USA > Ohio > Fayette County > History of Fayette County, Ohio : her people, industries and institutions > Part 37
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Daniel Taylor was born on October 14. 1833, in Coshocton county, this state, being a son of Richard and Mary ( Scott) Taylor, the former of whom was a native of England. Richard Taylor left England when a young man of eighteen years and finally settled in this state in the then little town of Mingo, near Steubenville. He was a farmer and met and married his wife after coming to that locality, she being at that time a resident of Steuben- ville. Mary Scott, whom he chose for his bride, was a native of Maryland. born in that state of Scotch parentage. Mr. Taylor can readily trace his ancestral line to royal halls across the seas and he has so ordered his own life that no blot nor blemish has been placed by him on the family escutcheon. Richard Taylor and Mary Scott, his wife, were the parents of a family of eleven children, all of whom, with the exception of the subject and his sister Hannah, have passed into the great beyond. Catherine, the oldest of the family, lies buried in Coshocton county: John is buried near Fort Des
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Moines, Iowa : Emma passed away at her home in Watseka, Illinois; Mary A. is buried in Coshocton; Edith at Cambridge, Illinois: Caleb was living in Iowa at the time of his death, and Henrietta died in St. Louis, Missouri. David was a soldier in the Thirty-first Regiment Ohio Volunteer Infantry and was killed at the battle of Antietam; Hannah lives at Bellingham, Wash- ington, and the youngest of the family was a child which died in earliest infancy.
The subject received his earliest schooling in Adams township, Coshoc- ton county, where the family at that time resided, later attending the schools of Guernsey county, where the family lived in later years. He had early received training in the work of the farm home, which was of great value to him in that his father died when he was quite a young man and he assumed the position as head of the family, which he retained for thirty-three years. He was nineteen years old when he began farming on his own account and he was able to add to his possesisons from time to time until he had a farm in Coshocton county containing one hundred and sixty-four acres. In later years he disposed of his holdings and came to Bloomingburg, where he has lived a retired life for a number of years. Early in life he mastered the car- penter trade and for a number of years did a considerable contracting busi- ness in this section.
During the struggle between the two factions of our nation in the dark days of the sixties, Mr. Taylor became a member of the Ohio National Guards and was stationed at Cambridge, Guernsey county. On April 27. 1864, he enlisted as a private in Company A, One Hundred and Seventy- second Regiment Ohio Volunteer Infantry, re-enlisting on September 20, 1864. in Troop B. First Ohio Cavalry, remaining in this connection until the close of the war. The last engagement of any sort in which Mr. Taylor took part was at midnight on Easter Sunday, April 16, 1865, when the two factions engaged in a hand-to-hand struggle at Columbus, Georgia. Gen- eral Lee had already surrendered, but neither side was in possession of that information. Among the more important battles in which Mr. Taylor was engaged was the encounter at Ebenezer church, Selma and Montgomery, all in the state of Alabama, and those at Columbus and at the surrender of Macon, Georgia, as well as many minor skirmishes. When a member of the infantry Mr. Taylor served under Col. John Ferguson and while in the cavalry was under Robert Egleson. After the close of the war he returned to Guernsey county, later going to Coshocton and in 1893 came to Fayette county, locating in Bloomingburg, where he has since resided.
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On November 10. 1854, Mr. Taylor was united in marriage with Mary Hogle, daughter of Lansing and Adeline (Stilwell) Hogle. Mrs. Taylor's death occurred in March, 1913. She was a most excellent woman, pos- sessed of many admirable traits of heart and mind. She was an earnest and consistent member of the Baptist church and is buried at Bloomingburg. Mr. and Mrs. Taylor were the parents of five children, namely : Samuel J., who married Mary. Babcock, and is the father of six children, Belle, Frank D., Cardell. Edith, Mary and Warren. Hattie remains at home with the subject. She received her education in the schools of Coshocton county and is an earnest member of the Baptist church, through which she has taken the international Bible students course of training. John H. married Wilhel- mina Sibley, who has borne him two children, Neely and Verner. Edward L. married Lizzie Saulders and Bert chose Retta Allen as his wife. He has one child, a little daughter, Helen.
Mr. Taylor's fraternal affiliation is with Myron Judy Post, Grand Army of the Republic, at Bloomingburg. Mr. Taylor passed by far the most of his life on the farm and is of the opinion that no life is so independent or con- ducive to proper living. During his more active years he devoted consid- erable attention to the raising of sheep, in which he was highly successful. He is now eighty-one years old and is justly proud of the fact that he has never used tobacco in any form and has never had a quarrel with anyone. In all the essential elements of good citizenship, Mr. Taylor has always been a man among men and by his steady life, strict integrity and high regard for the better things of life he has won and retained the warm regard of a large circle of friends and acquaintances.
LUTHER PETERSON HOWELL, M. D.
The Howell family came to Ohio from New Jersey, the first members of the family to settle in this state being Mathias Howell and his wife. Elena Cadwallader, both of whom were natives of Burlington county, New Jersey. They located in Licking county, Ohio, in 1819, and in that county Mathias Howell, who was the grandfather of Dr. L. P. Howell. entered a large tract of land and became one of the most extensive farmers and sheep raisers of that section of the state. Mathias Howell was a man of unusual ability and force of character, a fact which is shown by his being elected to Congress from his district in the fall of 1836. He served one term in Con-
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gress and then returned to his home in Licking county, where he died shortly afterwards, being about seven years of age at the time of his death. His widow later moved to Chicago and made her home with a daughter in that city umtil her death. Mathias Howell, the first member of the family to settle in Ohio, was the father of a large family of children, many of whon attained to more than local reputation. James, the oldest son, went to lowa before the war and became United States senator from that state. After the close of the Civil War he was appointed as judge on the southern claims committee and served with distinction in this capacity. The second son removed to San Francisco and became prominently identified with the business interests of that city. The third son located in Bloomington, Illi- nois, where he became a prosperous banker. The fourth son was Luther J., the father of Dr. Luther P. Howell. There were also three daughters in the family of Mathias Howell: Mrs. Carrie Varney, of Chicago; Mrs. Edith Condit, of Champaign, Illinois, and Anna, who died in Washington, D. C.
Luther J. Howell, the father of Dr. Luther P. Howell, was born in Licking county, Ohio, near Granville, and was a young man of great prom- ise. He was a close student and was teaching school when he was married. His future was cut short by his death at the early age of twenty-one years, his death occurring shortly after his marriage to Hattie Peterson, the daugh- ter of Martin and Elizabeth (Coyner) Peterson, natives of Ross county, this state.
Martin Peterson and wife, the maternal grandparents of Doctor How- ell, were natives of Virginia and settled in Ross county, Ohio, in 1803. He was a farmer and owned extensive interests in Ross and Fayette counties. having at one time over six hundred acres of excellent farming land in Fayette county. Both he and his wife died in Ross county at the ages of seventy-two and ninety-two, respectively. Martin Peterson and wife were the parents of eight children: Mrs. Jane Haines, of Bloomingburg, Ohio: Mrs. Phoebe Junk, of Ross county; Mrs. Hannah Dickey, who died in Bloomingburg, Ohio; Mrs. Martha Slagle, of Ross county; Mrs. Margaret Robbins; Effie, deceased; Albert C., of Frankfort, Ohio, and Hattie, the mother of Doctor Howell. Mrs. Montgomery, the mother of Doctor How- ell. is still living and now resides in Dayton.
Dr. Luther Peterson Howell, the only son of Luther J. Howell and wife, was born in Ross county, this state, near Frankfort, December 2, 1864. He was reared in Ross county on his father's farm and attended the district schools of his home township and later graduated from the Chillicothe high
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school. From his earliest boyhood he wanted to be a physician and as soon as he graduated from the high school he entered the College of Physicians and Surgeons at Chicago and started in to take the medical course. He did not finish at Chicago, but left there and became a student in the Baltimore Medical College, now a part of the University of Maryland, and graduated from that school. Later he took a post-graduate course in medicine in Johns- Hopkins University, which is recognized as the best medical school in the United States. After graduating he began the active practice of his chosen profession in Washington C. H .. and, with the exception of three years, has practiced here for the past twenty-one years. He was captain in the Volun- teer Medical Corps in the Philippines from 1900 to 1903, and saw hard service during his stay in those islands. He returned to Washington C. H. in 1903 from the Philippines and has been engaged in the active practice of his profession ever since, with a success which speaks well for his skilled training and innate ability as a practitioner.
Doctor Howell was married June 20, 1894, to Edith Belle Coffman, the daughter of Benjamin F. and Margaret (Straley) Coffman. Mrs. Howell was born in Washington C. H., both of her parents being natives of this county. Her father died in 1892, at the age of forty-three, and her mother is still living in Columbus. Benjamin F. Coffman and wife were the parents of seven children: Cordelia, the wife of B. WV. Dawley, of Toledo: Edith Belle, the wife of Doctor Howell; Clara, the wife of Judge Allen, of Wash- ington C. H .: Benjamin F., of Columbus; Margaret, the wife of Carl C. Entrekin, of Columbus; Howard L., an attorney in Columbus, and Ruth. the wife of John J. Miller, of Columbus. The material grandparents of Mrs. Howell were James A. and Nancy ( Hogue) Straley, and were early settlers in Fayette county, Ohio, while the paternal grandparents of Mrs. Howell, Nathan and Sarah (Edwards) Coffman, were of German and Eng- lish descent, respectively, and early settlers in Fayette county, Ohio. To Nathan Coffman and wife were born the following children: Lewis C., William, Mrs. Charlotte Priddy, James M., Benjamin F., Mrs. Mary Belle Parrett, Mrs. Nettie Merchant and Mrs. Hetty Willard, the last two daugh- ters being twins.
Politically, Doctor Howell is a member of the Republican party, and he has always taken an intelligent interest in political affairs. He was county coroner, being elected three times in succession. At the present time he is a member of the city council, and is one of the councilmen at large. Fraternally, he is a member of the Free and Accepted Masons and has at- tained to the degrees of Royal Arch Mason. Royal and Select Master and
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Knight Templar. He and his wife are both members of the Order of the East- ern Star. In addition to these fraternal organizations. Doctor Howell is a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, the Benevolent and Pro- tective Order of Elks, the Improved Order of Red Men and the Knights of the Maccabees. The Doctor and his wife are loyal and consistent members of the Presbyterian church, in whose welfare they are greatly interested, and to whose support they are generous contributors. Mr. Howell has been a member of the choir of his church for many years.
HON. CHARLES A. REID.
In placing the name of Hon. Charles A. Reid before the reader as one standing in the front rank of the enterprising men of affairs and a leader of the bar at Washington C. H., Ohio, whose influence has tended to the upbuilding of the city of his residence and the advancement of the affairs of his native county of Fayette, simple justice is done a biographical fact recognized throughout the community by those at all familiar with his history and cognizant of the important part he has acted in the circles with which he has been identified. His career presents a notable example of those quali- ties of mind and character which overcome obstacles and win success, and because of his eminent ability and his strength of character he has won and retains the confidence and esteem of the community.
Charles A. Reid is descended from good old pioneer stock, which has been identified with Fayette county since the early days. His paternal grand- parents, Nelson H. and Barbara (Harley) Reid. were natives of the state of Maryland, but in an early day came to Fayette county, Ohio, and nere settled on a farm, to the operation of which Nelson Reid devoted himself during his active years. Later he relinquished the labors of the farm and moved to Washington C. H., where his death occurred about ten years after- wards. To him and his wife were born the following children: Lawson, Martha (Crone), Mary (Thomas), Julia ( Mayo), William S. ( father of the subject of this sketch), Ellen (Stokesberry), Nancy (Saunders) and Adaline R. (Stuckey). Mr. Reid's maternal grandparents were David and Elizabeth (Smith) Creamer, who were born in Virginia and who also were numbered among the early settlers in Fayette county. He died when about sixty years of age, and his wife at the age of eighty years. Their children were as follows: Wallace, who is now ninety-four years of age: Catharine
CHARLES A. REID
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(Worthington), now ninety-two years of age; Cynthia (Wentz), deceased; Nancy (Stimpson ), deceased ; Oliver, who died in young manhood, and Caro- line, mother of the subject.
William S. Reid, the subject's father, was born and reared in Union township, Fayette county, and spent practically his entire life on a farm, from which he retired about twelve years ago. He owned a farm of one hundred and twenty-five acres, which he improved into one of the best farms in his locality, and there he reared his family. He married Caroline Creamer. also a native of Fayette county, and to them were born five sons, namety : W. Orlando, of Jeffersonville, Ohio; Charles .A., the immediate subject of this review ; Howard C., of Paint township; Arthur 11., of Greenville. Ohio, and William E., of Jeffersonville. During the Civil War William S. Reid enlisted for service and rendered faithful support to the Union cause in the ranks.
Charles A. Reid was born on November 25, 1864, on the paternal farm- stead in Jefferson township, this county, and there grew to manhood. He received his elementary education in the district school and the high school at Washington C. H., after which for a period of five years he taught school. Having determined to devote himself to the practice of law, he entered the National Normal University, at Lebanon, this state, where he pursued the law course, and in 1891 was duly admitted to the bar. He located at once in Washington C. H., where he has remained and during the subsequent years he has been numbered among the busy, able and successful members of the local bar. As a lawyer he evinces a familiarity with legal principles and a ready perception of facts which has won him the reputation of a safe and sound practitioner. Years of conscientious work have brought with them not only increase of practice and reputation, but also that growth in legal knowledge and that wide and accurate judgment the possession of which constitutes marked excellence in the profession. By a straightforward, lion- orable course he has built up a large and lucrative legal business and has been connected with most of the important cases tried in the local courts. He is attorney for the Midland National Bank and the Fayette County Bank.
Politically, Mr. Reid has been a life-long supporter of the Republican party, which manifested its confidence in him by electing him, in 1896, to the office of prosecuting attorney, in which responsible position he rendered efficient service to his county for six years. In 1910 Mr. Reid was elected representative from Fayette county to the General Assembly, and was re- elected, thus serving in the seventy-ninth and eightieth Assemblies. In that
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body his support was always given to such measures as promised to benefit the people and he served with ability on a number of important committees. Fraternally, Mr. Reid belongs to Jeffersonville Lodge, Independent Order of Odd Fellows, and to Confidence Lodge. Knights of Pythias, at Washing- ton. C. H. Religiously, Mr. and Mrs. Reid are active members of the Presby- terian church, of which Mr. Reid is an elder, and to the support of which society he is a liberal contributor.
On June 9. 1896, Mr. Reid was united in marriage with Ollie Patton. who was born on a farm in Green township, this county, the daughter of George W. and Mary ( Rowe) Patton, and to their union has been born a daughter. Ruth. George W. Patton was for many years a successful farmer in Green township, but in 1888 he was elected to the office of sheriff. in con- sequence of which he moved to Washington C. H. He served two terms as sheriff and afterwards was elected and served two terms as county treasurer. He died on March 4, 1901, his widow surviving him. They were the par- ents of five children, Elmer E .. Minnie ( Marchant ), Metha J .. Zella V. and Ollie (Mrs. Reid).
In every walk of life Mr. Reid has been recognized as a high-minded gentleman, of integrity and moral worth. While primarily interested in his own affairs. he has not been unmindful of the interests of others, contrib- uting to the extent of his ability to the advancement of the public good and the welfare of his fellow men. Personally, he is a man of pleasing address. sociably inclined, and enjoys a large circle of warm and loyal friends.
HOWARD LEIGH STITT. M. D.
The physician of today is a far more efficient servant of the people to whom he ministers than ever before in the history of medicine. He must be broader and more intelligent, have keener insight into the psychology of his patients, and with a technical skill which the old practitioners never had. The young physicians who are beginning to practice today, if they have had the training of our best medical schools, are usually more reliable than the old-school physicians who had nothing but their experience to fall back on. Among the younger physicians of Fayette county, who are forging to the front in their profession is Dr. Howard Leigh Stitt, of Washington C. H. Although he has been out of school but a short four years, yet he has already
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demonstrated his ability to handle his large and increasing practice in a satis- factory manner.
Dr. Howard Leigh Stitt, the son of Joseph Young and Mattie FF. (Morris) Stitt, was born in Bloomingburg. Ohio, February 3. 1885. His parents were natives of this county and his father is still living in Blooming- burg, where he is the manager of a drug store. In his younger days Joseph ). Stitt was a school teacher and later became a druggist in Bloomingburg and now has the oldest established business in that town. His wife died in May, 1906, at the age of forty-one. Joseph Y. Stitt and wife were the par- ents of two children, Howard L. and Ercell Gertrude. The father and mother were both members of the Presbyterian church.
The paternal grandparents of Doctor Stitt were William and Ellen ( Holland) Stitt, both natives of this county. William Stitt was a farmer living northeast of Bloomingburg, in Paint township. and later moved to Bloomingburg, where he died. William Stitt and wife reared a family of six children, James, John, Charles, Joseph Y., Hugh and Ella.
The maternal grandparents of Dr. Howard Stitt were Robert and Ellen ( Miller ) Morris, natives of Ohio and early settlers in Paint town- ship, Fayette county. Robert Morris died in Washington C. H. at the age of seventy-one, and his wife is still living at the age of seventy-two. They reared a family of eight children. John, Mattie F., Charles, Gertrude, Frank. Corda. Maude and Earl.
Dr. Howard Leigh Stitt was reared in Bloomingburg, and after grad- uating from the high school in that place entered Miami University in order to take the course necessary to enter a medical college. After doing the required amount of work in Miami University he entered the Medical Col- lege of Cincinnati, an institution which was later merged with the Ohio Miami Medical College and is now a part of the University of Cincinnati. From this institution he graduated with honors in 1910, and served for a year as interne house physician and surgeon in the Good Samaritan Hospital in Cincinnati. In 1911 he came to Washington C. H. and opened an office for the active practice of his profession, at No. 114 East Market street. While he has been engaged in the practice only a short time, yet he has won the confidence of the people to a marked degree, and is rapidly securing his share of the patronage of the city and the surrounding territory.
Doctor Stitt was married October 21. 1912, to Margaret McClure, the daughter and only child of Robert D. and Henrietta (Eyler) McClure. Mrs. Stitt was born at Rarden, Scioto county, this state, both her parents being also natives of Ohio. Her mother is deceased and her father is now
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living at Peebles, Ohio, although for many years he was a resident of Wash- ington C. H.
Doctor Stitt and his wife are loyal and consistent members of the Pres- byterian church. Fraternally, he belongs to the Free and Accepted Masons and the Knights of Pythias. While at Miami University he was initiated as a member of Alpha Chapter, Sigma Chi, and has always retained an active interest in his college fraternity. He is also a member of the Nu Sigma Nu, a Greek-letter medical fraternity, which had a chapter at the Medical Col- lege of Cincinnati. He also holds his membership in Fayette County, Ohio State and the American medical associations.
CHARLES B. PARKER. .
There are individuals in every community who by pronounced ability and force of character rise above the heads of the masses and command a place among the leaders of their locality. Characterized by perseverance and a directing spirit, two virtues that never fail, such men always make their presence felt and the vigor of their strong personality serves as a stimulant and incentive to the young and rising generation. To this ener- getic and enterprising class Charles B. Parker, of the firm of Parker & Wood. very properly belongs. A native of this county, he has traveled far and wide over the western part of the United States and been engaged in business as a railroad contractor in many states. For the past ten years he has been a resident of this city of his birth and a member of the manufac- turing company of Parker & Wood, manufacturers of all kinds of wood work. His life has been characterized by indomitable energy and persever- ance, and the success to which he has attained has been the result of the utilization of these qualities.
Charles B. Parker, the son and only child of Joseph and Eliza ( McEl- wain ) Parker, was born in Washington C. H. October 25, 1875. His father was born in Warren county, this state, and reared to manhood in that county. .As a young man he learned the carpenter trade and followed the building and contracting business all of his life. He came to Fayette county shortly before the Civil War and married Eliza MeElvain, a native of the county. and located in Good Hope, where he lived for a number of years. He then moved to Chattanooga, Tennessee, where he followed his business as a builder and contractor for a short time. In 1878 he returned to Good Hope, in Fay-
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ette county, Ohio, where his death occurred in the same year, his wife still sur- viving him. He was reared as a Baptist, while his wife has been a life-long member of the Methodist church.
Joseph Parker was the son of Joseph and Julia (Holcomb) Parker, natives of Ohio. Joseph Parker, Sr., was a Hardshell Baptist preacher, al- though the meager compensation of the preachers of the early days com- pelled him to follow some other occupation for a means of livelihood. He farmed for many years in Warren county, and later in life moved to Good Hope, Fayette county, where he died at an advanced age. His wife after- wards died in Washington C. H. Rev. Joseph Parker and wife reared a family of four children: Capt. John B. Parker, of Portland, Oregon; Mrs. Catherine Yeoman, of the state of Washington; Joseph B., the father of the immediate subject of this sketch, and Charles F., deceased. The parents of Eliza McElwain, the wife of Joseph Parker, Jr., were William and Maria (Nye) McElwain, early settlers of Fayette county, Ohio, where they died at an old age. Maria was an aunt of the renowned poet and wit, "Bill Nye," and the daughter of Major Ichabod Nye, who made a gallant name for him- self in the War of 1812. The original McElwain stock came from Scotland and the first members of the family settled in Virginia. William McElwain and wife reared a family of nine children, Capt. John McElwain, Mrs. Nancy Burner, Mrs. Mollie Nitterhouse, Judge Thomas D., Mrs. Eliza C. Parker, Mrs. Asenath Blanchard, Robert T., Mrs. Eva McLean and Mrs. Willie Carmean.
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