USA > Ohio > Fairfield County > History of Fairfield County, Ohio, and representative citizens > Part 57
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Hamilton Elder grew to manhood on the home farm and assisted his father in clear- ing and cultivating it. He obtained his edu- cation in a subscription school, attending three months each winter until he was fif- teen years of age. In addition to farm work he found employment with the contractors then building the three lines of railroad through Perry County. In looking about for an opportunity to better his prospects he was offered a position by Charles Ford- man, who was a sheep grower in Fairfield County, and came here in 1855 and re- mained with that employer for two years. In the fall of 1857 he married and then rented the old Friend farm in Pleasant Township, a tract of 200 acres, on which he lived for the next fourteen years. Mr. Elder then bought 120 acres of his present Walnut Township farm, from John Hill, being in partnership at this time with his father-in-law, William Palmer. Later, Mr. Elder bought eighty acres of the Noah McKnight farm. The first residence was
burned down but in 1904 Mr. Elder erected the present comfortable and commodious house and has made many other improve- ments on the place, having put up all the substantial farm structures. He carries on general farming. Mr. Elder is recognized as one of the good citizens of his section, one whose influence has always been di- rected to the preservation of law and order. He votes with the Prohibition party and at one time was its candidate for the office of couny treasurer.
Mr. Elder was married in November, 1857, to Miss Elizabeth Palmer, a daugh- ter of William and Margaret Palmer, and they have had sixteen children born to them. Of those that reached maturity, the following is a record in order of birth: The eldest, Benjamin Franklin, was a well known teacher for a number of years in Walnut Township, and married Martha Friend. Margaret Ann was the second born. Sarah Louisa is the widow of James Smith. Charles married Elsie Barker. William Henry, who died at the age of 29 years, is survived by his widow, Mrs. Alice (Griggs) Elder. Edward Clancy, who has been a successful teacher, married Dollie Gerhart. Owen Tunis, formerly a school teacher, married Elizabeth Buxton. Co- riena E. is the wife of Robert Love. Homer and Milton are twins; the former married Arie Bowman and the latter Nellie Dupler. Mary Jane is the wife of Harvey Lee Warner. Roy Porter, who formerly taught school, is now a physician at Colum- bus. There are twenty-seven grandchil- dren in the family, some of these who have married, having children of their own. Mr. and Mrs. Elder have great reason to be proud of such numerous and vigorous de- scendants, a marked characteristic of whom has been mental capacity, few families in
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the county having produced a larger num- ber of successful teachers. Mr. Elder united with the Methodist Episcopal church in his seventeenth year and his wife in her sixteenth and they have reared their chil- dren in this religious body.
FRANKLIN P. STUKEY, M. D., physi- cian and surgeon at Lancaster, O., and also a manufacturer of his own patented inven- tions, is classed with the representative men of this city, being not only successful but enterprising and progressive beyond the ordinary. He was born on his father's farm in Fairfield County, O., February 10, 1853, and is a son of John and Mary Ann (Friesner) Stukey.
John Stukey was born in Pennsylvania, a son of Samuel and Mary (Freeman) Stukey, who came to Fairfield County in 1828, securing 117 acres of land. John Stukey followed agricultural pursuits and became a man of much consequence in his neighborhood on account of his sterling character, which was recognized by his fel- low citizens. He taught school acceptably in early manhood and never lost his interest in the cause of education, ever lending his influence to promote it in his neighborhood, until the close of his life. For twenty-one continuous years he served in the office of justice of the peace and in his official as in his personal life, was an upright man. John Stukey married Mary Ann Friesner, who was born in 1821 in Fairfield County, a daughter of a pioneer settler of Berne Township. John Stukey and wife lived into honored old age and are survived by their family of sons, all of whom have become men of substance and honorable standing.
Franklin P. Stukey was reared on the home farm and attended the district schools until seventeen years of age, at which time
he began teaching school in order to pro- vide for his own further educational advan- tages. Independence is dear to every right minded youth and by teaching eight winter terms, Mr. Stukey was able to pass eight summer terms in the National Normal School at Lebanon, O., and later to begin the study of medicine. He was prepared for college by Dr. Scoville, of Lebanon, O., and in 1881 he located at Lancaster, after graduating with credit from the Kentucky School of Medicine, at Louisville. Dr. Stukey has been in the enjoyment of a large and lucrative practice for many years. For a decade he has also been interested in manufacturing a number of useful and novel articles of his own invention for which he built a malleable iron plant at Lancaster. His many interests have so absorbed him that he has never taken a very active stand in local politics but he ex- ercises every right of good citizenship and never shirks its responsibilities. He has served professionally in public capacities and has often given time, money and serv- ice to the cause of charity.
Dr. Stukey was married in 1882 to Miss Mary E. Schwenke, who belongs to a well known German pioneer family of Fairfield County, and they have had three children. Dr. Stukey is identified fraternally with a number of organizations and politically, with the Democratic party.
CHARLES CHRISTIAN MILLER, Ph.D. ex-President of Lima College, at Lima, Ohio, ex-commissioner of the common schools of Ohio, and a distinguished institute in- structor and lecturer, has been intimately as- sociated with the educational interests of his native State almost from boyhood. He was born November 26, 1856, at Baltimore, Fair- field County, Ohio, and is a son of Enos
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Strawn Miller, who was a representative busi- ness citizen of that county.
Dr. Miller's early educational training was secured in the common schools, and the Balti- more high school, from which he entered Fairfield Union Academy, at Pleasantville, Ohio, where he was graduated in 1876 Prior to this, however, he had taught school, being but 16 years old when he obtained his first certificate. As he was mainly de- pendent upon his own resources, he again began to teach; in the first place, in order to procure the means with which he could secure collegiate advantages, and in the second, be- cause his natural inclinations and evident tal- ents lay in this direction. In the spring of 1877 he became a student at the Ohio State University, and in 1883 he was graduated from this institution with the coveted degree of A. B. During a portion of his university ca- reer, he was instructor in Latin and Greek. He enjoys the distinction of being the first gradu- ate of the Ohio State University appointed a member of the board of trustees of that insti- tution. On June 16, 1903, Ohio University, at Athens, Ohio, conferred upon him the de- gree of Doctor of Philosophy.
Recognizing very early in his career the call of his nature in the direction of educa- tional work, Dr. Miller bent every energy to advance himself along this line of endeavor, meeting with public recognition and substan- tial promotion, while still in early manhood. He continued to teach from 1874 until 1884, when not a student himself, his schools being located at Rushville, Pleasantville and Eaton, Ohio. In the latter year he was appointed su- perintendent of the schools at Eaton, where he continued in this position until 1886, when he accepted a similar one at Ottawa, for a period of four years, going then to Sandusky, and in 1892 to Hamilton, each change being
to his material benefit and professional ad- vancement. In order to accept the responsi- ble position of superintendent of the city schools at Hamilton, Dr. Miller was obliged to resign his office of State commissioner of common schools, to which he had been ap- pointed in 1891 by Gov. James E. Campbell. In 1901 he was again called to public office, being appointed State school examiner for a term of five years.
In 1895 Dr. Miller went to Lima to assume the superintendency of the public schools of that city, and during his incumbency of 10 years he succeeded in advancing their educa- tional standard to a point which could not help reflecting the greatest credit upon his in- tellectual abilities and executive qualities. In 1898 he spent the entire summer in post grad- uate work in Chicago University. To the regret of his fellow-citizens, Dr. Miller re- signed his superintendency of the Lima schools at the close of the school year in June, 1905, to accept the presidency of Lima Col- lege, which had been tendered him.
In 1908 he resigned the presidency of Lima College, and made a visit to Europe for study and recreation. Returning, he engaged for a time in lecture work for the Redpath Bureau, and was, for nearly a year a post-graduate student in Columbia University. He is at the present time Deputy State Commissioner of Common Schools of Ohio.
In addition to the above enumerated hon- orable and responsible positions efficiently filled by Dr. Miller, he has served as county school examiner in Preble, Putnam, Butler and Allen counties and as city school examiner of the cities of Sandusky, Hamilton and Lima.
For a number of years he has also been prominently identified with institute work, his field of labor extending over Ohio, Indiana
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and Pennsylvania. As an interesting and ef- fective lecturer, Dr. Miller has few equals. The barest theme, taken up by Dr. Miller and clothed in his beautiful and appropriate lan- guage and presented with his oratorical abil- ity, becomes a subject of ever recurring in- terest to his auditors. His gifts as a lecturer are such as to cause his favorable comparison with other notables in the field.
Dr. Miller was married, in 1891, to Nellie Cornell Wilbur, who was born in New York. The domestic circle includes two sons and a daughter, installed in a beautiful home at Lima, where, when not absent professionally, Dr. Miller enjoys the resources of an extensive library and, on occasion, dispenses hospital- ity to a large social circle. He is a member of numerous educational organizations, both lo- cal and national, and belongs to the fraternal orders of Masons and Knights of Pythias. He is a man of striking personality, gifted both in mind and person. He possesses the courtesy that invites confidence, the geniality which attracts friends and the dignity which belongs to the eminent position in the educa- tional world to which his own abilities have advanced him.
Dr. Miller is the editor of the historical de- partment of this work. His portrait appears as the frontispiece of this work.
JACOB CLAYPOOL, a well known citi- zen of Greenfield Township, Fairfield County, O., belongs to a large and substan- tial family of this section and was born here August 26, 1846, and is a son of Isaac and Nancy (Meason) Claypool.
The pioneer of the Claypool family in Fairfield County, was Jacob Claypool, who was born in Hardy County, Va., in 1775 and with his family came to Ohio in 1811. His first marriage was to Margaret Baker,
who died in 1828, and his second wife was a Mrs. Neal, a native of Ross County, O. Prior to 1805, the Claypool property had been occupied by squatters, but in that year Jacob Claypool had purchased the land which has been more or less retained ever since by his descendants. He was a land surveyor for some twenty years and also was interested in farming and banking as well as politics. When the Lancaster Bank was organized in 1816 he was one of its di- recting board. In the same year he was elected first to the Ohio Legislature, to which he was thrice reelected-in 1818 and 1822 to the lower House and in 1824 to the upper House. He raised stock and cat- tle and was one of the earliest men to recog- nize the value of raising cattle for the east- ern markets. He was a member of the Methodist Episcopal church and was liberal In his benefactions.
Isaac Claypool was born in Fairfield County, O., June 21, 1821 and was afforded excellent educational advantages, attending Greenfield Academy, a noted institution in its day in Fairfield County. His life was spent on the homestead farm and was largely devoted to general agriculture and to handling cattle. In his younger days he frequently accompanied his father when the former traveled to Baltimore, Philadel- phia and other eastern cities to dispose of his stock. To his inheritance of 200 acres of land he added until he had 600 acres, and through fine cultivating and improving it became one of the best tracts of land in Fairfield County. He was never active in the political arena, as was his father, but voted the Republican ticket and represented the best citizenship of his community. His death occurred on his birthday June 21, 1902. On August 17, 1843, he married
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Nancy Meason, who was born in 1821 and died in 1855. He was married second to Sarah A. Pierce, who was born in New Hampshire in 1836 and died in 1893, and his third marriage was to Annie E. Cos- grove, who was born in Pennsylvania in 1843 and died in 1898. Of his three mar- riages there are five survivors, namely : Jacob; James B., residing in Hocking Township; Frank P., residing in Green- field Township; John R., living at Lancas- ter, O .; Emma E., the widow of Alexander McCowan, living at Lancaster; and Ada, now Mrs. Albert Ceighton, living at New- ark, O.
Jacob Claypool was reared in Greenfield Township and was educated in the public schools and at Greenfield and Pleasantville Academies. He resides on his excellent farm of 155 acres and is interested in farm- ing and stockraising.
Mr. Claypool was married first to Tru- phenia Weist, and they had four children, the three survivors being: Stella, living at Lancaster, O .; Mand, wife of Milton Strode, living in Hocking Township; and Florence, wife of Lewis Marks, living at Lancaster, O. Mr. Claypool was married secondly to Miss Mary McLardy, of Ross County, O. In 1890 Mr. Claypool was chosen by the Republican party as its can- didate for county commissioner of Fair- field County and lacked but few votes, com- paratively speaking, of being elected, his personal popularity coming very near to overcoming the normal Democratic ma- jority. He has served nine consecutive years as township trustee and eight years as a director of the Fairfield Agricultural Society, of which he was president for two years. He is a member of the Presbyterian church in Greenfield Township and is one of the church trustees.
There are many interesting circum- stances connected with the earlier history of the Claypool family. One of its early members, James Claypool, who was a resi- dent of Waldrum Park, Northamptonshire, England, was of such importance in the kingdom that he was granted a coat of arms. John Claypool married Elizabeth, the favorite daughter of Oliver Cromwell. James Claypool, a brother of John Clay- pool, and Norton Claypool, both came to America and the former was a witness to the signing of the charter of Pennsylvania, by William Penn.
JAMES ROBERT SCHOPP, county surveyor of Fairfield County, O., is an en- terprising and educated young man who possesses all the active business qualities with which the modern young American is justly credited. He was born November 6, 1884, at Blossburg, Pa., and is a son of Adam and Margaret A. (Hutchinson) Schopp.
The father of Mr. Schopp was born in Germany and came to the United States when seventeen years of age, where he learned the barber's trade and here enlisted for service in the Civil war. In 1890 he came with his family to Fairfield County where he resided during the remainder of his life, dying in 1910, at the age of sixty- three years. His widow and both their two children survive-James Robert and Mary L.
James Robert Schopp attended the public schools of Lancaster and was graduated from the High School. He afterward spent four years of study in the Ohio State University at Columbus, where he was graduated a civil engineer in the class of 1908. He found work in his profession and took every opportunity of perfecting his
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ALONZO PARRISH
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technical knowledge by practice and his ability became so well recognized that in November, 1910, he was elected county sur- veyor. Politically Mr. Schopp is a Demo- crat. Fraternally he belongs to Lodge No. 48, Knights of Pythias, and he has never lost interest in his college fraternity so- ciety, the Phi-Delta-Theta, of which he was a popular member. He was reared in the Presbyterian church.
A. L. MILLER, who has been a resident of Greenfield Township, since 1888, owns a valuable farm there containing seventy- seven acres,, and is also engaged in busi- ness at Carroll, O., as a member of the undertaking firm of Bishop & Miller. He was born January 14, 1864, in Hocking County, O., a son of Isaac D. and Elizabeth (Lecron) Miller.
Isaac D. Miller was born in Fairfield County, O., but his wife was a native of Hocking County and after marriage they passed the larger part of their lives in the latter county. The paternal grandfather, John D. Miller was one of the early settlers of Bremen, O., and was of German extrac- tion.
A. L. Miller attended school in Hocking County and has always resided in Ohio and is well known in both Hocking and Fair- field Counties. He belongs to the Patrons of Husbandry. Although he is independent in politics, his standing as a valuable citi- zen has been recognized by his fellow citizens in general and he now fills the office of assessor of Carroll Precinct, and has proved acceptable in other local positions. Mr. Miller married Miss Mollie J. Carnes, of Greenfield Township, and they have two children, Willard C. and Mary F. Mr. and Mrs. Miller are members of the Methodist Episcopal church at Carroll.
ALONZO PARRISH, a member of the board of county commissioners of Fairfield County, O., and the owner of a valuable farm of 78 acres situated in Walnut Town- ship, is one of the representative men of this section. He was born July 27, 1853, on his father's farm in Walnut Township, Fairfield County, O., and is one of a family of five children born to his parents, who were Louis and Margaret (Coffman) Par- rish, both of whom are now deceased.
Alonzo Parrish was reared and educated in his native township and has made farm- ing his main business in life. He has con- tinued to operate his farm of 78 acres, de- voting it to general farming and stock- raising. Since early manhood he has been interested in public affairs and has been more or less a leader in Democratic councils in this section. He was first elected a county commissioner in 1908 and was re- elected in November, 1910. He has served also in other offices and has been a trustee of Walnut Township.
Mr. Parrish married Miss Rebecca Neel. He is a member of the Patrons of Hus- bandry and the Odd Fellows. In his of- ficial capacity, Mr. Parrish has proved of great value and in cooperation with other commissioners has made the present board particularly acceptable and effective as a business organization.
ABRAHAM MUSSER, who is one of Walnut Township's best known citizens, belongs to an old Fairfield County family and has spent the larger part of his life on his present farm of 504 acres, in Section 7, which he owns in association with the heirs of A. J. Musser. He was born on this farm, September 8, 1830, and is a son of Ulrich and Elizabeth (Fry) Musser.
Ulrich Musser was born in Switzerland
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and was twelve years old when his parents, John Musser and wife came with their chil- dren to America, about 1802. After a stormy passage of eleven weeks they were landed at Baltimore, and from there went to Somerset County, Pa. From there they came to Fairfield County, O., settling one mile east of Baltimore, where John Mus- ser bought a farm that remained in the Musser name for many years. Later he moved to Section 7, Walnut Township, where he secured 100 acres of the farm first mentioned, and here he lived in a small log house that stood on the fourteen acres of cleared land. When his son Ulrich came into possession, he built a large log house and a log barn, which buildings are still standing and are reckoned the oldest in Fairfield County. He also cleared up the original 100 acres and added more land. His death occurred at the age of sixty-four years. He married Elizabeth Fry, who was born in Virginia and was brought by her parents to Ohio, they dying here. She lived to the unusual age of ninety-four years. They had eight children, namely: Henry, who was born in 1817 and is one of the oldest residents of Fairfield County ; Catherine, who is deceased; Sarah, who is the widow of Thomas Warner; Daniel, who is deceased; Abraham; Elizabeth, who is the widow of John Gilmore; Lydia, who is the wife of Harvey Ashley; and Andrew J., deceased, who was once county treas- urer of Fairfield County.
Abraham Musser grew up on his father's farm and he remembers that when he went to school he had to pass a little brick house that still stands on his place. It had been erected by a Mr. Baughman, a Virginian, and to the little boy going from his log home to the log school-house-both of rather primitive type-the brick house
seemed the height of affluence in house construction and it probably was one of the first brick houses in the county. Abra- ham helped to clear the old farm and later, during the Civil War, with his brother, A. J., who died April 4, 1911, bought two one- quarter sections of land. They cleared and drained this land and continued to be asso- ciated together in the management of it all until the latter's death, since when his son, Zephaniah Courtright Musser, attends to his late father's interest. Abraham Mus- ser is largely interested in the stock busi- ness. He erected the present commodious frame residence on the farm. In his politi- cal views he is a Democrat.
Andrew J. Musser was born July 12, 1838, in Walnut Township. The last fif- teen years of his life were spent at Lancas- ter, O. He was a man of prominence in the county and was twice elected county treasurer. He married Elizabeth Court- right, a daughter of Zephaniah Courtright, and still resides at Lancaster, O. They had six children: Zephaniah C., who was born on the Musser farm, August 27, 1876, served as deputy treasurer under his father and belongs to the Masons and Elks at Lancaster; Ray, who lives in Pleasant Township, married Wilda Geiger; Andrew J., who lives in Delaware County, O., mar- ried Alice Kirkpatrick; Fannie, who is the wife of John L. Graham, is a resident of Lancaster where her husband is in business ; Ulrich, who is a resident of Portland, Ore .; and Fred, who resides with his mother at Lancaster. Politically the Musser family has always been identified with the Demo- cratic party.
ASHER GUNDY, a well known farmer and stockraiser of Greenfield Township, re- siding on his well improved farm of 216
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acres, was born in this township, February II, 1870, and is a son of Joseph and Eliza- beth (Ingman) Gundy.
Joseph Gundy was born in Greenfield Township, May 30, 1810, a son of Christian Gundy, who came to Fairfield County from Pennsylvania and was one of the pioneers of Liberty Township. Joseph Gundy was a successful farmer and highly respected resi- dent of Greenfield Township, where his death occurred July 7, 1893. He took much interest in the Methodist Episcopal church at Hooker, O., liberally contributing to its support and furthering its missionary work. He was twice married and of his children the following survive: Oliver, who lives at Hooker, O .; Isaac, who resides in Green- field Township; Adaline, who is the widow of William Griffith; Mrs. Elizabeth Bow- ers, who lives at Hooker ; and Asher.
Asher Gundy has been a lifelong resident of Greenfield Township, obtaining his edu- cation in the public schools and learning the principles of successful farming on the home place. Like his late father, he is identified with the Republican party, and is a member of the Methodist Episcopal church.
EMMETT R. DEFENBAUGH, sheriff of Fairfield County, O., is a native of this state, born in Hocking County, September 13, 1860, one of the eight children of Andrew and Jane (Riegle) Defenbaugh. The father of Sheriff Defenbaugh is now in his eighty-fourth year and continues to live on his farm in Hocking County.
Emmett R. Defenbaugh was educated in the public schools and at the Northern Nor- mal University at Ada, of the Commercial De- partment of which he is a graduate. He started into business as a farmer in the western part of Fairfield County and remained there until 1903,
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