History of Delaware County and Ohio, Part 110

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 110

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GEN. EUGENE POWELL, of the Delaware Fence Co., Delaware ; was born in Delaware, Ohio, Nov. 16, 1838, and is the son of Judge Powell, one of the pioneer settlers of Delaware; he re- ceived his education in Delaware, and, in 1858, went East and entered the machine-shopsat Mead- ville, Penn., where he remained until 1860; he then returned to Delaware, and worked in the Delaware machine-shops until the breaking-out of the late war, when he helped organize Co. C, of the 4th O. V. I. ; he enlisted, and, on the organ- ization of the regiment, was made Captain of Co. C, in which position he served some three months ; he was then transferred to the 66th O. V. I. as Major ; in 1862, was made Lieutenant Colonel of the 66th Regiment, and remained such until the close of the war, when he was made Colonel of the 93d O. V. I., where he remained until September, 1865; he participated in some of the most severe marches and battles of the war-Rich Mountain, Port Republic, Cedar Mountain, Antietam, Dum- fries, Chancellorsville, Gettysburg; thence west with " Fighting Joe " Hooker, to Lookout Moun- tain, siege and capture of Atlanta, Peach Tree Creek, and with Sherman's march to the sea ; at the close of the war, he returned home, and was made Collector of Internal Revenue, which office he held until 1872, when he was elected to the

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Legislature, and filled one term with marked ability ; in 1872, he entered his present business, in which he has continued ever since. In 1878, Mr. Cyrus Falconer, Jr., became a partner in the business. Mr. Falconer was born in Hamilton, Butler Co., Ohio, in 1856, and is a graduate from the Hamilton High School; he was, for a short time, engaged in the manufacture of pig iron in the Hocking Valley, where he remained until 1878, when he came to Delaware, and entered the manufacture of fences, and has proved him- self a valuable addition to the Company.

S. D. POLLOCK, insurance agent, Delaware ; was born in Lake Co., Ohio, in 1824, from which place he moved to Akron, thence to Medina Co., where he was engaged in farming ; in 1870, Mr. Pollock moved to Delaware, where he commenced the insurance business, and now represents such leading companies as the Richland Mutual, West- ern Mutual, Merchants & Manufacturers', Ohio, GIens Falls, Delaware Mutual, Cooper of Dayton, and the Ohio Farmer's; the latter company was chartered Feb. 8, 1848, and was the first farmers' insurance company incorporated in Ohio; the object of its organization was to furnish the farm- ers of the State safe and reliable insurance at cost ; it confiues its risks strictly to unexposed buildings and farm property ; from the beginning, its Directors have been farmers, who are annually elected by the members, and whose only object has been to advance the true interest of the Com- pany ; the accumulated capital from its business belongs to those insured, who constitute the mem- bership of the Company, and who have an equal voice in forming its by-laws and electing its Di- rectors, but no member of the Company is liable to assessment; the result of the examination of the Ohio Farmers' Insurance Company, made by William Ewing, late Deputy Superintendent of Insurance, foots up as follows: Total assets (ad- mitted), $847,007.08; total liabilities, $617,- 099.48. This Company has passed through every official examination with credit, and is considered one of the safest and most reliable companies now doing business, affording the farmer such pro- tection at a minimum cost as can be guaranteed in no other way.

T. E. POWELL, attorney at law, Delaware. A son of Judge T. W. Powell; is a native of this city, born Feb. 20, 1842, and a graduate of the Ohio Wesleyan University, from which insti- tution he received his diploma in 1863; in that year he began the study of law in his father's

office, and was admitted to the practice in 1865; he then engaged in the real-estate business, which he followed until 1867 ; in this year, Mr. Powell associated himself as a partner with Col. W. P. Reid, for the practice of his profession, under the firm name of Reid & Powell; in 1877, John S. Gill was taken into the firm, which was then changed to Reid, Powell & Gill; the following year, 1878, the senior partner, Col. Reid, died, when the firm name was changed to Powell & Gill, under which title it is continued to this day; this association of legal talent from the start has

been regarded as one of the strongest law firms in Delaware; Mr. Powell, now the senior member, enjoys and merits the reputation of being well up in his profession, and is called upon to practice in the courts of the surrounding counties ; in 1875, he was placed in nomination on the Democratic ticket for the position of Attorney General of the State, but his party being in the minority, he was defeated.

PROF. RICHARD PARSONS, Delaware, was born in Mote, Ireland, June 25, 1847, and is the son of Richard and Margaret (Payne) Parsons, both natives of Ireland; in 1848, our subject, with his father and mother, emigrated to America and landed in New York City ; they came to Ohio and located in the city of Zanesville ; here young Parsons received a good common-school education, and in 1868 went to Wauseon, Ohio, and began teaching where he remained one year, thence to Holland, Mich., and taught in the Hope Col- lege for two years, when he went to Plymouth, Ohio, and engaged in teaching in the city schools for some five years ; in 1875, he came to Delaware and entered the Ohio Wesleyan University, as tutor of languages; in 1879, he was appointed to fill the chair as Principal of the Normal Depart- ment, which position he now occupies.

CHRISTIAN RIDDLE, of Riddle, Graff & Co., cigar manufacturers, Delaware. This gentleman was born in Germany, March 7, 1846, and is the son of Godfrey and Barbara Riddle, also natives of Germany ; in 1849, Christian, with his parents, emigrated to America and landed in New York City ; from there they came direct to Delaware; in about 1857, he commenced to learn his trade as a cigar-maker, at which he worked until 1862, when he enlisted for three months in the 86th O. V. I .; after serving full time, he re-enlisted in the 145th O. V. I., for 100 days' service, then in the 186th O. V. I .; here he served until the close of the war; he also served six months with the

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Army of the Tennessee in the Quartermaster's Department. After the close of the war, he returned to his trade, working in different parts of Ohio and Indiana for some two years, when, in 1867, he embarked in business in the frame building now occupied by Shea's grocery store ; here, in 1869, Mr. Graff was taken in as partner, under the firm name of Riddle & Graff; in 1871, they moved to the opposite side of the street from their present place of business ; in 1874, the firm of Riddle, Graff & Co. was formed; in 1879, they moved into their present building, which is a three-story stone front, erected by themselves, and is one of the most attractive pieces of architecture in Dela- ware; it has a frontage of twenty and a depth of one hundred and five feet ; on the first floor is found the office, sales and ware rooms; the salesroom is stocked with a full line of their twenty-four brands of cigars; in the warerooms is stored in stock some 100 cases of natural leaf, of fine Connecticut, Pennsylvania and Havana tobacco; the second floor is used for drying and packing, and the man- ufacturing is done on the third floor, where about sixty hands are employed constantly, and turn out weekly some 60,000 cigars ; this house pays out monthly to the Government for stamps $1,400, which indicates the immense amount of business done by them ; no enterprise in the city of Dela- ware enjoys a greater popularity than this, which is among the largest of its kind in the State; the firm is composed of Christian Riddle, George L. Graff and Leroy Battenfield ; Mr. Riddle filling the position of buyer and shipper, and Mr. Graff that of General Superintendent.

Mr. George L. Graff was born in Weddenburg, Germany, in 1842, having come to America in 1853, landing in Baltimore and came direct to Delaware, where he has been a resident ever since ; in 1856, he commenced to learn the cigar-maker's trade, working at this until the breaking-out of the late civil war, when he enlisted in the 86th O. V. I. ; he served some three months, when he was honorably discharged ; afterward re-enlisted in the 145th O. V. I., and served until the close of the war, when he returned to Delaware and engaged in working at his trade. In 1869, he established business for himself and the same year entered as partner with Mr. Christian Riddle.

Mr. Leroy Battenfield was born in Centre- burgh, Knox Co., Ohio, March 5, 1846 ; in April, 1861, he moved to Delaware ; Mr. Battenfield, like the rest of the firm of Riddle, Graff & Co., was a soldier in the late war; he enlisted

in the 2d Ohio Heavy Artillery for three years, and served full time, participating in a number of engagements and marches ; he was honorably mustered out, and returned to Delaware ; in 1874, he entered partnership with Riddle & Graff; in 1875, Mr. Battenfield commenced to travel for the firm, and has contributed his share in building up the firm to its present standing.

CAPT. R. W. REYNOLDS, merchant, Dela- ware ; was born in Montgomeryshire, North Wales, June 1, 1820, and is the son of Richard and Margaret (Rowland) Reynolds, both natives of Montgomeryshire, N. W .; the family, in 1823, sailed for America, and after being at sea for six weeks and four days, safely landed in this country and located in Madison Co., N. Y .; in 1834, the son, R. W., came to Delaware, and at 13 years of age was bound out for seven years to learn the tailor's trade ; he commenced in a shop located on the site where his present store is situated ; after serving three years, he went to Columbus, Ohio, where he finished his trade and then returned to Delaware, and embarked in business for himself; in 1848, Mr. Reynolds transferred his business to a room in the American House, where he carried on mer- chant tailoring ; in 1850, he went to California, where he mined and worked at his trade some ; during two months of the time, he made $10 per day working at tailoring; after remaining in the gold country some fifteen months, he returned to Delaware; here he followed clerking for awhile in a clothing establishment, and then formed a part- nership in the clothing and merchant tailoring business ; in 1857, the present firm of Reynolds & Frank was formed, which to-day stands as one of the most prominent establishments of the kind in Delaware, located at 23 Main street, occupying two rooms ; the first floor, 20x80, is used as a gen- eral salesroom ; the merchant tailoring department is located up-stairs, in which are employed workmen of superior ability in their line. Mr. Reynolds was a soldier in the late civil war, having enlisted in the 145th O. V. I., Co. E, of which company he was Captain ; the history of this regiment will be found in another part of this work ; after the war closed, Capt. Reynolds returned to his home, since which he has filled the position of Auditor of Delaware Co. one term, and has been a member of the Common Council of Delaware ; these offices he has filled with credit to himself and satisfaction to his constituency. He is a Republican in poli- tics. Capt. Reynolds married Miss Harriet Byxbe, daughter of Appleton Byxbe, and a grand-daughter

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to the founder of Delaware, Col. Moses Byxbe ; she was born in Delaware Township, Delaware Co., in 1823; by this union they have had seven chil- ered, three only are living.

REV. D. RUTLEDGE, P. O. Delaware ; was born in Belmont Co., Ohio, May 15, 1826; the son of William Rutledge; he lived, with his parents, on the farm until he was about 17 years of age, when he began teaching school, at which he continued some five years, when he commenced the study of law and was admitted to practice in about 1848, in Posey Co., Ind .; after a short time, he retired, and, in 1850, was licensed to preach, and entered upon his first duties in this profession in the West Liberty Circuit of Ohio, afterward in the North and Central Ohio Circuits ; during this time, he preached in Greenville, Bellefontaine, Toledo and Mt. Vernon; his next efforts were as a missionary to Oregon, where he remained ten years, preaching in Portland, Oregon City and Salem; he was then transferred to the Central Ohio Circuit, and afterward went as a missionary to Nashville, Tenn., where he remained ten years ; while there, he was connected with the freedmen's educational work, traveling in different parts of the country, raising funds for that cause ; in 1875, Mr. Rutledge came to Delaware ; during this time, he had charge of the Delaware district for four years.

ALONZO P. SCATTERDAY, farmer ; P. O. Delaware ; was the youngest child of Euclid Scat- terday, who was born in Loudoun Co., Va., about the year 1796, and emigrated to this State when young ; subsequently married Deborah Pond, born near Philadelphia, Penn., and came out with her parents and located in Belmont Co., where Alonzo P. was born, Oct. 21, 1849; received his educa- tion in the common schools in that county, com- pleting the same at the business college in Dela- ware. Sept. 17, 1875, he was united by marriage to Sarah L. Main, second daughter of Hosea Main ; she was born in Brown Township Oct. 9, 1851. He has sixty acres of land, with good buildings, which he erected, and the appearance of the place betokens him a man of industry and enterprise. He and wife are members of the Presbyterian Church at Delaware. His father died in Belmont Co .; his mother is still living.

HENRY J. SHARADIN, farmer ; P. O. Del- aware; is the son of Nathan and Margaret ( Esser) Sharadin ; his father was born in Berks Co., Penn .; came to Ohio about 1836, and settled in the green woods on the farm now owned by the

heirs; he was a mechanic, and made threshing machines ; was also a tanner by trade; he also drove stage coach from Delaware to Columbus at. an early day, and died in 1873. Henry's mother was a daughter of a noted farmer of Pennsylvania ; she is living in Delaware, and is a member of the German Reform Church, with which her husband had long been identified; they have six children, all living. Mr. Sharadin is now in partnership with his brother Charles, farming on the old home- stead, and they are making a specialty of stock and grain. They have 122 acres of land worth about $75 per acre-one of the finest farms in the country. Charles Sharadin was born Oct. 9, 1845, in Belmont Co., Ohio, and married Anna Heed, daughter of Thomas Heed, of Belmont Co., Ohio; her mother's maiden name was Irwin, daughter of Samuel Irwin ; she is still living in Delaware. Mrs. Sharadin was born July 28, 1854, in Bel- mont Co .; came to this county Dec. 17, 1874; they have one child-Henry Arthur-born Nov. 11, 1876.

JOSEPH W. SHARP, Principal of the Ohio Business College, of Delaware ; was born in York Co., Penn., Aug. 14, 1838, and is the son of John and Hannah (Benson) Sharp; his mother was born in Maryland, and his father in Pennsylvania, and was engaged in farming. Our subject, in 1841, with his parents, moved to Ohio, and located in Morrow Co., near Cardington, where his father and mother died. They were both Quakers. Prof. Sharp remained on the farm until 25 years of age, where he was engaged in farming in the summer months, and in the winter attended the district schools ; after he received a common-school edu- cation, began teaching school in the district schools ; he then entered Oberlin College, from which institution he graduated in 1864; in 1865, he came to Delaware, where he has been one of its honored citizens ever since, during which time he has been engaged in the Ohio Business College, of which an account will be found in another part of this work. Prof. Sharp was a Republican until the Prohibitionist party was formed; since then he has been a hard worker in its ranks; in 1877, he was put on the Prohibitionist ticket for Representative of Delaware Co., and, in 1879, was put on the same ticket for Lieutenant Governor of Ohio; he has just been elected as one of the four alternate delegates to Cleveland to the Prohibi- tionist State Convention. Prof. Sharp is one of the founders of the Delaware Signal, of which he was a leading editor for three years. He was mar-

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ried, in 1862, to Miss Elizabeth A. Kelly, of Mor- row Co., Ohio; they have had three children ; two deceased.

F. B. SPRAGUE, County Judge, Delaware ; was born in Delaware, on the site where the American House now stands, on the 16th of July, 1825; his parents were Pardon and Mary (Meeker) Sprague; his mother was born in Penn- sylvania in 1799, the daughter of Col. Forest Meeker, who came to Delaware Co. and located in Stratford in 1811; his father, Pardon Sprague, was born in Massachusetts or Rhode Island, and was engaged in a cotton-mill, where he remained until the mill burnt, when he came West about 1816 to Zanesville and Granville, Ohio, where he remained a short time, then came to Delaware; here he was engaged in the stock business ; he also kept a hotel on the site of the American House; he was elected to the office of County Sheriff two terms, and, about 1825, was elected to the Legislature, which office he filled with honor and credit to his death, which occurred in 1828, at about 40 years of age; he was a man respected and honored by all. Judge Sprague received his chief education in a private school tanght by Mrs. Murray in a room near where the court house now stands ; he was also a student of the Ohio Wes- leyan University during the first two years of its existence; he remained a resident of Delaware Co. until 1850, when he moved West to Oregon, and remained there some eighteen years, where he was engaged the first few years in the manufacture of fanning-mills, and was the first to manufacture these mills on the Pacific Coast. In 1864 to 1868, Judge Sprague had charge of the Modoc and Clamonth Indians; during this time, he was located at Ft. Clamouth, Ore., and in different parts of the State in the vicinity of Ft. Clamouth. Sprague River was named after him. In 1864, he was made Captain of the 1st Ore. V. I., doing duty in Oregon and participating in several battles and a number of skirmishos with the Snake In- dians. He learned to speak their language fluently and was a great friend of Captain Jack, the re- nowned Modoc chieftain, with which tribe the Judge states he was always on the friendliest terms. In 1868, he returned to Delaware Co., and located in Sunbury, where he engaged in the milling business, in which he has continued ever since; for several years, he was engaged in mer- cantile business in Sunbury. In 1875, Judge Sprague was nominated by the Democrats as Pro- bate Judge of Delaware Co., and was elected to

this office by a majority of 176 votes, and re- elected to the same office in 1878 by an over- whelming majority of 641 votes.

MRS. ANN P. SWEETSER, nee Miss Ann P. Ball, Delaware, was born in New York City, where her father died, when she with her mother and family came West about 1817 and located in Charlestown, Ind., where her mother died in 1821 ; in 1820, she came to Delaware, and in 1824 married Milo D. Pettibone, who was born in Connecticut in 1793, son of Gen. Chancy Pettibone, who was in the Legislature of that State some eighteen or twenty years; Mr. Pettibone was a graduate from William and Mary's College, and also from Yale; began the study of law in New York, in the office of a Quaker, and after being admitted to practice law, started West, visiting friends and relatives in Granville ; in 1818, he came to Dela- ware, and soon became a sound and trustworthy lawyer, and occupied a responsible position at the bar to the time of his death ; he speculated in land, which turned to his advantage; Mr. Petti- bone was every way a most estimable man ; he was social, honest and most exemplary ; he engaged in all the proposed improvements of his day, social, moral and religious; he filled several offices of public trust in Delaware Co .; was County Treasurer, Prosecuting Attorney, and a member of the State Legislature; these offices he filled with honor and credit ; at his death he left a wife and eight children, of whom five are living -- one son and four daughters ; two sons were in the late civil war --- Waldermer Pettibone, who was killed on picket duty, and Channing Pettibone, a Lieu- tenant, acting as Captain at the battle of the Wilderness, where he was killed. The subject of this sketch was married, in 1846, to Charles Sweetser, who was born, in 1808, in Dummerston, Vt .; he came to Delaware Co. with his parents about 1812 ; there he began the practice of law, and was recognized as one of the leading attorneys of the bar ; he was elected to the Thirty-first and Thirty-second Congresses, which offices he filled with marked ability. He was a Democrat, and was recognized as one of the leading members of the party. He died April 4, 1864, of heart disease.

W. O. SEAMANS, Professor in Ohio Wes- leyan University, Delaware; was born in Defiance, Ohio, Aug. 23, 1835, and is the son of Walter and Mary (Oliver) Seamans ; his mother was a native of Ohio ; her people having come to this State with the Massachusetts colony, which settled

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in Marietta ; his father was born in Virginia, and moved to Ohio in 1812, and was among the early settlers of Highland Co .; at 15 years of age, Prof. Seamans, with his parents, moved to La Fay- ette, Ind .; in 1852, he entered the Ohio Wesleyan University, from which institution he graduated in 1857 ; he was then elected tutor of languages in this university, and served two years, when he resigned and went to Leavenworth, Kan., where he was engaged in the mercantile business three years ; in 1862, he was elected to the chair of natural science in the Ohio Wesleyan Female College ; he remained there until 1865, when he was connected with the chair of chemistry, where he remained until 1867, when he became Profes- sor of Chemistry ; iu 1873, physics were added to chemistry, since which Prof. Seamans has filled the chair of Professor of Chemistry and Physics ; he took courses in chemistry in Ann Arbor and Harvard Universities; in 1874, he was placed on the Temperance ticket for the office of Mayor of the city of Delaware ; was elected, and filled the office for two years with entire satisfaction, being the first and only Mayor ever elected in Delaware on the Temperance ticket.

JAMES M. SNODGRASS, M. D., Delaware ; was born in Jefferson Co., Ohio, Oct. 9, 1808 ; son of Rev. James and Annie (White) Snodgrass, both natives of Pennsylvania. His father moved to Ohio, and located in Steubenville, Jefferson Co., in 1798; he was a Presbyterian minister, and be- longed to that church for over sixty years ; he died in Ohio, about 82 years old. James lived in Jefferson Co. until he was about 16 years of age, when he went to Stark Co., and engaged in farm- ing and teaching; after remaining in Stark Co. about ten years, he moved to Richland Co., where he was in mercantile business for four years; in 1840, he began to read medicine under Dr. Joseph Hall, a leading physician of Richland Co .; after studying some three years with Dr. Hall, he went to Lucas, and began the practice of his profession ; after remaining there some two years, he moved to Delaware Co. in 1845, and located in Ostrander, being the first resident physician of that place, where he continued practice a number of years ; he also practiced medicine at Gallia and Wooster ; then came to Delaware, and has been engaged in the practice of medicine since ; he also, for a num- ber of years, was engaged in the drug business. Dr. Snodgrass married, in 1838, Miss Maria H. Robinson, of Ohio ; they have six children. He has been a member of the Presbyterian Church

for the last forty-five years, being now an Elder of that church. He had two sons in the late war- James F., who enlisted in the 20th O. V. I., and, after serving faithfully for two years, was taken sick and died at La Grange, Tenn., and S. K., who served in the 100-day service, and was hon- orably discharged.

MRS. MARY SMITH, Delaware; widow of G. Smith, who was born in Pennsylvania in Feb- ruary, 1827, where his parents died; he learned his trade of carriage-making in Pennsylvania, and, at an early day, he came to Delaware; here he worked at his trade for several years, and, when he had saved a little money, commenced business for himself at Prospect, in which he continued for some three years; on account of ill health, he gave up business and returned to Delaware; he worked in Mccullough's lumber-yard for about four years, and then moved upon a farm in 1870, on the place where Mrs. Smith now resides; it was then a very weedy piece of land ; he went to work and converted it into a very beautiful farm, with a fine residence; he worked hard to accumu- late his property, and died when success was nearly achieved; he died a Christian March 19, 1879, nearly 53 years of age, a respected and honored citizen, leaving a wife and seven children to mourn his loss ; he was a member of the Lu- theran Church. Mrs. Smith's maiden name was Mary Miller, of Pennsylvania; she came to Dela- ware Co. when about 5 years of age.

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History of Delaware County and Ohio, Part 110

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