History of Madison County Ohio: Its People, Industries and Institutions, Part 132

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

USA > Ohio > Madison County > History of Madison County Ohio: Its People, Industries and Institutions > Part 132

Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).

Digitized by Google

879

MADISON COUNTY, OHIO.

FRANK GALLAGHER.

Frank Gallagher, who was a well-known farmer in Oak Run township, where he owned about four hundred acres of land (a part of which extends over into Union township), is now living retired in London. He is the eldest of five living brothers, the children of John L. and Anna (Dean) Gallagher, both of whom were natives of County Sligo, Ireland.

John L. Gallagher's brother, Frank, also came to America. As a boy, .John .L. worked in the harvest flelds of England, cutting the grain with a sickle. . After: coming to America he sent for his brother, Frank, . and sister, Bridget. .. After they had arrived the three sent for the remainder of the family, including their parents, Patrick Gallagher and wife. The father died at Newport, Kentucky, at the age of nearly one hundred years. His wife died in Madison county. Frank Gallagher, the brother, died. in London in the early seventies. He operated a boarding-house on the present site of the Enterprise office. At his death he left nine children, one of whom, Daniel, still lives in London.

After landing at New Orleans. in 1848, the late John L. Gallagher came on to Cincinnati, Ohio, where, about 1855, he met the young woman who was later to be his wife. Anna Dean had come to America about 1850. : They were married at South Charleston, Ohio, and after their marriage settled in Stokes township. . In 1867; . they removed to Paint township, Madison county, and there they cleared a farm. John L. Gallagher had had but one shilling when he landed in New Orleans. Before settling . in Madison county he had worked on a steamboat on the Mississippi river and on the railroad which was then being built out of Cincinnati. . After spending seven years in clearing a tract of land in Madison county, he spent five years on a similar tract which was leased. He had purchased land in Paint township at fifty dollars per acre, and this was one of the best improved farms of the time. He there owned one hun- dred and fifty-three acres, to which he added until he owned seven farms in Paint and Union townships, comprising eight hundred and fifty-six acres. He paid fifty dollars an acre for most of the land, but as low as forty-three dollars an acre for some of it. In addition to farming his own land, he also rented land and, with the able assistance of his sturdy sons, was able to save a great deal of money. He became one of the largest farmers and cattle feeders iu the township. His idea, ultimately, was to get one hundred acres of land for each of his children. Before his death he divided his farm by deeds, equalizing the distribution as near as possible. If one of his children received more land than another, the second would receive the better land. The youngest daughter received the old home place, and now lives on it. The other children still have the homes given to them by their parents, but some of them do not live on their farms. Each has kept the land received from his or her parents, and expects to hold it indefinitely. During the last two years of John L. Gallagher's life he lived retired in London. He died on March 25, 1911, and his wife died the next year, January 23, 1912.

Although he always kept high grade stock, John L. Gallagher did not especially place any great emphasis on the necessity of keeping purebred stock. He never held office in his life. and in politics was not a partisan in any sense of the word. He always cast his vote for the man he believed to be best fitted for office. The Gallagher school was located near his home and he was director of this school for some time. One son, Peter. is a college-bred man. He is a resident of London.

Mr. and Mrs. John L. Gallagher had twelve children, of whom William died at the age of twenty-four, and Edward died at the age of thirty, April 28, 1911. The living children are as follow : Frank : Anna, who married Jerry Deneen, of Springfield; John

Digitized by Google

880

MADISON COUNTY, OHIO.

P., a retired farmer, living in London; Mary, who married John Murray, a grain and lumber dealer of West Jefferson; Peter A., of London; Catherine, who married William A. Dunn, a retired farmer of London; Margaret, who married Thomas Moore, now living retired in Columbus; James F., of the Thomas-Armstrong Company, of London; Thomas A., a merchant of London; Ella, who married Thomas Enright and who lives on the old home farm. From 1867 until the time of their death, Mr. and Mrs. John L. Gallagher were identified with St. Patrick's Catholic church. The remains of all the deceased members of the family are interred in the St. Patrick's Catholic Cemetery at London.

Born in Stokes township, near Charleston, April 1, 1857, Frank Gallagher lived at home until twenty-four years old, when he began life with a team of horses and his household goods. Mr. Gallagher was married at the age of twenty-four to Mary Hearley, who was reared in Stokes township, daughter of Patrick and Catherine Hearley. Until 1888 Mr. Gallagher rented one of his father's farms. In that year he removed to West Jefferson, where he engaged in the lumber, grain and coal business for two years Later John Murray became a partner, and the arrangement continued until 1902. In the meantime, Mr. Gallagher had operated a yard at London in 1885. In 1902 Mr. Gallagher took charge of the London yard and Mr. Murray the West Jefferson yard. Mr. Gallagher continued in business until 1912, when he sold out to the present pro- prietor, and retired. Altogether, he had twenty-four years' experience in the grain business. He received eighty-six acres of the old home place, to which he has added until he now owns about four hundred acres, comprising three farms. He is a stock- holder in the Peoples Commercial Bank and also in the Exchange Bank of London.

Mr. and Mrs. Gallagher have had five children, as follow: Anna married P. J. Kir- win, of London; Catherine is the wife of John J. Mooney, who lives on the Oak Run township farm; Robert L. lives at home; Chester Augustine is operating one of the farms and lives at home, and Florence, who also lives with her parents in London.

Mr. and Mrs. Gallagher are members of the Catholic church. Mr. Gallagher is a member of the Knights of Columbus and the Catholic Order of Foresters.

CHARLES C. CRABBE.

It would be impossible to estimate the far-reaching influence of the Crabbe family in Madison and adjoining counties. Of the thirteen children of John and Ellen ( Min- shall) Crabbe, of Fairfield township, eleven of whom are still living (two dying in infancy), all became teachers save one, some of these following the profession for years. During this time hundreds of the youth of this community came under their excellent ministrations, with consequences for good which no man dare attempt to estimate, for the work of the conscientious teacher does not end when the actual phys- ical labors of such a term of service are ended, but goes on and on, its beneficent influ- ence being extended to remote generations of those who shall follow them. Neither John Crabbe nor his wife were favored by educational advantages in their youth, but they entertained the highest possible respect for education and all it means, believing in the statement of Holy Writ that "Wisdom maketh the face to shine." All their chil- dren were given such educational advantages as were possible of attainment in their neighborhood and, as noted above, of their eleven children all became teachers save one and several of these are still faithfully engaged in their noble work, there being no more devoted members of Madison county's noble band of teachers than they.

Charles C. Crabbe, present prosecuting attorney of Madison county, was born on a farm in Range township, this county, on November 1, 1878, son of John and Ellen (Minshall) Crabbe, both of whom also were born in this county, members of pioneer families. John Crabbe, who died on April 13, 1909, was one of the best-known men

Digitized by Google

- -

CHARLES C. CRABBE

Digitized by

Google

Digitized by Google

881

MADISON COUNTY, OHIO.

in his section of the county. For many years he was active in the civic affairs of Fairfield township and held several positions of public trust and responsibility, it being undoubted that his sound judgment and sober common sense had a large influence in the way of creating better conditions thereabouts. His widow is still living and enjoys many and constant evidences of the high esteem in which she is held by all who know her. She is the mother of thirteen children, eleven of whom are still living, as follow : George W., former county clerk of Madison county, who is now the state super- intendent of the Anti-Saloon League of West Virginia; Madie, wife of T. H. Wheeler, of West Mansfield, Ohio; Charles C., the immediate subject of this sketch; J. C., a well-known farmer of this county; J. B., superintendent of schools of Laramie, Wy- oming; Fred L., a teacher and lawyer, of Mount Sterling, Ohio; Goldie, wife of W. C. Horton, of London, this county; Harvey, a teacher in the schools of Williamsport, Ohio; Frances, a teacher in the common schools near Mount Sterling; Fay, a teacher in the schools of Big Plain, and Earl, a teacher in the public schools of Pickaway county, this state.

Charles C. Crabbe was reared in Fairfield township, to which his parents moved when he was one year old. He received his elementary education in the district schools of his home neighborhood, the same being constantly supplemented by home training of the highest character. For seven years he taught in the common schools of this county and then took a course in the Ohio Northern College at Ada. During his long term of service as a teacher, Mr. Crabbe had been a close and attentive student of the law, and upon the completion of his law course at the college at Ada, he came to London, and in 1904 began the practice of law in that place. He formed a partnership with Hartford Welch, and for six years the firm of Welch & Crabbe was maintained, in that time becoming one of the best known law firms in London. On January 1, 1911, Mr. Crabbe formed a new partnership with E. W. Johnson, under the name of Crabbe & Johnson, and still continues under that name. In the cam- paign of 1912 Mr. Crabbe was nominated by the Republican party as its candidate for prosecuting attorney of Madison county. He was successful in the ensuing election and so satisfactory did his services to the public prove that he was renominated and re-elected in the fall of 1914 and is now serving his second term. During his incum- bency of this important office Mr. Crabbe has been active in prosecuting offenders, and he has made a most excellent record. The firm of which he is the head has an exten- sive civil practice and is held in the very highest repute throughout this section of the state, its practice extending far beyond the borders of this county.

On September 22, 1904, Charles C. Crabbe was united in marriage to Isa Roth, member of an old family in Range township, and to this union one son has been horn, Roth. Mr. and Mrs. Crabbe are active and earnest members of the Presbyterian church, of which Mr. Crabbe long has been one of the trustees. He is assistant super- intendent of the Presbyterian Sunday school and is recognized as one of the most earnest, active and influential church workers in his home city. He and his wife are also devoted to other good works in this community and are diligent in their efforts to promote the best interests of the commonwealth in every way.

As intimated above, Mr. Crabbe is a Republican and is looked upon as one of the leaders of the party in Madison county, his influence in local politics ever being exerted in behalf of good government. He also takes an earnest interest in the general affairs of the city of London, and is an active and influential member of the London Board of Trade and of the London Club. He also is a Mason and is a member of the Knights of Pythias, the Odd Fellows, the Junior Order of United American Mechanics and of the Modern Woodmen, to all of which organizations he gives his close (56)

Digitized by Google

882

MADISON COUNTY, OHIO.

personal attention. As a lawyer Mr. Crabbe stands high at the bars of his home and neighboring counties, and enjoys the full confidence and respect of bench and bar alike. As a public-spirited, enterprising and energetic citizen, he is recognized as a strong force for good in the community, and is held in high regard by all within the very large circle of his acquaintance.

PROF. ORRIS E. DUFF.

With a record of nearly a quarter of a century spent as an instructor of the youth of this county behind him, there are few men in Madison county better known than Prof. Orris E. Duff, who held for some time the important and responsible posi- tion of tax commissioner for this county. During his long service as a teacher in the public schools, Professor Duff made many warm and firm friends in this county and no one in this entire section is held in higher esteem on the part of the people generally than he. This was amply demonstrated at the time of his memorable race for Congress in 1908 against the veteran congressman, Gen. Warren J. Keifer. In that year Pro- fessor Duff was the nominee of the Democrats for Congress from this district-then the seventh Ohio congressional district, and overwhelmingly Republican-and he made so vigorous a campaign that, despite the numerical party odds against him and the long service and popularity of his opponent, he succeeded in cutting the normal Repub- lican majority in half.

Orris E. Duff was born in Fayette county, Ohio, on March 24, 1871, the only son of William M. and Eliza. J. (Creamer) Duff, both natives of the same county, who moved to this county when the subject of this sketch was a mere lad, settling on a farm in Stokes township, where they lived until about 1900, at which time they retired from the farm and moved to South Solon, this county, where the mother is now living at a ripe old age, the father having died on May 10, 1915. William M. Duff was born on December 25, 1840, and his wife on April 30, 1843. William M. Duff was a man of exceptionally vigorous physical constitution and strength of intellect and always took an active stand for the right on all moral issues. To him and his wife there were born but two children, Professor Duff having a sister, Tella, who married W. L. Drury, living near Newport, in this county.

Renred on the farm, Orris E. Duff received his elementary education in the district schools and in the Stokes township high school, upon completing which course he entered Ohio Normal University at Ada, later attending Wittenberg College at Spring- field, Ohio, and Lima College, from the latter of which excellent old institutions of learn- ing he was graduated with the class of 1908. In the meanwhile he had been teaching in the public schools of this county and had taught for two years in Greene county and for one year in Pickaway county. Upon leaving college, he resumed his teaching serv- ice, which he followed, all told, for twenty-two years. In 1913 Professor Duff was appointed tax commissioner for this county and served in that important public capacity until April 1, 1915.

In November, 1894, Prof. Orris E. Duff was united in marriage to Lora L. Gossard, who was born at Grassy Point, this county, on March 7, 1871, daughter of Robert and Barbara (Huffman) Gossard, prominent residents of that section, and to this union two sons have been born. William Robert, born on August 20, 1896, who died on January 10, 1914, and Edwin Brooks, September 4. 1899, who is now a student in the London high school. Professor and Mrs. Duff are members of the Methodist church at London, the professor holding the position of clerk of the official board of that church for some time, and they are looked upon as among the most earnest leaders in all movements having as their object the advancement of the best interests of the community, being held in the very highest esteem in their large circle of friends and acquaintances.

Digitized by Google

883

MADISON COUNTY, OHIO.

Professor Duff is a Democrat and his prominence in the party is indicated in the reference in a preceding paragraph to the fact that he was his party's nominee for Congress in 1908. His prominence in educational affairs is attested by the active part he takes in the deliberations of the Ohio State Teachers' Association, the Western Ohio Superintendents' Round Table and the Central Ohio Teachers' Association, of which bodies he is an influential member. He is a member of the popular London Club and is a Mason, a member of the Knights of Pythias and of the Modern Woodmen of America. In his long service as a teacher and in all his relations in life, Professor Duff has given of the best of himself to the advancement of the public welfare and is very properly looked upon as one of the leading citizens of this county, his influence ever being exerted on behalf of those things that are true and of good report; and he has ever been a true friend to young people; in consequence of which he has well earned the confidence and the respect of all classes throughout this entire section of the state.

WILLIAM MORROW BEACH, M. D.

Success in what is popularly termed the learned professions is the legitimate result of merit and painstaking endeavor. In commercial life one may come into possession of a lucrative business through inheritance or thrift, but professional advancement is gained only by critical study and consecutive research long continued. Proper intellectual discipline. thorough professional knowledge and the possession and use of qualities essential to success. made the late Dr. William Morrow Beach one of the eminent physicians of Madison county, Ohio. At the time of his death, he stood among the scholarly and enterprising physicians in this section of Ohio. He was descended from a long line of distinguished ancestry, and he, himself, a surgeon in the Union army during the Civil War, gave his best efforts in behalf of preserving the Integrity of the American Union.

William Morrow Beach, was born in Amity. Madison county, Ohio, May 10, 1831, the son of Uri and Hannah (Noble) Beach. Dr. William Morrow Beach died, May 5, 1887, at the age of fifty-six years. The Beach family has enjoyed a long and interesting history in the annals of this country and dates back to colonial times. Uri Beach was born on December 7. 1789. at New Haven, Vermont. He moved to Worthington, Ohio, in 1812, and two years later removed to Darby township, Madison county, bring- ing with him apple seeds from Marietta, Ohio, which he planted here, becoming the first nurseryman of the county. In 1820 he built a saw-mill, and, five years later, a woolen-factory near the saw-mill in Canaan township. He was married on September 1, 1816, two years after removing to Madison county. to Hannah Noble, who was born on September 11. 1789, and who died at Amity, in Madison county, in 1854. Uri Beach died at Amity, a village of which he was one of the proprietors, January 11, 1832, at the age of forty-three years.

Uri Beach was the son of Obel and Elizabeth (Kilbourne) Beach, the former of whom was born at Goshen, Connecticut. in 1758. He served in the Revolutionary army for three years and witnessed the surrender of Burgoyne. Two years after his dis- charge from the Revolutionary army. in 1780, Obel Beach removed to Poultney, Ver- mont, and, in 1788. to New Haven. Vermont. and in 1817, he removed to Darby town- ship, Madison county. Ohio, where his sons, Uri. Lorenzo, Ambrose and Amos had preceded him. His wife, Elizabeth Kilbourne, was born in 1765, and died in Canaan township, Madison county. Ohio, in 1826. Obel Beach died at the home of his son, Dr. Lorenzo Beach. at Pleasant Valley, Madison county, in 1846. Six of his brothers were in the Revolutionary army. Ambrose died in the hospital at Crown Point, Ver- mont, and Abraham died at Milford. Connecticut. on his return home from a prison

Digitized by Google

S84

MADISON COUNTY, OHIO.

ship stationed at Long Island Sound. Obel Beach was the son of Amos Beach, who died about the beginning of the Revolutionary War. Amos was the son of John Beach, Jr., familiarly known as "Deacon Beach," who died at Goshen, Connecticut, in 1773, after reaching the age of eighty-three years. John Beach, Jr. was the son of John Beach, Sr., who died at Wallingford, Connecticut, in 1709. John Beach, Sr. was the son of Thomas Beach, who died at Milford, Connecticut, in 1662. Thomas Beach was one of three brothers, the others being Richard and John, who signed the New Haven, Connecticut, Covenant in 1638.

Hannah (Noble) Beach, the wife of Uri Beach, was the daughter of Rev. Seth Noble, who served for a time in the Revolutionary War, and who, in 1806, came to Ohio and took up the ministry at Franklinton, now Columbus, where he died in 1807. The Rev. Seth Noble was the son of Thomas Noble, who died at Westfield, Massachusetts, at the age of seventy-eight years. Thomas was the son of Deacon Thomas Noble, of West- field, Massachusetts, who died there in 1750, at the age of eighty-four. He was the son of Thomas Noble, of Boston.

William Morrow Beach was only five months old when his father died. He was educated in the district schools of Madison county, and later clerked in a store at Dublin, Plain City and Amity. He spent one year at Ohio Wesleyan University, although his education did not end there for he was a close and earnest student all his life. In 1851 he entered the office of Dr. Samuel M. Smith, of Columbus, Ohio, as a student of medicine, and the same winter attended a course of lectures at the Starling Medical School, graduating with the class of 1853. Until 1855, he practiced his profession at Unionville Center, Ohio, and then removed to Lafayette. Madison county. During the winter of 1857-58, he was located in New York City, where he was a student at the College of Physicians and Surgeons. He returned to Lafayette, how- ever, and remained there until the beginning of the Civil War.

On April 3, 1862, Dr. William Morrow Beuch responded to a call from Governor David Tod for one hundred surgeons and immediately left for the front, arriving at Shiloh just after the battle. He was assigned to duty with the Twentieth Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry, and later, May 2, 1862, with the Seventy-eighth Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry, as assistant surgeon. He was commissioned surgeon of the One Hundred and Eighteenth Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry, on May 19, 1864 .. During his three-year service he was frequently on detached duty, the character of which indicated his standing in the army. In the Vicksburg campaign he was the hospital director of Gen. John A. Logan's division, and, after the surrender, was placed in charge of all the Confederate sick and wounded. At the close of the war he was division hospital director of the Second Division, Twenty-third Army Corps; also one of the surgeons constituting the division operating board. He was an intimate friend to many officers in the Union army, including Col. M. D. Ligget, with whose command he was detailed for about two years. He was at Port Gibson, Jackson, Champion's Hill, Vicksburg, and with Frank P. Blair on the Yazoo raid. He was also with Sherman on the Meridian raid, and served under Gen. Lew Wallace, Grant, Sherman and McPherson. During his service, he traveled more than nine thousand miles.

Upon the close of the Civil War, Doctor Beach settled on the farm but continued his practice until his death. In the meantime his practice grew amazingly.

On June 12, 1860, Dr. William Morrow Beach was married to Lucy E. Wilson, the daughter of James and Eleanor (Smith) Wilson, who was born on March 28, 1844, and who has lived all her life in the vicinity of London, Ohio. She comes from the hardy, pioneer farmers of Madison county, who were far-seeing enough to acquire much of the fertile lands of this county, and from whom she inherits her taste and

Digitized by Google

885

MADISON COUNTY, OHIO.

love for the farm and farming. Mrs. Beach owns and successfully manages "The Cedars," which farm now contains eleven hundred and forty acres. The home was built in 1903, on the site of the old home and a part of the old house was incorporated in the new. Besides "The Cedars," Mrs. Beach has other farm lands, amounting in all to about eight hundred acres located south of London. She was educated at Esther Institute, Columbus, Ohio, which had upon its rolls many of the social leaders of the city and state. She was also a student at the old Methodist Female Seminary at Springfield, Ohio.

Doctor and Mrs. Beach had one daughter, Mary (now Mrs. Bedwell), who is a graduate of Rutgers Female College, where she finished the course in 1882. She was the valedictorian of her class.

In 1869, Dr. William Morrow Beach was elected as a Republican to the state Legislature and in 1871, was elected to the Ohio state Senate, where he served with distinction and where he was instrumental in framing much of the important legia- lation during his term of office. As a physician, Doctor Beach was industrious and conscientious. A sense of duty always prompted him to give his time and best thought to his patrons to a degree rarely seen in the profession. No summons to the home of the poor was ever neglected for fear there would be no compensation. He was an honored member of the medical societies to which he belonged; was the first presi- dent of the Ohio Sanitary Association and president of the State Medical Society in 1885. He served in this capacity for the County and District Medical Societies and was a prominent member of the American Medical Association, before which he read a paper on the subject of "milk sickness" which excited great interest in the profession, being copied in medical journals in Europe as well as in America, and which was purchased for the Reference Hand Book of Medical Science in 1886.

Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.

History of Madison County Ohio: Its People, Industries and Institutions, Part 132

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

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