USA > Ohio > Champaign County > History of Champaign County, Ohio, its people, industries and institutions, Volume II > Part 33
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after his retirement from the farm and removal to Urbana and who was twice married, after the death of his first wife, Laura Townley, he having married Emma Funk, and Douglas, ho married Alice Townley and died of his farm in Clark county, his widow spending her last days in Springfield, that same county.
Reared on the home farm on Pretty Prairie, William J. W. Rawlings received his schooling in the schools of that neighborhood and from the days of his early boyhood was a valued aid to his father in the labors of improv- ing and developing the home place. After his marriage in the summer of {863, he began farming for himself in Urbana township and became a suc- cessful and substantial farmer and landowner, spending the rest of his life there, actively engaged in farming, his death occurring on March 29, 1898. he then being just one month under sixty-eight years of age. He was a Republican and ever took an earnest interest in local political affairs, but had not been included in the office-seeking class. As a member of the Pres- byterian church he also took an active interest in church work and in other neighborhood good works and did his part as a citizen in promoting all good causes throughout that part of the county.
It was on June 11, 1863, that William J. W. Rawlings was united in marriage to Elcetta M. Mumper, of this county, who was born in Macomb, McDonough county, Illinois, a daughter of Jacob and Ann ( Wagner) Mum- per, natives of Pennsylvania, the former born in York county, that state, and the latter in the neighboring county of Cumberland, who were married there and in 1839 went to Illinois and located at Macomb, where Jacob Mumper engaged in the distilling business and also owned a farm. Presently he met business reverses and lost practically all he had, after which he came with his family to this state and located in Miami county, where he was engaged in farming for three years, at the end of which time he came over into Champaign county and for two years thereafter was engaged in farming on a farm on the Ludlow road. After that he was for six years engaged in farming the Baldwin place and then he bought a farm on Pretty Prairie, on the south county line, where he established his home and where he spent the remainder of his life, his death occurring in his seventy-fourth year. His widow later moved to Urbana, where her last days were spent, her death occurring there in the eighty-fourth year of her age. They were members of the Presbyterian church and their children were reared in that faith. There were seven of these children, of whom Mrs. Rawlings was the sec- ond in order of birth, the others being as follow: Jane, who married John
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Todd, a substantial farmer of Urbana township, and has seven children ; Abram, a farmer of Clark county, who married Sarah Hutton and also has seven children; John, a retired farmer living at Urbana; Anna, widow of E. P. Kingsley, a commercial traveler, who died in March, 1915, leaving one child, a daughter, Catherine, who married Frank Ganson, an automo- bile dealer, of Urbana, and they have one child, a son, Kingsley ; Emma, wife of Dr. Luther Woolford, of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, and Ellen, wife of Charles Nichols, of Urbana.
To William J. W. and Elcetta M. (Mumper) Rawlings six children were born, namely: Anna, who married Major Fred Phelps, a retired officer of the United States army, now engaged in the recruiting service, and they have one child, a son, Ralph; James D., a retired farmer and stockman, now living at Urbana, who married Ida Willoughby and has four children, Marie, who married Dr. Arthur C. Bible, a dentist, of Urbana, and has one child, a daughter, May V., and Christine, Eloise and William; Thomas, who mar- ried Blanche Hume, of Union township, this county, and has three children, Caroline, Margaret and Corinne; Ralph and Ruelle (twins), the former of whom, a traveling man living in Detroit, married Katherine Van Meter and has one child, a son, Edward, and the latter of whom married Dr. E. W. Ludlow, of Urbana; Warren, now engaged with a manufacturing concern at Atlanta, Georgia, who married Pearl Minturn and has one child, a son. Leslie. After the death of her husband, Mrs. Rawlings moved to Urbana, where she has since made her home at 127 West Market street with her two daughters.
ROBERT LEE GRIMES, M. D.
Dr. Robert Lee Grimes, of Westfield, Ohio, was born in Carroll, Mary. land, in 1860. He is a son of Dr. G. S. Grimes, a citizen of Maryland, who died in Virginia in 1876. For many years he practiced his profession in Maryland.
: Dr. R. L. Grimes was left to his own resources at the age of sixteen years. In 1876 he went to Front Royal, Virginia, for the purpose of taking a course in pharmacy. Later he entered a medical college at Baltimore. Maryland, completed the prescribed course of study and graduated as a full- fledged physician. During the time of his college study he secured the means to meet his expenses by working in a drug store, and engaging in stich other work as opportunity afforded. After his graduation he engaged
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in the practice of his profession in Montgomery, West Virginia, and, in 1892, he came to Westville, Ohio. He soon established a successful practice here and continued until 1912, when he retired from practice on account of his health. He married Bertha R. Taylor, daughter of Simeon Taylor. She was born near Westville on the old Taylor homestead in Mad River town- ship.
PAUL C. SPAIN.
Paul C. Spain, one of the best-known merchants at North Lewisburg, this county, member of the firm of Spain & Dolan, dealers in general hard- ware and farm implements, and who was former clerk of that village and is now serving as treasurer of the same, is a native son of Champaign county and has lived here all his life. He was born on a farm in the immediate vicinity of North Lewisburg, in Rush township, September 11, 1881, son of Joseph W. and Flora E. (Clark) Spain, both of whom also were born in this county and who are now living in North Lewisburg.
Joseph W. Spain was born on a pioneer farm in Rush township, in 1851, son of Wright and Lucy (Crowder) Spain, natives of Virginia, who had come to this county with their respective parents in the days of their youth, grew up here, married and established their home in Rush town- ship and there spent their last days. Joseph W. Spain grew to manhood on the home farm and married Flora E. Clark, a member of one of the old families in that part of the county, and in turn became a farmer in Rush county, a vocation he ever since has continued, though for some years past living practically retired from the active labors of the farm at his pleasant home in North Lewisburg. He and his wife have three sons, the subject of this sketch having two brothers, Howard and Robert J. Spain.
Reared on the home farm in Rush township, Paul C. Spain received his early schooling in the schools of North Lewisburg and supplemented the course there by a course in Bliss Business College at Columbus, after which for four years he was engaged as a clerk in the hardware store of Crevis- ton & Dominy at North Lewisburg, thus acquiring a thorough acquaintance with the hardware trade. He then bought Mr. Dominy's interest in the store, the firm thus becoming Creviston & Spain, which arrangement con- tinued for about nine years, at the end of which time, in 1913, Mr. Crevis- ton sold his interest in the concern to Mr. Dolan and since then the busi- ness has been conducted under the firm name of Spain & Dolan. The firm
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occupies a two-story store building, twenty by ninety feet, and an additional warehouse for the storage of agricultural implements, and carries a large and comprehensive stock, including general hardware and farm implements, together with such other goods as are usually carried in a store of that char- acter, and has a large and growing business. Mr. Spain is a Republican and has long given his active attention to local political affairs, being at present a member of the county central committee of his party. He served for some time as clerk of the village of North Lewisburg and is now serving as treasurer of the same.
In 1905 Paul C. Spain was united in marriage to Lenora A. Townsend, daughter of O. S. Townsend and wife, and to this union two children have been born, Dorothy and Floriene. Mr. and Mrs. Spain have a very pleasant home at North Lewisburg and take an earnest interest in the general social activities of their home town. Mr. Spain is an active Mason, past master of the local lodge of that ancient order, and is a member of the local lodge of the Knights of Pythias, in the affairs of both of which organizations he takes a warm interest. He is one of the most active and energetic business men in North Lewisburg and has long been recognized as among the leaders in all movements having to do with the promotion of the substantial inter- ests of that town.
DAVID LOUDENBECK.
David Loudenbeck lives on a farm located on rural route number nine, Mad River township, Urbana, Ohio. He was born on this farm in March, 1843, and this has always been his home. He is a son of Jonas and Susie (Snyder) Loudenbeck, old residents of this county.
Jonas Loudenbeck was born, January 28, 1816, on the farm now owned by Alfred Taylor, in Mad River township. Jonas was a son of Daniel and Mary (Pence ) Loudenbeck. They came from Virginia, where they were born, reared, educated and married. They came to this county in 1810 and entered a tract of government land, improved the same and established a home, in which they spent the remainder of their days. Daniel Loudenbeck was a blacksmith and worked at his trade along with his farming work. He lived to be nearly ninety years old; the wife died at the age of ninety-six. They were the parents of four children.
Jonas Loudenbeck grew to manhood on the old home place. After his marriage he removed to the farm on which our subject now lives. He
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cleared up this farm and put up buildings and added improvements from time to time until he had a farm in a good condition for cultivation and for the production of good crops. He made this his home until his death, which occurred in 1903. His wife also died in this home. They had three chil- dren: David, our subject; Jane, wife of Abraham Pence, living in Shelby county ; Sarah, the wife of Isaiah Smith.
David Loudenbeck was reared on the farm and received his education in the common schools. He remained at home doing his share of work on the farm until his marriage. He was married in 1866 to Roanna Colbert, a sister of Isaialı Colbert, whose biographical sketch appears in. another place in this work. Mr. and Mrs. Loudenbeck have three children: Edgar, living at home ; Walter D., at St. Paris, Ohio: Edna, wife of Walter Alban, of Springfield, Ohio.
Mr. Loudenbeck is a member of Urbana Lodge, No. 46, Independent Order of Odd Fellows. Politically, he is a Democrat. His greatest interest is centered in the care and cultivation of his one hundred and eighty-seven acres of land, some of the best in the township. The land is well adapted for stock raising and for the production of abundant crops of grain and other farm products. The condition of the farm and of everything about the premises shows good taste and intelligent management, and that modern methods are employed in the operation of the farm.
ROBERT HENDERSON, M. D.
Dr. Robert Henderson, one of Champaign county's best-known phy- sicians, is a Virginian, but has been a resident of Ohio since the latter seventies and of the city of Urbana since the year 1884, being thus very properly entitled to be regarded as one of the "old settlers" of this county. He was born in the city of Parkersburg, Virginia (now in West Vir- ginia), on March 22, 1851, son of Richard H. and Ann Maria ( Shank- lin) Henderson, both natives of that same state, and was reared there and in Wheeling, in which latter city he completed his work in the com- mon schools. While engaged as a clerk in a store at Parkersburg he began the study of medicine and after awhile entered the College of Physicians and Surgeons at Baltimore, being graduated from that institution in 1878.
For a short time after receiving his diploma Doctor Henderson was engaged in the practice of his profession in West Virginia and then came
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to Ohio, locating at New Moorefield, in Clark county, where he remained until the fall of 1884, when he moved to Urbana, opened there an office for the practice of his profession and has ever since been thus engaged in that city. Doctor Henderson is a member of the Champaign County Medi- cal Society, a member of the Ohio Medical Society and a member of the American Medical Association, in the affairs of which organizations he takes a warm interest, ever keeping fully abreast of the advance being made in his profession. The Doctor is an active Democrat and during the second Cleveland' administration served as a member of the pension examining board for this district. He is a Mason and takes much interest in the affairs of that ancient order.
In 1875, several years before coming to this state, Doctor Henderson was united in marriage to Elizabeth S. Thomas, of Point Pleasant, West Virginia, and to this unjon two children have been born, Richard T. and Helen. Dr. Richard T. Henderson was graduated from the Starling Medical College at Columbus in 1900, having been prepared for college by study under his father's preceptorship, and is now associated with his father in prae- tice. Helen married William C. Bonebrake, a civil engineer of the Pennsyl- vania railroad at Pittsburgh.
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A. F. TAYLOR.
A. F. Taylor is a retired farmer and yet is interested in farming under the firm name of A. F. Taylor & Son, proprietors of the Hereford cattle farm consisting of two hundred and seventy-five aeres, located three miles west of Urbana, on the Urbana and Piqua pike.
Mr. Taylor was born in Cambridgeshire, England, November 8, 1850. He came to the United States in 1854, locating in Ontario county, New York, and came to Champaign county, Ohio, in 1875. In 1887 he located on a farm one mile west of Woodstock. in Champaign county, and three years later he came to his present farm. He received his early education in New York state and remained at home until he was twenty-one, when he started out for himself without a dollar. He first took a contract for fur- nishing plaster rock, one thousand tons, at seventy-five eents a ton. This gave him a little start, and he came to Summit county to engage in farming. He rented a farm and, in connection with his brother, began the experiment of farming and stock raising, in which he was quite successful. He after-
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wards purchased a half interest in a farm of one hundred and sixty acres, his brother-in-law taking the other half. After two years he purchased the other half interest and operated the farm alone.
Mr. Taylor was married to Rachael Spensly. She was born in Medina county, Ohio, where she was educated and engaged for some time in teach- ing. Edward T. is the only son of Mr. and Mrs. Taylor. He was born on February 15, 1878, and was educated in the district schools, graduating in the Urbana high school and in the agricultural school at Columbus, Ohio. He married Mabel Jenkins, of St. Paris, Ohio, who was educated in the graded schools and a graduate of the St. Paris high school. They have one child, Melvina A., born June, 1909.
Mr. Taylor is a member of the Universalist church, of Westville, Ohio, and is one of the trustees of that church. He is a charter member of Magrew Lodge No. 433, Knights of Pythias, and served as treasurer of that order. He is a Republican, but has never taken an active part in party affairs.
Mr. Taylor is largely interested as a breeder of Hereford cattle and has a herd of three hundred, and is a feeder of a large number of hogs.
Mr. Taylor's house was destroyed by fire in 1914 and he built a modern bungalo in which he now lives. It is a very comfortable home and nicely located.
DAVID W. TODD.
Judge David W. Todd, an honored veteran of the Civil War, former probate judge of Champaign county, former assistant postmaster at Urbana and for many years one of the best-known lawyers at Urbana, is a native son of the old Keystone state, but has been a resident of Ohio and of this county since he was eleven years of age and may thus very properly be accounted as one of the real "old settlers" of Champaign county. He was born in Dauphin county, Pennsylvania, December 31, 1835, son of David and Sarah (McCormick) Todd, both natives of that same state, who came to Ohio in 1846 and in 1847 settled on a farm on Pretty Prairie, in Urbana township, this county, where they spent the remainder of their lives, useful and influential residents of that sterling community, the death of the senior Todd occurring there in 1868.
Reared on the home farm on Pretty Prairie, David W. Todd received his elementary schooling in the schools of that neighborhood and supple- mented the same by a course in Miami University, at Oxford, this state, from
D. W. TODD.
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which he was graduated in 1860. Meantime he had been giving close atten- tion to the study of law in private readings and upon leaving the univer- sity entered the law office of Shellabarger & Good at Springfield and there completed his legal studies and was qualified for practice. Upon being admitted to the bar in 1863 he opened an office for the practice of his profession at Urbana and in the fall of that same year he was elected county attorney of Champaign county, in which official position he served so satis- factorily that he was re-elected in 1865 and thus served as county attorney for two terms. During this time he had given some attention to the work of developing the industries of Urbana and in 1873 was made general super- intendent of the Urbana Machine Works, a position which he occupied for a couple of years, at the end of which time he resumed the practice of his profession and in 1878 was elected probate judge in and for Cham- paign county and by successive re-elections was retained in that office for four terms, or until 1890, since which time he has been engaged in the practice of his profession and in looking after his other interests in and about Urbana. Judge Todd has ever given his earnest attention to local civic affairs and for ten years served as assistant postmaster at Urbana, retiring in 1916. He is an ardent Republican and has for many years been looked upon as one of the leaders of that party in this county and through- out this part of the state.
The above brief review of Judge Todd's professional and civic activi- ties has made no reference to his distinguished military service during the progress of the Civil War, mention of which has been reserved for a separate paragraph. Upon President Lincoln's first call for volunteers in that memorable April of 1861, Judge Todd responded to the call with patriotic fervor and on April 29 enrolled his name as a member of Company F, Second Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry, at Springfield, with which com- mand he served until the following July. In 1862 he assisted in organizing a Springfield company of recruits and went to the front with them as second lieutenant of Company B, Eighty-sixth Regiment. Ohio Volunteer Infantry. and was presently promoted to the rank of first lieutenant, later becoming regimental quartermaster, and was mustered out with that rank at Camp Delaware on September 25, 1862. On May 6, 1864. he was commissioned lieutenant-colonel of the One Hundred and Thirty-fourth Ohio and after some active service with that command in the advance on Petersburg was finally mustered out with the rank on August 31, 1864. Judge Todd has for years been one of the most active members of W. A. Brand Post. Grand Army of the Republic, at Urbana, has held numerous offices in that patri-
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otic organization and has long been a familiar and enthusiastic figure at the annual encampments of the Grand Army of the Republic, Department of Ohio, and has likewise attended several national encampments of the Grand Army.
Judge Todd has been twice married. It was in 1863 that he was united in marriage to Virginia Hamilton, who died in 1868, leaving two sons. Lee H. Todd, for many years proprietor of a book store at Urbana, and Robert M. Todd. In 1869 Mr. Todd married, Ella W. Hovey and to this union three children were born, Nancy H., wife of Cary G. Glessner; Frank WV. Todd, who is one of the best-known newspaper men in Urbana, and Helen Todd, who died at an early age. Judge and Mrs. Todd are members of the Presbyterian church and have for years been regarded as among the leaders in the various beneficences of the same, ever taking an earnest inter- est in church work, as well as in the general good works of the city and county at large, and have been helpful in many ways in promoting such agencies as have been designed to advance the common welfare hereabout.
NATHANIEL C. HUNTER.
The late Nathaniel C. Hunter, for years one of the best-known and most substantial farmers and landowners of Salem township, this county, who died in 1908 at his home in Urbana, where he had been living retired from the active labors of the farm for more than twenty years, was a native son of Champaign county and all his life was spent here. He was born on the old Hunter homestead place in Salem township on November 1, 1825, son of John and Jane (Humphries) Hunter, prominent residents of that part of the county, whose last days were spent there.
John Hunter was a son of Nathaniel and Ann ( Porter) Hunter, natives of Ireland. who were among the very earliest settlers in the northern part of this county and who took an influential part in the work of creating proper social conditions in the formative period of that now well-established and prosperous farming community. Nathaniel Hunter was born in County Down, Ireland, on a farm about twelve miles from Belfast, December 4, 1768, of Scottish descent, his forbears having crossed from Scotland into the north of Ireland in 1607. On February 2, 1790, he married Ann Porter. who was born on May 15, 1772, also of Scottish descent, and in 1793 he and his young wife and their baby daughter, Mary Ann, came to this conn-
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try and located in Greenbriar county, Virginia, where they established their home and where they remained for fifteen years or more, at the end of which time they disposed of their holdings there and in 1810 came out into what then was regarded in the East as the "wilds" of Ohio. Chillicothe was their point of destination in this section and upon his arrival there Nathaniel Hunter began looking about a bit for a suitable place for settle- ment. He presently bought a three-year lease to a tract of land on Possum Run, eight miles south of London, in Madison county, and the next spring put out a planting of corn on that tract. He later started out seeking a place for the establishment of his permanent home, finally deciding that in Champaign county there were as fruitful possibilities as in any section of this part of the state. So well pleased was this stalwart pioneer with the appearance of things in this county that he bought nine hundred and fifty acres of land in Salem township, two miles west of Mt. Tabor and three miles southwest of West Liberty. Then, with the assistance of his elder sons, he cleared a patch in the forest, built in that clearing a log house and made some other improvements on the place, and in the spring of 1814 moved his family into the new home. Meantime, during the family's resi- dence in Madison county, another baby had been born into the Hunter household, the last daughter, Elizabeth, and thus when the new log house in the wilderness was furnished there was need for the cradle. At that time there still were numerous Indians hereabout and wild game in abundance and with the exception of an occasional small settlement here and there the land was a veritable wilderness. The Indians were not troublesome at that time, however, and the Hunter family was not disturbed in its home-making there in the woods of that Mt. Tabor country, and that home presently came to be recognized as one of the best-established and most hospitable in all that region roundabout. Nathaniel Hunter was a good farmer and lived to see his land, which is still in the ownership of the Hunter family. developed into a fine bit of farm property.
To Nathaniel and Ann ( Porter ) Hunter nine children were born, namely : Mary Ann, born on October 9, 1791, who married a Casebolt ; Alexander. February II, 1795, who became a substantial farmer in the Mingo neigh- borhood; Jane, November 11, 1796, who married a Miller; Thomas, Jan- uary 22, 1799, who also had his home near Mingo; John, March 20, 1801. father of the subject of this memorial sketch: Nancy, April 30, 1803, who died unmarried; Samuel, March 23, 1805, who married Maria Miller and also established his home in Salem township; Sallie J., October 13, 1806. who married a Whitehead and moved to Michigan, and Elizabeth, March 18.
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