USA > Ohio > Huron County > History of Huron County, Ohio, Its Progress and Development, Volume II > Part 37
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Amid the wholesome scenes and environments of agricultural life Robert Ar- thur was reared to manhood, and during the intervening years he attended the district schools in the acquirement of a good education that fitted him for the re- sponsible and practical duties of life. Under the direction of his father he also learned valuable lessons concerning the best methods of cultivating the fields, and in the broader school of experience received thorough and comprehensive train- ing. He has devoted his entire life to general farming, in which he has been eminently successful, and by indefatigable energy, untiring diligence and intelli-
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gently applied labor he has been able to add, from time to time, to his property holdings until today he is the most extensive landowner in Huron county, having in his possession about thirteen hundred acres of fine farming land.
On the 27th of February, 1867, Mr. Arthur was united in marriage to Miss Julia Cook, a daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Wyet Cook, residents of Peru township. In that township she was born in 1843 and on the 20th of April, 1901, was called to her final rest, her death being the cause of deep regret to a large number of warm friends. Beside her husband she left to mourn her loss five children, namely : Mattie, who still resides at home; Clarence, who married Inez Hill, by whom he has two children, Margaret and Francis, and who resides upon and ope- rates the home farm; J. V., who married Irene Otes and with his wife and three children, Aubrey, John M. and Annetta, resides near Steuben, Ohio; Laura, the wife of James Trimmer of Fairfield township, by whom she has six children, Helen, Arthur, Marian, Julia, Jeanette and Charles, the family residence being at North Fairfield, Ohio; and Fred, residing at Steuben, who married Alice Barre and has two children, Robert and Malcolm.
Mr. Arthur's religious faith is indicated in his membership in the Congre- gational church of Steuben, in which he has been a trustee for a great number of years. He gives his political allegiance to the democratic party and has served in several township offices on that ticket, being trustee of the township for four terms and a school director for a long period. He has already passed the Psalm- ist's allotted span of three score years and ten, having reached the eightieth mile- stone on life's journey, while his entire career has been passed within the borders of Huron county, where his fellow citizens know him as a straightforward and re- liable man and an enterprising farmer, who well deserves the esteem and high re- gard that is uniformly accorded liim.
WILLIAM GAMBLE.
William Gamble, who is now living retired in a comfortable home in Steuben, Huron county, was for many years closely identified with the agricultural in- terests of Greenfield township, where he owned farming property. Mr. Gamble was born in Lincolnshire, England, October 15, 1842, and was but six months old when brought by his parents, Thomas and Mary (Rick) Gamble, to the United States. The father was born December 21, 1806, and at an early day came to the new world, establishing his home in New York, where he remained about fif- teen months. He then continued his journey westward, and with his family set- tled in Monroeville, Huron county, where for a time he was in the employ of the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad Company. Believing, however, that farm life would prove more congenial, he began in a small way by purchasing ten acres of land in Fairfield township. He then took up his abode on this place and made it his home until his wife died, when he disposed of his farming interests and removed to Illi- nois, making his home with a daughter during the succeeding eight years. He once more returned to Huron county and entered the employ of Barnett Roe in a mill. Later he in partnership with his son purchased sixty-six acres of land in
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Greenfield township and for thirty-one years was actively identified with agricul- tural pursuits, his death occurring April 8, 1895, when he had reached the ex- treme old age of eighty-eight years, and his remains lie buried in the cemetery at Steuben. As above stated, his wife bore the maiden name of Mary Rick, and they became the parents of two sons and a daughter: William, of this review; Joseph, who left home about forty-five years ago, since which time he has not been heard from; and Mary Ann, who makes her home in Minnesota. The wife and mother lived but a few years after coming to the United States, her death oc- curring in 1849, her remains being interred at Olena, in Bronson township, Hu- ron county.
William Gamble accompanied his parents on their various removals after com- ing to this country but he was mainly reared in Huron county, where he also ac- quired his education, which, however, was somewhat limited, owing to the primi- tive condition of the newly settled district. After reaching mature years he and his father purchased sixty-six acres of land in Greenfield township, which they culti- vated for thirty-one years. Eventually Mr. Gamble added a tract of sixty-six acres to the original purchase and made all the improvements upon the place. He erected a house and barn but the latter was destroyed by fire but was soon re- placed by another. Throughout a long period he was closely identified with farm- ing interests but in 1903 he disposed of his farm property to Mrs. Samuel Wag- ner and purchased a nice home in Steuben, where he has since made his home. He has here four and a half acres of ground, which is kept in good condition and today he is numbered among the worthy retired citizens of this village.
Mr. Gamble was united in marriage to Miss Elizabeth Bennett, a daughter of Allen and Harriett (Youngs) Bennett, the ceremony being performed on the 9th of February, 1864. Mrs. Gamble was born in New Haven township, Hu- ron county, her paternal grandfather, James Youngs, having been a pioneer settler of that district. Her father was born in the Empire state in 1823 and departed this life in 1859, when but thirty-six years of age. The mother was born in Auburn township, Richland county, Ohio, in 1827, and was married in Greenfield town- ship to Mr. Youngs. Her death occurred in 1857, when she was but thirty years old. Their family numbered two sons and two daughters, namely : Elizabeth, now Mrs. Gamble; James, a resident of Illinois ; Charles, of Indiana; and Mary, who died at the age of nine years. Mrs. Gamble was but nine years of age at the time of her parents' death, and she was then taken into the home of her grandfather, James Youngs, by whom she was carefully reared and educated. She made her home with her grandfather until the time of her marriage. She has become the mother of five children, as follows: Lillian, the wife of Charles Earl, of Fairfield township, by whom she has one child, Fannie; Helen, who is the wife of Fred Sparks, of Peru township, and the mother of three children, Maud, Walter and Stamford; William Thomas, who wedded Ella Brant, of Chicago, Ohio, by whom he has had three children, Lawrence, Dale and Wilma, but the latter is now de- ceased ; Jay, who wedded Ethel Brant, their home being in Norwalk, Ohio; and Mary, who died at the age of eleven months.
Mr. Gamble is independent in his political views and affiliations and for the past ten years has served as township trustee. He has also held other public offices, having been elected on both the republican and democratic tickets. He has now
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passed the sixty-seventh milestone on life's journey and the greater part of this period has been passed in Huron county, so that few men have more intimate knowledge of its history or of events which have left their impress upon its an- mals. He has spent a busy, active and useful life and he and his estimable wife are now enjoying in retirement the accumulations of profitable, successful and honorable careers.
CLARENCE E. STOTTS.
One of the native sons of Ripley township, successful in his agricultural pur- suits and prominent in local business circles is Clarence E. Stotts, who lives upon the old homestead and enjoys the home which for so many years was the resi- dence of his father. He was born November 3, 1863, and is a son of Abram and Mariette (Boughton) Stotts. The father, born December 5, 1822, in Belmont county, Ohio, was the son of John and Eva (Winter) Stotts, the latter a native of Virginia, and was the eldest of nine children : Abram, Isaac, Jacob, Sarah, Mar- tin K., Catherine, George, Daniel and Elizabeth. He was the first born and he was the last to die. The eighty-six years of his life, his death occurring July 21, 1909, were crowded with activities of the highest order and of profit to others. A man whose advantages in his youth had been limited, the success of his life in farming and in the business world was due entirely to his own efforts. The Hu- ron County Insurance Company was organized in his house, that in which Clar- ence E. Stotts lives today, and he was elected its first president. He was also a director of the First National Bank at Greenwich for a period of two years. The people of Ripley township frequently called upon him to fill the various offices which were at their disposal and twice, in 1875 and in 1878, he was elected on the republican ticket to fill the post of commissioner for Huron county. In the Baptist church at North Fairfield he was also prominent, and he administered the duties of trustee and deacon with wisdom and decorum. In short he was a man who made a place for himself in the fore ranks despite the fact that he was handi- capped in the struggle for life by limited early training. His wife, who before her marriage was Miss Mariette Boughton, was born in Allegany county, New York, June 12, 1831, and was the daughter of John and Susan (Benedict) Boughton, who came to Ohio in 1835 and took up the work of the early pioneers. She was one of ten children, the others being Solon, Orlando, Cordier, Lucius, Elon, Theodore, Oscar, Sanford and Silicia. Mr. and Mrs. Abram Stotts were the pa- rents of four children. Flora A. married John W. Hopkins, and they have one son, Fred A. Eunice Adell married T. A. Hilton, and they have two children, Flora E. and Alfred W. Clarence E .. the third of the family, is the subject of this sketch. Elmer A. married Miss Mildred Kaylor and they have one daughter, Blanche. Mrs. Stotts preceded her husband to the grave by some nine years, her death having occurred May 31, 1901.
Clarence E. Stotts has followed farming as his vocation through nearly all of his life and is accounted a successful agriculturist. He has found wide play for the exercise of his large business ability as well, for he has been one of the direc-
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tors of the First National Bank at Greenwich ever since its organization and has assisted in maintaining that institution upon its sound financial basis. In politics he has ever espoused the cause of the republican party, though he has never been active in its ranks nor a seeker of official recognition. He has, nevertheless, served the people of this township very efficiently as a justice of the peace and for seven years as a member of the school board and was ever found to administer his duties in accordance with what he believed to be right.
On the 19th of September, 1889, Mr. Stotts was married to Miss Mabel Love- land, who was born June 4, 1870, in New Haven township, this county, and is the only daughter of Rockwell and Roxana (Knight) Loveland. The father, who was born in New Haven township, June 9, 1838, was the son of John Love- land, who was one of the pioneers of Huron county, having come here in 1822, when he was twenty-four years of age, settling in New Haven township. His wife was Miss Calista Curtiss before her marriage. Rockwell Loveland, besides participating in the work of the pioneers, which was not completed when he be- came old enough to assist, fought valiantly for three years for the preservation of the Union during the Civil war. He was in the navy on the Mississippi flag- ship Black Hawk and was in the Red River expedition, serving under General Farragut. Mrs. Stotts' mother, who was Miss Roxana Knight before her mar- riage, was the daughter of William and Jane (Johnson) Knight, the former a native of Boston, Massachusetts, the latter of Connecticut. To Mr. and Mrs. Stotts three children have been born: Harold, born August 18, 1891; Alta B., born April 19, 1894; and Hazel Mae, born October 25, 1908. The children are all at home, and in the Baptist faith, which the father and mother have pro- fessed, they have been reared. A man who has been fortunate in his own affairs and has been found trustworthy in his relations to others, Mr. Stotts enjoys the re- spect of all who know him and the strong friendship of his Masonic brothers in particular.
SANFORD H. KING.
Sanford H. King is a retired farmer who, having passed the seventy-second milestone on life's journey, is now living retired in the enjoyment of rest which he has truly earned and richly deserves. He is living in North Fairfield and has spent almost his entire life in Huron county. He is a native of New York, his birth having occurred in the Empire state on the 13th of May, 1837. His pa- rents were Elias and Catherine (Mott) King, whose family numbered but three children, the others being Barzilla and Mary. It was in the year 1838 that the parents left the east and came with their family to Ohio, establishing their home in Huron county.
Sanford H. King was only about a year old at the time and, therefore, for even more than the Psalmist's allotted span of three score years and ten he has lived in this part of the state, witnessing its growth and development as the years have gone by. He has lived to see notable changes for the native forests have been cut away, the land cultivated and now the pioneer district is a region of val-
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uable farms in the midst of which are found flourishing towns and cities with their industrial and commercial interests. In his youthful days Mr. King assisted in the labors of the home farm and experience taught him the value of industry and perseverance. His educational training was received in the public schools which he attended through the winter seasons. As he attained his majority he re- solved to follow as a life work the occupation to which he had been reared and took up the task of farming on his own account. Year by year he carefully and diligently cultivated the crops best adapted to the soil and climate and as time passed won success in his labors. He is still the owner of one hundred and sixty acres of land in Fairfield township, from which he derives a substantial income, although he is now living retired, leaving the work of the farm to others.
On the Ist of March, 1860, Mr. King was united in marriage to Miss Julia Mc- Kelvey, who was born in Ohio May 4, 1835, and is a daughter of Robert and Mary (Prosser) McKelvey. They have a large family of children: Julia, Cath- erine, Betsy, Almira, Harriet, Lyman, Perry, George, Angeline, Roena, Mack and Lily.
The marriage of Mr. and Mrs. King was blessed with four children; Eu- gene, born in 1860; Jennie, born in 1865; Fred, born in 1869; and Ernest, who was born in 1876 and was killed by the cars in December, 1897. Fred married Della Barre and they have one child, Lloyd. The parents are members of the Baptist church, to the support of which they make liberal contribution. Mr. King is a republican in politics and is thoroughly conversant with the leading questions and issues of the day. He has served as a trustee but has not been ac- tive as a political worker or an office seeker. His fraternal relations are with the Masons and in his life he exemplifies the benevolent spirit of the craft which is based upon mutual helpfulness and brotherly kindness. His long residence in the county has made him well known here and his memory forms a connecting link between the primitive past and progressive present. Upon his memory are impressed many scenes and events of the early day which marked the progress of the community and indicated what was the condition that existed through the days of his boyhood in this part of the state.
MARTHA M. LOVELL.
One of the persons, who despite her many years, still retains a deep interest in the affairs of Greenfield township, is Mrs. Martha A. Lovell, who owns two hundred and seventeen acres of land, on which she lives, part of it being the farm on which her husband was born. Her birth occurred in Paris, now Plymouth, Ohio, on the 31st of March, 1831, her parents being Matthew and Nancy (Adams) McKelvey. The former came to Huron county with his father and an older brother and settled in Greenfield township on the farm where Robert Arthur now lives. The land was then heavily timbered, which three men had to clear before they could put up the log house which was their home while they lived there. After some years, they removed to Plymouth, where the elder McKelvey died,
MR. AND MRS. ETHAN C. LOVELL
MR. AND MRS. MATTHEW McKELVEY
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closing a career that had experienced many hardships and privations, for he had been a soldier of the Revolutionary war and had lost one of his limbs in battle.
Matthew McKelvey was born in Westmoreland county, Pennsylvania, Jan- uary 30, 1794, and was but little more than twenty years of age when on the 27th of March, 1818, he was united in wedlock to Miss Nancy Adams. She was two and a half years his junior and was born in Marlboro, Vermont. Mr. McKelvey passed the greater part of his life in this county and was one of the pioneer dry- good merchants of Plymouth. Later he removed to Harding county, Ohio, where his wife and three of his daughters died, and then returned to Plymouth. There he passed away on the 18th of March, 1853, ten years and three months after his helpmate had gone to her final resting-place. Mr. and Mrs. McKelvey were the parents of ten children: Elizabeth, who was born February- 12, 1819, and died 1834; Marion and Mary, twins, born January 9, 1821, the former dying June 25, 1823, the latter July 23, 1842 ; Sarah, who was born May 5, 1823, and died July 23, 1841 ; Nancy, who was born November 8, 1824, and died July 19, 1841 ; George, who was born June 28, 1826, and died September 18, 1827; Jane, who was born June 9, and died July 21, 1841; Martha M., now Mrs. Lovell; Matho, born February 25, 1832, now a resident of Tiffin, Ohio; and John, born February 8, 1835, who lives at Sandusky, Ohio, and is a member of the Firelands Historical Society.
Mrs. Lovell attended the public schools of Plymouth until she was 17 and for one year continued her studies at Fairfield. She then entered upon the career of a teacher, which she followed until she was married, on the 30th of December, 1854, to Ethan C. Lovell, a son of David and Mary (Chilcoot) Lovell. His father came here in the early days of the county and took up fifty acres of land which is included in the farm Mrs. Lovell now owns. At the time of his arrival the land was covered with heavy timber which he had to clear away before he could build the little log house, which was the first home of his family. Later he was able to build a fine brick residence, for he prospered in his affairs. Ethan C. Lovell was born June 17, 1819, grew up at home on the farm, and in turn, became a prominent farmer and stock raiser. He was noted for his honesty and carefulness, and it is recorded of him that he kept a regular set of books, in which were entered the transactions of each day. In 1858, he built the large frame house in which his widow still lives and which he was per- mitted to enjoy for forty years. A hard worker and thrifty, he made a secure posi- tion for himself in the hearts of the people of the township, who mourned his loss deeply when death called him on the 27th of April, 1898.
Not blessed with any children of her own, Mrs. Lovell has given the privil- eges of a home and maternal care to two girls, one of whom remained with her from the time she was six years of age until she married George Mannard, when she went to live in Virginia. Lena Clark, the other girl, was twelve years of age when she came to live with Mrs. Lovell, with whom she made her home until she married Albert Baker, of this township.
Mrs. Lovell is a very well preserved woman, who is old only in years and not in spirit, looks or actions. Her life has always been one of activity and when her husband was living she would cook all the meals for the farm hands. She also tells with a touch of pardonable pride that she did some of the painting on
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the frame house in which she now lives. From her mother, who was the first teacher in Peru township, she inherits her love of books and reading, and in the years that have passed since she presided over a roomful of pupils, she has not forgotten her interest in education or in the affairs of the world generally.
PHILANDER J. RIDDLE.
Philander J. Riddle, one of the representative farmers of Richmond township and a man who has made his influence felt in both political and church circles, is the owner of one hundred and ten acres of fertile farm land in this township. He was born in Richland county, Ohio, January 1, 1854, his parents being John and Amanda (Thornton) Riddle. The father was engaged all his life in agri- cultural pursuits and at the same time during earlier years he taught school, for eighteen years in the district schools and two years in the graded school at Bell- ville, Ohio, gaining an enviable reputation as a local educator. During the sum- mer, when released from his school duties, he carried on farming, thus combin- ing the two occupations very profitably. In 1865 the family came to Huron county, and this continued to be the home of the parents for the remainder of their lives, the father passing away in 1890, and his widow in 1893. They were the parents of the following children: Lydia, who married John Miller, of Chicago Junction ; Archibald, who is deceased; Sybal, who married W. F. Miller; Phil- ander J., who is mentioned below : John Jr. ; Lunetta, who married George Hatch ; and William, the youngest.
Philander J. Riddle spent his boyhood as do so many, sons of farmers, except that he had the advantage of belonging to a family where educational matters were considered of great importance, and he therefore secured an excellent school training, first in the district schools of Knox county until he was twelve years old, and after that in Huron county, thus continuing until he attained his majority, and at the same time he assisted his father on the farm in the summer. The first land owned by Mr. Riddle was located in Richland county and consisted of a hundred- acre farm he and his brother John bought and operated in partnership for five years. Following this venture, Mr. Riddle rented his present farm from his fa- ther-in-law and when the latter died he bought it. The Richland county farm was traded for Chicago, Ohio, property. During the time he has been the owner of his Richmond township farm, Mr. Riddle has devoted himself to improving it, and has brought it into a state that makes good crops almost a certainty, so that he can depend upon an excellent income from his investment of money, time and labor.
On September 1, 1881, Mr. Riddle married Elmyra Snyder, a daughter of Hiram and Amelia Snyder, who came from the eastern part of Ohio to Huron county, being carly settlers of this locality. They were the parents of the follow- ing children : Simon ; Myria who married William Cheseman ; Jennie; Douglas ; Elmyra, who became Mrs. Riddle; Ira; and Amanda, who married John Bager. Mr. and Mrs. Riddle have had but one child of their own, Walter, but they have adopted Ray White from an orphan asylum and propose to give him the same ad-
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vantages enjoyed by their son. This one act sheds a light upon the truly Christian characters of these two and demonstrates that they believe in living out in their lives the teachings of their church. Walter Riddle married Cora Harmon, and their children are: May, Vernice, Harold, Lois and Dalton.
Both Mr. Riddle and his wife are consistent members of the United Brethren church and are highly estcemed by their fellow members. When the present church was built he served on the building committee, while he is now church treasurer and a member of the board of parsonage trustees. For a number of years Mr. Riddle has been prominent in the republican party in this locality and is now serving as township treasurer with that same fidelity to obligations placed upon him that has resulted in his material advancement, and his winning and re- taining the friendship of his neighbors and church associates.
EMMONS W. ROSS.
Emmons W. Ross is descended from men who braved the terrors, dangers and hardships of the unknown forests and hewed out not only a home for them- selves but cleared land and prepared fields from which those generations that came after them would reap the gain. He is a farmer in the vicinity of Bough- tonville, Ripley township, and owns the one hundred and forty-two acres on which he lives. He was born in Auburn, Auburn township, Crawford county, Ohio, Sep- tember 13, 1861, and is the son of Royal R. and Mary (Aumend) Ross. The father, who was the son of Abel and Amelia (Emmons) Ross, was born in 1832 in New York, while the mother, who was a daughter of Adam Aumend, was born in Crawford county in 1840, for her parents were among the pioneers there. Through their marriage Royal R. Ross and his wife became the parents of five children : Fred, William, one who died in infancy, Howard and Emmons.
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