USA > Ohio > Genealogical and family history of eastern Ohio > Part 61
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His father was very successful as a wagon and carriage builder, and after arriving in America lived until the time of his death in Johnstown, Pennsylvania.
James W. Barnes, now deceased, brother of Dr. Barnes, was a drum- major in the One Hundred and Thirty-third Pennsylvania Volunteers in the Civil war, and served actively for a year, during which time he was noted for his bravery and devotion to the cause. He died in the year 1895.
Dr. Barnes is a Republican in politics and for many years has taken a warm interest in the success of the party. He has been president of the Mahoning County Medical Society and a member of the Ohio State Medical Society. He has also been prominent in the Knights of Pythias and the Methodist Episcopal church, in both of which he has for many years been an influential member. In his advancing years Dr. Barnes has found a warm place in the hearts of all, for he has ever been anxious to alleviate suffering and to brighten the lives of those with whom he has come in contact.
ANN GODWARD.
Mrs. Ann Godward is the widow of Joseph Godward, who settled in this part of the country forty-five years ago, making a home in the midst of the woods. She is a native of Cheshire, England, and came to this country when twenty years old, in 1851. The first four weeks of her American resi- dence were spent in New Jersey, where on October II, the same year, she was married to Joseph Godward, who had been born in Yorkshire, England, in 1822, and came to America in the same year that his wife did. He was a weaver of linens by trade and had first settled in Greenville, Pennsylvania, but he soon joined in coal mining with his brother Edward. Mr. and Mrs. Godward started out with small means, but the present farm, with its excel- lent improvements and well cultivated fields, on which they settled ir. 1857, bears evidence of their thrift and industry. In 1881 he erected a comfortable and pleasant dwelling, which, however, he did not live long to enjoy, for he was stricken by the hand of death on December 16, of the following year. He was a free-thinker as regards religion, but both he and his wife had been reared in the faith of the Episcopal church. He was a Republican voter, but had no aspirations for office.
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Five sons and six daughters were born to the union of Mr. and Mrs. Godward, and nine of them grew to maturity. Elizabeth died at the age of fourteen months; Hannah is the wife of E. W. Bailey, in Sharpsville, Penn- sylvania, and they have five living children; Edward, a farmer in this town- ship, has two sons and five daughters; Martha died unmarried at the age of twenty ; Mary Ann is the wife of Richard Williams, in Youngstown, and has one son; Benjamin lives in Youngstown and had two daughters; Salina died at the age of sixteen; James lives on a farm adjoining the old homestead and has three sons; Robert lived only seven years; Thomas, at home with his mother, conducts the farm; and the eleventh in order of birth is Minnie, who is a saleslady in Sharpsville, Pennsylvania.
GEORGE WASHINGTON PETTIT, M. D.
A record of forty-three years of active practice as a physician in one locality is one which is not excelled by many in the medical profession, and the town of Petersburg, in Mahoning county, is honored by the presence of the old and prominent physician, Dr. Pettit. It would require no effort of the imagination to picture many of the incidents which would enter into such a long life,-visits to the aged of several generations ago, known as the soother of pain to many throughout their lives, presiding at the birth of many who have since had children and perhaps grandchildren; and then the long trips in summer and winter which would have worn out one of less stern mold ;- all these things make Dr. Pettit an ideal member of the pro- fession and a figure so familiar to all the residents within a circuit of ten miles from Petersburg that his taking off would seem the visitation of a calamity.
The Pettits go back to England for their origin, grandfather John Pettit having been born there in 1750. He was a farmer, and lived to the good old age of ninety-eight. One of his children was Samuel; Nathaniel, the second, was a Pennsylvania farmer; John V. was a wealthy and prominent attorney and land owner in Lancaster county, Pennsylvania, where he was accidentally killed at the age of forty, unmarried. This Samuel mentioned above was born in a suburb of Philadelphia, Penningtonville, and died in Lisbon, Ohio, in 1871. He married Anna Alford, who was born in Lan- caster county, Pennsylvania, in 1800, being married at the age of eighteen. She died in Petersburg at the age of eighty-seven, and three daughters and two sons of her ten children are living.
It was of these parents that the son George Washington was born, in Lisbon, Columbiana county, Ohio, in 1828. He was reared on the old farm, and had a common school education. At the age of twenty-two he began
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the study of medicine with Dr. George L. McCook, and in 1852 he was gradu- ated from the Cleveland Medical College with the degree of M. D. Of course the first thing to do was to open an office in some town and wait for patients, and he made his first choice of location in Marlboro, Stark county, Ohio, where he was a young but successful practitioner for six years. He came to Peters- burg in 1860 and has held the fort ever since, having outlived the only phy- sician resident there at that time, Dr. Perry Swisher. He drives two or three good horses, and has been here so long that he knows every man, woman and child on his circuit.
While Dr. Pettit was residing in Marlboro he was married, in April, 1858, to Miss Emily Stevens, a native of New York and the daughter of Ebenezer Stevens, who was a merchant and died at the age of sixty-six ; his widow lived to be eighty, and they reared twelve children. Myra, the first born to the Doctor and his wife, died at the age of two months; Helen is the wife of John Dabselle, a gold miner at Cripple Creek, Colorado, and she has lost two children; Harry is a bright young business man who also resides in Cripple Creek. Mrs. Pettit died in 1890 at the age of fifty-six, and since then Dr. Pettit has been fortunate in having his niece, Myra Glosser, to act as his housekeeper. She is the daughter of his sister Helen Pettit, who married Jonathan Glosser and died in 1876, leaving six children; her father now resides in Crestline, Ohio, and has his second wife and two children. Dr. Pettit is a Republican and a very public-spirited man, and besides .his own nice home is the owner of other village property. He has been one who has not been crazed with a desire for wealth, has always taken life easily while at the same time accomplishing more than the average indi- vidual, and now when the hours begin to slip faster he still enjoys with a zest unknown to many younger and more careworn in the struggle of life.
DANIEL STEINER.
Daniel Steiner has well earned the proud American title of a "self-made man," for in the active world of business he has overcome difficulties and obstacles, and entirely unaided has worked his way upward until he is now numbered among the most prosperous business men of the city. He was born in Massillon, Ohio, on the 4th of July, 1876, being a son of Robert Steiner, who claimed Switzerland as the country of his nativity, his birth occur- ring in Flüelen, canton of Uri, on the 2d of May, 1844. On the 28th of October, 1863, he was united in marriage to Miss Laura Kunz, who was born December 9, 1843, and was a daughter of John Jacob and Urina (Branett) Kunz, the former of whom owned a small farm, and was also en-
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gaged in the manufacture of weaver's reeds. John Jacob Kunz died in 1862, in his forty-eighth year, while his wife survived until 1865, passing away at the age of fifty-two years. Mrs. Steiner had but one sister, who remained in Switzerland. Ten children, eight sons and two daughters, blessed the union of Robert and Laura Steiner, as follows: Sophia, who died in 1864, when but one year old; Henry, who was born in 1864 and was drowned on the IIth of June, 1882, in Ohio, when in his eighteenth year, this sad event occurring less than three years after the death of his father in the same manner in Kansas; Arnold, who was born February 6, 1866, and is a resident of Mas- sillon, Ohio, having one little daughter; George, who was born in March, 1870, and is a resident of Youngstown, being the father of one daughter and two sons; William, who was born April 10, 1872, is engaged in the meat business in Lowellville and has a son and daughter; George Gustave who was born October 21, 1874, is a resident of Youngstown and has a little son; Daniel is the subject of this review; Andreal, who was born October 15, 1878, died March 4, 1901, at the age of twenty-two years; a little daughter, who was born August 12, 1869, died April 2, 1871; and Jacob E., born on the 6th of July, 1880, died December 2, 1883. Robert Steiner, the father of these children, was a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, and the aid which his widow received from this fraternal order after his death assisted her in rearing her children and giving them educational advan- tages, but the sons were early inured to hard labor and proved valuable aids to their mother in her struggle for existence.
Daniel Steiner began his business career as a stable boy when four- teen years of age, entering the employ of Lewy Brothers in Youngstown, with whom he remained for six years, and during that time the highest wages he received was fifteen dollars a month, the greater part of which he gave to his mother. On the 15th of December, 1895, the Young brothers pur- chased the stable and made Mr. Steiner the manager of the business, the latter to receive twenty-five dollars a month in remuneration for his services, but on the expiration of three months he and his brother purchased the stable, their entire cash capital at that time consisting of less than three hundred dollars. The business, however, proved a success from the beginning, but at the expiration of sixteen months the brother became dissatisfied, and the partnership was dissolved, our subject, who had not yet reached mature years, retiring from the firm with four hundred and fifty dollars. His next em- ployment was with the Meehan Boiler Works Company, he later entered the employ of Dr. A. M. Clark and subsequently filled the position of coachman for John C. Wick, until February 28, 1900, when he purchased his present
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livery business, the purchase price being sixteen hundred dollars. In order to become the owner of this establishment Mr. Steiner was obliged to assume an indebtedness of twelve hundred dollars, but at the end of seven months he was able to discharge this obligation in full, and his stock is now valued at twenty-five hundred dollars. In addition to his properous business he also owns a pleasant and commodious residence, located just across the street from his stable, and this was purchased in March, 1901. Success has abun- dantly rewarded his efforts, but the high position which he now occupies among the leading business men of Mahoning county has been attained through his enterprising spirit and determined purpose.
On the 28th of December, 1899, when he had reached his twenty-second year, Mr. Steiner was united in marriage to Miss Minty Heffinger, a native daughter of Lowellville. Her father, John Heffinger, died in this city. In his fraternal relations Mr. Steiner is a member of the Modern Woodmen of America, while politically he is allied with the Republican party, but at local elections votes independent of party ties. He is also a member of the Knights of the Golden Eagle, and both he and his wife are connected with the Pro- tective Home Circle, and are worthy members of the Presbyterian church.
WILLIAM H. MCGINNIS.
It is a pleasure to pay tribute to one who has not been content to work exclusively for himself or those dependent upon him, but with a spirit of true philanthropy has devoted a large part of his time to enlarging the sphere of human knowledge and the advancement of science. While the work of any one individual is of necessity comparatively small, the sum total of their efforts and discoveries constitutes our stock of positive knowledge, the pos- session of which alone differentiates the savage from the civilized man. It will be to the lasting credit of Mr. McGinnis, whose career is now to be briefly described, that he has devoted all of his leisure time, and some that he could ill spare from his business, to the acquisition of knowledge for his fellow man, and the enrichment of the stores accumulated in the various departments of science for the welfare of the human race.
The family in America was founded by William McGinnis, who was born in county Down, Ireland, about 1750, and came to the United States about 1782, dying in Pennsylvania prior to 1817. He left a son and a grand- son of the same name as himself, the latter being born at Staunton, Virginia, September 12, 1796; he died at Mt. Jackson, Pennsylvania, in 1873. Still another William McGinnis, son of the last named, was born in Mt. Jackson, Lawrence county, Pennsylvania, July 4, 1824, and on March 4, 1847, was
many M. M .: Guma 1
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married to Lydia Welk, of New Middletown, Mahoning county, Ohio, whose death occurred August 29, 1848. In 1857 Mr. McGinnis went to Kansas and took part in the border troubles there before the war, his death occurring on March 6, 1899, at Valley Falls, Kansas.
William H. McGinnis, son of the last mentioned parents, was born at New Middleton, Ohio, December 21, 1848, and remained in the place of his nativity till thirteen years old. In April of 1861, when the guns of the south were turned on Fort Sumter, he came to Youngstown and has been a resident of that city ever since. In his younger years Mr. McGinnis was employed in the iron mills of the city, but for the twenty-five years prior to 1896 was engaged as a salesman. In 1896 he was elected clerk of Youngstown town- ship, obtained re-election at the expiration of his term in 1898, and in all served four years in that office. On November 5, 1901, he was elected re- corder of Mahoning county by a majority of over seventeen hundred, and was installed in that office September I, 1902. Mr. McGinnis is prompt, courteous and obliging to all who have occasion to do business with him, and consequently his friends are legion.
At intervals, almost from the inception of his independent career, Mr. McGinnis has availed himself of every opportunity to serve science, to whose noble cause and exalted aim he is most ardently devoted. Nor have his efforts gone without recognition or appreciation in the scientific world. In April, 1899, he was elected a member of the American Association for the Advance- ment of Science, and attended the annual meeting of that body held in Colum- bus, Ohio, in August of the same year. This honor came unexpectedly, and was enhanced by the fact that its recipient was the first man in eastern Ohio singled out for such distinction. But it was fully deserved, as Mr. McGinnis has contributed much of value to the institutions of his own state and to the Smithsonian Institute at Washington. He exhibited a large number of interesting specimens at the Chicago World's Fair, and collections all over the country have been enriched by his contributions in various departments of science, especially in geology and mineralogy, to which he has devoted much time.
Perhaps one of his greatest achievements in scientific discovery, and one of which Mr. McGinnis can well feel proud, was the bringing to light by him of the specimen of the fossil head of the musk ox which is now on exhibition in the State University at Columbus. Professor Orton, state geologist of Ohio, says in a letter : "Mr. Dear Mr. McGinnis-I wish to congratulate you upon the valuable discovery you have just made. This is the third specimen discovered in the United States, and the only one ever found in Ohio. This
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species has been extinct now for over four thousand years. You have the honor of having discovered one of the rarest and most valuable fossils ever found in Ohio, and by and through you is this institution greatly enriched. You have the sincere thanks of the board of managers of this institution for your valuable gift .- Kindly and Sincerely, Your Friend, Edward Orton. -February 26, 1899."
On April 19, 1902, Mr. McGinnis was the principal speaker before the meeting of the Horticultural Society at Ravenna, Ohio, and delivered a scholarly address of much interest on "Mineralogy as a Moral Science." He set forth with much cogency the contributions of this branch of science to the sum total of human knowledge, dwelling especially upon its value to agricul- ture and other useful arts.
For, on every rock on which we tread, Are written words, if rightly read, That will lead us from earth's fragrant sod To Holiness, to Hope and God.
On February 23, 1865, Mr. McGinnis was united in marriage to Mary, daughter of Morgan Morgans, a native of Ebbew Vale, South Wales; she came to America with her parents in 1855, when but eight years old. Of the seven children born of this union the only survivors are: Grace May, wife of Jesse E. Woods; Ford B., who married Miss Annabell Kennedy ; and William Wade, who lives at home. Their eldest son, Charles E., was ac- cidentally killed, on November 8, 1887, while in the discharge of his duty as assistant miller at the City Flouring Mills in Youngstown ; he was twenty- two years of age. The other children died in infancy.
Mr. McGinnis resides with his family at Violet Banks, a cosy home pleasantly situated at 1020 Orange street, Youngstown, Ohio, to which his friends are drawn in numbers not only because of its social atmosphere, but also by its interesting mineralogical museum. Mr. and Mrs. McGinnis are both members of Trinity Methodist Episcopal church. He is a member of the official board, and principal of the junior department of the Sunday- school, in which he is deeply interested. His wife is a member of the ladies' aid society of the church, and is a woman whose heart goes out in tender sympathy to those in distress, and her many kind deeds of charity, unosten- tatiously performed, will ever be remembered by those whom she has be- friended.
Mr. McGinnis' fraternal connections are confined to membership in Rob- ert E. Johnson Lodge No. 614, K. of P., the Junior Order of United Amer- ican Mechanics, and the Knights of the Maccabees. In politics he has been
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allied with the Republican party since his boyhood, and his loyalty to the best interests of that party and his true patriotism and love for the flag of his country have never been questioned. He has frequently been a delegate to the conventions of the party, and is always found defending its principles and laboring for its welfare. From 1861 to the present time he has been a resident of Youngstown, in whose growth and progress he has taken great pride, as from a hamlet he has seen it grow to a city of seventy thousand.
JAMES R. EWING.
The well developed farm of James R. Ewing indicates a life of industry and enterprise. Everything about the place is neat and orderly, and the commodious and substantial buildings are surrounded by well tilled fields, wherein good crops are raised annually, while in the pastures are found good grades of cattle, horses, hogs and sheep, the sale of which materially in- creases his income. James R. Ewing has led a life of activity, and he is justly classed with the leading agriculturists of his community.
Mr. Ewing was born in Jackson township, Mahoning county, October I, 1852, a son of Gibson Ewing, who was also a native of the same township, born July 23, 1818. The grandfather was John Ewing, who with his brother Archibald, natives of Ireland, came to Austintown township, Mahoning county, about 1803. They were also accompanied by their mother and sister. Archibald entered a claim which became known as the old Ewing homestead. The family camped the first night beneath a walnut tree, which was their only shelter, but soon a log cabin was built and the family began life here in true pioneer style. The sister became the wife of Robert Kirkpatrick, while Archibald continued to cultivate the old home place, and John Ewing located in Jackson township upon the farm later owned by Mr. Kimmel. He wedded Margaret Orr and reared a large family.
Among their children was Gibson Ewing, who was reared amid the wild scenes of frontier life. On the 19th of May, 1842, he wedded Margaret Riddle, who was born in Mahoning county, September 18, 1823, and they be- came the parents of twelve children ; seven sons and five daughters, of whom six grew to years of maturity. Samuel John, who was born July 17, 1844, died May 2, 1863, when nearly nineteen years of age. He had enlisted in Company F, Forty-first Ohio Volunteer Infantry, and being wounded, was brought home, where he passed away, his remains being interred here. Mar- tha Ann, born August 7, 1846, became the wife of D. R. Johnson, and died September 17, 1902, leaving a daughter. William S., born December 14, 1848, died September 24, 1851. Robert J., born May 24, 1851, died at the
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age of five months and fourteen days. James R. is the fifth of the family. The next were twins, a son and a daughter, who died in infancy. Rutherford, born October 9, 1858, died at the age of twenty-two years. Mary E. is the wife of Frank Clemens and resides on the old homestead where the parents began their domestic life in a log cabin, and the same farm was at one time owned by the grandfather. Sarah M. is the wife of H. S. Kling- man, a merchant of Ellsworth Center, Ohio. Ella died about 1866, when a year old. The twelfth child, a little son, also died in infancy. Gibson Ewing, the father of this family, became a well-to-do farmer, and owned two farms, comprising nearly three hundred acres of land. The mother had in- herited one hundred acres, but the remainder was secured through the earnest efforts and co-operation of Mr. and Mrs. Gibson Ewing. They also gave their children good educational privileges, and three of their sons became teachers. The mother died in January, 1872, and the father departed this life February 11, 1890, when seventy-one years of age.
James R. Ewing attended the district schools and supplemented his early educational training by study in the Poland Academy. His business training was received upon the home farm, where he remained until his marriage, assisting his father in the work of the fields. On the 23rd of Oc- tober, 1873, he wedded Miss Mary Lynn, who was born in Jackson township, April 7, 1854, a daughter of Levi and Mary J. (Moherman) Lynn, both of who are now deceased, her father passing away in 1881, while her mother died January 1, 1896. In their family were four daughters and four sons, all of whom are living and are married, and have children with the excep- tion of one daughter.
Mr. and Mrs. Ewing began their domestic life in Jackson township, where they now reside, having one hundred acres of land, which belonged to the old Riddle homestead. To the farm they have added until it now com- prises one hundred and fifty-one acres, and Mr. Ewing is successfully carry- ing on general farming. He also does a dairy business, having twelve cows for this purpose. He likewise raises from sixty to seventy-five head of sheep annually, and fattens from twenty-five to forty porkers for the market, these being of the Berkshire, Poland China and Chester White breeds. He raises corn, wheat and oats, the corn yielding from seventy-five to one hundred bush- els to the acre. In 1877 Mr. Ewing erected his house, which he rebuilt in 1902, converting it into an attractive residence. The large barn was built in 1883 and an addition built in 1899, so that it is now forty-five by seventy- six feet, with a basement under the whole. This all indicates that the farm is a modern and well improved property., weil equipped, and the appearance of the place is indicative of the supervision of a painstaking owner.
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Mrs. Ewing is the second child and eldest daughter of Levi Lynn. The eldest is Warren Lynn, a farmer of Johnston township, Trumbull county. The third is H. H. Lynn, a manufacturer and dealer in lumber in North Jackson ; he is married and has one son and one daughter. George A. Lynn is a druggist of Paulding, Ohio, and has a daughter. John A. Lynn re- sides in Cleveland, Ohio, and has two daughters. Lulu is the wife of George Carson, of Newton township, Trumbull county, and has one son. Annie is the wife of William Corson, of Galesburg, Michigan. Jessie is the wife of Bert Mansell, of Warren, Ohio, and has one son. To Mr. and Mrs. Ewing have been born four children. Harmon R., an attorney of Sebring, Ohio, is married and has one son. Austin R. is a shipping clerk in a paint factory in Summit county, Ohio. Renwick L. is assisting in the operation of the home farm, and George K., a youth of sixteen, completes the family. Mr. Ewing belongs to the Knights of Pythias fraternity, and in politics is a Republican, now serving the fourth term as township trustee. He and his wife are members of the Presbyterian church, and in the county where they have spent their entire lives they are widely and favorably known.
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