USA > Ohio > Fairfield County > History of Fairfield County, Ohio, and representative citizens > Part 59
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AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS
ant Township, Fairfield County, March 24, 1849, and is a son of Jacob and Jane (Dean) Hite.
Jacob Hite was born and spent his life in Pleasant Township, where his death oc- curred in 1906, on the old home place where he had been born ninety-one years before. His father, Andrew Hite, was one of the very earliest settlers in Pleasant Township, where he died in 1817, his burial being probably one of the first in this section. Jacob Hite was a worthy man in every way, a consistent Christian and a member of the Presbyterian church. He took an interest in both local and outside affairs and voted with the Republican party. He married Jane Dean as his second wife and of their children the following still survive: Emily, who is the wife of David Franks, of Rush- ville, O .: Frances, who is the wife of John L. Keller, of Knox County, O .; Emanuel; and Lemuel, who lives in Pleasant Town- ship.
Emanuel Hite grew to manhood in Pleas- ant Township and attended the district schools in boyhood, since when he has been continuously engaged in farming and stock- raising. On June 8, 1899, he was married to Caroline Schmidt, who was born in Berne Township, Fairfield County. She has one sister, Mrs. John Struckman, of Carroll, O. Mr. Hite is a Presbyterian, while Mrs. Hite was reared in the Lutheran faith. He is a Republican in politics but takes no ac- tive part in political affairs, being more in- terested in the cultivation and improve- ment of his farm and in the growing of first class stock. He is one of the township's respected citizens.
was born in Licking County, O., August 4, 1848, and is a son of Capt. James and Mar- garet (McGonigal) Stewart.
Mr. Stewart was educated in the schools at Jacksontown and when eighteen years of age visited the West, spending two years in Missouri and one year in Colorado. A short time after his return to Licking County he was married to Miss Alice Parr. She died in 1893, the mother of four chil- dren, namely: Daisy, who is the wife of A. E. Rowles, of Pleasantville and has one child, Miriam; J. Byron, who resides at Pleasantville, married Alice Shannon and has two children-Zoe M. and Joseph; Vera, who is the wife of Frank Landis, lives at Columbus and has one child, Doris ; and William P., who is a resident of Cleve- land, and married Helen Deindorfer. Mr. Stewart's second marriage was to Mrs. Catherine Tschopp, widow of Henry Tschopp.
In 1881 Mr. Stewart moved to Pleasant- ville and here embarked in a mercantile and grain business, which he subsequently- after his election to the office of sheriff in 1896-sold to Eli Rowles. He has been a leading Democrat of the county for many years and has held numerous township offices and during his four years as sheriff of the county, confirmed the previous ex- cellent estimate of his fellow citizens. For a short time he was in a grocery business but sold in 1907 and since then has been engaged in disposing of real estate as an occupation. For many years he has been both a Mason and a Knight of Pythias.
CLARENCE M. ROWLEE, one of the capable and progressive business men of Lancaster, O., has been actively interested in gas development for many years and dur-
J. W. STEWART, formerly sheriff of Fairfield County, O., and now engaged in the real estate business at Pleasantville, ing the most active and effective of these
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he has been a resident of Fairfield County. He is a native of Potter County, Pa., a son of William and Mary (Bovier) Rowlee, both of whom were born in New York.
Clarence M. Rowlee was reared on his father's farm and obtained a public school education. The opening up of the great oil industry attracted his interest as it did that of an army of others and his education se- cured him a clerkship with one of the early prospecting and operating companies where the knowledge gained soon enabled him to successfully make ventures of his own in the same direction. Until 1885 he continued to operate in Bradford, Mckean County, Pa .; for two years afterward was employed as an inspector of oil properties in the vicinity of Lima, O., and then became a railroad man for several years. In 1890 he entered the employ of the Natural Gas Company, of Columbus, O., of which he was made field superintendent and continued as such until 1906, and during this period was so thorough and successful in his work that much capital from the outside was attracted to this section and many industries started contingent on the richest gas property in the state being situated here. Mr. Rowlee was made superintendent of all the proper- ties and improvements of the Columbus Natural Gas Company, his long experience making him exceedingly valuable in this position and as the interests have increased with years so have his duties and responsi- bilities. No name in oil and gas circles is better known in Fairfield County, as he has maintained his headquarters all these years at Lancaster, directing from his office at No. 115 E. Main Street, operations which have grown to great volume, and being now general superintendent of the Lancaster City Gas Company.
Mr. Rowlee was married in 1890, to Mrs. Julia Boyer, of Newark, O. He is identified with a number of fraternal bodies, being a Knight Templar Mason and a member of the Knights of Pythias, of the I. O. R. M., the K. O. T. and others.
MILES SANDS, justice of the peace for Greenfield Township, who has been a resi- dent of Carroll, O., for more than twenty years, was born January 1, 1843, in Morgan County, O., and is a son of John W. and Rebecca (Gardner) Sands.
John W. Sands was born in Maryland and was brought to Ohio at the age of four years by his parents, who resided for a time in Jefferson County near Smithfield, and then moved to Morgan County, where the rest of his life was spent, his death occur- ring in his eighty-seventh year. He was a man of sterling character and for over a half century was a justice of the peace in Union Township. His father, Richard Sands, was born in Baltimore County, Md.
Miles Sands obtained his education in the public schools of Morgan County. During the Civil War, on May 1, 1864, he enlisted in Co. B, 16Ist O. Vol. Inf., which became a part of General Hunter's command, and was honorably discharged in the following September. This regiment was mainly used as a guard over army supplies and dur- ing a part of the time was stationed in the Shenandoah Valley-a dangerous position -but the value of their services was acknowledged by a vote of thanks by the Congress of the United States. Mr. Sands returned to Morgan County and followed farming there until 1877, when he came to Fairfield County and engaged in general farming in Greenfield Township until 1890, when he came to Carroll. On January I,
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1909, he was elected a justice of the peace. In politics he is a Republican.
Mr. Sands was married January 3, 1864, to Miss Elizabeth J. Horseman, a daughter of J. W. Horseman of Morgan County. The father of Mrs. Sands died in 1907, in the ninety-seventh year of his age, at his home at Lancaster. He was a native of Alexan- dria, Va., was a soldier in the Civil War, lived many years in Morgan County, but spent the last thirty years of his life in Fair- field County. To Mr. and Mrs. Sands elght children were born: Charles E., who lives at Columbus, O .; Jennie, who is the wife of Charles Fenstermacher, of Carroll, O .; Willard, who lives' at Columbus; Cora E., who is a resident of Carroll; Fannie, who is the wife of Charles Glick, of Bloom Township; Gertrude, who lives at home; and Sylvester and Melvin, both of whom are deceased. In April, 1895, the mother of these children passed away, leaving many outside her immediate family to mourn her death. She was a member of the Methodist Episcopal church. Judge Sands is identified with the Masonic fraternity.
J. H. WELKER, who is one of the old and substantial business men of Pleasant- ville, proprietor of the leading hardware store and senior member of the firm of J. H. Welker & Sons, has been a resident of Fairfield County all his life. He was born March 23, 1855, on his maternal grand- father's farm, in Berne Township, and is a son of John H. and Lydia A. (Strayer) Welker.
ter, O., but later bought land in Berne Township, where the grandparents of J. H. Welker both died, aged about seventy-three years. Their son, John H., came into possession of the farm which he retained for some time and then sold and moved to Pleasant Township and spent the rest of his life there, following farming as his occupa- tion. His death occurred July 3, 1902, when he was aged seventy-one years. He mar- ried Lydia A. Strayer, who was born in Berne Township, Fairfield County, and died in Pleasant Township, March 30, 1908, aged seventy years. Her parents were Lawrence and Mary Strayer, Pennsylvania Germans, who were early settlers in Fairfield County. Three children were born to John H. and Lydia Welker, namely: Jacob Henry ; Fredericka, wife of J. C. Mertz, residing in Pleasant Township; and Mary E., wife of J. C. Peters, residing at Columbus, O.
J. H. Welker was eighteen years of age when his parents moved to Pleasant Town- ship and he remained at home assisting his father until his own marriage, when he bought a small farm, but after the marriage and departure of his sisters for homes of their own, he returned to his parents and took charge of the homestead and at their death was appointed administrator of their estate. After disposing of his farm interests Mr. Welker moved to Pleasantville and here bought his present hardware store from T. J. Naughten & Son, and conducted it alone until 1908, when he admitted his two sons, Charles and George Welker, as partners. They are all recognized as enterprising business men and stand well in the com- munity. Mr. Welker and sons are Demo- crats. He served five years as trustee while living in Pleasant Township and in 1909
John H. Welker was born in Germany and was eighteen years old when he came to America with his parents, Henry and Catherine Welker. They settled first on what is now the Ewing farm, near Lancas- was elected a trustee of Walnut Township.
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HISTORY OF FAIRFIELD COUNTY
In February, 1881, Mr. Welker was mar- ried to Miss Christina Vogle, a daughter of George and Anna (Meister) Vogle, who came to Ohio from Germany when Mrs. Welker was an infant. Mr. and Mrs. Wel- ker have two sons and two grandchildren: Charles, who married Edith McCleary, and has two children-Aline and Heloise; and George, who married Fay Forsythe. Mr. Welker and family are members of the Lutheran church. He is a member of the Masonic lodge at Pleasantville.
HENRY E. ALSPACH, vice president of the Farmers and Merchants Banking Company, of Carroll, O., is one of Green- field Township's representative and sub- stantial citizens and is the owner of a valu- able farm of 158 acres. He was born in Greenfield Township, Fairfield County, O., May 4, 1857, and is a son of Henry and Matilda (Lamb) Alspach.
Henry Alspach was born in Fairfield County, O., a son of Jacob Alspach, who was born in Berks County, Pa., and came from there in 1803 and settled in Fairfield County, entering government land in Bloom Township. Henry Alspach spent the greater part of his life in Greenfield Town- ship, where his death occurred in 1895. He was one of the prominent men of this sec- tion, serving as township trustee and for thirty years was land appraiser, and from 1859 until 1864, was a member of the board of county commissioners of Fairfield County. He was interested all his life in the welfare of his country and community and was one of the leading Democrats of this township. He married Matilda Lamb, a native of Fairfield County, and of their children three survive: Nelson H., who
lives in Missouri; Jacob L., who lives in Bloom Township, Fairfield County, and Henry E.
Henry E. Alspach attended the schools of Greenfield Township and afterward taught two terms of school before he settled down to an agricultural life, farming and stockraising having interested him ever since. He continued on his farm until 1908, when he retired to Carroll, where he is at present serving in the office of land ap- praiser. He has been interested in the Far- mers and Merchants Banking Company since its organization, having been one of its promoters, and in addition to being its vice president, is one of its directing board.
Mr. Alspach married Miss Clara Horn, a daughter of E. T. Horn, of Lancaster, O., and they have one daughter, Iretha, who is the wife of Herbert C. Heister, of Colum- bus, O.
CALEB A. RUFFNER, a highly re- spected retired farmer living at Pleasant- ville, O., still owns three valuable farms in Walnut Township, Fairfield County, aggre- gating 165 acres. He belongs to one of the old pioneer families of the county and was born on his father's farm in Richland Town- ship, June 18, 1851, a son of Jacob and Eliza (Copeland) Ruffner.
Jacob Ruffner was born January 8, 1824, and died June 8, 1895. His father was Jacob Ruffner, who was born in Virginia and accompanied his father, Emanuel Ruff- ner to Fairfield County, he settling in Rich- land Township. In the old family grave- yard in that township there possibly could be found the stone that marks his last rest- ing place. Jacob Ruffner, Sr., and his wife, Magdalena, were also buried in Richland
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Township. Their thirteen children are all now deceased, eleven of this large family reaching mature years.
Jacob Ruffner, Jr., was the third in order of birth. He came into possession of the family estate in Richland Township and spent his life there engaged in agriculture. He married Eliza Copeland, who was born at Rushville, O., a daughter of Caleb and Rebecca Copeland. Mrs. Ruffner died August 15, 1899, aged seventy-three years. Nine children were born to Jacob and Eliza Ruffner, as follows: Clara, who married James Biggs, and lives at Pleasantville ; Caleb A., who was named for his maternal grandfather; Jacob Marion, who lives in Delaware County. O .; Eliza, who is the wife of W. Geiger, of Hebron, O .; Cynthia, who is the wife of Jackson Hanover, of Delaware County ; Mary Magdalena, who is the wife of J. D. Rowles, of Pleasantville : George B., who lives in Walnut Township; and Frances Viola and William S., twins, the former being the wife of Ira C. Spittler of Pleasant Township.
Caleb A. Ruffner lived at home until he reached manhood, giving his father assist- ance on the home farm and in the mean- while attending the district school. On February 17. 1876, he was married to Miss Cynthia D. Phillips, a daughter of Reuben and Nancy Phillips, and they have one daughter, Xema Florence. She married Earl Spittler and they live in Walnut Town- ship and have four children : Ethel, Carrie, Florence and Mary.
After marriage Mr. Ruffner bought an 80-acre farm; his wife inherited eighty acres from her father and the family con- tinued to reside in Walnut Township until 1906, when Mr. Ruffner purchased his pres- ent comfortable residence at Pleasantville, from his brother, George Ruffner. He is a
stockholder in the Pleasantville Bank. In politics he casts his vote with the Republi- can party. For many years he has been identified with the Masonic fraternity.
JOHN J. SILBAUGH, M. D., a leading physician and surgeon at Lancaster, O., where he has been established since 1896, is in the enjoyment of a large and substan- tial practice founded on his proven profes- sional skill. He was born at Ironton, Law- rence County, O., in January, 1860, and is a son of William and Mary (Everleigh) Sil- baugh. They were most estimable people, coming in early married life to Lawrence County and spending their subsequent lives there. The father was a German by birth and the mother was a native of Virginia.
John J. Silbaugh attended the Ironton schools and passed through the high school before beginning the study of medicine un- der Drs. Maurice and Wilson, at Ironton. From under their instruction he entered Bellevue Hospital, New York City, where he was graduated in the class of 1886. He immediately located at Royalton, in Fair- field County, O., where he was engaged in medical practice until 1896, when he came to Lancaster which has remained his field of effort and usefulness ever since. He is a member of both county and state medical societies and also of the American Medical Association. Fraternally he is identified with the Masons, the Odd Fellows and the Elks.
Dr. Silbaugh was married in 1886, to Miss Margaret Welch, who died in 1892, and was survived by two children, Carl and Mary. His second marriage was to Miss Gertrude Williamson, a daughter of Clark William- son, of Royalton, O., and four children have been born to them-two sons, Roy and Hugh, the former of whom died in 1903,
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HISTORY OF FAIRFIELD COUNTY
and two daughters, Gertrude and Bettie. Dr. and Mrs. Silbaugh are very hospitable and, as occasion offers, take part in the pleasant social life of the town.
ISAAC GUNDY, a highly respected citi- zen and general farmer of Greenfield Town- ship, where he owns 206 acres of finely cul- tivated land, is one of the honored veterans of the great Civil War and a valued mem- ber of Ezra Ricketts Post, No. 246, at Car- roll, O., of which he has been chaplain. Mr. Gundy was born September 5, 1841, in Fair- field County, O., and is a son of Joseph and Harriet (Hutton) Gundy.
Joseph Gundy was born in Liberty Town- ship, Fairfield County, where both the Gundys and Huttons were early settlers. He married Harriet Hutton, whose father had been a soldier in the Revolutionary War. Joseph Gundy moved into Green- field Township where, for many years, he was a representative citizen. He was twice married and of his children the following survive: Oliver, who lives at Hooker, O .; Adaline, residing near Hooker, is the widow of William Griffith; Isaac; and Elizabeth, who lives near Hooker, and is the widow of John Bauer; and Asher J., who lives in Greenfield Township. The father of the above family died in 1891. He was a sin- cere Christian, a member of the Methodist Episcopal church and for a number of years a steward in the same.
In attending the district school and help- ing on the home farm, Isaac Gundy grew to manhood and when the great civil con- flict broke out he was an early volunteer in his section, enlisting on December 14, 1861, in Co. I, 43d O. Vol. Inf. This company and regiment became a part of what was known as the Western Army and was un- der the command of General Rosecrans first
and later of General Buell. Mr. Gundy was in many battles, including Island No. 10, Pittsburg Landing, Iuka, Tiptonville, New Madrid and Corinth, and in the last named battle was seriously wounded in his left leg, and obliged to spend six months in a mili- tary hospital at St. Louis, Mo. He was honorably discharged April 6, 1863, and then returned to Fairfield County and has continued to live in Greenfield Township ever since.
On October 1I, 1866, Mr. Gundy was married to Miss Elizabeth Buchanan, who was born in Greenfield Township, a daugh- ter of Stephen Buchanan. She died Octo- ber 14, 1910, greatly missed by her family and wide circle of friends. She was an ac- tive and interested member of the Method- ist Episcopal church at Carroll. To Mr. and Mrs. Gundy four children were born: Joseph P., who lives at Carroll; Neota B., who is the wife of Q. R. Lane, a prominent attorney at Columbus, O .; Frank -V., who is deceased ; and a babe that died in infancy. Mr. Gundy is a steward in the Methodist Episcopal church at Carroll. He casts his vote with the Republican party.
GEORGE W. KUMLER, one of the prominent men of Basil, O., whose business activities have done much in the way of developing the town's commercial import- ance, was born in 1845, one mile north of Baltimore, O. He was educated in the dis- trict schools and at Lebanon, O., after which he taught school for ten years and during the last four years of teaching, was superintendent of the Basil schools.
In 1875 Mr. Kumler resigned in order to embark in the mercantile business at Basil, on the corner of Main and Market Streets, opening with a stock of goods worth about $1000, and during the thirty-seven years of
GEORGE W. KUMLER
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his mercantile life has built up and retained a trade second to none in Fairfield County. His business is now conducted under the firm of The Kumler Store Co., with a cap- ital stock of $10,000, on the incorporated plan. Mr. Kumler has been a very active citizen and has done much to permanently improve the town, having built and re- modeled twenty-four buildings, and he has owned and sold more real estate than any person who ever lived in Basil, and addi- tionally has dealt considerably in western real estate. He owns two farms and has them well cultivated. Mr. Kumler served three years as township clerk, two years as township treasurer, and six years as district school director.
In 1875 Mr. Kumler was married to Mary M. Leitnaker, and they have one son, Earl E., who is associated in business with his father. Mr. Kumler has always shown a liberal public spirit and has participated in all important affairs of the community and by influence and subscription, has helped every laudable industry started at Basil. He has contributed liberally to schools and re- ligious bodies and for twenty-seven years has served officially in the Reformed church.
SILAS W. COURTRIGHT, proprietor of the Pomona Dairy in Greenfield Town- ship, who is also profitably engaged in farm- ing and the growing of fruit, is a prominent citizen in this section and a member of an old family, many generations of which have been born on American soil. The origin and carly history of the Courtright family has been investigated and the account pub- lished in pamphlet form by a member of the family, Mr. Samuel W. Courtright, of Cir- cleville, Ohio, from which work we will have occasion to quote largely in the pres- ent article.
The published history above mentioned shows that the Courtright family had for its earliest known ancestor a Spanish noble- man by the name of Cortez, who was a con- temporary and neighbor of John Calvin, the great religious reformer, the latter residing just across the border line dividing the two countries of France and Spain. Calvin's life, roughly speaking, covered a little more than the first half of the 16th century (1509-1564), which date or period marks chronologically the beginning of the Court- right family.
In the tremendous religious revolution which came as a result of Calvin's teach- ings, Cortez, the Spanish nobleman, took an active and prominent part, renouncing the Church of State and becoming a Calvin- istic protestant. His renunciation of the State Church and adoption of the new doc- trines was public and he was one of the leaders among those who, proceeding from zeal to intolerance, destroyed church prop- erty and razed church edifices, erecting on their sites Protestant houses of worship. Of course when these proceedings came to the ears of the Spanish government it was not long in taking military action against the revolutionists, and the government be- ing much the stronger, the latter were quickly worsted and compelled to fly, those fortunate enough to escape with their lives, losing most or all of their property.
With these refugees went Cortez, retir- ing first into Flanders and then into Hol- land, and there upon the river Lys they built a city which they named Kortryk, "in honor of Cortez, whose name had been changed to conform to the Dutch idea of the mean- ing of the word, and he, being a nobleman, was entitled to the prefix 'van' or 'von'- his Dutch name being 'van Kortryk.'"
As history records, Spain pursued her
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HISTORY OF FAIRFIELD COUNTY
enmity so far as to invade Holland with her armies and during the bloody period that followed these French Huguenots per- formed heroes' parts in fighting for what they deemed the true faith and for the lib- erty to worship God according to their con- science. In this struggle they had strong allies in the Scotch covenanters, who fre- quently came to their aid and "unitedly they would sweep down upon the Spanish sol- diery and drive them from their soil."
"During the hundred or more years im- mediately following the arrival of van Kor- tryk into Holland," says the history we have quoted, "his descendants were blessed with much of this world's goods ; but, at length, tiring of almost incessant warfare, some of them-Jan Bastiaensen Kortryk, his sons and his brother Michael, disposed of their property, and, having received glowing ac- counts of the new Harlem in the New World, concluded to brave the wrath of Old Ocean and seek homes where there would be less strife and religious persecution."
On April 16, 1663. Jan or John Bastiaen- sen Kortryk, his three sons and daughter, with their families, together with his brother Michael, and his family, and some Dutch friends and French Huguenots, refugees, took passage on the good ship Brindled Cow, Jan Bergen, master, and set sail for America, which in due time they reached safely. The passage, it is recorded, cost the family 204 florins and ten stivers, or about $81.80, money at that time, how- ever, it must be remembered, having about five times as much purchasing power as it has today, which would make it come to over $400, according to present valuations. Owing to the loose system of personal nomenclature which prevailed among the Dutch in those days-Jan Bastiaensen Kortright, for instance, being commonly
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