USA > Ohio > Ashland County > History of Ashland County, Ohio > Part 57
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HISTORY OF ASHLAND COUNTY
Garrett A. Johnson was reared on the old home farm and supplemented his preliminary education, acquired in the district schools of his native township, by attendance at Lodi Academy. In early manhood he took up the profession of school teaching and subsequent to his marriage he continued teaching for several years in his home district in Sullivan township, imparting clearly and readily to others the knowledge that he had acquired. Upon severing his connection with educational interests he turned his attention to the pursuits of farming and dairying, giving the greater part of his time and energies to the latter branch of activity. He originally dealt in Holstein cattle but in recent
years has bred the red polled cattle exclusively. The stock is all high grade
and many of his thoroughbreds have sold at excellent prices. His farm con-
sists of one hundred and fifty acres of valuable land, all of which is tillable except a small tract of timber on which there are nearly five hundred sugar maple trees, yielding a generous supply of maple syrup and sugar annually. The place is equipped with many fine improvements and in fact is lacking in none of the accessories and conveniences of a model farming property of the twentieth century. The various buildings are commodious, substantial and in good re- pair, the fences are well kept, the land is all well drained and the general air of neatness and thrift which pervades the premises indicates the supervision of a practical and progressive owner. In all of his business affairs he is alert and enterprising, meeting with the measure of success which always rewards earnest, persistent and well directed labor.
On the 19th of October, 1875, Mr. Johnson was joined in wedlock to Miss Mary Ella Baldwin, a daughter of Rev. C. C. and Martha (Smith) Baldwin. Her father, a minister of the Congregational church, was a home missionary in northern Michigan for several years and subsequently was pastor of a church at Sullivan for a number of years. His demise occurred at Oberlin, Ohio, May 22, 1884, while his wife passed away at Benzonia, Michigan, on the 6th of July, 1893. Like her husband, Mrs. Johnson also taught school for several years prior to her marriage and was widely recognized as a most successful and progressive educator. By her marriage she has become the mother of twelve children, eleven of whom still survive, namely: Bessie E., the wife of Elbert Harvey, of Basin, Wyoming; Mary Grace, who is the wife of Ira E. Garver, of Sullivan; Edward C., living in Ashland, Ohio; Charles .A., who resides in Colorado Springs, Colorado; Arthur B., who makes his home in Spencer, Medina, county, Ohio; Ruth E .; Leonard G., of Benzonia, Michigan; Kent B .; Donald V .; Lawrence V .; and Harold D. Martha L., the eighth in order of birth, has passed away. The parents, realizing fully the value of good mental training as a preparation for the practical and responsible duties of life, have given each of their children excellent educational opportunities and their home is liberally supplied with a great variety of the best standard and current literature.
Since age conferred upon him the right of franchise Mr. Johnson has given unfaltering allegiance to the men and measures of the republican party and is an active worker in its local ranks. His fellow townsmen, recognizing his worth and ability, have called him to various positions of public trust. ITe has served as township assessor for many years and was for a long period a member of the township board of education, acting on this board when the Central high school
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HISTORY OF ASHLAND COUNTY
building was erected. His efforts were also an important factor in the estab- lishment of the Central school system in Sullivan township. He has been a member of the republican county central committee for many years and almost every year is a delegate to the county, district and state conventions of his party. His aid and cooperation can always be counted upon to further any movement or measure instituted to promote the general welfare and he is an enthusiastic advocate of good roads, schools, churches and civic improvements of all kinds that tend toward advancement along material, intellectual and moral lines. He is a valued and exemplary member of the Congregational church, in which he is serving as deacon and as president of the church society. Both he and his wife have been teachers in the Sunday school for many years and their children are also helpful in Sunday school work, some of them acting as teachers. The Johnson home is an ideal American home-modern in its ap- pointments, refined in its environment and hospitable in its atmosphere. Mr. Johnson has never left the farm where his birth occurred and has probably lived on one farm longer than any other person in Sullivan township. He is widely and favorably known throughout the community and has won uniform trust and good will by reason of a life which in all of its phases has been straightforward and honorable.
HARRISON H. OWENS.
Harrison H. Owens, of Jackson township, who throughout his active busi- ness career has been engaged in carpentering and farming, is one of the worthy native sons of Ashland county, his birth having occurred in Orange township on the 15th of November, 1840. The following year his parents, Robert M. and Sarah (Grafton) Owens, took up their abode in Jackson township and, with the exception of brief intervals, he has resided here continuously since. Robert M. Owens, who was a native of Westmoreland county, Pennsylvania, was twice married and subsequent to the death of his first wife came to Ohio with his family of seven children. Soon afterward he wedded Miss Sarah Grafton, like- wise of Westmoreland county, Pennsylvania, by whom he had three children, of whom Harrison H., of this review, was the eldest. Robert M. Owens was a shoemaker and followed that trade successfully until his life's labors were ended in death in March, 1864. He was a man of strong character and con- victions and his honorable and upright life won him the esteem and regard of all with whom he was associated. His early political allegiance was given to the whig party, while later he supported the candidates and principles of the republican party.
Harrison H. Owens obtained his education in the schools of Polk and when a little lad witnessed the erection of the first house in the village, the surrounding country being largely covered with timber. In early manhood he became identi- fied with business pursuits as a carpenter and farmer and his efforts have been no unimportant factor in the work of development and improvement that has transformed this region from a wilderness into one of fertile fields and thriving
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HISTORY OF ASHLAND COUNTY
towns. In 1859 he went to California and Nevada, being engaged in mining until 1864, when he returned to Jackson township and in February of that year enlisted as a member of Company G, Twenty-third Ohio Volunteer Infantry, of which he was made sergeant. William McKinley was major of the regiment. Mr. Owens saw active and arduous service at the front until the close of hostili- ties and was mustered out July 25, 1865, returning to his home in Jackson township with a splendid military record. He still carries the scar of a wound received at the battle of Cloyd Mountain, Virginia. In 1866 he again made his way to California, being there engaged in mining for two years, on the expiration of which period he returned to Jackson township and was married. Subsequently he took up his abode in Polk and has here made his home to the present time, having long been numbered among the substantial, enterprising and progressive citizens of the community. For a number of years he was engaged in carpentering and has also been identified with agricultural pursuits to some extent.
On the 28th of February, 1868, Mr. Owens was joined in wedlock to Miss Mary Westhover, a daughter of Charles and Sarah (Zimmerman) Westhover, of Perry township, who came here from Lancaster county, Pennsylvania, in pioneer days. The members of the Zimmerman family were very early settlers in this section of the state and became prominent factors in the agricultural development of the county. Unto Mr. and Mrs. Owens have been born four children, namely : Edith V .; Charles, a resident of Ashland; Ella, the wife of Reuben Kopp; and Jennie, who is the wife of Frederick Hartzell, of Polk.
Politically Mr. Owens is a stanch republican and has been an active worker in the local ranks of the party. He has served as a member of the village council and also on the board of education for a number of years, ever discharg- ing his official duties in a prompt and efficient manner. Fraternally he is connected with Sullivan Lodge, No. 313, F. & A. M., in which he has held all of the offices, and still maintains pleasant relations with his old army comrades through his membership in McCarty Post, G. A. R., of Polk, having also served in the different offices of this organization. Both he and his wife are well and favorably known throughout the county in which they have lived for so long a period, having been interested witnesses of its growth and development from pioneer times down to the present.
JAMES L. AND JOHN E. CRONE.
James L. and John E. Crone are numbered among the enterprising, success- ful and representative agriculturists of Montgomery township. Their parents were Tobias and Eva (Mellott) Crone, the former born in Juniata county, Pennsylvania, in October, 1825, and the latter in Bedford county, that state, September 13, 1831. In early manhood Tobias Crone accompanied his father on his removal to Ashland county, Ohio, locating here when the district was still wild and unimproved. As time passed he developed a good farm property and continued to engage in agricultural pursuits until he passed away in 1897,
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HISTORY OF ASHLAND COUNTY
leaving a widow and seven children to mourn his loss. With the assistance of his sons he had accumulated extensive and valuable landed holdings, the different members of the family remaining at home and all working together in perfect harmony and to their mutual benefit. In his political views Tobias Crone was a stalwart democrat and in religious belief was a Lutheran, exemplifying the teachings of the church in his daily life. The record of his children is as follows: George E., whose birth occurred in 1854; Thomas A., who was born in 1855 and in 1886 wedded Miss Mary Nelson, a daughter of William Nelson, by whom he has one child, Nancy; Jennie, born in 1857, who passed away in 1891; Francis C., who first opened his eyes to the light of day in 1859; William M., whose natal year was 1861; James L., born in 1863; John E., whose birth occurred November 30, 1865; and Harry T., who was born November 13, 1867. Each of the sons has a well improved farm and they are still working together with mutual profit, being widely recognized as prosperous, progressive and ener- getic citizens of the community.
In 1892 James L. Crone was united in marriage to Miss Flora Kendig, a daughter of Clinton Kendig, and they now have two daughters, namely : Gretchen and Luzetta. James L. Crone is now serving as infirmary director, which position he has capably filled for several years and is well known and highly esteemed throughout the community for his many excellent traits of character and genuine personal worth.
As a companion and helpmate on the journey of life John E. Crone chose Miss Helen Ewing, a daughter of Samuel Ewing. Unto them have been born the following children : Edna M., Esther M., Arthur E. and Dorothy M. Mr .. Crone gives his political allegiance to the men and measures of the democracy, while his religious faith is indicated by his membership in the Lutheran church. The name of Crone has been closely associated with the agricultural development of this county from an early period in its annals to the present time and John E. Crone, like others of the family, has made a creditable record by his activity, enterprise, integrity and success in his chosen field of labor.
SAMUEL W. BLACK.
Samuel W. Black has now passed the Psalmist's allotted span of three score years and ten for his birth occurred March 3, 1834, in this county. He was for a long period identified with commercial interests in Ashland but is now living retired in the enjoyment of well earned rest. He not only deserves mention in this volume as one who in business life has always been progressive and enterprising but also as a pioneer resident, belonging to one of the oldest families in the county. His parents were Samuel M. and Rosanna (Cashdollar) Black. The father, who was born in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, in 1795, reached a venerable age, passing away in 1887, while his wife, who was born in Pittsburg in 1796, was called to her final rest in 1856. In early life he was employed in the Squirrel Hill coal mine in Pennsylvania but, thinking to find better business opportunities in Ohio, he came to Ashland county in 1825 and purchased a farm
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HISTORY OF ASHLAND COUNTY
of eighty acres. For many years thereafter he engaged continuously in agri- cultural pursuits and then about eight years prior to his demise sold his farm and bought a home at Mckay where he lived retired throughout his remaining days. As one of the early settlers he bore his full share in the work of pioneer development, aiding in reclaiming this region for the purposes of civilization and in laying the foundation for its present prosperity and progress. His family numbered eleven children, eight sons and three daughters: Samuel W .; Henry, who was born in 1836; Joseph C., in 1838; Louis in 1842; William; Phillip; John; Daniel; Katherine; Elizabeth; and Sarah.
No event of especial importance occurred to vary the routine of farm life for Samuel W. Black in his boyhood and youth. He was reared in this county when it was largely a frontier district and he assisted in the arduous task of developing the fields, taking his place at the plow at a very early age. He remained at home until seventeen years of age and then went to Loudonville, where he learned the trade of a baker and candy maker, serving a three years' apprenticeship in that line. At the end of that time he bought out his employer and continued in the business there for four years, after which he sold his es- tablishment and purchased a claim of eighty acres. He was connected with agricultural pursuits, however, for only six months, going to Ashland where he rented a room and opened a bakery which he conducted for four and a half years. On the expiration of that period he returned to Loudonville where he again bought property but in 1865 he sold his farm and invested in realty in Ashland. Here he opened a bakery and confectionary business in which he continued for about thirty years, being recognized as one of the most enter- prising and reliable merchants of the city. He was accorded a liberal patron- age because of the excellence of the products which he handled, his reasonable prices and his reliable dealing. In all of his business transactions he was straightforward, never taking advantage of the necessities of another. He always attributed much of his success to the assistance of his wife.
It was in March, 1857, that Mr. Black was united in marriage to Miss Caroline Ullman, a daughter of John and Catherine Ullman, the former a farmer then residing near Loudonville. Unto Mr. and Mrs. Black have been born two sons : Henry Joseph, whose birth occurred February 15, 1858, and James Arthur, who was born July 15, 1868. They were both students in Ashland high school and the former continued his education at Greencastle College and entered the Methodist ministry in 1884, being assigned to a pastorate at Salt Lake City, Utah. He is now located at North Vernon, Indiana, and is doing good work. Henry Joseph Black was married in 1884 to Miss Hattie Bershing and they became the parents of three children, namely : Dr. H. Benton, Earl P. and Helen M. The last two are living at home and the Doctor is practicing dentistry in North Vernon. The younger son, James Arthur, who was engaged in dealing in stock food, died May 11, 1909. Mrs. Black employs much of her leisure time in painting and does very creditable work in that art. Both Mr. and Mrs. Black hold membership in the Methodist church and are earnest Christian people, zealous in behalf of the church and all its activities.
In his political views Mr. Black is a republican and has ever kept well informed on the questions and issues of the day and served as a member of the
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HISTORY OF ASHLAND COUNTY
city council for four years. He well merits the rest which has come to him follow- ing his long years of activity in business circles. As one of the early settlers of the county, having lived here for seventy-five years, his memory forms a connecting link between the primitive past and the progressive present. He has witnessed much of its transformation as the forests have been cut down and the unculti- vated lands have been changed into fertile fields while the cities have been developed through the establishment and successful control of many and varied business concerns. At all times he has borne his full share in the work of public progress, cooperating in many movements for the general good and both as a business man and citizen he has occupied a high place in the public regard.
GEORGE ARTHUR CASSEL.
George Arthur Cassel is not only known as one of the energetic and enter- prising farmers of Orange township but is also active in those lines pertaining to the moral and political progress of the community. His influence is always on the side of right, reform and improvement and his labors have been no unessen- tial element in the work of general advancement. He was born November 24, 1867, in the township where he still resides, his parents being George and Leah (Shopbell) Cassel. He was three years of age when he went to live with George H. and Catharine (Shopbell) Shidler of Orange township, on the farm which is now his home and where the family of his uncle had lived for sixty years. Mr. Shidler had come from Washington county, Pennsylvania, in 1843, following the arrival of his father, Peter Shidler, who had removed westward about six years before. The farm has remained in the possession of the family since that time. Mrs. Catharine Shidler, the aunt of Mr. Cassel, was the daughter of Jacob and Lydia (Ziegler) Shopbell, who arrived in Ashland county in 1832 from Berks county, Pennsylvania. They, too, settled in Orange township and became prominent representatives of the farming community. Mr. Shopbell lived to the very advanced age of ninety-six years, five months and seven days, passing away on the 6th of March, 1884. It was their daughter Catharine who became the
wife of George Shidler. This worthy couple are yet living, Mr. Shidler having reached the advanced age of eighty-six years, while his wife is now seventy-five years of age. They are held in the highest esteem wherever known, their good qualities of heart and mind having won for them the friendship and regard of all with whom they have been brought in contact.
George A. Cassel, their nephew, was carefully reared, pursuing his early education in the district schools, and was afterward accorded the opportunity of attending the Savannah Academy and the Ohio Normal University at Ada, Ohio, where he pursued a commercial and scientific course. He won the degree of Bachelor of Science in 1890 and following his graduation engaged in teaching in the home district for two years. While at Ada he had engaged in teaching penmanship in the commercial department, for he is a splendid scribe. Since 1892 he has been giving his attention to farming and his well tilled fields indicate his careful supervision and practical methods. Fences and buildings are kept
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MIR. AND MRS. G. A. CASSEL
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HISTORY OF ASHLAND COUNTY
in good repair and everything about the place indicates the progressive spirit of the owner.
While business interests claim much of his time and attention, Mr. Cassel has never allowed agricultural pursuits to preclude his assistance in worthy public movements destined for the benefit of the community at large or the individual. His fellow townsmen, recognizing his worth and ability, elected him to the office of township clerk in 1900 and he has filled that office continuously since, his reelection being unmistakable proof of the able manner in which he discharges his duties and the confidence reposed in him by his fellow townsmen. He has also been a member of the school board for about eighteen years and was clerk of the board for eight years. The cause of education has ever found in him a stalwart champion and his efforts in its behalf have been far-reaching and beneficial. He is now and has been clerk of the township board of health, has frequently been a state delegate to the conventions of health boards and is greatly interested in the work. He is also a member of the executive committee of the Men's Federation and is indifferent to no movement which constitutes a feature in the progress of the community for better life and for higher thought. In his political views he is an earnest democrat and for some years was active in the work of the party but recently has given that up for other work. Both he and his wife are members of the church of the Brethren and take a most earnest and helpful part in its various activities. Mr. Cassel became connected there- with in December, 1905, and through the ensuing years his labors have been effective forces in promoting the growth and extending the influence of the church. He is now financial clerk of the church of Maple Grove and is also active in the Sunday school work, realizing how essential it is to impress upon the young an appreciation of the value of the religious life. He is now district secretary of the church of the Brethren of northeastern Ohio, covering twenty- eight counties, and his labors in this connection demand much of his time. He is likewise the president of the Ashland County Sunday School Association to which he was elected in 1908, and for two years previously he was a member of the executive committee of the association and was a delegate to the twelfth international Sunday school convention held in Louisville, Kentucky, in June, 1908. Two years before he had been a county delegate to the state Sunday school convention. He is likewise agent for the German Baptist Mutual In- surance Association. He was chosen for a three years' term a member of the county board of visitors, and thus his activities reach out into many lines. He is also a director of the Ashland Young Men's Christian Association which he joined on its organization in 1905, and in this as well as in other lines he is an active, earnest, zealous and effective worker.
On the 6th of December, 1894, Mr. Cassel was united in marriage to Miss Clara L. Stone, a daughter of Isaac E. and Margaret (Harris) Stone, of Ashland, where her father engaged in business for some years and was well known as a representative merchant. Both parents are natives of Ashland county and they have always lived in the city of Ashland with the exception of eight years spent in Crestline, Ohio. Mrs. Cassel is in hearty sympathy with her husband in all of his church work, is a teacher and assistant superintendent in the Sunday school which had an average attendance of one hundred and forty for the year 1908.
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She is also superintendent of the home department work, is president of the Ladies' Aid Society and does her full share in all of the church work. Mr. and Mrs. Cassel are honored and respected by all, not because of the success they have achieved but because of the active and helpful part which they have taken in those lines which work for character development and for the good of the com- munity at large. They stand for high ideals of Christian citizenship and in their daily lives manifest their faith and belief.
LOREN ELZA HEIFNER.
Loren Elza Heifner makes his home on one of the fine farms of Orange township, comprising one hundred and ten acres. Here he carries on general agricultural pursuits and stock raising which, however, is but one branch of his business, for since 1892 he has traveled as a representative of two commercial houses, being now connected with the F. E. Myers Company. He was born November 4, 1861, in Orange township, and is a son of John and Margaret (Cline) Heifner. When five years of age the father came to Ohio with his father, Frederick Heifner, from Lancaster county, Pennsylvania. Jonas Cline, the maternal grandfather, was also one of the early settlers, and thus in both lines the subject of this review is descended from two of the old families of the county whose members have been prominent in promoting the work of general improvement and progress as the years have gone by. The Heifner family was established in Orange township while the Cline family settled in Montgomery. township, and Mr. Cline followed both blacksmithing and farming. John Heifner was a shingle maker and farmer, and was recognized as an expert in the former line, making as high as a thousand shingles a day. Energy and enter- prise were among his marked characteristics and he possessed a determined spirit that enabled him to accomplish whatever he undertook. He died in 1895 at the age of eighty-three years, while his wife has also passed away. They were the parents of fourteen children, Eliza, Henry, Hyman and Mary, all now deceased, Jesse, Jennie, Lydia, John and Loren E. and five who died in infancy.
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