USA > Ohio > Mercer County > History of Mercer County, Ohio, and representative citizens > Part 29
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GEORGE RICKETS
GEORGE RICKETS, a veteran of the Civil War and a prominent citizen and old settler of Hopewell township, resides on his well-improved farm of 100 acres, located not far from Oregon station. Mr. Rickets was born August 3, 1834, in Fairfield County, Ohio, and is a son of Samuel and Sarah E. (Raudabaugh) Rickets.
Samuel Rickets was born in Culpeper County, Virginia, and his wife in Hocking County, Ohio, where the Raudabaugh family had settled at a very early date. They resided for a time in Hocking County, but later removed to Fairfield County, when pioneer conditions still existed.
George Rickets received his early education in an old log school house in the vicinity of his father's farm. He assisted in developing the land until 1864, when he enlisted in Company K, 156th Reg., Ohio Vol. Inf., which be- came a part of the Army of the Cumberland. After completing his first term of service, he became a veteran in February, 1865, re-enlisting in Company D, 193rd Reg., Ohio Vet. Vol. Inf. He was honorably discharged on August 10, 1865, having participated in innumerable skirmishes and several battles, the most important of which was that at Cumberland, Maryland, on August I, 1864. The movements of his regiment took him over a large part of Mary- land, Kentucky and Virginia. Mr. Rickets draws a pension of $12 per month.
In view of the present appearance of the farm of Mr. Rickets, it seems almost impossible to believe that when he settled in his little log cabin here, in 1865, this whole section of Hopewell township was still a forest, but since then he has cleared up his large farm, and in 1873 he built his present com- fortable residence. He stands as a fair representative of the good farmers of this section of Mercer County.
On March 3, 1859, Mr. Rickets was married to Susan Crider, born in Fairfield County, Ohio, a daughter of the late Jacob Crider, who was a pio- neer in Fairfield County. Three children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Rickets, as follows: Sarah E., who is the wife of Joseph Montgomery, of Fairfield County; Perley R., who is the wife of John Wilson, of Hopewell township; and Charles C., who married Almeda Fast, resides with his father, engaged in farming.
In political sentiment, Mr. Rickets is a stanch Republican. He is a prominent member of Copp's Chapel Methodist Episcopal Church, of which
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CAPT. JAMES RILEY
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he is a trustee. He is a man who has always stood high in the estimation of his fellow-citizens, one whose sterling character is recognized by all who know him.
CAPT. JAMES RILEY
Prominent among the first and best-known pioneers of Western Ohio, was the late Capt. James Riley, who won distinction as a traveler, navigator, author and statesman. He was born at Middletown, Connecticut, October 27, 1777, and died at sea, March 13, 1840.
Like many other lads brought up in ship-building centers, James Riley early sought the adventures held out by a seafaring life and was but 15 years. old when he shipped as a cabin boy on a trading vessel to the West Indies. By the time he was 20 years old he was master of a ship and had visited all the best-known commercial points that foreign vessels then touched. His whole life on the sea which covered many years was more or less adventurous and much of it is incorporated in his interesting book, "Riley's Narrative," which at the time was the first reliable account of many unknown countries and of savage tribes. A thrilling experience related was of the wreck of his, vessel, in August, 1815, on the reef off Cape Bojador, Africa. The ship- wrecked captain and crew landed without loss of life but were taken captive by a wandering tribe of Arabs by whom they were sold to Moorish merchant- men, who made slaves of them and transported them to the Desert of Sahara. Of their escape and of the final return to the United States after a long ab- sence, Captain Riley writes entertainingly in his work.
Wearied of the sea and financially prostrated by the loss of his vessel and cargo, Captain Riley then turned his attention to the rapidly developing western part of Ohio. Securing a government contract, in association with his eldest son, James Watson Riley, he surveyed and laid out counties and town- ships all through the northwestern part of this State. He was for a period ex- tensively engaged in the erection of mills, the building of roads and the opening up of opportunities for settlers. In 1823-24 he represented Darke and Shelby counties in the General Assembly of Ohio and he it was who introduced the bill which laid the foundation for the State's present superior public-school system. Failing health and a return of the old seafaring spirit induced him to return to commercial life on the water and, as probably he would have chosen, his last days were passed surrounded by the element which he loved so well.
In January, 1802, Captain Riley was married to Phebe Miller, a daughter of Hosea Miller, a "Minute Man" during the Revolutionary War. They had five children, namely : James Watson; Horatio Sprague; William Willshire;
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Amelia Ann, who married Dr. William Murdock, of Urbana, Ohio; and Phebe, who married John Jay Beach, of Connecticut.
JAMES WATSON RILEY, the eldest of the above family, became one of Mercer County's most distinguished men. He was born in Middletown, Con- necticut, February 20, 1804. When he was 19 years of age, he assisted his father in surveying Southern Michigan and Northern Ohio and Indiana. Be- fore he had reached his majority he was appointed clerk of courts of Mercer County. At that time the county seat was St. Marys, but in 1839 it was moved to Celina. This position he held for a period of 20 years, resigning it in 1841 to take charge of the United States Land Office at Lima, being one of President William Henry Harrison's first appointees.
James Watson Riley was originally a Whig until the formation of the Republican party, when he became one of the earliest and stanchest sup- porters of the new organization. In 1843 he was elected to the Ohio Legis- lature and subsequently was appointed chief clerk of the State auditor. Upon his resignation of this position, he returned to Celina, always having been deeply interested in the development of this place. In 1853 he removed to Sandusky in order to give his younger children better educational advantages, and became attorney for the Sandusky, Mansfield & Newark Railroad Com- pany. His death occurred at Celina, January 1, 1870, from an accident re- ceived at Toledo.
In September, 1827, Mr. Riley married Susan Ellis, of Alexander, New York, and they had six children born to them, namely: William Willshire, a physician and statesman, at Judsonia, Arkansas; Calvin Erastus, president of the Commercial Bank Company of Celina; Amelia Ann, deceased, formerly wife of Capt. William McMurray, a hero of the Civil War; James Watson, Jr., residing in Celina, who distinguished himself in the Civil War; Susan (wife of Hon. E. M. Ashley, of Denver, Colorado), who was one of the vice-presidents of the World's Columbian Exposition at Chicago, and the first president of the Colorado Federation of Women's Clubs; and Mahala, who is the wife of Judge A. J. Hodder, a prominent resident of Boston, Massa- chusetts. Mr. and Mrs. James W. Riley also reared and adopted six orphan children.
Portraits of Capt. James Riley and James Watson Riley appear on other pages of this work.
JOSEPH NUDING
JOSEPH NUDING, who resides on his finely cultivated farm of 160 acres, situated in section 1, Hopewell township, was born March 17, 1845, in Fair- field County, Ohio, and is a son of John F. and Barbara (Engle) Nuding.
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John F. Nuding was born in Germany, January 21, 1815, and his wife in Fairfield County, Ohio, June 17, 1818. Prior to 1848, John F. Nuding and family lived in Hocking County, but in that year removed to Mercer County, Mr. Nuding settling on a farm in Hopewell township, about four and one-half miles from the present site of Celina. His log cabin was one of the very first erected in the great stretch of forest that then covered all this part of Mercer County, and the family endured many of the hardships and privations to which pioneers were subjected. Mr. Nuding spent the remaining nine years of life engaged in clearing up his land, his death occurring September 1, 1857. His widow survived many years, passing away September 16, 1900. The children of John F. Nuding and wife were numerous and there are six who survive as follows: Maria, who is the wife of John H. Long, of Lima; Joseph ; Sarah, who is the wife of Jonas Weist, of Hopewell township; Will- iam H., who lives at Mercer; Leah, now a resident of Mercer County, who is the widow of Joseph Lewis, late of Jay County, Indiana; and Alma, who is the wife of Hiram Grissom, of Jay County, Indiana.
Joseph Nuding was reared to man's estate on his father's farm in Hope- well township, was educated in its public schools, and through his years of mature life has had all his interests centered here. He has always been a farmer and has managed his agricultural operations in so judicious a manner that an ample fortune has been realized, but at the same time he has given at- tention to the advancement of the welfare of the community at large, as be- comes a good citizen. He has assisted in the making of good roads, in the building of churches and schools and, as trustee of the township for two terms, helped to put its affairs on a sound financial basis.
On November 14, 1878, he was married to Effie Roberts, who was born in Mercer County, Ohio, a daughter of the late John Roberts of Center town- ship, where he was an early settler. Mr. and Mrs. Nuding have had four children, the two survivors being, Grover S. and May.
Mr. - Nuding is a stanch Democrat and is a very active party man. He is a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church, of which he is a trustee and steward. In every relation of life he is respected and esteemed.
CLEMENT V. MAY
CLEMENT V. MAY, infirmary director, who is prominently identified with the agricultural and political interests of Hopewell township and resides upon his well-improved farm of 121 acres, in section 6, was born October 12, 1865, in Mercer County, Ohio, and is a son of Elias and Susan (Lazure) May.
The parents of Mr. May were both natives of Ross County, Ohio. In
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early married life they settled in Liberty township, Mercer County, where for many years they were representative farmers and highly respected residents. The father died in September, 1903, but the mother still survives, having reached her 79th year, and lives at Randolph, Nebraska. Of the children born to Elias May and wife, 10 survive, as follows : Mary A., who is the wife of A. J. Ricker, of Indiana ; Byron L., who lives in Dublin township; John R., who resides in Hopewell township; Caroline, who is the widow of Thomas Wright, and a resident of Randolph, Nebraska; Wilson T., who resides in Hopewell township; Clement V .; Joseph M., who lives near Toledo, Ohio; Daniel, who resides in Nebraska; William W., who lives near Toledo; and Marion, who is a resident of Randolph, Nebraska.
Clement V. May was reared in Liberty township and attended the public schools. He has always been engaged in agricultural pursuits, farming and stock-raising, and for six seasons he ran a threshing machine, owning a full outfit. He is one of the progressive men of his locality, in business as well as in public affairs, and is a liberal supporter of the various agencies at work which are designed to add to the efficiency of the public schools and to increase interest in agricultural pursuits.
Mr. May was united in marriage with Curley E. McChristy, born in Hopewell township, a daughter of Moses and Elizabeth (Davis) McChristy, the former of whom is deceased. Mrs. McChristy still resides in this township. Mr. and Mrs. May have five children, namely: Myrtle E., who is the wife of Tony Hinton, of Liberty township; Nora M., who is the wife of William Laudahn, of Liberty township; Ina L., and Susanna E. and Laura L.
Politically Mr. May is a Democrat and is influential in his party in this section. He has frequently served as school director of his district, and in the spring of 1906 was nominated for the office of infirmary director of Mercer County, to which he was elected in the following November. He belongs to the Knights of Pythias lodge at Rockford.
EMMET F. CARPENTER
EMMET F. CARPENTER, a prominent farmer and stock-raiser of Hope- well township, residing on his well-cultivated farm of 2391/2 acres, situated in section 22, was born in Center township, Mercer County, Ohio, December 30, 1857, and is a son of Noah and Rachel (Berry) Carpenter.
Noah Carpenter was born in Hocking County, his wife in Fairfield County, Ohio. They were early settlers in Center township, Mercer County, locating about 1849, before the forests had been laid low and when but few settlers had established homes there. They were representative pioneers and
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lived long and worthy lives, passing away honored and esteemed by their contemporaries.
Emmet F. Carpenter was about 10 years old when he was left mother- less and by the time he was 13 years of age he was thrown entirely upon his own resources. In his boyhood he attended the district schools, and later, through his own efforts, enjoyed a season at the Ohio Normal University at Ada, Ohio. His business in life has been entirely of an agricultural nature and he has been located on his present farm since the fall of 1886.
On April 4, 1886, Mr. Carpenter was married to Margaret Hellwarth, a daughter of John Hellwarth, of Hopewell township, and they have five children, named as follows: Quincy Grover, Domer S., Raymond N., Jere- miah B. and Jesse Mckinley. In his political views Mr. Carpenter is a Demo- crat. With his family he belongs to the Evangelical Church.
WILLIAM A. ORR
WILLIAM A. ORR, who is one of the leading farmers and stock-raisers of Hopewell township, residing on his excellent farm of 160 acres situated in section 13, was born in Fairfield County, Ohio, October 17, 1847, and is a son of Jackson and Rebecca (Baker) Orr.
The Orr family is of Scotch-Irish extraction. The Baker family origin- ated in Germany. Jackson Orr was born in Hocking County, Ohio, and his wife in Washington County, Maryland. They were very early settlers in Fairfield County, locating there when little clearing had been done and Indians were still often encountered. In 1849 Jackson Orr and family removed to Mercer County, where they again found pioneer conditions, and settled a second time in the woods, their home being a log cabin and their nearest neighbors many miles away. They lived in Hopewell township until 1869, when they removed to Celina, where Jackson Orr died in the same year, and was survived by his widow until 1896. In their passing this section lost two of its most estimable people, who were true pioneers, hospitable, thrifty and worthy of remembrance. They were among the founders of the Methodist Episcopal Church in their neighborhood. Of their six children, the following five survive: Sarah F., a resident of Van Wert, Ohio, who is the widow of William H. Brookhart, formerly of Kenton, Ohio; William A .; George, who resides in Mercer County; John, who resides at Wabash; Samaria, deceased; and Albert, who resides at Cincinnati.
William A. Orr was reared and educated in Hopewell township, where his life has been passed, engaged in agricultural pursuits. At one time he
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engaged quite extensively in the buying and selling of cattle and other stock and was well known in the business. Politically he is a Republican.
On November 13, 1870, Mr. Orr was married to Sarah M. Petrie, born in Jefferson township, Mercer County, Ohio, on May 13, 1853, a daughter of George and Sarah (Wilds) Petrie. Her mother was born in Fairfield County, Ohio, and died in 1862. The father was born in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, and long was a resident of Jefferson township, Mercer County, where he settled as a pioneer n 1842. He was one of the trustees of the township and later was a member of the Board of Infirmary Directors. In his 87th year, he now resides at Celina, one of the most venerable men in the county. He has been twice married and the children who survive are as fol- lows : William, of Jefferson township; Mary, widow of William Houser, of Celina, now residing at Los Angeles, California; John B., of Celina; Sarah A .; Joseph C., of Mercer County ; Thomas E., of Marion, Indiana; Broad F., of Utah; and George A., of Celina.
Mr. and Mrs. Orr have had six children, namely: Edward S., residing at Celina; Frank F., residing in Hopewell township; Charles E., a successful teacher at Celina; Mary B., wife of Charles F. Raach, residing at Canton, Ohio; and Lela M., at home. Mrs. Orr is a member of the Methodist Epis- copal Church.
JAMES Z. MOTT
JAMES Z. MOTT, a representative farmer of Gibson township, owner of 174 acres of excellent farming land in sections 27, 34 and 35, was born July 12, 1841, in what was then Darke but is now included in Gibson township, Mercer County, Ohio, and is a son of Abraham and Abigail (Coates) Mott.
Mr. Mott was reared on his father's farm and agriculture has always had more attractions for him than ony other occupation. He was only 19 years of age when he answered the call for defenders of the country in the days of the war between the North and the South, enlisting as a private, on Novem- ber 3, 1861, in Company K, 40th Reg., Ohio Vol. Inf., contracting to serve three years. He faithfully fulfilled this contract and in doing so he endured many hardships, fought many battles and suffered from the enemy's bullet on one occasion, being shot in the left ear. He participated in the battles of Chickamauga, Missionary Ridge, Lookout Mountain, Atlanta, Nashville and innumerable smaller engagements, and after the expiration of his first term he reenlisted, in 1864, at Shellmound, Georgia, and was finally discharged at Victoria, Texas. He was mustered out with the rank of commissary ser- geant, on November 3, 1865.
After his return from the army, he resumed his duties on his father's
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farm, where he continued until his marriage in the following year, when he settled on his present farm, which he had partly purchased while in the army. His first purchase was an 80-acre timber tract, in the midst of which he erected a log house. Later a commodious frame dwelling took its place and barns and other necessary outbuildings were constructed. He carries on general farm- ing and is ranked with the substantial men of his neighborhood.
On November 28, 1866, Mr. Mott was married to Elizabeth Grant, who was born in Darke County, Ohio, about five miles from the present home. She is a daughter of Alexander and Margaret (Reprogle) Grant. Her grand- father, Alexander Grant, was one of the earliest settlers in this locality. He entered this land from the government and at one time owned 1,100 acres. Mr. and Mrs. Mott have had six children, namely: Henry Silas, who was reared and well educated in Gibson township, married Harriet Bond, and died in 1896, aged 28 years, leaving one son-Edward Silas; Clarence, who re- sides at home; Annie Viola, deceased at the age of three years; George Ma- rion, who lives at home; Lenuel, who died aged 17 years; and Harry, who married Mary Tillie Miller, has one son, Walter, and resides in Indiana.
Mr. Mott has been a prominent man in his township for many years, tak- ing an active part in educational and other movements and for a long period serving as a member of the Board of Education, of which he is now president He is a leading member of the German Baptist Church. In any gathering Mr. Mott would attract attention on account of his fine physical appearance, his army height, when but 19 years of age, having been 6 feet 312 inches. In politics he is a Republican.
HON. FRANCIS C. LEBLOND
The late Francis C. LeBlond was the oldest member of the bar at Celina at his death, and formerly represented the Fifth Congressional District of Ohio in the halls of Congress. He was a man of great mental capacity and his fellow-citizens greatly profited through his devotion to their interests. He was born in Knox County, Ohio, February 12, 1821, and was a son of Evera C. and Elizabeth (Holderman) LeBlond.
The father of Mr. LeBlond was born at Paris, France, on May 22, 1789, and came to America in order to avoid being pressed into military service. He died at Belleville, Ohio, January 16, 1851. His wife, Elizabeth Holder- man, who came of German ancestry, was born in Lancaster County, Pennsyl- vania, in 1793, and died in 1861.
Francis C. LeBlond was mainly educated at Norwalk, Ohio, where he was under the instruction of Bishop Edward M. Thompson, of the Methodist Episcopal Church. In the fall of 1843 he was admitted to the bar, and in
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December of that year located at St. Marys, Ohio, where he remained several months and then removed to Celina, which city remained the scene of his many legal triumphs until the close of his life. Here, for years, esteem, re- spect, admiration and affection waited upon his footsteps and here he will re- main enshrined among the city's most notable men.
A man of his ability could not keep out of politics, and Democratic prin- ciples were the ones for which he was ready to do battle. His first office was that of prosecuting attorney, to which he was elected in the fall of 1847 and reelected in 1849. In 1851 he was elected to the Lower House of the Gen- eral Assembly of Ohio, in 1853 was returned and was honored especially by being chosen Speaker of the House. During this term Mr. LeBlond took a very prominent part in the proceedings and he was once heard to declare that the passage of the present school laws, which was a measure under his charge, gave him more genuine pleasure than any of the many honors which came to him later. In 1856 he was the Democratic candidate for common pleas judge, but was defeated by Alexander S. Latty.
In 1862 he was first elected to Congress from the Fifth Congressional District, and was reelected in 1864; during the long period which covered this term of public service, he proved his capacity on hundreds of occasions. It was during his second term that a very noted incident occurred in connection with Mr. LeBlond's attitude in regard to the reconstruction measures intro- duced in 1866. He made speeches on this subject which were so forcible, so ·convincing and so truly democratic that from that time on he was recognized as the leader of the party on the floor of the House of Representatives. It was during the rather heated discussion of this matter that Mr. LeBlond made a sarcastic speech which rang all over the country, which brought deserved criticism and reproach on the opponents of the bill, some of whom were cari- catured in the leading newspapers.
In 1868 Mr. LeBlond was selected as a delegate to the Democratic National Convention held in New York city, which nominated Horatio Sey- mour, Governor of New York, for the Presidency ; and again, in 1876, he was a delegate from the Fifth Congressional District, to the convention of that year which met at St. Louis and nominated Samuel J. Tilden for President. Although for years out of active politics, he always remained interested and his political friends all over the land were very often personal ones as well. During his long term of law practice he stood at the head of the bar of Mercer County.
On September 6, 1853, Mr. LeBlond was married at St. Marys, Ohio, to Louisa E. McGinley, and they had these children: Charles M., a promi- nent attorney at Hilo, Hawaiian Islands, formerly a member of the State Legislature, from Mercer County ; Emma L., the wife of Ex-Auditor Charles
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HON. A. P. J. SNYDER
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A. Kloeb, now State inspector of public offices; and Frank C., who is now a resident of San Francisco, California. Both Mrs. LeBlond and Mr. and Mrs. Kloeb have homes on North Main street, Celina.
HON. A. P. J. SNYDER.
In the death of Hon. A. P. J. Snyder, which occurred November 15, 1901, at Celina, Mercer County lost one of her most devoted and efficient citi- zens and justly honored men. For 50 years he was at the head of the Mercer County Standard, and for a half century the hundreds of readers of this journal were influenced through his facile pen and imbued with ideas which led to the highest type of citizenship.
A. P. J. Snyder was born in Bellefontaine, Ohio, June 24, 1828, and was a son of Henry and Sarah (Smith) Snyder. The father was a native of Hagerstown, Maryland, and was a soldier in the army which defended St. Marys, and Fort Defiance, in the War of 1812.
Until he was 17 years of age, Mr. Snyder attended the common schools at Bellefontaine, excellent ones for their time, and then became an apprentice to the printing business in the office of the Ohio Censor, at Bellefontaine. After three years there he worked on the Champaign Democrat at Urbana, the Banner at West Liberty and the Gazette of his native city. On March 17, 1851, Mr. Snyder came to Celina and at once entered the office of the West- ern Standard, which was then owned by Judge William L. Blocher, in con- nection with S. S. Snyder, brother of A. P. J. Snyder. Three years later the subject of this sketch bought Judge Blocher's interest and the two brothers continued the business together until 1865, when they sold out to D. J. Callen.
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