USA > Ohio > Guernsey County > History of Guernsey County, Ohio, Volume II > Part 19
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Mr. McKim has been twice married, first on February 1, 1865, to Han- nah L. Carnes, the daughter of Henry and Maud ( Ellis) Carnes, of Knox township. To this union thirteen children were born, two of whom died in infancy, the others being : Elmer E., of Kimbolton; William, of Newcomers- town; Samuel, of Cambridge; Emma, the wife of E. T. Erickson, of Par- kersburg, Iowa; Joseph W., of Byesville, Ohio; James A., of Cambridge; Rachel, the wife of Frank Bashard, of Waterloo, Iowa; Alva, of Liberty; Walter O., of Pittsburg; Martha M., now Mrs. Harry Tarbell, of Cam- bridge. The wife and mother died in April, 1884, and Mr. McKim was mar- ried a second time on August 13, 1885, to Mrs. Elmira Snyder, the widow of Samuel Snyder and a daughter of David and Jane ( Reubencan) Snyder. By her first marriage Mrs. McKim has four children: Joseph F., deceased; Da-
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vid M., of Cambridge; Samuel E., of Oregon; Hattie M., now Mrs. E. M. Britton, of St. Joseph, Missouri. By the second marriage Mr. and Mrs. Mc- Kim have no children. Mrs. McKim's parents came from Beaver county, Pennsylvania, to Guernsey county about 1830. Mr. Snyder was a blacksmith by trade, and both he and his wife died about fifteen years ago. Mr. and Mrs. McKim are members of the Methodist church, Mr. McKim since 1867, and he is a class leader, a member of the official board and Sunday school superin- tendent. He is a strong temperance advocate and a worker in the cause. A man of strong convictions and high principles, he firmly adheres to these in the conduct of his life, and is a true Christian.
WILLIAM H. GIBSON.
Prominent among the representative farmers of his community is Wil- liam H. Gibson, who has spent his entire life near Kimbolton and is de- scended from a family of old settlers. He was born on December 30, 1837, on a farm near Kimbolton, Guernsey county, Ohio, the son of James and Matilda (Morrison) Gibson.
James Gibson was born in St. Clairsville, Belmont county, Ohio, and his wife in Virginia, near Wheeling. Great-grandfather Gibson came from Ireland about 1768, and settled in Washington county, Pennsylvania, and his son William, the grandfather of William H., was born there and came to Belmont county, Ohio, in 1802. He remained in Belmont county for five years, and then, in 1807, came to Cambridge, Guernsey county, carrying his goods on pack horses and driving his cattle and sheep. The family came down Wills creek to Cambridge in canoes, driving their stock to the land near what is now Kimbolton, where they settled. William Gibson had come the year before and entered several hundred acres of land, and then returned to St. Clair county for his family. A log cabin house was erected by driving forks in the ground, putting up cross poles, and covering the same with bark. This constituted the family house until the following February, when a more pretentious cabin home was erected, which stood until very recent years. William Gibson was a prosperous man and active in all matters look- ing to the good of the community. He lived to the age of seventy-five, dying in 1849. His wife, Nancy (Larison) Gibson, lived to be ninety-eight years old, being born on February 23, 1776, and dying in 1873. Their son James, the father of William H., the subject of this sketch, was born on November
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15, 1804, and when the family came to this county was but about four years of age. He followed farming, became a large land owner, and was a man active in public affairs, and a devout member of the United Presbyterian church. He died on September 4, 1895, in his ninety-second year. His wife died on April 26, 1900. They were the parents of eleven children, eight sons and three daughters, whose names and the dates of whose births are : Angelina, born September 7, 1834, died on September 6, 1892; Leroy, born February 8, 1836, died on September 4, 1837; William H., born Decem- her 8, 1837; Naphtali L., born January 7, 1842, died on April 13, 1886; Porter W., born January 7, 1844; Anderson, born November 21, 1843, died November 19, 1853; Nancy M., born February 19, 1845; Thomas D., born January 19, 1848, died on November 27, 1848; Margaret J., born November 14, 1849; James M., born February 18, 1852; Milton, born April 11, 1854.
William H. Gibson grew up on his father's farm and attended the dis- trict schools. He remained with his parents until his enlistment, in Sep- tember, 1862, as a member of Company B. Fifteenth Regiment Ohio Vol- unteers, and served until the close of the war, being discharged in May, 1865. His regiment was in the armies of the Ohio and the Cumberland, a part of General Thomas' corps, and was in the Atlanta campaign, and saw hard service. Mr. Gibson was never wounded or taken prisoner, and has a splen- did war record, always being faithful to his duty, and was often detailed for special services.
After leaving the army Mr. Gibson worked on the farm with his father until 1870, when he went to Monmouth, Illinois, and engaged in farm work. He also spent some time in Kansas. In 1873 he returned to Ohio, and again engaged in farming with his father, remaining with him until his marriage, in May, 1889, to Mary Seward, the daughter of Isaac and Mariah ( Mar- quand) Seward. Mr. Seward was a prominent citizen of Kimbolton, serv- ing for many years as postmaster and justice of the peace. The Marquands were one of the families who came originally from the island of Guernsey, from whom the county takes its name. Mr. and Mrs. Seward died some years ago. Mr. Gibson has always been a farmer and actively engaged until recent years, when he retired. He has always taken a full share of interest in the affairs of the community. In politics he is a Republican, and has al- ways been active in party work. He has served as county assessor, and in 1910 was real estate appraiser for the village of Kimbolton. He has also been a member of the village council, and is now one of the county board of supervisors of the blind. A member of Meaghan Post of the Grand Army of the Republic, he has filled the position of quartermaster almost continu-
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ously since the organization of the post. He and his wife are members of the United Presbyterian church. Both are highly esteemed and respected in their community.
WILLIAM L. SIMPSON.
The gentleman whose name heads this review is one of the leading farm- ers in his community in Guernsey county, having long maintained his home in Adams township; he is also known as a public official of high character. Tire- less energy and honesty of purpose are the chief characteristics of the man.
William L. Simpson was born on June 8, 1835, in Brooke county, West Virginia, and he is the son of Robert and Margaret (Lyons) Simpson. The father was also born in Brooke county, West Virginia, of Scotch parentage; the mother was born in Washington county, Pennsylvania. These parents came to Tuscarawas county, Ohio, in 1837 and engaged in farming, and in 1851 they moved to Guernsey county to a farm where their son, William L., of this review, now resides, and where he has since lived. The father owned one hundred and sixty acres. He was a member of the United Presbyterian church, which was organized in 1858 in Allegheny, Pennsylvania, between the old Associate church and Associate Reformed, he being an elder in the Asso- ciate Reformed church, and a lay delegate to the general assembly in 1858 when the two churches united. He was a devout churchman and a citizen of high character. The death of the elder Simpson occurred in March, 1894. and that of his wife on February 17, 1874. They are buried in the Lebanon ceme- tery. They were the parents of two children, a son and a daughter, the latter, Elizabeth, dying in her twenty-fifth year ; the son, William L., of this review, is now the only survivor.
William L. Simpson grew to maturity on the home farm, on which he worked during the summer and attended the neighboring schools in the win- ter time. He later attended Madison College at Antrim, Guernsey county, after which he engaged in farming, which he has made his life work and at which he has been very successful. He was married on June 22. 1864, to Mary McGonagle, daughter of James and Margaret (Turner) McGonagle, who lived on a farm in the same neighborhood in Adams township, this county. Her parents were good people, members of the United Presbyterian church ; they are both now deceased and are buried in the Lebanon cemetery. Mr. and Mrs. Simpson have no children.
After his marriage Mr. Simpson continued to live on the old home place
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and engaged in farming, his farm of well improved and well tilled land now consisting of one hundred and sixty acres, on which he carries on general farming and stock raising. He has a very comfortable and well located home.
Mr. Simpson is a Democrat in politics, and although the county gave George H. Nash, Republican candidate for governor in 1899, a large majority, Mr. Simpson, who was a candidate for the Legislature on the Democratic ticket, was elected by a majority of over six hundred, which was certainly evidence of his universal good standing and a high compliment to his popu- larity with all classes, irrespective of party alignment. He made such a com- mendable record in that important body that he was re-elected to this office in 1901, thus serving four years as a member of the seventy-fourth and seventy-fifth General Assemblies. He made his influence felt for the good of his constituents and proved to be a well informed man on current issues of the day and one deeply interested in the welfare of the public. He has also served as treasurer of Adams township, and he has been a member of the township school board for a period of thirty-five years, having always been deeply interested in educational matters and he has done much to promote local educational standards. He and his wife, who is a woman of many estimable traits, are members and faithful supporters of the Lebanon congre- gation of the United Presbyterian church, the church of his fathers, and, like them, he, too, is an elder and has frequently been a lay delegate to the general assemblies of his church. He is a man of fine mind and splendid attain- ments, and is always an influence for good in the church, Sunday school and in fact everything that pertains to the general good of his community, county and state, and is deserving of the high rank he holds as a leading citizen of Guernsey county.
JOHN W. FROST.
Industry and honesty, coupled with ambition and good common sense, seldom if ever fail to win the goal sought. With no great aid from any one, John W. Frost, of Fairview, Oxford township, Guernsey county, has won a comfortable competence and can look forward to an old age of ease and quiet.
Mr. Frost was born on April 7, 1859, in Fairview, Ohio, the son of Wil- liam H. and Mary (Flynn) Frost. The father was a native of Virginia and the mother was born in Ireland, coming to America with friends when four- teen years of age, her parents having died in Ireland. John W. Frost and
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Mary Flynn were married in Fairview, Ohio. The father, who was a tanner by trade, died on September 11, 1872, and his wife died September 10, 1904. They were the parents of two daughters and one son, the subject of this sketch, upon whom the support of the family devolved after their father's death. He was then only a mere lad, but he undertook and continued to make a home for his mother, until her death. One daughter, Martha E., died some years ago; another daughter, Catherine W., is now Mrs. James M. Carter, of Steubenville, Ohio.
The son, John W., gained a limited education in the public schools of Fairview, but most of his time was employed in making a living for the fam- ily. He worked at whatever he could find to do in the stone quarries, in the mines, in the fields, in fact at whatever his hands could find to do, always maintaining his home with his mother in Fairview. He had never learned a trade and the locality of Fairview being a great tobacco producing section, he decided to learn the trade of a cigarmaker. This he did and in 1890 established a business in Fairview, which he yet continues, making high-grade cigars and stogies, which are all taken by prominent jobbers. He has built up a prosperous business and is also a tobacco grower and packer of con- siderable proportions. Mr. Frost has prospered as he has deserved to do, for he is a man of industry, energy and sterling integrity. While a very busy man with his own affairs, Mr. Frost is always a booster and ever ready to say something and do something for the good of the community. It was in Mr. Frost's mind that a practical plan for building a railroad to Fairview and the rich coal fields of that locality took definite shape. He studied the field, went over different routes, had prints made showing coal deposits and the different routes, had lines run, and at last, with the assistance of a few others whom he had gotten enthused, succeeded in getting the matter to the attention of railroad promoters and builders. This effort resulted in the organization of the Marietta & Lake Railroad Company, and the proposed road from the river to the lake, touching Fairview and lapping the adjacent rich coal field. Four miles of the road is now completed and in operation from Lore City to Washington and further work on the right of way is progressing favorably. When all this is completed it will stand as a monument to the perception, per- severance and never-tiring energy of John W. Frost, of Fairview.
Mr. Frost is a Republican in politics and while not active in party affairs, is always a voter. Though never an office seeker, he served as mayor of Fairview, as a member of the town council and the board of education.
Mr. Frost married, on October 8, 1890, Lillian R. Jones, daughter of James E. and Mary E. (Stackhouse) Jones, Mr. Jones being an attorney of
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Monroe county, Ohio. To Mr. and Mrs. Frost have been born five children, namely : Herman E., Mary E., Clyde W. Mckinley, Beulah U. and John W., Jr. Mr. Frost and his family are members of the Methodist Episcopal church and liberal supporters of the church and Sunday school. Mr. Frost is a splendid citizen and the family home is a new, modern structure and one of the most attractive in Fairview. A most excellent man and most estimable family.
WILLARD B. JOHNSTON.
The life of Willard B. Johnston, an honored citizen of Cambridge, Guernsey county, has indeed been a busy and successful one and the record is eminently worthy of perusal by the student who would learn the intrinsic essence of individuality and its influence in molding public opinion and in giv- ing character and stability to a community.
Mr. Johnston was born September 1, 1860, in Monroe township, Guern- sey county, and he is the son of John A. and Jane B. (Smith) Johnston, both natives of Guernsey county ; thus this family has been well known here since the pioneer days. The father was a prosperous farmer and a man of excellent character. His death occurred in May, 1901 ; his widow is still living.
Willard B. Johnston grew to maturity on his father's farm and engaged in the general work about the place during his youth. He attended the com- mon schools during the winter months in Monroe township. He remained with his father until he was twenty-one years of age, when, like many another young man of an ambitious bent, he went to the far West to seek his fortune, and located in the state of Washington, later went to Oregon and other points, prospecting, and he remained in that country for three years, and upon his re- turn he again became a partner with his father in agricultural pursuits.
Mr. Johnston was married in January, 1884, to Clara C. Campbell, daughter of John S. and Elizabeth (Oldham) Campbell, of Cambridge town- ship. Her father was a well-to-do farmer and a highly respected citizen. Both are now deceased, Mr. Campbell dying about sixteen years ago, and Mrs. Campbell dying October 20, 1910. To Mr. and Mrs. Johnston one daugh- ter has been born, Mary L., who is still a member of the family circle.
After their marriage Mr. and Mrs. Johnston continued farming in Mon- roe township until 1893, when they moved to Cambridge, and since then Mr. Johnston has been engaged in the iron mills of this city. For a time he con- ducted a dairy.
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Mr. Johnston has long been prominent in political circles and is a loyal Republican. He has frequently been a delegate to county, district and state conventions, where he has made his influence felt for the good of the ticket. He served as trustee of Monroe township and resigned the office when he left the township and for many years he was a member of the township school board. In 1908 he was nominated by his party for the responsible office of county commissioner and was elected the fall of the same year, and during the
year 1910 he was re-nominated and elected. He has made a splendid record in this office, and he stands high in the estimation of all parties, always very ably and faithfully performing his every duty. He is well qualified in every respect for a public official. He and his family are members of the Methodist Episcopal church, and he is an active worker and liberal supporter of the same. He takes a deep interest in all movements looking to the general good of his township and county and is a man whose record is without stain.
ARTHUR J. BENNETT.
Arthur J. Bennett, the popular and well known president of the Cam- bridge Glass Company and one of the representative citizens of Guernsey county, has, notwithstanding the somewhat limited theater of his operations, achieved a reputation which places him among the county's eminent business men.
Mr. Bennett is the scion of a sterling old English family, he himself hay- ing been born in Middlesex county, England, where he first saw the light of day on January 18, 1866. He is the son of Benjamin and Elizabeth (Crocker) Bennett. The father was a general merchant and the son grew up in this en- vironment. These parents never came to America. They gave their son, Arthur J., the advantages of a liberal education in the schools of London, and he entered the business world early in life, his first employment being as a clerk in a book and stationery store, and he subsequently served an appren- ticeship in the china and glass business in one of the largest stores in Lon- don. Believing that the United States held peculiar advantages for one of his bent of mind, he came to Boston, Massachusetts, in the year 1886 and re- mained in the Hub city for a period of four and one-half years as a salesman for a well established Boston house. For the next five years he was foreign buyer for a large department store in that city. In 1896 he went to New York City and was a partner in a large china importing house. In 1902 he
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came to Cambridge, Ohio, and accepted the responsible position as president and general manager of the Cambridge Glass Company, which was at that time owned by the National Glass Company and operated as an independent company, the National being a holding company. The first piece of glass was made May 8, 1902, Mr. Bennett having come here and finished the construc- tion of the plant prior to that date. In November, 1907, the company became separated from the National people and Mr. Bennett purchased the stock of the company and has since conducted the same as an operating company, and he has met with a large degree of success. Here is manufactured a fine grade of near-cut tableware, druggists' sundries and an excellent specialty line covered by patents. The business has grown immensely, the plant never hav- ing been shut down for lack of business, but has always run to its utmost ca- pacity, having been shut down only during brief periods for repairs. During the panic of 1907 it was the only plant of this character that continued to run full capacity, and during that year, and, in fact, throughout the financial de- pression, the payroll of this company was thirty thousand dollars greater than during any previous year. The business has outgrown the Cambridge fac- tory and in April, 1910, the factory at Byesville, making the same line of goods, was added under the same management and supervision. The gross business of the combined plants will reach seven hundred thousand dollars annually and there are more unfilled orders on the books now than ever in the history of the company, notwithstanding the fact that both plants are running full capacity and full time. They are both equipped with the most modern machinery and up-to-date equipment obtainable and are models of their kind in every respect, sanitary, convenient, managed under a superb system and would be a credit to any community.
The immense and rapidly growing trade of this large concern covers the entire United States, with an export trade to all European countries and South America. This trade is reached through local representatives and job- bers. Mr. Bennett's very wide and favorable acquaintance with the trade everywhere has been responsible for bringing fully fifty per cent. of the trade to this concern. The goods are sold on their merits and one order always brings another. The products are high grade of their kind in every particular and are eagerly sought for owing to their superior quality. Only first-class artisans are employed and the very best workmanship turned out.
Mr. Bennett's domestic life began on October 13, 1892, when he led to the hymeneal altar Martha C. Locke, a lady of talent, culture and refinement, and the daughter of a prominent family. her parents being Everett S. and Ella (Goddard) Locke, of Lexington, Massachusetts, where Mr. Locke was a
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former well-known business man. He and his wife are still living, enjoying the esteem of a wide circle of friends and acquaintances.
One daughter, Marjorie, has graced the union of Mr. and Mrs. Bennett, also one son. Arthur, the latter deceased. The family home is on North Seventh street. Cambridge, in the best and most desirable residence district of the city, and it is a beautiful. commodious and modern structure from an architectural viewpoint, and is known as a place of hospitality and good cheer to the many friends of the Bennetts.
Mr. Bennett is a member of the Masonic order, also the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks of Cambridge, and he and his wife affiliate with the Presbyterian church and are prominent in the best social circles of Cambridge. He is president of the Cambridge Country Club, and plays golf for recrea- tion, and he is a great lover of horticulture and rose culture and his lawn at home during the spring and summer months is truly a bower of beauty, and indicates the good taste of this practical man of affairs. All outdoor sports appeal to him, but business necessarily occupies most of his time. Person- ally, he is a genial and companionable gentleman, and the high regard in which he is held indicates the possession of characteristics that entitle him to the esteem and confidence of his fellow men.
JOSEPH BENSON DOLLISON.
One of Cambridge's successful business men and public spirited citizens is Joseph Benson Dollison, who, by his life of consecutive and consistent en- deavor, has won and retained the utmost confidence and the undivided esteem of all classes and both as a business and public official his reputation has been that of a fair-minded, energetic and conscientious man of affairs.
Mr. Dollison was born on March 9, 1860, in Richland township, Guern- sey county, Ohio, on a farm near Senecaville. He is the son of Harvey C. and Johanna C. (Lindsay) Dollison. The father was a native of this county, while the mother was born in Virginia. The Dollison family originally came from Maryland in the early pioneer days; the Lindsay family also came from Virginia when Mrs. Dollison was but a child. Mr. Dollison was a farmer and for many years a justice of the peace in both Richland and Spencer town- ships, where he lived. He was the legal advisor for the entire neighborhood. drawing up deeds and legal papers of all kinds, being an oracle among the people. He was always active in the affairs of the Republican party and a
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valued advisor in political matters. He and his wife and family were mem- bers of the Methodist Episcopal church, and he was a devout churchman. The death of the elder Dollison occurred in February, 1887, his widow sur- viving him nearly a quarter of a century, having passed to her rest in March, 1910. She was a most estimable woman, and they are both buried in the cemetery at Senecaville. Nine children were born to them, six of whom are living, namely : Lucinda married James F. Culver, of Cumberland, Guern- sey county ; Minerva J. married William Jeffrey, of Claysville; the last two named are widows ; Benjamin F., of Zanesville, Ohio; Dorothy A., now Mrs. Harvey Dennis, of Cambridge; John T., deceased; Joseph B., of this review ; Mary F. became Mrs. Marion Nelson, deceased; Justin L., of Cambridge ; William A. and Robert Madison, twins, the latter being deceased and the former lives in Denver, Colorado.
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