USA > Ohio > Greene County > History of Greene County, Ohio > Part 113
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On August 14, 1862, Mr. Kelly was. united in marriage to Miss Catharine L. Fisher of Paterson, New Jersey, who died in January, 1878, leaving three sons, James A., George R. and William B. His young- est child, Fred C., is the son of his second wife, Miss Alice Charters, of Xenia, Ohio, who died September 10, 1897.
Mr. Kelly died on the 14th of August, 1892, and was widely mourned. He was
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so just and fair in his treatment of his em- ployes that he had their respect and confi- dence in an unusual degree. In business circles he was a man of unswerving honor and sterling worth ; but was called away at a time when he had consummated new busi- ness arrangements and planned and adorned a most happy home.
The following beautiful tribute written by Professor George S. Ormsby at the time of Mr. Kelly's death sets forth his character in a very clear light. Mr. Ormsby says :- "Know ye not that there is a prince and a great man fallen this day in Israel?" "These words, spoken by King David, in reference to Abner, who had been treacherously mur- dered by Joab. apply in all their meaning and force to our friend R. A. Kelly, who has so suddenly left us, and whose body this day has been laid to quiet rest. Many a leader from the king's army might have been slain, and many a great man have fallen. and yet not drawn forth the regretful and sad exclamations of the king. So many a prominent man might have suddenly passed away without leaving so wide a gap in the community as is made by the death of Mr. Kelly.
"More than a successful business man. he was a skilled mechanic ; his hand could execute what his mind conceived. He could invent the machine, construct it. put it in operation-manufacture the fabric for which it was intended and find for it a mar- ket. Conscious of his own power, and har- ing an abiding faith in his ability to per- form what he undertook. he engaged in and carried to successful termination enterprises in which other men would have failed.
"Ilad he entered the political field he would have risen to distinction there. Had he chosen the profession of arms he would
have had a following like Sheridan and would have been numbered among the great leaders whom the country holds in high honor. Hlad he been a Stanley or a Living- stone he would have been in no degree be- hind them in enterprises of perilous adven- tures.
"Mr. Kelly was for many years one of my most intimate and trusted friends. I have been at his home at almost all hours. sat at his table and conversed in his parlor. His friendship was wholly true and sincere. and he who enjoyed it could not have a truer friend. To me his death is a personal loss. It is the sundering of a more friendly tie than bound me to any other man, and I am sure that all who sustain a similar relation to him will feel as I do: each has sustained a personal loss.
"But looking into that inner circle, the holiest of all. the family, what shall I say ? A kind husband and indulgent father? This language is common and tame. Here he was intensive as in his business relations. He could not be negative anywhere, but was positive everywhere-not a tyrant, but a crowned prince,-the loving companion and faithful husband of a noble woman who most gladly would have laid down her own life if the sacrifice would have purchased his. To his sons he was at once father, brother. counsellor, companion and friend. combin- ing all that was good in each of their rela- tions. His command was law, but it was the law of a counselor and friend and for- ingly it was obeyed, and this in a large meas- ure accounts for the noble manhood of the boys of whom the father was justly proud. "Of him it may be fitly said :
"Life's work well done: Life's race well run : Life's crown well won."
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HON. JOHN LITTLE.
A deep feeling of sadness spread throughout Xenia when it was announced that John Little had passed from this life. but while those who knew him remain on this earth his memory will be cherished. not so much for the splendid success which he achieved in his profession, not because he contributed so largely to the improve- ment of the city, not because of his states- manship, although he was a colleague of many of the most eminent men of the na- tion and his efforts contributed to the coun- try's welfare, but because of his life of help- fulness, of good cheer, of broad sympathy and his deep interest in and labors for the benefit of his fellowmen. He won and well merited high honors, but in Xenia, where he was well known, his nature was so kindly and genial. that he gained not merely re- gard, but that deeper feeling which, call it friendship or love, binds man in close re- lation to his fellowmen in ties which naught can sever. Thus it was that Xenia has sel- dom so widely and sincerely mourned one of her residents, but for more than a half- century he was closely associated with the history of Greene county and many of his friends in thought have breathed the senti- ment :
"He was a man. Take him all in all I shall not look upon his like again."
John Little was born in Ross township. Greene county, on the 25th of April. 1837. and his early youth was that of the aver- age farmer boy who attends the country schools through the winter months and in the summer works in the fields, but he de- sired more than an ordinary district school
education, and in 1856 became a student in Antioch College, then under the presidency of Horace Mann. He was graduated from that institution in 1862 and for many years was a member of its board of trustees, hold- ing that position at the time of his death. In the autumn following his graduation he came to Xenia and entered upon the study of law under the preceptorship of Judge Winans. The elemental strength of his character was early shown forth, for though he had not the means to pursue in consec- utive manner his education, he would not accept aid and by teaching replenished his exhausted exchequer. In 1865 he was ad- mitted to practice in the courts of Ohio, and opened an office in the city of Xenia, and it was on the 19th of October, of the same year, that he married Miss Barbara Jane Sheets, who with their two children, George and Mary, survived him until May 31. 1902. when she, too, passed away. The son is now an active member of the Xenia bar.
Perhaps no better history of his busi- ness and public career can be given than that given by Judge Shearer, long his intimate friend and associate, who, in a memorial meeting held for Mr. Little by the bar asso- ciation, spoke as follows :
"For a short time he was associated with James E. Hawes, afterward judge of the court of common pleas. At the time of his admission to the bar he held the office of mayor of the city. Afterward in 1866 he was elected prosecuting attorney and re- elected in 1868. Before the expiration of his second term he was elected to represent his county in the Fifty-ninth general assem- bly and resigned the prosecutorship. At this time he associated himself in the prac- tice with C. C. Shearer, that partnership
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continuing for seventeen years, until Jan- uary 1, 1887, at which time Mr. Shearer re- tired. having been elected judge of the cir- cuit court for the Second judicial circuit,- C. L. Spencer succeeding Shearer in the firm, the name of which then became Little & Spencer-and continued until the death of Mr. Little. In 1871 he was re-elected to the general assembly. He rendered val- uable service to his constituents and to the state at large as member of the judiciary committee of the house and of other impor- tant committees. His ability as a lawyer and legislator attracted wide attention and he became the candidate of his party for the office of attorney general and was elected in the fall of 1873, and for a second term in 1875. His opinions were clear, concise, able and, as a rule, passed the scrutiny of the courts.
"During his first term there were strikes and riots among the miners of northeastern Ohio, and Mr. Little was requested by Governor Hayes to accompany the adjutant general as his advisor to the scene of disturbance. His wise, temperate counsel averted the threatened bloodshed and re- stored order.
"At the expiration of his term he re- turned to Nenia and gave his attention to the practice and to the promotion of busi- ness enterprises until 1884, when his con- stituents again called him to their aid by electing him as the representative of his district in congress. Although he served but one term, he, by reason of his ability. took a prominent position in the house and was chosen to conduct the investigation of the charges of bribery in connection with the election of Senator Payne. The marked ability with which he discharged this duty at once established for him a national repu-
tation. At the close of his term he again returned to the practice and to the man- agement of his large business interests which he conducted with distinguished success.
"In the year 1889 his services were again called for. From time to time treaties for the settlement of claims of citizens of the United States against the Republic of Ven- ezuela had been made between the two coun- tries, and commissions appointed to hear and determine the same: but, through the dila- toriness of these tribunals, awards failed to be made within the limitations prescribed by the several conventions and the treaties be- came inoperative. The last treaty limited the time for the determination of thes claims to one year. President Harrison asked Mr. Little to become a member of the commis- sion authorized by this treaty, and he ac- cepted. Upon the organization of the com- mission, which consisted of Mr. Little, Hon. J. V. L. Findlay, of Maryland, and Senor Andrade, then minister to the United States from Venezuela,-Mr. Little was chosen president.
"Mr. Little, with his accustomed habit of mastering every subject with which he dealt, set to work to learn the Spanish lan- guage and to familiarize himself with the civil and international law. He acquired sufficient knowledge of the Spanish lan- guage to enable him to read for himself the documentary evidence written in that tongue and he became also a master of international law. Many questions, common to all cases, arose,-among them the construction of the rule of prescription being the equivalent of the law of limitation under the common law. The preliminary opinion written by Mr. Little, settling these questions, is a mon- ument to his mental grasp and power of analysis. The commission completed its
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work within the period prescribed by the knowledge of architecture to the securing treaty, which, it is said, was never done by any prior similar commission.
"Among the public services of Mr. Lit- tle was that rendered on behalf of President Hayes, before the Florida returning board. He was at that time attorney general of Ohio. The friends of Hayes aroused him at midnight and told him he must go to Tallahassee, and prevent, if possible, an un- fair decision. He said: 'This is mighty short notice; but I'll go.' The next train, which left before daylight, bore Mr. Little through his home town en route to Florida. His family's first knowledge of his where- abouts was derived from the newspapers' mention of the counsel who were in attend- ance upon the hearing before the returning board. So zealous was he, so absorbed in this important mission, that he forgot to inform his family of his intended journey or of his arrival at the capital of Florida. The masterful argument which won the case for Hayes, although delivered by another, was written by Little.
"Another important position held by our friend was upon the Ohio State Board of Arbitration, to which he was appointed by Governor Mckinley, and which he held con- tinuously through succeeding administra- tions to the day of his death. For the work assigned to this board Mr. Little was pe- culiarly fitted. His even temper, his spirit of conciliation, his sense and love of justice. enabled him to see both sides of controver- sies between employer and employe, and in the exercise of manly courage to cast his vote for the right.
"The last public service of Mr. Little was as a member of the courthouse building commission. He entered upon his duties with enthusiasm and gave his time, skill and
of a courthouse which, when finished, will be for comfort and convenience, second to none in the state.
"It is hardly too much to say that lie was the creator of the new courthouse, for it was the plans prepared by him that con- stituted the basis of the plans finally ac- cepted.
"This much for the public service of our brother. But apart from these he, in a quiet, unostentatious way,-not letting his right hand know what his left did,-alle- viated suffering and helped the needy. He was generous but.' discriminating in his bounty. No worthy needy one was ever turned away. Many are they who, since his death have said : 'When John Little died, I lost my best friend.'
"Our friend was a many sided man. His intellect was Websterian; his mental grasp remarkable; his powers of analysis unsur- passed. He mastered the facts of a case with marvelous readiness ; separated grain from the chaff; seized and used with great skill the salient points of a cause. His power as an advocate rendered him a for- midable adversary. In argument he in- dulged in none of the arts of the orator. His diction was simple. his statements clear, lris logic forceful. In the struggle of the political arena he was fair and honorable,- not unduly exultant in victory, nor harbor- ing malice in defeat. He never sulked in his tent. It was common remark that, as between a friend and an enemy, he was wont to favor the latter rather than the former.
"As a citizen he was public spirited, ready at all times to further any enterprise for the betterment of the community. He encouraged manufacturers by voice and
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purse, was active in municipal reform, fa- vored all needful public improvements and otherwise manifested his solicitude for the material welfare of the community in which he lived. In short. John Little was a states- man, a lawyer of high repute, a public ser- vant loyal to every trust, a true patriot, a lover of his kind, a devoted husband and father, and, better than all, a high minded, honorable citizen. While he was not a be- liever in creeds or dogmas, yet with gener- ous charity for those who held different views, he was a religious man in the broader sense, that he reverenced his Creator, be- lieve:l in the Bible and the Redeemer of the world and loved his neighbor as himself."
The end came on the 18th of October. 1900, at 10:30 P. M. He was ill only a brief time, and thus his usefulness continued throughout the years of his manhood. On the public life not only of Greene county, but of Ohio, he left an indelible impression. No citizen of this community was ever more respected and no man ever more fully en- joyed the confidence of the people or more richly deserved the esteem in which he was held. In his lifetime the people of his state. recognizing his merit. rejoiced in his ad- vancement and in the honors to which he at- tained, and since his death they have cher- ished his memory, which remains as a ben- ediction to all who knew him. Honorable in business, loyal in citizenship. charitable in thought, kindly in action, true to ever: trust confided to his care, his life was the highest type of Christian manhood. He was one of the great lawyers of the south- ern Ohio bar who lives in the memories of his contemporaries, encircled with the halo of a gracious presence, charming personal- ity, profound legal wisdom, purity of public and private life, and a quiet dignity of an
ideal follower of his calling. He was many years in active practice at the Ohio bar, and comparatively few men endear themselves to so great an extent to their professional associates and to those with whom they come in contact in the discharge of public duties.
MILO SIMISON.
Milo Simison has passed the psalmist's allotted span of three-score-years-and-ten. having almost reached the seventy-second milestone on life's journey. He is now liv- ing retired in the village of Spring Valley, but for many years was an active factor in agricultural circles in Spring Valley town- ship. The farm which he still owns there was his birthplace. He was born Novem- ber 19. 1830, unto John and Nancy ( Knight ) Simison. His father's birth oc- curred March 9. 1798, and the mother was born on the 8th of May, 1807. The pater- nal grandfather. Robert Simison, was a native of Ireland, and on emigrating to America took up his abode m Pennsylvania, whence he afterward removed to Ohio and purchased the farm upon which our sub- ject was born, paying five dollars an acre for the land. In after years he purchased another farm, which is now known as the Scarff property, and after the marriage of his son. John Simison, the grandfather. re- moved to his second farm, whereon he died.
It was on the ist of January, 1828. that John Simison was joined in wedlock to Nancy Knight, whose birth occurred in Greene county. She was a daughter of Samuel and Hannah ( Caine) Knight. Her father lived to be about eighty years of age and was numbered among the pioneer set-
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tlers of Greene county, coming from North Carolina at a very early day. The mater- nal great-grandfather lived to the very ad- vanced age of one hundred and four years. After their marriage Mr. and Mrs. John Simison began their domestic life upon the original homestead, which the father of our subject purchased from the other heirs after the death of the grandfather. Both Robert and John Simison were laid to rest in the old Presbyterian burying ground at Bell- brook. They were identified with that church and were very active workers in it, and influential in promoting the moral de- velopment of the community. During the lifetime of Robert Simison the family suf- fered much loss by fire on two or three oc- casions on account of the stick chimneys. The last log house that was built upon the old homestead, in which the father of our subject lived and died, is still standing. The mother passed away March 29, 1847, and on the 2d of February, 1853. John Simison was also called to his final rest.
On the old home farm Mr. Simison of this review spent the days of his boyhood and youth. He acquired a fair common- school education and after his marriage he continued upon the old home farm which he and his brother purchased from the other heirs, while Milo Simison ultimately be- came the sole possessor of the property. He there made his home until 1888 and during that time erected a fine modern residence.
On the 28th of January, 1855. Mr. Sim- ison was united in marriage to Miss Mary Kelley, of Spring Valley, who was born in county Mayo, Ireland, in 1838. She was a daughter of Michael and Ann ( Henne- gan ) Kelley, and was quite young when left an orphan on the Emerald Isle. She came to America with her aunt, Mrs. Mary
Gibbons, who located in Greene county, and here she acquired her education. Three chil- dren have been born unto our subject and his wife: Frank Wesley, born October 25, 1855: Nancy Caroline, who was born May 13, 1858, and is the wife of Joshua Bar- nett ; and Mary Catherine, who died in in- fancy.
Mr. Simison has been a lifelong Dem- ocrat. He voted for Buchanan in 1856 and has since endorsed the principles of the par- ty, but has never been an office seeker. 11e served for one term as a member of the city council of Spring Valley, but has on no other occasion held office, preferring that his attention should be given to his business pursuits. In 1888 he erected a pleasant home in Spring Valley, where he is now liv- ing retired, enjoying the rest which he has truly earned and richly deserves.
THOMAS P. TOWNSLEY.
For almost sixty years Thomas P. Townsley was a well known figure in busi- ness circles of Xenia. He contributed large- ly to the advancement of commercial in- terests upon which the growth and pros- perity of a town or city always depend. He was so widely and favorably known that his life history can not fail to prove of in- terest to his many friends, and is a pleas- ure, therefore, that we present this record of his career to our readers.
A native of this city, he was born on the 27th of May, 1817. a son of George Towns- ley. His early education, acquired in the schools of Xenia, was supplemented by study in the Oxford Miami University. where he completed the course and was
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graduated with the class of 1836. Imme- age Company. He was energetic, prompt diately afterward he returned to his home. and notably reliable. and possessed sound judgment in business matters. He was one of the first members of the Presbyterian church, and liberally assisted in buikdling both the first edifice and the present church building and many years was a ruling el- der. Mrs. Townsley was also a consistent member of this church. His political sup- port was given the Republican party and he was elected to represent his district in the constitutional convention of 1873-4. where he proved himself a loyal and public-spirited citizen by the earnest manner in which he championed every measure for the public good. Honored and respected in every class of society, he was for some time a leader in public thought and action and was in citi- zenship so loyal. in business so honorable and in private life so reliable that his name deserves to be inscribed among the repre- sentative men of Greene county. He was then a young man of nineteen years and at once entered upon his business career as a clerk for John Ewing and the railroad company when it built there. He followed that pursuit for several years and also taught school in the south. When his labors and economy had brought to him sufficient cap- ital he began business on his own account as a dry-goods merchant in partnership with James Allison, as Allison & Townsley. in which line of activity they continued for many years. They carried a large and well selected stock of goods of modern styles. were straightforward and reliable in all their transactions and secured a liberal patronage. which enabled Mr. Townsley to add to his savings until, having acquired a comfortable competence, he retired to private life and spent his remaining days in rest and in the enjoyment of the fruits of his former toil.
In 1850 Mr. Townsley was united in marriage to Miss AAgnes C. Paull. a daugh- ter of James Paull. a resident of Fayette county, Pennsylvania. In 1896 Mr. Towns- ley was called upon to mourn the loss of his wife, who in that year departed this life. Two years later, on the 20th of November. 1898. Mr. Townsley died, and his remains were interred by the side of his wife, in Woodland cemetery. Two sons survive them: George L., who is living a retired life: and James B., who is connected with the insurance business in Xenia.
In connection with merchandising Mr. Townsley had other business interests. He was one of the organizers of the old Sec- ond National Bank and its president from 1864 until his retirement on account of fail- ing health. He was also one of the organ- izers and was interested in the Field Cord-
CHARLES L. SPENCER.
The motto "merit always commands its reward" is well exemplified in the career of this gentleman. He early learned that knowledge is the key with which the poor boy on the farm or the lad in the shop could open the store house of the world and cull its choicest fruits. The result is that he is now one of the most successful attorneys practicing at the bar of Greene county, and is essentially the architect of his own for- tune.
. AA native of Ohio, Mr. Spencer was born in Newark, April 4. 1848, his parents being Newton and Lucinda J. (Trickey) Spencer. His ancestors were originally from: Eng-
CHARLES L. SPENCER
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land. His father was born in Herkimer county New York, in January, 1816, of New England parentage, but was reared in Oswego county of that state, whence he came to Licking county, Ohio, at the age of eighteen years, the country being then new and undeveloped. There he was variously · employed for some time, including the opera- tion of a grist and sawmill and later of a large stone quarry. In 1846 he was united in marriage to Miss Lucinda J. Trickey, whose parents were from Pennsylvania. De- siring to better his condition and rear his family away from the influences of the town, he concluded to go farther west, and in the fall of 1856 became a resident of Decatur county, Iowa, where he engaged in farming up to the time of his death in 1890, when he was seventy-four years of age. His wife ·continued to make her home there until she, too, was called to lier final rest in 1901 at the age of eighty years. Of their six chil- dren only three reached maturity, these be- ing Charles L., whose name introduces this sketch: Albert G., a resident of Colorado Springs, Colorado; and Mrs. Mary F. Hampton, of Van Wert, Iowa.
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