six chil- dren, four of whom are now living, name-
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ly: Bertha, wife of George Fish, who has a son-Joseph Irvin; Irvin; Joseph; and Catherine, the last mentioned being the wife of Frank Ross. William, an- other son, died in infancy, and Laura died at the age of four and a half years. Mr. Becker is a stalwart Republican in poli- tics, and has served a number of years as assessor of the west precinct of Spring- field Township. Fraternally he is a mem- ber of the Knights of Pythias.
HON. WALTER L. WEAVER, a prominent attorney at Springfield, who served as a member of the Fifty-fifth and Fifty-sixth sessions of the National Con- gress, has long been a leading citizen of Clark County. He was born in Mont- gomery County, Ohio, April 1, 1851, and is a son of Rev. John and Amanda (Hurin) Weaver. The father of Mr. Weaver was a well-known minister of the Presbyterian Church. His mother was a daughter of Silas Hurin, a pioneer set- tler of this state and one of the founders of Lebanon, Ohio.
Walter L. Weaver was educated in the public schools of Montgomery County, and at Monroe Academy, and was grad- uated in 1870 from Wittenberg College at Springfield. He then entered upon the study of law under Hon. J. Warren Keifer and as he was dependent upon his our resources, he did newspaper work dur- ing his period of law reading. In the spring of 1872 he was admitted to the bar, and in 1874 he was elected prosecuting at- torney of Clark County. To this re- sponsible office he was re-elected in 1880, 1882 and 1885. In 1896 he was elected on the Republican ticket a member of the
Fifty-fifth Congress and approval of his public course was shown by his re-elec- tion to the Fifty-sixth Congress. In July, 1902, he was appointed by President Roosevelt, associate justice of the Choc- taw and Chickasaw Citizenship Court, and his appointment was confirmed on the same day.
Since retiring from public life, Judge Weaver has continued in the active prac- tice of law at Springfield, which city has been his chosen home for forty-three years. His business offices are situated in the Bushnell Building, Rooms 43-44-45.
Judge Weaver was married on May 24, 1881, to Mary Hardy, who is a daughter of Thomas Hardy, of Lebanon, Ohio, and the family consists of himself, wife, a son and a daughter. Judge and Mrs. Weaver are members of the Second Presbyterian Church of Springfield. He belongs to the Masonic order, being a member of Clark Lodge No. 101, at Springfield.
GEORGE D. BUNYAN, who is en- gaged in general farming on a well-im- proved farm of one hundred and eighty acres in Mad River Township, was born February 14, 1843, in Mad River Town- ship, Clark County, Ohio, and is a son of William Bunyan and a grandson of Jamės Bunyan.
James Bunyan came from Scotland to this country with his father when a boy. The family located on a farm in New York State, where he was reared, and later he operated a saw and woolen mill. He mar- ried Elizabeth Hume, also a native of Scotland, and they reared a family of eight children: Alice, who married N. Garrison; William; Jane, who married
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Martin Cosler; George; David; and Mar- garet, all now deceased. In 1837 James Bunyan and family removed to Ohio, traveling by wagon and canal. His son William had previously been to Ohio and purchased the present Bunyan farm in Mad River Township, from Mr. Loof- borrow, the land having been entered from the Government by a Mr. Sroufe. William Bunyan and his father stopped for a short time in Lancaster, Ohio, be- fore settling on the farm, where James later died.
William Bunyan married Martha A. Ot- stott, a native of Pennsylvania, who came to Springfield, Ohio, with her parents. Daniel and Hannah Otstott. After re- siding for several years in the old log house which was on the farm, William Bunyan in 1843 built the large brick house in which George D. now resides. His wife died in the fall of 1877, and in the following year William Bunyan and other members of the family removed to Dela- ware, Ohio, where he died March 5, 1900, at the advanced age of eighty-three years. Six children were born to William Bun- yan and wife, namely: George Dushane; Leonidas H., who is a resident of Indi- ana; Frances Emma; Ellen A., who died in 1901; Edward T., who resides in Con- necticut; and William H., who died quite young.
George D. Bunyan was born in a frame house near his present home. He was reared on the farm and attended the dis- trict schools and later the college at Dela- ware, Ohio, for two and a half years. In 1867 he went to Yellow Springs, Greene County, Ohio, where he opened a general store, which he operated successfully un- til 1877, when he sold to Charles Shaw.
He then returned to the home farm, where he has since been engaged in general farming. Mr. Bunyan was first married, in October, 1866, to Susan Terry, who came to Yellow Springs from Dayton, Ohio. She died in 1869. In 1878 he mar- ried Florence Tulleys, a daughter of Erasmus and Julia A. Tulleys.
Politically, Mr. Bunyan is an adherent of the Prohibition party, and is religious- ly associated with the Methodist Episco- pal Church.
ALVA B. HURD, one of Harmony Township's representative citizens, where he operates a valuable farm of one hun- dred and eleven acres, was born in Clark County, Ohio, in 1863, and is a son of Simeon and Rhoda (Goodfellow) Hurd. The grandparents of our subject, Simeon and Nabby Hurd, were born in New York, but both died at Warren, Pennsylvania. Simeon Hurd, father of Alva B., was born in New York and became a resident of Clark County in 1857, when twenty-seven years of age. He married Rhoda Good- fellow, of Clark County, and they had three children, namely: Rumina A., born . in 1858, who resides with her brother, Alva B .; Kate C., born in 1860, who also resides with her brother; and Alva B. The mother of these children was born in 1830 and died in 1867.
Alva B. Hurd attended the country schools through boyhood and ever since has been concerned with the affairs of the home farm, which his father bought in 1864 from Philip Smith. He is a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church at
MR. AND MRS. BIRCH R. TAYLOR
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Brighton and holds official positions in it. The family is one well-known and highly esteemed in Harmony Township.
BIRCH R. TAYLOR, a general farmer and respected citizen of Mad River Town- ship, owns one hundred acres of fine farm- ing land near Enon. He was born on his father's farm in Clark County, Ohio, Feb- ruary 20, 1869, and is one of a family of five children born to his parents who were Llewellyn and Delilah (Barfield) Taylor. He was reared on the home farm and obtained his education in the public
On August 25, 1891, Mr. Taylor was married to Maggie Cahill, who was born in Highland County, Ohio, and who is a daughter of George and Alice (Hart) Cahill. Mr. and Mrs. Cahill moved from Highland County to Springfield, Ohio, in 1886, where they lived for seven years. They then went to Muncie, Indiana, where they remained for ten years, when they settled at Enon, in Clark County, Ohio. They had five children, namely, Verda, Maggie, Albert, Clarence and Harry. Mr. and Mrs. Taylor have three children- Bessie, Alice and George. In politics Mr. Taylor is a Republican. He belongs to the order of Knights of Pythias, at Enon.
Samuel Brown was born in Scotland and was a son of Thomas Brown, also a native of that country, and was one of a family of four children born to his par- ents. Upon coming to this country, Sam- uel Brown located at Cleveland, Ohio, where he was united in marriage with Jennie Ferris, a daughter of George schools. Shortly after his marriage he . Ferris, also a native of Scotland. To moved to his present farm, which his father had bought in 1879 from David Bailey, and which was known as the old Cox farm. Mr. Taylor purchased the property from his father and has greatly improved it by erecting excellent build- ings and placing the land under a fine state of cultivation.
JOHN S. BROWN, who conducts the largest loan, real estate and insurance business at South Charleston, with office adjoining the Bank of South Charleston, has long been one of the leading men of affairs in this city. He was born March, 1867, in Cleveland, Ohio, and is a son of Samuel G. and Jennie (Ferris) Brown.
this union were born six children, two of whom are still living: Jennie E. Bowers of Steelton, Pennsylvania; and John S. Samuel Brown served three years and nine months in the army during the Civil War, and was severely wounded four times, his death, which occurred in 1885, resulting from a wound received during the long period of military service. He was one of the charter members of Mitchell Post, Grand Army of the Repub- lic, of Springfield. After his return from the war, he engaged as a type-setter and printer for a number of years. He is survived by his widow who is a resident of Springfield, Ohio.
John S. Brown was reared in Cleve- land, Ohio, and received his education in the elementary schools of that city, and the High School of Yellow Springs, and later worked as a printer for a few years. He then engaged in the manufacture of sweat-pads, with C. H. Wentz of South Charleston for a short time, after which he was employed for five years by A.
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McIntire in conducting a bakery. He next was associated with the Bank of South Charleston for a period of four years, when he again embarked in the bakery business, establishing the bakery now owned by George Flowers, and continued in that for five years. Since then he has been most successfully engaged in the real estate, insurance and loan business, handling all kinds of city and country property.
Mr. Brown was joined in marriage with Mary M. Carr, a daughter of Samuel Carr, and to them have been born three children, but two of whom are living : Ger- trude, and John S.
Politically, Mr. Brown is a Republican and has served ten years as Central Com- mitteeman and five terms as township clerk. He was a member of the Board of Election for some time and was for ten years clerk of the township School Board. He is fraternally a member of the I. O. O. F., and Fielding Lodge, F. & A. M .. of the former being financial secretary for thirteen years and for two terms deputy district Grand Master. His re- ligious connection is with the Methodist Church, of which he was treasurer for a period of ten years.
HARRY A. TOULMIN, B. L., who has been identified with the interests of Springfield for the past twenty-two years, is known all over the State of Ohio as an able patent law lawyer. Mr. Toulmin was born November 26, 1858, at Toulmin- ville, Alabama, where his family was of such importance that its name is perpet- uated in a thriving place. His parents were Morton and Frances H. Toulmin.
Harry A. Toulmin was primarily edu- cated in the private schools of the city of Mobile, Alabama, and he completed his literary course at New Orleans and at Washington, D. C. He pursued his law studies in the National University at Washington, where he was graduated with high honors, in June, 1882. In 1883 he was admitted to the Maryland State bar, and in 1884 to practice in the Supreme Court of the District of Colum- bia.
Mr. Toulmin's specialty is patent law and he first became interested in this line through serving, during his course of study, as a clerk in a patent law office, and shortly after his admission to the bar he decided to make this branch of law his special line of practice. In September, 1885, at the solicitation of several Spring- field manufacturers, who recognized in him an attorney capable of defending their patented interests, Mr. Toulmin opened an office in this city, although he did not locate here permanently until in February, 1887. Mr. Toulmin has been admitted to practice in all the Federal Courts in Ohio, and in those of many other states, and in 1893 he was admitted to practice in the Supreme Court of the United States. His success has been re- markable and his legal victories have brought fame and fortune both to him- self and his clients.
Mr. Toulmin has shown deep interest in Springfield's development, has given much encouragement to its educational movements, and has assisted in the pro- motion of many of its charities and phil- anthropic enterprises. From 1895 until 1897, during the mayoralty of Hon. P. P. Mast, he was an advisory member and
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vice president of the Springfield Board of Public Affairs. It was during this period that the city received the gift of Snyder Park. Among Mr. Toulmin's many services performed at this time which contributed to the development and improvement of this property, was the composition of the beautiful and appro- priate inscription on the memorial stone which decorates the park.
In the spring of 1887, Mr. Toulmin was married to Rosamund Evans, who is a daughter of Dr. Warick and Mary Mason (Washington) Evans, residents of Wash- ington, D. C. They have had two sons : Warick Morton and Harry Aubrey, Jr., the former of whom is deceased. The family belong to Christ Episcopal Church, Mr. Toulmin being a member of its vestry. The beautiful family home is at No. 359 North Fountain avenue, Springfield.
JOHN W. HUMBARGER, a well known farmer and stock-raiser of Mad River Township, and owner of 210 acres of highly improved farm land in Clark County, was born December 6, 1851, in Clark County, Ohio, and is a son of Will- iam and Mary (Kenny) Humbarger.
Jacob Humbarger, the great-great- grandfather of John W., a native and life- long resident of Germany, was a gunsmith by trade and was the inventor of the first pistol which fired one shot. All of his male descendants down to the grandfather of John W. Humbarger became gunsmiths. His son Benjamin, great-grandfather, followed the trade for many years in Ger- many and in later years came to America, where he continued work as a gunsmith.
William Humbarger, father of John W.,
was born in Perry County, Ohio, and was a son of Peter Humbarger, a native of Pennsylvania, who came to Ohio at an early period when the country was new and undeveloped. William was reared on his father's farm in Perry County. He subsequently came to Clark County, where he learned the cooper's trade with his second cousin, Adam Humbarger, and worked in a cooper shop for James Grun- dle, then situated near John W's present farm. He lived at Mr. Grundle's home, having a bunk in the garret, which was so openly built that the snow often blew in, covering his bed. He later bought a farm of fifty-one acres, from William Black, and after the war devoted his en- tire time to agricultural pursuits, having followed his trade until that time. The first year he farmed he cultivated thirty acres of corn with one horse, in new and undeveloped ground. He then took the corn to David Cross, two miles away, for which he was to receive twenty-five cents per bushel, but as Mr. Cross failed in business, he never received his money, and thus suffered quite a loss. He married Mary Kenny, who was born in Virginia and came to Ohio with her parents when young. William Humbarger and wife were the parents of five children: Anna, who married David Hilt; Elizabeth, who married W. Sultzbaugh; Amanda, who married William Deitrick, deceased; John W .; Charles, who married Alice Swadner. Mrs. Humbarger died on the farm in 1852 aged fifty-three years. William died in Yellow Springs, Ohio, at the home of his daughter, Mrs. David Hilt, in 1904, at the advanced age of eighty-six years.
John W. Humbarger was born on his father's farm in Mad River Township,
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and when about nine years old his parents removed to German Township, where they lived for seven years. He then worked out on various farms for a period of five years, during which time he saved $500. Mr. Humbarger's success in life is entirely due to his own efforts, having started out with nothing but a two-acre tract of land and a will to work. After his marriage he went to live on his little farm and later purchased the entire home farm. He subsequently sold this land to Samuel McClure, for which he received $1,800, which was the first payment made on his present home. He bought his farm, consisting of eighty acres of timberland, from R. Miller, and lived for nine years in the old cabin which was then on the place. The cabin is now used by Mr. Hum- barger as a stable, having been replaced by the present home which his son-in-law, Raymond Shellabarger, and family oc- cupy. Mr. Humbarger has made many other important changes, and has added all the other buildings which are on the land. He is extensively engaged in stock- raising, having at the present time 140 hogs, and thirty-five head of cattle, all of which he has raised during the past three years. He has held four big public sales.
On March 6, 1876, he married Miss Anna Sultzbaugh, a daughter of Joseph and Catherine Sultzbaugh. Mr. and Mrs. Humbarger have had two children, name- ly: Pearl, who died aged four years; and Lydia, who married Raymond Shella- barger, a son of Ephraim Shellabarger. They have one child, Rilla Evelyn.
Mr. and Mrs. Humbarger were for nine- teen years members of the First Presby- · terian Church of Springfield, but are now connected with the Christian Church of
Enon, of which he is a trustee. Mrs. Humbarger is a remarkable Bible student, having won a ten-dollar Bible for memo- rizing the book of Matthew, and at the same time was awarded a five-dollar Bible for repeating two-thirds of the con- tents of each book in the Bible. This prize was offered by Mr. Ross Mitchell of Springfield. The committee which ex- amined her was as follows: Mrs. George Huntington, Mrs. Samuel J. McClure and Mrs. Robert Latimore. Politically Mr. Humbarger is an adherent of the Prohibi- tion party. Mr. Humbarger is now liv- ing retired on the farm recently pur- chased from the Sheridan estate.
ADAM GERMAN, who comes of a prominent old family of Springfield Township, Clark County, Ohio, has a fine farm of ninety-two and a half acres, the old German home place, just off the Na- tional Pike about four miles from the city of Springfield. He was born on his present farm September 14, 1868, and is a son of Peter and Margaret (Germ) Ger- inan. His father died in 1890, while Mrs. German survived till 1895. They were pio- neer residents here and were most highly respected by a large circle of friends throughout this community. A son, John German, may be found mentioned else- where in this work.
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