History of Cincinnati and Hamilton County, Ohio; their past and present, Part 166

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

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BEN B. LAW, special agent for the New York Bowery Insurance Company, was born November 17, 1839, in Savannah, Ga., and is the second son of John S. and Elizabeth (Reed) Law. He received his early education on his father's plantation and afterward in the public schools in Cincinnati, Ohio, his father having moved to that city in 1847. Leaving school he accepted a position with B. T. Stone, a com-

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HISTORY OF CINCINNATI AND HAMILTON COUNTY.

mission merchant of Cincinnati, and afterward worked for Crane & Breed, manu- facturers, In 1860 he secured a position as nlerk on a steamboat running between Cincinnati and New Orleans, and was thas employed for ten years. He then accepted a position with the Royal Insurance Company, of which John H. Law, a brother, was general manager, and was with this company sixteen years, leaving to. accept his present position.

Mr. Law was married, February 14, 1879, to Ella Rogers, daughter of William G. Rogers, of Covington, Ky. He had one child, a son, who died at the age of ten years. Mrs. Law died June 25, 1882. Our subject enlisted in Company E, Seventh O. V. I., in 1863; was first detailed on a transport boat on the Ohio river; was next transferred to Fort McHenry, at Baltimore, afterward serving as wagon master. He was in the battles of Shiloh and Island No. 10, and was mustered out in Decem- ber, 1864. Mr. Law is master in the Masonic Order, and a member of Bart Emery Post No. 554, G. A. R., of Loveland. In politics he is a Democrat.

JACOB D. HEGLER, captain and owner of the steamer "Guiding Star," was. born July 28, 1835, on a farm near Xenia, Ohio. His father, Jacob Hegler, was a Virginian, and his mother, Malinda (Paullin) Hegler, was a native of Ohio, and they were of German and English extraction, respectively. Mr. Hegler moved to this State in 1817, and, purchasing a farm of 410 acres near Xenia, carried on farming until his deatlı.

Our subject attended the public schools of Xenia for a short time, but tiring of the quiet home life, and possessing a roving disposition, he left home at the early age of eight years, and found employment herding cattle in Illinois. During this time he made two trips from near Springfield, Ill., to Lancaster, Penn., on foot, driving cattle over the mountains; for this work he received forty cents a day. After this he made his way to New York, where he shipped as cabin boy on a vessel bound for China, engaged in the tea trade, and he followed the sea for sixteen years, as sailor before the mast and as mate. During this time he sailed around the world seven times, in the China tea trade, and made twenty-seven voyages between New York and Liverpool, England, in the Black Ball Line, owned by Gimnell, Minton & Company; by them he was promoted to the rank of mate, and in this capacity made several voy- ages between New York and the island of Sicily. Mr. Hegler was in California be- fore the discovery of gold. Tiring of the sea he engaged in digging for gold in Australia; from there went to Peru, South America, where he also worked in the gold mines, and then back again to California, where he again worked in the mines.

Having made and saved considerable money during this time, and longing for the sea again, he returned to it, this time as owner and captain of a ship engaged in the Mediterranean sea trade as a fruiter; this he followed for two years, when, in 1859, he finally left the sea, settled in Nebraska among the Indians, and made an effort to build up the town of Aspinwall, on the Missouri river. In this venture he invested all his money in a general merchandise store, operated a steam ferry, and served as postmaster. The investment proved a failure, and Capt. Hegler lost everything he had. From here he went to Cincinnati, where he secured a position with Babbitt, Harkness & Company, wholesale grocers, by whom he was employed six years as traveling salesman. He then returned to the profession of navigation, this time as owner and captain of the steamer " Annie Laurie," engaged in the Cincinnati and Kenawha river trade. He built and owned the steamer "Kittie Hegler," and the "Golden City," and now owns the "Guiding Star," the finest and the largest steamer on the Ohio river.

Capt. Hegler was married December 21, 1859, to Mary I., daughter of Henry and Anna P. (Beall) Kealhofer, of Xenia, Ohio, by whom he had three children: Kitty, now Mrs. A. N. Paxton; Harry, and George. Mrs. Hegler died at Cincinnati, June 30, 1879. On November 7, 1883, he was again united in marriage, this time to Anna D. Paxton, daughter of Samuel and Hannah A. (Eveland) Paxton, of Loveland.

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By this union there is one child: Jacob Lawrence. Captain Hegler moved to Love- land in 1875. Politically he is a Democrat; he is a member of Kilwinning Chap- ter of Royal Arch Masons.

WILLIAM B. BRYANT, passenger conductor on the P. C. C. & St. L. R. R., was · born Marchi 6, 1852, at Smithfield, Henry Co., Ky., a son of William F. and Frances Russel Bryant, both of German extraction, the former a merchant of Smithfield. The subject of this sketch attended school at Smithfield, afterward graduating from the Smithfield College. After leaving school he clerked for his father four years, leaving to learn the painter's trade, which he worked at five years. He then accepted a po- sition as brakeman on the Queen & Crescent railroad. Mr. Bryant has served as brakeman, baggage master, freight conductor and passenger conductor, and has been employed by the Queen & Crescent, the Columbus, Hocking Valley and Toledo, and the P.C.C. & St. L. He was married August 21, 1872, to Emma Righter, daughter of Robert and Harriet (Lisk) Righter, of Columbus, Ohio. They lived in Columbus eight years, and moved from there to their present home. They have one child, Clar- ence S. Mr. Bryant is a member of the Masonic Order, and in politics he is a Repub- lican.

ADDISON G. POWNALL, conductor on the B. & O. R. R., Loveland, Ohio, was born February 19, 1849, at Cumberland, Md., and is the son of Jonathan and Catherine Ann (French) Pownall, Virginians by birth, and of English extraction. In 1845 they moved from Virginia to Cumberland, Md., where Mr. Pownall was in the employ of the B. & O. R. R. In the fall of 1862 he rented a farm near Lynchburg, Ohio, and carried on farming for six years, removing in 1868 to Loveland, where he resided until his death, July 26, 1888. His wife survived him, and lived on the homestead until April 14, 1893, when she passed away after a lingering sickness of two years. They reared a family of three children: Addison G., Florence G., and Martha E.

Addison G. Pownall attended school at Cumberland, and afterward at Lynch- burg. He began railroading in November, 1868, as brakeman for the B. & O., and has been connected with this road ever since, a period of over twenty four years. He was married, August 17, 1878, to Charlotte Mary Denton, daughter of Garrett V. and Martha (Bennett) Denton, of Dillsborough, Ind. They resided for a short time in Cincinnati, then for a year and a half at Newport, Ky., and moved to Loveland in February, 1880. Mr. and Mrs. Pownall had five children, four of whom are now living: Florence G., Walter G., Edith A., and Alice M. Politically Mr. Pownall is a Democrat.

WILLIAM H. KEALHOFER was born at Xenia, Ohio, August 15, 1845, and is a son of Henry and Anna P. (Beall) Kealhofer, of Xenia, where the former was proprietor of a large livery stable; they were of Swiss extraction. Our subject, the seventh in a family of eight children, was educated at the public schools of Xenia, and at Prof. Rust's private academy at Worthington. After leaving school he clerked for a short time in a grocery store at Xenia, leaving to accept a position in a wholesale boot and shoe house in Memphis, Tenn., afterward working for Barrett, Dole & Company, and Rinehart & Newton, of Cincinnati. He was then for seven years clerk on the steam- ers "Annie Laurie," " Kittie Hegler," and "Golden City," running between Cin- cinnati and New Orleans. He is at the present time special agent for John H. Law & Brother, insurance agents, Cincinnati. Mr. Kealhofer was married, December 4, 1878, to Sarah J. Law, daughter of John S. and Elizabeth Reed Law. Since their marriage they have resided on the Law homestead at Loveland. They have one child, Mary E. Mrs. Kealhofer is a member of the Presbyterian Church at Loveland. He is a member of the Knights of Pythias and an Odd Fellow, and is also con- nected with the Masonic Order. Politically he is a Democrat, and has served as councilman of Loveland one term. During the war he was a member of the Home Guards, and during the Kirby Smith raid went to Cincinnati under Capt. James McKuwan.

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HISTORY OF CINCINNATI AND HAMILTON COUNTY.

JOHN W. BAEN, SR., retired, residence Symmes, was born at Wheeling, W. Va., June 27, 1820, a son of Nathaniel and Mary (Clough) Baen, natives of New Eng- land. The parents emigrated to Virginia about 1809. The father was a cooper, a trade he followed until his death, which occurred in 1835; the mother survived him eight years, departing this life in 1843. They were the parents of six children, of whom our subject is second in order of birth, and is now the only surviving one of the family.

John W. Baen was educated in the common schools of Symmes township, receiv- ing but a limited education. He embarked in the saddlery business in the year 1839 in Cincinnati. Mr. Baen was united in marriage, September 12, 1844, with Mary Pollock, daughter of Ezekiel and Mary (Tingley) Pollock, natives of America. The grandfather of Mrs. Baen was one of the early settlers of Symmes township, having purchased a tract of land of the late Judge Symmes including the present mill site. Our subject has reared five children. The family are members of the Methodist Church. Mr. Baen is a prominent Mason. In politics he affiliates with the Republi- can party, and has filled the office of town clerk and justice of the peace; he was also employed in the recorder's office in Cincinnati for twenty-two years.

EZEKIEL S. POLLOCK was born May 24, 1790, in Carlisle, Penn., and came with his parents in 1795 to Symmes township, settling on a tract of 300 acres which his father, James Pollock, purchased of Judge Symmes. The first gristmill on the Little Miami river, known as Elliott's or the Company's Mill, was on the Pollock purchase. During the early history Symmes was a place of greater relative impor- tance than it is at present, and at one time was a rendezvous for travelers as well as adventurers and the neighboring settlers. Not far from it was the trail of an Indian tribe, which crossed at "Three Islands" on their way between Columbia and Chilli- cothe, then the capital of the State. The original proprietor, James Pollock, laid out part of this purchase in town lots, a plat of which is now in existence, but the war with England coming on, the property reverted to its former use.

Ezekiel S. Pollock served honorably in the war of 1812, was with Gen. Hull in his campaign in the north of Ohio and Michigan, and participated in many fights and skirmishes, in which he several times barely escaped with his life. In those days the rifle was the best friend of the settlers, and young Ezekiel was a noted marksman, no one in the settlement excelling him in its proficient use. On July 4, 1871, the completion of the bridge connecting Symmes Station and Branch was cele- brated by firing of cannon, music, and speeches by Hon. Samuel F. Hunt and Gov. Noyes. Ezekiel Pollock, then in his eighty-first year, was present at this demon- stration. At the time of his death five of the seven children born to his union with Mary Tingley were living: Mrs. J. W. Baen, Hamilton, Ezekiel S., James and John, The Pollock family was a distinguished one in the pioneer and subsequent history of Hamilton and Clermont counties, and John Pollock, a brother of James, the father of Ezekiel, achieved a State reputation as a legislator and politician. He was from Clermont county, a Republican, in the Sixth, Eighth, Ninth, Tenth, Eleventh, Twelfth, Thirteenth and Fourteenth General Assemblies of Ohio, and in the Eleventh and Thirteentb General Assemblies was Speaker of the House of Rep- resentatives; he was State Senator in the Sixteenth, Seventeenth, Eighteenth and Nineteenth General Assemblies. Later he was associate judge of the common pleas court of Clermont county.

JOHN W. BAEN, JR., miller, post office Symmes, was born March 20, 1865, a son of John W. Baen, whose sketch appears elsewhere in this work. He was educated in Cincinnati, and is a graduate of Chickering Institute. After completing his edu- cation he found employment with the B. & O. R. R. Company in their auditing department, and served in this capacity one year. He was then employed by the O. & M. R. R. as train collector, which position he filled satisfactorily three years, when he came to Symmes and engaged in the milling business with his father, the firm

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HISTORY OF CINCINNATI AND HAMILTON COUNTY.

being known as J. W. Baen & Son. Since Mr. Baen has been connected with the mill he has added the latest improved machinery, and at this writing everything about the establishment is complete, the mill being one of the best equipped in this section. Mr. Baen was united in marriage, October 15, 1890, to Clara E. Spencer, daughter of John and Elizabeth (Christ) Spencer, and this union has been blessed with one child: John Spencer, aged two years. In religious connection Mrs. Baen is an Episcopalian, and Mr. Baen is a Methodist. He is a member of the I. O. O. F., and in this politics he is Independent.

HARRY MELVIN PIPER, merchant and telegraph operator, was born in Burlington, Boone Co., Ky. His father, George Piper, emigrated from Germany at the age of seventeen, and located near Louisville, Ky. He was a shoemaker by trade, a busi- ness he followed all his life. Our subject was educated in the common schools of Boone county, studied telegraphy at Delhi, Ohio, and after mastering the art accepted a position on the Chicago division of the C. C. C. & St. L. R. R., as operator, in which capacity he remained three years. He then filled a similar position with the Cincinnati Southern railroad, remaining there one year when he withdrew, and gave instructions in dancing and music; meeting with success, he continued in this work for five years, after which he again engaged with the Cincinnati Southern railroad, and remained with this company two years. He then returned to the C. C. C. & St. L. R. R. as station agent at Cleves, Ohio, where he was employed one year. After severing his connection with this company, he again engaged in teaching music and dancing, continuing in this vocation until he removed to Symmes, in 1891. He now has the only store in the place stocked with everything usually found in a country store, and has succeeded beyond all expectations. Mr. Piper was united in marriage, June 5, 1888, with Hattie O. Cox. In politics he affiliates with the Republican party, and he is a member of the Christian Church.

JOHN KERR, retired, post office Symmes, was born in Dumfriesshire, Scotland, March 23, 1814, a son of John Kerr, who came to America about 1840. The mother died in Scotland, and was laid to rest at Lochmaben. Our subject is now the only survivor of a family of five sons and three daughters. He was educated in Dum- friesshire, and immigrated to America in 1834. He has leaves in his possession, taken from the grave of Robert Burns, who is buried in Dumfries. Upon his arrival in this country Mr. Kerr engaged in the farming industry, which he has fol- lowed very successfully for over fifty years. He was united in marriage, in 1838, with Miss Agnes Peggin, daughter of James Peggin, a native of Scotland, and of this union were born nine children, three of whom are now living. He is a member of the Presbyterian Church, and politically is a stanch Republican.

ALFRED N. RICH, post office address Loveland, Ohio, was born in Symmes, Ham- ilton county, in February, 1832, a son of Thomas and Christina (Flomerfelt) Rich, the former a native of Symmes township, and supposed to be the first male white child born in the township. He was a farmer by occupation. He and his wife are now deceased. Thomas Rich was a son of Thomas and Mary (Berry) Rich, and his wife was a descendant of the Potter family; his grandfather came and settled on land left by his father, which was purchased of Judge Symmes. They came here in 1795.

Our subject was educated in the district schools of Symmes, and at Farmers' College, and taught school for twenty years. He enlisted, September 2, 1862, in Company A, Seventh Ohio Cavalry, was mustered in as second lieutenant, promoted April 2, 1864, to first lieutenant, and promoted to captain June 16, 1865. He is a member of the G. A. R. Politically he is a Democrat, and was twice elected justice of the peace.

JACOB WOGENSTAHL, blacksmith, was born in Willer, department of Haut-Rhin, France, April 13, 1833. His parents having died when he was yet in his infancy, he was educated and reared in an Orphan Home in France, and remained there until

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seventeen years of age, when he learned the trade of blacksmith, at which he served' two years. He served seven years in the Crimean and Italian wars, enlisting at the. beginning, and was honorably discharged at the close of the war, on December 30, 1860.

Mr. Wogenstahl was united in marriage August 18, 1863, with Matilda Fisch- esser, a daughter of John Fischesser, a farmer in Alsace, France, came to America in January, 1864, and settled at Oldenburg, Ind. In March of the same year he moved to Cincinnati, Ohio, then in February, 1865, went to Plainville for six months and thence returned to Cincinnati. In June, 1866, he went to St. Louis, Mo., for three months, returning to Cincinnati in September. About three months later, in January, 1867, he went to Milford for one year; then to Miamiville for six months; then to Symmes, where he remained until 1871; then moved to Harrison pike for one year; in 1872 went to Delhi, and in 1875 to Symmes; in 1880 to Madeira, and in 1882 to Remington, where he is now residing, engaged as a blacksmith and mer- chant. He has eight children living: Mary, born December 8, 1865; Matilda, born December 7, 1868; Albert, born December 25, 1870; Pauline, born November 7, 1872; Louis, born January 23, 1876; Sophia, born October 18, 1877; Robert, born November 19, 1879; and Leo, born November 22, 1883. The family are members of the Catholic Church, and in politics he affiliates with the Democratic party.

ANDREW H. MORGAN, one of Whitewater township's old and respected citizens, was born December 1, 1823, in Dearborn county, Ind., near the town of Harrison, Hamilton Co., Ohio. He is the son of Benjamin and Lucy (Hathaway) Morgan, the former a native of Montgomery county, Penn., born November 1, 1787, the latter a native of Maine, born March 22, 1808. Benjamin Morgan migrated to Cincinnati in 1817, and carried on blacksmithing at the present site of Sedamsville, for a num- ber of years. He afterward went back to his native county, returning shortly to Cincinnati with his two brothers, Enoch and Edward Morgan, and John and Betsey (Morgan) Donahue, Mrs. Donahue being his sister. They all settled in Logan town- ship, Dearborn Co., Ind., where Benjamin Morgan erected a shop and carried on blacksmithing in connection with farming. In 1821 he was married to Miss Lucy (Hathaway), and afterward built and conducted a general store for a number of years. Mr. and Mrs. Benjamin Morgan were the parents of the following named children: Andrew H., Betsey, Rhoda Ann, Elkanah, Daniel D., Henry, Naomi, Ezra C., William Henry, Eliza Jane, Esq. E., John D., and Rebecca. Of these Betsey, Henry, Naomi, Rebecca and Ezra C. died when young. Rhoda Ann, Daniel D., Eliza and Jane are dead, and liave children living. Four are living: Andrew H .; Elkanah, of Fort Madison, Iowa; Esq. E., of St. Cloud, Minn .; and John D., also of St. Cloud. William Henry was a soldier in the Civil war, having served in Com- pany D, Eighty-third O. V. I., and received a gunshot wound in the arm at the battle of Arkansas Post; he died in the hospital at Memphis, Tenn., and his body was brought to the family burying ground in Dearborn county, Ind., by his brother, Andrew H.

At the age of eighteen years Andrew H. Morgan commenced an apprenticeship at the carpenter's trade with a Mr. Thomas McCammon, in which he continued for about two years, and then located on his present farm in Whitewater township, where he has remained since 1855. On December 1, 1847, at the age of twenty-four years, Mr. Morgan married Miss Eliza Wright, born February 24, 1828, in White- water township. She died May 13, 1867. By this union there were born eleven children, seven of whom are living: James W., Daniel H., William F., Sarah Eliza, Rhoda Letitia, Nancy Caroline and Susan Eveline. The deceased are: Lucy Ann, Emma Jane, John Benjamin and Mary Elizabeth. Mr. Morgan kept his family at home and together for eight years. He then married September 5, 1875, Mrs. Jen- nie Cox, of Dearborn county, Ind., a widow with three children, all of whom he edu- cated and cared for with the same fatherly respect as his own. To this last union

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HISTORY OF CINCINNATI AND HAMILTON COUNTY.

were born five children: Luella, Charles Eddison, Andrew H., Estella Jane and Elka- nah. Mr. and Mrs. Morgan are members of the Christian Church at Harrison. Politically he is a Republican. Of his twelve living children seven are married.

JOSEPH C. ANDREWS, of Whitewater township, was born July 15, 1864, the son of Joseph and Rachel (Arthurs) Andrews, the former born in 1821, in Preble county, Ohio, and the latter in 1840 in Cincinnati. Mr. Andrews came to Cincinnati with !! his parents when four or five years of age, and was educated in the public schools of the city. After reaching manhood he engaged in the coal business for about fifteen years, when he settled on a farm left him by his mother, and there remained until his death. He and his wife were members of the Methodist Church. They were the parents of six children: Joseph, Sarah, Rachel, Samuel, Mary and Theresa.

Our subject, Joseph C., attended the schools of Whitewater township, and after reaching manhood rented a farm for a few years, and then located on his present farm, where he has made his home for the past seven years. He married Miss Jennie Karr, born September 10, 1865, daughter of John and Martha (Chidlaw) Karr, the former born in Hamilton county in 1835, but at the present time a resident of Little Rock, Ark. ; the latter was born in Butler county, Ohio, in May, 1843, the daughter of Rev. B. W. Chidlaw. Mr. and Mrs. Andrews are the parents of three children: Arthur H., Granville C. and Joseph H. Politically Mr. Andrews is a Democrat.

BENJAMIN COLEMAN, of Whitewater township, was born February 8, 1814. in Hamilton county, Ohio, a son of Jacob and Pollie (Bonnell) Coleman, both natives of New Jersey. They were the parents of children as follows: Sarah, Priscilla, John, Benjamin, Hannah, Pollie, Catherine, Jacob, Uriah, James and Edward. They were members of the Methodist Church. Jacob Coleman was a farmer by occupa- tion, and came to this county when Cincinnati was a mere village.

Benjamin Coleman received his education in the common schools of Colerain township, and after reaching manhood rented a farm for a time and then teamed for a few years. In 1836 he married Miss Elizabeth Gilmore, who was born in 1812, and died in June, 1841; one child was born to them, John, who died from the effects. of a wound received about the time of the Civil war. He married for his second wife Mrs. Sarah Crane, the widow of Frederic Crane, and one child was born to this union, Frederic, now deceased. She was a daughter of Rebecca and John Jacobs, early pioneers of this county, and members of the Methodist Church. Her grand- father came from Holland. After this marriage Mr. Coleman bought a farm near Colerain township, and remained there until 1865, when he bought a farm near Miami, in Whitewater township, where he has since resided; he owns nearly four hundred acres in Miami, Colerain, Whitewater and Crosby townships, all of which is due to his own energy and industry. By the last marriage he has ten children : Rebec- ca, Jacob, Mary Ann, Phoebe Lucinda, Jeannette, Julia, Elizabeth, Francelia, Danelia, and Maggie Eleanor, of whom Mary A., Francelia and Julia are deceased. Mr. and Mrs. Coleman are members of the Christian Church. Politically he is a Democrat.

MICHAEL and JOHN POPE, of Whitewater township, are the sons of Andrew and Mary Ann (Bates) Pope, both natives of Wurtemberg, Germany, the former born in September, 1813, and the latter May 13, 1819. They were married in 1842, and emigrated to this country in 1848, landing in New York, where they remained only a short time, and then came to Cincinnati. In 1864 Mr. Pope bought a farm in Whitewater township, where he has since remained. Mr. and Mrs. Pope are the" parents of ten children: Barbara, Martin, Caroline, Adam, John, Mary, Michael, Otto, Andrew and Maggie. They are members of the Catholic Church.

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History of Cincinnati and Hamilton County, Ohio; their past and present, Part 166

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