History of Delaware County and Ohio, Part 105

Author: O. L. Baskin & Co; Perrin, William Henry, d. 1892?
Publication date: 1880
Publisher: Chicago, O.L. Baskin & Co.
Number of Pages: 818

USA > Ohio > Delaware County > History of Delaware County and Ohio > Part 105

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).

JAMES A. BARNES, Delaware, proprietor of the Delaware Oil Mills, is one of the leading and most successful business men of Delaware; he was born in New Hartford, Conn., Dec. 3, 1818; when he was but 3 years of age, his parents came West and located in Licking Co., Ohio ; in 1840, Mr. Barnes came to Delaware, which has since been his home, with the exception of one year, 1849, when he went to California, gold seeking, with fair success, and one year in Missouri, where he was engaged in the saw-mill business, on the Mis- souri River; in 1840, Mr. Barnes commenced the

practice of law, at the Delaware County bar, where he was associated with the late Charles Sweetser, the firm being known as Barnes & Sweetser; in 1857, he retired from the practice of his profes- sion, and in 1859 purchased his present busi- ness, which was then carried on in a two-story frame building, with a capacity of fifty bushels of flax-seed every twenty-four hours, employing six men ; in 1863, he erected the present stone build- ing, which is known as the Delaware Oil Mills ; the business now has a capacity of 300 bushels of flax-seed every twenty-four hours, employing nine men. In 1859, Mr. Barnes was elected Mayor of Delaware, and again, in 1876, to the same office, filling the position with credit and satisfaction to the public.

H. L. BAKER, merchant, Delaware, was born in Orange Township, Delaware Co., in 1841, and is the son of George and Mary (Baker) Baker, who emigrated to Ohio and located in Delaware Co. at an early day; he was born on the farm ; from Delaware Co. he went to Clark Co. and remained .there five or six years, when he returned to Orange Township, Delaware Co .; he lived also in Westerville and Lewis Center, and was Postmaster at the latter place for three years; also agent for the Express Co. and C., C., C. & I. R. R., for a number of years; in 1878, he came to Delaware and commenced mercantile business, and formed a partnership with Mr. Scoffield, which continued until 1880, when Mr. Baker became owner of the entire business ; his store is located on South San- dusky street, near the C., C., C. & I. R. R. cross- ing, where he has erected a handsome residence and business block ; besides running a full line of choice family groceries, Mr. Baker is engaged in the coal business, and intends soon to erect opposite his place of business a fine warehouse, two stories high, 26x60; he will then, in connec- tion with his present business, enter the grain trade. Mr. Baker was married in Orange Town- ship to Miss Mary Angle, of New Jersey.

BROWN & BURNHAM, proprietors of City Foundry, are among the leading manufacturers of Delaware. They commenced business in 1862. Matthias Brown was born in Germany; havingemi- grated to America, in 1830, he went to Philadelphia, and learned the trade of a machinist ; from this he became a railroad engineer, which he followed some fourteen years, taking charge of his first en- gine on the P. & R. R. R., where he remained some four years. He was at one time in the em- ploy of the famous locomotive works of Rogers &

DELAWARE TOWNSHIP.

615

Baldwins, of Philadelphia, and traveled all over the country, going to Quebec to set up one of their locomotives. Mr. Brown was also at one time master mechanic of the Springfield Division of the C., C., C. & I. R. R. He is now about 59 years of age, and is considered one of the best machinists in Central Ohio. John A. Burnham was born in New Hampshire, and learned his trade, as a machinist, at Lowell, Mass., at 22 years old. He is now 81 years old, having had an experience of fifty-nine years in mechanics, and is now, perhaps, the oldest in his line in this part of the State. Mr. Burnham came to Delaware in 1846, since which time he has been engaged in the manufacturing business; in 1847, he com- menced on the west side; afterward he became a member of the firm of Bradley, Burnham, Lamb & Co., who erected large buildings, and was en- gaged in the manufacture of all kinds of machinery, thence to his present establishment, which was erected by Burnham & Miller. Mr. Burnham is the patentee of an iron and wood fence. The present shops are 30x60 feet, 2 stories high, with 20-horse power engine, and are fitted up with every facility for turning out first-class work, a reputation which they now enjoy and expect to maintain.

REV. H. A. BECKER, Pastor of St. Mark's Lutheran Church, Delaware, was born in Mahoning Co., Ohio, April 30, 1841, and is the son of Rev. F. C. and Mamie Becker. His father was bern in Germany in 1805, having emigrated to America when young, and, about 1839, came to Ohio ; he is now a resident of Lordstown, Trum- bull Co., Ohio, where he has had charge of a church for the last forty years. The Rev. H. A. Becker, after receiving a common-school education in his native county, went to Columbus and grad- uated from the Capitol University; in 1866, he was ordained and licensed to preach, his first charge being at St. Paris, Champaign Co., where he remained some eight months, then in Thorn- ville, Perry Co., from 1867 to 1877, having charge of four large congregations, one in Thornville and three located in different parts of Perry Co. ; here Mr. Becker did good work ; in 1877, he came to Delaware, where he has since been the resident Pastor, and is also engaged in publishing a Sunday- school paper called the Illustrated Lutheran Child's Paper, which has a circulation of some 5,000. Rev. H. A. Becker married in September, 1866, Miss Mary L. Hoffman, of Germany ; by this union they have five children.

CAPT. BENJAMIN A. BANKER, merchant. Among the leading business men of Delaware may be mentioned the above-named gentleman, who was born in Tompkins Co., N. Y., Aug. 10, 1829, and is the son of Benjamin Banker, who engaged in farming. When 15 years of age, Mr. Banker, with his parents, moved West and located in Will Co., Ill .; in Joliet, Ill., he learned his trade as a carpenter, and worked at it until 1849, when he came to Cardington, Ohio, and remained there until 1855, when he came to Delaware Co., and has been one of its honored citizens ever since. Here, during the late war, he enlisted as a private in Co. D, 121st O. V. I. After being mustered in, he was made Orderly Sergeant, and, afterward, Second Lieutenant, then First Lieu- tenant, filling the lieutenancy for about a year, when he was promoted to Captain of Co. A, where he served until the close of the war, having par- ticipated in some of the hardest battles and long- est marches of the war-Perryville, Chickamauga, Mission Ridge, Atlanta, and Sherman's march to the sea, through the Carolinas to Washington and the grand review. During the march through the Carolinas, Capt. Banker was detailed to re- build a bridge over Feather River, N. C., which had been burned by the rebels. He began, at 8 P. M., with a corps of workmen, and by 6 A. M. the army was passing over the bridge. Capt. Banker, in November, 1862, was taken sick with typhoid fever, and was in a dangerous condition for some four or five weeks; but in May he reported for duty, and, after serving in the war until the dawn of peace-enlisting as a private and being mustered out a Captain-he returned home to Delaware County, where he engaged in farming in Delaware Township. His house was burned in 1867, and he moved to Delaware. He was master mechanic of the Ohio Penitentiary, under Gen. Noyes, which position he filled for two and one- half years. In 1875, he commenced the flour, feed and commission business, which he is now following. He married Miss Elizabeth Worline, of Delaware Co .; they have five children. Capt. Banker is a Republican, and served as Coroner of Delaware Co. for two years with credit; he is a member of the M. E. Church.

DAVID BEVAN, JR., farmer; P. O. Dela- ware; was born in South Wales, April 20, 1829; his parents were David and Margaret (Lewis) Bevan, who, in 1842, with six children, emigrated to America, and located on the Radnor pike, Delaware Township, on a place then but

616

BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES:

little improved, with only a log cabin and a small piece of cleared land for a beginning; the family had in a few years a well-improved farm, now only marked by an old orchard and part of the barn ; after farming here for a number of years, he moved to a farm west of Mr. Bevan's present home, where his mother, Margaret Bevan, died some seventeen years ago; in 1879, on the 23d day of May, David Bevan died, at the age of 83 years; thus passed away two of the old and highly respected citizens of Delaware Co .; of the Bevan family there are now living three sons and one daughter .- James, William, Dinah, and David, the subject of this sketch, who has been engaged in farming through life, and is now owner of a fine, improved farm. He married Eliza Davis, daughter of Thos. Davis, of South Wales, and has four children. William Bevan was a soldier in the late war, having enlisted in the 121st O. V. I., and served three years and two months, participating in battles and marches with the 121st, and was honorably mustered out.

CHARLES H. BODURTHA. Among the leading photographers of Central Ohio may be mentioned the above-named gentleman, who was born in Berkshire Co., Mass .; in 1863, he fin- ished learning his trade in Hartford, Conn., and went to Bridgeport, Conn., and opened a gal- lery, where he remained in business but a short time, then went to Venezuela, South Amer- ica, and remained there two years, being the first photograph artist there; after this, he was engaged on an English man-of-war as a special artist, taking sketches and views of notable places ; after con- tinuing at this sixteen months, he came to Ohio, and located in Columbus, where he remained some six months, when he came to Delaware and was first employed by T. A. Beach, a leading pho- tographer ; soon Mr. Bodurtha became part owner and the firm remained Beach & Bodurtha for a number of years, when Mr. Bodurtha be- came sole proprietor, and is recognized as being one of the finest artists in Central Ohio; rooms in Reynolds & Frank's Block, third floor.

HENRY BUTLER, deceased, son of Thomas Butler, who was engaged in the saddle and harness business, and was about the first in that business in Delaware. Henry Butler was born in Dela- ware about 1825; here he grew to manhood, and received a common-school education in Dela- ware ; was a clerk for a number of years ; about 1845, he went to New York City, and clerked in a notion house owned by his brother ; here he re-

mained for a number of years; on account of his health he at length resigned, and soon after- ward died. He was married, Dec. 26, 1850, to Miss Mary E. Starling, of Columbus, Ohio, daughter of Mrs.' Cassandra Starling ; they have four children living, two sons and two daughters.

EZEKIEL BROWN, Delaware, is a native of this county, and came from a noted family of its first settlers, who were prominently identified with the early history of Berkshire Township, in the writing of which they are appropriately mentioned. Mr. Brown's father was born in Pennsylania about 1791, and was the son of Ezekiel Brown, who was a native of Orange Co., N. Y., where he was born in 1760. He came to Ohio from Pennsylvania about 1800, and settled in Franklinton, and in 1807 or 1808 moved to this county. The mother of Mr. Brown was a daughter of the Hon. Benjamin Carpenter, who also came to the county at an early day. Such school privileges as were afforded in this part of the country during the younger days of Mr. Brown, he received the full benefit of, and at the age of 19 commenced teaching, being thus occupied for two winters, when he attended school at an academy for young men, at Westerville, for one year, again teaching the winter following. In 1844, he was married to Miss Harriet Hance, immediately after which he moved onto, and assumed charge of, his father's farm. This he worked for three years, when he became proprietor of a woolen factory in Galena, buying out the former owner, John Wil- son. Branching out somewhat, Mr. Brown, in connection with J. P. Maynard, inaugurated a new enterprise, that of manufacturing farming imple- ments and wagons. The woolen business was car- ried on by him for about fifteen years, when he sold it out, but continued the manufacture of im- plements for about seven years longer. In these undertakings, Mr. Brown was quite successful. However, his health became impared, and he re- tired from active business for a short period, fol- lowing which, in 1872, he'engaged in the lumber business in Galena. In the fall of 1873, being elected County Treasurer, he closed ont his lumber interests, preparatory to assuming the duties of his office. In 1874, at the close of his term, Mr. Brown went to Springfield, Ohio, and engaged in the boot and shoe trade, in partnership with his brother-in-law, W. A. Hance ; withdrawing from this in about one year, he returned to Delaware, and, in connection with Silas Pierson, bought out Thurston & Williams, grocers; at the corner of Sandusky and North streets. This partnership

617

DELAWARE TOWNSHIP.

was for ouly one year, at the end of which Mr. Brown bought Mr. Pierson's interest, and con- tinued the business, which is in a successful con- dition. His wife died Dec. 13, 1878. Mrs. Brown's parents were Quakers. She was educated at the Presbyterian Seminary at Granville, and was a woman of rare excellence of mind and heart. She was the mother of five children, three of whom are living-George, Isabel and Charles A. Those deceased are Willie A., at the age of 7, and Willis, when about 2. Mr. Brown has long been identified with church interests, having been a member of the M. E. Church since he was 21 years old. Politically, he is a Republican-and has voted with that party since its organization in 1856. His first vote for President was cast for Henry Clay, the Whig candidate, in 1844. Mr. Brown takes an active part in local politics, and has been called upon to fill most of the township offices, as well as one of greater trust by the county.

A. B. CADY, dentist, Delaware, is a native of Yates, Orleans Co., N. Y .; was born Dec. 31, 1839; at the age of 16, he entered the dental office of Dr. E. J. Mix, of Brockport, N. Y., with whom he served about three years ; he then entered the employ of his brother, Dr. C. S. Cady, in War- saw, N. Y., with whom he practiced in his pro- fession until the beginning of the war of the re- bellion. In the excitement incident to those times, the Doctor, under the patriotic influence of his ardent hature, traveled to Washington to witness the inauguration of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States ; it having been proclaimed by the rebellious element that such an event would not be permitted ; but the presence of large num- bers from the North, of which the Doctor was a fair representative, contributed largely to the se- curity of the occasion ; subsequently, the Doctor served in the N. Y. Mounted Rifles, and helped defend his country against the onslaught of the Southern hosts at Petersburg and Richmond, tak- ing part, also, in other less notable though impor- tant campaigns. At the close of the war, Dr. Cady resumed the practice of his profession in Medina, N. Y., where he was married, Nov. 15, 1866, to Miss Mary E. Leary ; she being a native of the same place as the Doctor; her birth having taken place May 16, 1845 ; they have five children, one of whom (Frankie) has passed beyond the realms of material things; those whose cheery faces remain to brighten their parents' home are Levina, William L., Mabel H. and Elmer B .; after about two years' practice in,

Medina, the Doctor removed to Dayton, Ohio, where he resided and followed the practice of dentistry for nearly two years ; having been burned out, he took up his abode iu Kenton, Hardin Co .; here he built up a lucrative business ; in 1879, having sold his Kenton office, he removed to Delaware City, which is to be his permanent residence ; here he has established an office, and will give his personal attention to the practice of dentistry in all its branches ; Dr. Cady is, undoubtedly, an expert in his profession, and will become popular in his newly chosen field; recognizing the superiority of por- celain in the manufacture of dental plates, he ap- plied himself for several years experimenting in producing a process for porcelain manufacture, that would give a maximum strength with a min- imum thickness ; for his perseverance he has been rewarded by success, and, in 1877, he took out a patent for the United States, securing to him the benefits of the new process ; this he controls, and by it he is enabled to excel in the art of man- ufacturing porcelain teeth and plates, of which he gives his patrons the benefit ; the new process for porcelain manufacture promises to work great changes ; its utility is not confined to dentistry, but will be especially valuable for the manufacture of burial cases, and the finer articles for which a material of that character is adapted ; the patent is a bonanza to the Doctor.

J. S. CAMPBELL, Superintendent of Public Schools, Delaware; took charge of the public schools of this place in the year 1865, at which time there were employed twelve teachers, with an attendance of 500 pupils; under the professor's administration the enrollment has increased to 1,400-nearly trebled-with a corps of teachers numbering twenty-three-not quite double ; so pop- ular has Mr. Campbell become in this connection that he seems to be a fixture in his position, with no one to wish it otherwise. He was born in Ripley, Brown Co., this State, May 7, 1827; the son of Joseph and Elizabeth (Kirker) Campbell ; his mother was a native of Ohio, and his father of Vir- ginia; the professor lived in his native county until he was 22 years of age, and became a college graduate in 1847, when he entered upon the study for the ministry ; he subsequently became Pastor of the Presbyterian Church, at Winchester; in about two years, he took charge of the Presby- terian Church in Felicity, Clermont Co., remain- ing there some eight years, when he went to South Charleston, and took charge of the public schools, which position he held until he came to Delaware.

618

BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.

DANIEL CARMICHAEL, deceased, was born in Johnstown, near Glasgow, Scotland, July 28, 1819; when a young man, he went as fireman on an ocean steamer, running from Liverpool to Bos- ton, and soon became engineer; when about 25 years of age, he settled in Boston, Mass., where he learned his trade as a machinist ; from Boston he went to Springfield, Mass., and worked in a machine-shop; thence to Cleveland, Ohio, where he worked at his trade for awhile, and soon after secured a position on a locomotive, on the C., C., C. & I. R. R .; he moved to Columbus, and he was appointed master mechanic of the C., C., C. & I. R. R. machine-shops, at that place; in 1872, he was transferred to Delaware, filling the same position until his death, Feb. 5, 1879, being master mechanic of the C., C., C. & I. R. R., for some nine- teen years. Mr. Carmichael was a Christian, being a member of the Presbyterian Church; he came to America a poor boy, but, with hard work and good management, steadily grew into prominence, and, at his death, was beloved by all; he left a wife and four children to mourn his loss. Mar- ried, in 1849, Miss Margaret Watson, of Scot- land ; his son, William, born in 1851, began work with his father at the age of 15 years, and became a first-class machinist ; he is now master mechanic at the Columbus shops of the C., C., C. & I. R. R.

WILLIAM H. CUTLER, County Sheriff, Dela- ware; was born in Delaware Co., Ohio, Sept. 21, 1836; the son of John and Matilda A. (McGown) Cutler; his mother was a native of Ohio, and his father was born in Prussia, and came to Sussex Co., Del., when but 3 years old; he was raised East, and came West to Ohio when Chillicothe was the capital of the State, and to Delaware Co. in about 1828 or 1829, and, in company with others, built a grist-mill io Concord Township. Mr. Cutler was engaged in farming until 1862, when he enlisted in Co. C, 121st O. V. I. for three years, as Sergeant, and took part in the battle of of Perryville; he was taken sick with chronic diarrhea, from which he suffered for a number of months, and was finally discharged from service on the account of disability, when he returned home, and for about six years suffered from this trying disease. After Mr. Cutler's return, he was engaged in the mill business for a number of years; from this he returned to the farm; in 1878, he was elected to the office of Sheriff of the county, on the Republican ticket, by a majority of 534 votes, one of the largest majorities ever given by

the Republican party. Notwithstanding that Concord Township, Mr. Cutler's home, is strongly Democratic, he at this election received a majority of the votes cast. July 1, 1865, he was married to Miss Isabel R. McClure, of this county, a daughter of James McClure; they have had born to them two sons and one daughter.

COL. JAMES M. CRAWFORD, Delaware; was born in Scioto Township, Delaware Co., Ohio, June 11, 1834, and is the son of James W. and Nancy (Stephen) Crawford ; his mother was one of the first white children born in Franklin Co., Ohio, on the opposite bank of the Scioto, where Columbus now stands ; his father was born in 'Pennsylvania, and came to Delaware Co. about 1804 or 1806, first locating in Liberty Township, whence he removed to Scioto Township, where he remained until 1839, during which time he was engaged in farming and milling; he also filled several offices of public trust-Magistrate, Representative, and was in the State Senate; he was a soldier of the war of 1812, having enlisted and recruited men from this and adjoining counties ; he was a most estimable man, honored and liked by all; he died in 1859, in Delaware, whither he had moved in 1839. Our subject moved with his parents from Scioto Township to Delaware; here he received a good common-school education, when he began to learn his trade as a painter, which he carried on in Delaware until the breaking-out of the late civil war, when he began recruiting soldiers, and on the organization of the 4th O. V. I., he was made Captain of Co. C, commission dating April 16, 1861, which was the first captain's commis- sion issued in the State of Ohio ; the regiment was organized at first for the three-months serv- ice ; after the expiration of that time, Col. Craw- ford re-enlisted for three years, acting as Captain of Co. C until Nov. 14, 1862, during which time he participated in all the marches and engage- ments of the regiment; on account of a hem- orrhage of the lungs, he resigned, and came home. After returning home, he was actively engaged in recruiting men, and afterward was appointed by Gov. Todd as Colonel of the Ohio National Guards, which included some 8,000 men ; this command took an active part at the time of the Morgan raid through Ohio. Returning home, he enlisted as Captain in the 100-day service in the 145th O. V. Î., during which time he was in com- mand of Forts Woodbury, Tillinghast and Craig I. as post commander ; after serving until the ex-

619

DELAWARE TOWNSHIP.

piration of the time, he returned to Delaware, and was soon after made Colonel of the 21st Ohio National Guards ; from 1861 to 1865, he was act- ively engaged either in the field or recruiting men for the service, and faithfully discharged his duty. It may here be stated in this connection, that James W. Crawford, father of Col. Crawford, was in the war of 1812, and at his death in 1859 left a wife and twelve children ; two of his sons were in the Mexican war ; Thomas J. two years, and Andrew J. one year ; three sons were in the late civil war-James M., Hugh S. and John A., the latter of whom was killed at Robinson's Cross-roads (or Mine Run), Va .; he also had five grandchildren in the late war, of whom two were killed ; this family has lost three killed in battle, and has furnished over twenty-three years of service ; our subject in 1865 filled the office of Revenue Assessor of Delaware Co. to 1869 ; he then followed his trade as painter for a short time, when he entered his present insurance business ; he filled the office of Justice of the Peace for one term. Col. Crawford is a Democrat, but during the war voted for Lincoln ; since the war he has been a worker in the Democratic ranks ; he mar- ried, in 1864, Miss Sarah M. Henry, of Shelby Co., Ohio.

W. T. CONSTANT, physician and surgeon, Delaware; there are men in every city who are hon- ored with the title of M. D., simply from the fact of a diploma having been granted them, while others have earned the title by years of hard study and close attention to business. Among the latter class we find Dr. W. T. Constant, of Delaware, the subject of this brief notice; he was born in Clermont Co., Ohio, Dec. 2, 1842, and is the son of John P. Constant, a native of Kentucky, who engaged in mercantile business and farming in Ohio ; our subject, when a lad, entered the dis- trict schools in Clermont Co., where he received a good common-school education, and taught school for a short time; he was also a steamboat engineer one year on the Upper Ohio ; in 1858, he entered the Ohio Wesleyan University of Del- aware, and graduated in the Class of '61. `At the breaking-out of the late civil war, he enlisted in the 4th O. V. I., Co. I, as private, in the re- cruiting of which company he took an active part, and, on its organization, he was made Second Lieutenant, and soon after made its First Lieu- tenant, where he served some three months, when he was made Captain of the same company, and served until 1864, having participated in some of

Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.

History of Delaware County and Ohio, Part 105

Author: O. L. Baskin & Co; Perrin, William Henry, d. 1892? Publication date: 1880 Publisher: Chicago, O.L. Baskin & Co. Number of Pages: 818

Author: O. L. Baskin & Co; Perrin, William Henry, d. 1892?
Publication date: 1880
Publisher: Chicago, O.L. Baskin & Co.
Number of Pages: 818