History of Cincinnati and Hamilton County, Ohio; their past and present, Part 152

Author: Nelson, S.B., Cincinnati
Publication date: 1894
Publisher: Cincinnati : S. B. Nelson
Number of Pages: 1592

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HISTORY OF CINCINNATI AND HAMILTON COUNTY.

He is a member of the Madisonville board of education, and of the I. O. O. F. of that village. Mrs. Muchmore belongs to the Baptist Church.

GEORGE I. SETTLE was born in Hamilton county, Ohio, November 17, 1822, a son of Joseph and Hannah (Bean) Settle, both natives of England and early resi- dents of Cincinnati, whence in 1834 they removed to the vicinity of Madisonville. They were consistent members of the Methodist Episcopal Church, and the parents of seven children, four of whom are living: George I .; Caroline, wife of Luke M. Ward; Phoebe Ann, and Ellen.

George I. Settle obtained his education at the schools of Cincinnati. After attaining his majority, he assumed the care of the parental homestead, which is still in the possession of the heirs. In 1865 he purchased sixty acres of land in the im- mediate vicinity of Madisonville, paying therefor the sum of $21,200, and has ever since given his time and attention to the cultivating and improving of said farm, making it one of the finest in the neighborhood. On October 15, 1857, Mr. Settle was married to Caroline, daughter of Samuel and Mary (Moorehead) Nash, both natives of Hamilton county and of German descent. She died in the following year, and was buried in Laurel Cemetery, Madisonville. Since the death of his wife his two sisters, Phoebe Ann and Ellen Settle, have kept house for him. Mr. Settle is one of the oldest and best known citizens in his community, is a Democrat in poli- tics, and has served as school director for his township.

LEWIS FINCH was born in Hamilton county, Ohio, January 20, 1829, son of Henry and Ann (Lewis) Finch, and grandson of William Finch, who served in the Revolutionary war. Henry Finch was a native of Connecticut, came to Hamilton county in 1814, and located at Madisonville when two or three log houses consti- tuted that village. He served in the war of 1812. He was a shoemaker by trade, but farmed in the later years of his life. His wife was also a native of Connecticut, the daughter of a French soldier who came to America with Lafayette; he died in 1879, she in 1878. They were the parents of five children, of whom the only one living is the subject of this sketch.

Lewis Finch was reared on his father's farm and educated at the public schools of Columbia township. When a boy of ten years he learned the art of budding and grafting, and has been a student of fruit culture all his life. For thirty years he has been a member of the Cincinnati Horticultural Society, and his fruit farm is one of the most extensive and best managed in the county. Mr. Finch married Christina, daughter of Ira and Mary (Wiggins) Connett, both natives of Hamilton county; her father is still living, but her mother died September 21, 1865. Mr. and Mrs. Finch are the parents of five children: Frank R., who assists his father on the farm; Thomas C., head engineer and superintendent of the Madisonville water- works and electric light plant; William L., river editor of the Commercial Gazette, formerly a school teacher; Jenny, a student at Goshen, Ohio, and Nellie, a pupil of Madisonville High School. The family is connected with the Methodist Church; in politics Mr. Finch is a Republican.

EDWIN WOOLLEY was born in Hamilton county, Ohio, June 29, 1824, son of Charles and Eliza (Forman) Woolley, the former born in New Jersey, and died in 1833; the latter born in Delaware, and died in 1872. They were the parents of six children: Edwin; John F., who resides in Hanover, Indiana; Mary, wife of Jere- miah Brasier, and Jonathan, Martha and James, all deceased.

Edwin Woolley, the subject of this sketch, was reared on his father's farm and received a public-school education. He learned the blacksmith's trade, at which he worked, however, but two years, after which he began farming. He bought a farm in Brown county, Ohio, and resided thereon some years, subsequently locating at Pleasant Ridge, where he has since remained. In 1857 he married Rosetta C., daughter of Wynant and Maggie (Wycoff) Vanzandt, both of whom are of Dutch descent. Mr. and Mrs. Woolley are the parents of five children: Joseph, a tele-

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HISTORY OF CINCINNATI AND HAMILTON COUNTY.

graph operator; James M .; Mary L., wife of Edward J. Dundon; John F. and Charles E., both of whom are wood carvers, residing at Connersville, Indiana. Mr. Woolley is a member of the Masonic Fraternity; in politics he is a Democrat.

JOSEPH FERRIS was born in Fairfield county, Conn., September 20, 1776, a son of Jedathan Ferris, who was the son of Samuel Ferris, whose father was born in Leicester, England. He settled in Columbia township in 1799 and followed farm- ing, milling and distilling. He farmed in Columbia township, where he was com- pelled to take his produce to New Orleans on a flatboat, and return by way of New York. He owned 700 acres of land near Madisonville, on which was found an ancient Indian burial place. Mr. Ferris in an early day built a frame house for the purpose of educating his children and any others who wished to attend. He hired the teachers and paid them himself. His wife's name was Pricilla Knapp, and they were the parents of eight children, of whom one is now living: Phoebe, who has had control of the farm since the death of her brother, Andrew; Charles, Joseph, Sally, Mary, James and Ruth are deceased. The father died May 16, 1831, the mother February 28, 1872, and they were buried in the family burying ground on the home farm. Mr. Ferris was a Whig, and a member of the Masonic Lodge of Cincinnati.

WILLIAM E. THOMAS was born in Hamilton county, Ohio, March 14, 1838, son of Jacob and Naomi (Armstrong) Thomas. Jacob Thomas was born in Pennsylvania, and came to Ohio at an early day with the expectation of finding employment in the construction of the State's public works. A Mr. Armstrong had preceded him, locating near Plainville, Hamilton county, where he built a gristmill, which for many years was known as "Armstrong's Upper Mill," and which is now owned and operated by the Hartman Bros. Jacob Thomas was employed in this mill by Mr. Armstrong for a period of twenty years. While thus engaged he was married to Naomi, daughter of Mr. Armstrong, and by this union there were born four chil- dren: Caroline, William E., Emma P., and Mary E. After closing his labors in the mill Jacob Thomas engaged in farming, which he followed the remainder of his active life.

William E. Thomas was reared to manhood on his father's farm and attended the local schools and Clermont Academy. In 1862 he enlisted for service in the war of the Rebellion, but was not called out until 1864. His regiment went to Arlington Heights, Washington, and then joined Grant's army, but was not in active service in the front. It was stationed at Fortress Monroe, and at the close of the war Mr. Thomas was discharged at Capeville, Va. He immediately returned home and began working at the carpenter trade, at which he was employed twelve years. He then engaged in the coal and feed business, which he has successfully conducted to the present time. On September 3, 1859, he married Miss Annie Bowen, daughter of F. S. and Rachel Bowen, who died in August, 1881, leaving children: Caro- dine F., Cora T. (wife of David Rohan, of Seattle, Wash.), Emma C., Edwin A., J. R. and Albert A. Mr. Thomas is a member of the Universalist Church, the I. O. O. F. and the Republican party.

NATHANIEL S. ARMSTRONG was born in Hamilton county, Ohio, December 23, 1818, a son of John and Sarah (Norris) Armstrong. The father was a native of Virginia, whence he came to Hamilton county in 1798, locating at the present site of Plain- ville. The mother was born in Maryland. They were the parents of the following children: Amanda M., wife of E. S. Turpin, both deceased; William N., deceased; Elizabeth C., widow of Christian Ebersole; Marshall D., deceased; Nathaniel S. and Bradford C.

Nathaniel S. Armstrong received a public-school education, which was supple- mented by a course at Clermont Academy. After teaching school three years he engaged in merchandizing at Plainville; here he also operated a gristmill in con- nection with his store, and subsequently gave four years' exclusive attention to the

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HISTORY OF CINCINNATI AND HAMILTON COUNTY.

milling business. In 1854 he entered the railway service as freight and ticket agent. at Plainville, which position he held seventeen years, retiring from active business. at the end of that period. In 1847 he married Jemima J. Moreton, and one child was born to this union: Sarah W., wife of W. E. Scott, a miller of Milford, Ohio. Mrs. Armstrong died October 9, 1853. Mr. Armstrong is a member of the I. O. O. F., and in politics he is a Democrat.

A. L. BRAMBLE (deceased). By the death of A. L. Bramble, in 1875, Hamilton. county lost a notable and excellent citizen; one in whom the simple, plodding, ear- nest and honest habits of an old-time farmer were singularly united with the activity, energy and enterprise of the business man of to-day. The deceased was indeed a rare- character, illustrating in his daily life the simple manners and sturdy principles of our pioneer fathers in a degree much beyond, we doubt not, any other citizen of the county, who had a place in business circles. He was born near Brownsville, Penn., June 6, 1799. In June, 1806, he emigrated to Cincinnati, Ohio; floated down the- Ohio river in a flatboat twelve feet by twenty-four feet long. There came in the same boat, in all, six families, one horse, one cow, and a large dog, and the boat landed at the mouth of Deer creek, near where the Little Miami freight depot now stands. The families remained in the boat three weeks after landing, then Elon Bramble, the father of our subject, moved with his family into a log meeting house that stood on what was known as the Usual Ward farm, about one and one-half miles from the present Bramble homestead near Madisonville, Ohio. The meeting house, that the family moved into, had a floor only over one-half of the sleepers, and the openings for windows and shutters had no shutters.

Mr. Bramble married Miss Stites, and settled on the forest-covered farm which lay on the branch of Duck creek, near Madisonville, and which was his home through all his active life. When a boy he hunted all the varieties of game common to our country in its primitive days, which have now disappeared, giving place to cultiva- tion and improvement for which that section of the country is now so famous. With. that change Mr. Bramble, in his hospitable but simple pioneer manner of life, re- mained a good representative man of the days of his boyhood, yet kept pace, in a surprising degree, with the progressive spirit of the times in his business enterprises and interest in current affairs. With the barest supply of the simplest articles of household furniture known to early settlers, all of which would not make a one- horse wagon load, he drove from his parental home to a little cabin, which was placed on nearly the exact spot where later stood his modern comfortable home. His faithful wife and he entered on their new life of unwearying industry. In look- ing forward to the success that, on such occasions, hope alone promises, they could not dream of the results they have seen and experienced. There was apparently nothing but work ahead, and at it they went with a loving faith and earnest will, and from which they never rested. Their earlier labors were in the rude forms of farming peculiar to that day. Their varied products of the farm found their places. in the market in the city regularly on leading market days. While this part of their work continued so systematically, it did not by any means take all of Mr. Bramble's. time or talents. From the earliest settlements of the Little Miami Valley the famous field of its corn found most steady absorption in hogs, and commerce in pork was a necessary sequence. In this Mr. Bramble embarked as soon as the trade opened. He became not only a great feeder of hogs and other stock, but also among the earliest drovers, slaughterers, packers and dealers. His increasing acres of corn and grazing lands had placed in their midst a slaughter house at Plainville, and there he conducted for many years an extensive business in killing hogs of his own raising, of his purchase, and for other dealers, one season showing the enormous number of thirty-six thousand head having been slaughtered by him. The business of packing and dealing was also conducted in the city. Not confining his business to local operations, he was constantly handling stock at other points, buying in and shipping from most of the great grazing and feeding centers in Ohio and Kentucky ..

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HISTORY OF CINCINNATI AND HAMILTON COUNTY.

Of busy men he became about the busiest-this not because of great gain, for his profits were not commensurate with his industry and his enterprise; but because he had an instinct of activity and a fondness for business. In all his busy work he had a sensible consideration for the value of the better things of life. He expected and made it a condition that every one about him should work; yet he valued the advan- tages of relaxation to his family, and took pleasure in their improvement, especially if that improvement did not take the direction of the enervating habits of modern modes of life. He wisely said once, when he heard of misadventure in marriage of children of a friend: "Young folks marry the people whom they meet, and they can not meet desirable people nor get correct knowledge of the world without going about." He acted on this theory, and had comfort in its application so far as his own chil- dren were concerned. Strong common sense, great energy, indomitable will and thorough hatred of meanness and dishonesty were prominent features of his char- acter. Few read people with more prompt accuracy than he did, and those whom his perceptions condemned were never trusted with his confidence ; while those whom he believed in he relied upon unquestioningly. In these judgments he was rarely mistaken. In politics he was a lifelong Democrat, and took active interest in all State and county conventions. Although he had opportunities to hold offices of prominence, once being urged to allow his name to be used as the nominee for Con- gress from this county, he declined the honor.

In 1828 Mr. Bramble was married to Deborah Stites, daughter of Benjamin Stites, a well-known pioneer of Hamilton county. They were the parents of the following children: Alfred, a commission merchant in Cincinnati, who resides on Price Hill; Mary E .; Franklin; Missouri; Caroline; E. W., a distiller of Cynthiana, Ky .; Ayres L., a farmer of Butler county; Lavina D .; Henry D., boot and shoe merchant, Bellefontaine, Ohio; and James F., of Madisonville, manufacturer of tin, iron and slate roofing.

JOHN A. HOSBROOK, civil engineer, was born in Hamilton county, Ohio, October 19, 1850, son of John L. and Deborah (Ferris) Hosbrook, both of whom were natives of Hamilton county. The father was a surveyor by profession, and held the office of county surveyor several terms. The mother died in 1880. They were the parents of four children, three of whom are living: D. S., civil engineer, Cincinnati; Mary H., wife of Milton Pritchet, of New Albany, Indiana, an architect by profes- sion, and a teacher in the Architectural Institute of Louisville, Ky., and John A.

Our subject was reared on his father's farm. At the age of fifteen, he entered Hughes High School, which he attended two years, and then took a course of three years and a half in civil engineering at the Ohio Wesleyan University, Delaware, Ohio. Upon his return to Cincinnati, he at once embarked in the active duties of his profession, at which he achieved fair success. He has held the office of county surveyor four years, having been elected as the nominee of the Democratic party. In 1871 Mr. Hosbrook married Alice A., daughter of Leonard and Eliza (Tasker) Fowler, and to this union three daughters were born: May W., a student at Ohio Wesleyan University, class of '94; Della C., also a student at Ohio Wesleyan Uni- versity, and Nellie V. After his marriage, Mr. Hosbrook resided at Indianapolis six years, but since that time he has lived at Madeira, his office being in Cincinnati. He is a member of the Masonic Lodge at Montgomery.

ANDREW R. ROBISON, retired, was born in Miami county, Ohio, August 21, 1839, son of John and Margaret (Rogers) Robison, both born in Ohio, of Scotch-Irish descent, the former of whom died in 1840, the latter in 1886. They were the parents of seven children, three of whom are living: Jane (wife of Josiah Buckston, of Dakota), Margaret and Andrew R.

Our subject was reared on the parental homestead, and educated at the local schools. In July, 1861, then a young man of twenty-two, he enlisted in Company D, Thirty-ninth O. V. I., with which he participated in the engagements at Madrid,

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HISTORY OF CINCINNATI AND HAMILTON COUNTY.

Mo., and Corinth, Miss., in Sherman's Atlantic campaign, as well as in a number of minor movements, and he was mustered out at Louisville, Ky., in July, 1865. En- listing as a private, he was promoted to second lieutenant in 1863, to first lieutenant in 1864, and to captain in 1865. After the war Capt. Robison remained at the home of his parents two years. He then went to Alabama, where he superintended a cotton plantation twelve years, returning to Hamilton county at the expiration of that period, and here he has since lived a retired life. In 1873 he married Mary, daugh- ter of Rukerd and Mary (Osborn) Hurd, of New Jersey, and one child was born to this union: Walter, who died in August, 1885. Mr. and Mrs. Robison are members of the Presbyterian Church; he is connected with the Grand Army of the Republic.

ABRAHAM CRIST was born in Hamilton county, Ohio, November 10, 1843, son of Henry and Elizabeth (Riggle) Crist, the former of whom was born in Hamil- ton county, and owned a farm of over thirty-three acres near Madeira, where he died. October 29, 1877. The mother of our subject was also a native of this county, and survived her husband nearly ten years, dying April 11, 1887. They were the parents of nine children: John J., born November 5, 1836, died February 9, 1868 (he served three years in Capt. A. Hickenlooper's Fifth Regiment Ohio Volunteer Light Artillery, from September 6, 1861, to October 1, 1864); Mary J., born Febru- ary 17, 1838, died in infancy; Caroline, born December 17, 1841, died in October, 1869; Mary E., born July 11, 1846, died August 9, 1868; Henrietta, born Decem- ber 7, 1850, died September 20, 1891. Four are now living, as follows: Benjamin, a farmer at Kirwin, Kaus. ; Abraham; Henry C., a farmer in Hamilton county; and Thebe A., wife of Joseph Cornish, of Madisonville.

Abraham Crist, the subject of this sketch, was reared to manhood on his father's farm, and received a public-school education. On April 17, 1861, he enlisted in Com- pany C, Second Kentucky Infantry, for three months, and was discharged at the ex- piration of the term; he re-enlisted May 2, 1864, in Company C, One Hundred and Thirty-eighth O. V. I., for ninety days. He enlisted a third time, Febru- ary 19, 1865, for one year, under Capt. John S. Bowels, in Company B, Fifth Ohio Cavalry, and was finally discharged, November 20, 1865, at Charlotte, N. C. After his return he engaged in farming, at which he is still employed. The farm now owned jointly by himself and his brother, Henry C., was first improved by his grandfather, Peter Crist, who settled thereon in 1800. In 1885, Mr. Crist was married to Rachel F., daughter of George Riggle and Permelia Huls, the former a native of Ohio, the latter of New York. Mr. Crist is a member of the I. O. O. F., of Madeira.

THOMAS GRAVES was born at Portsmouth, Ohio, December 1, 1806, a son of William and Lydia (Dugan) Graves. When our subject was six years old, his father died, and he was reared by an uncle, John Ewing, of Whitewater township, with whom he remained until his twenty-second year, receiving such education as the sub- scription schools of the community afforded. After leaving his uncle's, his first em- ployment was with the Kanawha Virginia Salt Company, which became bankrupt, and as he had invested his savings with that company he was left without a cent. After several years miscellaneous trading up and down the river, he bought a. farm of ninety-six acres in Columbia township, February 18, 1840, and has since been successfully engaged in agricultural pursuits. His farm is situated on "Indian Hill," on a direct trail between the two Miami rivers. Indian Hill received its name from a sad circumstance-the killing by an Indian of a white man who was watching for deer at a salt lick on what is now Mr. Graves' farm. On November 27, 1834, Mr. Graves married Mary A., daughter of Ebenezer and Deborah (Hubbard) Mixer, and to this marriage four children have been born: William E., who farms the old place; Ebenezer, who died April 19, 1874; John, who died April 4, 1892, and Lydia, who died February 27, 1893. The death of their mother occurred May 20, 1884. In politics Mr. Graves is a Democrat.

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HISTORY OF CINCINNATI AND HAMILTON COUNTY.

ANDREW J. BUSH was born February 27, 1829, in Hamilton county, Ohio, son of Abraham and Mary (Ester) Bush, who were of English and German extraction, respectively. They were both natives of Virginia. Abraham Bush migrated to War- ren county, Ohio, in 1800, locating at Lebanon. He served in the war of 1812, and after the war located near Madisonville, Hamilton county. He was a farmer by oc- cupation, in connection with which he raised fruits of all kinds. He died in 1832 of cholera. His wife died December 9, 1872. They were the parents of seven children, three of whom survive: Hannah, who married Joseph Martin, deceased; Alysanna, and Andrew J. Those deceased are: Conrad, George, Betsey and Ellen.

Andrew J. Bush spent his boyhood days on his father's farm. He received but a limited education in the public schools. On January 11, 1853, he was married to Emeline Master, daughter of Ephraim and Sarah (Gerrin) Master, natives of New Jersey, and to this union were born eight children: N. B., who resides in Day- ton, Ohio; Anna M., who married Charles Stephens, a commission merchant of Cin- cinnati; Ida, who married Frank Kennedy, a farmer of East Norwood; Laura B .; and four others that died in infancy. Mrs. Bush died April 20, 1893. Mr. Bush is one of the representative farmers of Indian Hill.

DR. W. W. HIGHLANDS was born in Columbia township, Hamilton Co., Ohio, July 3, 1823, son of William and Sarah (Smith) Highlands. William Highlands was born in Pennsylvania, and came to Columbia township with his parents in 1803, residing there until his death in 1874. He was a member of the Methodist Church, and the Masonic Order. Politically he affiliated with the Republican party; by occupation he was a farmer, and he served as justice of the peace thirty years. His wife, who was a native of Nantucket, died in 1892. They were the parents of eight children- four of whom-Anna E., Lot, Mary E., and George-are deceased. Those living are: Dr. W. W., the subject of this sketch; Hephzibah, who married John L. Gall- oway; John S., who has been principal of the Seventeenth District School of Cincinnati for more than thirty-five years, and Anna, widow of William Smith.

The Doctor obtained a public-school education, and after taking a three-years' course at Parker's Academy, Clermont county, Ohio, taught school three years. His professional training was begun under the preceptorship of D. Jones, of Montgomery, Ohio, and finished in the Ohio Medical College, from which he graduated in 1850. During the Civil war he was employed in the United States Hospitals three years. He first began practice at Newtown, in 1849, and is therefore one of the oldest physicians in the Miami Valley. He has uniformly enjoyed an extensive practice, and is among the best known citizens of the community. On November 30, 1853, he married Anna M., daughter of Hiram and May A. (Jones) Bodine, and to this union eight children were born: Nettie A., formerly a student in the Wesleyan Female Seminary, Cincinnati; Amy I., who was a student in the same college, married to Robert M. Crone, Newtown, Ohio; Lulu M., a graduate of Woodward High School and a teacher in Avondale; William B., a clerk in the comptroller's office of the Queen & Crescent railroad at Cincinnati, formerly a student at Ohio Wesleyan University, Delaware, Ohio; and Arthur, Fred, Eliza and an infant child, all deceased. The Doctor and his wife are members of the Methodist Church, and he is connected with the Masonic Order. Politically he is a Republican, and was active in the orga- nization of the party in this county. He has been a member of the Newtown board of education, and represented Hamilton county in the Sixty-fifth General Assembly of Ohio.

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History of Cincinnati and Hamilton County, Ohio; their past and present, Part 152

Author: Nelson, S.B., Cincinnati Publication date: 1894 Publisher: Cincinnati : S. B. Nelson Number of Pages: 1592

Author: Nelson, S.B., Cincinnati
Publication date: 1894
Publisher: Cincinnati : S. B. Nelson
Number of Pages: 1592