History of Clinton County, Ohio Its People, Industries, and Institutions, with Biographical Sketches of Representative Citizens and Genealogical Records of Many of the Old Families, Part 81

Author: Albert J. Brown (A.M.)
Publication date: 1882
Publisher: Chicago : W.H. Beers & Co.
Number of Pages: 1108

USA > Ohio > Clinton County > History of Clinton County, Ohio Its People, Industries, and Institutions, with Biographical Sketches of Representative Citizens and Genealogical Records of Many of the Old Families > Part 81

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Caleb B. Cleland was educated in the public schools of Marion township and taught school for six months. He then took up farming on the old home farm. where he lived for two years, at the end of which time he moved to a farm near Martinsville, this county. and has lived in that vicinity ever since. Mr. Cleland first purchased eighty acres of land north of Martinsville, and lived on that farm for twenty-two years. Afterwards he purebased one hundred and eighty acres, one mile southeast of Martinsville, where he now lives,

Caleb B. Cleland was married on March 8, 1870. to Nancy E. Urton, a native of Clinton county, daughter of Ephraim and Sarah (Smith) Urton, to which union one child has been born. a son, Armasa, who married Chloe Moon, who was born near Martins- ville, the daughter of Columbus and Susanah ( Rhonemus) Moon. Armasa Cleland and wife live with the former's parents and are the parents of two children, Lee M. and Ren S.

The Cleland family are all members of the Friends church. Fraternally, Caleb B. Cleland is a member of the Free and Accepted Masons and of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows.

WILLIAM HENRY.

Among the farmers of the last generation, who. by virtue of their strong Indi- vidual qualities, won their way to a high standing in the estimation of their fellow citizens, was the late William Henry, who, by sheer force of character and persistency, arose from an bumble station to a place of influence and prominence in I'nion town- ship. He is, therefore, entitled to special mention in this volume.

The Inte William Henry was born near Harveysburg in Warren county. Oblo, January 31, 1838, and died on September 10, 1906. He was a son of John and Cath- erine (Stump) Henry, the former of whom was born In the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia in 1798 and who died in 1870, and the latter born in Frederick county, Virginia. in 1805 and who died in 1887.

John Henry when a young man came from Virginia to Ohio. His father was killed when John was a baby and he was reared by his aunt. After coming to Ohio, he settled in Warren county, where he finally owned a good farm near Harveysburg. In 1854 he sold the farm and purchased land in I'nion township, living there until his death. He and his wife were devout members of the Christian church. They had ten children, of whom seven are deceased. The names of the children in the order of their births are as follow : Daniel, who lives in Wilmington; William, the subject of this sketch; Jonas and John, who lived with their mother and both now deceased; Tilby, who married William Fisher and lives near Port William, Ohio; Retta, deceased, who married Quince Harris: Liddy Jones, who died unmarried ; Frances, who married James Fisher and lives in Wilmington: Reese, who lived with his mother and who died unmarried, and Joshua, who was twice married and is de- ceased.

The late William Henry was educated in the public schools of Warren county and was sixteen years old when his parents moved to Clinton county. Here he attended the Dutch district school. Owning Ofty acres of land in Greene county. he lived there for two years and then purchased one buudred and sixty acres of land in Union town- ship, selling the Greene county farm. Hle lived on the Union township farm until

MR. AND MRS. WILLIAM HENRY.

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1893, when he retired and moved to New Vienna. There be remained for eighteen months, but was unable to withstand the complete remission of toil and purchased one hundred and eighteen acres of the Bruce Sprague farm on the east edge of Union township, where he died. Mrs. William Henry had a birthright in the Friends church and fifteen years after their marriage, Mr. Henry joined the Friends church. He was a Democrat In politics but voted the Prohibition ticket during the later years of his life. He was pre-eminent as a stock breeder in this county and was well known for the excellent breed of his horses.

On April 1, 1860, the late William Henry was married to Julia A. Pidgeon, who was born ou May 27, 1838, in Guilford county, North Carolina, near Highpoint and fifteen miles from Greensboro, the county seat. Mrs. Henry is the daughter of Charles and Catherine (Horney) Pidgeon, the former of whom was born on March 1, 1800, and who died on July 20. 1898, and the latter born on September 23, 1810, and who died on December 27, 1886. Both were natives of Stokes county, North Carolina.

Isaac Pidgeon, who was the paternal great-grandfather of Mirs. Heury, was a very strict Quaker. About 1740 he Immigrated to Chowan county. North Carolina, from Ireland, because of religious persecution. He was a millwright by trade and owned three different mills during his life, the last one on "Rich Fork." Although he lived in America during the Revolutionary War, he was not called upon to serve, since he was a member of the Quaker church. His son, Charles Pidgeon, Sr., the grandfather of Mrs. Henry, was a farmer, blacksmith, mechanic, carpenter and home physician; in fact, he was an all-around genius. He was a strict Quaker, and died in 1854. His wife was Elizabeth Crews, to whom he was married on November 11, 1789. She was a native of Virginia and died in the early fortles. They were the parents of twelve children.

Mrs. Henry's father, Charles Pidgeon, Jr., grew up in Stokes county, North Caro- lina, and early in life located in Guilford county, where, at the breaking out of the Civil War, he owned five hundred acres of land on Deep river. He was an industrious man and a successful financier with the able assistance of his good wife. There were many tenant houses on his farm but he kept no slaves and was opposed to slavery. Charles Pidgeon, Jr., and Catherine Horney were married on October 8, 1829. They made a great deal of money before railroads were built, bauling merchandise from the region where they lived to distant markets, such as Fayetteville, North Carolina. and Camden. South Carolina. They had a six-horse wagon and hauled dry goods and groceries on return trips.

At the beginning of the Civil War, Charles Pidgeon, Jr., was a northern sympa- thizer. He was strongly opposed to slavery and was anxious to get his sons away 80 they could avold service in the Confederate army. In the spring of 1861 he sold off all of his stock and farm implements with the intention of moving to Ohio. The southerners objected to his leaving and seut a troop of soldiers to attend the sale but the soldiers were treated to a splendid chicken dinner and did not Interfere with the sale. However, the trip to Ohio was delayed until the fall of 1801, when after the rebels' success at the first battle of Bull Run, it was thought the war would soon end victoriously for the South and the departure of the Pidgeons would make little difference.

They started with three wagons, a carriage and a buggy and some live stock. With his family were two other families. A son, John Pidgeon, and his family, his sister, Emily and her family, made the trip north by the steam road, the remainder of the family coming by wagon. Charles Pidgeon, Jr., had sold his whole five hun- dred acres in North Carolina for less than would be required today to buy a small farm in Ohio. On the way north, the family encountered a borse trader, who en- gaged in buying horses in Ohio for the Southern army. He told Mr. Pidgeon it would

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be impossible to get out through the Cumberland Gap, as it was guarded and the armies would let no one past. However, it was pointed out that the trip might be effected by the way of the Big Sandy river. Eventually, the family escaped to Ohio by this perilous route and settled in Clinton county. The first year they rented a farm where Henry Pidgeon now lives in Union township and which later Charles Pidgeon purchased. The next year they rented a farm in the Dover neighborhood and then rented a farm for the next five years near New Vienna. At the end of this time, Charles Pidgeon purchased the farm In Union township which he had first rented on coming to Ohlo. He lived on this two-hundred-acre farm until his death, his sons working hard in the meantime to pay for it. During all of this period be and his wife were regular attendants of the meetings of the Friends church; they were rather strict in their views. He was a pronounced Abolitionist and was not afraid to speak his mind, even when living in the south. At this time in his life he was a Republican but he later became a member of the Prohibition party.

Mrs. Henry was one of twelve children born to her parents, as follow ; Emily, who married John Briggs and died at the age of thirty-nine; Mary, who married Walter Cammack and lives in Virginia; John, who married Caroline Thompson, and who is a Quaker minister at Orchard Grove, Oblo; Hannah, who married William Charles and both now deceased; Julia A., the widow of Mr. Henry; Samuel, who is a school teacher and farmer of Jamestown, Obio; David, who lives in California ; Jeffrey, who died in infancy: Charles Addison, who was a school teacher and died unmarried at the age of twenty-six; Henry, who is a farmer in Union township; Cornella, who married Bruce Sprague, of Union township, and Louisa, who married Aden Starbuck.

To Mr. and Mrs. William Henry were born three children: Charles A., January 22, 1870, who is a farmer of Union township and who married Margaret Vandervort ; Junius Avery, December 29, 1871, who is a farmer of Union township and who married Angusta Fisher; and William A., November 9, 1876, who lived with his mother and died on September 20, 1909.

Mrs. Henry lives on the farm in Union township near Haus Chapel. She is an ardent member of the Friends church at Wilmington, Ohio, and a highly respected and well-known woman of Clinton county, refined, educated and capable.

EVERETT J. CAST.

Member of a family that has been well known in this county since pioneer days, both his father and his mother having been born in this county, their parents having been among the early settlers here. the subject of this brief and modest blographical sketch has a wide acquaintance throughout the county and is held in the highest regard by all who know him.

Everett J. Cast was born in Vernon township, Clinton county, Ohio, on September 17, 1876, son of James A. and Amanda D. ( Mckibben) Cast, both natives of this county, the former of whom was born in Vernon township and the latter of whom was born in Washington township. James Cast was the son of James and Susan ( Villars) Cast. both natives of Vernon township, the latter of whom recently died at the ripe old age of eighty-eight years. James Cast. Sr., was a farmer of Vernon township, and died at the age of thirty-six, leaving a widow with five children. One of their sons, John Wesley Cast, served his country valiantly during the Civil War as a soldier attached to one of the Ohio regiments.

James Cast, Jr., received his education in the district school near the paternal farm and was renred as a farmer, a vocation which he followed all his life. He married Amanda D. Mckibben, daughter of Josiah and Eleanor Mckibben, members of well- known families in this county. to which union three children were born, Everett J .. the

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immediate subject of this sketch, Bertha and Herman. James Cast's farming operations, with the exception of about fifteen years that he lived in Illinois, were carried on both in Washington and Clark township. Both Mr. and Mrs. Clark died in Clark township. He and his wife were members of the Methodist church and their children were reared lu that faith.

Everett J. Cast was reared in Washington township, his education being received in the district schools of that township, and he began his farming operations early in his young manhood and ever since has been a practical farmer. In 1907 he bought the farm of fifty-two acres on which he is now living, in Washington township, and has improved the same greatly, having completely remodeled the house and made other extensive improvements. He gives careful attention to the details of his work and is doing well.

In 1902 Everett J. Cast was united in marriage to Chlora Turner, who was born in Clark township, this county, daughter of W. E. and Emma (Ford) Turner, the former of whom is the son of Andrew Jackson Turner, the son of Daniel Turner, a prominent pioneer of Clinton county, who is mentioned elsewhere in this volume. Andrew Jackson Turner was a well-known farmer of Clark township, who came with his father from Clermont county, his wife, who was Serepbina Potter, also having been a native of this latter county.

Mr. and Mrs. Cast have many friends in the neighborhood in which they live and take an active part in the life of that community. Mr. Cast is a member of the lodge of Odd Fellows and is popular with the members of that fraternity. He is a good citizen and loyal neighbor, who is doing well his part in the world's work.

ERNEST R. HAZARD.

Ernest R. Hazard, a well-known young citizen of Martinsville, this county, who is the proprietor of a lumber, feed and coal yard at that place, was formerly an officer in the Philippine constabulary and saw extensive service in the Philippine Islands and else- where. Ernest R. Hazard was born in Wilmington, this county, on May 24, 1880, the son of Jonas Seth and Mary ( Buntain) Hazard, the former of whom was born near Sligo, this county, and the latter of whom was the daughter of William and Susanna (Jenkins) Buntain. Jonas S. Hazard is the son of Henry and Elizabeth ( Wells) Hazard, natives of I'nion township, this county, and Douglas county, Illinois, respectively. Henry Hazard was educated in the common schools of Union township and became a carpenter and mlller by trade. He was also a bridge builder and constructed the bridge across the Scioto river. He owned a grist-mill and saw-mill in Adams township and died at Ogden. To Henry and Elizabeth Hazard were born nine children, Robert F., John W., Allen 8., Jonas Seth, Calvin H., Sarah S., James R., Bijah T. and Caleb H. They were members of the Methodist Episcopal church.

Jonas Seth Hazard, the father of Ernest R., who was born on January 9, 1850, near Sligo, in Adams township, this county, was educated in the common schools of Adams township and has been a farmer and carpenter all of his life. For forty-five years, he worked at the carpenter's trade but retired from contract carpentering in 1911. During his active career he did much of the building in Wilmington, having moved to that place about 1850. In 1912 he purchased sixty-two acres of land in Adams township, but rents the farm. He married Mary Buntain, the daughter of William and Susanna (Jenkins) Buntain, to which union were born two children, Belle Boyd, who married Launtie Hadley, and Ernest R., the subject of this sketch. The Hazard family are members of the Friends church and Jonas S. Hazard votes the Republican ticket.

Educated in the public schools of Wilmington, Ernest R. Hazard worked for a short time at the tinner's trade. When he was seventeen years old, he went to Palestine. Illinois, and after being there for six months, enlisted in Battery E. Sixth United States Artillery on March 21. 150S. After serving for three years he was discharged in the

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Philippine Islands. Afterward he served about three months on the Metropolitan police force of Manila, resigning to accept the position as overseer of the yard watchmen of the Manila & Dagupan railway at Caloocan, Philippine Islands. After holding this position for about three months, he became a member of the Philippines constubulary, accepting a commission as second lieutenant and inspector of the constabulary. He held this position for about one yeur and later became first lieutenant. In 1906 he returned to the United States and engaged in the restaurant business at Wilmington for four years. In 1910 he sold out, moved to Martinsville, where he bought an established lum- ber, feed and coal yard, which he now owns and manages.

On June 30, 1907, Ernest R. Hazard was married to Pearl Certain, of Wilmington, the daughter of D. M. and Luellen (Gallaher) Certain, of that city, and to this union one child has been born, a daughter, Mary Ellen.

Fraternally, Ernest R. Hazard is a member of the Free and Accepted Masons, the Knights of Pythias, the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, the Modern Woodmen of America and the Junior Order of United American Mechanics. Mr. and Mrs. Hazard are members of the Friends church. Mr. Hazard recently has built a fine modern home on College Heights at Martinsville, and he and his family are very comfortably and pleasantly situated there. They are held in high regard throughout that section of the county, and enjoy the respect and esteem of all who know them.

ALFRED SPRAGUE.

Among the most extensive farmers of Richland township, this county, is Alfred Sprague, a pleasant, cordial and genial-natured man who is entirely unassuming and modest withal. He and his daughter, Eva, own nine hundred acres of land in Rich- land township and is one of the most successful farmers in this section of Ohio. This success, in a large measure, is due to his tireless energy, his careful mastery of details and exceptional executive ability. He knows the farm, ita varled and diverse aspects and he applies his intelligence to the details of management.

Alfred Sprague was born on June S, 1858, in Union township, Clinton county, Obio, the son of William H. and Caroline (Drake) Sprague, both natives of New York state, the former of whom was born on February 22, 1823, and died on May 9, 1884. the latter born on September 22, 1820, the daughter of Randolph and Elizabeth Drake, also now decensed. William H. Sprague was the son of John Sprague, a native of New York state, who was a farmer and oyster fisherman, living in the eastern part of the state, the father of eight children, Joseph, James, Alfred, John, Jane, Mary Jane, Susannah and William H.

The late William H. Sprague, the youngest child in this family and the father of Alfred, was educated in the public schools of New York state and came to Ohio in 1854, locating on a farm In Clinton county. Before coming to Obio. he had been engaged in water transportation, but after coming to this state engaged in farming and followed this occupation the remainder of his life, owning a small, but well-kept farm of seventy- Ave acres. Alfred Sprague, the son of William H. and Caroline Sprague, was one of

eight children born to his parents, the others being as follow : James A., born on Novem- ber 3. 1847, who married Mary E. Bogue; George B., September 22. 1849, who married Catherine Pidgeon : Theodocia. December 15, 3852, who became the wife of Isaac Wood; John R., June 17, 1855, who married Emma Hall: Mary E., April 17, 1861, who is the wife of Orval Moore: Henry C., February 14, 1867; and Drueilla, August 19, 1870, who died on April 18, 1888. William II. Sprague was a Republican in politics. He and his wife were members of the Methodist Protestant church and their children were reared in that faith.

Alfred Sprague was educated in the common schools of Clinton Station and began farming with his father when a very young man. In 1881 he moved to Richland town- ship and has lived on a farm in that township ever since, engaging in general farming

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and stock raising, being an extensive breeder of large type Poland China bogs. During late years, he has erected a number of buildings on the various farms which he owns and is continually engaged in improving his land. The excellent stone quarry on his land is known as the Sprague quarry.

On March 23, 1881, Alfred Sprague was married to Rosa V. Vaniman, who was born on July 3, 1854, and who died on February 6, 1900. She was the daughter of Elias and Eva (Early) Vaniman, the former of whom was born on June 20, 1823, and the latter on November 3, 1826. To Mr. and Mrs. Sprague one child was born, a daughter, Eva, born on June 13, 1885, who married Philip Ellis, and has one child, Alfred Wheeler, born in January, 1912.

Mr. Sprague has a beautiful country home on the Wilmington and Washington pike. He is a member of the Methodist Protestant church and has been a steward in the church and trustee. Politically, he is a Republican.

WILLIAM CAREY.

The late William Carey, who was a prosperous farmer of Clark township, was born in Penn township. Highland county, Ohio, January 5, 1830, and died on March 6, 1908. He was a son of Ellas and Margaret ( Hussey) Carey, the latter of whom was a native of Highland county. The paternal grandfather of Mr. Carey was Samuel Carey.

The late William Carey received a limited education in the common schools of Highland county, and took up farming as a vocation in life. In the spring of 1000 he moved to Clinton county, Ohio, and settled in Clark township, where his widow now lives. He purchased seventy acres of land and here he lived until his death in 1908.

William Carey was married on November 23, 1854, to Almira Conard, a sister of Doctor Conard, whose sketch is presented elsewhere in this volume. To this union were born ten children, as follow : Spencer, the first born; Alonzo W., who lives in Oklahoma ; Eliza R., who lives in Dayton, Ohio; Mary A., of Highland county, Ohio; Margaret H., of Muncie, Indiana ; Lena C., of Dayton, Ohio; B. C., of Careytown, Oblo; Martha E., deceased : Almira C. and W. Ernest.

For generations back the Carey family have been prominent members of the Society of Friends, and in the various communities where they have lived they have been leaders In the religious life of this church.

William Carey was a successful man, a good farmer, a kind and devoted father and loving husband. His loss was keenly felt, not only by the various members of his family and his beloved wife, with whom he lived so long and happily, but by his neighbors and friends and all those with whom he came in contact.

WALTER I. MOON.

Among the well-known farmers of Clark township, Clinton county, Ohio, is Walter, I. Moon, a native of this township, born on July 24, 1860, and a son of John W. and; Jemima F. (Moore) Moon, the former of whom was born on the old home farm northwest of where Walter I. now lives, the latter of whom was born near Cuba. The paternal grandparents were Isaac and Edna (Smithson) Moon, and the paternal great-grand- parents were Samuel and Martha (Ruth) Moon. The former were early settlers In Clinton county. The maternal grandparents were Micajah and Rebecca (McGee) Moore, the former of whom was an early settler near Cuba, and the latter of whom came with her parents, early in the history of Clinton county, to Clarksville. They were pioneer farmers.

John W. Moon was educated in the public schools of Clinton county, and was a grain and stock buyer in Farmers Station and at Lynchburg and Martinsville for many years. He is now retired and living at Burtonville. He had one hundred and forty acres of

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Innd in this county, but has now sold out and is living retired. Of the seven children born to John W. and Jemima F. ( Moore) Moon, two are deceased.

Walter I. Moon was educated In the public schools of Clark township, and engaged in farming upon attaining maturity. He owns sixty-six acres of land and is engaged In general farming near Martinsville. Mr. Moon's farm has been greatly improved since he purchased it.

Walter I. Moon was married on September 17. 1881, to Rebecca Garner, who was born on December 28, 1864. a native of Clark township and a daughter of Silas Garner. Silas Garuer was a son of Joseph Garner. Joseph was the son of James and Mary ( Moon) Garner. James Garner was the son of John Fusha Garner. Mary Moon was the daughter of Joseph Moon.

Mr. and Mrs. Walter I. Moon have had two children, Ralph H. and Blanche. Ralph HI. married Susie Grindel of Greene county, and they have three children, Morris Melvin, Alice Bell and Helen Ester. Blanche married LA. O. Preston, of Farmers Station, Ohio.

Mr. and Mrs. Walter I. Moon are members of the Universalist church. Mr. Moon is a member of the Free and Accepted Masons.

WILLIAM K. RUBLE, M. D.

Dr. William K. Ruble, who for many years has been engaged in the practice of medicine at Martinsville. Ohio, Is truly a self-made man. An early school teacher in Highland county, he Is practically self-educated, although for some time a student at the Valparaiso Normal School and Inter a graduate of the Eclectic Medical College at Cincinnati. Dr. Ruble, In the earlier years of his practice, was a voluminous writer and today is remembered throughout the country for an article written in 1804 on tubercu- losis, an article which attracted nation-wide comment. Like most country boys, while not in school, he worked earnestly and long on the farm. Having studied patiently while working on the farm, he received a certificate to teach school and taught his first term of school before he was sixteen years old, in the old subscription school for which he received sixty dollars for three months' school.

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History of Clinton County, Ohio Its People, Industries, and Institutions, with Biographical Sketches of Representative Citizens and Genealogical Records of Many of the Old Families, Part 81

Author: Albert J. Brown (A.M.) Publication date: 1882 Publisher: Chicago : W.H. Beers & Co. Number of Pages: 1108

Author: Albert J. Brown (A.M.)
Publication date: 1882
Publisher: Chicago : W.H. Beers & Co.
Number of Pages: 1108