History of Carroll and Harrison Counties, Ohio, Part 62

Author: H. J. Eckley, William T. Perry
Publication date: 1921
Publisher:
Number of Pages: 678

USA > Ohio > Harrison County > History of Carroll and Harrison Counties, Ohio > Part 62
USA > Ohio > Carroll County > History of Carroll and Harrison Counties, Ohio > Part 62

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. politics, but has been a life long democrat, and he and Mrs. Miller are members of the Lutheran Church at Germano.

In 1878 he married Miss Flora A. Smith. a native of Carroll County and daughter of Aaron and Sarah ( Wier) Smith. Mr. and Mrs. Miller are the parents of five children. Rev. Charles D., the oldest. a resident of Cleveland, married Miss Adeline Corll, of Greenville, Pennsylvania, and has four children, Charles, Robert, Frank and Dorotha. The second son is Monfred L. of Harrison County. Wilbert S. Miller, President of the Wheeling Realty Company, lives at Wheeling, West Virginia. He married Miss Ruth Snyder. Laura B., the only daughter, is the wife of Frederick Miller. of Jefferson County, Ohio, and is the mother of three chil- dren. Arthur. John and Flora Frances. The youngest of Mr. Miller's sons is Harry C. of Wheeling. West Virginia., and honored as one of the ex-service men from Harrison County. He enlisted and joined the colors August 30, 1917. and after ten days at Columbus was sta- tioned at Madison Barracks until the latter part of November, when he sailed for overseas. In France he was with the transportation de- partment of the Medical Corps, and was on duty abroad for nineteen months. He received his honorable discharge July 5. 1919. He is at present post commander of the Loyal Legion at Wheeling. .

MONFRED L .. MILLER, son of Andrew B. Miller, subject of the personal sketch and family rec- ord that immediately precedes this review, was born on the old homestead farm' in Rumley Township May 8, 1881. He acquired his youth- ful education in the district schools of Rumley and German townships, and thereafter contin- ued his association with the activities of his fa- ther's farm until he was about twenty years of age. when he went to the city of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where for two years was in the employ of the street-railway company. For the ensuing three years he was there in the employ of the Pittsburgh Construction Company. He then manifested his wisdom by returning to his native county and resuming his active associa- tion with farm industry. He is now the owner

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of a well improved and productive farm of 102 acres in the northeast corner of Rumley Town- ship, and his pleasant farm residence is almost directly across the road from that of his par- ents. For six years after returning to Har- rison County from Pittsburgh Mr. Miller gave special attention to the buying and selling of horses, but as an agriculturist and stock-raiser he has found his maximum potential in a busi- ness way and counts himself fortunate to be an exemplar of the basic industries under the in- fluences of which he was reared, the while his loyalty to his native county is marked by full appreciation of its attractions and advantages. He is a democrat and his wife is a republican in their political proclivities, and both are com- municants of the Lutheran Church.

On the 1st of August, 1907, was solemnized the marriage of Mr. Miller to Miss Grace Amos, daughter of Joshua and Mary V. Amos, of Lou; . don Township, Carroll County. Mr. and Mrs. Miller have four children-John A .. Anna Vir- ginia, Helen Elizabeth and Samuel Jefferson.

SAMUEL DONNELSON STEWART has marked with success his career as one of the representative agriculturists and stock-growers in his native township, and is a scion of a family whose name has been worthily associated with the civic and industrial history of Harrison County for more than a century. In addition to his well improved homestead farm of eighty-seven acres in Washington Township, Mr. Stewart also owns ninety and one-half acres in Tus- carawas County, about two miles distant from the home farm. In the live stock department of his farm industry he gives special attention to the raising of sheep of excellent type and grade.

Mr. Stewart was born in Washington Town- ship, Harrison County, on the third of Novem- ber, 1855, and is a son of Samuel and Maria (Auld) Stewart. Samuel Stewart was born in Pennsylvania on the 25th of June, 1809, and was a son of Archibald and Margaret (Donnel- son) Stewart, whose marriage was solemnized in 1805. in the old Keystone State, where Mr. Stewart, Sr., established his residence upon im- migrating to America from his native Ireland. Archibald and Margaret Stewart became the parents of five children, James, Samuel, Mary, Isabell and Margaret. In 1816 Archibald Stew- art came with his family to Harrison County, Ohio, and after remaining a short time near Cadiz he removed to Washington Township, where he began the reclamation of a farm from the forest wilds, and where he remained until his death, March 18, 1854, his wife having passed away November 13, 1849.

Samuel Stewart was a lad of seven years at the time of the family removal from Pennsyl- vania to Harrison County, and here he was reared on the frontier farm, with such educa- tional advantages as were afforded in the primi- tive pioneer schools. June 2. 1840, recorded his marriage to Miss Marie Auld, who was born in Washington Township, this county, a daughter of William Auld, and a granddaughter of Sam- uel Auld, who was a native of Ireland, and who became a pioneer settler in Harrison

County after having previously resided for a short period in Pennsylvania. He was a real- dent of Iowa at the time of his death. William Auld first married Mary McAdoo, whose death occurred in 1820, the one child of this union having been a daughter, Maria. For his second wife Mr. Stewart wedded Elizabeth Todd, and they became the parents of three children : James, George T. and Alexander T. Mr. Auld became affiliated with the republican party at the time of its organization, and ever after- ward continued a staunch advocate of its prin- ciples. For many years he was a member of the Seceder Church, but during the closing years of his life was affiliated with the United Presbyterian Church. His death occurred Janu- ary 11, 1880.

After their marriage Mr. and Mrs. Samuel Stewart established their home in Washington Township, and with the passing years success attended their earnest and indefatigable activi- ties in connection with farm enterprise. Both were venerable in years at the time of their deaths, and both were consistent members of the United Presbyterian Church, the while the political faith of Mr. Stewart was exemplified in his zealous advocacy of the principles of the democratic party. He lived a life of honor and usefulness, and was one of the sterling pioneer citizens of Harrison County at the time of his death.

Samuel D. Stewart and his twin brother. Thomas M., were born November 3, 1855, and the names and birth-dates of the other and older members of the family are here recorded : Mary, April 6, 1841; Archibald, January 10, 1843, who died in 1919; William Alexander, Au- gust 16, 1845; Margaret. September 10, 1847; and James M., January 25, 1850.

Samuel D. Stewart gained his youthful educa- tion in the Billingsly District School in Wash- ington Township. and from boyhood until his marriage in 1877 he was associated actively with the work of the parental farm. For three years after his marriage he had charge of this farm, and in 1881 removed with his wife to the state of Kansas, where he remained two years. He then returned to his native county, and here he has resided continuously since the year 1885. He is aligned in the ranks of the democratic party, and he and his wife hold membership in the United Brethren Church.

May 23, 1877, recorded the marriage of Mr. Stewart to Miss Margaret J. Green, a sister of Elmer E. Green, in whose personal sketch. on other pages of this work, are given ample data concerning the family. Mr. and Mrs. Stewart became the parents of five children, of whom the first born, Bertha, died in early childhood; Elva Florence married Arthur Watson, and be- came the mother of three children, Glenn A .. Dorris and Samuel D .; Bertie is the wife of Mark Phillips, of Tuscarawas County, Ohio, and their one child is a son, Lee; Clarence, who re- sides in the state of Nevada, married Miss Bernice Dehaven, and they have adopted a son. Lyle; and Herbert, who is a prosperous farmer in Rush Township, Tuscarawas County, married Miss Cora Amos, their children being Helen and Margaret Fay.

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JAMES H. SEPTER not only conducts a well stocked and well patronized general merchan- dise establishment in the village of Tippecanoe, Harrison County, but is contributing further to the prestige of this section of the county through his effective association with the real estate business. He has been in the most sig- nificant sense the maker of his own prosperity and is one of the substantial business men and loyal and influential citizens of Tippecanoe.

Mr. Septer was born in Hocking County, Ohio, on the 23d of August, 1871, and is a son of William and Sammiah (Campbell) Septer, both of whom were born in Fairfield County, this state. William Septer became a farmer in Hocking County, where he remained until about 1885, when he removed to Tuscarawas County and established himself upon a farm in Rush Township. There he continued his residence until about the year 1896, when he came to Har- rison County and engaged in farm enterprise in Washington Township, where he passed the remainder of his life, his death having occurred in 1898, and his widow having passed to eternal rest on the 17th of January, 1920. Both were earnest members of the United Brethren Church. They became the parents of the fol- lowing children-Elizabeth, Sadie, William, Sa- villa, James H., Scott Earl and Pearl Ellsworth.

James H. Septer early began to assist his father in farm work, and his youthful educa- tion was acquired in the district schools of Fair- field and Tuscarawas counties. As a young man he was identified with farm enterprise in Tus- carawas County and later in Washington Town- ship, Harrison County. In 1892 he found em- ployment in the sewer-pipe manufactory at Mid- vale, Tuscarawas County, where he remained thus engaged until 1896. In 1897 he established his residence at Tippecanoe, Harrison County, where for the ensuing four years he was en- gaged in teaming. Thereafter he devoted three years to independent farm industry in Washing- ton Township, and after leaving the farm he conducted a livery business about one year at Byesville, Guernsey County. He next passed a brief period in the city of Columbus, and he then returned to Tippecanoe and purchased the general merchandise establishment which he has since conducted with marked success. For the past few years he has also given attention to the buying and selling of real estate in this immediate section of the county, and in Ran- dall County, Texas, he is the owner of a valu- able farm property of 412 acres. Mr. Septer is a republican in politics, and while he has had no desire for office his civic loyalty is shown by his effective service as a member of the school board of Washington Township, a posi- tion of which he is the incumbent at the time of this writing. He has been for fully twenty years actively affiliated with the Knights of Pythlas, and he and his wife hold membership in the Methodist Episcopal Church in their home village.

December 19, 1897, recorded the marriage of Mr. Septer to Miss Lucy Thompson, daughter of Isaiah and Leah Jane (Grubb) Thompson, of Tuscarawas County. Mr. Thompson was en- gaged in the mercantile business in Tuscarawas

County until the early '80s, when he came to Tippecanoe, Harrison County, where he con- tinued in the same line of enterprise until his death in 1885, his widow being still a resident of this village. They became the parents of nine children, namely: Charles, Leah Marga- ret, John T. and Naomi (twins), Ella, Sadie Gertrude, Lucy, Edward and Virginia. Mr. and Mrs. Septer have one son, Leslie Earl, who was born October 28, 1905.

REZIN L. BAKER, one of the successful farm- ers of Archer Township, is a representative of the third generation of the Baker family in Harrison County, where his paternal grand- parents, Rezin and Sarah (Thompson) Baker, established their home in the pioneer days, the grandfather having reclaimed and improved a productive farm in Green Township.

Rezin L. Baker was born in Archer Town- ship, this county, on the 25th of January, 1871, and is a son of Elijah W. and Mary M. (Ma- holm) Baker. the latter a daughter of James and Maxie Maholm, whose farm home was in Archer Township, where they gained pioneer honors. Their children were seven in number- Martin, James, Thomas B., Stewart (died in childhood), Jane, Anna and Mary M. Rezin Baker, paternal grandfather of him whose name introduces this review, was born and reared in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, and, as previously noted, he became a pioneer settler in Green Township, Harrison . County, Ohio, where he and his wife passed the residue of their lives, both having been numbered among the early members of the Bethel Methodist Epis- copal Church of their neighborhood. Their children were three in number-John L., Thomas and Elijah W., and all are now de- ceased.

Elijah W. Baker lived a life of purposeful- ness and worthy achievement, and through his well directed endeavors he accumulated and im- proved one of the large and valuable farm prop- erties of his native county. He was born in Green Township on the 4th of January, 1847, and was afforded the advantages of the common schools of the locality and period. His mar- riage was solemnized November 28, 1868, and soon afterward he settled on a farm in Archer Township, where the original habitation of the young couple was a primitive log house. Even- tually he became the owner of more than 250 acres of valuable land, and upon his home place he made the best of improvements. He was one of the substantial and highly respected citi- zens of Archer Township at the time of his death, which occurred October 15, 1909. His widow passed away on the 15th of October, 1915, and both were earnest members of the Bethel Methodist Episcopal Church. They be- came the parents of four children, of whom the youngest, a daughter, died in early childhood. Thomas M., whose death occurred in October, 1905, was born August 28, 1869. The maiden name of his wife was Virena E. Baxter, and their one child, Dean Baxter Baker, is now a member of the family circle of his uncle, Rezin L., of this sketch, who was the second child in his parents' family. Axin Dora, became the

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wife of Jesse L. Martin and was a resident of Archer Township at the time of her death. She is survived by one child, Florence M. Sarah E., the youngest of the four children, was born February 16, 1878, and died June 19, 1880.

Rezin L. Baker gained his youthful educa- tion in what is known as the Brown school in district No. 8, near the line between Archer and Green townships. His entire active career has been marked by active alliance with the great basic industries of agriculture and stock-grow- ing, and in 1900 he made his first purchase of land-a small tract in Archer Township. Through inheritance and the purchase of addi- tional land he is now the owner of a fine farm property of about 400 acres, and he has secure prestige as one of the progressive and success- ful exponents of agricultural and live-stock en- terprise in his native county, cattle and sheep of excellent types being raised on his farm. His loyalty to his native county is shown in his lib- eral and progressive civic attitude, and while he has had no desire to enter the domain of practical politics he is a staunch supporter of the cause of the democratic party, as was also his father. His name is still enrolled on the roster of eligible bachelors in Harrison County.

JUNIUS L. REPPART is the youngest of the three sons born to William S. and Nancy ( Smith) Reppart, and like his brothers. John S. and Thomas F., is a successful representative of farm industry in his native township of Short Creek, Harrison County, individual men- tion of his brothers being made on other pages of this volume. He was born in Short Creek Township December 2. 1860, and his early edu- cation was obtained in the little schoolhouse of district No. 5, this township, where his entire active life has been marked by close and suc- cessful association with farm enterprise. In 1894 he established his residence upon his pres- ent farm, and in connection with his agricul- tural and live-stock enterprise he continued for eighteen years to mine coal from the productive vein on his farm. his activities in mining having been continued until 1912. His farm originally comprised 160 acres, but he has gradually sold small tracts from the property until he now re- tains only sixty acres, constituting one of the well improved and productive farms of Short Creek Township.

William S. Reppart, father of him whose name introduces this review, passed his entire life in Short Creek Township, where he died in the house which figured as the place of his birth. He and his father were stonemasons by trade. He was born in the vear 1830 and his death occurred in November, 1898. His widow, who was born in Tuscarawas County, a daugh- ter of John Smith, passed away on the 25th of February. 1903, an earnest member of the Methodist Episcopal Church. Their three chil- dren are all represented by individual sketches in this publication, as noted in the foregoing paragraph. William S. Reppart was a son of Daniel Reppart. who was born in Wales in 1778. and was a young man when he came to America. His first wife and all save one of their children died during a yellow fever epidemic in the State

of Pennsylvania, and in 1825 he married Miss Hannah Stephens, who was born July 26, 1786. They came soon after their marriage to Ohio and settled in Short Creek Township, Harrison County. Their two children were David and William S. David was born in 1826 and re- mained in Harrison County until his death on the 28th of May, 1887.

In 1887 was solemnized the marriage of Junius L. Reppart to Miss Ruth Ella Ely, who was born and reared in Harrison County and who is a daughter of William and Naomi ( Ran- dall) Ely. Mr. and Mrs. Reppart have five children. Hartzell married Miss Stella Gum- mere, and they have two children-Mervin and William. Irma N. is the wife of Milton Singer, and their two children are Mildred and James. Edna is the wife of Samuel Boyles, and they have one child, Mary Ella. Willard married Miss Emma Carter. Ray married Miss Ethel Rucker, and they have one child, Betty June. All of the children still reside in Harrison County and are well upholding the honors of a family name that has been identified with the history of this county for nearly a century.

JAMES C. MERRIMAN. The attractive village of Tippecanoe in Washington Township, Harri- son County, has its full complement of well or- dered mercantile and industrial establishments, and one of the important enterprises thus lend- ing to the prestige of the village is the general merchandise store of Mr. Merriman, the volume of whose business indicates alike the excellent service of his establishment and his personal popularity in his native county, where he is a representative of an honored pioneer family.

Mr. Merriman was born at Deersville, this county, on the 24th of February, 1863, and is a son of Nicholas and Amy Ann ( Moore) Merri- man. both of whom likewise were born in Har- rison County, where their marriage was sol- emnized on the 18th of June, 1840. Nicholas Merriman was born on the 24th of November, 1817, a date that indicates that his parents were numbered among the early settlers of the county. He was a son of Micajah and Sophia ( Snyder) Merriman, who were born and reared in Pennsylvania and who became pioneer set- tlers in Cadiz Township, Harrison County. Ohio, where the father developed a productive farm and where he and his wife passed the remain- der of their lives, both having been zealous members of the Methodist Episcopal Church. Of their sixteen children all but one attained to years of maturity. The names of the children are here recorded : Sheridan, Nicholas, Daniel, William (died in young manhood), Abraham, Samuel. John. Charles. Anna, Betsy, Rachel. Polly. Ruth, Susan, Julia and Rebecca.

Mrs. Amy Ann ( Moore) Merriman was born and reared in Stock Township, Harrison County. and was a daughter of Peter and Sarah (Jones) Moore, who likewise were numbered among the sterling pioneers of this county, the father hav- ing become a substantial farmer in Stock Town- ship, and both he and his wife having been devout members of the Methodist Episcopal Church. They became the parents of nine chil- dren-Phoebe, Charity, Catherine, Ingabee,

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Mary, Amy Ann, Sarah, Isaiah (served as a soldier in the Civil war) and John.

Nicholas Merriman was reared under the con- ditions marking the pioneer era in the history of Harrison County, and in his youth he learned the trade of blacksmith. In the autumn of 1863 he established his home at Tippecanoe, this county, and here he continued in the sturdy work of his trade until the close of his long, useful and worthy life. He died on the 29th of December, 1897, and his widow passed to eternal rest on the 25th of January, 1904, when venerable in years. Both were earnest and con- sistent members of the United Brethren Church. They became the parents of ten children, of whom the first five are deceased, namely : Rachel, Finley, Robert, Peter M. and Aquilla. The surviving children are: Elizabeth, Julia Ann. James C., Susanna and Buenavista L.

The district school known as the Birney School, in Washington Township afforded to James C. Merriman his early educational ad- vantages, and he was a lad of fifteen years when he began clerking in a general store at Tippecanoe. Thus he early gained valuable knowledge in connection with the line of enter- prise with which he has been continuously associated and in which he has won substantial success. In 1896 he established an independent mercantile business at Tippecanoe, and this he conducted until 1902, when he sold the stock and business. Thereafter he lived virtually re- tired until 1906. when he opened his present well equipped general merchandise establish- ment, which receives a substantial and repre- sentative patronage and is one of the leading mercantile stores of Tippecanoe. He takes loyal interest in community affairs. He and his wife are earnest and influential members of the Methodist Episcopal Church in their home village, he having served many years as class leader and being at the present time a steward of this church, besides which he has given effective service of several years in the position of superintendent of the Sunday school.

On the 28th of November, 1894, was solemn- ized the marriage of Mr. Merriman to Miss Catherine Elizabeth Groves, who likewise was born and reared in Harrison County, and who is a daughter of Hiram and Mary Ann (Phil- lips) Groves, both natives of Washington Town- ship, this county. Mr. Groves was one of the representative farmers of Washington Township at the time of his death, in December, 1872, and his widow survived him by many years, her death occurring in May, 1916. His first wife, whose maiden name was Maria Johnson, became the mother of seven children-Phoebe, Ellen Ann, John, Jane. Susan, Andrew S. and William. Of the second marriage were born five children-Agnes, Thomas, Catherine Eliza- beth (Mrs. Merriman), Della and Margaret. The parents were active members of the Metho- dist Episcopal Church. Mr. and Mrs. Merriman have no children.

HENRY B. STIERS Is another of the native sons and representative farmers of Short Creek Township, and is a member of one of the old and honored families of Harrison County. He

was born in Short Creek Township, this county, on the 17th of January, 1852, and is a son of Henry and Lucinda (Close) Stiers, the former of whom died January 1, 1901, and the latter passed away on the 10th of November, 1908, their marriage having been solemnized May 15, 1839.

Henry Stiers, who was for many years one of the substantial farmers and influential citi- zens of Short Creek Township, was born in Greene County, Pennsylvania, February 15, 1807, and thus was nearly ninety-four years of age at the time of his death. He was a son of Jacob and Mary (Moore) Stiers, both of whom were reared in the State of Pennsylvania, the latter having been a daughter of Henry and Rachel (Dunn) Moore. Jacob Stiers was a son of Henry Stiers, whose wife was of English lineage, he himself having been born in Ger- many and having become an early settler in Fayette County, Pennsylvania, where his home was destroyed by Indians, who set fire to the buildings on his farm and killed his wife and their youngest child, as well as one of his sisters, another girl of the family having been taken captive and borne away by the Indians. Jacob and one of his brothers fled for their lives, and he was pursued some distance by the savage Indians, but finally he reached the house of a neighbor and gave an alarm that rapidly spread through the pioneer community. A brother of Jacob Stiers served as a soldier in the War of 1812 and incidentally gained in- formation that the captured girl above men- tioned was living with the Indians in Canada. He proceeded to Canada in search of her, and there found her married to an Indian, to whom she had borne four children.

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History of Carroll and Harrison Counties, Ohio, Part 62

Author: H. J. Eckley, William T. Perry Publication date: 1921 Publisher: Number of Pages: 678

Author: H. J. Eckley, William T. Perry
Publication date: 1921
Publisher:
Number of Pages: 678