USA > Ohio > Wayne County > Commemorative biographical record of Wayne County, Ohio, containing biographical sketches of prominent and representative citizens, and of many of the early settled families > Part 16
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Of Mr. and Mrs. Shilling's union two children were born, both deceased: one, Melanethon, at the age of three years,
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and the other in infancy, umamed. In every particular Mr. Shilling is a self- made man, and he and his wife have labored together, thereby securing the competence of which they are now in the enjoyment. Although now past sixty years of age, he is well preserved and in good health, the result of a well-ordered and temperate life, he never having used intoxicating liquors or tobacco in any form. In his political viewshe isstrongly Republican, and he is a member of the 1. O. O. F., belonging to the Encampment. Himself and his esteemed wife are mem- bers of the Methodist Episcopal Church, and both are held in high regard by every- one who knows them.
ica, and settling in Pennsylvania, Virginia and Canada. The great-grandfather of our subject chose Pennsylvania as his abiding place, and at the outbreak of the Revolutionary War was one of the heroes to volunteer in the defense of his adopted country. He was thrice married, and was the father of twenty-five children, eleven born to the second and fourteen to the third marriage. In the early days of Wayne County, Ohio, Adam Rumbaugh became one of its pioneers, locating on a tract of 160 acres of timber-land, For which he paid $300. He preceded his family to the county, and before their coming cleared some of the land and built a log cabin. Although a poor man whon he came to Wayne County, he, by industry and energy, became one of the most well- to-do citizens of his township, and at his death left a large property, which was divided among his children.
S OLOMON RUMBAUGH, Farmer, Chester Township, was born in Solomon Rumbaugh made his home with his father until twenty-nine years of age. He has made agriculture his life- work, and is one of the most enterprising and progressive citizens of his township. 1 His fine farm of 100 acres, which was a part of his father's estate, is among the most fertile and best improved farms in the county. Chester Township, Wayne Co., Ohio, December 17, IS26. His father, Adam Rumbaugh, was a native of North- aupton County, Pen., born April 22, 1793, and March 16, 1815, married Eliza- both Lauffer, and to them were boru eleven children: Isaac, John, Maria, Henry, David, Solomon, Willim, Sarah, Hannah, Jacob and Elizabeth. The Fam- He has always been prominently iden- tified with all measures that are beneficial ily is of German ancestry, three brothers ; at a very early day immigrating to Amer- to the county, and is one of its repre-
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sentative citizens. In politics he is a Democrat, and, while in no sense a poli- tician, is one of his party's most ardent supporters. He was married, August 21, 1555, to Mary, danghter of Abraham and Sarah ( Rouch ) Miller They have six children: Philena Jane, born November 12, 1556; Sarah (now Mrs. Wile), born in 1560; Miller L., born March 13, 1862; Ninnie E., born February 24, 1869; Chalmer A., born October 4, 1872, and Lydia M., born May 5, 1875. Mrs. Rum- baugh and her eldest two daughters are members of the Lutheran Church, and her two sons and her youngest two daugh- tors are members of the Reformed Church.
B ENJAMIN BRENNER, a minister and prominent farmer of Wayne Township, was born October 21, 1839, in Lancaster County, Pem. Chris- topher Brenner. his father, was born De- comber 17. 1810. also in Lancaster County, and was the only son of John Adam and Elizabeth ( Hubley ) Brenner. Christopher was married December 3, 1535, to Catherine, daughter of Jacob and Barbara Schock. Five children, two sons and three daughters, were born to them, as follows: Sarah S., born August 15. 1838; Elizabeth, November 26, 1810:
Benjamin, October 24, 1839; Christian, Angust 5, 1849: Catherine, in 1555. Christopher Brenner was a shoemaker by trade. In 1855, with his wife and four children, he came to Wayne County, where he purchased 118 acres of land in Greene Township, and remained there until he died. In 1872 he retired from farming, and purchased seventy-three aeres of land in Wayne Township, which is now in the possession of his eldest daughter, Sarah S. Mr. Brenner was a very snecessful farmer, and left his chil- dren in comfortable circumstances at his death. He died in 1886, and his wife in 1879, aged sixty -one years. Sarah S., the eldest daughter, now resides on the home farm, where her father died, and is a highly respected lady.
Benjamin Brenner was educated in the i common schools in Lancaster County, Pen., and also in Wayne County. In 1563 he was married to Elizabeth Longenecker, daughter of Samuel and Magdaline ( Bru- baker) Longenecker, the former of Lan- caster County, Penn., and the latter of Lebanon County, same State. One child was the result of this marriage, Eleanora, born in 1865. One hundred and eleven acres of the land where Mr. Brenner now lives was his father's property. and orig- inally that of Joseph Lank. Since twen- Ay-our years of age Mr. Brenner has been a minister, having been ordained at that age.
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G IDEON SMOKER, farmer, residing on Section 15, Greene Township, Wayne Co., Ohio, is the representa- tive of a family well known in the his- tory of the county. They were of German extraction, and the ancestors came to America prior to the War of the Revolu- tion, and settled in Pennsylvania. Christ- ian Smoker, grandfather of Gideon, lived originally in Lancaster County, Penn., and from there removed to Mifflin County, and thence emigrated to Wayne County, Ohio, in 1828, over sixty-one years ago. He was twice married before coming here, his first wife being a Miss Stutzman, and the second Fanny Livengoot. When he came to Ohio he had several grown-up children, and in this county two more were born. They located first on Section 16, Greene Township, afterward removing to Wayne Township, near Madisonburgh, where the father died in 1851. His wife, Fanny, survived him nearly thirty years.
By his first wife Christian Smoker had the following children: John, Christian, David, Isaac, Elizabeth, Barbara, Nancy and Fanny. Of these, Isaac is living in LaGrange County, Ind .; Elizabeth is the widow of Christian Angsberger, and lives in Lancaster County. Ponu., not having come to Ohio; Barbara is the widow of David Kauffman, and is in Kansas; Nancy is the widow of Joseph Kantman, and is a resident of Indiana. The children of the
second wife were Joel. now living in Ful- ton County, Ohio; Jonathan, deceased: Jacob, a resident of Elkhart County, Ind. : Joseph, living in Noble County, Ind. : Catherine, wife of Joshua Yoder, in Mad- isonburgh, this county, and Lydia, wife of Sanmel Shrock, of Greene Township. this county. The honored pioneer, the father of this numerons family, lived in Wayne County more than a quarter of a century, and had hosts of friends here.
David Smoker, a son of the first wife, was the father of Gideon. He was born in Lancaster County, Pen., in 1805. and died here on March 3, 1879. In Pen- sylvania he had learned the trade of a cooper, but after his marriage gave all his time to farming. He was married to Anna, daughter of Christian and Cather- ine Brant, natives of Switzerland. and early settlers in Wayne County. David Smoker and wife had eight children: Christian, who died in childhood; Eliza- beth, wife of J. S. Burkholder, of Groene Township; Sarah, wife of Samuel Hartz- ler, now in Noble County, Ind. ; Gideon, David J., and Jonas, who live in Greene Township; Nancy, wife of J. K. Burk- holder, also in Greene Township, and Cath- erine, deceased wife of Jonathan Hostet- tler. The Father of this Family was a pions, conscientious man, of pure charac- ter, and was for many years a member of the Amish Mennonite Church, which he
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had joined in Pennsylvania. Temperate, I'rngal and industrious, he accumulated a competence, and gave each of his children a good start in life. When he bought the farm on which his son Jonas now lives he had not a dollar to pay on it, but he soon paid for it out of the land, then bought another, which he paid for in the same manner-a fair indication of the habits and character of the man.
Gideon Smoker, our subject, was born in Greene Township, November 8, 1835. His life-long occupation has been farm- ing. When of age he rented his father's second farm, on which he lived until 1562, when he bought the place which has since been his home. On March 11, 185%, he was married to Magdalena Zook, who was born in Greene Township, December 30, 1837, and died October 3, 1576, aged thirty-eight years, nine months and five days. She was a pions woman, a member of the Amish Mennonite Church, a faith- ful wife and devoted mother, who instilled into the minds of her children, by both precept and example, true Christian prin- ciples. She was the mother of nine chil- dren, of whom the youngest died Febru- ary 26, 1876, aged five months. The ell- est daughter, Catherine, is the wife of Jacob Hooley, of Greene Township; the rest are married. Jerome, David and Samnel carry on the Wayne County Creamery, and live on the premises: Mary
Ann, Amos, Eher and Emma live with their father. Mr. Smoker has led a quiet, uneventful life, doing his duty well in the sphere into which he has been called. He is a successful farmer, and has also given considerable attention to raising and fattou- ing stock, and keeps a fine stallion on his premises. He belongs to the Oak Grove Amish Mennonite Church, and among the people with whom his whole life has been spent he is esteemed as an honor- able, upright man and a good neighbor.
R B. WASSON, treasurer of Wayne County, Ohio, is one of its sons. being born in Wayne Township March 25, 1533. His father, named David, was a native of the Keystone State, and came when young to Ohio, be- ing one of the early settlers of Wayne Township and County. Joseph Wasson, grandfather of our subject, was an En- glishman by birth, and immigrated when. young to this country, settling in Penn- sylvania, where be was united in marriage with Miss Jane MeConaha. David Was- sou spent his youth on his father's farm, and on reaching manhood was married to Margaret, daughter of Thomas Beall. Of this union seven children were born, two of whom survive; Mrs. Lydia C. Collins,
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living on the homestead in Wayne Town- ship, und R. B. In 1845 death entered the household of the Wassons, claiming the wife and mother, who was then but thirty-five years of age. Her husband survived her many years, dying in 1882, at the age of seventy-seven years. He was one of the stanchest Republicans of his township, and had held various offices of trust and responsibility, those who knew him having unbounded confidence in his ability and integrity. He and his wife were both members of the Presby- terian Church.
R. B. Wasson spent his earlier years on the home farm, getting his education in the log school-house of the period. In 1552, when eighteen years old, ho joined a party going to California in search of gold. For six months he drove oxen, sheep, etc., across the plains, and finally reached the haven of his desires. For eight years he followed mining in Cali- fornia, with the exception of one summer, which he spent upon a ranch. In 1860 he returned to Wayne County, and the following year he passed as clerk in a dry goods store at Doylestown, giving that up to become a farmer in his uative township. March 23, 1861, Mr. Wasson was married to Miss Lucetta Franks, daughter of Abraham and Lydia ( Block- er) Franks, and a native of Doylestown. Eight children came to bless their union
(seven of whom are now surviving ) : Abra- ham, the eldest, is deceased: Amanda is wedded to Mr. C. Zimmer, of Wooster; John, Mattie B., Richard, Kate, Thomas and Louis F. are still under the parental root.
In 1865 Mr. Wasson began dealing ex- tensively in lumber, shipping from Can- ada to the United States. Later he on- gaged in the saw-mill business in Western Ohio, and a year thereafter established a saw-mill at Nashville, Mich. In 1876 he withdrew from the Inmber business in Ohio and Michigan, and the following year shipped Imber from Virginia to New York, finally retiring from the busi- ness in 1878, and going onto his farm in Wayne Township, where he has spent most of his time since. Politically Mr. Wasson was classed as an independent until 1872, when he identified himself with the Democratic party, with which he has since continued to act. He has held wany positions of trust and responsibility. He has been a member of the school board, township trustee, and member of the village council, and was elected to the first council of the village conneil. A number of times he has been a candidate for the office of county treasurer, to which he was elected in 1857, and is now filling that responsible position. In every office that he has been called upon to till he has discharged its duties with fidelity and
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care, and has won the highest regard of all who know him. Socially he is ideuli- fied with the Masonic fraternity and with the Knights of Pythias. The oldest, John Jacob, was born No- vember 23, 1779, and married, October 31, 1503, Charlotte, daughter of Rev. John and Elizabeth ( Hogmire) Stough (the first Lutheran minister to cross the Alleghany Mountains), and they settled and died in Columbiana County, Ohio. Their family consisted of Jonas, Eliza- EONARD R. BOWMAN. The Bowman family are of German and French descent. David Bowman, a native of Wartemberg, Germany, and his wife, Elizabeth, a native of Alsace, ; beth, John. Philip, Samuel and Joshua .. Jonas Bowman was born in Columbiana County, Ohio, November 17, 1801. and was married to Margaret, daughter of Leonard Richards, of Steubenville, Ohio, France (now Germany), immigrated to ; and entered a tract of 320 acres of land America with one daughter in 1755. On i in East Union Township, Wayne County. their voyage to this country, October 25, 'He died March S, 1569, a prominent 1755, a son was born, and named Philip. { member of the Lutheran Evangelical They settled in Philadelphia, where the Church. His widow yet lives on the. homestead with her son. Nine children were born to them: Elizabeth, wife of Peter Mowrer, of East Union Towuship, Wayne County; John, also in East Cuion Township; Leonard R .: Sarah, the late. Mrs. Lovi Daniels; Wesley, in Medina County, Ohio: Samnel, deceased: Harri- son, in Orrville, Ohio; Mary, wife of Ju cob Kessler, of Band Union Towns hip, and Joshua, on The homestead. father died in 1757. Philip learned the shoemaker's trade, which he followed until the beginning of the Revolutionary War, when he enlisted, and served three years. He was with Washington at the capture of the Hessians posted at Trenton, and gained the rank of lieutenant as a reward of bravery. Aller the close of the war he migrated to Fayette County, Penn., and was soon afterward married to Catherine, daughter of Nicholas Fast, of Pfalz, Germany. In 1806 they removed from Fayette County, Penn., to Mahoning County, Ohio, and settled in Greene Town- ship. Their family consisted of twelve children, all of whom are dead.
Leonard R. Bowman was born November IS, 1831, married November 6, 1955, to. Isabella Agnes, daughter of Moses Cherry. and then located on his present farm in Easy UnionTownship. Their children were Keller Cherry, who died May 6, 1857:
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Samuel Baltzly, who died April 8, 1858; Ohio; and Clara C., born January 30, Jonas, born April 5, 1859, and is engaged 1856, married to S. G. Gill, of Reeds- burgh, Wayne County. in mercantile business in Wadsworth, Ohio; May Ida, at home: Williard Grant, at home; Ehina Belle, at home: J. Ver- non, who died March 21, 1880. The mother died December 4, 1880. Mr. Bowman is one of the thorough representative farmers
Of these, John C. was married June 29, 1884, to Isa Palmer, of Jeromeville, Ohio, and their children are Nina May, born April 27, 1885: Edna Vera, born March 11, 1887, and Benjamin Harrison, born April of East Union Township. He votes the : 14, 1889. Mr. Sidle has been engaged in Republican ticket; has been an elder in , teaching for the past ten winters, attend- the East Union Lutheran Church for twenty-seven years.
ing the duties of the farm during the summer. He has paid considerable atten- tion to 'the breeding of and dealing in fine-blooded stock, and has at present on his farm some full-blooded Hereford cat- tle and Shropshire sheep. His success at different county fairs in 1987 and Is58 prove the quality and breeding of his stock to be the best, having taken twenty first and five second premiums. In politics Mr. Sidle is a stanch Republican.
LOHN C. SIDLE, son of Jomm and Joanna (Carson ) Sidle, both natives of Pennsylvania, was born April 25, 1559, in Plain Township. Wayne Co., Ohio. His father was one of the pioneers of Plain Township, coming here from York County, Penn., in 1525, and settling on the farm in that township now occu- pied by his son, Johu C. He was mar- ried March 30, 1848, and became the Father of four sons and three daughters, viz .: W. H., born October 22, 1545, now living in Shreve. Wayne Co., Olio: James C .. born February 13. 1850: D. P., born March 14, 1552: John C .; Mary Ellen, wife of S. P. Burnett. of Shreve, Ohio; Lucinda Jane, born November 12. 1517,
ACOB HOLMES was born in West- moreland County, Ponn., April 2. 1814, son of Daniel Hohnes, also a native of Pennsylvania, who came to Ohin, settling in Congress Township, Wayne County, in 1920, Near Congress Village, he ( Daniel) leased a farm of Henry Tranger, on which he lived nine years; married J. H. Aylesworth. of Big Prairie, then purchased a farm on Section 1.1.
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where he reared a family of sixteen chil- bers of the German Reformed Church. dron, twelve of whom are yet living. He died in his sixty-ninth year. The first Christmas eve Mr. Holmes was in Wayne County his house and its contents were destroyed by fire, the family barely es -! caping with their lives, and the snow was six inches deep. They were taken to the honse of George Poe, a half a mile dis- tant, remaining there one night. The following Monday the neighbors ent logs and built another cabin, and Wednesday they moved in. There was no floor, and a fire was built in the center of the room. There they lived. more like Indians than white folks, almost destitute of clothing, and for four or five years had neither shoes nor stockings. Their clothes con- . sisted of buekskin pants, linen shirt, coon- skin caps and deer-skin moccasins. The best dressed men of those days wore buckskin suits.
Jacob Holmes, the subject of these lines, was educated in the common schools, and brought up to farm life, which he has followed all his days. He was united in marriage February 5, 1837, with Miss Christiana. a daughter of David and Eva Weaver, and born April 2, 1817. This union has been blessed with eight children, seven of whom are still living, all married and away from home, doing For themselves. Mr. and Mrs. Holmes have for many years been consistent mem-
For sixty-seven years he has been a con- tinuous resident of Congress Township, and is probably the oldest resident settler in the township. Mr. Hohes is hale and hearty, and remarkably vigorous for one of his advanced years, managing his own affairs with keen intelligence and remark- able success: and " Unele Jacob," as he is familiarly known. is highly respected by all who know him. He is owner of 123 acres of good farm land. three miles south of West Salem, in Wayne County.
G W. RICKEL was born in West. Salem, Wayne Co., Ohio. May 21. 1538,and is a son of Peter and Nancy (Riekel) Riekel. natives of Bedford County, Penn., who came to Wayne Conty iu 1521, and entered a tract of land in Congress Township, a part of which is now occupied by the village of West Salem, which was laid out by him. as well as several of its streets: and many lots were sold by him. He was a promi-
ment member of the old Albright Evan- gelieal Association, and of the Repub- lican party. He died in 1865, his widow surviving him until isss. They reared nine children, viz: Sophia, wife of Mi- chael Shaffer, of Mahoning County, Ohio;
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Joseph, Michael and Levi, in West Salem, Wayne County; Mathias, in Ashland County ; Catherine, deceased wife of Peter Ball; G. W .; William, who was a member of Company E, One Hundred and Twenti- eth Ohio Volunteer Infantry, and died from the effects of wounds; Alexander, in West Salem.
G. W. Rickel received his education at the township schools and Hayesville Acad- emy. In 1860 he embarked in mer- cantile business at West Salem, which he continned for about three years. In 1866 Mr. Rickel married Miss Mary E., dangh. ter of Benjamin Hill (deceased), of Ca- Fof G. W. Rickel.
naan Township, Wayne County, and by this union there are four living children, viz .: Cora, wife of R. W. Pinkerton, of Wooster; Carrie, wife of Rev. A. A. Ball, of Chicago Junction, and Annie and Josephine, at home. Mr. Rickel is a member of the Canaan Grange. No. 1280, P. of H. He and family are members of the Methodist Episcopal Church of Burbank, of which he is a trustee. Politically he is a Republican.
BENJAMIN HILL (deceased) was born in Washington County, Penn., June 29, 1807, son of Joseph and Margaret (Joy) Hill, who immigrated from Ireland. Benjamin was reared on a farm, and learned the tanner's trade. In 1829 he married Miss Delilah, daughter of Jacob and Sarah ( Harsh ) Notestine, of Wash-
ington County, Pen., and in 1833 they came to Wayne County, where they moved on the farm in Canaan Township, where he died in 1880. Mr. Hill was a promi- nent member of the Republican party. and filled various township offices; was also elass-leader and exhorter in the Moth- odist Episcopal Church of Burbank for many years. He died in 1880; his widow still survives him, now aged seventy-six years. Three of their children are still living: Sarah H., wife of Henry Hay, of Seville, Ohio; Samantha, wife of C. C. Clay, of Sedalia, Mo., and Mary E., wife
R EV. PHILO M. SEMPLE was born near Darlington, then in Beaver. but now in Lawrence County, Penn .. July 7, 1810. His grandfather was. a native of Scotland, and was married in America to a lady of Irish birth. Both died in Beaver County. Penn. Their son Robert was a native of North Carolina. removing to Pennsylvania with his par- ents. His boyhood was spent upon the l'arm, and when seventeen years of age he entered an academy at Darlington. Ponn., with a view of qualifying himself for ministerial work. Completing his academic course, he began the study of theology with Rev. Thomas E. Hughes,
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and was later licensed to preach by the Presbytery of Redstone. He was soon after called to the pastorate of the First Presbyterian Church of New Castle, now the county seat of Lawrence County, Penn., being their first pastor, and con- tinning to serve that church twenty- eight years. For twenty years of the time he also had charge of a church at Slippery Rock, Beaver Co., Penn. Rev. Robert Semple was united in marriage January 5, 1808, with Miss Annie Kirk- patrick, a native of Beaver County, Penn., and to them were born three sons and seven daughters, of whom two sons and one daughter are living-Philo M., Dr. Kirkpatrick Joliston, of Cincinnati, Ohio, and Zenista, wife of David F. McCready, of New Wilmington, Penn. The mother died at the age of fifty years, the father surviving her several years, his death occurring in 18-17, at the age of seventy- two years. He was a faithful minister of the gospel, and died in the sure hope of a happy immortality. .
Philo M. Semple is the second son of Robert and Annie Semple. His full bap- tismal name is Philomathis, and very properly, for he has proved himself a " seeker after knowledge." He was about eighteen months old when his father be- came pastor at New Castle, Penn., and spent his youth on a small farm near that city. In his boyhood he has gathered
hazlennts on the site of New Castle, now a city of 35,000 inhabitants. When twenty- one years of age he was given the oppor- tunity of attending Bassenheim Academy, a manual labor school at Zelienople, But- ler Co., Penn., of which he gladly availed himself, and here was begun the study of Latin. In the spring of 1832 he left home for Canonsburgh, the seat of Jeffer- son College, traveling on foot, and making the distance, sixty miles, in less than two days. Here he spent five years of col- lege life. During his first term the col- lege was blessed with a revival of relig- ion, and he was hopefully converted. August 5, 1832, he united with the Pres- byterian Church of Cannonsburgh, of which Dr. Matthew Brown was then pas- tor. His standing in his class was repn- table, and in the literary society, high. In 1837 he would have been the debater for the Franklin Society but for the famous quarrel of the societies with the trustees. which suspended the contest for this year. At the time of the commencement, in 1887. he was prostrated with typhoid fever, and was unable to turn his head on his pillow when he graduated. During the winter of 1837-35 he taught school in New Castle, Penn., and in the spring of 1535 entered the Western Theological Seminary, at Allegheny, where he spent two years. His health failing, he re- turned home, and after rusticating a tow
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