USA > Ohio > Ashland County > History of Ashland County, Ohio > Part 52
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On his father's farm Alvin Crittenden spent his boyhood days, engaging in general agricultural work and in the care of stock, in the meantime availing himself of the educational advantages of the district schools and subsequently . pursuing a course of study in a private institution. Upon his father's farm he remained until he was married, when he removed to Troy township, engaging in farming there until 1882, when he settled upon his present farm, which con- tains four hundred and fifty-six acres of the finest land which can be found in this state. Here he carries on general agricultural pursuits extensively and deals in all kinds of stock on a large scale. His farm is modern in all its departments, is kept constantly in a high state of cultivation and being thorough- ly drained by the finest tile system and having substantial buildings, together with other conveniences necessary to agriculture and stock raising, it is unsur- passed by any farm in this part of the country. For some years Mr. Crittenden paid much attention to raising and breeding thoroughbred cattle and in 1886 he began to handle thoroughbred Delaine sheep, in which business he has met with remarkable success and for many years has been recognized as one of the leading sheep breeders in the United States, his flocks usually numbering in the neighborhood of five hundred head, every one of which is registered and raised
solely for breeding purposes. Annually he ships many to every state in the Union and he has even sent large flocks as far as South Africa. He has exhibited specimens of his flocks at the state and district fairs and also at the World's Fair and in every instance has succeeded in taking first place among his competitors. He sells his sheep anywhere from ten to five hundred dollars a head. His premises are known as the Cherry Home Sheep Farm. The buildings are modern in construction and everything about the farm is in excellent shape with ample room to accommodate all his stock during the winter
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season and with running water in every building. His residence is one of the most conspicuous features of his premises, being one of the finest in this part of the state and provided with every convenience commonly found in the most modern homes. There also may be found an atmosphere of refinement and a degree of hospitality which is seldom equaled.
On February 7, 1877, Mr. Crittenden wedded Miss Ida E. Ford, daughter of Laban and Sarah (Pollock) Ford, her father being a prominent farmer of Ashland county, who passed away some years ago while her mother still survives. Mr. and Mrs. Crittenden have one daughter, Sarah A., who became the wife of Jay Ringle, who is associated with her father in farming. They have one
daughter, Elizabeth. Mr. Crittenden and his family are members of the Congregational church of Ruggles township, in the affairs of which he is a leading factor. A republican in politics, he does all he can during campaigns to effect the success of his party, at the same time exerting considerable interest in local affairs. He favors public improvements and supports all movements aiming at the betterment of the community, the financial worth of which he has greatly enhanced by his industry and enterprise, and he is among the honorable and substantial citizens of the township.
IRVIN C. SMITH.
Irvin C. Smith, engaged in general agricultural pursuits and stock raising in Troy township, was born here October 10, 1863, his parents being Samuel and, Mary (Murray) Smith, both of whom reside on a farm where his father has all his days been engaged in agricultural pursuits.
Irvin C. Smith was reared amid the environment of agricultural life on his father's farm, where he became familiar with the various departments of the art of husbandry and also with stock breeding. During the short winter terms he attended the village schools where he obtained his education, remaining upon the home farm until he was united in marriage. He then pursued agriculture in Ruggles township for nine years and in the operation of an extensive farm was successful. At the expiration of that period he purchased his present excellent tract of land and here he has since been following this occupation. The fields he now cultivates are among the very best in this part of the county and Mr. Smith, being a man who takes pride in his premises and particularly in the art of husbandry, desiring to pursue his occupation upon the most advanced methods, has made every improvement by way of drainage and other accessories to make his farm one of the very best for the production of general crops and also for stock raising. His residence is of model architecture and equipped with every convenience requisite to make farm life easy. His barn and other outbuildings are also substantial, his premises throughout being in every particular suggestive of thrift and of the progressive spirit of the owner. Mr. Smith has made special study of soils so that he might be able to conserve their nutritive elements and he has been so successful in arranging the rotation of his crops and their adaptation to the soil that he has annually
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been able to derive, as a rule, the maximum yield per acre, his crops not only being exceptional in quantity but also in quality. He takes a considerable interest in stock raising, handling only thoroughbred cattle, sheep and hogs, and doing a remunerative buying and shipping business.
On March 6, 1892, Mr. Smith was united in marriage to Miss Lydia Smith, daughter of John and Rebecca (Fitterhoof) Smith. Her father, now deceased, was influential in public affairs. Her mother still survives in the enjoyment of a remarkable measure of health and strength. To Mr. and Mrs. Smith have -been born two children, Treva M. and Mildred G.
In national and state politics Mr. Smith is a democrat but when it comes to county and local affairs he takes an independent stand, considering the man rather than the party to which he belongs and casting his vote for such candi- dates as in his judgment are best qualified to serve in the offices they seek. Being strong in public spirit, he is an agitator in improvements, particularly favoring all measures designed to secure better roads, a higher school system and finer public buildings and, through his efforts, much has been done in these directions. For eight years he has been a member of the Troy central district school board, of which he was president, and is now serving his fourth year as a member of the board of township trustees, which strongly testifies to his executive ability and his usefulness as a public official. He is affiliated with Sullivan Lodge, No. 579, I. O. O. F., in which he has passed all the chairs, being at present vice counsellor. He also belongs to the Junior Order of American Mechanics. While his business affairs command a great deal of his attention, as do also the social organizations to which he belongs, yet he does not forget his religious obligations, considering them first and foremost and he is a faithful adherent of the Methodist Episcopal church, of which his wife is also a member, and for many years he has served efficiently as class leader of this organization, his wife also taking a profound and active interest in its Sunday school work. Mr. Smith, being a man of upright character, who has always exhibited that degree of industry and enterprise necessary to enhance the general welfare of the community, has ever been held in high respect by his neighbors and well deserves being numbered among the worthy and substantial citizens of the township.
DAVID F. BRUBAKER.
The name Brubaker is well known throughout this county, both in agri- cultural and financial circles, members of the family having lived here for upwards of a century. David Brubaker, grandfather of the subject of this review, came from Lancaster county, Pennsylvania, to this county in 1832, and here settled down in the enjoyment of retired life. He had been twice united in marriage, having had eight sons by his first wife and two by his second. John Brubaker, who was the eldest son of the first marriage, came to this county in 1826, when he was in his thirty-fourth year, in company with his wife and family, and entered a farm located four and one-half miles south of the
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village of Ashland, the tract of land consisting of eighty acres, all of which was thickly covered with timber. He lived in a covered wagon until he had dressed logs with which to construct a cabin, this work requiring several weeks. H finally succeeded in clearing off the land and spent the remainder of his days here in pursuit of agriculture. He was born in 1792, in Lancaster county, Pennsylvania, where he wedded Miss Katherine Dissinger. He served in the war of 1812 and after locating here pursued general farming until 1845, during which year he sustained an injury which unfitted him for hard work, but fortunately, being a shoemaker by trade, he had recourse to that occupation by which to earn a living, and he continued it until he acquired sufficient means to enable him to live in retirement. His death occurred in the year 1869. Like all the pioneers of his day, he had but meager educational advantages, being possessed, however, of industry and perseverance, which were of greater worth in those days than the learning of the schools, and by faithful and patient application he succeeded in gaining a comfortable competence. He reared a family of five sons and three daughters, all of whom acquired a fair education in the district schools, among whom were: Joseph, who passed away in his fifty-eighth year ; Henry, who was fifty-nine years of age when he departed this life; John, who lost his life while serving his country during the Civil war, his remains being interred in the Chattanooga cemetery; Katherine Brubaker Heckman; David F .; and Jacob. Henry was given the advantage of a higher education, having graduated from Oberlin, and beginning the practice of medicine in Mansfield, Ohio, he subsequently removed to Iowa and thence to Memphis, Tennessee, and when the Civil war broke out he located in Indianapolis, Indiana, where he became prominent in his profession.
David F. Brubaker was born here September 4, 1841, during his boyhood days working upon his father's farm and in the meantime pursuing his studies in the district school, and he remained under the parental roof until he was twenty years of age, when he repaired to Indianapolis, Indiana, where he remained for one year and upon returning home engaged in the dry goods business as clerk, serving in that capacity for two years, at the termination of which time he became associated with the grocery business with W. G. Heltman, with whom he remained for two years and then, in partnership with his brother Jacob, he entered the dry-goods business, in which he continued for thirty-five years. He subsequently severed his connection with the firm on account of his health and entered the real-estate business, which he is now following, at the same time having a number of investments in other enterprises. In all his ventures he has been successful owing to the fact that he possessed extraordinary busines ability and is naturally given to transacting affairs.
On September 2, 1869, Mr. Brubaker wedded Miss Mary L. Taylor, who was one of a family of six children who received their education in the Hayesville Academy, and a daughter of Samuel Taylor, a pioneer of this county who spent his life in the manufacture of plows, threshing machines and other farm imple- ments. Politically Mr. Brubaker supports the democratic party, and he holds membership in the Methodist Episcopal church. His life has been one of great usefulness to the community, which has felt the benefit of his industry and enter-
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prise, and being a man whose business relations have always been conducted on the basis of honesty he is considered one of the most reliable men as well as one of the most substantial in the business circles of the county.
MR. AND MRS. JOHNSON WELCH.
Ephraim Welch and his wife, Jane (McAdoo) Welch, came to Ashland county from Washington county, Pennsylvania, in 1828 and took up the quarter section of land in the northern part of Orange township on which they resided until the death of Mr. Welch. In their family were the following named : James M., John, Johnson, Rankin, Catharine, and Mary Jane, all of whom reached adult age, were married and reared families.
Johnson Welch, whose name appears at the head of this sketch, was born December 15, 1831, and was reared to manhood under circumstances very similar to those attending the lives of most of the pioneer boys of Ashland county. He was an expert hand at log rollings, at chopping, swinging the scythe, or cradling, and when there was a log cabin to raise he was generally selected to carry one of the corners-a job which required considerable skillful chopping in order that the building be plumb and the logs properly fitted to- gether. His education consisted of the learning which he was able to acquire at the country schools where only the common branches of learning were taught.
Emeline (Buchanan) Welch was born May 1, 1838, on what is now known as the McDowell farm on the north line of Jackson township, Ashland county. Her father, John Buchanan, was a native of Washington county, Pennsylvania, and came of a family well known for their thrift and business integrity. By his industry and the good management of his numerous flocks of sheep he won suc- cess, and as his financial resources increased made investments in land, until his holdings were extensive. His wife, Mrs. Rachel (Jackson) Buchanan, was a native of Jefferson county, Ohio. Mrs. Welch, who is still living, has vivid recollections of the privations incident to pioneer life experienced during her girlhood days. She attended school at what was known as No. 4, in Sullivan township, near the Elder Cressinger farm and her life up to the time of her marriage was spent in her native township.
Mr. and Mrs. Welch were married on the 29th of September, 1857, and began housekeeping on the farm now owned by Royal Welch, adjoining the present homestead. There were born to them : Eugene B., Ellsworth G., Etta L., Frank L., Mollie. Herman B., and Royal J., all of whom are now living except Mollie, who became the wife of James M. Fluke and whose untimely death on the 2d of January, 1909, was mourned by all who knew her. Eugene married Mallie B. Pratt, of Hamilton county. Kansas, and they now reside in El Paso, Texas. They have living a daughter. Louise, and two sons, Paul and Benton, while a daughter, Lucile, and an infant son are deceased. Ellsworth Welch married Bertha Porter. They lost an infant son and their living children are Florence, Donald and Marshall. Etta Welch became the wife of the Rev. Andrew Mccullough, of Coshocton county, Ohio. Frank Welch married Zetta
MR. AND MRS. JOHNSON WELCH
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Wiler and their children are two sons, Harold and Lawrence, and three daughters, Lucile, Ruth and Irene. Mollie Welch married James M. Fluke and they had two sons, Eugene and John, and five daughters, Edna, Opal, Emeline, Mary and Bernice. Herman Welch married Mayme Laughery and they have one son, Leonard. Royal Welch married Elva Landis and they have one daughter, Vera.
Mr. and Mrs. Welch began their married life in a very primitive way. Their household furnishings consisted of two corded bedsteads, two feather beds, some bedding, half a dozen chairs, a scanty supply of dishes, a table, an old stove and a few other necessary articles. The house was a log cabin of not very pre- tentious dimensions, the barn was a log structure with a clapboard roof held on by poles, while the doors were split and shaved and the few nails in them were hand forged. The indomitable purpose of Mr. and Mrs. Welch did not allow them to continue long amid such conditions, for owing to their thrift and economy they were soon able to build a splendid home which Mrs. Welch has since occupied and which continued his place of residence until he was called to his final rest. This home has always been known as one of culture and refinement and a place where friends were ever welcome. There are many who can testify to Mrs. Welch's hospitality and her success in the culinary art, and to her very high standing as a woman and mother.
Mr. Welch never aspired to public office nor to membership in any order and was not a member of any church, although a man of deep moral principles and broad religious convictions. His ambition was to discharge his duties in life in the fullest possible sense. His business affairs were carefully conducted. He was one of the first and most successful breeders of fine wool sheep in Ash- land county and at the time of his death, which occurred October 27, 1886, was possessed of a number of valuable farms on which grazed several hundred sheep of his breeding. His influence on the wool-growing interests of the county was very marked and is notably felt to this day. He was a strong factor in the introduction and development of Merino and later of Delaine sheep in this section of the state. As the head of a family, as the builder of a home, as a successful farmer and stockman, as a citizen, and as a man of integrity and honest business principles he was second to none in the community and time in which he lived.
SAMUEL ABER.
An excellent farm on section 22, Lake township, pays tribute to the care and labor of Samuel Aber, who works diligently and persistently year after year for the further development and improvement of his land, which now constitutes one of the desirable farms of the county. He is a citizen of sterling worth, held in high regard throughout the community in which he makes his home. His birth occurred January 2, 1845, about three miles north of his present farm in Lake township, Ashland county, on the Wayne county line. In fact the property was divided by the boundary between the two counties. His parents
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were William and Eleanor (Dirrim) Aber, the former born in Pennsylvania, October 14, 1814, while the mother's birth occurred in Carroll county, Ohio, February 1, 1823. William Aber accompanied his parents on their removal from the Keystone state to Carroll county when five years of age, and was there reared to manhood. On the 8th of June, 1838, he wedded Eleanor Dirrim and in the spring of 1843 they removed to Lake township, Ashland county, settling in the midst of the green woods on a tract of land of two hundred and forty acres on which not a tree had been cut nor a furrow turned. Upon this place the father spent his remaining days, cleared away the timber, prepared the fields for cultivation, and in course of time gathered rich and abundant harvests. He died February 24, 1892, after which his widow lived with her children until her demise, December 7, 1907, spending much of her time with her son Dan, in Ashland. They reared a family of nine sons and one daughter: David, who served for three years as a member of the Eighty-second Ohio Volunteer Infantry and was wounded at the battle of Gettysburg, a ball passing through his body, after which he was in the invalid corps until the close of hostilities, is now a resident of Missouri. Samuel is the next of the family. William resides in Loudonville. John is a resident of Funk, Ohio. Hannah is the deceased wife of Louis N. P. Emerick. Isaac is living in Missouri. James died at the age of nineteen years. Joseph and Daniel are twins and the former resides on the home farm while the latter is living in Ashland, Ohio. Clinton, the youngest of the family, is now pastor of a Christian church in Indiana.
Samuel Aber spent his boyhood days in the usual manner of farm lads, working in the fields, enjoying the sports common to the youths of the period, . and mastering the branches of learning taught in the public schools. He continued with his parents until his marriage, and then came to his present home in 1866. Here he secured the ownership of eighty acres of the original one hundred and sixty acres which his father had owned on section 22, Lake township. He also bought forty-three acres of the adjoining Metcalf farm and fifteen acres of the Moore farm, so that he now has a total of one hundred and thirty-eight acres on Round lake, pleasantly situated one and a half miles south of McZena. It is a well improved property on which are two sets of good buildings which were erected by Mr. Aber. His place is known as the Lakeview Farm and many people come to the lake in summer to enjoy the refreshing shade furnished by the fine groves and the cool water. This is a picturesque district in which nature has offered many attractions. Aside from his farming interests Mr. Aber is a factor in the Washington Township Mutual Fire & Lightning Insurance Company. In his political views Mr. Aber is an independent democrat. He has held several school and road offices but does not seek nor desire political preferment, although he is loyal to the party and has never missed a general election since he became a voter. He and his family are members of the Methodist Episcopal church of Lakeville, in the work of which he is deeply and helpfully interested. He is now serving as one of the trustees of the church and is superintendent of the Sunday school and he was formerly an active member of the grange.
It was on the 6th of March, 1866, that Mr. Aber was united in marriage to Miss Elizabeth Popham, who was born in Culpeper county, Virginia, March
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11, 1839. When five years of age she went to Tuscarawas county, Ohio, with her parents, George and Mary Ann (Bean) Popham, who were natives of Virginia and spent their last days in Tuscarawas county. The home of Mr. and Mrs. Aber has been blessed with nine children: Anna, who died in infancy ; Allen, who died at the age of twenty-one years; . Mary Eleanor, who died when but six months old; Lee, who passed away in his fifth year; Lelah, the wife of H. J. Raubinolt, of Ashland; Elnora, the wife of Harmon Shearer, of Lake town- ship; Flora, who is the widow of Newton E. Dilyard, and resides on her father's farm; Ellis, who married Orphie Butler and operates the old homestead; and Marion D., who wedded Emma Boneburger and lives in Akron, Ohio. Since their marriage Mr. and Mrs. Aber have continuously resided. upon the farm which is now their home and throughout the community they have a large circle of warm friends who esteem them highly for their genuine personal worth.
JAMES W. SHAW.
James W. Shaw, a prominent undertaker of Savannah, who has been asso- ciated with a number of other enterprises here, was born in this county February 9, 1866, and descends from a family, the members of which were among the early pioneers of Ashland county. His great-grandfather, William Shaw, came here from Lancaster, Pennsylvania, when his son Guian, the grandfather of the subject of this review, was a mere child. He settled in this locality, where he became influential in local affairs, having been one of the prosperous and substantial agriculturists of the township. His father, John Shaw, Sr., was united in marriage to Ann Lindsay and was also a prominent husbandman of this section. His death occurred July 26, 1907, while his wife still survives. In their family were two sons, James W. and Robert N., the latter being engaged in the drug and book business in the village of Savannah.
James W. Shaw spent his boyhood days upon his father's farm where he became familiar with the various departments of agriculture, during the winter months acquiring his preliminary education in the district schools, subsequently taking a course of study in Savannah Academy. He remained upon the home place until he was united in marriage, after which he followed the occupation of farming in Clear Creek township until 1895, when he removed to the village of Savannah where he engaged in the drug and book business in partnership with his brother, Robert N., the firm title being Shaw Brothers. At the same time he became individually interested in the undertaking enterprise. The firm of Shaw Brothers continued until October, 1907, when James W. Shaw sold out his interests to his brother, thereby retiring from the partnership. He has since devoted his attention to the undertaking business, at the same time super- intending the various departments of his farm work. He is a graduate of the Clark School of Embalming at Cincinnati, Ohio, and is a licensed embalmer, having an establishment excellently equipped for his enterprise, and he has become so popular that his services are required throughout a wide range of territory ..
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On October 4, 1888, Mr. Shaw wedded Miss Mary L. Gibson, daughter of John and Catherine (Grissinger) Gibson,. her father a prominent agriculturist of this county. This union has been blessed by one daughter, Edna Lois.
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