USA > Ohio > Genealogical and family history of eastern Ohio > Part 58
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).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49 | Part 50 | Part 51 | Part 52 | Part 53 | Part 54 | Part 55 | Part 56 | Part 57 | Part 58 | Part 59 | Part 60 | Part 61 | Part 62 | Part 63 | Part 64 | Part 65 | Part 66 | Part 67 | Part 68 | Part 69
WILLIAM NOLL.
The prestige which the city of Youngstown, Mahoning county, has at- tained as a manufacturing and industrial center is of very significant order, and the growth and development of this section of the state has been greatly furthered by the important industrial enterprises which are to be found in the city, since in their prosecution is not only enlisted large capitalistic rein- forcement but also the services of many able officials and capable operatives. These conditions all, make for substantial prosperity and progress, and in the compilation of this work it is gratifying to the publishers to be able to present reviews of the lives of many worthy and honored citizens who are identified in a practical way with the various industrial concerns to which reference has just been made. One of this number is the subject of this sketch, and he is incumbent of the position of foreman of the foundry depart-
Million Doll
667
GENEALOGICAL AND FAMILY HISTORY.
ment of the William Tod Company, here engaged in the manufacture of steam engines.
William Noll is a native of the state of Pennsylvania, having been born in Brownsville, Fayette county, on the 6th of September, 1853, and having been there reared to the age of thirteen years before he began to assume the practical responsibilities of life, his educational advantages in his boyhood having been those afforded by the public schools of his native town. At the age noted Mr. Noll secured employment in a foundry in Brownsville, where he was employed until 1869, when he went to the city of Pittsburg, where he learned the trade of moulding in the foundry of the firm of Anderson & Freyfogle, so that he may be said to have practically grown up in the busi- ness with which he is identified at the present time. In August, 1872, Mr. Noll came to Youngstown and secured employment in the foundry of the William Tod Company, where he remained until 1876, when he assumed a similar pisition in the foundry of the Brown-Bonnell Company, in whose ser- vice he remained about four years ; at the expiration of this period he again en- tered the employ of the Tod Company, being made foreman of the foundry in 1881 and thus continuing until October, 1884, when he resigned his position and took a similar one in the employ of the Mahoning Valley Iron Company, having charge of its foundry until 1888, when he once more resumed his old position as foreman of the Tod foundry, in which capacity he has ever since continued, enjoying the confidence and esteem of his employers and the good will of those whose work he directs. In politics he is stanchly arrayed in support of the Republican party, and he holds membership in the West- minster Presbyterian church, of which his wife, also, is a devoted member.
As the name indicates, our subject comes of stanch German lineage, his father, Henry Noll, having been born in Germany in the year 1821, and having emigrated to America in 1848, locating first in the city of Pittsburg, where he remained a few years and then removed to Brownsville, Pennsyl- vania, where he maintained his home until 1870, when he returned to Pitts- burg ; two years later he came to Youngstown, where he passed the remainder of his life, his death occurring in 1899. He married Louise E. Kistler, and of their nine children seven are now living, namely: George H .; William; Charles C .; Mary, wife of Thomas C. Gilchrist ; John ; Louise, wife of Andrew Middleton ; and Anna G.
On the 16th of April, 1880, William Noll was united in marriage to Miss Charlotte Ludt, who died in 1885, leaving one son, Frederick Charles. In 1887 Mr. Noll married Miss Margaret E. Seeger, who is his present com- panion and helpmeet, and they are the parents of two daughters, Doretta E. and Olive E.
668
GENEALOGICAL AND FAMILY HISTORY.
JOHN H. VOHWINKEL.
Mr. Vohwinkel is the efficient superintendent of the American Steel and Wire Company of Salem, Ohio. He has been connected with that com- pany for a continuous term of fourteen years. He is a native of Crefeld, Rhenish Prussia, and was reared and educated in this village and was given the solid education which is provided for the German youth. Before coming to America he served the emperor loyally for three years in the army. In 1883 he came to America, and became connected with the steel and iron trade in different portions of the country, finally becoming an expert operator in a nail mill. In 1899 he was appointed superintendent of the large plant of the American Steel and Wire Company at Salem, Ohio. Mr. Vohwinkel is thoroughly versed in everything that is necessary to the proper conduct of a business of this character, and is a very popular official with a large force of men of whom he has control. In social life he is a member of the Elks, and is highly esteemed for his many sterling qualities of citizenship.
HARMAN R. EWING.
Mr. Ewing was the first member of the bar to locate in the town of Sebring, Ohio. He is now attorney for the Sebring brothers, and located here in March, 1900, a few months after the town had been incorporated. He had come from the city of Youngstown, where he was admitted to the bar in 1897. His literary education was secured in the common schools of his native township of Jackson, and he later took a course at the Normal College in Canfield, also a course at the law school at Ada, Ohio, where he graduated in 1897. Prior to this experience he had taught school for a period of four years.
Mr. Ewing was born in Jackson township, Mahoning county, in 1875, and is the son of Mr. James R. Ewing, a native also of the same township, where he was born in 1853. James R. Ewing is a man of considerable promi- nence in his community, being regarded as one of the very best farmers in the township, and having been honored with many of the local offices of trust there. The Ewings are one of the oldest families in the Western Re- serve. The great-grandfather, John Ewing, settled in Jackson township from the Keystone state very early in the nineteenth century. His son Gibson Ewing, the grandfather of our subject, continued also to reside here. He was married to Mary Riddle, also of one of the very earliest families to settle in the Western Reserve. Our subject's mother's name was Mary Lynn, a daughter of Levi Lynn, also of Jackson township, and a man who was for- merly connected with the public affairs of the community. The Ewings are
669
GENEALOGICAL AND FAMILY HISTORY.
also connected with the pioneer family of Moherman, our subject's great- grandmother, Mary Lynn, having been a Moherman.
Harman Ewing was happily married in Youngstown to Miss Nora J., daughter of John F. Tibbit, and she presides over his home with the ac- complished grace of a refined and intelligent lady. In political affiliation Mr. Ewing supports the principles of the Republican party, and although a young man is already regarded with great respect by the leaders of the party in Mahoning county. Fraternally he has membership in the Knights of Pythias.
SEBRING BROTHERS.
The development of the pottery industry was for many generations confined to the little state of New Jersey, the city of Trenton in that state being the focus around which centered much of the trade. The past twenty- five years, however, has seen the removal of this focal point westward, and interest in the trade now centers about Columbiana county, Ohio, where are many points which are rapidly coming to the front as important centers of this industry. This article has to do with the story of the rise and unexam- pled progress of the most promising of these, together with brief biographical mention of its promoters.
The life of the community of Sebring is the Sebring family, five of whose members are actively interested in the different lines of the pottery industry conducted at that point. These gentlemen are the sons of George A. Sebring and Mrs. (Larkins) Sebring, who were married in Birmingham, a suburb of Pittsburg. He located in East Liverpool in 1860, having previously lived for some time in Beaver county, Pennsylvania, where he was engaged in the pottery business. His father before him was John Sebring, who was a na- tive of Germantown, Pennsylvania, and who lived at that point in Revolu- tionary times. The Sebring brothers were reared in East Liverpool, and were given the advantages of an excellent education in the public schools there. As they came to manhood they all worked in the potteries of that place, and thus became masters of the industry which they have so fully exploited in later years. George and O. H. Sebring have passed a lifetime at the business, having been foremen of large potteries in East Liverpool for a number of years prior to their establishing the present plant. The other brothers were for a period in their earlier manhood engaged in the grocery business in East Liverpool. In 1886 they began their first venture in the pottery busi- ness in East Liverpool, where they established a plant, and the following year opened a second plant known as the Klondike. This they operated for a number of years, and then sold out to the Smith Brothers. Again they es-
670
GENEALOGICAL AND FAMILY HISTORY.
tablished a plant, this time in East Palestine in the year 1896, which they operated until they resolved to initiate the present enterprise. In 1900 a com- pany was formed, and one thousand acres of land were purchased at a point five miles east of Alliance, and a town laid out which was given the name of Sebring. The first pottery plant to be erected was called the Oliver China Works, which employed a force of three hundred men. They then brought to this point what was known as the Sebring Pottery Company, which em- ployed a force of three hundred men. Another plant was later put in opera- tion, called the French China Works, which employs a like number of men, and the last venture, called the China Works, was then established, which requires a force of three hundred men. Thus there are in all twelve hundred men engaged in the different lines under the management of the Sebring broth- ers, who are now the largest manufacturers of pottery in the United States. The four plants comprise twenty-four ware kilns, twenty-four decorating kilns, and has two hundred and seventy-six thousand feet of floor space. The town of Sebring which has sprung up in consequence of this industry is now an enterprising little city of three thousand population, and bids fair in the near future to reach the ten thousand mark. The town is rapidly attracting to it other manufacturing enterprises on account of its excellent railroad facili- ties and the liberal inducements which it offers in other respects. There has been built here a large stave mill, whose product is used in the shipping of ware from the potteries. There is also a large flint mill, and what is called a farmers' manufacturing plant. These concerns employ over one hundred men each. The city is rapidly taking on a metropolitan appearance, being up-to-date in all its public utilities. The water system is operated under the capitalization of the Mellons of Pittsburg. A complete line of sewers has been put in, the city is lighted by electricity, and street cars are also in opera- tion. The school system of the city has been put upon a firm foundation, and, in fact, everything has been done to make the city one of the most attractive places of residence in eastern Ohio. Great credit is due to the broad and liberal ideas held by the Sebring brothers in the working out of this enter- prise. They are all gentlemen of the highest integrity of character, and are men whom any community might well be proud to number among its citizen- ship.
SAMUEL C. ROOK.
A veteran of the Mexican war and that of the rebellion, a resident of Youngstown, Ohio, for nearly half a century, and a man whose life has been such as to retain to him the confidence and esteem of his fellow men, the venerable subject of this sketch is known to practically every resident of his
671
GENEALOGICAL AND FAMILY HISTORY.
home city, where his popularity is unmistakable, and where he has had charge of the Youngstown opera house since 1874. A review of his life record will be read with interest by his many friends, and is most consistently given place in this work.
Samuel C .. Rook (or Rooke, as the name was originally spelled) was born on a farm in Franklin county, Pennsylvania, in 1827. His father, John Rook, was likewise a native of the old Keystone state, where he was born in 1778 and where he passed his entire life, his death occurring in 1869. As a companion and helpmeet on the journey of life he chose Susannah Sailham- mer, whose father was a valiant soldier in the continental line during the war of the Revolution, and of this union were born ten children, namely: Jacob and William, both of whom are deceased; Elizabeth, who became the wife of Hugh Laughlin and who is likewise deceased: John, Nicholas, George and Samuel C., who are living at the present time; James, who is deceased, having been the twin brother of Mary, who is the wife of John Clark ; and Ann, who is the wife of a Mr. Maxwell. The devoted mother of these children died in 1831, being long survived by her husband. The paternal grandfather of our subject was born in England, whence he came to America in early man- hood, and he also served with honor as a continental soldier in the war of the Revolution, so that our subject is of Revolutionary stock in both the pa- ternal and maternal lines.
Samuel C. Rook was reared in the state of Pennsylvania, his youth being passed on farms in Franklin and Cumberland counties. His early educational advantages were such as were afforded in the common schools of the day, which he was able to attend during the winter months until he had attained the age of thirteen years, his services being demanded in connection with the work of the farm during the summer seasons. He continued to be employed at farm work until February, 1847, when he enlisted for service in the Mex- ican war, becoming a private in Company I, Second United States Infantry, with which he was in service for nearly two years, having been stationed at Governor's Island, New York, during the first four months of his term. He thence proceeded with his command to the scene of conflict and he was an active participant in the battles of Huamantha, on the 9th of October, 1847, and Atlixco, later in the same year. After the close of the war Mr. Rook returned to his home in Pennsylvania, where he turned his attention to learn- ing the tailor's trade, at which he was engaged for a period of nine years, at the expiration of which, having in the meanwhile come to Youngstown in 1855, he here engaged in the grocery business on a modest scale, opening a little store in 1859. He carried the enterprise forward successfully until
672
GENEALOGICAL AND FAMILY HISTORY.
his patriotism again prompted him to respond to his country's call when its integrity was menaced by armed rebellion, and in April, 1861, this honored veteran of the Mexican war volunteered in Youngstown, reporting in the city of Columbus on the 2d of July and being there assigned to Company G, Twenty-sixth Ohio Volunteer Infantry, of which he was made captain. He served in this capacity until the expiration of his term of service, and was mustered out as such on the 8th of March, 1863. He participated in the engagements at Boone, West Virginia, and that of Stone River, Tennessee, besides many skirmishes and other minor conflicts. Leaving the army in March, 1863, Captain Rook returned to Youngstown, and was appointed deputy provost marshal of the eighteenth district of Ohio, serving in this capacity until April, 1865, He was then given a position on the police force of Youngstown, and in this connection gave efficient service for a term of nearly four years, at the expiration of which he was appointed to the posi- tion which he now occupies, as janitor of the opera house, in which capacity he has served since 1874. In politics Mr. Rook is a stanch Republican, and fraternally is identified with the Masonic order, in which he has taken the capitular degrees, and he is an honored member also of Tod Post No. 29, G. A. R.
In Youngstown, in 1856, Mr. Rook was united in marriage to Miss Maria McCord, daughter of George McCord, and they became the parents of two children, Eugene S., who is married and has two sons, William and Ross H .; and Theodore, who likewise is married but who has no children. Our subject also has an adopted son, William.
HOMER R. BALDWIN.
Back in the very infancy of the last century there came to the Western Reserve a family whose name has since been most prominently connected with its development, its different members entering into every movement that was intended to advance the section. The member of the family whose name introduces this review has for forty-four years operated a flouring mill in the city of Youngstown, locating his mill on the Mahoning river in the days when the city was a mere hamlet, giving no sign of the wonderful development that should follow. Beginning in the good old way, with every farmer con- tributing his "toll" to the miller's private grist, he has passed through the various stages in the milling business, retiring the old machinery as the car of inventive genius pushed its onward way with new and better methods, and through it all, Mr. Baldwin has held his way, keeping "Baldwin XXX" the best thing on the market. Anything like a full sketch of the Baldwin
673
GENEALOGICAL AND FAMILY HISTORY.
family is out of the question in a volume of the present limited size, and we can but note briefly the main points in its history.
Prominent among the sturdy men who gloried in the name of "Puritan" was Sylvester Baldwin, the first of this family of whom we have authentic record. His wife's maiden name was Sarah Bryan, a sister of Alexander Bryan, of Milford, England. In 1638, together with his family and a large numbers of others of like mind, he took passage in the good ship Martin for the new world. During the voyage the first recorded tragedy in the Baldwin family occurred in the death of its head. This blow came with stunning force on the young widow, left, without a protector, to face the perils of an untried wilderness. But she took up the lines where Sylvester Baldwin had laid them down, and settling in the new town of Boston, reared her little family in the principles which their sire had held in such high repute as to sacrifice everything that life seemed to contain of worth. She later in life removed to Milford, Connecticut, where she now lies buried. One of her sons, Richard by name, was the first planter in Connecticut who eschewed slave labor. He was born in England, in Buckinghamshire, August 25, 1622. When he came to manhood he married Elizabeth Alsop, to whom were born a number of children, Zachariah being the one which is next in succession in this branch of the Baldwin family. This gentleman was born in Milford, Connecticut, in 1660, and died May 31, 1722. He married the widow of Ezekiel Sanford. She was the mother of Ebenezer Baldwin, who was the great-grandfather of our subject, and who was born in the same town in the Nutmeg state, August 6, 1693, and died there October 16, 1776. Grandfather Simeon Baldwin also hailed from Milford, where he was born January 14, 1724. He was a soldier in the war for independence, tradition connecting him with the paymaster's department. He served on the Con- necticut committee of safety during those trying times preceding that great struggle for popular rights. He was twice married, the first wife's maiden name having been Mary, the daughter of Thomas Bronson, the name of his second wife being Rebecca Buck. He lived out a long and useful life in his native state and died there in 1808. Eli Baldwin, the son of Simeon and Re- becca (Buck) Baldwin, and who is remembered as one of the early pioneers of the Western Reserve, was born in the same town as his forefathers before him in 1777. In early manhood he came west to the strip of land still held by his home state, and known as the Western Reserve. This was about the year 1800. He soon married, choosing as his life companion Miss Mary Newport, of Trumbull county, and to the marriage eleven children were born, two of whom are now living: Mary, widow of A. S. Kyle; and Homer.
674
GENEALOGICAL AND FAMILY HISTORY.
Mr. Baldwin was a man who impressed his personality upon the new state to which he had come. He was a follower of Jefferson in politics, and did valiant service in keeping alive the principles enunciated by that great statesman. He was a member of the state legislature and an associate judge of Trumbull county. During a large part of his lifetime he was a peace justice for his immediate district. In 1836 his name had become such a synonym for truth and honesty in politics that he was selected as the standard- bearer of his party in election for governor, but was defeated at the election by James Vance. Mr. Baldwin was ever ready to take his part in the more arduous work of the new state. As early as 1804 he is mentioned as a captain of militia, Second Regiment, Fourth Division, and in the war of 1812 he was found in the ranks doing service. Before leaving the early history of tlie Baldwin family, it will be of interest to note that they were all men of promi- nence in their day, each being distinguished in the councils of their time. As far back as 1662 we find Richard Baldwin, son of the heroic widow, a member for Milford of the Connecticut assembly, in which position he served to the time of his demise. He was also a member of the famous general court for Milford for a period. In his time Zachariah Baldwin, commonly known as "Sargh," was auditor of Milford, and a member of the Connecticut general assembly.
Returning now to the immediate subject of this article, Mr. Homer Baldwin was born on a farm in Boardman township, Mahoning county, Janu- ary 12, 1825. Here he was reared to the age of sixteen, engaging in the various labors of the farmer of that day, and in the meantime securing an edu- cation of sufficient breadth to enable him to act as a teacher. For the next five years the winter season was passed in this pleasant occupation. How- ever, he soon convinced himself that he was not fashioned for professional life. His penchant for machinery drew him to the neighboring flouring mill during many of his boyhood hours, and when he became a man it was but natural that he should engage in it as a business. In the neighboring town of Girard his elder brother Jesse was conducting a mill in company with Abner Osborne, and with them he took service. With funds which he was enabled to save, added to his earnings in the schoolroom, he afterwards bought out the interest of Osborne, and on August 17, 1846, formed a part- nership with his brother.
The partnership thus formed was continued successfully for some twelve years. In 1858 it was determined to enlarge the business, and a mill was con- structed on the banks of the Mahoning, in the crossroads village of Youngs- town, then without promise save as a mere trading point for the farming
675
GENEALOGICAL AND FAMILY HISTORY.
element that then inhabited the valley. Before this mill was fairly under way, the two brothers amicably dissolved their partnership, the new mill be- ing taken by Homer, and his brother remaining at Girard. As stated previous- ly, Homer Baldwin has been continuously in business to the present time, a length of service that distinguishes him as the oldest business man in the city.
Homer Baldwin has had little inclination to engage much in the public life of the city, though he is ever ready to lend aid to any cause that will further its progress. He has never been connected with any of the secret orders, and, while he does not oppose the doctrines of the church, he has never become a communicant of any of them. He is the father of three sons, William R., Henry R. and Benjamin N.
GEORGE B. SMITH.
Few people will be found in Youngstown unacquainted with George B. Smith, who for years past, as lawyer and justice of the peace, has had dealings with multitudes as they passed back and forth in the transaction of business. In the discharge of the important duties of his office Mr. Smith has not only shown energy and good judgment, but also the tact and courtesy which are so essential to success in the transaction of public business. A native of Ohio himself, and identified all his life with the place of his nativity, he is descended from one of the earliest pioneers of the state. His great- grandfather, James Smith, was born in northern Ireland during the latter part of the eighteenth century, emigrated first to Pennsylvania, and located in Ohio in 1804. His son William Smith was born in Franklin county, Penn- sylvania in 1784, came with his father to Mahoning county, Ohio, in 1804 and died there in 1879. He married Mary Wishart, by whom he had eight children, and the third of these in order of birth was James Smith, father of the subject of this sketch. He was born on the paternal farm in Mahoning county in 1808, and spent his entire life in his native neigh- borhood, engaged in agricultural pursuits, passing away in 1883.
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.