USA > Ohio > Williams County > Commemorative biographical record of northwestern Ohio : including the counties of Defiance, Henry, Williams and Fulton, containing biographical sketches of prominent and representative citizens, and of many of the early settled families > Part 21
USA > Ohio > Fulton County > Commemorative biographical record of northwestern Ohio : including the counties of Defiance, Henry, Williams and Fulton, containing biographical sketches of prominent and representative citizens, and of many of the early settled families > Part 21
USA > Ohio > Henry County > Commemorative biographical record of northwestern Ohio : including the counties of Defiance, Henry, Williams and Fulton, containing biographical sketches of prominent and representative citizens, and of many of the early settled families > Part 21
USA > Ohio > Defiance County > Commemorative biographical record of northwestern Ohio : including the counties of Defiance, Henry, Williams and Fulton, containing biographical sketches of prominent and representative citizens, and of many of the early settled families > Part 21
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Before leaving his native State he on July 11, 1843, wedded Miss Mary
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Mahan, who was born in Washington county, Pennsylvania, December 4, 1821. She shared with him in all the hardships and trials of pioneer life, and by her capable management proved of great assistance to him. She died June 23, 1883, and many friends beside her immediate family mourned her death. Mr. and Mrs. Martin had seven children: Mrs. Anna M. Bailey, who has one daughter, and resides in Brady township, Williams county; James E., a farmer of Michigan, who married Hannah Fox, and has eight children; Mary, who resides with her father; Robert, a farmer, and living in Columbia, Williams county; Clarkson, who is single, and lives on the homestead; Cassius C., who married Blanche Besancon, and also resides at the homestead; and Jessie, who died at the age of fifteen years. Mr. Martin is a stanch Republican, has filled many township offices, and served as trustee for eighteen years. His long continuance in this office well indicates his fidelity to duty and the trust reposed in him by his fel- low townsmen.
CLARK BACKUS.
This well-known and highly respected citizen of Bridgewater town- ship, Williams county, has been a resident of that county since pioneer days, and has been prominently identified with its agricultural interests.
Mr. Backus was born on a farm in Hampton township, Windham county, Connecticut, January 17, 1820, a son of Chester and Sarah (Holt) Backus, also natives of that State. His paternal grandfather was Calvin Backus. Some of his ancestors participated in the Revolutionary war, and his father was a soldier of the war of 1812. Thomas and Edith (Martin) Holt (our subject's maternal grandparents) spent their entire lives in Con- necticut, and were farming people. Clark Backus is the eldest in a family of three children, the others being: Caroline, who married Harris Fletcher, and died in Massachusetts; and Sarah, who married J. C. Ladd, of Massa- chusetts, where the mother died in 1893, at the extreme age of ninety-seven years; she was taken to Vineland, New Jersey, for burial.
His father dying in 1831, Clark Backus was reared by his widowed mother upon the old home farm in Connecticut, and after that place had to be sold she rented land, keeping her little family together until the children started out in life for themselves. Our subject obtained his education in his native State, and at an early day began working by the month in order to help support the family. In the spring of 1838 he accompanied an uncle and others on their removal to Williams county, Ohio, which at that time
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still formed a part of Defiance county, and most of the land was still in its primitive condition. Six families then constituted the permanent settlers then residing in what is now Bridgewater township, and the largest tract of improved land was only fifteen acres in extent. I Mr. Backus has, there- fore, witnessed almost the entire development of the county, and has been an important factor in its growth and prosperity. Here he began life with a cash capital of fifteen dollars, and the first year after his arrival was employed at clearing land, for which he received twelve dollars per month. He then bought forty acres of land on credit, paying for the same out of his wages, and as he found opportunity he worked upon his place. Dur- ing those early days he suffered considerably from ague, which was quite common among the settlers; but as they were of a hardy class, the death rate was small. Mr. Backus also endured the other hardships and priva- tions incident to pioneer life, and for supplies had to go as far as Fort Wayne, Indiana.
After his marriage, in 1843, he located upon his forty-acre tract, which at that time was not yet paid for; in 1855 he sold this place and removed to Bridgewater Center, where for three years he conducted a small store. In connection with Mr. Pittinger he then built a sawmill near Bridgewater, it being the second mill in that part of the county, and it was patronized by the early settlers for many miles around. At the end of two years he purchased Mr. Pittinger's interest, and after conducting it alone for a num- ber of years, he took another partner, to whom he subsequently sold the plant after twenty-two years' connection therewith. In 1867 he purchased his present farm of one hundred and twenty acres in Bridgewater township, ad- joining the village of Bridgewater. At that time only forty acres had been cleared, and a small box house erected thereon; but to-day one hundred acres are under excellent cultivation, and the place is improved with a comfortable residence and substantial barns and outbuildings, standing as monuments to his thrift and industry.
In March, 1843, Mr. Backus married Miss Susan Herritage, a native of England, who came to America with her parents, Richard and Johanna (Bragington) Herritage, first locating at Seneca Falls, New York, whence they came to Williams county, Ohio, in 1841. Here her father purchased land and engaged in farming, though in his native land he had followed the weaver's trade. He is now deceased. His children were: John, a brick mason; Mrs. Eliza McKinzy; Mary A., wife of J. Strickland; Emma, wife of J. Madison; Susan, wife of our subject; Joseph, who died when young; James, a resident of Kansas; and Amelia, who died when young.
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Mr. and Mrs. Backus are the parents of nine children, namely: Caroline, wife of David Cook, a farmer of Kansas; Emma E., wife of J. Lantz, a farmer and speculator, of Williams county; Sarah, wife of H. Osborn, an engineer; C. W., who is engaged in farming on the old homestead; Orville J., a far- mer; Leonard C., a practicing physician of Fayette, Ohio; Frank M., post- master, township clerk and notary public, of Bridgewater; and two who died in infancy.
In the exercise of his elective franchise Mr. Backus formerly supported the Democratic party, but at the present time he is a Populist. For many years he has faithfully served his township in some official capacity, be- ing treasurer, clerk and trustee, and in 1873 was elected county commis- sioner for a term of three years. He has always faithfully discharged every duty devolving upon him, whether public or private, is a man of strict in- tegrity and sterling worth, and is an honored member of the Masonic fra- ternity.
ENOCH FARMER.
Mr. Farmer, who is a banker and broker of Hicksville, occupies a con- spicuous place among the typical self-made men who by ability, combined with enterprise and force of character, have become highly prosperous, and have risen to positions of usefulness and honor.
Our subject traces the Farmer genealogy back three generations to pa- ternal English and maternal German ancestry. The Farmer family that emigrated from England to this country settled in Surry county, North Caro- lina, at the head of the Yadkin river. There one of their number, the great- grandfather of the gentleman whose name introduces this sketch, married a Miss Sugars, a member of a family that had also made that place their home on their arrival here from their native land, Germany. Mr. Farmer and his wife spent the whole of their married life in that place, and there died. They had a family, of which their son Nathan was the next descendant in the line under consideration. Mr. Farmer was a planter and a resident of a slave State, yet he never owned human chattels.
Nathan Farmer was born in Surry county, North Carolina, and in his native State grew to manhood. He served as a soldier of the Continental army during the Revolutionary war, and after the close of that struggle con- tinued to reside in North Carolina for a number of years. About the year 1813 he removed with his family to Ohio, following the trail of the noted pioneer, Daniel Boone, and purchased a farm near Dayton, Montgomery
Enoch Farmer
Mary a Farmer
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county, Ohio, on which he settled. His sons then attended to the duties of the farm while he pursued his trade, that of a gunsmith, and making that his life business he followed it until he was quite aged. He was an excellent mechanic in his line, and with a rifle of his make our subject has shot many a deer. This pioneer couple had a family of six children, the names of five of whom were Enoch, Nathan, Catharine, Levi and Elizabeth; the name of the sixth child cannot be obtained. All of these children lived to adult years. The mother of the family died at the home in Ohio, and after her death the father went to Richmond, Indiana, and lived with a daughter, where he died when about eighty years of age. They were honest, God-fearing people, and were members of the Society of Friends.
Enoch Farmer, son of Nathan, enlisted and served as a soldier in the Black Hawk war, acting as a spy or scout and an express messenger to the army. A thrilling adventure and hair-breadth escape which he experienced during this service not only shows what nerve and bravery were demanded for it, but also serves to make manifest the hardships and dangers through which our country passed in its transition from the savage wilds of the New World to the luxurious homes of to-day. While encamped on Fox river, forty miles west of Chicago, then a trading post and fort, he had set out on an expedition to that fort, but after proceeding twenty-five miles discovered horses, and as they drew nearer, seeing they were saddled, he knew Indians were concealed somewhere in the grass. After stopping to examine the priming of his gun and holster pistols, he retreated to the army with all possible speed, the Indians hastening in pursuit; but he succeeded in keep- ing in advance of his pursuers, and passed into the army lines in safety. The gun he then used-a flint-lock-has been used by our subject on many a hunt ; and the fact that it was made by the grandfather of the latter, the father of this soldier, gives it additional interest.
Nathan Farmer, Jr., the father of our subject, was born in Surry county, North Carolina, about 1796, consequently was about seventeen years of age when the family moved to Ohio. He engaged in agricultural pursuits on his father's farm in Montgomery county, remaining there until 1829, during which time he was united in marriage with Miss Elizabeth Rodabaugh, and taking his wife to the home place they remained there during their stay in Ohio; and it became the birthplace of their family of five children. In 1829 they moved to a farm consisting of prairie land located in the western part of Indiana on the Wabash river, near Attica, Warren county. That entire section was then virgin land. This proved but a temporary home, however, as illness in the family, and family afflictions led Mr. Farmer to lose all interest
12
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in the new farm, and to sadly retrace his steps to the old home, having been called to mourn the loss of both his wife and mother. His family then num- bered four children, whose names were as follows: Adam, Lydia, Levina, and Enoch. He was afterward married in Ohio to Miss Sarah Westerfield, and to this union six children were born.
In October, 1833, he removed his family to Williams county, Ohio, and settled on the southeast corner of Section I, on a tract of primeval forest land, and possessing the distinction of being the first settler of the new town- ship his name was duly honored and made memorable by the name afterward given it-Farmer township; and this name it still bears. On its organization he was made one of its trustees, in which capacity he served many years. He remained on that farm until he had cleared forty acres of it, when he sold it and removed to a farm comprising eighty acres in the southeastern part of Section 19, and eighty acres in the southwestern part of Section 20, in the same township. This tract was heavily timbered like the other, and with the help of his sons he cleared and improved it. After his removal there a stroke of apoplexy rendered him unable to continue the management of his affairs, consequently the care of the farm devolved upon our subject, as he was the eldest son at home; and his was the strong arm that accomplished the greater part of the heavy labor of clearing the forest wilds. Later the father's health improved, and in the winter of 1853-54 he became a pioneer of Howard county, Iowa; then after a residence there of a few years he went to Appa- noose county, in the same State; but after remaining there about a year he returned to Howard county, where he staid six months, and then left Iowa and took up pioneer life in Minnesota, making his home in Brown county, sixteen miles west of New Ulm. He spent the last year of his life with two of his children. His death occurred in 1872 at his home in Brown county, and he was buried at Iberia, in that county. Thus during the years of his earthly pilgrimage he had passed from the home of his birth, in a mild and tem- perate clime, to the northern part of the country-a section extremely cold- and there was laid to rest.
A pioneer in five States, he was a man who throughout his robust man- hood was well fitted to endure the hardships to which such a life subjected him. Of rugged strength, of iron and steady nerve, he wielded the rifle with dexterity and precision; in fact, was a sure rifle shot, and as he took pleasure in the hunt and, furthermore, found it a lucrative employment, he made it one of his chief occupations, frequently hunting in the interests of his neighbors while they took his place in his farm work. He killed thousands of deer, and whatever the product of the chase-whether coon, beaver, deer
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or wolf-the hide of the animal was always his portion. When he was about fifty years of age he united with the Disciple Church, and in the faith of that Church he died.
Adam Farmer, the eldest son of Nathan Farmer, Jr., and Elizabeth Rodabaugh, was killed by lightning, the sad event occurring on the 28th of August, 1896, when he was but forty rods from home, riding horseback on the public road. The bolt struck him just back of his ear, and tearing the saddle in its course passed through the horse, killing both horse and rider instantly.
Enoch Farmer, the second son of Nathan Farmer, Jr., and Elizabeth Rodabaugh, was born near Dayton, Montgomery county, Ohio, April 29, 1828. His mother's death occurred when he was but two and one-half years old ; he then lived with his maternal grandfather, Adam Rodabaugh, near Dayton, until he was eleven years of age, and there attended school. On May 11, 1839, he joined his father in Williams county, and remained with him until he was twenty-one years of age, assisting in the clearing of the farm as he grew to manhood years. On attaining his majority he still continued on the farm, but began working for himself, receiving ten dollars per month from his father for one year, and he then rented the home farm for three years. On May II, 1851, he was united in marriage with Miss Mary E. Deardorff, and November 18, 1853, they removed from the old homestead to a farm of one hundred and sixty acres of unbroken timber land Mr. Farmer had purchased in that township, it being the southwest quarter of Section 30. The back- woods life of that early day was attended with inevitable hardships. The extensive growth of timber kept the ground too wet, their first dwelling was a log cabin, and life there was in no way to be compared with the life of our present modern civilization and culture; but resolute energy and unfailing ambition prompted the arm of this rugged pioneer to his daily toil, and the little cabin home held out its own attractions as each evening it invited to rest and repose.
The felling of the reigning monarchs of the forest and the clearing of the thick virgin growth of underbrush progressed until the owner of this tract had eighty-five acres of it cleared and put under a state of perfect culti- vation. Though not a hunter in the sense his father was, deer to the number of twenty fell by his hand. By selling thirty acres of his farm for two hun- dred dollars, he freed himself from the debt incurred in its purchase for eight hundred dollars, and success and prosperity attending his labors he subse- quently erected modern buildings. At the present time (1898) the place, which is still owned by Mr. Farmer, contains two residences and good out-
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buildings, the only building that stands as a reminder of primitive days being an old log stable. He preserves as a relic a gourd that has been in the family for two hundred years or more, handed down from one generation to another. It is supposed to have grown in North Carolina. It holds about a pint and a half, and was used as a receptacle for powder many years by his father, to whom it was a gift from his father. It is still perfectly sound.
While living in that township Mr. Farmer carried on a loan and broker- age business a number of years, in connection with his rural pursuits. In 1889, needing rest, he rented his farm and moved to Hicksville, and here continued in the loan and brokerage business. He was one of the incor- porators of the Farmers and Merchants Bank, which was merged into the First National Bank of Hicksville, and he has been one of the stockholders and directors of the latter since its inauguration in 1884. At the present time he is one of the largest stockholders, and still makes loans and buys notes on his own account.
Mrs. Farmer died February 16, 1875, leaving four children, namely : Edom, who died when nearly twelve years of age; Hattie I. (Mrs. Charles Walden), residing at Walton, Kansas; Nora E. (Mrs. George Shepard), residing at Hicksville; and Howard W., who married Miss Effie Overhalt; he was a thoroughly competent dentist, the prospects for his future in that direction being very promising, but he died of hip disease November 26, 1895. In 1876 Mr. Farmer was again married in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to Mrs. Mary A. Wanamaker (née Acker), a daughter of George Acker. The home of Mr. and Mrs. Farmer is a pleasant modern residence located on lots 201-2 High street, on which lots Mr. Farmer has built two fine barns and made other improvements. An active and energetic man throughout the whole of his life, beginning his business career when twenty-one years of age by felling the forest trees with an axe for which he had gone in debt, such success has crowned these intervening years of labor that he is now one of the wealthiest men in his section, having amassed a fortune of seventy-five thousand dollars, consisting of four farms, four properties in the village, bank stock, notes, mortgages, etc .; and thus is prepared to pass his advancing and declining years in luxurious rest. In politics he is a member of the Demo- cratic party, and during his residence in Farmer township served as a mem- ber of the school board and supervisor, besides rendering other official services.
Mrs. Farmer's parents, George and Christina (Snyder) Acker, were both born in Westmoreland county, Pennsylvania. They were married in that State, and had a family of five children: Jerry, Henry, John, Mary A.
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and Susan. The mother of these died in 1828, and in 1833 Mr. Acker wedded Catherine Delp, of Pennsylvania, by whom he had eleven children : George D., Christian, Daniel, Andrew, Sarah, Savilla, Margaret, Thomas, Ellen, Wil- liam, and Warren. The father, who was a lifelong carpenter by trade, passed from earth October 9, 1868; his widow, now eighty-three years old, is still living in Fostoria, Ohio. Benjamin Snyder, Mrs. Farmer's grandfather, was born in Pennsylvania, whence he moved to Stark county, Ohio, where he died in 1864 at the age of seventy-one years. The great-grandfather, Jacob Acker, came to this country in the ship "Loyal Judith," London, which landed September 25, 1732. He afterward married a Miss Hiesler, and set- tled in Northumberland county, Pennsylvania. They had six children, all sons. Henry, the younger son ( Mrs. Farmer's paternal grandfather), served as a soldier in the war of 1812. He married Miss Mary Kuhns, who died at the age of eighty-nine years.
MRS. FARMER was born September 15, 1826, in Mahoning county, Ohio, where she lived till her marriage in 1847 to William Wanamaker (a rela- tive of John Wanamaker, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania ), and she and her hus- band then took up their residence in Trumbull county, Ohio, later, in 1867, moving to Williams county, Ohio, where Mr. Wanamaker died the same year. They had no children. Mrs. Farmer had five brothers in the war of the Rebellion, of whom John was killed in battle before Atlanta July 22, 1864, and George D., who now lives in Fostoria, Ohio, was wounded and taken prisoner in the battle of Winchester, Virginia, June 15, 1863. Mrs. Farmer is a member of the Disciple Church.
H. CLAY BURSON, M. D.
This successful physician and surgeon of Grelton, Henry county, is one of the younger members of the profession, but his prominence is by no means measured by his years; on the contrary, he has won a reputa- tion which many an older practitioner might well envy, especially in the line of surgery.
Doctor Burson was born in Wood county, Ohio, June 12, 1869, a son of Thomas and Mary A. (Knouff) Burson. The mother died in that county, February 21, 1896, but the father is still living. Our subject is sixth in the order of birth in their family of seven children-five sons and two daughters. Doctor Burson began his education in the common schools of his native county, and later attended the Collegiate Institute at Fayette, Ohio. After completing his literary course, he commenced the study of
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medicine, in 1888, under the direction of Doctor E. W. Schooley, of Wes- ton, Ohio, and took his first course of lectures at the Eclectic Medical In- stitute of Cincinnati, Ohio. Subsequently he took the Regular course at the Toledo Medical College, where he graduated in March, 1896. In 1892 he had located in Grelton, Henry county, and is now at the head of a large and well-paying practice.
At Grelton, August 10, 1893, Doctor Burson married Miss Carrie M. Hoy, who was born September 9, 1873, in Harrison township, Henry county, where her father, Jacob Hoy, still lives. In addition to his prac- tice the Doctor was formerly a correspondent of several of the leading news- papers of the State, including the "Cincinnati Enquirer," and others of equal prominence, and during the campaign of 1896 he wrote many able articles on the free coinage of silver. In August, 1890, he took charge of the "Wood County Herald," published at Weston, Ohio, and for one year ably edited that journal. At present, however, he gives his undivided at- tention to his professional duties, and in the practice of his chosen calling is meeting with excellent success. Socially he is an honored member of the Masonic fraternity, and of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, while politically he is identified with the Democratic party, taking an ac- tive interest in public affairs. In the campaign of 1896-97 the Doctor took an active part, his voice in behalf of the Democratic cause being heard in various parts of Henry county. On September 25, 1897, he received the nomination for the office of county treasurer, was duly elected thereto No- vember 10 following, and entered upon the duties of the incumbency Sep- tember 5, 1898.
BENJAMIN BERNARD DOWELL.
This highly-esteemed citizen of Hicksville, is joint editor and propri- etor of "The News" of that city, and his ability and energy have done much to establish the popularity of the paper.
Mr. Dowell is of Welsh and Irish blood through his paternal ancestry, and the family settled in Ohio in pioneer times, his grandfather, Rev. Thomas Dowell, a resident of Holmesville, Holmes county, having been a promi- nent minister of the M. E. Church in the early days. Wesley Dowell, the father of our subject, located at Hicksville in 1848, and for many years has been successfully engaged in business there as a jeweler. He is an expert mechanic, and excels in fine work, such as the making and repair- ing of watches and clocks. His wife, whose maiden name was Frances
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Elizabeth Clemmer, is a member of an old Virginia family, of French and Irish extraction.
Mr. Dowell was educated in the common schools of Hicksville, and at the age of fourteen became connected with the newspaper business, com- mencing with the somewhat ubiquitous position of "devil" in the office of "The Hicksville News." In the following year he was employed as a compositor on the "Toledo Blade," and later he worked for nine months as a journeyman in Kentucky. He then returned to Hicksville, and for thirteen years he has been identified with "The News," in which he owns a half interest. During this period he had entire charge of the enterprise for one year, about 1894.
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