USA > Ohio > Guernsey County > History of Guernsey County, Ohio, Volume II > Part 24
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William C. Suitt, of this review, was educated in the public schools of Noble county and the Cambridge public schools and he was graduated from the Cambridge Commercial School. He was first employed with the Altman Taylor Company, of Mansfield, as bookkeeper at Ft. Wayne, Indiana, and remained with that company two years. He then came to the Cambridge Chair Company in 1902, as bookkeeper, and, after a short time in that office, he was given a position as traveling salesman for this concern, and he con- tinted thus very successfully until 1903. He then formed a partnership with his brother, Wallace W., in the manufacture of chairs, which they continued until 1906, enjoying a very liberal patronage, then they succeeded to the Cam- bridge Chair Company's business and organized the Suitt Brothers Manu- facturing Company, which has had a rapid development and has attained a great prestige in the manufacturing world. They make all kinds of chairs, including rockers of a high grade of workmanship, and owing to the superior quality and finish they are eagerly sought for by the wholesale and retail trade. Under judicious management their business has grown to mammoth propor- tions from a small beginning. Their annual business will now aggregate about two hundred thousand dollars, and their products are shipped to almost every state in the union. The plant is equipped with modern and the latest approved machinery and appliances for the rapid and economic produc- tion of their various grades of chairs, and only skilled artisans are employed. A large number of employes are kept busy at all seasons. The Suitt brothers are regarded as among Cambridge's most enterprising and aggressive manu- facturers and have done much to spread abroad the name and fame of this city as a manufacturing center.
Mr. Suitt was married on July 25, 1905. to Hallie F. Forsythe, daughter of John O. and Martha ( Frame) Forsythe, of Millwood township, Guernsey county. Ohio, and they are now residents of Cambridge; they enjoy a wide acquaintance and warm friendship throughout the county. To Mr. and Mrs. Suitt two children have been born, Paul H. and William M.
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Politically, Mr. Suitt is a Republican and he is always found on the firing line for his friends and the party's principles, but he is not an office seeker. He has served the city as a member of the board of public safety. He and his family affiliate with the Methodist Episcopal church and he is a liberal supporter of church work. Although a very busy man, he devotes much of his spare time to familiarizing himself with the world's best litera- ture, and he has a well selected and extensive private library in his home. He is a very interesting and intelligent conversationalist on current and gen- eral topics, and, being an unassuming and genial man, he is a very agreeable companion and inspires the respect and good will of every one. His home is modern, attractive and he and Mrs. Suitt are ideal hosts and are prominent in the social life of the city. Their home is at No. 226 North Tenth street, in one of the best residence sections of the city.
Mr. Suitt is a man of high ideals, both in private and public life, and he stands for what is best in all movements. He has long been an ardent and efficient worker in the cause of temperance, yet he is charitable to all who hold opposite views on any question, meeting opposition with argument and not abuse. He merits in every way the confidence and high esteem that are reposed in him by all classes.
ARTHUR G. RINGER. M. D.
The professional success which is the legitimate reward of a persistency of purpose and determination has attended the efforts of Dr. Arthur G. Ringer, one of the best known and popular of the younger medical prac- titioners of Guernsey county, who, judging from the splendid record he has made in the past, has a brilliant future awaiting him. Me has thoroughly pre- pared himself for his life work and has ever sought to keep fully abreast of the time in all matters pertaining to his line of endeavor.
Doctor Ringer was born in Cambridge, Ohio, November 30, 1880. the scion of a prominent old family, being the son of Dr. John W. and Mary Ann ( Bliss) Ringer. both representatives of honored pioneer families of this county. The mother was a daughter of Washington Bliss, long a prominent citizen here, and a sister of John A. Bliss. a noted educator in Guernsey county for many years. Dr. John W. Ringer, father of the sub- ject, was for many decades a well known and successful physician in this county, having first located at Byesville in 1885, and he was active in pro-
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moting the industries of that town. The family came to Cambridge in 1902 and the father was active in the practice of his profession and was also engaged in the drug business until his death in December, 1909. He was prominent in public affairs and filled many of the municipal offices in Byesville and was a member of the city council of Cambridge. His family consisted of seven children: Maggie B., now Mrs. T. D. Lee, of Cam- bridge; Arthur G., of this review; Alpheus, deceased; an infant deceased; J. Code, a resident of Cambridge; Nellie B., at home. The mother of these children is still living, and the family is prominent in the professional, com- mercial and social life of the city.
Dr. Arthur G. Ringer, of this review, was educated in the Byesville public schools and the Ohio Northern University at Ada, Ohio, from which institution he was graduated in 1898, having completed the commercial course. He then attended the Western University of Pennsylvania and later attended the Ohio Medical College at Columbus, Ohio, and was graduated from the same in 1904, having made an excellent record for scholarship there. In June of that year he began the practice of his profession with his father in Cambridge and has been successfully engaged in the practice ever since, taking a high rank among his professional brethren in this sec- tion of the state and enjoying a rapidly growing patronage.
The Doctor is a member of the county, state and national medical asso- ciations, and for a time he was secretary of the county society. He is a progressive and successful practitioner, as was his father, and is in every respect a worthy son of a worthy sire. In the fall of 1908 he was elected coroner of Guernsey county, and he made such a very creditable record that he was re-elected in the fall of 1910 for a second term of two years, hav- ing filled this important position in a manner that reflected much credit upon his ability and to the entire satisfaction of all concerned .. Like his father before him, he is active in local politics and all public movements. He is an unswerving Republican. He belongs to the Alpha Kappa Kappa med- ical fraternity. He was reared in the Methodist Episcopal church, of which his parents were members, and he and the rest of the family also affiliate with the same. -
Doctor Ringer was married on August 28, 1909, to Florence Rowland, a young lady of talent and refinement, and the representative of a prominent family, being the daughter of Samuel and Madeline (Riggins) Rowland, of London, Ohio. Both her parents are deceased. She is active in church and social life, and their cozy and attractive home at No. 1025 Gaston avenue is the scene of many delightful social functions.
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ISAAC J. OLDHAM.
Isaac J. Oldham, of Cambridge township, son of Marling and Isabelle (Marling) Oldham, was born September 7, 1857, on the old Oldham farm in the above township. He came of pioneer stock. His grandfather, Isaac Oldham, came first to Guernsey county in 1806 and took up one hundred and sixty acres of government land. After this he went back to his home in Pennsylvania, but returned to Guernsey county and settled permanently, in 1808, on the farm where his grandson now lives, and where he reared a family of twelve children. All of these are now dead. The son, Marling, father of Isaac J., who was born where the latter now lives, was a prosper- our farmer and accumulated a large estate in the beautiful Wills creek valley. He had a family of two daughters and one son, Elizabeth, now the widow of John S. Campbell, of Cambridge township, died in October, 1910; Ellen, now Mrs. David Linn, of Westland township, and Isaac J. The father, first a Whig and then a Republican, cast his presidential vote for William Henry Harrison in 1840 and for Benjamin Harrison in 1888. Though never an office seeker, he was always active in public affairs and in move- ments for the general good. He and his family were members of the old Seceder church prior to 1858, but with the organization, at that time, of the United Presbyterian church they joined the latter. He died March 18, 1894, and his widow March 9. 1896, and both are buried in Cambridge cemetery.
Isaac J. Oldham, the subject of the present sketch, grew up on the old home farm and was educated at the district school of the neighborhood. He was married May 4, 1881, to Margaret E. Ford, daughter of Robert K. and Margaret (Workman) Ford, of Cambridge township. The Fords were a pioneer family that came from Washington county, Pennsylvania, in 1820. Mr. and Mrs. Oldham had six children: Merle, now Mrs. Oliver King, of Cambridge township; Clare Ethel, at home; James Paul, married and now living on an adjoining farm; Chauncey M., a progressive teacher of the county ; Ira F., at home, and Margaret E., at home. Mrs. Oldham died February 15, 1893, and is buried in the Cambridge cemetery. Mr. Oldham was married again June 13, 1895, to Esther Ford, a sister of his former wife. There are no children from this union.
A lifelong farmer, Mr. Oldham now owns three hundred and sixty acres of fine Wills creek bottom land, under a high state of cultivation and well improved. This includes both of the old homesteads-the Oldham and the Ford. On the former still stands the original log barn, built in 1820
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from trees that stood on the lot now occupied by the barn. It was quite large for those days, being thirty by sixty feet. A stone house, still stand- ing and occupied as the Oldham home, was built in 1822 of stones taken from the top of an adjacent hill. This was the first house other than a log cabin that was built in the township. An apple tree standing in the yard was planted in 1808 by Grandmother Sarah Oldham, who came here that year with her parents, the Marlings. She had brought along as riding whips two apple sprouts cut from a tree at the Virginia home. After arriving here she planted these and, strange to say, both grew and bore apples for many years. One still lives and has an apple on it this year ( 1910).
Mr. Oldham is an active Republican, has served ten years as township trustee, and for several years has been a school director. He and his family are members of the First United Presbyterian church of Cambridge and take their part in church and Sunday school work. He is known as a man of character and integrity, and is influential in the community where he lives.
JOHN W. BARNES.
Prominent among the pioneers of Guernsey county were the forbears of John W. Barnes, who now resides near Cambridge. His mother's grand- father, Stephen Stiles, came with his family from Virginia early in the nineteenth century, and this was the first white family to settle in what is now Jefferson township. Two houses then stood where Cambridge City is; Indians and wild animals were plentiful in the dense forest that cov- ered the country, and part of pioneer Stiles' task was to roll up and burn magnificent timber that, if now standing, would make his descendants rich. His son, Andrew Stiles, became a large land holder, owning at one time about one thousand two hundred acres, and he gave to each of his children, as they were married, 160 acres. The grandfather on the other side of the house, Abraham Barnes, was a land owner in Virginia and Pennsylvania. He was a big-hearted, liberal German. His son, Francis, the father of John WV., owned land in Guernsey county and also owned and operated the Barnes grist mill, which was bought from the Oldhams. The Oldhams were the original settlers of Wills creek valley, and upon Wills creek this mill was built in 1828. From the Oldhams it passed through several hands until 1865, when it was bought by Francis Barnes and his brother Abraham, who operated it jointly until 1870, when Francis bought his brother's interest and
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continued as owner and operator. It has been known as Barnes' mill since 1865. Francis Barnes died in 1888, his widow died in February of 1892, and both are buried in Center cemetery. At the settlement of the father's estate, in 1890, the sons, John W. and Francis A., became the owners of the mill, they having operated it from the time of the father's death. From 1828 to the present time this mill has been an important business center in the Wills creek valley. The first power mill in Guernsey county, it kept pace with the progress of the times. From the old-fashioned buhrstone it changed to the roller process, and in 1892 it was thoroughly renovated and modernized in all its departments. The original mill burned down in 1834. It was rebuilt in 1840, and this plant, after doing duty for sixty years, was succeeded in 1900 by another building on the opposite side of the creek, into which the old machinery was removed. The present mill has both water and steam power. It is as modern in its equipment as any in the county, and has a capacity of fifty barrels of flour and two hundred and fifty bushels of feed. daily.
The children of Francis and Mary A. (Stiles) Barnes are: Abraham A., of Cambridge; Mary C., now Mrs. Thomas Moore, of Cambridge town- ship; John W., the subject of this sketch; Andrew S., of Cambridge; Cora D. and Francis A. Those deceased were: Sarah I., Dolly, Joseph W. and Alva A.
John W. Barnes, the third of these children, was born July 3, 1855, in Jefferson township, Guernsey county, Ohio. His early childhood was spent on the farm, but when he was ten years old the family removed to the mill property, where he has since resided. He attended the district schools a few months each year until he was fifteen, after which his time and energy were all taken up with the mill work. On August 24, 1901, he was married to Ella A. Thomas, daughter of Jesse and Lavina G. (Tolbert) Thomas, of Guernsey county. No children have been born to them.
Mr. Barnes is a Republican in politics. For many years he was an active party worker, and still retains a keen interest in public and party matters. He is a member of the Cambridge Lodge, Knights of Pythias, and both he and Mrs. Barnes are members of the Methodist Episcopal church. The Barnes brothers, John W. and Francis A., in addition to their milling inter- ests, have a farm of one hundred and seventy acres in the Wills creek valley, near the mill. John W. has also landed interests of considerable importance in other states. The Wills creek valley about Barnes' mill is a beautiful stretch of country, and the locality with the old mill buildings as a center have many interesting traditions of the early life. Both the brothers are excellent business men and both stand high in the estimation of the community.
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ALBERT R. CAIN, M. D.
Among the physicians and surgeons of Guernsey county who have risen to eminence in their chosen field of endeavor is Dr. Albert R. Cain, of Cam- bridge, whose career has been that of a broad-minded, conscientious worker in the sphere to which his life and energies have been devoted, and whose pro- found knowledge of his profession has won for him a leading place among the most distinguished medical men of his day and generation in this locality.
Doctor Cain was born November 9. 1850, at Carlisle, Noble county, Ohio, and he is the son of Doctor Richard and Adelia ( Mallett) Cain. The father was born in Monroe county and was a member of a pioneer family ; the mother was born in Ohio county, West Virginia. The father was a physician in Noble county and well known there, practicing successfully until his death in 1855 ; his widow survived until April 24, 1884, dying at Senecaville, Guern- sey county, Ohio. Mr. and Mrs. Richard Cain were the parents of three children, one son dying in infancy, namely: Dr. Albert R., of this review; Mary, who married W. M. Ogle, of Middleburg, Noble county, this state, now of Marietta, Ohio.
Albert R. Cain was educated primarily in the public schools and the Cald- well high school, after which he taught for six years in Noble county. He entered Miami Medical College at Cincinnati, Ohio, in the fall of 1873, hav- ing read medicine two years prior to this with Dr. William Martin, of Har- riettsville, Noble county, Ohio. After making a splendid record as a medical student he began practice at Carlisle, Noble county, and remained there two years, then moved to Senecaville, Guernsey county, where he successfully practiced for a period of sixteen years. In the fall of 1891 he entered Col- umbus Medical College, at Columbus, Ohio, from which institution he received his degree the following March, and then took up his practice in Cambridge and has remained here ever since, having built up a large and profitable prac- tice. He also practices surgery in addition to his regular general practice, and he holds a very high rank among the eminent medical men of this part of the state, being well grounded in his profession and keeping abreast of the times in every respect, and he has the confidence and esteem of the masses. The Doctor is a member of the Guernsey County Medical Society in which he takes much interest, and of the American Historical Association. He was elected president of the Eighth Council District Medical Association at its seventh annual session, held at Zanesville, Ohio, November 25, 1910. This associa- tion is composed of the eight counties of Guernsey, Athens, Licking, Morgan, Muskingum, Noble, Perry and Washington.
ALBERT R. CAIN, M. D.
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On April 24, 1880, Doctor Cain was married to Eliza M. Hatton, daugh- ter of James and Jane ( Thompson ) Hatton, of Lore City, this county, repre- senting a prominent pioneer family. Frank Hatton, who was postmaster gen- eral under President Garfield, was a cousin of Mrs. Cain. These parents are both deceased, they having moved to southern Illinois some years prior.
To Doctor and Mrs. Cain three children have been born, one of whom died in infancy ; Laura and Mary are both at home.
Doctor Cain is a Republican in politics and he has been active in public matters ; though never being an office seeker, he has always stood ready to sup- port all just measures. His wife and daughters are members of the Methodist Episcopal church and are active church and Sunday school workers, and the Doctor is an attendant and liberal contributor. He has an attractive and pleas- ant home at No. 322 North Sixth street. The Doctor is an advocate of out- door recreation and he and members of his family are accustomed to take an annual eastern trip and enjoy the sea coast for awhile.
In addition to his general practice, the Doctor is assistant surgeon for the Baltimore & Ohio railroad, having charge of the Cambridge division. Personally, he is a genial, well rounded, likable gentleman, unassuming and a good mixer. He is an educated, cultured and entertaining conversationalist, and is in every way deserving of the large success that has attended his efforts as a medical practitioner and of the high esteem in which he is held.
WILLIAM W. DOWDALL.
Beginning life at practically the bottom of the ladder, William WV. Dow- dall, an enterprising citizen of Quaker City, Guernsey county, has climbed step by step to the top, with little other aid than that of a stout heart and willing hands and an intelligent brain, and he is a valuable example of what may be accomplished by thrift and perseverance, even under circumstances often discouraging.
Mr. Dowdall was born on December 3, 1853, in Belmont county, Ohio, near Atlas, and is the son of James and Elizabeth (Custer) Dowdall, the father a native of Loudoun county. Virginia, and the mother born in Belmont county, Ohio. The father came to Belmont county as a young man and was married there. He was a tailor by trade and in his family were nine children, he having four children by a former marriage. In 1881, the family removed to Quaker City and have resided here ever since; both parents are
(43)
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living. The son, William W., came to Quaker City in 1883, having gone to Emporia, Kansas, from Belmont county in 1878 where he worked at painting and paper hanging, having learned the trade in Belmont county. His child- hood and early youth was spent in Boston, Belmont county, and where he obtained his education in the public schools. On returning to Quaker City he engaged in contracting, painting and paper hanging. He was married on September 3, 1891, to Mary Gibbons, daughter of John and Mary ( Black) Gibbons, of Chester Hill, Morgan county, Ohio, and were never residents of Guernsey county. To this union have been born one son and one daughter, William J. and Eva A.
Mr. Dowdall was engaged in the painting and paper hanging business until June 1, 1908, taking charge of the postoffice at Quaker City on that date. The office is doing a large business for a town of the size, having six rural routes and one star route. He is a popular and obliging official, a Republican in politics and an active party worker and has been a frequent delegate to conventions. He was elected assessor of Millwood township for three successive years, and was health officer of Quaker City for four years, being always an efficient and faithful public officer in whatever position he was placed. He is a member of Quaker Lodge of Masons. He and his fam- ily are members of the Methodist Episcopal church and he is a member of the board of trustees. Mr. Dowdall is also a teacher in the Sunday school, and has been for many years. He is an honest, upright man and highly regarded by all who know him and have had dealings with him. His wife is assistant postmaster and his son, William J., is a clerk in the office, the business being admirably conducted.
WILLIAM HAMILTON BELL.
Among the agriculturists of Guernsey county whose efforts have been crowned with abundant success and who is deserving of the high esteem in which they are held is William Hamilton Bell, whose life has been so exemplary that it serves scarcely any purpose here to state that naught derogatory has ever been said against him by those who know him best. He was born on August 21, 1837, on the farm where he now lives, and he has done his full share in developing the community. He is the son of Wil- liam and Mary (Glenn) Bell. The parents came to this county from Wash- ington county, Pennsylvania, in the spring of 1837. Gabriel Glenn, a brother of Mrs. Bell, accompanied the family here and invested largely in wood land,
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this being the farthest point west that the family thought they could pene- trate with their wagons and families. This country at that time was all timbered with the finest quality of trees. There were only two children in the family of Mr. and Mrs. William Bell, a son and a daughter, the latter, Agnes Jane, being deceased many years; she was married to Hugh P. Morrison, dying soon after her wedding. The father's death occurred on May 30, 1869, his widow surviving until March 14, 1882. Both are buried in the cemetery at Lebanon, Guernsey county, as is also the daughter, Mrs. Morrison. The father was a farmer and large land owner, and he was in- duced to come to Guernsey county on account of the cheaper land. He paid for his land with money he saved through hard work as a "flailer," having flailed grain for one-tenth of the grain, threshed for the farmers of Wash- ington county, Pennsylvania, and thus his start toward his acquisition of large land interests in Guernsey county. These parents were devoted Pres- byterians and active in the establishment of the church in the new country. The father was an upright man in all his dealings, and in politics he was a Whig and later a Republican and a strong advocate of good government and right living, and he filled various township offices. He was an elder in the United Presbyterian church from its organization here until his death. His life was devoted very largely to his home and family and his land interests.
William Hamilton Bell, of this review, grew to maturity on the home farm and was educated in the district schools, in a school house located on his father's farm. His was a sturdy, industrious boyhood, and he has always devoted his life to farming and stock raising. He has been twice married, first to Jane Clark, daughter of William H. and Margaret Clark, of Knox township, this county, and to this union two children were born, Nancy Jane and William C., the former being deceased and the latter living on the farm with his father. Mrs. Bell passed to her rest in June, 1871. His second marriage was solemnized on April 18, 1872, to Maggie Mason, daughter of Henry and Catherine Mason, of Knox township, this county. Both these parents came to this country from county Down, Ireland, in 1846, and settled in Guernsey county, Ohio. A sketch of this prominent old family appears elsewhere in this work. To Mr. Bell's second union four children were born, one dying in infancy; Mary C. is deceased; Jessie O. and Annie May are at home with their parents. This family has spent their lives on the farm where they now live and which was first settled by their ancestors. Mr. Bell is the owner of an excellent farm of two hun- dred and twelve acres, and he has kept it well improved and carefully tilled,
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