History of Clermont and Brown Counties, Ohio, from the earliest historical times down to the present, V. 2, Part 18

Author: Byron Williams
Publication date: 1913
Publisher:
Number of Pages: 925

USA > Ohio > Brown County > History of Clermont and Brown Counties, Ohio, from the earliest historical times down to the present, V. 2 > Part 18
USA > Ohio > Clermont County > History of Clermont and Brown Counties, Ohio, from the earliest historical times down to the present, V. 2 > Part 18

Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).

Mr. Dudley was united in marriage to Miss Clara Peterson, a daughter of D. K. Peterson, of Williamsburg, Ohio, and to their union has been born two daughters:

Miss Helen K., who is proficient in elocution, being a grad- uate of the Schusten School.

Miss Grace E. is a student of Oakhurst Collegiate School, Walnut Hills, Cincinnati.

Mr. and Mrs. Dudley are members of the Mt. Auburn Meth- odist Church, and are active in all of the affairs of that de- nomination. The residence of Mr. Dudley is on Burnett ave- nue, Mt. Auburn, Ohio.

SAMUEL POTTS.

Samuel Potts. now deceased, was for many years a worthy and respected citizen of Clermont county, where he devoted his energies to general farming and fruit growing with signal success. He was the owner of a valuable and well improved farm near Guinea, Miami township, which had been in the family for the past ninety-two years, and was owned by his father and himself only. Mr. Potts was born in a log house

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SAMUEL POTTS

ELLEN (KERR) POTTS

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on the 18th of March, 1834, his parents being Samuel and Mary (Riggs) Potts.

Samuel Potts, Sr., was a native of New Jersey, being born in 1791, and his wife, also a native of New Jersey, was born in 1797. After their marriage this worthy couple came to Ohio, settling in Miami township, Clermont county, in 1820, remain- ing on the one farm until their deaths. Samuel passed away in 1863, and his wife followed him to the great beyond on January 23, 1881. They were devoted members of the Meth- odist church.

Samuel Potts, our subject, was one of eight children, all now deceased. Those who grew to maturity were, Elizabeth, Sal- lie, Electa, Charles and Samuel, who was educated in the schools of the county and became experienced in the manage- ment of a productive farm, which he made his life occupa- tion.

Miss Ellen Kerr became the wife of Samuel Potts, on No- vember 17, 1859, at Symmes, Hamilton county, Ohio, where she was born on February 14, 1839, her parents being John and Agnes (Pagan) Kerr. They were natives of Scotland, who came to Cincinnati in their youth, where they were mar- ried. John Kerr was born in 1813 and died October 3, 1897. Agnes (Pagan) Kerr was born in 1818 and died May 26, 1872. They were the parents of nine children, all of whom grew to maturity and beside Mrs. Potts there is one brother, George, still living, at Mason, Ohio. Mrs. Potts was reared and edu- cated at Symmes, Ohio, her parents being successful farmers of that locality.

Mr. and Mrs. Potts became the parents of the following children :

John, who was born September 7, 1860, died July 1, 1898, leaving a widow (nee Anna Harrison) and three children.

Mary A., was born March 13, 1863, is the wife of William Thompson, of Branch Hill, and has one daughter, Miss Ethel, twenty years of age.

Eva, a twin, was born May 13, 1868, and is the wife of John Turney, of Branch Hill, and they have four daughters.

Elizabeth, died in 1889, at the age of twenty-three years.

Charles, was born September 2, 1885, and married Alice Doll, a daughter ,of John and Josephine (Lindecker) Doll. They are residents of Branch Hill and have two children, Clyde C. and Mary E., both in school. He is operating the home farm.

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In politics, Mr. Potts was an advocate of the principles of the Democratic party, as is his son, Charles, and was a director of the school board. He attended the Presbyterian church, of which Mrs. Potts is a consistent member and active worker.

Mr. Potts had a wide acquaintance, having spent his entire life in the community, and the fact that many of his staunch- est friends were those who knew him from his boyhood days, is an indication that his life was characterized by the qualities and principles which make for upright manhood, good citizen- ship and faithful friendship. His death took place November 26, 1907.

Mrs. Potts is kind, benevolent and friendly to all and has many warm personal friends. She has the esteem and re- spect of every one and to know her is to love her.

JOSEPH HARVEY SMITH.

The sixth child and second son of Joseph and Melinda Me- daris Smith is Joseph Harvey, born February 4, 1854. As the family did not move from the farm to the village home un- til his eighteenth year, most of his schooling was obtained in the country. With a natural inclination toward metal work, and a favorable opportunity, he chose blacksmithing for a trade, when most young men were not so inclined. But that choice eventually was the first step in a pleasing success. On December 23, 1875, he married Adellah Smith, born October 8, 1856. She was the youngest child of Thompson Smith, whose wife's maiden name was Holly Ann Snell. Thompson was a son of Andrew, born July 7, 1789, and Elizabeth Ander- son Smith. Elizabeth Anderson, born in 1794, was a daughter of John Anderson, who was born in Maryland in 1773, and came to what is Sterling township in Brown county about 1800. Holly Ann was the daughter of Daniel and Edna Ma- lott Snell, and thus Mrs. Smith is a cousin of the poet, Warren Malott, and of the inventor, Oscar Snell, mentioned in the his- torical part of this work. Her elder brother, Artemas, served in Company K of the Twenty-seventh Ohio and the other, Randolph, was a member of the regimental band of the Twen- ty-seventh Ohio, and his daughter, Margaret, married Dennis Smith, the fourth son of Joseph and Melinda Smith. Georgia B., Cora D. and Howard H., the children of Dennis and Mar- garet, have been almost adopted by Mr. and Mrs. J. H. Smith.

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In 1881 and for twelve years following, Joseph Harvey took personal , charge of his father's old home farm. In 1893 he bought, and for two years managed, a farm near Henning's Mills. After that, he returned to Williamsburg, bought the attractive home at the foot of Main street, and now conducts a blacksmith and general repair shop from which

"He looks the whole world in the face, For he owes not any man."

Mr. Smith is an earnest member of old Clermont Social Lodge of the Masonic fraternity, and of the order of the East- ern Star, of which his wife is one of the lights, while she also finds time to do a full share in the work of the Woman's Re- lief Corps, as is fitting for the sister of two soldiers. Although industrious, to a degree almost disturbing, in a leisurely neighborhood, Joseph Harvey Smith is master of a choice be- tween a calm view from a cosy corner or a bird-like glimpse from his automobile.

JOHN S. OLMSTED.

John S. Olmsted is descended from several families who have long been prominent in the history of Ohio. He was born in the family home in Franklin township, where he now resides, March 15, 1878, son of Thomas B. and Irvenia Porter Olmsted.

Thomas Bingham Olmsted was born at Cadiz, Harrison county, Ohio, in 1833, and died in 1890, being buried in the Odd Fellow's cemetery at Chilo, Ohio. He was a nephew of Hon. John A. Bingham, at one time minister to Japan and owner of one of the finest law libraries in the State.

Thomas Olmsted bought the present family home when he was twenty-five years of age and carried on farming there until his death. He was a Republican in politics, and actively inter- ested in public affairs. He was one of four children, of whom but one survives, Henry, of Brooklyn, N. Y.

The mother of Mr. Olmsted was born in Brown county, Ohio, June 15, 1840, and died December 23, 1911, being also buried at Odd Fellow's cemetery. She came to the present home of her children as a bride, having lived in the neighbor- hood some sixty-three years at the time of her death. She

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was a daughter of Robert and Harriet N. (Logan) Porter. Her father was born near Utopia, Brown county, June 2, 1815, and her mother was born near Clark's Mills, in the same county, July 1, 1816. He died May 15, 1878, and her mother passed away January 23, 1903. Both are buried in Woods cemetery. They had four children, two of whom survive: Irvenia, de- ceased, was Mrs. Olmsted; John L. was killed at Tunnel Hill, Ga., during the Civil war; Robert D., living on the home farm, and Althea, wife of Fletcher Mckinney.

Thomas B. and Irvenia Olmsted had seven children, namely : Robert, a lawyer, of Omaha, Neb., married Miss Beatrice Birk- hauser ; they have two children, Florence and Robert. Thomas D., of Dillon, Mont., married Miss Alice Chambers, and have one son, Thomas D. Harriet, widow of Guy T. Kenyon, Omaha, Neb., has two sons, Ralph and Guy. Eloise and Mary, living on the home farm, Fred Howard, who died in infancy, and John S.

Mrs. Irvenia Olmsted presided over her home with rare grace and efficiency and showed a tact and wisdom that en- deared her to the hearts of all. She was a woman of culture and refinement, and a valuable addition to the social life of the neighborhood.

The Olmsted family have in their possession a large black marble top center table, which formerly stood in the parlor of the Olmsted estate, "Sunnyside," Covington, Ky. At one time the soldiers made the house their headquarters, and broke the marble in several places.

Although Thomas B. Olmsted came from a family of com- parative affluence, his success in life was chiefly of his own making. He was a good business manager and prospered well. He was upright and industrious, and respected by all. He was a natural artist and left a picture or sketch to each one of his children as a remembrance. His daughter, Harriet. Mrs. Kenyon, has inherited this talent, and has given expression to her gift in several beautiful pictures, which she has painted, and which have stood well the examination of art critics.

Mr. Olmsted, subject of this sketch, was educated in the country schools of Franklin township, and has always resided on the home farm. He is a Republican in politics and fol- lows the example of his ancestors in his public spirit and good citizenship. He married Miss Irene Denniston, December 11. 1907. They have one child. John S .. born December 7. 1911. Mr. and Mrs. Olmsted are members of the Presbyterian church.

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The Olmsted home is located on a natural building site, one of the finest locations for a country home to be found in the county. Part of the residence and many of the outbuildings were on the farm when he bought it, but they have been re- modeled or rebuilt, and in 1876 the house assumed its present dimensions. It is conceded to be one of the handsomest places in the county and is kept in beautiful condition. The house is tastefully furnished, showing good taste and refinement, the interior presenting very much the appearance of some old colonial mansion of the South. The fields and orchards are pleasant to look upon, and reflect great credit on Mr. Olm- sted, showing him to be a substantial and energetic farmer. He is broad in his opinions and he and his sisters are worthy representatives of an old and honorable family.

CAPT. JOHN EMERY EDGINGTON.

One of the most highly respected men of Washington town- ship, Clermont county, is Capt. John Emery Edgington, in the government employ as captain of the "Guyandot," on the Ohio river. He has been on the river several years, and has steadily progressed by reason of his steadfast attention to duty and his reliability. He was born in Manchester, Ohio, March 18, 1870, and is a son of George E. and Nannie (Scott) Edging- ton, the father always a river man. George E. Edgington was born in Manchester, Ohio, December 22, 1851, and lives in Augusta. He has filled every position on a boat, from that of deck hand up, and is one of the best known captains on the Ohio. He owns and conducts a ferryboat at Augusta, as he has passed the age when he can keep in any other service. He takes very good care of his ferryboat, which is known as the "Whisper." The mother, who is a second cousin of President Harrison's wife, was born near Aberdeen, Ohio, in 1850.

They had eight children, all born in Adams county, Ohio, except the two youngest sons, who were born in Kentucky : John Emery, of this sketch ; Archibald, a pilot on a Cincinnati and Chilo packet and a resident of the latter place; Robert Winifred is moving from Pittsburgh to Louisville, and will be a captain on the steamer, "Steel City"; Morris Andrew is a resident of Chilo, and captain of a steamer ; Roy is a pilot on his father's ferryboat; Ernest, greatly gifted in vocal and in-

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strumental music, with a fine voice and able to play any instru- ment, died in 1900, at the age of ten years; Edna, wife of Dr. Smith, of Augusta; Estle, wife of Robert Hedges, died in 1902. Both parents are members of the Methodist church and are highly regarded by all.

Mr. Edgington began his education at Manchester, Ohio, and attended business college in Wichita, Kan. His first work in his profession was as purser on a steam boat, and he learned the duties of the various men aboard ship, from deck hand up, through the direction of his father, who required him to fire in the engine room, learn cooking, act as mate, deck hand, and in other capacities, so that he is one of the most thorough steam boat men on the Ohio and Mississippi rivers, receiving his license when he was twenty-one years old. He is one of the most popular men on the river and counts his friends by the hundreds. He is thorough-going and conscientious and has always taken an active interest in his work. He thoroughly deserves the honor of an appointment to a government posi- tion and performs his duties with a methodical thoroughness that insures their being satifactory in every way. He has the respect of the men employed under his charge and is con- siderate in their interest. He was employed by such large boats as the "Tacoma," and was for six years captain of the "Courier," and also worked on the "Princess," a Coney Island boat, and a tow boat known as the "Douglas Hall." He is held in affectionate regard by one and all, and when he left the tow boat to accept the honor of his present position, his employees much regretted losing his company. He is well liked by the government and has made rapid progress in his chosen field of fields. He is a Republican in politics, and fra- ternally is an Odd Fellow. He is a member of the Christian church, and for several years, while living at Chilo, was super- intendent of the Sunday school.

On November 19, 1889, Mr. Edgington was united in mar- riage with Miss Jessie E. Forsythe, who was born in Vance- burg, Ky., on June 18, 1870, daughter of John A. and Mary B. (Adams) Forsythe. Mr. Forsythe was born in Adams county, Ohio, December 19, 1840, is retired from active life and lives in Moscow, Ohio, and Mrs. Forsythe was born in the same county, June 12, 1844. Her great-grandfather. John Adams, was the first settler of Adams county, was of Irish descent, and secured land from the government, and this land is still in the possession of the Adams family, the house he built being still standing, the oldest house in the entire county. He mar-

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ried Nancy Ford, of Ford's Ferry, Va. Mrs. Edgington's grandfather, Moses Adams, was born in Virginia, of Irish descent, and came to Adams county, Ohio, from Virginia. He was a farmer and married Sarah Stockup, born in Edinburgh, Scotland, of Scotch parents, and immigrated first to Redburn, Pa., afterward coming to Kentucky. John A. Forsythe farmed two years in Kansas, and had a cab and transfer business in Wichita, that State, for a time. While a resident of Vance- burg, before going west, he was chief of police for nine succes- sive years, and was well known in that part of Kentucky. He was a Republican in politics and was city revenue collector for some time. He held office much of his life and was town marshal of Moscow. He located in Clermont county in 1907. He and his wife had seven children: Mrs. Edgington, born in Vanceburg, Ky .; John M., born in Adams county, Ohio, is unmarried and lives in Mexico; Edith M., born in Lewis coun- ty, Ky., is the wife of Edward Raike, of Covington, that State; Katherine, born in Seward county, Kansas, lives with Mrs. Edgington, who reared her. Mr. and Mrs. Edgington have one son, John Clyde, born in Wichita, Kan., who attends school in Moscow.

Mrs. Edgington's father was with Sherman on his famous march to the sea, also fought in the battles of Chickamauga and Atlanta, serving in Company K, Ohio volunteer infantry, Seventieth regiment, and one of his uncles served in the Revo- lution. Mrs. Edgington's paternal ancestors were furnace blowers of Kentucky, and one of her ancestors, Abraham For- sythe, married a girl who was born at Pensacola, Wales, and came to the United States at the age of six months, growing to beautiful womanhood. He saw her when he was a youth of sixteen, and she but an infant, and was so impressed with her beauty that he kissed her and vowed he would some day return and marry her, which he did when he was thirty-two years old. At her death he was nearly broken-hearted and never looked again on the face of a woman. He reared his family in Adams county, Ohio, and his sons joined the Union army. His wife died when she was thirty-five years of age. The grandfather of Mrs. Edgington's mother, Lewis Calvin, was one of the earliest white men in Kentucky and became a noted Indian fighter. He carried mail from Gallipolis to Maysville, Ky., in a bark canoe, and killed the last Indian in the State of Ohio.

John A. Forsythe had a coal yard in Vanceburg, Ky., and lost it in the flood of 1883-84.

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Mr. Edgington's ancestors on his father's side, the Hunts and Jacobses, were of English birth and became early settlers of Maryland. They leased land along the Baltimore river for a period of ninety-nine years, and their contract was written on parchment, with the first seal of Maryland. This land was for the purpose of business buildings on the water front of the Baltimore.

Mr. and Mrs. Edgington were playmates in childhood, in the age when he delighted in pulling her curls, and were sepa- rated at the time her parents moved to Wichita. After her return their acquaintance was renewed, and their friendship ripened to a warmer feeling. They are devoted to one another and work for a common interest. Mrs. Edgington is as much of a business woman as her husband is a business man. Both are proud of the part taken by their ancestors in the earlier history of the State and Nation, and both are intelligent and ambitious. They moved to their present beautiful home on the hill on March 7, 1907, and have one hundred and seven- teen acres of choice land, most of it devoted to fruit. They have twenty acres of apple orchard and twenty-five hundred choice peach trees, besides pears, plums, cherries and berries, theirs being considered one of the finest orchards in Southern Ohio. They also have a dairy and creamery business, which yields a good income, and all this is managed by Mrs. Edgington while her husband is away. She gets the highest prices for her product, which finds a market in Cincinnati. She is an ex- cellent manager, and although she came to the place heavily in debt, she and her family now have every comfort. She is a reader and student and profits by the advice freely given by the government in the management of her place. There is probably not an abler business woman in the county and she is justly proud of her husband and his achievements. She has a very good memory and is able to make good use of her knowl- edge in every day life. She is a woman of culture and good judgment, and is charitable and public-spirited in her thought and deed. She is a member of the Christian church.

WILLIAM B. ADAMS (Deceased).

In the death of the late William B. Adams Clermont county lost a valuable citizen. He was well known as a business man and belonged to one of the best families of the region. He

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won a high reputation for upright living and public spirit, and was known to be a model son, a kind husband and a loving father to his own children. Mr. Adams was born in Cyn- thiana, Ky., on May 9, 1865, son of Robert S. and Mary An- toinette (Batson) Adams. Robert S. Adams was born at Millersburg, Ky., May 23, 1823, and the mother at Colemans- ville, Ky., October 27, 1828, and both died in Clermont county, Ohio, he May 29, 1900, and she October 27, 1909. Both are buried in the cemetery at Felicity. He carried on farming in Kentucky and after coming to Ohio continued that occupa- tion. He and his father owned slaves in Kentucky, but later, Robert S. Adams, who was a great temperance worker, moved to Ohio, where he and his wife became well known as active members of the Christian church. The Adams family was an old one in Kentucky, and prominent in the early history of that region. Robert S. Adams and wife had but one child, William B.

William B. Adams was reared in a Christian family and early learned the most important lessons of life. He was surrounded by good influences in his home, which showed their effect in his after life. He was educated in Millersburg and Lexington, Ky. He began the study of law, but his eyes failed and he later turned his attention to bookkeeping, grad- uating from a business course in a Lexington school. He was first employed in the office of Costall & Price, who had an ex- tensive business, and later went to work for Watkins & Com- pany, who conducted a large shoe business in Lexington, the same company that became Watkins & Spencer Company. Mr. Adams became a traveling salesman for Smith & Nixon, with whom he remained for some time, and at the time of his death had been with John Church & Company (piano dealers), of Cincinnati, for some years. He was a salesman of extraordinary ability and made a good record wherever his in- terests were centered. He was a valued employee of every firm with which he was identified and was greatly missed by them. He was a Democrat in politics and for years was a member of the United Commercial Travelers. After the death of his father he moved to Felicity, so his wife would look after his mother. He passed away in March, 1909, mourned by the entire community.

On October 15, 1889, Mr. Adams was united in marriage with Miss Beulah Virginia Smith, who was born in Lex-

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ington, Ky., March 22, 1869, daughter of I. Y. and Ruth An- toinette (Adams) Smith. Mr. Smith was born in Lexington in 1844, and died in August, 1911, and Mrs. Smith was born at Bethany, W. Va., in 1846, and died in March, 1912. They are buried in the family burying ground at Lexington, Ky. He was for many years a prominent shoe merchant in Lex- ington, and later spent many years in coal business there. He served as city councilman and trustee of Hamilton College and Kentucky University. Being a man of education and su- perior gifts, he filled well every position of trust with which he was identified, and was highly respected and esteemed by all who knew him. The Smiths were members of the Chris- tian church, and active in public measures for the good of their community.

Mr. and Mrs. Smith had six children: Eugene Adams Smith, M. D., of Cleveland, Ohio, a graduate of Belle- vue College, of New York City, was for two years chief phy- sician of Harlem Hospital, and later appointed by Governor Brown at Lakeview Anchorage; Mrs. William B. Adams was a graduate of Hamilton College of Lexington, Ky., where she had the advantage of a fine musical training, one of her teach- ers being Prof. DeRhode, one of the best masters in the coun- try ; Bessie Belle, at home; Frank Preston held a position in a freight depot in Lexington, later held a position in Indiana of the same kind, and now is chief clerk in a freight depot in Chicago, Ill .; Clarence died at the age of two years; Earl Rus- sell, a traveling salesman, makes his home at Kansas City, Mo .; Miss Bessie was a bookkeeper for sixteen years, and dur- ing that time was in the employ of but two firms.

Mrs. Smith was a Virginian and her father, Richard Adams, had three brothers. They came from England and were distant- ly related to John Quincy Adams. Her great-grandfather, her mother's grandfather, was Richard (Kant) McCamment, of English or Irish extraction. Of the Adams brothers, one set- tled in Ohio, one in Pennsylvania, and one, as already men- tioned (Richard), in West Virginia.

Mr. and Mrs. Adams had four children, all born in Lexing- ton, Ky .: Robert Smith Adams, born in 1800, a graduate of the high school at Felicity, Ohio, is head bookkeeper for the American Tobacco Company at Lexington; William Harold, born July 27, 1891, died November 12. 1909. and is buried be- side his father; Ruth Marie, born December 9. 1894, is a graduate of the high school at Felicity, and of the Midway

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History of Clermont and Brown Counties, Ohio, from the earliest historical times down to the present, V. 2, Part 18

Author: Byron Williams Publication date: 1913 Publisher: Number of Pages: 925

Author: Byron Williams
Publication date: 1913
Publisher:
Number of Pages: 925