History of Greene County, Ohio: its people, industries and institutions, Volume II, Part 31

Author: Broadstone, Michael A., 1852- comp
Publication date: 1918
Publisher: Indianapolis, B.F. Bowen
Number of Pages: 1440

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and for some time previous to his appointment as postmaster served as town clerk.

On April 28, 1909, Mr. Barkman was united in marriage to Fern Young, daughter of Charles Young, of Clark county, Ohio, and to this union two children have been born, Marcella and Dotty Gene. Mr. and Mrs. Bark- man are members of the Presbyterian church. Mr. Barkman is a member of the local lodges of the Knights of Pythias, the Junior Order of United American Mechanics and the Woodmen of the World.

ROBERT FINLEY KERR.

The late Robert Finley Kerr, who for years was head of the firm of Kerr & Hastings Brothers, merchants at Cedarville, and whose widow is still living at Cedarville, was a native son of Ohio, born in the vicinity of Ripley, in Brown county, December 10, 1852, son of Paul and Eliza (Pierce) Kerr, the latter of whom was born in Madison county, this state, who be- came residents of Greene county in the spring of 1869 and later moved to Rushville, Indiana, where their last days were spent.

Upon coming to this county with his family, Paul Kerr located on a farm in Cedarville township, but presently disposed of that holding and moved to Cedarville, where he became engaged in the grocery business. Some years later he sold his store there and moved to Rushville, Indiana, where he became engaged in the furniture business and where he and his wife spent the remainder of their lives. Paul Kerr was a Republican and during his residence at Cedarville served for some time as justice of the peace. He and his wife were members of the United Presbyterian church and their children were reared in that faith. There were five of these children, the subject of this memorial sketch having had one brother and three sisters, namely: Quimby, who went to Texas in the days of his young manhood and died there on April 15, 1886; Mary, who died unmarried at the age of fifty-two, and Harriet and Isabel, both unmarried, who for years have been teachers in the college at Knoxville, Tennessee.

Reared on a farm, Robert F. Kerr completed the Cedarville high school course, supplementing the same by a two-years course in Monmouth Col- lege at Monmouth, Illinois, and then began to teach school, a profession he followed for twelve years, teaching in the district schools and in the Cedar- ville village schools. After his marriage he lived on the farm for six years. Then deciding to engage in the mercantile business he conducted a grocery for two years and then formed a partnership with the Andrews brothers, the firm being known as Andrews Brothers & Company, and thus became en- gaged in the general hardware and farm-implement business at Cedarville,

ROBERT F. KERR.

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the firm also owning and operating a grain elevator there. In 1900 the in- terest of the Andrews brothers in this business was sold to the Hastings brothers and the firm thereafter was known as Kerr & Hastings Brothers, which name it still retains. Mrs. Kerr now holding the interest that so long was held by her late husband. This concern is engaged not only in the gen- eral hardware and implement business, but in the sale of building supplies and owns and operates two grain elevators and coal yards and buys wool. Mr. Kerr continued actively engaged in business up to the time of his death on June 24, 1911. He had years ago bought and remodeled a good house on South Main street and there his widow continues to make her home. Mr. Kerr was a member of the United Presbyterian church, as is his widow, for years was a ruling elder of the congregation with which he was affiliated and was also for some time superintendent of the Sabbath school. Politi- cally, he was a Republican, as was his father before him.

On March 29, 1882, Robert Finley Kerr was united in marriage to Frances Ladora (better known among her friends as "Dora") Jackson, who was born in Cedarville township, this county, March 12, 1856, daugh- ter of George and Minerva (Townsley) Jackson, both of whom also were born in this county, members, respectively, of two of the oldest and most influential families in the county, both the Jacksons and the Townsleys having been represented in the Cedarville neighborhood ever since the very "begin- ning of things" hereabout. George Jackson, who was a brother of the Rev. Hugh Parks Jackson, a biographical sketch of whom, appearing elsewhere in this volume, sets out in detail the history of the Jackson family in this county, was born on March 19, 1823, and was for many years one of the most conspicuous figures in the citizenship of Greene county, a man six feet and three inches in height and of weight proportionate to his stature. He was the owner of a quarter-section farm on the Yellow Springs road two miles out of Cedarville, for years had been a ruling elder in the United Presbyterian church at Cedarville, as well as chorister for the congregation, and at the time of his death on March 26, 1880, there were many and sin- cere expressions of regret thereabout.

George Jackson was twice married. On October 26, 1848, the Rev. J. H. Buchanan officiating, he was united in marriage to Minerva Townsley, who also was born in this county, daughter of Alexander and Margaret (Ewing) Townsley, and to this union two daughters were born, Mrs. Kerr having a sister, Martha Joanna, wife of Judge James P. Rogers, of Wheel- ing, West Virginia. The mother of these daughters died on March 18, 1876, and is buried in the Massiescreek cemetery. On June 18, 1879, Mr. Jackson married Mrs. Sarah Margaret (Hammond) McCall, who survives as Mrs H. H. McMillan. Mr. Jackson also is buried in the Massiescreek cemetery.

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ELAM L. TRUMAN.

Elam L. Truman, proprietor of "Fair View Heights" at Spring Val- ley, where he is now living practically retired, is a native son of Greene county and is quite content to spend the rest of his days here, though his activities have taken him away from the county much of the time. He was .born on a farm in Spring Valley township on December 19, 1849, son of Jeffrey and Jane (Elam) Truman, the latter of whom also was born in this county, daughter of Capt. Josiah and Jane (Porter) Elam, the latter of whom was born in Kentucky.

Capt. Josiah Elam was a soldier of the American Revolution and was afterward attached to the expedition of "Mad Anthony" Wayne into the Northwest Territory, culminating in the victory over the Indians on the Maumee and the treaty of Greenville in 1795. While on this trip to Ohio in 1798 Captain Elam came over into this section and located a claim to a full section of land on the west bank of Caesars creek in what afterward came to be organized as Spring Valley township. Greene county, six miles south of where the county seat, Xenia, later came to be located. He employed men to clear a patch of this land and erect a cabin in the clearing and in 1802 he returned here with his family and established his home. His wife died on that place and he went down into Clinton county on business and died there in 1821. Captain Elam was born in Culpeper county, Virginia, in 1753, and was thus in the sixty-ninth year of his age at the time of his death. He and his wife were the parents of ten children, of whom eight grew to maturity, namely: John, who served as a soldier of the War of 1812 and afterward went over into Indiana to build mills; Isaac, who estab- lished his home in Greene county; James, who died in Missouri; Joel, who went to Cass county, Indiana, and there spent his last days; Ambrose, who remained on the home farm in Spring Valley township; Mrs. Emaline Cole, who also remained in Spring Valley township; Mrs. Cynthia Roberts, whose last days were spent in Logan county, this state, and Jane, who married Jeffrey Truman and became the mother of the subject of this sketch.

Jeffrey Truman was born in the city of Philadelphia in 1793, a son of Joseph Truman and wife, the latter of whom was a Llewellyn, both of Welsh stock and Quakers. Joseph Truman was a coppersmith and his son Jeffrey was early trained in the same art and in that of silversmith and also was given a mercantile training. In 1819 Jeffrey Truman came to this part of Ohio and located at Waynesville, where he became engaged in the mercantile business and also for a time taught school, also serving as the village doctor and dentist. He presently came up into Greene county and opened a store at Bellbrook, where he remained until 1827, when he laid out the townsite of Transylvania, a long since vanished hamlet, across the

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river from Spring Valley, and erected the first house there, this house serving as a store, tavern and postoffice. Some time later he returned to Warren county and for four years was engaged as a silversmith at Franklin, but then returned to Transylvania and resumed his business there, conducting his tavern, working as a silversmith and teaching school. During the progress of the Mexican War Jeffrey Truman, who was then operating a store at Bellbrook, enlisted, leaving his store in charge of Jeremiah Gest, and was sent to Mexico as bookkeeper for the army paymaster, rising to the position of assistant paymaster before the war was ended. In the fall of 1850 he left Transylvania and returned to Waynesville with the expectation of opening a store there, but death interfered with his plans, his death occuring there on New-year's Day, 1851.

Jeffrey Truman was thrice married. By his first wife, who was a Lake, he had one son, Thomas H., who went to Indiana and whose last days were spent at Covington, that state. By his second wife, Dorothy Ann Isham, he also had one son, Joseph M., who went to California, where his last days were spent. Jeffrey Truman then married Jane Elam, who is mentioned above, and to that union were born twelve children, four of whom died in infancy and of whom but two are now living, the subject of this sketch and his brother Arthur, the others having been Angeline, who married Job Lashley, of Warren county; George, a soldier of the Union during the Civil War, for years one of the best-known business men of Spring Valley, who served for some time as mayor of that village and who was twice married, his first wife having been Charlotte Simison and his second, Elvira Fisk; Elvira, who married and moved to Montana; Corilla, who was the wife of Milton Scarff, of Spring Valley township; Arthur, who moved to Montana, where he engaged in farming and who is now living retired at Bozeman, that state; Jane, who died at the age of sixteen years, and Henrietta, who married William Adams, of Spring Valley township. The mother of these children lived to the age of eighty-four. She was a Baptist.

Elam L. Truman was reared in this county, receiving his schooling in the local schools, and remained at home until his marriage in 1875, he then being twenty-five years of age, after which he made his home at Bellbrook, where for four years he was engaged in the work of making carriages, tc which trade he had been early trained. He then moved to Logansport, In- diana, where he became engaged working at his trade and where he remained for seven years, at the end of which time he returned to Spring Valley and there engaged with his brother George in the hardware business. Several years later he sold his interest in the store and moved to Waynesville, open- ing a hardware store there, but a year later sold that store and returned to Spring Valley, where he resumed his mercantile vocation. Three years later

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he became engaged as a traveling salesman for the firm of Boyer & McMas- ter at Dayton and moved to that city, traveling out of there, his territory covering the states of Ohio, Indiana and Illinois. Not satisfied with the life of a traveler, Mr. Truman gave up that position and engaged in the carriage and garage business at Dayton, from which place, in 1908, he went to Lime- stone county, Alabama, and there bought a tract of land. Six years later he disposed of that tract to advantage and returned to Spring Valley, and located at "Fair View Heights," and has since lived there. Mrs. Truman also owns a farm at Roxanna. Mr. Truman also bought the A. J. Craig farm two miles east of Spring Valley. Mr. and Mrs. Truman are members of the Methodist Episcopal church. Mr. Truman is a member of the local lodge of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. He was made an Odd Fellow at Lexington, Kentucky in 1871.

Mr. Truman has been twice married. In September, 1875, he was united in marriage to Clara M. Warren, of Bellbrook, daughter of John and Cynthia Warren, and to that union four children were born, namely: John, deceased; Willard, deceased; Lyman W., who is now living at Athens, Alabama, where he is connected with the Watkins Remedy Company, and who married Leila Zaner and has two children, Leon and Clara; and Springer W., who is now living at Detroit, Michigan, where he is in the barber business. The mother of these children died in February, 1910, and Mr. Truman later married Mrs. Martha H. Talbert, widow of George B. Talbert, of Bellbrook, landowner and lumberman, who had died on August 16, 1908. Mrs. Truman was born in this county, daughter of Jonas and Prudence (Smalley) Stump, both of whom spent their last days in this county, the latter living to the great age of ninety-two years, her deatlı occurring in January, 1902. She was born in Warren county, a daughter of William Smalley, a Warren county pioneer, an old Indian fighter and one of the first settlers of Clinton county, Ohio, an interesting story of whose adventures with the Indians is set out at considerable length in this volume. Jonas Stump was born in Winchester, Virginia, and was ten years of age when his parents, Daniel and Mary Stump, came to Ohio with their family in 1817 and settled at Harveysburg, in Warren county. Daniel Stump secured two hundred acres of land in the Harveysburg neighborhood and that farm is still held in the family, now owned by J. F. Stump. Daniel Stump and his wife were the parents of ten children, of whom Jonas was the ninth in order of birth, the others having been Sarah, who married John Oglesbee; Hannah, who married Jessie Romine; Henrietta, who mar- ried Jonathan Clark; Matilda, who married Isaac Stump; Lydia, who died unmarried; Mary, who married Elias Oglesbee; Daniel, who remained on the home place, and William, who married a Hiatt.

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Jonas Stump lived on a farm near New Burlington, Ohio, and at his brother Daniel's death was willed the old home place near Harveysburg. He moved there and owned the place until he died. He and his wife were the parents of seven children, of whom Mrs. Truman was the sixth in order of birth, the others being the following: Mary M., who died on January 15, 1917, widow of Allen H. Miars, a memorial sketch of whom is presented elsewhere in this volume; Catherine, also deceased, who was the wife of Isaac Evans, of Xenia, a biographical sketch of whom also is presented in this volume; Rachel, who died in infancy; Daniel S., a retired farmer, who is now making his home with Mr. and Mrs. Truman; William J., deceased, who married Ellen McWhorton, and Fremont J., who is living on the place that was settler by his grandfather, Daniel Stump, more than one hundred years ago.

JESSE SANDERS.

Ever since the days of the early settlement of Greene county the Sanders family has been a numerous connection hereabout, this family having been one of the families that became established here about the time of the organ- ization of the county. One of the original members of this family in this county was Jesse Sanders, who was a soldier of the War of 1812 and who developed in Spring Valley township a fine piece of farm property, the place now owned by his oldest daughter and only surviving child, Miss Rebecca Ann Sanders, who has lived there all her life.

Jesse Sanders was a native of the state of North Carolina, born in the vicinity of Salisbury, in Stokes county, that state, in 1792, and was thirteen years of age when he came with his parents, Forest Sanders and wife, a Redick, and the other members of the family to Ohio in 1805, the family settling on a farm on the Cincinnati road, five miles out of the then humble village of Xenia and a mile and a half north of Spring Valley, Forest San- ders being the first settler in that neighborhood. He and his wife were earnest Quakers and their children were reared in that simple faith. Forest Sanders lived to be seventy years of age. He and his wife were the parents of eight children, of whom Jesse was the second in order of birth, the others being Forest, who moved to Indiana and spent his last days in Laporte, that state; John, who remained in Spring Valley township and there spent his last days; Susan, who died at the age of thirty years; Mrs. Mary Graham, whose last days were spent in Indiana; Jeremiah, Mrs. Salsbury and Mrs. Beason.

As noted above, Jesse Sanders was but thirteen years of age when he

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came to this county and he walked all the 'way over from North Carolina, it having been his job and that of his sister to drive the family cow along behind the wagon in which the household goods were stored. The family had started during the fall, but it was well along toward spring before they reached their destination in this county. He was twenty years of age when the War of 1812 broke out and he went to the front as a member of the company raised by Capt. John Davis and served as a soldier until the close of the campaign, being mustered out with the rank of captain, after which he returned home and resumed his place on the farm, which he continued to operate until growing infirmities of age compelled his retirement, after which he rented the fields and spent the rest of his life in retirement, his death occurring on May 21, 1880, he then being in the eighty-eighth year of his age. His wife had preceded him to the grave something more than six years, her death having occurred in November, 1873, and both were buried in Woodland cemetery at Xenia. Jesse Sanders had ever retained his birth- right in the Friends church and his wife was a Presbyterian. She was born, Elizabeth Simison, in Spring Valley township, a member of one of the pioneer families of that township, and was married on November 5, 1840, to Jesse Sanders. To that union were born four children, two sons, both of whom died in youth, and two daughters, Susan Margaret, who died in 1885, at the age of thirty-eight years, and Rebecca Ann, who is still making her home on the old home place.

William H. Babb, who for many years has made his home with the Sanders family and is still living on the Sanders place, operating the farm, was born in the neighboring county of Clinton in March, 1843, son of Abner and Ann (DeHaven) Babb, who had come to Ohio from Virginia in 1833 and had settled in Greene county, later moving down into Clinton county. In 1855 Abner Babb moved to Indiana with his family and for ten years made his home at Kokomo, returning in 1866 to Ohio, where he spent the rest of his life, his death occurring in 1871. His widow survived him for more than twenty years, her death occurring in 1893. Abner Babb and his wife were the parents of five children, of whom William H. is now the only sur- vivor, the others having been J. R., Harriet, John A. and Mary Ellen. Will- iam H. Babb grew to manhood in Indiana and was twenty-three years of age when he came back to Ohio with his parents in 1866. Three years later he took up his residence on the Sanders place, taking charge of the farm for Mr. Sanders, and has lived there ever since, having established his home there after his marriage in 1887. His wife, who was Clarissa A. Peterson, a member of one of the old families of Caesarscreek township, died in Janu- ary, 1914.

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CLEMENT J. LOGSDON.

Clement J. Logsdon, the only druggist in Osborn, is a native son of Ohio and has lived in this state all his life. He was born on a farm in Knox county, son of C. C. and Amelia (Hays) Logsdon, both of whom were born in that same county and who there spent all their lives. Reared on the farm, Clement J. Logsdon received his early schooling in the com- mon schools and then for three winters taught school in his home county. He then entered the pharmacy department of Ohio State University at Columbus and after a three-year course in that institution graduated in 1898. Upon receiving his diploma Mr. Logsdon became employed as a registered pharmacist at Columbus and from that city went to Newark, where he was engaged in a similar capacity until 1900. In that year' he became engaged as the registered pharmacist in the drug store of Doctor Campbell at Osborn. Eight years later he bought the Campbell store and has since conducted the same, now the only druggist in the village.

Mr. Logsdon is a Democrat. As a member of the Commercial Club of Osborn he has done his part in promoting all movements designed to ad- vance the interests of that village. Since taking up his residence in Osborn Mr. Logsdon has taken an active part in the work of the local chautauqua movement. He is a member of the Ohio State Pharmacists Association.

CLARENCE W. HOFFMAN.

Clarence W. Hoffman, one of the younger farmers of Beavercreek township and the proprietor of fifty acres on rural mail route No. 2 out of Spring Valley, was born on that farm and has lived there all his life. He was born on October 2, 1885, son of George and Martha Hoffman, the latter of whom is still living at the home of George Brandt in Beavercreek township.

George Hoffman was a native of Germany and was married in his native land. Not long after his marriage he came to this country in 1868 with his wife and proceeded on out to Ohio, locating in this county, where for several years thereafter he was engaged working on the farm of Captain Darst. He then bought the farm of fifty acres on which his son Clarence is now living, established his home there and there spent the rest of his life, his death occurring on July 6, 1887. He was a member of Mt. Zion Re- formed church, as is his widow. They were the parents of six children, of whom the subject of this sketch was the last-born, the others being the fol- lowing : Conrad, who married Louise Martin and is farming in the vicinity of Fairfield, this county; Lizzie, wife of Charles Phaul, of Dayton; Eva,

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wife of Clinton Putnam, of Los Angeles, California; Flora, deceased, who was the wife of Robert Rutherford, and George, who is now farming in the West.

Clarence W. Hoffman was reared on the home farm and received his schooling in the neighborhood schools. He was not yet two years of age when his father died. As the youngest son he continued to make his home there with his mother and after his marriage in 1913 established his home on the place and has since continued to make it his place of residence.

On January 29, 1913, Mr. Hoffman was united in marriage to Flora McGrew, who was born in Highland county, Ohio, daughter of John and Susan McGrew, the former of whom is still living, now a resident of Mont- gomery county, and to this union three children have been born, Verna, Kenneth and Glenna. Mr. and Mrs. Hoffman are members of the Mt. Zion Reform church.

GEORGE BAKER.

The late George Baker, a veteran of the Civil War and for years one of the best-known farmers in Miami township, this county, was born in that township and most of his life was spent there, two of his sons and a daughter now occupying the old home place three miles west of Yellow Springs which their father bought in 1881 and on which he spent his last days. He was born on a pioneer farm one mile south of Yellow Springs on November 14, 1831, son of Isaac and Eliza (Graham) Baker, the latter of whom also was born in this county, September 27, 1809, a member of one of the pioneer families of Greene county.

Isaac Baker was born in Chester county, Pennsylvania, May 3, 1807. and became one of the early settlers of Greene county, establishing his home here after his marriage to Eliza Graham. He and his wife reared their family here and here spent the remainder of their lives. They were the parents of nine children, of whom the subject of this memorial sketch was the first-born, the others being Mrs. Louise Hawkins, deceased; John, who was killed in the battle of Cedar Creek on October 19, 1864, while serving as a soldier of the Union during the Civil War: William P., who died on July 1, 1907; Brinton, who is still living, making his home now at Dayton; Joseph. who is now living at Pratt, Kansas; Mrs. Hester Hutchinson, who is living at Yellow Springs, in this county; Sarah, who died in 1868, and Charles West, who died on April 14, 1914. Five of these brothers served in the Union army during the Civil War.

Reared on the home farm in Miami township, George Baker received his schooling in the neighborhood schools at Yellow Springs and early learned

MR. AND MRS. GEORGE BAKER.

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History of Greene County, Ohio: its people, industries and institutions, Volume II, Part 31

Author: Broadstone, Michael A., 1852- comp Publication date: 1918 Publisher: Indianapolis, B.F. Bowen Number of Pages: 1440

Author: Broadstone, Michael A., 1852- comp
Publication date: 1918
Publisher: Indianapolis, B.F. Bowen
Number of Pages: 1440