History of Clermont and Brown Counties, Ohio, from the earliest historical times down to the present, V. 2, Part 54

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 54
USA > Ohio > Clermont County > History of Clermont and Brown Counties, Ohio, from the earliest historical times down to the present, V. 2 > Part 54

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).

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Gordon was a leading physician and surgeon of Georgetown, Ohio, and was surgeon in the Ninety-seventh Ohio from Au- gust, 1862, to June, 1864. He was wounded at Mission Ridge and resigned from the service. He was the oldest of fifteen children, two of whom are living: Esther, widow of a Mr. Nichols, of Warren, Trumbull county, Ohio, and Samuel Gor- don, a resident of Dakota. Dr. Gordon married Miss Minerva Elvira Scoville in the year 1836. She was born in Viena, Trumbull county, Ohio, in 1818, and died in December, 1869. She was a daughter of Asahel Scoville and wife. The Scovilles were natives of. Trumbull county and Asahel was a clock maker, and later a farmer. He was a soldier in the War of 1812. His father, Amasa, who came to Trumbull county from Connecticut in 1811 was a soldier in the War of the Revo- lution. Dr. and Mrs. Gordon became the parents of eight chil- dren, five of whom were born in Trumbull county and three in Brown. Their names follow in order of birth :

William, who died in infancy.

Minnie, wife of Hugh Gilmore, and later of .James Mills, both of whom are deceased.

Dr. Sidney C. is retired from active labors and is a resident of Georgetown, Ohio. He served in the Civil war as assistant surgeon of the Fifty-ninth Ohio, and later was commissioned surgeon of the One Hundred and Eighty-ninth Ohio.

Henry Franklin, a resident of Forrest Grove, Ore., is a veteran of the Civil war.

Byron Winslow, the subject of this mention.

Olivia Gertrude, wife of Dr. M. B. Ketchum, of Los Angeles, Cal. He is dean of the Southern California College of Opto- metry and Ophthalmology. Their residence is at Santa Mon- ica, twenty miles from Los Angeles.

One girl baby died in infancy.

Gus Scoville, born in 1862, is a resident of Quincy, Wash.

Mr. Byron Winslow Gordon attended the Georgetown school, thus obtaining a good common school education. He entered the business world in the printing office of Mr. John G. Doren, who was editor of the "Southern Ohio Argus," where he became thoroughly familiar with the printer's trade. He had spent three or four years at this occupation when the Civil war broke out, and he became a volunteer in the One Hundred and Eighty-ninth regiment, in Company H, and later hospital steward.

In 1865, Mr. Gordon returned to Georgetown, where, in 1869,

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he was united in marriage to Miss Sallie J. Hicks, who was born in Brown county, Ohio, only daughter of John and Anna (Fenton) Hicks, both of whom are deceased. To Mr. and Mrs. Gordon was born one child, Anna L., who is deceased. Mrs. Gordon's death occurred in November, 1875, and her burial took place at Georgetown, Ohio.

In January, 1890, Mr. Gordon married Miss Nannie Kautz, born May 1, 1869, in Lewis township, Brown county, Ohio, her parents being William and Elizabeth (Young) Kautz, the former of whom was born in Georgetown, Ohio, in August, 1840, and is a farmer in Lewis township, and the latter of whom was born July 4, 1839, and passed away March 6, 1890 .. To them were born five children, their births all oc- curring in Brown county :

Dr. James W., of Cincinnati.

Emma Grace, who died at the age of eleven months.

Mrs. B. W. Gordon.

M. Fannie, who resides with her father.

Flora Elizabeth, wife of John N. Parker, of Albuquerque, N. M.

Two daughters have come to bless the home of Mr. and Mrs. Gordon :

Ruth Winslow, who was born January 13, 1891, is a grad- uate of the Georgetown High School.

Elizabeth Scoville, who was born October 25, 1897, and is attending the high school of Georgetown. She takes great interest in music and drawing and was awarded first premium at the Brown county fair in 1912, for drawing the best map of Pleasant township.

Mr. Gordon devoted his attention to agricultural pursuits from the close of the Civil war until 1896, when he removed his family to Georgetown. He carried on general farming in Franklin township, on a fine tract of ninety-six acres. He now has a very pretty home on Apple street, which he has re- modeled and put in fine condition. He has about eight acres of ground and although he has retired from active life, is still a very busy man.

In politics, Mr. Gordon is a staunch Republican and, al- though he does not desire public office, takes an interest in all questions of public interest.

Mr. Gordon is a member of the Grand Army of the Republic. In religious matters, Mr. Gordon is a member of the Metho- dist Episcopal church, and his family embrace the faith of the

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Presbyterian church, and give liberally to the support of that denomination.

Mr. Gordon is largely self-made, and it is to his untiring energy and enterprise that he is now enabled to lay down some of life's more arduous tasks. He has been a member of the Georgetown school board for the past nine years.

WALTER SCOTT LIMING.

Among the younger men who have attained positions of trust and responsibility in Brown county may be mentioned Walter Scott Liming, of an old and highly respected pioneer family of this region. He has proven his ability as a business man and his worth in a general way by the position he has reached, that of cashier of the Citizens' Bank, of Hamersville. He was born in that town, June 23, 1887, son of James Orange and Sarah J. (Ousler) Liming, also natives of Hamersville. James Orange was a son of Jasper Liming, a very early settler of Brown county, who was at one time a very large landholder, and who married Margaret Redmon. He came from Pennsyl- vania and became one of the most influential citizens of the county. The father of Mrs. James O. I.iming, Charles Ousler, was owner and captain of a boat on the Ohio river for some time before coming to Brown county. A genealogy of the Liming family is in preparation and will be of interest to per- sons of the name all over the country.

James O. Liming was born July 6, 1855, and died June 29, 1908, and his wife, who was the only daughter of Charles Ous- ler, was born November 25, 1863, and resides in Hamersville. Mr. Liming was a graduate of the mathematical and engineer- ing department of the Lebanon Normal School, and when a · young man engaged in stock raising on a somewhat extensive scale. He was very successful and became known for the high grade of stock he kept in Brown and surrounding counties. He was a man of high principle and an influential and intelli- gent citizen, counting his friends by the hundred. He was an able business man and was industrious and ambitious. He was a farmer in Clark township and was well known as an active worker in the interests of the Democratic party. He was the youngest man ever elected to the office of justice of the peace at Hamersville and held it some years. Both he

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and his wife represented old families and were very well known. They had eight children, all born in Brown county : Melville Darst, an attorney of Boston, and a teacher in Tufts College, is a graduate of Miami University, of Oxford, Ohio; the second child died in infancy ; Walter Scott is the immediate subject of this sketch; Mabel Marguerite, a graduate of Clark Township High School, is taking a course in a Cincinnati hos- pital for trained nurse; Jasper Ousler is a graduate of Clark Township High School, is unmarried and lives at home, being a farmer ; Lelia Laurie attends Georgetown High School, being a member of the senior class; Nelva Naoma attends schools at Hamersville; Homer is at home. Melville Darst taught school at Woodstock, Ill., two years, and one year in Michigan City, Ind., and received the degree of Master of Arts from the law department of Harvard University. He has recently com- pleted the genealogy of the family, which has been an arduous task, which, however, he has given his best and most con- scientious attention. The mother of these children is a mem- ber of the Methodist church, to which the father contributed, but which he did not join.

Walter S. Liming began his education in local schools and after completing the course in Clark Township High School attended Miami University a few years. His first occupation was teaching in Brown county. which he continued three years, then was elected cashier of Hamersville Citizens' Bank, which post he has since filled to the satisfaction of all concerned. He began his duties in this connection January 1, 1912. He is a man of retiring disposition and modesty, but fulfills his duties in business and as a citizen with a steadfast attention to de- tail that recommends him to all. He is a Democrat in poli- tics and fraternally is an Odd Fellow. He makes his home with his mother.

SAMUEL KAUTZ.

The varied and extensive interests of Mr. Samuel Kautz in Brown county, Ohio, classes him among the most influential and prominent business men of this section. Mr. Kautz is a native of Brown county and has been closely identi- fied with the county's material growth and development. His birth occurred on a farm near Arnheim, and his natal day was June 13, 1853. He is a son of Jacob and Sarah (Berry) Kautz.

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Jacob Kautz was born April 9, 1809, in Germany, and died near Arnheim, March 13, 1884, while his wife was born in Ger- many, in 1813, and died in 1884. They came to America in 1830 and settled in Brown county, where for many years they were numbered among the successful and substantial farmers of the county. They were the parents of eleven children, all of whom were born on the home farm near Arnheim, Brown county, Ohio. Two of these children died in infancy.

Jacob died in action during the Civil war.

Caleb is a resident of Cincinnati.

Philip served his country during the Civil war and passed away in Kansas, in 1912.

Davis was captured while in service in the Civil war and was a prisoner in Andersonville prison for eleven months. His death took place soon after his return home, resulting from the exposure and privations of army life.

Mary is the widow of Adam Gross, of Arnheim.

John, of Fincastle, Brown county, Ohio.

Fred, of Georgetown, Ohio.

George also is a resident of Fincastle, Ohio.

Samuel, our subject.

Mr. Samuel Kautz was reared to farm life and when of school age attended the district school near Arnheim, while assisting in the duties incident to country life, remaining with his parents until their deaths, in 1884.

In the year 1876 Mr. Samuel Kautz was united in marriage. to Miss Lizzie Bohrer who was born in Arnheim, a daughter of Jacob and Mary E. (Bohl) Bohrer, both of whom were born in Germany. They came to America about 1830 and became the parents of nine children :

Kate, who died in young womanhood.

Adam, of Brown county, Ohio.

Jacob resided in Illinois until his death, in 1908.

Caroline is a resident of Georgetown, Ohio.

Lizzie, the wife of our subject.

Lewis H., also of Brown county.

Tilda and Louisa, of Georgetown.

Fred resides on a part of the old home farm in Brown county. Mr. Bohrer died in 1883, while his wife passed away in 1904. They were energetic and industrious formers of Brown county for many years, being among the earliest fam- ilies who came into the county when it was necessary to clear away the timber before a home could be erected.

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After the death of his parents, Mr. Kautz removed to Arn- heim, where for four years he was postmaster, in connection with which position he conducted a small grocery store. Dur- ing the greater part of his active life he has handled leaf to- bacco quite extensively, buying and selling.

It is impossible for a man of the ability of Mr. Kautz to avoid prominence in politics and he was elected by the Dem- ocratic party as assessor of Franklin township, in 1878, for a term of three years, and in 1882 was elected township clerk for a term of eight years. In 1890 Mr. Kautz was elected real estate assessor of Franklin township. The following year he moved to Georgetown, and in 1905 was elected treas- urer of Brown county, serving in this capacity for five years.

In 1911 he was elected secretary of the Ohio Tobacco Ware- house Company, of Georgetown, Ohio, and in 1907 was elected president of the Marble and Granite Company, also of George- town.

Mr. Kautz is a member of the fraternal orders of Masons and Knights of Pythias.

In the family of Mr. and Mrs. Kautz are four children and all of them were born in Brown county.

William A., who was born in 1877, married Miss Elizabeth Bohl, and to them have been born two children, Herschel and Ruth. Their residence is at Georgetown, Ohio, where Mr. Kautz is bookkeeper of the Ohio Tobacco Warehouse Company. He is a graduate of the Lexington College of Bookkeeping.

Luella Matilda, born in 1879, is the wife of Clarence Smith, and lives in Norwood, Ohio.

Edward Jacob, who was born in 1881, married Miss Fannie Theis. Their home is in Hamilton, Ohio. He is a graduate of the Ada, Ohio, Scientific Course and also of the Ann Arbor, Mich., Law School.

Harvey Lewis, who was born in 1884, resides with his father and is assistant bookkeeper at the tobacco warehouse.

Mr. and Mrs. Kautz are devout members of the Presby- terian church and enjoy the pleasure of having all of their family with them in their belief. Mr. Kautz is at present one of the elders of that denominatiion.

The business activity of Mr. Kautz has been of such a nature that the town has been greatly benefited by his resi- dence. He is a liberal citizen and is counted among the sub- stantial men of Brown county, Ohio.

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W. J. JACOBS.

Mr. W. J. Jacobs, one of the well known citizens of George- town, Ohio, where he is engaged in the coal and lumber business, was born near Georgetown, October 8, 1846, his parents being Alfred and Rebecca Ann (Ellis) Jacobs.

Alfred Jacobs was born near Russellville on a farm, Jan- uary 23, 1820, and passed from this life January 3, 1907, and is laid to rest in the Georgetown Confidence cemetery. Dur- ing his active life Mr. Jacobs followed the occupation of farming and was an extensive stock trader. He was greatly interested in politics and was elected sheriff of Brown county in 1860, serving in this capacity for a term of four years. He was a member of the Universalist church and was in every way a most honorable gentleman. Mrs. Jacobs was born at Georgetown, Ohio, May 3, 1824, and passed to her eternal reward on the 16th of June, 1853. To her union with Mr. Jacobs six children were born, five of whom grew to maturity. They are:

Malinda J., deceased. .

W. J., our subject.

I. N., a resident of Georgetown, Ohio

Noah E., deceased.

Mary Isabel, who became the wife of William A. Thomp- son, is also deceased.

For his second wife Mr. Jacobs married Miss Mary Amer- ica Ellsberry and they became the parents of four children :

Minerva M., wife of Van P. Denton, resides near Chicago.

Rebecca married Rev. James R. Conner, of Garrettsville, Ohio.

Charles W. lives near Xenia, Ohio.

James Jacobs, grandfather of W. J. Jacobs, of this men- tion, was a native of Scotland and he and his family were among the first to settle in Brown county. From him the present generation inherits much of that sturdy character that is a chief characteristic of that race of people.

Mr. W. J. Jacobs acquired his education in the Georgetown schools and later in the normal school at Lebanon, Ohio. At the expiration of the course at Lebanon Mr. Jacobs entered upon his business career at once, entering the woolen mills at Georgetown as bookkeeper, which position he held from 1870 to 1874. He then engaged himself as clerk in the gro- cery store of Mr. Adams Stevens until 1877, when he was

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appointed deputy auditor of Brown county, on the Demo- cratic ticket, under County Auditor E. Roney. In 1880 he was elected county auditor and served in this capacity for two terms.

In 1877, Mr. Jacobs formed a partnership with Mr. F. A. Stevens in the grocery business and continued in this asso- ciation for four years. He was again appointed deputy county auditor, under County Auditor H. L. Jennings, and filled this office for six years. He then served four years as deputy auditor under County Auditor McCall.

The next venture of Mr. Jacobs was made in July, 1892, when he formed a partnership in the coal and lumber busi- ness with Mr. Louis Mischler, who is mentioned elsewhere on the pages of these volumes, purchasing the coal and lumber yard of Mr. S. W. Blair. The association formed at this time still continues and the firm is known as the Georgetown Coal and Lumber Company. The reliable dealing of the firm has brought to them an unusual degree of prosperity.

On January 2, 1877, Mr. Jacobs was united in marriage to Miss Lucy M. Waterman, who was born in Georgetown and is a daughter of Wilson and Narcissa (Kendall) Waterman, the former of whom was born near Georgetown, Ohio, in 1818, and died in 1888. The latter was born in Brown county, in 1826, and died October 17, 1889. They were highly esteemed farmers of Pleasant township and were the parents of five children. all born in Brown county. Three are now living :

Wealthy, who married M. D. Ross, of Felicity, Ohio.

Nettie, wife of William M. White, of Portsmouth, Ohio. Mrs. W. J. Jacobs.

Mr. and Mrs. Jacobs have become the parents of four chil- dren, whose births occurred in Brown county. They are:

Anna R., widow of F. M. Thompson. of Georgetown. Ohio, who is the mother of four children, Jasper King, Karl Rees, Nell Conner and Ralph Fagin.

Nell M., who became the wife of Dr. V. A. Dodd, of Co- lumbus, Ohio. They are the parents of two children, Vern A., Jr., and Jane. Mrs. Dodd is a graduate of the Georgetown High School.

Julia B. is a graduate of the Georgetown High School and later of the Protestant Hospital, of Columbus, Ohio. Prior to her course in the hospital she took a course in kindergarten work in Cincinnati, where she taught for some time. She resides at the home of her parents.

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Jasper Lee, who was born in July, 1886, is also at home.

Capt. Lute Egbert, an uncle of Mrs. Jacobs, served in Com- pany C, Fifty-ninth regiment, Ohio volunteer infantry, during the Civil war, and Capt. U. S. G. White, of Georgetown, Ohio, is her cousin.

Mr. Jacobs is a man of great ability and is very popular with those who know him. His business standing is of the very best in the community and his energy and integrity is one of the salient factors of his success. Mr. and Mrs. Jacobs have reared a family of whom they are justly proud and their home is one of comfort and hospitality.

EDGAR H. KENNEDY.

Mr. Edgar H. Kennedy is pre-eminently a business man and one who has wielded a wide influence in the commercial circles of Brown county, Ohio, where almost his entire life thus far has been spent. He is well qualified to handle the extensive business of the Georgetown Marble and Granite Works, of which he is secretary, treasurer, general manager and part owner. This industry is located at Georgetown, Ohio, and the company is doing a splendid business. The territory which they supply with their goods covers a radius of fifty miles, which includes the counties of Brown, Cler- mont, Adams, Highland, Warren, Hamilton and Clinton, in Ohio, and, in addition, a number of counties in Kentucky. Mr. Kennedy is a son of Walter and Lydia M. (Keethler) Ken- nedy, of Mt. Orab, Ohio, and was born in Pike township, Brown county, Ohio, in 1868.

The ancestors of the Kennedy family were originally from Pennsylvania, and, in 1811, John Kennedy, great-grandfather of our subject, and James Kennedy, grandfather, came down the Ohio river on logboats and settled in Brown county, where they cleared the timber and erected homes for their families. They became prominent farmers of Clark township, Brown county.

Walter Kennedy, a son of James Kennedy, was born in 1845, while his wife was born in 1848. They followed the occupation of farming for many years and are now enjoying a well earned rest at their pleasant home at Mt. Orab, Ohio. Mr. Kennedy responded to his country's call for volunteers

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during the Civil war, enlisting in Company B, One Hundred and Seventy-fifth Ohio volunteer. infantry.

Mr. E. H. Kennedy obtained a good common school educa- tion in the schools of Brown county, which was supplemented with a short course at Hillsboro, Ohio. He began his busi- ness career as teacher and was occupied in this profession for a period of nine years.

Having always taken an intelligent interest in the polit- ical questions of the day, Mr. Kennedy was appointed deputy sheriff under Robert Campbell and, in 1900, was elected sheriff for Brown county on the Democratic ticket, and re- elected in 1902, serving four years. He has also served his party as clerk of Green township, his former. home. In all . his public life he has been conscientious in the discharge of his official duties to the entire approval of his constituents.

In the year of 1896 Mr. Edgar H. Kennedy was united in marriage to Miss Etta L. Kress, of Highland county, Ohio, a daughter of George and Minerva (Hite) Kress, the former of whom was born in Brown county, in 1840, and died in 1906, and the latter of whom was born in Brown county, in 1847, and passed away in 1892. Mr. Kress enlisted as a private sol- dier in Company B, Thirty-fourth Ohio volunteer infantry in 1861. Later the Thirty-fourth and Thirty-sixth Ohio regi- ments were consolidated, he serving as a first lieutenant in the Thirty-sixth regiment until the close of the war. After the close of the war he engaged in the pursuits of agriculture in Highland county, where he and his wife reared a family of five children. Of that family two are now living, Mrs. E. H. Kennedy and Mr. Clyde Kress, of Sardinia, Ohio.

Mr. and Mrs. Kennedy have two children, Ruth Elizabeth and Mary Helen.

Mr. Kennedy is one of a family of four children and is first in order of birth. The others are:

Cora, who died at the age of sixteen.

John, a resident of Amelia, Ohio.

Effie, who became the wife of Ed Curren, of Cincinnati, Ohio.

Mr. Kennedy has fraternal relations with the Masonic lodge, of Georgetown. Ohio, and is a charter member of the Knights of Pythias, of Mt. Orab. Ohio. He is one of the most highly respected members of Georgetown's- social cir- cles, and is identified with all that tends to the betterment of the community in which he lives.

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JOHN G. QUINLAN.

John G. Quinlan, minister, teacher, lecturer and evangelist, is one of the most valued citizens of Georgetown, Ohio, where his popularity is everywhere evidenced. Not only is Mr. Quinlan well known in his native county, but also through- out Ohio and Illinois, where his evangelistic work has taken him. Mr. Quinlan is the present pastor of the Disciples church at Bethel, Ohio, in addition to which he is principal of the Georgetown High School. He has lectured extensively on religious and temperance subjects and he has made a study of political science, enabling him to speak at political and re- ligious conventions, picnics and reunions. He is a native of Georgetown, Ohio, his birth occurring October 7, 1865, in the old jail, where his father was deputy sheriff. His par- ents were A. G. and Mary S. (Jacobs) Quinlan.

A. G. Quinlan was born in Neville, Clermont county, Ohio, in 1835, and passed away in 1891. He was a teacher in Brown and Clermont counties and was deputy sheriff and auditor of Brown county. In later years he became a farmer in Pleas- ant township, Brown county. He was a member of the Home Guards, but not being strong physically he was unable to go to war. His wife was born near Hamersville, Brown county, Ohio, in 1843. Ten children were born to them, eight of whom grew to maturity.

Bina L. passed away in 1887.

Flora B., wife of Joseph Dunn, resides in Georgetown.

Ida M., wife of Ira L. Tracy, lives north of Georgetown.

John G., our subject.

Edgar A. is operating the home farm and cares for his mother.

Bertha L. married Dr. J. R. Brown, of Georgetown, Ohio, Richard is a resident of Norwood, Ohio.

Irma is at home with her mother.

Mr. and Mrs. A. G. Quinlan and the members of the family . are members of the Disciple church.

Mr. John G. Quinlan is a descendant of Irish ancestors who lived in the northern part of Ireland, being of Catholic faith. When the religious and political trouble arose in Ireland they removed to county Clare, where, in the seventeenth cen- tury, they built a castle. The first of the Quinlan family to come to America was a member of the party of Lord Balti- more and settled in Maryland. The great-grandfather of Mr.

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John G. Quinlan ran away from his home in Maryland to join the army in western Pennsylvania that put down the whiskey insurrection during Washington's second admin- istration, about 1794. Four sons came west and settled in Clermont county, Ohio. One of these sons was Benjamin Quinlan, grandfather of John G. John Quinlan, brother of Benjamin, was a highly respected squire of Bethel, Ohio, for many years. All four of these brothers lived useful and up- right lives in this part of Ohio and are laid to rest in the old. cemetery at Bethel.

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History of Clermont and Brown Counties, Ohio, from the earliest historical times down to the present, V. 2, Part 54

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

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