Commemorative biographical record of the counties of Sandusky and Ottawa, Ohio, containing biographical sketches of prominent and representative citizens, Part 61

Author: J.H. Beers & Co
Publication date: 1896
Publisher: Chicago, J.H. Beers & co.
Number of Pages: 1040

USA > Ohio > Sandusky County > Commemorative biographical record of the counties of Sandusky and Ottawa, Ohio, containing biographical sketches of prominent and representative citizens > Part 61
USA > Ohio > Ottawa County > Commemorative biographical record of the counties of Sandusky and Ottawa, Ohio, containing biographical sketches of prominent and representative citizens > Part 61

Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).

The mother of this family was born in Cumberland county, Penn., September 17, 1822, and is a daughter of Thomas Chambers, a blacksmith, of the Keystone State. In 1850 she came with her hus- band to Sandusky county, and shared with him the trials and hardships of pionee life in the woods of Madison township. She also assisted him in every way to make a home for the family, often aiding him in cutting down the trees, and in planting crops, going to the field at three o'clock in the morning. Her devotion to

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her family entitles her to the greatest credit. She is now over seventy-three years of age, and looking back over the past recalls many interesting incidents of pioneer life in Ohio. She still transacts her business and attends to the duties of her house, and is now engaged on negotia- tions for leasing her land for oil prospect- ing purposes.

Mr. Degroft was trustee of his town- ship for several years, and was for a long period school director, taking a deep in- terest in the cause of education and every- thing calculated to benefit the county. After a long illness of sixteen months he passed peacefully away, April 27, 1892, and a faithful wife and loving children mourned the loss of a kind father and devoted husband. He was ever ready to extend a helping hand to the poor and needy, and considered no sacrifice too great that would enhance the happiness of his family, to whom he left an untar- nished name. His widow still resides on the old home place, where she is enjoying the reward of earnest toil.

E BEN ROOT, a well-to-do farmer of Sandusky township, Sandusky county, was born January 16. 1843, in Erie county, Ohio, near Milan. The Root family is of French origin, but the first definite history we have of this branch of the family is that of Caleb Root, grandfather of our sub- ject, who was born in Connecticut, and migrated to Milan, Erie Co., Ohio, in pioneer days. He was a farmer by occu- pation, and died there August 13, 1843, aged seventy-three years. His children were: Hiram, Jirah, Lucy, Anna, Ly- man and Perry, the last named being the father of our subject, born on the day of Perry's victory, in 1813, and hence was named after that naval officer.

Perry Root grew to manhood in Erie county, on a farm, received the ad- vantages for education offered by the

common schools, and became a noted stock dealer at an early day. On No- vember 6, 1839, he married Miss Celia Hardy, a native of New York State, and he died July 23, 1869, his wife passing away in March, 1880.

Their children were as follows: Eliza- beth, born September 6, 1840, mar- ried November 26, 1862, Robert Wil- cox, of Erie county, Ohio; Lucy Ann, born October 1, 1841; Eben, our sub- ject; Sarah A., born May II, 1845, mar- ried John G. Balcom, June 15, 1870, at Milan, Ohio; John O., born April 20, 1847, married Sarah Fairchild, Decem- ber 17, 1874; Lucy, born in October, 1841, died September 27, 1861; Savory Perry, born July 11, 1849, died May 6, 1850; Carleton Perry, born October 5, 1857, died March 18, 1873.

Our subject spent his boyhood and youth in Erie county, near Milan, and at- tended the common schools. On May 2, 1864, he enlisted in Company F, One Hundred and Forty-fifth Regiment, O. N. G., and served one hundred days, be- ing discharged August 24, 1864, at Camp Chase, Ohio. While a young man he went west, and on the trip met and mar- ried on October 9, 1867, Miss Jemima B. Fell, who was born in Liddisdale, Scot- land, October 1, 1847, and came to America with her parents when four years old. They settled in Stark county, Illi- nois, where our subject and she were married. The children born to this union were Sarah Isabella, born March 3, 1871; Carrie Elizabeth, born October 8, 1873; Walter Fell, born March 11, 1875; David Perry, born December 20, 1879, died January 18, 1881; and Bessie Alberta, born December 13, 1881. Mr. and Mrs. Root settled in Sandusky coun- ty soon after their marriage, and subse- quently lived two years in Erie county, after which they returned here and have since made Sandusky township their home. Mr. Root owns 230 acres of land which he operates to the best possible

Åbent Book

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advantage, and in addition to his farm- ing interest deals largely in live stock, handling a large number of sheep. He is a Democrat in politics, and is one of those citizens who, in an unassuming way, benefit the community in which they live and make a success of life.

Some remarkable facts in regard to accidental deaths in the family and among relations may be noted: Our subject's father, Perry Root, was killed by a kick from a horse; his stepmother was acci- dentally burned to death; his wife's father was killed by a runaway, in Scotland; one of his mother's sisters married a man by the name of Morgan, who, falling on the ice, broke his skull and died from the results; one of Morgan's sons was killed by accident; our subject's uncle Jirah fell from a wagon and was killed; and his uncle Hiram was killed by a team run- ning away, while hauling lumber; and grandfather, Caleb Root, was killed by being thrown from a load of hay.

W ILLIAM A. MUGG, the lead- ing landowner and farmer of York township, Sandusky coun- ty, and vice-president of the First National Bank of Clyde, is of the third generation from the earliest settle- ment and development of northwestern Ohio. And as he stands to-day, a leader of the men about him, so, too, in the two preceding generations, were his father and grandfather men of renown and note in their respective spheres, though perhaps in a somewhat different way. William A. Mugg has inherited the pioneer strength of character. His mind is keen and he appreciates a witticism. His good-natured retort is sharp, and stranger or friend is welcomed at his home and treated with that old-time jovial hospitality that is becoming rare in these so-called degenerate days.

John B. and Susan (Wheeler) Mugg, and grandson of Elder John Mugg. But years before his birth his father and his grandfather had already become identi- fied with the interests of York township, Sandusky Co., Ohio. It was in 1822 that Elder John Mugg, a native of Mary- land, came with his family from New York State to the vast solitudes of north- western Ohio. His parents had died when he was a child, and he was bound out and reared among strangers. How- ever, he obtained the rudiments of an education, and became a preacher of the Baptist Church. When he came to Ohio he purchased 400 acres of government land, but as soon as the cabins for himself and family were built, and the rude houses made comfortable, he began his labors as a pioneer preacher, a task then quite different from the ministerial duties of to-day. Elder Mugg was a man of small stature, and his weight was less than one hundred pounds; but he was filled with nervous force, and with a love for his fellow men. He was an enthusiastic Churchman. On horseback, with saddlebags supplied with medicines, he wended his way along Indian trails through the forested swamps from settle- ment to settlement, bringing to the lone- ly pioneer the refreshing and cheering words of the Gospel. His value to the mental, moral and physical welfare of the early settler, immersed in solitude, can scarcely be appreciated at the present day. He brought words of cheer and comfort wherever he went, and the pleasant memories of his visit lingered long after he had departed. He carried the current news of the day from cabin to cabin, and to the sufferers from the malignant fevers that were then so com- mon he brought both medicinal and spiritual good. Once, to a neighbor who had stolen corn from him, he remarked: " I feel sorry for you, neighbor. I don't care for the corn. If you had asked me

Mr. Mugg was born in Milo, Yates Co., N. Y., December 13, 1827, son of | for it the corn would have been yours."

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His gentle, forgiving, Christian spirit made Elder Mugg a man who was widely beloved. He organized the Freewill Baptist Church, the pioneer religious or- ganization of York township, and lived to the good old age of ninety-six years, amidst the peope to whom he had minis- tered for many years. His remains were interred in Wales Corners cemetery, in York township, where many of his fellow pioneers also rest. He was the father of seven children, as follows: Thomas, who moved to Indiana; John B., father of William A .; Marcus, who became a min- ister and moved to Michigan, where he died; Jesse, who died in Indiana; William, who died in early manhood; Mary (after- ward Mrs. Bennett), of Indiana ; and Harriet (Mrs. Colvin), who died in York township.

John B. Mugg was born in 1801. He came with his father to York township in 1822, having previously married Susan Wheeler. A year later, after the birth of his eldest child, Charles, he returned with his family to Yates county, N. Y., and remained there twelve years. In 1836 he again came west, and lived in York township until his death, which oc- curred December 31, 1880, when he was aged seventy-nine years, four months and twenty-seven days. His wife, who was born in 1807, died March 3, 1880. Nine children were born to John B. and Susan Mugg: Charles, who died in Missouri; Wheeler, who died in York township; William A., subject of this sketch; John who died in New York; a child who died in infancy; Elizabeth, who died in young womanhood; Marietta, who died in girl- hood; George, a resident of Dundee, Mich., and Alice, who died in childhood.

William A. Mugg was a child when his father returned from New York to the pioneer Ohio home. He remembers well the trip on the lakes, and the jonrney overland to the old farmstead near Wales Corners, which still forms a part of the extensive estate of Mr. Mugg. In those days the driftwood had not yet been

cleared from the swamps. The pools were full of water, and fish were abundant on every hand. Mr. Mugg remembers that many times in his boyhood he has skated in winter all the way from the old homestead to Sandusky Bay. The young men of fifty years ago propelled skiffs over lands that are now some of the most fertile field in Ohio. Indians were numer- ous in those days, and game abounded. But educational facilities were few. While Mr. Mugg did not receive a finished literary education, he learned what was better still-the value of thrift and econ- omy. After he was of age he worked five years for his father, at $200 per year. Then in 1854 he married Miss Phebe S. Russell, who was born April 2, 1833. Her father, Norton Russell, was born in Hopewell, Ontario Co., N. Y., June 15, 1801, of parents who had shortly before moved to the New York wilderness from Massachusetts. Young Russell was bound out, and was diligently engaged during his youth in clearing the pioneer land of western New York. In October, 1821, he came to Ohio with three other young men, William McPherson, James Birds- eye and Lyman Babcock, all of whom became prominent pioneers of Sandusky county. They walked almost the entire distance from New York-400 miles. Mr. Russell was the eldest of five children, and his sisters and brother were as follows: Rowena, who married George Swarthout, and settled near Penn Yan, N. Y .; Cyn- thia, who married William McPherson, and became the mother of the martyred Gen. James B. McPherson; William, who married Elizabeth Beach; and Lydia, wife of Lester Beach. Norton Russell entered the S. E. Quarter of Section 7, York township, and was married April 13, 1825, to Miss Sibyl S. McMillen, daughter of Samuel and Polly McMillen, who emigrated from their old home near the White Mountains, N. H., to Ohio, and became early pioneers of Green Creek township, Sankusky county. Samuel and

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Polly McMillen had the following seven children: Sibyl (Mrs. Russell); Samuel; Henry; Rachel, who married Isaac May; Sally, who married Joseph George; Nancy who married Isaac May, and Luther. Nor- ton and Sibyl Russell were the parents of seven children, as follows: John N. and William M., of Clyde; Charles P., of York; Phebe S .; Sarah R. (Mrs. Bell), of Clyde; Mary M. (Mrs. J. W. Taylor), of Sabine Parish, La., and Belle R. (Mrs. Collver), of Cleveland. Norton Russell is still, at this writing, living with his daughter, Mrs. Mugg, and is the oldest living pioneer of this section. 4 His wife, who shared with him the toil and privation of a long and eventful life, died December 18, 1887, aged eighty years.

Nine children have blessed the mar- riage of William A. and Phebe S. Mugg, a brief record of whom is as follows: Nina, born December 31, 1857, is the wife of James Ungerman; they reside in New Richland, Minn., and have four children-Carl, Nellie B., Hazel and Vera. Clarence M., born January 14, 1859, married Laura Carr, and is the father of two children-Ethel and Wayne. N. Russell, born March 31, 1861, married Maggie Matthews, and they have two children-Madeline and Maurice. Mabel, born April 26, 1863, died in 1883. Alice, born September 10, 1865, is the wife of A. R. Pickett, of Clyde, and has two children-Harold and Gladdon. Moina, born March 12, 1868, is the wife of N. Greenslade, of Bellevue, and they have one child-Russell M. Amy B., born February 19, 1870, is one of the popular young ladies of this section, devoted to her parents and the home. James G., born October 14, 1872, was married Jan- uary 1, 1895, to Anna Needham, of York township. Florence, born May 25, 1877, is attending school.

Mr. and Mrs. Mugg started in life with only about such means as the average young couple of that day possessed, but their success has been marked. If the

accumulation of a large estate, and the rearing of a numerous and honorable family is aught of satisfaction, while still in the meridian of life, then Mr. and Mrs. Mugg should be among the happiest of mortals. The landed property of Will- iam A. Mugg exceeds in quantity that of any other individual in Sandusky county. The finger of Time has touched them lightly. If Mrs. Mugg is as young as she looks, she is yet in the high noonday of life. She is an active member of the Grange, and deservedly prominent in the social affairs of the township. Mr. Mugg possesses a hardy constitution which he has never abused, but which through proper physical exercise he has maintain- ed in its maximum degree of health. In politics he is a pronounced and uncom- promising Republican. In the commer- cial and financial spheres he takes high rank. He is a master of the science of finance, and was one of the organizers, and is now vice-president, of the First National Bank of Clyde.

S M. TERRY, pioneer, farmer, banker and author, is one of the best-known citizens of Clyde, San- dusky county, and he is a repre- sentative of one of the earliest and most patriotic families in Sandusky county. He has been artisan and fruit farmer. He established the Farmers and Traders Bank, and alone conducted its manage- ment for four years when he organized th First National Bank as its successor, and became its cashier. He possesses a literary skill of a high order, and to the natura beauty and strength of his poetic senti- ment is added a peculiarly facile and gifted rythm.

Mr. Terry was born in Townsend township, Sandusky county, August 23, 1838, son of Jerry and Mary T. (Bonnell) Terry. Jerry Terry was born in New Hampshire March 21, 1801, son of Julius Terry, who was born in the same State

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in 1762, and in 1808 migrated with his family from New Hampshire to Living- ston county, N. Y. There Jerry was married, September 12, 1824, to Mary T. Bonnell, who was born March 2, 1805. Soon afterward Jerry and Mary Terry moved to Townsend township, Sandusky county, and founded a home in the wil- derness, entering land at $1.25 per acre at a time when there was not a tree cut within two miles of where they settled. From the wilderness he carved out a fer- tile farm, and by industry and persever- ance acquired, as the years went by, a good home with pleasant surroundings. In 1872 he retired from the farm and re- sided in Clyde until his death, which oc- curred September 26, 1877. His devoted life partner died July 24, 1874. The father, Julius Terry, had also come to the pioneer Ohio home, and died here July 16, 1843. To Jerry and Mary Terry nine children were born-seven sons and two daughters. Of the sons five enlisted in the Civil war, and three of the five were killed in battle. The children were as follows: T. C., born July 8, 1825, who was postmaster at Nevada Mills, Ind., and died July 20, 1894; Henry G., born June 24, 1827, who enlisted under Col. Gibson, and was killed at Dallas, Ga .; Mary C., born July 23, 1829, now Mrs. Alfred George, of Bowling Green; J. H., born September 26, 1831, who enlisted and served in a Michigan regiment, now a farmer in Missouri; W. C., born March 29, 1834, a furniture dealer at Clyde; George J., born April 2, 1836, who en- listed in the Forty-ninth O. V. I., and was killed at Dallas, Ga .; S. M., subject of this sketch; Isaiah, born March 23, 1841, who enlisted in the Forty-ninth O. V. I., and was killed at Stone River; and Beulah E., born March 14, 1846, now widow of Joseph Kenny, of Clyde.

S. M. Terry grew to manhood on the pioneer farm of his father, attended the primitive log-cabin schools, and saw the gleam of civilization enter the wild

land and gradually broaden until the mists and deep recesses of savagery were gone forever. When the transformation scene was ended, peaceful, happy, pros- perous homes had come. In his youth Mr. Terry completed a course at Pough- keepsie (N. Y.) Business College, and at the age of twenty-five he left the farm and learned the trade of carpenter and builder. Subsequently he entered the em- ploy of the old Clyde Banking Co., and had been connected with that institution seven years when his health broke down. He went to New York State and took charge of his father-in-law's fruit farm on the Hudson river, under the new con- ditions of life regaining his health and strength. Returning to Clyde he in 1886 established the Farmers and Traders Bank, which was later reorganized as the First National Bank of Clyde, with a capital of $50,000. Mr. Terry was elected cashier and held that position until February, 1895, when he sold his interest in the institution and retired from active business life. Under his manage- ment the bank was conducted on conser- vative principles, but with the most ad- vanced business methods. In politics Mr. Terry is a Republican. He is a Royal Arch Mason, and was initiated into the lodge in 1860. Mr. Terry was married to Miss Mary Ettie Coe, who was born near Fairfax Courthouse, Va., and is a lady of many charms and accomplish- ments. Mr. and Mrs. Terry have a mu- tual penchant for travel, and have visited noted or historic places in all parts of the United States.

As a recreation from business cares Mr. Terry has quite happily wooed the Muses, and the products of his "gray- goose quill" have attracted considerable attention. Several of his more ambitious poems have been printed in pamphlet form. The poetical address read before the One Hundred and Sixty-ninth O. V. I., at Dalton, June 3, 1891, abounded in patriotic allusion, with intermittent

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gleams of wit and humor. His " Remin- iscences of Pioneer Life in Townsend Township " abounds in good things. The verse does not lag, but the limpid stream of thought moves smoothly on, and de- tached fragments fail to do justice to or properly represent the whole. As a specimen of his rare touch of melody the following extract from "A Lay Discourse on the Higher Criticism " is offered:

No mortal thought can count the cost or damages compute, Of him who holds the Bible up, its teachings to dispute, And heaven grant that this poor heart may never wear the stain

Of causing any douhting soul one single tinge of pain.

No finite mind can comprehend the infinite design, Or gather all the hidden pearls from that exhaustless mine ; And be it far from erring man, imperfect at the best, By stretch of human intellect God's purposes to test.

The Bible stands the test of time, its teachings ne'er grow old,

The truth shines out on every page like diamonds set in gold. Without it, homan destiny in darkness lies concealed ; With it, life immortal most gloriously revealed.

The statutes that on Sinai were deeply carved in stone, Have, on the page of legal lore, throughout the ages shone, And vain the test of human skill to formulate the law, That does not from that fountain source its strength and wis- dom draw.

The prophecies, the golden link that binds the old and new. The logic of the world's events has demonstrated true. And science stands in dread dismay, as law's imperial sway, Unites with prophets and declares this world must pass away.

The heavens like a parchment scroll shall be together rolled, The elements shall melt with heat, the prophets long foretold, And deepest scientific search in nature's forces sees The agencies that must, anon, enforce these dread decrees.

The higher critics act a part, if we hut read aright, That shadows forth the coming on of that impending night ; For Holy Writ has plainly taught that in the latter days, The Lord's elect would fall away to follow Satan's ways.

That heresies of damning sorts, would innovate the Church. And men forsake the bidden way, and after pleasures search. Yea, e'en deny the Lord of light with heady self-conceit, And while they sought to lead the flock, would fill a scorner's seat.

The man that bath an eye to see, or hath an ear to hear, Must see in modern day events a crisis drawing near ; And men may scoff and men may scorn, and all the world ignore,

Yet God hath said it draweth nigh; yea, standeth at the door.

The star that led to Bethlehem the wise men of the East, Is shining out in heaven's dome with brilliancy increased ; And Christian rule is moving on with banners all unfurled, And Anglo-Saxon Israel must subjugate the world.

The Law, the Prophets, and the Cross, all firmly hound in one,

The substance of the Trinity, of Father, Spirit, Son, The Alpha and Omega, the Logos, Life and Light, That sweeps two vast eternities with majesty and might.

My faith accepts the risen Christ, the Bible I revere. A Father's care, a Brother's love, I feel are always near. I stand amazed before the Cross, I cannot understand, But then I see a bleeding side, and touch a wounded hand.

I am the Way, the Truth, the Life, come unto Me and live, I hear my Lord and Savior say, 1 freely all forgive. I cannot, do not longer doubt, my soul with rapture cries, I know that my Redeemer lives, that fully satisfies.

That sacred Word, a treasure mine enshrined upon my heart, And while this transient breath remains I'll never with it part.

It's been our light in ages past, our solace and our stay, When tempest tossed, amid its gloom, to guide our weary way.

Its promises will stand secure when scoffers are no more, And he whose faith is anchored there 'twill safely pilot o'er; And when the breakers gather round, and tempests sweep the sky,

We need not fear the raging storms, deliverance is nigh.

It tells us whence, and what, and where, and shows the mighty Arm

That wields the scepter over all and gives to life a charm, And manifests a Father's love surpassing human thought, And estimates immortal souls through sacrifices wrought.

It throws the light that lifts the clouds that hover o'er the tomb,

And from the faithful trusting heart it dissipates all gloom, And opens wide the pearly gates to show a Father's face And out-stretched arms to welcome home with tenderest em- brace.

The weary pilgrim on his way, oppressed with wordly care, May turn a leaf and ever find a consolation there, And on the mount, or in the vale, all shadows disappear, For on that page, in love's own light, he reads his title clear.

When I behold the wondrous grace in man's redemption shown,

And estimate the heritage unworthily I own,

I count my intellect as naught, and crucify iny pride, Accept by faith God's Covenant, and in that grace abide.

The Bible, like a guiding star, has led me ou the way, And scattered all the doubt and gloom with everlasting day, And now I wait the Father's will to bid his angel come To bear my weary spirit on to its eternal home.

lo youth it guides our wayward steps from sin's alluring ways, And scatters seeds of golden grain, to yield in other days, And later on when troubles come, it steadies human life, And gives us strength to overcome in many a doubtful strife.

'Twill be our stay in waning years, when near the journey's end,

And when the night of death appears our last best earthly friend.

And when we touch the river's brink and hear the boatman's oar,

Redemption's theme will he our song forever, ever more.

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Enrapturing thought! The Lord be praised! That Bible stands alone,

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Commemorative biographical record of the counties of Sandusky and Ottawa, Ohio, containing biographical sketches of prominent and representative citizens, Part 61

Author: J.H. Beers & Co Publication date: 1896 Publisher: Chicago, J.H. Beers & co. Number of Pages: 1040

Author: J.H. Beers & Co
Publication date: 1896
Publisher: Chicago, J.H. Beers & co.
Number of Pages: 1040