USA > Ohio > Ashland County > History of Ashland County, Ohio > Part 77
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The father, whose birth also occurred on the old family homestead in Milton township, his natal day being January 21, 1821, was one of a family of thirteen children and thus was early thrown upon his own resources. Subsequent to the death of his parents he purchased the interest of the other heirs in the home place and thus became the owner of the farm of eighty-three acres which was entered by his father, Robert Nelson, in 1819, and has remained in possession of the family throughout the intervening ninety years. Scott Nelson was a loyal defender of the Union at the time of the Civil war, serving as a member of Company E, Forty-second Regiment, under Captain Barber. Though deprived of educational privileges in youth, he was a student by nature and through reading, observation and experience gained much practical and valuable know- ledge. He was prominent in public affairs and served for many years as justice of the peace, while throughout almost the entire period of his manhood he acted as a school director. His influence and aid were always given on the side of right, truth, justice and progress and his kindly, genial nature and defer- ence for the opinions of others won him the esteem and regard of an extensive circle of warm friends. He was a devout and faithful member of the Lutheran
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church, in which he served as deacon for many years and also had charge of a Sunday school class until within a few years of his demise.
On the 25th of June, 1854, Scott Nelson wedded Miss Rose Ann Wells, who was born in Pennsylvania, August 10, 1827, and was a daughter of James Wells, a pioneer settler of Ashland county. The death of Scott Nelson, which occurred September 19, 1901, was deeply mourned, not only by the members of his imme- diate family but also throughout the entire county in which his life had been so honorably and usefully spent. His wife had been called to her final rest on the 23d of August, 1894.
James B. Nelson, who was an only son, has always continued to reside on the old homestead place in Milton township, caring for his parents in their declin- ing years. His time and energies have always been devoted to the pursuits of general farming and for twenty-six years he likewise engaged in threshing, winning a commendable and gratifying degree of prosperity in his undertakings by reason of his unfaltering diligence and capable business management. Fol- lowing his father's demise he bought out the other heirs to the home farm and as the years have gone by he has brought the property under a high state of cultivation and improvement, the fields annually yielding bounteous harvests of golden grain. On the 24th of May, 1900, Mr. Nelson was united in marriage to Miss Alma J. Burke, a daughter of Henry Burke. They now have two children : Blanche Ann, who was born in 1904; and Marshall Scott, whose birth occurred May 3, 1909.
In his political views Mr. Nelson is a stalwart advocate of the democracy and fraternally is connected with the Knights of Pythias, while in religious faith he is a Lutheran. Living in Ashland county throughout his entire life, his record is familiar to many of our readers and the fact that he is best liked where best known is an indication of an honorable, upright career.
SAMUEL A. LEECH.
A farm of two hundred and forty-six acres pays tribute to the cultivation bestowed upon it by Samuel A. Leech, whose life of well directed thrift and enterprise has brought him to his present position as one of the men of affluence in Mohican township. He has now passed the seventy-fourth milestone on life's journey but still gives supervision to his place. It was in the neighbor- hood of his present home, upon a farm in Mohican township, that he was born June 12, 1835, and in this locality he has always lived, so that his life history is well known to his fellow townsmen. They find in it no estoeric chapter, for his record has been such as would at all times bear close investigation and scrutiny. He represents one of the old families that Pennsylvania furnished to Ashland county. His parents, Gilbert and Sarah (Shearer) Leech, were both natives of Center county, Pennsylvania, and in that state were reared and married. The year 1831 witnessed their arrival in Ohio and the remainder of their days were spent as farming people in Ashland county. The father died ere the first half of the nineteenth century had reached its close, his
MR. AND MRS. S. A. LEECH
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death occurring July 6, 1849, when he was fifty-six years of age. His wife passed away in 1884 at the age of eighty-three years, her birth having occurred in 1801. She had long survived her husband and had here reared her family, numbering nine children, three of whom were born in Pennsylvania ere their removal westward to become pioneer settlers of Ashland county. In order of birth these sons and daughters of the family were: Matthew and William, both deceased; James, who died in childhood; Robert, who died in April, 1868; Samuel A .; Mrs. Martha Stentz, of Mohican township, who has been twice mar- ried, her first husband being a Mr. Sugler; Sarah, the deceased wife of Levi Metcalf, who is represented elsewhere in this volume; Margaret, who died at the age of three years; and David, now living in Iowa.
As a farm boy Samuel A. Leech was reared, his time being divided between the attainment of an education in the early rural schools, the pleasures of the playground and the work of the fields. His training at farm labor was not meager, for at an early age he began to assist his father in the cultivation and development of the fields upon the old homestead. The occupation to which he was reared he determined to make his life work and since 1871, or for a period of thirty-eight years, he has resided upon his present farm. He now owns two hundred and forty-six acres of productive land on which are two sets of farm buildings. This is a well improved property, for the buildings are
substantial and in good repair and the fields are highly cultivated. The resi- dence, the barns, sheds and cribs were all erected by Mr. Leech and stand as monuments to his thrift and progressive spirit. He early realized that there is no royal road to wealth and that the present and not the future holds the opportunity. He has therefore improved each passing hour as it has gone by and each day has contributed in a measure to his success as he has carried on general farming and stock-raising. At one time he bought and shipped con- siderable stock and this proved a gratifying source of income. He has now in part left the work of his farm to others but still gives to it his personal super- vision and in his management displays keen discernment.
In 1864 Mr. Leech was united in marriage to Miss Eliza Botdorf, who was born in Mohican township, in October, 1841, and died on the 31st of December, 1901, at the age of sixty years. She was a daughter of George Botdorf and by her marriage became the mother of one child, Hattie Bell, who is now the wife of John Metcalf, who is operating her father's farm. They have one child, Helen May, who was born July 24, 1904, and is now the light and life of the household. Comparatively few residents of this county have longer re- sided within its borders than has Samuel A. Leech, who is a representative of one of the old and honored pioneer families here. His own memory forms a connecting link between the primitive past and the progressive present, for he can remember when the homes were largely log cabins heated by a fireplace, over which hung the crane supporting the kettles, in which many savory dishes were boiled. The baking was done in the coals upon the hearth. The outdoor life and exercise gave a zest to appetites that made the meals greatly relished. In the fields the work was done by machinery that was quite crude in compari- son to the farm implements in use at the present day. All farm work at that time was done by hand and energy and persistency of purpose constituted the
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features that enabled the agriculturist to till his fields and care for his crops. Mr. Leech has lived to see many changes in the methods of life, witnessing the introduction of the telegraph and the telephone, the building of the canals and later the building of the railroads. In his boyhood it would have seemed in. possible for any one to ride over the country in carriages without horse power but the automobile is today a common sight. Rural mail delivery has also been everywhere introduced and invention has brought to the farm all of the conveniences and comforts known to the city. The farm of which Mr. Leech is the owner indicates the spirit of progress that has been abroad in the land for many years and its cultivation has brought to him a substantial financial return.
W. H. SAMPSEL, M. D.
Dr. W. H. Sampsel, one of the leading physicians and surgeons of Ashland whose prominence in the profession is indicated in the liberal and growing patronage accorded him, was born in Oskaloosa, Iowa, June 17, 1850. . His parents were David S. and Lydia (Brown) Sampsel, natives of Columbiana and Stark counties respectively. The father was born in 1821 and represented one of the old families of Columbiana county, into which his parents removed on leaving their old home in Union county, Pennsylvania. David S. Sampsel, Sr. was one of five brothers, all of whom were physicians and at one time there were forty-two members of the medical fraternity in the family. The brothers of Dr. David S. Sampsel, Sr. were: Dr. Nicholas Sampsel, of Delaware, Ohio; Dr. J. B. F. Sampsel, of Ashland; Dr. P. W. Sampsel, of Elyria, Ohio; and Dr. Henry William Sampsel. All are now deceased, the last named having died in California.
In the county of his nativity Dr. D. S. Sampsel, Sr., read medicine under the direction of Dr. Beymer and later was graduated from the St. Louis Medical College. He entered upon active practice in Louisville, Stark county, Ohio, and was there married. Subsequently he removed to Wayne county, Ohio, where he remained for a short time and then went to Oskaloosa, Iowa, but in 1851 returned to this state and located in Ashland, where he remained in active practice for a period of forty-four years or until the time of his demise, which occurred December 10, 1893. He was an able and learned man not only in the strict path of his profession but in other lines of knowledge as well. In early life he read law, was admitted to the bar and engaged in practice for two years. He was an able public speaker, possessing marked oratorical power and was always active in the ranks of the democracy, not only addressing the public upon the issues of the day during campaigns, but also serving in various official posi- tions. For three terms he was mayor of Ashland and gave to the city a businesslike administration characterized by reform and progress. In all of his work in behalf of the municipality he was practical and his labors proved resultant factors. Under his administration the first street paving was done and stone sidewalks were laid. There has probably never been a citizen in Ashland who has done more real valuable service for the city than Dr. Sampsel.
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He was also spoken of as the most active resident that Ashland has ever had and his record was at all times an honor and credit to the county which honored him. Highly gifted by nature, he used his native talents and acquired ability for the benefit of his fellowmen and for the adoption of higher ideals in all those de- partments of activity which constitute essential factors in the public life. At the time of the Civil war, constrained by a spirit of lofty patriotism, he put aside all business and personal considerations and went to the front as captain of Company K, Eighty-second Ohio Volunteer Infantry. He was injured while crossing the river on a log at the battle of Bull Run and was therefore compelled to resign, after which he returned home and resumed his professional duties in Ashland. He was several times a candidate for congress on the democratic ticket but the republican strength in this county has always been toq great to permit of the election of democratic candidates. In all personal relations he was honored and respected by all who knew him and he still has a firm hold upon the affections of those who knew him in life, for by them his memory is cherished and the recollection of his good work remains as an inspira- tion to all who were associated with him. Four of his sons followed in his professional footsteps, namely : Dr. D. S. Sampsel, who is mentioned on another page of this volume; Dr. J. B. F. Sampsel, now deceased; Dr. W. H. Sampsel, of this review; and Dr. C. B. Sampsel, of Chicago, Illinois.
In his youthful days Dr. W. H. Sampsel attended the public schools of Ashland and supplemented his high school course there with a scientific course in the Ohio Wesleyan University at Delaware. He afterward attended Bryant & Stratton Business College at Cleveland and was there graduated in 1870. Subsequently he returned to Ashland and took up the study of law under Judge Thomas Kinney, in whose office he continued his reading for a year and a half but, thinking to find the practice of medicine more congenial, he entered his father, a well known, capable and prominent physician. In further preparation for this calling W. H. Sampsel, in the fall of 1873, entered the Jefferson Medi- cal College of Philadelphia, where he completed the regular course and was graduated with the class of 1876. He then returned home and for a year was associated with his father in practice but his health failed him, owing to the fact that he was poisoned by chlorine gas in experimental work while in college. He went south to recuperate and spent four years in eastern and southern Texas, after which he returned to Ashland in 1882 and for two years practiced inde- pendently. He then again became associated with his father and the business relation between them was maintained up to the time of his father's death in 1893. Since that time Dr. W. H. Sampsel has practiced independently. His business experience and his study of the law have stood him in good stead. He has served repeatedly as expert witness in various murder and will trials and it was said of him by Judge Ryan, of Cleveland, that Dr. Sampsel was the best expert witness he ever had before him on the stand. He is moreover one of the most skilled physicians of Ashland, for he has been a most thorough and discriminating student and has carried his investigations far and wide into the realms of scientific knowledge bearing upon his chosen life work. He has pursued special courses in chemistry under Dr. Leffman, and in surgery under
-
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Dr. William H. Pancoast. He has also taken a special course in minor surgery under Professor Samuel F. Gross. Ill health has again forced him largely to put aside the active duties of the profession and for four years he has spent the winter months in Florida.
In 1886, Dr. Sampsel was married to Miss Mary Louise Knoth, of Ashland. While he usually votes with the democratic party, he is broad and liberal in his views concerning politics and all vital matters of citizenship. He is now a non-affiliating member of the Masonic fraternity, and the Knights of Pythias lodge and has filled offices in those organizations. Having been a resident of Ashland county through the greater part of his life, he has a wide acquaintance here and his social qualities and genial disposition have made him popular. Nature and culture have vied in making him an interesting and entertaining gentleman and wherever he goes he wins the favorable regard of those whom he meets.
JOHN PETERSON WOLF.
John Peterson Wolf, formerly identified with agricultural pursuits in Washington township, but now living retired in Loudonvile, was born March 22, 1848, in Green township, Ashland county, Ohio. A son of Warring and Sarah (Peterson) Wolf, he is the youngest in the family of four children. Reared under the parental roof, his time and attention were largely given to the duties of farm life and he remained on the homestead assisting his father in the cultivation of his crops until twenty-six years of age, when he engaged in farming on his own account, renting a farm northwest of Perrysville, which he operated for three years. At the expiration of that period he purchased eighty acres of farm land in Washington township, Holmes county, about three miles northeast of Loudonville, and later added eighty acres more, his farm embracing altogether one hundred and sixty acres. Here he engaged in general farming for twenty-one years, bringing his fields under a high state of cultivation. During this period he prospered and became so successful that eventually he was enabled to retire from the active work of the farm and enjoy in well earned retirement the fruits of his former toil. In the spring in 1898 he removed to Loudonville, where he owns a comfortable home on Wood street. He retains however, the ownership of the farm, which continues to be a source of substantial income to him.
In the year 1874, Mr. Wolf was united in marriage to Anna L. Workman, who was born March 2, 1855, in Washington township, Holmes county, Ohio, a daughter of Morgan and Jerusha (Priest) Workman. Her parents both spent their entire lives in the vicinity of Loudonville, where the Workman and Priest families settled during the early pioneer days and traded with the Indians. They are among the old families of the locality and both are repre- sented extensively throughout this section of the county. Mr. and Mrs. Wolf became the parents of two children : Iona Pearl, who died at the age of twenty- one years; and Iva Leone, the wife of George W. Carey, who resides with Mr.
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Wolf, and by her marriage has become the mother of two children, Stanton Wolf and Kenneth Eugene.
Mr. Wolf is a member of the Baptist church of Loudonville, of which his father was one of the charter members, and is a trustee and deacon, being in- terested in the different phases of the church work. In politics he is a democrat but he has never held nor desired public office, preferring rather to concentrate his energies and attention upon his private interests which, carefully managed, have brought him a gratifying measure of success. Public-spirited in his citizenship and upright in his manhood, he has won the regard and esteem of his fellowmen and has drawn about himself a wide circle of warm friends.
GEORGE W. CAREY.
Although still a young man in years, George W. Carey has, through dili- gence and perseverance, advanced step by step in the business world until he now occupies a creditable place in business circles of Loudonville. A native of Green township, Ashland county, Ohio, he was born September 6, 1875, and with the exception of a year or two, has always lived in this locality. His parents, Charles Lincoln and Sarah E. (Stull) Carey, were natives of Ohio and Pennsylvania, respectively, the father having spent almost his entire life on the farm upon which the son was born.
Upon the homestead farm George W. Carey passed the days of his boyhood and youth, assisting his father in the work of the fields until 1899, when he re- moved to Montana and secured work there on a ranch. He remained thus actively engaged for only one year, when he returned to his former home. During his sojourn in Montana he had a very narrow escape, having been mis- taken for another man and shot at three times, the bullets ploughing the earth at his feet. He subsequently came to Loudonville and was here employed in a furniture factory for six months. He then started to learn the barber's trade and after an apprenticeship of about six months he established himself in business on his own account. Beginning with a small three-chair shop, he gradually extended his business until eventually his enterprise was the largest of this kind in Loudonville. His connection with this line of activity extended from 1904 until 1908. In the latter year he sold his shop and became interested in the automobile business, to which he is now devoting his entire time. He is the agent for the Buick and Cameron air-cooled machines, and his energy and perseverance, combined with good business ability, are important factors in the success of the companies he represents in this district.
In 1903 was celebrated the marriage of George W. Carey and Iva Leone, a native of Ashland county and a daughter of John Peterson and Anna L. (Workman) Wolf, both natives of Ohio, who now reside in Loudonville. Ex- tended mention of them is made on another page of this volume. In politics Mr. Carey is allied with the republican party, although the honors and emolu- ments of office have had no attraction for him, the duties of his private business affairs demanding his entire time and attention. He has been quick to recog-
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nize his opportunities and each change that has come to him has been a forward step in his business career. Mr. and Mrs. Carey have many friends in this city who entertain for them a warm regard.
JOHN KUFFMAN STAMAN.
It is not alone the long years of his residence in Mifflin township that entitles John Kuffman Staman to representation in this volume, but the kind of life that he has led, whereby he has become a valued citizen in the community. He has long been identified with its growth and industrial interests and at the same time has not been unknown in connection with public affairs. Today he is conducting his place as a summer resort as well as for the cultivation of the cereals best adapted to soil and climate and the Staman farm is popular with many summer visitors. Ashland county was a part of Richland county at the time of the birth of our subject, whose natal day was March 8, 1833, and the place of his nativity Mifflin township. His paternal grandparents were Jacob and Barbara (Hershey) Staman, both natives of Pennsylvania. The father built a mill in Lancaster county, Pennsylvania, during the war of 1812, as did
his brother-in-law, Jacob Musser. At that time wheat was selling at three dollars and sixty cents per bushel but when the war was over the price fell to sixty cents and they sufferd heavy losses, resulting in their failure. About
eight years later they came to Ohio. The maternal grandparents of John K. Staman were Dr. John and Barbara (Brubaker) Kuffman, natives of Pennsyl- vania. The Staman, Kuffman, Brubaker, IIershey and Musser families, together with many others, were Swiss Mennonites and were the first families who lo- cated in Lancaster county, Pennsylvania, by the invitation of William Penn in 1709. Later many of their descendants came to Ohio. After that first settlement colonies of Mennonites made the voyage to the new world and practically settled Lancaster county, Pennsylvania. The name of Staman was originally spelled Stehmann but has undergone various changes since the first of the name came to the new world, various spellings being adopted, including Staman, Stamen and Stemen. Removing westward to Ohio, Jacob and Barbara (Hershey) Staman spent their last days in Ashland county. Their son, Benjamin Staman, was the father of our subject. He was born in Lancaster county, Pennsylvania, as was his wife, Anna Kuffman. However they came to Ashland county with their respective parents about 1827 and were married here, spending their remaining days in Mifflin township. The death of Mrs. Staman occurred when she was seventy-three years of age, while Mr. Staman reached the age of seventy- six years, surviving his wife a number of years. He was a farmer and miller and lived a life of well directed industry and thrift. Unto them were born a family of five children: John K .; Jacob B., who died at the age of nineteen years; Christian C., who is a neighbor of John K .; Barbara Ann, who died at the age of four years; and one who died unnamed in infancy.
John Kuffman Staman has spent his entire life in this county and has a very wide acquaintance here. During his boyhood days he was an invalid and
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at times it was thought that he would never reach manhood. The outdoor life however, proved beneficial and he gained his strength and vigor as the years went by. Through the period of his minority he worked on the home farm and in his father's sawmill. He had charge of the mill for forty-nine years as head sawyer, being employed there from the time that he was old enough to do any work in connection with the mill. He had advanced only a little distance on the journey of life when he took up the work of dressing lumber, and he became thoroughly conversant with every department of the business. As opportunity
offered he acquired his education in the common schools and also taught school for one term. Afterward going to Ashland he there pursued some preparatory work and subsequently again engaged in teaching through two winter terms, having about ninety pupils for eleven days one term and one day nearly one hundred while teaching in the village of Mifflin. As it was impossible for one person to hear all of the classes he had the older scholars assist him in teaching the younger ones. It was regarded in the community as a splendid school,
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