USA > Ohio > Wood County > Commemorative historical and biographical record of Wood County, Ohio : its past and present : early settlement and development biographies and portraits of early settlers and representative citizens, etc. V. 2 > Part 22
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The Kingsbury family has long held an hon- ored place in the history of New England, where the first of the line in America settled at an early : and left for sometime after the regiment was
E.L. Kingsbury
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mustered out. There, his mother, who had traveled to Cumberland, came in order to care for him in his sickness. For a year and over, after his arrival home, he was unable to perform any kind of labor, and by the time he recovered, the war was ended.
On September 15, 1869, Mr. Kingsbury was married in Toledo, Ohio, to Miss Maria L. Hil- ton, who was born November 30, 1846, in De- fiance county, Ohio. They have no children of their own, but adopted a little six-year-old girl, Mabel Vance Hilton, daughter of Eber E. Hil- ton, a brother of Mrs. Kingsbury. Mabel was reared to womanhood as the own child of our subject and his wife, was educated and became a graduate of the Perrysburg school. On Septem- ber 26, 1894, she was married to Charles L. Maddy, and one child, Edgar Hilton, was born to them; they make their home in Perrysburg, where Mr. Maddy is a dealer in grain, and has an elevator.
Mrs. Kingsbury was the daughter of Eber and Elizabeth R. (McMaken) Hilton, the former of whom, a farmer by occupation, was a native of Defiance county, Ohio, born about the year 1815, and died in 1848. He was a son of Joshua Hil- ton (also a farmer), a native of Maine, and a very early settler of Defiance county-the only " high- way" at the time of his coming being the Mau- mee river, all merchandise, etc., being brought up that stream in small boats. Eber Hilton and Elizabeth McMaken were married in July, 1843, at Fort Wayne, Ind., and they had three chil- dren: Joseph J., who was a soldier in the Civil war, and died, in 1863, in Johnson's Island; Maria L. (Mrs. Kingsbury); and Eber E., a civil engineer in Plattsmouth, Neb. Some time after the death of the father of this family, the widowed mother married William D. Haymaker, and by him she had three children: Kidder V., Carrie (deceased), and Mary. Mr. Haymaker died, and his widow is now living in Defiance, Ohio. She was born in Butler county, Ohio, in 1821; her mother was a native of Maine, and her father was a soldier in the war of 1812.
TAYLOR HALE, one of the prosperous farm- ers and esteemed citizens of Perry township, was born in Washington township. Hancock Co., Ohio, July 9, 1841, to Robert and Ruth (McRill) Hale, the former of whom was a native of Jef- ferson county, and latter of Ashland county, Ohio.
The paternal grandfather of our subject, Randall Hale, was an early settler of Hancock county, where he carried on farming for many
years, and reared a family of five sons and three daughters, of whom Robert was next to the youngest son. Robert became the father of three children, namely: Mary A., who married John Baker, and died in Montgomery township; Taylor, our subject; and Elisha, who was a soldier in Company H. 49th O. V. I., and was wounded at the battle of Stone River, dying nine days later; his remains were brought home and interred in Olive Branch cemetery. The father of our sub- ject died when the latter was only two years old, leaving his widow with three children, of whom the eldest was but four years of age, and with no property except a small farm of twenty acres. The heroic mother struggled along, keeping her little family together by hard work, weaving and doing other work as it came in her way, and suc- ceeded in rearing them carefully to manhood and womanhood. She was one of those brave souls of whom the pioneer days saw not a few, and the story of whose lives of hardship and privation, and courageous sacrifices, account for the manly and successful men of whom Ohio can boast such a large proportion. This excellent woman lived to the good old age of seventy-eight years, and now sleeps in Olive Branch cemetery, in Washington township, Hancock county.
Taylor Hale obtained the best education af- forded in the district schools of his day, and de- voted his time after leaving school to the culiva- tion of the farm for his mother, until the Civil war was well under way, when he felt it his duty to respond to his country's call for more men to aid in putting down the Rebellion. On Febru- ary 9, 1865, he enlisted at Perry Center in Com- pany G, 189th O. V. I., under Capt. Dennis. This regiment was sent at once to Huntsville, Ala., where they remained on guard duty until the close of the war. During this time Mr. Hale was never absent from his post. On September 28, 1865, he, with his comrades, was mustered out at Nashville, Tenn., and discharged at Co- lumbus, Ohio, when he returned home.
The marriage of our subject with Miss Zeru- iah, daughter of Jonathan and Margaret Leonard, took place in Hancock county, October 15, 1868, and of this union two children were born: Will- iam, a farmer in Perry township, and Emma, now Mrs. Charles Kelley, of Hancock county. At the time of his marriage, Mr. Hale owned eighty acres of land in Section 32, Perry township. which he had bought out of his own earnings, and on which the family had been living for some time. He went to housekeeping on this place in a round-log'cabin which his mother had built there, and which stood in a dense forest. From
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this wild land he has succeeded in making a fine farm, and has added to it from time to time until he now owns 166 acres, and is classed among the best and most successful agriculturists of the township. He is one of the oldest residents, also, having lived upon this farm for forty-eight years.
Mr. Hale's first wife died October 2, 1873, and was buried at Fostoria. On March 15, 1877, he was united in marriage with Miss Rachel Beightle, who was born in Jackson township, Seneca county, August 21, 1848. Her parents, Martin and Maria (Weightman) Beightle, were natives of Pennsylvania, where her father carried on farming. She was one of ten children. Two children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Hale: Bertha, January 19, 1879, and Elva, February 11, 1883.
In politics Mr. Hale belongs to the Republican party, but he is strongly in sympathy with the Prohibitionists, as he is an earnest advocate of temperance, and uses his best endeavors to root out the evils of the liquor traffic. He has been a trustee of Perry township two terms, and has fre- quently been elected supervisor. He has been a school director of District No. 6. He is a trustee and class-leader in the Olive Branch Methodist Church, of which he has been a member since twelve years of age, and to which his wife also belongs. Mr. Hale is highly respected and es- teemed as an upright Christian man and an ex- cellent citizen.
AARON PHILLIPS. The Phillips family is of German origin. The great-grandfather of our subject, Valentine Phillips, was born in the High- lands of Germany, in 1720. His wife was Mary Phillips. He came to America, and settled near where Phillipsburg, N. J., now stands. He was a soldier in the Revolutionary war, as was also his son Jacob, who was born in New Jersey in 1758, and who married a Miss Sarah Louk, of Philadelphia.
Adam Phillips, the father of our subject, was born in Pennsylvania in 1794, and died March 20, 1857. He was a soldier in the war of 1812, and was under General Harrison at Fort Meigs. In 1818 he was married to Catherine Huff, who was born in Pennsylvania in 1797, and died Oc- tober 6, 1871. They were married in Tuscar- awas county, Ohio, where they lived seven years, then moved to Pike township, Stark county, and in April, 1833, came to Wood county, arriving on the tith, and entered 420 acres of land in Center township, part of which is now occupied by the county infirmary. When the township was formed from Portage, the first meeting after
organization was held in the cabin of Adam Phil- lips, who gave the name to the township. There his children grew up, and each child received a piece of land. He was a Whig in politics, and religiously was an exhorter in the Lutheran Church. To him and his wife were born thirteen children. They were: Daniel, who died in Wood county; William, born October 31, 1821, lives in Wood county; Eliza, the widow of Stewart Anderson; Moses, who went to California, and is probably dead; Mary, who died unmarried; Susan, who married John Shiner, and died in 1862; Aaron, our subject; David, who resides in Toledo, was in Company F, 25th O. V. I., for one year; Noah, who was a member of Company H, 67th O. V. I., entered the army in 1861, was taken ill and died. Four of the children died in infancy.
Our subject was reared on his father's farm, where he remained until twenty-two years old, attending school in a log school-house for two terms. He was married December 11, 1856, to Miss Anna Crom, whose birth occurred in Center township, Wood county. January 7, 1838. He is a fruit grower, and was born in Pike township, Stark Co., Ohio, March 2, 1832. Six chil- dren were born to Mr. and Mrs. Phillips, as fol- lows: Levi C., born December 22, 1857 (he married Emma Duley, and they have, five chil- dren, Frank, Alma, Earl, Herbert and Adel. Levi is an engineer on the M., K. & T. railroad. in Texas); Mary B., born March 8, 1859, died September 1, 1859; Daniel L., born July 24, 1860, married Ella B. Gray, and they have one child, Harvey A. ; Daniel lives in Texas; Mar- tha J., born October 3, 1863, died August 15, 1865; Elsie E., born June 24, 1870, died September 1, 1872; George W., born January 30, 1874, died June 30, 1887. Our subject. after his marriage, settled on a tract of wild land which he improved, and where he lived until 1865, when he sold it. When the Civil war broke out, Mr. Phillips enlisted. August 17, 1861. and served until honorably discharged September 12, 1864. He was in the army of the Cumber- land, and took part in the battles of Shiloh and Mill Springs. He was taken ill, sent to the hos- pital, and discharged for disability, when he went home, remained there a while, then re-enlisted and participated in the battles of Buzzard's Roost, Jonesboro, and the siege of Atlanta. His company led the charge at Jonesboro. He fought close to the works, and was knocked down by the concussion of a shell.
After selling his farm, at the close of the war. he went to Michigan, where he bought a farm in
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WOOD COUNTY, OHIO,
Lenawee county, and lived there until 1870, when he moved to Carroll county, Mo. He lo- cated in various places at different times, among them being: : Fulton county, Ohio; Tuscumbia, Ala .; Nebraska; Colbert county, Ala .; Portage, Wood Co., Ohio; and finally settled in Bowling Green. . He is a member of the G. A. R., and is a Republican in politics. He is a member of the Baptist Church.
Our subject's wife grew up and was educated in Wood county, and, like her husband, belongs to the pioneer stock of Wood county. Mr. and Mrs. Phillips live in a beautiful home in Bowling Green, where they cultivate fruit, making a spe- cialty of berries. They are hospitable, and are greatly esteemed by their many friends through- out the county.
John Crom, the grandfather of Mrs. Aaron Phillips, was a pioneer from Pennsylvania and Ohio, finally locating near Beaver Creek. in Wood county. Her father, Daniel Crom, was born May 10, 1805, and died May 10, 1864. Her mother, who was a Miss Barbara Oberdorf, was born in 1809, and died February 9, 1892. They were married in 1828, and of the thirteen children born to them the following are men- tioned: Elizabeth, Margaret, John, Anna, Joseph, Aaron, Simeon, and Martha.
Mr. Phillips states that on the formation of Plain and Liberty townships Dr. Manville gave the name to Plain, and that John Groves, who is yet living, aged ninety-six years, named Liberty township.
DICKERSON BOWLES, a farmer of Milton township, was born, November 12, 1836, in Cam- bridgeshire, England, a son of John Bowles, whose birth occurred in the same country, Feb- ruary 21, 1809. The father was a farm laborer by occupation, and was married, in Cambridge. England, to Jane Dickerson, who was born Feb- ruary 14, 1809. They came to America in 1852, sailing from Liverpool, and took up their abode in Monroeville, Huron Co., Ohio. Four years later they came to Wood county, and the father purchased a farin in Milton township, which he improved, and on which he lived until his death, which occurred in December, 1876. His wife survived him, dying in February, 1892. They had a family of ten children, namely: Anna and William, deceased: John, a farmer of Milton township; Dickerson; Sarah, who died in Eng- land; Susan, wife of John W. Chappel: Eliza- beth ; James ; and Charles and Arthur, both de- ceased.
Our subject attended school in England, and
came with the family to America, continuing his labors on his father's farm until 1856, when he went to Iowa, and for a short time engaged in the cultivation of rented land. At the expiration of that period he returned home, and continued under the parental roof until 1866. During the war, however, he enlisted, at Napoleon, Ohio, in Company I, 68th Regiment, O. V. I., under Capt. Poe, and participated in the battles of Fort Don- elson, Metamora, Raymond and Champion Hills. and was with Sherman through the Atlanta cam- paign. He was wounded at the battle of Cham- pion Hills, and again, August to, 1864. before Atlanta, and after his recovery marched with Sherman to Savannah. He was honorably dis- charged December 19, 1864. He then returned home, and purchased a farm in Milton township.
On February 14, 1866. Mr. Bowles was un- ted in marriage with Miss Jane Anness, who was born in Cambridgeshire, England, January 12. 1846. Four children graced this union: Daniel, a farmer of Grand Rapids; Arthur, who aids in the operation of the home farm; Walter, and Albert. In politics, Mr. Bowles is a stalwart Republican. He is a member of the Evangelical Church. Industrious and energetic. his business interests are well conducted, and his duties of citizenship are discharged with the same fidelity which marked his army service.
THOMAS ORDWAY, the well-known contractor and builder, of Bowling Green, has identified his name in a lasting way with the growth and pros- perity of that town. and many of its finest resi- dences and business blocks stand as evidences of his skill and workmanship.
His father, Amherst Ordway, was born Orto- ber 15, 1815, in Vermont, and came to Ohio in early manhood, locating first at Milan, Eric county, where he was engaged in contracting and building until 1854, when he removed to House- holder's Corners, Wood county, and remained about five years. He then came to Bowling Green, purchasing a large tract of land, which since his death, October 29, 1880, has been known as Ordway's Addition. He built the first sawmill and gristmill at Bowling Green, and was a lead- ing promoter of many public improvements. He was a Republican in politics, and an active worker in the temperance canse. He married Miss Rox- anna Goodell, who was a native of Huron county. being the first white child born in Townsend township. Her birth occurred January 24. 181; and she died May 6, 1876. Of their seven sons. four served in the army during the Civil war, two losing their lives in the defense of the Union, name-
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ly: Andrew, who died at Athens, Ala., and Hiram, who was killed at Jonesboro, Ga. James re- turned to Bowling Green after three years of service, and is now a contractor and builder there. Nehemiah spent six months at the front, and then returned home, where he now resides. Of the five younger children, Emma, the widow of W. A. Whitaker, Thomas, our subject, and Sylvester, live at Bowling Green. Frederick resides at Akron, Ohio, and Alice, the youngest, is the wife of Wesley Fox, of Chicago Junction, Huron county.
Our subject was born February 5, 1849, near Milan. He received his early education in the district schools near his father's farm in Wood county, and in the high school at Bowling Green. He worked on the farm until the age of twenty-seven, after which he followed the car- peuter's trade as a workman until about ten years ago, when he began to take contracts for build- ings, and also to construct residences for sale. Among the contracts undertaken are those for con- structing the Central school, the East school, and the finishing of the South school building. He has constructed about two-thirds of all the busi- ness blocks in the city. some of which are the Royce bank building. Chris. Lehmann's building, the Cunning and Whitehead building, the Lincoln block, the Mowrey block, and the First National Bank building. Although Mr. Ordway is very quiet and unassuming in manner, he has a reputa- tion for great firmness and persistence in any en- terprise once resolved upon, and this, with his well-tried ability and integrity, has won for him the entire confidence of the community. He was married in 1880 to Miss Eloria Mounts, who was born in Sycamore, Ohio, in 1859. They have three children, Amherst, Katie and Donald. Po- litically, Mr. Ordway is a Republican, and he is a member of the I. O. O. F.
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T. S. BRANDEBERRY, who is successfully en- gaged as a butcher and in the meat market busi- ness in Jerry City, was born in Bloom township, on April 15, 1846, and is a son of William and Anna (Clark) Brandeberry. On the home farm he was reared to manhood, during which time he received a fair English education in the common schools of the neighborhood.
On February 21, 1864, although not quite eighteen years of age, he manifested his loyalty to his native land by enlisting in the Union army at Fostoria, Ohio, becoming a member of Com- pany H, 49th O. V. I., with which he served until December 28, 1865. After the surrender of General Lee, the regiment was sent to Texas,
and there remained until mustered out at Vic- toria, that State. Our subject received his dis- charge at Columbus, Ohio. He was never wounded, but on account of illness was confined for three months in hospitals at Chattanooga and Nashville.
On his return home, Mr. Brandeberry worked for his father for a time, and was also employed by his uncle, Isaac Brandeberry, of Perry town- ship, Wood county. In Bloom township, on May 21, 1868, he led to the marriage altar Miss Lucinda E. Fry, a native of Westmoreland county, Penn., and a daughter of Jonas Fry, a farmer. To them have been born four children, one- of whom died in infancy; the others are: Carrie E., wife of Reuben Echleberger, of Bloom township; Alwilma, wife of Wallace Simon, of the same township; and Milton O., at home.
After remaining upon his uncle's place for sev- eral months, Mr. Brandeberry returned to Bloom township, purchasing thirty-eight and a quarter acres in Section 35, and on the place erected good buildings and made other necessary im- provements. There he resided until April 4, 1883, when he bought fifty acres in Section 22, which he still owns. He immediately com- menced the improvement of his land, which is now in an admirable state of culture. and has become a valuable piece of property, owing to his careful tillage and the neat buildings upon the place. In January, 1895, however, he removed to Jerry City, where he has since conducted a butchering business.
Mr. Brandeberry does not care to take an active part in politics, but always stands by the principles for which he fought, and casts his vote with the Republicans every time. He is a lead- ing member of Bronson Post No. 85, G. A. R., of Jerry City, and attended the Encampment at Louisville, Ky., in 1895, and also the dedication services at Chickamauga, Ga., in September of that year.
ORRIN STEARNS (deceased). The subject of this sketch, a veteran of the Civil war, was born in Montgomery township, May 9, 1841, and was the fourth son and fifth child of Justus and Sarali A. (Davis) Stearns, mention of whom is made in another part of this volume.
Mr. Stearns received a common-school edu- cation, and was reared as a farmer's boy, On September 23, 1861, he enlisted in Company B. 55th Regiment. O. V. I. ; on June 1, 1864, was promoted to corporal, and on July 8. 1865, was further promoted to the rank of first sergeant. He was mustered out July 11, 1865, at Louis-
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Orvin Sternas
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WOOD COUNTY, OHIO.
ville, Ky. While home on a veteran's furlough in 1864, he was married, on February 4, in the " Hays House, " Fostoria, to Miss Sarah A. Brandeberry, the ceremony being performed by J. V. Jones, a justice of the peace. Mrs. Stearns was born in Perry township, April 25, 1846, and is a daughter of Isaac and Nancy (Fish) Brande- berry, the former of whom was born in Richland county, and the latter in Columbiana county, Ohio.
In the spring of 1866 our subject came to his farm, which he had bought in the fall of 1865, and where his widow now lives. It then con- sisted of 120 acres, on which stood an old frame house and another frame building. Mr. Stearns liad saved $1, 500 from his army pay, and his wife was given $2,000, so they started in life in comfortable circumstances. In 1876 he built one of the best brick residences in Perry town- ship. Mr. Stearns died, October 23, 1888, from a lingering illness contracted while in the army, and he was buried in the Fostoria cemetery. While not physically strong, he was able to at- tend to his work, was an excellent business man, dealing extensively in stock, and retired from active life fourteen years previous to his demise. He was a representative citizen and a stanch Republican, and served as director of the In- firmary and as trustee of Perry township. Kind- hearted, he was always ready to assist the needy and deserving, and his death was a great blow to the community. He was a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church, in which he held various offices, and to which he was a most lib- eral contributor. Socially, he belonged to the I. O. O. F., and G. A. R., at Fostoria, and was buried by the latter organization with all its rites and ceremonies.
Since her husband's death Mrs. Stearns has taken charge of the farm, which now consists of 230 acres, and is one of the best in the county. She is a woman of considerable business ability, and has improved the place in many ways. She is a devout Christian, and a liberal contributor to the Methodist Episcopal Church, of which she has been a member since fourteen years of age. While Mr. and Mrs. Stearns had no children of their own, many others have been given a home with this admirable couple, who took great pleas- ure in such philanthropic work.
ANDREW JOSEPH, the popular manager of one of the departments in the mercantile firm of A. Froney & Co., at Bowling Green, was born Sep- tember 17, 1866, in Troy township, this county.
George Joseph, his father, was born in Baden,
Bavaria, January 10, 1812, and came to America in early manhood, locating in Wood county, where he met his future wife, Miss Sophia Het- tinger, a native of Sencefeldt, Baden, born De- cember 26, 1823, who came to this county with her parents when she was a child. After their inarriage, September 12, 1841, they settled upon a farm in Troy township, three miles northeast of Pemberville, where they lived fifty years, but they have now retired to Pemberville to pass the evening of their lives. They are prominent
members of the German Lutheran Church. Their golden wedding in 1891 was a notable occasion, their ten children, all living, making an interest- ing group. Of those living, May, the eldest, is the widow of M. Hauber, of Freeburg, Ill. : Julia is the wife of David Bingle, of Scotch Ridge; Henry resides in Freeburg, Ill .; George Jr., at Wahoo, Nebr. ; John lives at Wahoo, Nebr. ; Louie resides in Center township; Frank is a resident of Luckey; and Emma is at home with her parents.
Andrew Joseph, the youngest of this family. was reared upon the farm, and acquired his early education in the district schools near by. In IS9I he came to Bowling Green. and now has charge of the upper floor of the store of A. Froney & Co., managing the cloak, drapery and carpet departinents. In this capacity he has shown unusual ability, and proved himself entirely worthy of the trust reposed in him. He is also the fortunate owner of a tract of oil land now being developed by him, in company with others. under the partnership name of Bankey, Joseph & Moore.
In politics Mr. Joseph is a Democrat, sharing in this the conviction of his father, who has been for many years a firm supporter of the principles of that party. The subject of our sketch is prominent in the social circles of Bowling Green.
J. D. STEARNES, a worthy representative of the old and prosperous family of that name which is well-known throughout Wood county, is a successful farmer of Perry township, where he stands high in the regard not only of his im- mediate community but also of all citizens in the county who have had business or social relations with him.
Mr. Stearnes is the third child of Justus and Mary (Hall) Stearnes, and was born September 1, 1854. His first schooling was obtained at Sugar Grove, in Perry township, and was the best that could be afforded by the district schools in those days. He has seen many changes since then in the methods of education, and has used his influence in the betterment of the schools of
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