History of Madison County Ohio: Its People, Industries and Institutions, Part 119

Author: Chester E. Bryan
Publication date: 1915
Publisher:
Number of Pages: 1207

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On November 28, 1896, Thomas C. Gaynard was married to Sarah Francis Golden. of Clark county, the daughter of. Hugh and Mary (Ward) Golden. Mrs. Gaynard was born in Madison county and has borne one child, John A., who is ten years old. He was born on July 30, 1905. Mr. and Mrs. Gaynard have also reared two orphan children of Mrs. Gaynard's sister, Edward and Agnes Mooney. The former is now the bookkeeper in the Dwyer Brothers' hardware store, of London. Agnes is still a mem- ber of the Gaynard family, and has taught school for three years. After attending the summer school at Wittenberg, she became a teacher in Madison county.

Mr. and Mrs. Thomas C. Gaynard are members of St. Patrick's Catholic church. of which church he has served as warden the past nine years. Mr. Gaynard is an ardent Democrat, and is at present serving as secretary of the Democratic central com- mittee. He has never sought office, however, with the exception of minor educational offices in his own township.

LEWIS J. HUNTER.

To make a success of agriculture, it is necessary to be something more than a hard worker. A farmer might labor from dawn to twilight every day in the year and yet fail to accomplish much. There must be sound judgment and discretion exercised at the same time as well as a knowledge of soils, grains, live stock and, in fact, general business. The man who accomplishes much as a farmer in these days should be accorded a place with men who succeed in other walks of life, for often it requires more ingenuity and courage to manage a farm successfully than anything else that claims the attention of men. Lewis J. Hunter, a most successful farmer of Paint township, Madison county, Ohio, has achieved success in life, partly because he has worked for it and partly because he has been a good manager and a shrewd business man. Mr. Hunter owns a tract of six hundred and fifty-six acres, all of which is in Paint township except nine acres which is located in Clark county.

Lewis J. Hunter was born in Pickaway county, Ohio, February 7, 1862, the son of Joseph and Dorcas (Deems) Hunter, the former of whom was born at Gettysburg. I'ennsylvania, August 4, 1824. and the latter at Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, January 7, 1825. They were married on January 28, 1847, and were prosperous farmers in Pennsyl- vania. in Pickaway county, Ohio, and in Madison county, Ohio. To them were born eight children, two of whom, Eliza, the firstborn, and Samuel A., the twin brother of Anna. are deceased. Eliza was born on December 8, 1847, and died on May 30, 1901. Samuel

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A. died on July 1, 1905. The six living children are as follow: James W., born in Tuscarawas county, Ohio, April 5, 1850, who is a resident of Plain City and a farmer by occupation; Mary L., born in Tuscarawas county, May 29, 1852, is the wife of Jobn Penn and lives in Pickaway county; Rebecca J., born in Hocking county, Ohio, July 2, 1855, is the wife of Allen Kibler, of Waynesville, Warren county, Ohio; Anna M., born in Hocking county, November 9, 1857, is the wife of Baxter E. Tumblison, of South Charleston, Ohio; Lewis J. is the subject of this sketch; George D., born in Pickaway county, January 6, 1866, is a resident of Indianapolis, Indiana.

Joseph and Dorcas (Deem) Hunter, the parents of these children, were farmers. After their marriage they immigrated from Guernsey county, Pennsylvania, after three or four years, to Pickaway county, Ohio. After farming in Pickaway county until 1877 they moved to Madison county and settled in Paint township. Later Joseph Hunter bought a small farm in Union township. He died here on August 10, 1887. His beloved wife died on November 2, 1892. Both were members of the Methodist Episcopal church.

Lewis J. Hunter received his education in the country schools of Pickaway and Madison counties, Ohio. He was reared on the farm.

On December 23, 1886. at the age of twenty-four, Lewis J. Hunter was married to Keturah Stroup, the daughter of Jesse and Lavina (Woosley) Stroup, the former of whom was born on March 1, 1828, in Madison county, Ohio, and the latter was born on July 5, 1842, in Clark county. Mr. and Mrs. Stroup were married in Clark county on April 17, 1866, and have had six children, all of whom are living. Their children are as follow : Keturah, who was born on May 4, 1867, in. Clark county, Ohio, is the wife of a Mr. Hunter; Mary, born in Clark county, August 4, 1868, married George Clemans, of that county; Rebecca, also born in Clark county, August 4, 1870, married Reeder Bennett, of Clark county; Emma, born in Clark county, February 8, 1874, is the wife of James Lewis, of that county; Jesse B., born in Madison county, March 20, 1879; and Lula B., born in Madison county, January 4, 1884. Jesse Stroup was a farmer and stockman. After having farmed for many years in Clark county, he and his wife moved to Madison county in the spring of 1875 and settled in Paint town. ship, where he farmed in 1887, when he retired and moved back to Clark county, settling near Charleston. There he died on January 21, 1909. His wife died on April 8, 1915. Both were members of the Methodist Episcopal church.

To Mr. and Mrs. Lewis J. Hunter have been born six children, only one of whom, Leroy S., the eldest, is deceased. He was born on December 11. 1887, and died on August 5, 1889. The five living children are Carl Edgar, a resident of Paint township, born on August 20, 1889, married Pearl Silver on August 27, 1910, and she died on February 20, 1914: Jessie Leota, born on March 28, 1895; Clarence, January 29, 1809; Hazel Louise, February 15, 1905; and Harold Lewis, October 16, 1907, all of whom are at home.

Mr. Hunter owns six hundred and fifty-six acres of land, practically all of which is located in Madison county. The land is all well improved and Mr. Hunter himself has made most of the improvements on the farm. On "Pleasant View Farm," which is located about four miles east of South Charleston, Mr. Hunter raises a very high grade of sheep, horses, cattle and hogs. He is essentially a stock farmer. Politically, Mr. Hunter votes the Republican ticket. In a public way, he has served as president of the township board for the past two years. Formerly, he was a member of the school board for eighteen years. Mr. and Mrs. Hunter are members of the Grange, at South Charleston, and all of the members of the Hunter family are connected with the Meth- odist church. There is no family living in Madison county that more thoroughly deserves the respect and confidence of their neighbors than that of Mr. and Mrs. Lewis J. Hunter, of Paint township.

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DR. JOSEPH SPENCER MARTIN.

The Civil War period, in the history of this country, called to the front men and boys who sacrificed everything for the land of freedom. After that great war the survivors from the field of battle returned to peaceful scenes and became prominent factors in the upbuilding of this land, which had been devastated by the horrors of war. The children of these veteran soldiers have inherited the real mettle of their fathers and have become a credit to their country and immediate communities.

Joseph Spencer Martin was born on February 7, 1878, in Range township, Madison county, Ohio, and is the son of Joseph Spencer Martin, Sr., a soldier of the Civil War, who surrendered his college career to fight for his country. To Joseph Spencer Martin, Sr., and his wife, Isabelle (Harrison) Martin, four children were born, namely. James F., Benjamin H., Joseph Spencer, Jr., and Mary I.

Joseph Spencer Martin, Sr., was born on November 22, 1839, in Range township, Madison county, Ohio, where, on obtaining mature years, he engaged in farming. In September, 1860, he entered Ohio Wesleyan University, at Delaware, where he remained until June, 1862. He then enlisted in the Ninety-fifth Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry. at London, Ohio, in which service he continued until his discharge at the close of the war. After his return from the war he settled in Madison county, Ohio, and resumed farming, at one time being a breeder of Shorthorn cattle and Delaine sheep. Prominent in politics, Mr. Martin was elected and served as county representative from 1889 to 1893, in which capacity he served the best interests of his constituents. His active life, spent on the field of battle and in the peaceful pursuits at home, was brought to a · close in 1901, with his labors well done. Isabelle (Harrison) Martin was born in Fayette county, Ohio, in 1847, and died at Mt. Sterling in 1911, at the age of sixty- four years. She was the daughter of Benjamin and Martha (Reeves) Harrison, of Madison county.

The parents of Joseph Spencer Martin, Sr., were Jacob and Johanna (Leonard) Martin, both natives of Virginia. Jacob Martin devoted his life to religious work, and as a minister of the Methodist Episcopal church, in the pioneer days, rode horseback for over seventy-five thousand miles, through Virginia, Ohio and Indiana. After long and faithful service he retired and lived at London, Ohio, until his death.

The paternal old farmstead was the boyhood home of Joseph Spencer Martin. Jr., and he obtained his first schooling from the district schools, afterward receiving a liberal education at Ohio Wesleyan University, Delaware, Ohio, being a student in that institution from September, 1897, until June, 1901. Before completing his course at that college, he was called away because of the death of his father. After assisting his mother at home he went to Kirksville, Missouri, and took up the study of osteopathy in the American School of Osteopathy, from which school he was graduated in June. 1904, at the age of twenty-six years. In his professional career, Doctor Martin was very proficient as well as successful. During the first year in his profession he prac- ticed at Mt. Sterling, Ohio, then removing to Xenia, Ohio, where he built up a large practice. remaining there for a period of ten years, until 1915, and has now returned to Mt. Sterling. Ohio, where he intends to remain but a short time, later locating on his farm, the home of his parents and grandparents, where he will superintend his agricultural interests.

On December 24, 1902, Dr. Joseph Spencer Martin was married to Jessie Maxey, who was born in 1881, in Stokes township, Madison county, Ohio, the daughter of Stephen and Anna (Gaskill) Maxey, both natives of Ohio. Her grandfather, John Maxey, was commissioner of Madison county when the first court house was con- structed, as was also Doctor Martin's grandfather, Benjamin Harrison. A somewhat

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remarkable coincidence occurred in the earlier history of the Martin and Maxey famil- ies, when, it is related, the grandfather of Jessie Maxey was converted at one of the meetings conducted by Rev. Jacob Martin.

Jessie Maxey attended the district and high schools at South Solon, Ohio, and later became a student at Wittenberg College, at Springfield, Ohio. After receiving a thorough education, she taught school in Range township, Madison county, and in Fayette county for a period of four years, until her marriage. To the union of Dr. Joseph Spencer Martin and Jessie (Maxey) Martin two children have been born. Joseph Spencer, born on March 21, 1906, and Marjorie Maxey, born on October 7, 1807.

True to his early training, Doctor Martin is a member of the Methodist Episcopal church. Politically, he affiliates with the Republican party. Whatever the future may have in store, the present, at least, is secure for him and his happy family. He has been a faithful son; a kind and considerate husband and father; a comprehensive man in his professional and business occupations.

PEARL J. STODDARD. .

Pearl J. Stoddard, farmer, Rosedale, Madison county, was born on January 16, 1870, in Pike township, Madison county, and is a son of Orlo and Eliza (Curl) Stod- dard. He was reared on a farm in Madison county, where he attended the public schools of Rosedale, Ohio. Mr. Stoddard has always given his best efforts to his agricultural interests, leaving nothing uncared for that materially concerned the general outcome of his business. Politically, he is a Democrat, but has never sought political office. In religion, he is a member of the Union church at Rosedale, of which he is one of the trustees.

Orlo Stoddard, the father of the subject of this sketch, was born in 1823, in Ver- mont, coming with his parents to Ohio in 1829, and settling in Champaign county. His wife, Eliza (Carl) Stoddard, was born in Champaign county. They were married in Ohio, and bought a farm, where they lived until 1869, when they sold the old place and came to Madison county, where they bought a farm north of Rosedale, where they lived until the death of Mr. Stoddard. They were the parents of twelve children- seven of whom are living, namely : Rose, Josephine, C. L., Edward M., Pearl J., Nell and Alta. Mrs. Stoddard, the mother of our subject, is living in 1915.

Pearl J. Stoddard was united in marriage, January 2, 1895, with Margaret Rose- berry, daughter of E. T. and Mary E. (Carter) Roseberry. She was born on Septem- ber 20, 1871, in Rosedale, Ohio.

E. T. Roseberry, the father of Mrs. Pearl J. Stoddard, was married to Mary E. Carter, daughter of Doctor Carter. His parents, Michael and Elizabeth Rosberry, came from Pennsylvania. E. T. and Mary E. (Carter) Roseberry were the parents of ten children, nine of whom are living in 1915: Mrs. Effie Morgride, of Darby township; F. M., of Pike township; Mrs. May R. Stoddard, of Irwin, Ohio; Margaret; C. A .; Mrs. Neltie King, of Pike township; Joseph C .; John R., of Rosedale; and Bess R., wife of N. W. Harter, professor of mathematics at Thiel College, Pennsylvania. Mar- garet was educated in the public schools of Rosedale, Ohio. E. T. Roseberry was second lieutenant in Company C. One Hundred and Thirty-fourth Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry.

Michael Roseberry, the paternal grandfather of Mrs. Pearl J. Stoddard, was a sol- died in the War of 1812.

Mr. Stoddard is a worthy representative of the citizenship of Pike township, where he has given efficient service as township assessor.

In summing up the character of the subject of this sketch, progress and a high

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sense of honest business methods have very prominently figured as the keynote. Mr. Stoddard has found himself steadily and surely advancing in his individual affairs, as a result of his determination to keep abreast with improved agricultural interests, leaving behind those less active and less energetic along the highway of life.

LEROY WILSON.

Leroy Wilson, farmer, Plain City, Canaan township, Madison county, was born on May 3, 1888, on "Cedar Grove Farm," where he now resides. and is a son of William and Mary (Slyh) Wilson. He was reared in Plain City, Ohio, by his sister, Ella, his mother having died when he was eighteen months old. His early education was received in the public schools, after which he entered the high school, and later the Wittenberg College. at Springfield, Ohio. After finishing at school, Mr Wilson took up the vocation of a farmer, which he has followed ever since, and in which he has been eminently successful. His splendid property, located in Canaan township, is located six miles north of West Jefferson and six miles south of Plain City. and con- sists of four hundred and thirty acres. Politically, Mr. Wilson is a stanch Republican, while his religious membership is with the Presbyterian church at Plain City, of which he is a regular attendant. His fraternal alliance is with the Alpha Tau Omega.

William Wilson, father of the subject of this sketch, was a son of William Wilson, Sr., who owned a large tract of land. William Wilson, Jr., was born in Canaan township, on the old Wilson homestead, and inherited fifteen hundred acres of land from his father. He was united in marriage with Mary Slyh, by whom he had two children : Ella, who became the wife of Ernest Beach, of Plain City, Ohio, and Leroy.

William Wilson. Sr., the paternal grandfather, was the possessor of great wealth, and owned thousands of acres of valuable land, of which he willed fifteen hundred acres to each of his six children.

Leroy Wilson was united in marriage, January 16, 1912, with Ruth Evans, daugh- ter of Rev. F. M. Evans. She was born in 1892 in Bowersville, Ohio, and attended the London high school. of which she is a graduate, and finished school at Ohio Wesleyan University. This union has been blest with one daughter, Ella Mae, who was born on September 1, 1914.

Rev. F. M. Evans, father of Mrs. Leroy Wilson, is a minister of the Methodist Episcopal church, and is district superintendent of the Marietta district.

Mr. and Mrs. Wilson are young and energetic people, and honorable citizens of Madison county, Ohio.

GEORGE M. VAN DYKE.

George M. Van Dyke, a self-made and enterprising farmer. who owns the old Potee farm of one hundred and sixty-eight acres two and one-half miles west of Sum- merford, was born in Pickaway county, Ohio, April 19, 1866.

At the age of one year, Mr. Van Dyke was brought to Madison county, Ohio. by his parents. Isaac and Nancy (Allendra ) Van Dyke, both of whom were natives of Ohio. They settled in Range township, where Isaac Van Dyke died in 1884. He was a tenant farmer. His widow is still living in Van Wert county, and is now past the age of eighty-six. They had a family of ten children, all of whom lived to maturity and six of whom are now living. but only two, George M. and Eturra, are living in Madison county. The latter is the wife of Daniel Hill, of Lafayette. Isaac and Nancy Van Dyke had but two sons, George M. and Peter. The latter is engaged in the manufac- ture of pine lumber at Shreveport, Louisiana.

When Mr. Van Dyke was eighteen years of age, his father died and he worked

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on the farm by the month at fifteen dollars a month for ten years. At the end of that time he had his wages increased to twenty dollars a month. He had saved about five hundred dollars and owned a good horse and buggy at the end of this time. Three of the ten years Mr. Van Dyke worked for Bryan Flynn.

On March 7, 1895, George M. Van Dyke was married to . Minnie Crawford, the daughter of James and Sarah (Coberley) Crawford, who was born in Paint township. Mrs. Van Dyke's father is still living.

After his marriage, George M. Van Dyke became the foreman for Colonel Petty- man, and took charge of twenty-six hundred acres of land. He also had seventeen families to look after. He worked as "riding boss" for four years and received, during that time, one dollar a day with house rent. Colonel Pettyman was a good man for whom to work. After working as foreman for four years, Mr. Van Dyke rented three hundred and sixty acres of land of Colonel Pettyman for four years longer. He was aggressive in his methods and the management of his farm and made good in a large degree. Afterwards he operated the Fifer farm and also the Judge Duncan farm, of four hundred acres, for nine years. During the latter period, he was heavily inter- ested in stock raising and fed many horses, cattle and hogs.

In 1912 Mr. Van Dyke bought the old Potee farm and is now engaged in raising Percheron horses and Chester White hogs. He feeds all of his crop to the stock and, in addition to what he raises, buys considerable grain. Since buying the Potee farm, Mr. Van Dyke has moved and rebuilt the barn and installed a cement floor and many other improvements. The place is now known as "Elm Spring Stock Farm."

For a number of years George M. Van Dyke kept a number of running horses and, although he found it exciting sport, he made no progress financially, since it was nec- essary to be a liberal spender when winning.

Mr. and Mrs. Van Dyke have been the parents of two children. Glenn and Ray, both of whom live at home with their parents. Ray is a student in the London high school and will graduate with the class of 1916.

As a Democrat, Mr. Van Dyke has held several township offices in Paint township. Fraternally, he is a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, the Free and Accepted Masons, the Fraternal Order of Eagles and the Daughters of Rebekah. In the Odd Fellows he has passed all of the chairs, and is past chief patriarch of London Encampment No. 126. Mr. Van Dyke is a member of Oak Run Grange. Mrs. Van Dyke is also a member of the Daughters of Rebekah.

JACOB H. BOGARD.

To be born into this world as one of fifteen children, and without help or inheri- tance work out a considerable measure of success, seems a difficult undertaking, but Jacob H. Bogard, of Sedalia. Madison county, Ohio, has successfully accomplished that which would have been deemed an impossible task by one of lesser ability and strength of character. Jacob H. Bogard was one of fifteen children born to Austin and Lavina (Van Gundy) Bogard, eleven of whom are living at the present time. He was born on January 26, 1872, in Ross county. Ohio, and what little education he received was gleaned from the district schools of that section.

On account of the unusual size of the family, Jacob H. Bogard was compelled to assist in the support of his brothers and sisters, and at the age of fifteen years he gave up his school work and began his agricultural duties on the home place, which occupied a period of six years. Remaining at home until some of his brothers were old enough to take his place, Jacob H. Bogard then hired out as a farm hand and con- tinned at this until his marriage, five years later.

Austin Bogard, the father, was born in Hancock county, Ohio, during the year of

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1850, and came to Ross county, Ohio, from the northern states, with his parents. In 1889, when thirty-nine years of age, he removed to Pickaway county, Ohio, where he rented seven hundred acres of land from William Bowser, which he cultivated for four years, then moved to Fayette county, Ohio, where he died in 1898. Austin Bogard was road supervisor for two terms. Both he and his wife, Lavinia (Van Gundy) Bogard, were members of the Christian church, but the wife has her letter in the Methodist church. She was born on April 15, 1849, in Ross county, Ohio, and is now living at Bloomingburg, Ohio.

Shortly after his marriage to Almeda Beatty, in 1898, Jacob H. Bogard rented land in Fayette county, but in 1905 he rented the present farm of one hundred and thirty- eight acres, in Range township, upon which he has made improvements of buildings and fences, and now is the owner of the same.

To support a family of eight on the proceeds of one hundred and thirty-eight acres of land and still save enough to become the owner in eight years, is no easy task, but Jacob H. Bogard did this very thing, purchasing, in 1913, the farm he had rented only eight years before. There are four acres of this farm that are in orchard and graded stock is one of the principal revenues.

Almeda Beatty, who became the wife of Jacob H. Bogard in 1898, was born in 1877, in Jackson county, Ohio, and was reared on the farm of her parents, James and Sarah (Roland) Beatty, who now live at Lancaster, Ohio. Jacob H. Bogard and Almeda (Beatty) Bogard are the parents of six children: Paul, Ircel, Arthur, Char- lotte, Austin and Eskline.

Jacob H. Bogard is a Democrat and lends all his support to the benefit of that party. He follows the creeds of the Methodist church, doing all within his power to make its tenets a practical factor in his daily life. Fraternally, he is a member of the Knights of Pythias, in which lodge he is held in great esteem. He has been a hard- working man, accumulating his possessions through sheer force of character and well- directed energy, and has the respect and regard of all who know him.

ROBERT H. SCHRYVER.

One of the glories of the American social and industrial system is that it affords an opportunity of reaching success through individual effort. When this effort has finally brought one the satisfaction of achievement, probably no greater service can be rendered in a community than that of opening to others a means by which they may realize a desired ambition. As secretary of the Building and Loan Association of Mt. Sterling, Robert H. Schryver, during his early business career, found ample opportunity for helping citizens in his community along the lines of business enterprise.

Robert Schryver was born at Mt. Sterling, Ohio, on the 9th day of August, 1873, and is the eldest of the six children born to Martin W. and Barbara H. (Campbell) Schryver. The other children are: Florence N., who has charge of the Fayette Hospital, at Wash- ington C. H., Ohio; Guy H., who is an automobile salesman and mechanic, residing in Chicago; Clyde H., general manager of the Chicago Merchandise and Equipment Com- pany, Union Stock Yards, Chicago; Mrs. Helen R. Hosler and Mrs. Maude Waldo, who live in Mt. Sterling.

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History of Madison County Ohio: Its People, Industries and Institutions, Part 119

Author: Chester E. Bryan Publication date: 1915 Publisher: Number of Pages: 1207

Author: Chester E. Bryan
Publication date: 1915
Publisher:
Number of Pages: 1207