USA > Ohio > Genealogical and family history of eastern Ohio > Part 59
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In 1848 James Smith was united in marriage to Harriet, daughter of John Gourley, and a member of an old pioneer family with an honorable and patriotic record. Her grandfather, John Gourley, was a captain in the Revo- lutionary war, and her father served in the war of 1812 as captain, commanding a company of Pennsylvania troops. James and Harriet (Gourley) Smith had six children, all of whom are living: Anna M., wife of David P. Hous- ton; Nannie A., unmarried; James G .; Joseph; George B .; and Etta Strain Smith. The mother of these children, who was a woman of unusual strength of character, died in 1891.
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George B. Smith, fifth of the family above enumerated, was born on the farm in Mahoning county, Ohio, in 1856, and remained there until he reached his majority. Being ambitious, he determined to secure a good education before entering upon life's work, and this resolve he succeeded in carrying out. Besides the usual attendance in the country schools in his neighborhood, he had the benefit of a course in the high school at Youngstown, where he was graduated in 1877. He next entered Westminster College at New Wil- mington, Pennsylvania, and received a degree from that institution in the class of 1882. After leaving college he obtained a good discipline by teaching school two years, and then went to farming, which he continued for the next five years. At this point he took up the real work which he had decided on as his regular occupation, by commencing the study of law with G. F. Arrel and obtained his admission to the bar in 1891. Mr. Smith immediately opened an office at Youngstown and carried on business until 1899, when he was elected justice of the peace for the township on the Republican ticket. After serving acceptably for three years he was endorsed by re-election in April, 1902, and is now serving his second term to the entire satisfaction of his extensive clientage.
In 1887 occurred the nuptials of George B. Smith and Elizabeth B., daughter of Andrew Milliken, all of Youngstown. The children of this union, five in number, are thus recorded in the family register: Louise Mabon, Thomas Louis, James Edgar, Andrew Milliken and George Gourley Smith. The family are connected with the United Brethren church, in which Mr. Smith holds the position of trustee, and enjoys a cordial welcome in the best social circles of Youngstown society.
WILLIAM ROBERT LEONARD.
The Leonard family has been conspicuously identified with New England history from the early colonial epoch, especially with one important branch of industry, iron manufacture. It is not an unusual thing to find in the old countries of Europe a pursuit inherit from father to son even to the seventh generation, so that the tailor of today probably had a tailor for a grandfather several times removed; but in a new land like America this state of affairs partakes of the extraordinary and justly excites comment. As early as 1651, which is a matter of historical record, one James Leonard, an ancestor of the William Robert Leonard now under consideration, was an iron worker at Lynn, Massachusetts, as was also his brother Henry. Many of the descendants of these worthy brothers were connected with colonial iron enterprises. A prominent writer says: "The family name is the most noted in the annals of New England iron industry." And the Rev. Dr. Forbes.
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in referring to the Leonard family in his "Topographical Description of Raynham with its History," written in 1793, says that "the circumstance of a family attachment to the iron manufacture is so well known as to render it a common observation in this part of the country that 'where you can find iron works, there you will find a Leonard.' "
The Taunton (now Raynham) iron works in Bristol county, Massachu- setts, was established in 1652, and in these works Henry and James Leonard were employed as skilled and practical iron workers. At a meeting held at Taunton, October 21, 1652, "it was agreed and granted by the town to Henry Leonard and James Leonard, his brother, to come hither and join with certain of our inhabitants to set up a bloomery on Two Mile river." These works were put in operation in the following year. Thomas and James Leonard succeed- ed their father in the ownership of the works, and for many generations the Leonard name was connected with the Taunton Forge Company, Thomas Leonard remaining as manager till his death in 1713. Of course the methods of manufacture at that time were crude in comparison with those of modern plants. The bar iron was made directly from the ore, and the hammer and other heavy machinery was brought from England. The annual output was from twenty to thirty tons, which sold from four hundred to six hundred and seventy-five pounds sterling. These works were in almost constant operation for the long period of two hundred and twenty-four years.
Although these American Leonards just mentioned were direct ances- tors of the special subject of this sketch, the latter's grandfather, James Leon- ard, was born in Staffordshire, England, in 1802. He gained a knowledge of the iron business in England from practical experience, and when he came to America in 1833 he settled in Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania, and continued in the manufacture of iron. He died at eighty-four years of age in Youngs- town, Ohio. His son, Simpson S., was born in Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania, July 4, 1833, and spent the best years of his life in following the ancestral pursuit. The only interruption during his young manhood was at the out- break of the Civil war, when he enlisted in what became the famous Penn- sylvania Bucktails, serving nine months, and then re-enlisting in another Pennsylvania regiment and served to the end of the war as a private, being in many of the engagements of that conflict. At present he is a resident of Oklahoma, to which territory he removed in 1889, after giving up the iron business. Simpson S. Leonard married Elizabeth White, who was born in Ireland, February 14, 1835, and came to the United States when about fifteen years of age; her father settled at Three Springs, Huntingdon county, Pennsylvania, where he died at the age of seventy.
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The above is a history of the ancestors and parents of William Robert Leonard, the present county auditor of Mahoning county, Ohio, whose birth occurred in Huntingdon county, Pennsylvania, June 3, 1859. Although he is now incumbent of this important county office, and he, too, has been in the iron business, and devoted twenty-four years of his life to that great industry. He began in the mills of Altoona, Pennsylvania, became connected with the mills at Youngstown, Ohio, in 1875, and at the time of his election to his present office, in 1898, he occupied the position of superintendent of the pud- dle mills. and he continued in his superintendency until his official duties be- gan in the following year. He was re-elected auditor in 1901. He has always been a Republican in politics, and takes an active part in the affairs of his county. In November, 1901, the Wilkins-Leonard Hardware Com- pany was organized in Youngstown, with a paid up capital of thirty-five thou- sand dollars, and Mr. Leonard is the president of this important enterprise.
In 1880 Mr. Leonard was married to Miss Susan B. Daugherty, a daugh- ter of Edward and Mary Daugherty, natives of Pennsylvania, who are now deceased and sleep in the Coitsville cemetery. Mr. Leonard is quite prominent in fraternal cricles, being a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, the Knights of Pythias, the Ancient Order of United Workmen, the Benevo- lent and Protective Order of Elks, and the Sons of Veterans, and belongs to the Trinity Methodist Episcopal church.
JOHN WILLIAM BOCH.
John William Boch is a well known representative of the industrial in- terests of East Liverpool, where he is acting as general manager in the pot- tery of R. Thomas & Sons Company. He is a man of marked enterprise and keen discrimination, and his thorough understanding of the business over which he has charge, combined with his efficiency in controlling men, has made him well qualified for the responsibilities which devolve upon him. Mr. Boch is a native of Brooklyn, New York, born in the year 1855. His paternal grandfather, William Boch, was a native of Germany, born in 1800. He re- mained in that country until 1848, when, attracted by the business opportuni- ties and possibilities of the new world, he crossed the Atlantic to America, settling first in Brooklyn. Later he removed to Corona, New York, where his remaining days were passed, his death occurring in 1878. He, too, was a potter, and that branch of industrial activity was also represented by An- thony Boch, the father of our subject. The latter was likewise a native of Germany, his birth having occurred in 1824. In 1848 he accompanied his father to America, and was a resident of Brooklyn until 1863, when he re-
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moved to Corona, New York, where he made his home until 1886. That year witnessed his arrival in East Liverpool, Ohio, where he remained con- tinuously until 1898. He then returned to Brooklyn, where his remaining days were passed, his death occurring in that city on the 2d of April, 1901. In 1854 he was united in marriage to Mary A. Keil, and they became the parents of four children, of whom one died in infancy, while three are yet living : John W .; Oscar A .; and Ida A., the wife of Theodore R. Bradshaw, a resi- dent of Niles, Ohio. Anthony Boch thoroughly understood the business of a potter, and was actively connected with it throughout the years of his busi- ness career. While residing in Corona, New York, he served as postmaster of the town, and was regarded as an influential and representative citizen there. Reliable in business, trustworthy in all life's relations, he won for himself the high regard of those with whom he came in contact.
In taking up the personal history of John William Boch we present to our readers the life record of one who is widely and favorably known in East Liverpool. He spent the first eight years of his life in his native city, and then accompanied his parents on their removal to Corona, about six miles from Buffalo. There he pursued his education and made his home until 1884. He left school at the age of fourteen years and entered a pottery in Corona, being employed there for some time. He was also a salesman in a hardware store until 1880, when he was made manager of a small pottery in Corona, acting in that capacity for four years. On the expiration of that period he came to East Liverpool and entered the employ of R. Thomas & Sons as manager, and when the firm was incorporated in 1893, Mr. Boch was chosen secretary and general manager, in which capacity he has since served. His practical knowledge of the business in all its departments enables him to carefully superintend the works and to so direct the labors of the men as to produce the best results. He is always fair and just in his treatment of his employes, and thus commands their regard and has their active co-oper- ation. He has done not a little to sustain the high reputation which the house has always enjoyed, and the enterprise has become a leading and a profitable one in East Liverpool.
On the 14th of January, 1891, was celebrated the marriage of John W. Boch and Miss Luda Stevenson, a daughter of Thomas W. and Alice L. (Tope) Stevenson. Their union has been blessed with two children, Evelyn and Doris. Mr. and Mrs. Boch have many warm friends in this place, and the hospitality of the best homes is cordially extended to them. Mr. Boch is identified with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, belonging to both the lodge and the encampment, and he is also a chapter Mason. His political
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support is given the Republican party, and his religious faith is indicated by his membership in the Methodist Episcopal church. His career has been suc- cessful chiefly by reason of his natural ability and his thorough insight into the business in which as a young tradesman he embarked. His life has been one of activity, in which has been accorded due recognition of labor, and to-day he is numbered among the substantial citizens of his adopted county. His interests are thoroughly identified with those of the county, and at all times he is ready to lend his aid and co-operation to any movement calculated to benefit this section of the state or to advance its development.
JOSIAH THOMPSON SMITH.
This gentleman is entitled to distinction as one of the most progressive and enterprising men of Columbiana county, Ohio, having made his home in East Liverpool and vicinity through life, except three years in Missouri when quite young, and has therefore always been identified with its interests. Upon the commercial activity of a community depends its prosperity, and among the men who are at the head of important business enterprises is Mr. Smith, who is now president of the Smith-Phillips China Company, and of the J. T. Smith Lumber Company. He is a man of broad capabilities, who carries forward to successful completion whatever he undertakes.
Mr. Smith was born in East Liverpool, the 3Ist of August, 1856, and is a great-great-grandson of Thomas Fawcett and Isabella Snodgrass, who were born in Ireland. Thomas Fawcett was born June II, 1747, and Isabella Snodgrass, March 1, 1754. They were married in Ireland, February 26, 1772, and the same year emigrated to America and settled in Charters Valley, Pennsylvania, where to them eight children were born. In the year 1797 they moved with their family to the then Northwest Territory, and in the year 1798 bought from Isaac Craig eleven hundred acres of land, now mostly occupied as part of the city of East Liverpool. He laid out some town lots on said land, and called the place St. Clairsville, and built the first flour mill in the territory on Carpenter's Run. People going to the mill got to calling the place Fawcettstown and it was so known until 1836, when William G. Smith, a grandson of Thomas Fawcett, and born in Fawcettstown, June 17, 1803, bought land from William Hill, adjoining the town, and laid out an addition, and had the town platted as East Liverpool, and with all the means at his command commenced to build a city by offering inducements for men of means and artisans to become citizens. He induced James Bennett to locate and engage in the pottery business in 1836, and thus laid the basis for what has become the great pottery center of the United States, and, with
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slackwater navigation of the Ohio river, it will eventually become the great pottery center of the world.
Daniel Jones Smith, the father of the subject of this article, was born in East Liverpool, October 30, 1833, and spent his boyhood days there until 1845, when he was sent to Pittsburg to attend the common schools and get his education, his father and family moving there in 1848. He remained and was employed by his father's business firm for two seasons in running a boat upon the Sandy and Beaver canal, he buying and shipping flour, grain and other farm products to them in Pittsburg. In 1852 he removed with his father's family back to East Liverpool, and from there attended three terms at Mount Union College, and in 1854 entered into partnership with his father and engaged in the merchandising and pottery business. In June, 1855, he married Deborah E. Thompson, a daughter of Hon. Josiah Thompson, one of Liverpool's foremost pioneer builders. By that union six children were born : Josiah T., our subject ; William S .; Lulu S., now wife of Hugh Fer- guson ; Cassius C., who died in 1887; Wilson F .; and Zeletta M., wife of Byron Robinson, of Akron. His wife Deborah, died December 25, 1874. The father again married, the second union being with Amanda Carnegie. Our subject's father was an abolitionist, an agent of the underground rail- road, and in 1854, at a convention of the people of Columbiana county, wrote the first declaration of principles of the Republican party, and aided in organ- izing same, carrying the county for the party that year, which has remained firm in Republican principle to the present. In March, 1856, he moved to Missouri and aided the freestate men of Kansas during the border war. He returned to East Liverpool in 1859; at the breaking out of the war of the rebellion he joined the National Guards of Ohio, and was mustered into United States service in Company I, One Hundred and Forty-third Ohio Volunteer Infantry, and served during the campaign of 1864, in front of Petersburg and Richmond, and was mustered out in September by reason of expiration of term of service.
In the county of his nativity Josiah T. Smith was reared, and in the common schools obtained a limited education, never attending school after at- taining the age of sixteen years, except one term at Mount Union College, in Stark county, Ohio. At the age of twenty-two he embarked in general merchandising, buying a little country store in St. Clair township, Colum- biana county, which he conducted for eighteen months, and then removed to East Liverpool, where he opened a grocery store and meat market. Two years later he disposed of his stock of groceries, but continued in the meat business for six years with good success, selling out at the end of that time.
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He next embarked in the lumber business, which was incorporated in 1901 as the J. T. Smith Lumber Company, and of this he is now president, as well as president of the Smith-Phillips China Company, as previously stated.
On the 9th of May, 1878, in Liverpool, was celebrated the marriage of Mr. Smith and Miss Sarah E. Hickman, a daughter of Adam Hickman, and to them have been born four children, as follows: Lenora Z., who is now the wife of Charles L. E. McKee, and has one son, William G. Smith McKee; Everett H., who died in 1900 at the age of nineteen years; Josiah C .; and Herbert D. Mr. Smith is quite an active and prominent member of the Methodist Episcopal church of East Liverpool, and is now serving as super- intendent of the Sunday-school at the Methodist Episcopal Chapel. Frater- nally he belongs to the blue lodge of Masons. In politics he is identified with the Republican party, and represented the second ward in the city council for two years. He is a man of excellent business and executive ability, whose sound judgment, unflagging enterprise and capable management have brought to him a well merited success. In manner he is pleasant and cordial, which, combined with his sterling worth, makes him one of the popular citizens of his native county.
WILLIAM J. ROGERS.
This is a utilitarian age, one in which progress and advancement come not by force of arms as in the ages of the past, but in the industrial and commercial interests of life. America is pre-eminently a land of self-made men, for here are to be found opportunities for achieving of success by personal effort such as are offered in no other land. The young man of energy, brains and industry may readily gain a place of respect and influence in the business world, providing he is well grounded in the principles of integrity and up- rightness. From foreign lands have come many young men who have been quickly assimilated into our complex social fabric and who have taken ad- vantage of the opportunities offered and have thereby gained a success and prestige worthy the name. A sterling representative of this class is the gentleman whose name initiates this paragraph and who is now incumbent of the office of vice president of the Enterprise Boiler Company, representing one of the important industrial enterprises of the thriving city of Youngs- town, Mahoning county. He has gained advancement through his own ef- forts and as one of the able and honored business men of his city is well en- titled to consideration in this publication.
William J. Rogers is a native of England, having been born in the at- tractive seaport town of Stockton-on-Tees, county of Durham, on the 9th of December, 1868, and having been there reared to the age of seventeen
William J. Roger
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years. He received excellent educational advantages in the schools of his home town and there initiated his business career by securing employment in a rolling mill. Mr. Rogers' parents are William and Jane Rogers, both of whom were likewise born in England, whence they emigrated to America in the year 1884, being now residents of Youngstown, where the father is living retired from active business. Of the eight children in the family the subject of this review is the eldest. William J. Rogers remained in England about a year after his parents had come to the United States, his arrival here dating back to 1885. He came from New York city to Ohio and soon afterward took up his residence in Youngstown, where he secured employment with a coal company. At the expiration of four years he became bookeeper in the office of the Enterprise Boiler Company, retaining this incumbency until the organization of a stock company was effected and articles of in- corporation filed. He then became one of the stockholders and incorporators and was simultaneously made a member of the directorate of the new com- pany, while in 1898 he was elected to his present responsible office as vice president. His advancement came through his knowledge of the details of the business, his fidelity, industry and distinct executive ability, and he is now actively identified with the practical operation of the finely equipped plant of the company, whose business has shown a continuous expansion in scope and importance.
In politics he gives his support to the Republican party and he is known as a progressive and public-spirited citizen, while his course has been such as to gain him unqualified confidence and esteem in the community where he has made his home and won for himself a place of independence. On the 30th of September, 1897, Mr. Rogers was united in marriage to Miss Sarah J. James, who was born in England, the daughter of Tallisan James. Of this union there are two living sons, Ernest J. and Clement.
GEORGE W. RIPPLE.
George W. Ripple, who is residing in Austintown township, on his farm of one hundred and sixty acres, is widely and favorably known in Mahoning county and is a representative of one of the old families of this section of the state. He is a grandson of John and Susan ( Herroff) Ripple, both of whom were natives of Pennsylvania, whence they removed to eastern Ohio, locating in Poland, Mahoning county. The grandfather entered his land from the government, and became the owner of considerable property. He transformed the wild tract into richly cultivated fields and had a valuable and well improved farm. In his early life he gave his political support to the
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Whig party and later became a Prohibitionist. He held membership in the Evangelical church and was held in high esteem by all because of his sterling character and upright life. He died in 1867, at the advanced age of eighty- six years, and his wife passed away previously. In their family were eight children : Amanda, Betsy, Lydia, Leah, Samuel, George, John and William.
Of this number was Samuel Ripple, who was born in Poland, Poland township, in 1814, and was reared and educated in Austintown township, attending the common schools and working on his father's farm, when not engaged with the duties of the schoolroom. Throughout his entire life he carried on agricultural pursuits and was one of the leading farmers of his locality. He owned about
fifty acres of land, which he brought to a high state of cultivation. In all his dealings with his fellow men he was upright and trustworthy, and he loved peace and quietness and wished all men prosperity. In his religious faith he was connected with the Evangelical church, and in his political views was a Republican. He married Eve, a daughter of Jacob and Kate Gilbert, and their marriage, celebrated in 1839, was blessed with eleven children: John, George W., Samuel, Jacob, Jeremiah, Angeline, Kate, Susan, Mary, Sarah, Lydia M. The mother died in 1864 of smallpox, taking the disease while nursing her son Samuel, who had become a victim to it while serving in the Civil war. For his second wife the father of our subject chose Mary A. Rorick, whom he married in 1867, and their children were six in number, namely: Hattie, Emery D., Sankey, Moody, William, and one deceased. Of these two marriages there are fourteen children still living.
George W. Ripple was born in Austintown township, Mahoning county, in 1843, and spent his youth in his parents' home, alternating his work in the fields by attendance at the public schools. The first land which he ever owned consisted of a small tract of twelve and a half acres, which he pur- chased in 1864. He afterward sold that and purchased his present farm of one hundred and sixty acres, whereon he is engaged in general farming and stock-raising. Everything about his place is neat and kept in good condition, and the property constitutes one of the good farms of this portion of the county.
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