USA > Ohio > Guernsey County > History of Guernsey County, Ohio, Volume II > Part 36
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Charles R. Austin was reared in the town of his birth, and there re- ceived his education, having graduated from the Dresden high school in 1888. In the fall of the same year he took up the business of civil engineering, con- tinuing at this for nearly a year. This was not his first business venture, however, for while still attending school he had worked at intervals at the printing business. He had also taught school near Dresden, in Muskingum township. Not being satisfied with any of these ventures, he decided to follow in his father's footsteps and to that end entered the Medical College of Ohio, at Cincinnati, from which he was graduated in 1894, the same year that his father retired from the practice. He began the practice of his profession in Nebraska, where he spent three months, at the expiration of which time he returned to Byesville, in October, 1894, and has since been engaged in the practice of his profession from this point.
In his political allegiance, Doctor Austin is a Republican and has served
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the people of Guernsey county in sundry offices. For seven years he was a member of the board of education at Byesville, being also a clerk of the board all that time. While a member of this board he did much for the public school system of the county, was active in the reorganization of the schools and was instrumental in, and largely responsible for, their advance- ment in standing from the third to first grade. April 8, 1907, he was further honored by being appointed postmaster of Byesville, and was chosen his own successor in December, 1907, being still in that position at this writing ( 1910). However, because of the heavy demands made on his time and energy by his large and evergrowing practice, he was compelled to turn the management of the office over to an assistant who ably conducts the office for him. In common with the majority of wide-awake, enterprising men, he is interested in fraternal and benevolent organizations, being a member of Cambridge Lodge No. 448, Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, and Red Prince Lodge No. 250, Knights of Pythias, at Byesville. He is also a member of the Guernsey County Medical Society, of which he is ex-presi- dent.
Doctor Austin was happily married in 1901 to Laura Stewart, of Cam- bridge, a daughter of William and Phoebe (McPeek) Stewart. To this union two children have been born, David W. and Emma Merriam.
One of Doctor Austin's ancestors, his father's grand uncle, David Wil- liams, gained distinction in the Revolutionary war, being one of the three who captured Major Andre, and the powder horn belonging to this man is now a treasured family heirloom.
WILLIAM T. RAMSEY, M. D.
The name of Dr. William T. Ramsey has long since become a household word throughout Guernsey county, where he has practiced his profession for more than a quarter of a century, and he is regarded as one of the leading medical men of eastern Ohio, keeping abreast of the times in all matters per- taining to his calling and broad-minded and conscientious in the discharge of his professional duties.
Doctor Ramsey was born April 18. 1847, in Frederick, Maryland, and he is the son of James M. and Mary Eleanor Addison (Tyler) Ramsey. His father was a lawyer by profession, and he filled the responsible position of chief clerk to the first comptroller of the treasury for several years, dying in
WILLIAM T. RAMSEY, M. D.
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the service at the early age of thirty-nine years. He was a native of Gettys- burg, Pennsylvania, and his wife was born in Frederick, Maryland. Her death occurred about thirty years ago in Washington, D. C.
Doctor Ramsey was educated at the academy at Frederick and while yet a mere lad he entered the commissary department of the Union army during the Civil war, and remained in the same until September, 1865, when he was transferred to the commissary-general's office in Washington and remained there until 1869. Then he entered the commissary department of the army located at Washington, D. C., and while in this service studied medicine at Columbian College, in that city, having been graduated from this institution in 1871. He resigned from the commissary department in 1873, leaving the service to begin the practice of medicine. He was at Providence Hospital in Washington, D. C., until 1879. In 1880 he received an appointment as sur- geon with the Pacific Mail Steamship Company and remained in the same one year. He came to Washington, Guernsey county, Ohio, in i881 and began the practice of his profession there, and in April. 1883. he came to Cambridge and has been here ever since. He has enjoyed a large practice from the first and his reputation has far transcended the limits of Guernsey county. He is kept very busy as a general practitioner and won an envied reputation in a community long noted for the high order of its medical talent.
Doctor Ramsey was married on January 2, 1884, to Martha Isabelle Lawrence, daughter of William A. and Mary ( Moore ) Lawrence. Her father was a prominent citizen and served as county treasurer for four years. At the time of his death, in December. 1879, he was cashier of the Guernsey National Bank. His wife died the following month, January, 1880. To Dr. and Mrs. Ramsey two children have been born, William L., deceased, and James M., now with the National Coal Company of Cambridge.
Politically, Doctor Ramsey is a Democrat, and he has always been active in public affairs and during two terms of President Cleveland's administration he was a member of the board of pension examiners. In 1907 he was ap- pointed health officer of Cambridge and is still serving very acceptably in that capacity. He is a member of the state and county medical societies, and he was for some time president of the latter. He is a member of the Masonic order and is a Knight Templar and a thirty-second-degree Mason. He is a member of the Ohio Consistory at Cincinnati and he has filled most of the offices of the order. He is active in lodge matters. Doctor Ramsey, wife and son are members of the Episcopal church and active church workers, --- in fact Mrs. Ramsey is an active worker in all church and charitable circles. and, like the Doctor, she is held in high favor in a wide circle of friends.
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The Doctor's sterling old grandfather, Samuel Ramsey, was reared on a farm, the one adjacent to that of President James Buchanan near Lancaster, Pennsylvania. They attended school together and graduated from Dickinson College at Carlisle, Pennsylvania, in the same class, studied law together and were admitted to the bar at the same time.
ROBERT STEELE FORBES, M. D.
There is much in the life record of the late Dr. Robert Steele Forbes worthy of commendation and admiration. Like many other brainy, ener- getic citizens of Guernsey county, he did not wait for a specially brilliant opening. Indeed, he could not wait, for his natural industry would not per- mit him to do so. In his early youth he gave evidence of the possession of traits of character which made his life exceptionally successful and he be- came one of the county's foremost and successful citizens, especially at Byes- ville, his late home.
Robert S. Forbes was born on October 9. 1833, near Middleton, Guern- sey county, Ohio, and he was summoned to close his earthly career on July 2, 1898, at the age of sixty-eight years, six months and seven days. He was the son of Boyd and Martha Forbes, the father having been a native of Ireland, from which country he emigrated to America in an early day. Doc- tor Forbes spent his boyhood on a farm and when seventeen years of age began teaching school, having received a good education in the schools of his native community, being an ardent student from the start. But being inclined to the medical profession, he gave up teaching and began the study of medicine with Doctor George, of Middleton, after which he attended medical college at Columbus, Ohio. Before completing his course there he came to Byesville and took up the practice of his profession, which he con- tinued for several years, then returned to Columbus and was graduated from the institution there with honors. He then resumed his practice at Byes- ville, but not long afterwards went to Kingston, Ross county, where he remained in the practice of his profession for a period of six years. He was also part owner of a drug store there and was very successful; but he moved back to his old home at Byesville.
On April 1, 1863, Doctor Forbes was married to Malinda Wilson, sis- ter of H. H. Wilson, to whose sketch, appearing on another page of this work, the reader is respectfully referred for the family history of Mrs.
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Forbes. She was born about a mile from Byesville, where she was reared and educated, remaining there until her marriage, then went to housekeep- ing in the house where she now resides. She is a woman of many estimable traits, hospitable, generous and, like her lamented husband, has a host of warm personal friends.
Doctor Forbes was a member of the Methodist Episcopal church and he belonged to the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. He was a patriotic man, and during the great struggle between North and South in the early sixties he followed the flag of the National Union. becoming first lieutenant in Company E, under Captain Ferguson, of Cambridge. While in the ser- vice he was stricken with paralysis and he never fully recovered the full use of his right arm, but he grew worse later in life. Politically, he was a Democrat and was outspoken in support of his party's principles, even in the army, where those who differed from him were in the great majority and to speak too freely was sometimes dangerous. He was a man who was fond of home, and he was seldom away except when out professionally. He enjoyed a large practice both at Byesville and this entire vicinity, and he kept abreast of the times in all matters pertaining to his profession. While at other places. In fact. his work was so strenuous there that he was not physi- cally able to bear it all, so he gave it up and came back to his old home com- munity. During the last seven years of his life he was unable to practice on account of the paralysis that was gradually mastering him. He was a man with a high sense of honor and was popular wherever he was known. Since his death Mrs. Forbes has continued to reside on the old homestead.
ARCHIBALD L. BLACK.
From the far-famed and beautiful land of Bruce and Burns, the blue- bell and the heather, from which so many of our sterling emigrants have come, Archibald L. Black, well known in mining circles in the vicinity of Trail Run, Jackson township, Guernsey county, has migrated and become a loyal and popular citizen, for in his makeup are many of the strong and admirable traits of the typical Scotchman. His birth occurred on July 17. 1865, in Ayreshire, Scotland, and he was brought to our shores when eight years old. He is the son of James and Agnes Black. The family had prev- iously resided in America, before 1860. Five uncles of the subject, on the paternal side, fought in the Union army during the Civil war. The oldest,
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Capt. George Black, was killed in battle. James Black took care of the fami- lies of the five brothers. Four of them died during the war, only one return- ing home. Three of them had previously been in the British army, one hav- ing served in the West Indies. In 1861, the father, James Black, took the family back to Scotland. The family were all goldsmiths and glass-cut- ters and some of them lost their money in the banks during the war. The family returned to the United States about 1873 and located at Mansfield, now Carnegie, near Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, where James Black had lived before the Civil war. He owned a large portion of the land on which the town of Carnegie stands. He lost heavily during the panic of 1873, also in 1883, when the banks in Pittsburg failed,-in fact he was financially ruined, losing all his property. He was a man of excellent business ability and accumulated a large competency. He and his wife died in Illinois.
Archibald L. Black is one of a family of nine children, seven boys and two girls. As the boys became of proper age they began supporting them- selves by working out, the subject going into the mines first when only eleven years old. This training was somewhat hard for the youngsters, but made men out of them and taught them many valuable lessons that have been of much subsequent value to them. Archibald L. has followed mining all his life. He worked in various localities, part of the time in the West. He was married in 1885 to Mary Hanson, of Pittsburg, daughter of Wil- liam and Elizabeth Hanson, and to this union three children were born, Alfred William, Agnes Irene and Eva Mary.
Mr. Black moved to Guernsey county, Ohio, in 1908. He had been superintendent of mines in various places for nearly twenty years before com- ing here, especially in the vicinity of Pittsburg, which is still the family home, many of the Blacks still living there. He was brought here for the purpose of assuming the duties of superintendent of Trail Run mine No. 2, in the southeastern part of Jackson township. He now has under his control two hundred and sixty men, whom he handles in such a manner as to get the greatest results and at the same time retain their good will. He is well abreast of the times in all matters pertaining to his line of work, and is a man of much ability and commendable traits.
Politically, Mr. Black is a Republican and takes an active interest in party affairs, though he is no office seeker. He is a member of the Inde- pendent Order of Odd Fellows, at Madrid, New Mexico, the subordinate lodge and the encampment at Santa Fe, having been superintendent of a mine there four years. He is also a member of the Knights of Pythias at Byes- ville, and he belonged to a lodge at Pittsburg for about twenty years. He is
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also a member of the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, at Connells- ville, Pennsylvania, and he and Mrs. Black belong to the Presbyterian church.
Mr. Black's record as a mine superintendent is second to none and proves that he is a man of much native ability. He was the youngest mine superintendent the Santa Fe had, having become superintendent there before he was twenty-five years of age.
WILLIAM ALONZO HUNT.
One of the successful business men of the younger generation of Can- bridge and one of the representative citizens of Guernsey county is William Alonzo Hunt, who has been successful in whatever he has turned his atten- tion to because he is endowed with proper business principles and is per- sistent in whatever he undertakes. By a life consistent in motive and because of his many fine qualities, he has earned the sincere regard of all who know him and his success bespeaks for him continued advancements and a higher plane of usefulness in the industrial world.
Mr. Hunt was born on October 19, 1872, near Fairview, Guernsey county, and he is the son of Andrew Jackson and Margaret ( Stevens) Hunt. The father was born in Washington county, Pennsylvania, May 28, 1832, and he was the son of John and Sarah Hunt. When he was five years old they moved to Londonderry township, this county. Andrew J. Hunt was one of fourteen children and he spent most of his life in Londonderry town- ship, coming in later life to Wills township and finally to Cambridge, where his death occurred on May 31. 1899: his widow is still living in Cambridge. Nora Hunt married Steven Decker, of Washington township; James I .; Clara is the widow of H. F. Claggett, deceased; George S .: William A., of this review; Andrew J., Jr. ; Mrs. Ettie E. Sheer, who died July 29, 1909; Dulcie M., wife of Frank J. Wilkin : Henry and Mary died in infancy. An- drew J. Hunt was a soldier in the Civil war, having enlisted in Company H, One Hundred and Eighty-fifth Ohio Volunteer Infantry, under Capt. J. G. Bell, and he was an excellent soldier, serving until the close of the war.
William A. Hunt, of this review, grew up on the farm in Londonderry township, where he assisted with the general work. He enjoyed the advan- tages of a liberal education, having attended the common schools of his com- munity and later the college at Scio, and was graduated from the Ohio North- ern University in 1897, taking the degree of Bachelor of Science. During
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his college days he had begun teaching in 1890 in the public schools of Guern- sey county and for a period of seventeen years he continued to teach, becom- ing one of the best known and popular educators of the county. He was superintendent of schools at Pleasant City : about 1899 he was appointed prin- cipal of the South Side school in Cambridge, which position he continued to hold for a period of eight years, being popular with both pupil and pa- tron. He is both an instructor and entertainer in the school room and his services were always in great demand. He kept fully abreast of the times in all matters pertaining to his profession and never allowed himself to grow narrow or pedantic, like so many of his colleagues are prone to do.
Finally tiring of the school room, Mr. Hunt entered the real estate busi- ness, buying vacant tracts of land, platting and selling them on easy payments. He has been very successful in this line of endeavor and has developed three different additions to Cambridge, Hunt's addition consisting of sixty lots ; next was the John M. Ogier addition of twenty-four lots, which had already been platted and one lot sold; the third was Orchard Grove addition, con- sisting of fifty-five lots. He has also handled a number of other small tracts, building on them and selling the houses. He has been instrumental in build- ing more homes in Cambridge than any other man and he has done much to develop the city in which he takes a great pride and he ever stands ready to assist in any worthy movement looking to the upbuilding and general good of the same.
In 1909 he bought the Oliver & Shawber Planing Mill, which he tore down and moved the machinery to the Crossing Machine Works on Wood- lawn avenue, Cambridge, and he has made an up-to-date, modern and well equipped mill of it, which has been a successful venture.
Politically, Mr. Hunt is a Republican and he takes much more than a passing interest in public matters. He was elected a member of the city council of Cambridge in the fall of 1908 and served two years in a very acceptable manner. Fraternally, he is a member of the Knights of Pythias.
Mr. Hunt was married on August 10, 1898, to Bertha Ford, one of his former pupils at College Hill school. She is a young lady of talent and cul- ture. She was born near Cambridge and is the daughter of James P. and Isabelle (LePage) Ford. Her parents were both born and reared near Cam- bridge, each representing excellent old families, her mother being the daughter of Thomas LePage, whose parents came from the isle of Guernsey in the early days. The Ford family was also early settlers in Guernsey county.
Two sons have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Hunt, Robert and William. Mr. and Mrs. Hunt are members of the Methodist Protestant church.
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Mr. Hunt is regarded as one of the leading men of Cambridge, popular. obliging, public-spirited, honest and upright in all his dealings with the public and of pleasing address, winning friends wherever he goes and always re- taining their esteem, and he and his wife are admired by a wide circle of ac- quaintances for their congeniality and many praiseworthy attributes.
ROBERT HENRY ATKINS.
The name of the late Robert Henry Atkins will long be remembered by the people of Guernsey county, for it is a name that was ever associated with the material, civic and social progress of the community. No aspersions can be made on any action of his during an extended pilgrimage here, and for a half century he was one of the leading business men and representative citi- zens of Cambridge. He was a man of the highest ideals, straightforward in all his business transactions and a man of splendid address. .
Mr. Atkins was a fine type of the genteel Southern gentleman of the old school, his birth having occurred in Orange county. Virginia, November 29. 1829, and, although he spent the major part of his life in the Buckeye state, having come to Guernsey county with his parents when ten years of age, he evinced traits of the cultured and hospitable son of the Old Dominion all his life. With the exception of a year or two spent in Washington City, he spent his life in the city of Cambridge, receiving his education in the local schools and starting in business here when a young man. He was married in Janu- ary. 1852, to Martha A. Hyatt, daughter of Noah Hyatt, another prominent early family, a record of whom appears in this volume. To Mr. and Mrs. Atkins nine children were born, of whom five are living, as follows: Bertha, wife of M. R. Patterson, of Columbus; Maley M., wife of S. M. Burgess, of Cambridge : Rose R., wife of A. J. Mccullough, of Ashland, Kentucky ; Robert Noah. jeweler of Cambridge, whose sketch appears herein: James Henry, also of Cambridge.
In very early life Robert H. Atkins engaged in the mercantile business. He maintained the first book store in Cambridge and in 1862 embarked in what was from that time the occupation of his life, the jewelry business. From an humble beginning he forged his way to the front in due course of time, by industry, honest dealing and close application, with the unflagging aid and encouragement of his estimable wife, building up one of the largest as well as one of the most reliable jewelry establishments in this part of
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Ohio, this store being twice as old as any other jewelry establishment in Cam- bridge. He always carried a neat and well selected stock and his repair de- partment was considered second to none in the country.
The death of this estimable citizen occurred on March 7, 1892, after an illness of several months. His kind and genial manners brought to him both old and young as patrons. While he was in no sense of the word a politician, he was always in accord with the principles of Democracy, and, though loving the retirement of home, he never neglected to exercise his just prerogative as a citizen. He became a member of the Presbyterian church in January, 1870, and he was a useful and influential member as long as he lived, regular in his attendance and liberal in its support. He was treasurer of the local church for many years. He was a good and useful man against whom no word of unkindness could be uttered, for to know him was to admire, revere and re- spect him.
After his death, Mrs. Atkins continued the business for about fifteen years, showing herself a woman of unusual ability in business affairs. She still makes her home in Cambridge, and, like her esteemed husband before her, is highly regarded by a wide circle of warm personal friends.
GEORGE MCCLELLAND SECREST.
Success has attended the efforts of George McClelland Secrest, one of the best known agriculturists of Valley township, Guernsey county, because he has worked persistently for it along legitimate lines and has never de- pended upon anyone else to do either his work or his planning. He comes from one of the old and excellent families of this county, and he was born on his father's farm, just east of the town of Hartford, in 1864, and there he grew to maturity, assisting with the general work about the place as soon as he was old enough, attending the neighboring schools during the winter months, and he has made farming his chief life work, being very successful in all its phases. He is the son of William and Mary C. (Buckley ) Secrest, a record of whose lives is to be found in this work.
On December 9, 1887, George M. Secrest was married to Maggie Laughlin, daughter of James and Mary (Secrest) Laughlin, of Pleasant City, this county, whose sketches also appear in this volume. She was born near Chaswith, Noble county, of an excellent family, well known and highly
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respected there. She remained at her parental fireside during her girlhood days and attended the neighboring schools.
After his marriage George M. Secrest lived on his father's farm, east of Hartford, in fact he has made it his place of abode ever since, and has kept the old place well improved and under a high state of cultivation, tilling the soil in a manner that has caused it to retain its original fertility. He has kept the dwelling, outbuildings and fences in good repair and has one of the choice farms of the township, having been very successful not only as a gen- eral farmer, but also as a raiser of stock. He has complete management of the farm since his father became advanced in age. In connection with farm- ing, he ran a saw-mill very successfully a few years.
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