USA > Ohio > Morrow County > History of Morrow County, Ohio; a narrative account of its historical progress, its people, and its principal interests, Vol. II > Part 33
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On the 27th of September, 1877, was recorded the marriage of Mr. Miller to Miss Sarah L. George, a daughter of Enoch and
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Phoebe George, prominent citizens of Mount Gilead during their lives. Mr. and Mrs. Miller have no children of their own but have one adopted daughter, Annetta A., who was born on the 5th of November, 1878. She was educated in the common schools of Mount Gilead and was gradnated in the local high school. She is now the wife of R. C. Lockridge and they reside at Las Vegas, Nevada. To Mr. and Mrs. Lockridge was born on May 13, 1910, a little son, Robert Miller Lockridge.
COLONEL E. WAGNER .- One of the prominent residents of Mount Gilead, Morrow county, Ohio, is Colonel E. Wagner, who, in company with his brother, O. S. Wagner, is engaged in the buy- ing and shipping of grain. He is a loyal and public-spirited citizen, whose influence has ever been exerted in behalf of the gen- eral welfare and whose contribution to progress and development is of the most insistent order. He was born in Wyandot county, Ohio, the date of his birth being November 14, 1874, and he is a son of Cyrus and Lydia (Wildermood) Wagner, the former of whom was born in Germany and the latter in Ohio. John Smith Wagner, grandfather of him whose name initiates this review, was likewise born in Germany, whence he came to America with his family in an early date. He settled on a farm in Wyandot county, Ohio, where his death occurred about 1882. Mr. and Mrs. Cyrus Wagner are still residents of Wyandot county, where the father is identified with agricultural pursuits and where he has maintained his home during his natural life.
Colonel E. Wagner, the fourth in order of birth in a family of nine children, was reared to maturity on the old home farm in Wyandot county, to whose public schools he is indebted for his educational training. He received a good, practical common edn- cation, and entered a railroad office at Mccutchenville, where he learned telegraphy. In 1889 he entered the employ of the Toledo & Ohio Central Railroad Company in the capacity of telegraph operator. After working at different places in that capacity he finally came to Mount Gilead in 1894, and here he has since re- sided. In 1906 he and his brother O. S .. Wagner purchased the N. J. Cover warehouse and elevators and since that time they have been engaged in a general feed business, also buying and ship- ping grain of all kinds. In this line of enterprise the Wagner Brothers are doing a thriving business and the same is most grat- ifving to contemplate inasmuch as it is the direct result of their own well directed endeavors.
On April 25, 1901, was recorded the marriage of Mr. Wagner to Miss Dora Huffman, who was reared and educated at McCutch- enville, Ohio, and who is a daughter of William and Rose (Baker) Huffman, prominent residents of Wyandot county, Ohio. No children have been born to this union. Mr. and Mrs. Wagner are zealous members of the Methodist Episcopal church at Mount Gilead,
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In politics Mr. Wagner is a Democrat and he is an influential factor in the local councils of that party. At the present time he is serving as a member of the city council of Mount Gilead and it may be stated here that he has ever been deeply interested in all matters projected for the general welfare of the community. Fraternally he is affiliated with Mount Gilead Lodge, No. 206, Free and Accepted Masons, and with Charles H. Hull Lodge, No. 195, Knights of Pythias, in the latter of which he is the present master at arms. Mr. Wagner is a man of fine natural intelligence. His genial manner, his unfaltering courtesy, his genuine worth of character and strong personal traits have won for him the regard and friendship of the vast majority of those with whom he has come in contact and made him a representative citizen of Morrow county.
LAFAYETTE BARTLETT SHURR .- Simon Augustus Shurr with his brother Lafayette Bartlett Shurr are to be numbered among Ohio's well-known summer resort men, and they are exhibiting a spirit of enterprise which bids fair to make of Rogers Lake, near Chesterville, one of the most attractive and popular summering places of this part of the state, sparing neither time nor money in the efforts which will result in additional prosperity to the whole community. The name of Shurr and that of the maternal side of the house-Bartlett-are among the most distinguished and honorable to be encountered in this section, and for many years they have been identified with Morrow county interests. The name of Bartlett, in particular, figures in most interesting fashion in early American history. Hugh and Margaret (Shurr) Bartlett, grandparents of the subject, were natives of Salem, New York, and of Pennsylvania, respectively. Their daughter Mary, mother of Mr. Shurr, was born December 24, 1825, and was affectionately called by her parents their Christmas present. Hugh Bartlett's father was Bartholomew Bartlett, and his brother, Josiah, was one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence. Bartholomew Bartlett's wife was Elizabeth Webb, an aunt of Mrs. Lucy Webb Hayes, the one-time popular and noble mistress of the White House. Besides the daughter mentioned there were five sons in the family of Hugh Bartlett and his wife, namely: W. F., G. V., and C. T., who passed their lives as successful business men in New York city; Edwin W., deceased ; and D. Lafayette.
Hugh Bartlett migrated with his parents from his native Empire state during the war of 1812, and they located near Mount Vernon, Ohio. At that time the country was principally dense forest, with blazed trails for roads, and many hardships were en- dured, which assisted in developing that sturdy manhood and womanhood which distinguished Morrow county's pioncer stock. William Bartlett was detailed to do patrol work from Zanesville to Mansfield and Upper Sandusky, the country at that time swarm- ing with hostile Indians. This William Bartlett had been a captain
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in the war of 1812, and Samuel Nye, who married his sister Mary, (Called by her adoring relatives Aunt Polly), was also made a captain in that service.
On March 6, 1844, Mary Bartlett, above mentioned, was united in marriage to George W. Shurr, a son of Simon and Margaret (MeCracken) Shurr, natives of Washington county, Pennsylvania. The Shurrs had come to Ohio from Claysville, Pennsylvania, in 1836, bringing with them their two sons, John and George. The late George Shurr was a farmer and merchant and one of the well- known citizens of the county. He was the proprietor of the old and well-known Shurr General Merchandise Establishment, which for many years did a large and prosperous business in Chester- ville. To the union of George Shurr and Mary Bartlett were born two sons, named Simon Augustus and Lafayette Bartlett, and a child who died in infancy. The boys received their education in the common and high schools of Chester and subsequently Simon Augustus went to New York city, where he engaged in business for thirty-five years. In that metropolis he was united in marriage to Irene Durkee, and there they passed their wedded life until the death of the wife. For several years after that lamentable event Mr. Shurr continued in business, but not long ago he disposed of his interests in the East and returned to his native Chester. He has purchased Rogers Lake, a summer resort, and he is doing all in his power to improve and beautify this beautiful spot to make it attractive to those who desire to spend the heated season in healthful and delightful surroundings.
Lafayette Bartlett Shurr, who owns Rogers Lake with his brother, was married on the 11th day of June, 1902, to Mary Gor- don, a daughter of Sidney and Mahala Gordon, of Chesterville.
The Messrs. Shurr, among their other important improvements, have erected a number of fine and commodious cottages, and the fame of Rogers Lake is constantly growing. It promises, indeed, to become one of the most popular resorts of Central Ohio. The father died several years ago and the widow resides with her children, who tenderly care for her. She is an intelligent, fine woman, of winsome personality. She and her family are united with the Presbyterian church. Mr. L. B. Shurr is an enthusiastic lodge man, with membership in the Masonic Lodge and the Inde- pendent Order of Odd Fellows, in which latter the father was a charter member.
As suggested before, the names of Bartlett and Shurr stand for a spirit of progressiveness, and any community with which these families are identified profits therefrom.
JACOB RULE .- Among the influential and highly honored agri- culturists of Perry township, Morrow county, Ohio, Jacob Rule holds distinctive prestige as a man of worth and impregnable integrity. He is the owner of a splendid farm of one hundred and
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sixty acres of most arable land in Perry township and he also has a tract of eighty acres of land in Congress township, all of which is in a high state of cultivation.
A native son of Perry township, Mr. Rule has passed practi- cally his entire life thus far within its bounds, and the fact that he has always commanded the high regard of his fellow citizens who have known him from earliest youth is sufficient voucher for his estimable character. Mr. Rule was born on the 24th of November, 1842, and he is a son of George and Mary (Rule) Rule, both of whom are deceased. Both parents were natives of the state of Pennsylvania, whence they immigrated to Morrow county, Ohio, at an early day, location having been made on a farm, where they passed the residue of their lives. They became the parents of eight children, three of whom are living in 1911, namely: Jacob, the immediate subject of this review; Margaret, who is the wife of John Gaunt, and who maintains her home in Marshall county, Indiana, and George, a business man of Goshen, Indiana. George Rule, the father, was eminently successful as a pioneer farmer in Ohio, and he was summoned to the great beyond about the year 1900.
Jacob Rule, of this review, was reared to the strenuous in- fluences of the home farm, in connection with the work of which he waxed strong both mentally and physically. He remained an in- mate of the parental home until he had attained to the age of twenty-one years, at which time he turned his attention to agricul- tural pursuits on his own account. He is now the owner of a farm of one hundred and sixty acres in Perry township and the thrifty, prosperous condition of his place well indicates his ability as a practical, conscientious farmer. He has long been identified withi diversified agriculture and the raising of high-grade stock and in addition to his estate in Perry township he has a fine farm of eighty acres in Congress township. He is a man of fair and honorable business methods and he stands four-square to every wind that blows.
In 1865 was celebrated the marriage of Mr. Rule to Miss Catherine Ruhl Fall, who was born and reared in Morrow county, Ohio, and who is a daughter of HI. H. Fall, who has long engaged in agricultural pursuits in Morrow county. To Mr. and Mrs. Rule have been born four children, concerning whom the following brief record is here entered : Eva is the wife of Riley Brewer and they reside in Morrow county; Hernie married George W. Dawson, of Mount Gilead; Dellic is the wife of Bert Zollman, of Mount Gilead ; and Heilman H. remains at home, where he assists his father in the work and management of the farm. Mrs. Rule was called to the life eternal on the 15th of January, 1911, and her death. was uniformly mourned by a wide circle of relatives and friends. She was a woman of high ideals and sweet personality and was deeply beloved by all who knew her.
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In his religious faith Mr. Rule is a devout member of the Lutheran church, to whose charities and good works he has ever been a most liberal contributor, and in a fraternal way he is con- nected with various organizations of a loeal nature. Politically he endorses the cause of the Democratic party and in connection with public affairs he has given most efficient service as a member of the township board of supervisors and as a school director. His genial kindliness and unfailing courtesy have won him a secure place in the hearts of his fellow citizens and no one commands a greater degree of popular confidence and esteem than does he.
MELLVILLE PARROTT .- A representative business man of Mount Gilead, Morrow county, Ohio, and one whose loyalty and public spirit have prompted him to do all in his power to conserve the progress and development of this section of the fine old Buckeye state is Mellville Parrott, who is a native son of Mount Gilead and a scion of an old Pennsylvania family. He was born on the 4th of March, 1854, and is a son of Simeon S. and Mary (Hiddleson) Parrott, the former of whom was a native of Washington county, Pennsylvania, and the latter of whom claimed Monroe county, Ohio, as the place of her birth. Both were born in the year 1818, and the father eame to Morrow county, Ohio, in the year 1837, settling on a farm near Mount Gilead. Mrs. Parrott came to this county with he parents, as a young girl, and her marriage was solemnized in September, 1840. To this union were born the fol- lowing children : Nelson, Clark, Mellville, Louise and Dora. Nelson and Clark are both deceased; Mellville is the immediate subject of this review; Louise is the wife of N. N. Hiskett, and resides in Morrow county; and Dora married I. M. Lautz, of Vinton county. Simeon S. Parrott died in 1904 and his cherished wife was summoned to eternal rest in 1901.
Mellville Parrott was reared to the sturdy discipline of the home farm which was situated one mile southeast of Mount Gilead, and during the busy seasons he assisted his father in the work and management thereof, attending school during the winter terms. When eighteen years of age he gave his entire time to farming and the raising of high-grade stock and he continued to be thus engaged until 1910, in which year he opened a coal yard at Mt. Gilead. In the latter line of enterprise he has been most successful, controlling a large trade and conducting a prosperous business. He owns forty acres of fine land in Gilead township, one quarter of a mile southwest of Mount Gilead, and on the same raises corn of excep- tional quality, samples of which have been exhibited in many states of the Union. He makes a specialty of the Johnson connty white and the Reed yellow corn and for the same has been awarded prem- inms in many of the state fairs. Mrs. Parrott is the owner of one acre of real estate in Mount Gilead, the same being located on West High street, near the Toledo & Ohio Central Railroad.
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Mr. Parrott has been twice married, his first union having been to Miss Addie McAllister, by whom he had three children : Ethel, who is the wife of Ellery Newson, of Morrow county ; Nellie, who passed away in 1882; and Florence, who is the wife of Charles Markham, of Mount Gilead, Ohio. Mrs. Parrott was summoned to the life eternal in 1880, and in 1893, was celebrated the marriage of Mr. Parrott to Miss Lillie F. Elliottt, who was born and reared at Marion. No children have been born to this latter union.
In politics Mr. Parrott accords an unswerving allegiance to the principles and policies for which the Democratic party stands sponsor and although he has never been desirous of political pre- ferment he has been sincere and energetic in his efforts to promote the general welfare. He served for a number of years as a member of the Morrow County Agricultural Society. His wife is a devoted member of the Presbyterian church, and they hold a secure place in the esteem and friendship of their fellow citizens.
DANIEL S. MATHER .- A worthy representative of an honored pioneer family of Morrow county, Daniel S. Mather is one of the most highly esteemed residents of Chesterville, and is now render- ing appreciated service as mayor of the village. During his long and active life he has been prominently identified with the develop- ment and progress of his community, and as opportunity has oc- curred has given his influence to encourage the establishment of beneficial enterprises. He was born June 29, 1838, in Chesterville, which has ever been his abiding place.
James Mather, his father, was born and reared in New Jersey, and there married Phoebe Struble, a daughter of Peter I. and Annie Struble. Shortly after his marriage, accompanied by his wife and her parents, he came to Morrow county, Ohio, locating, in 1837, on Owl creek, in Chester township, where Mr. Struble entered a large tract of government land. He and his wife were the parents of twelve children, none of whom are now living. James Mather was a shoemaker, and followed his trade in Morrow county for twenty-five years, his home being in Chesterville. To him and his good wife six children were born and reared, namely : Daniel S., the special subject of this brief personal review; Elsie, widow of James Clink, a highly respected citizen of Chester township, who served in the Civil war; Noama, wife of R. B. Conant, of Chester- ville, who was also a soldier in the Civil war; Jolin P., of Chester- ville, married Ella Auker, and their only child, Blanche B., married Maynard Frizzell, of Mount Gilead, has one child, Hutchinson ; Emma, wife of David Virtue, of Chesterville; and Charles W., a farmer, married Martha Smiley, of Chesterville.
Spending the days of his boyhood and youth bencath the parental rooftree, Daniel Mather worked with his father at the shoemaker's bench and also learned the trade of a stone mason and brick layer. At the age of twelve years, in 1851, he worked on the
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Methodist church building as an assistant carrying brick, and saw the first brick and the last brick used in its construction laid. He subsequently followed the mason's trade until August 22, 1862, when he enlisted in Company E, One Hundred and Twenty-first Ohio Volunteer Infantry, under Captain David Lloyd, of Chester township, being mustered into service on September 11, 1862.
Going with his regiment to Cincinnati, he crossed the river to Covington, Kentucky, and on October 8, took part in the engage- ment at Perryville. On September 20, 1863, Mr. Mather was at the front in the battle of Chickamauga, Georgia, where he was wounded. Two months later, on November 24 and 25, he fought in the battle of Lookout Mountain, and was also in the battle of Missionary Ridge. He was subsequently with his comrades at the siege of Knoxville; was at Buzzard Roost during the engagements that there took place on May 8 and 9, 1864; at Snake creek May 12 and 13. Following the brave commander, William T. Sherman, Mr. Mather took part in the many engagaments of the Atlanta campaign, being at Resaca ; at Rome, Georgia, on May 17 and 18. 1864; taking part in the fearful assault upon Kenesaw Mountain, June 27, of that year; and participating in the seige which led to the fall of Atlanta. He was with the regiment at Jonesborough. on September 1, 1864, and continued with Sherman in his "March to the Sea," being at Savannah on December 21 and passing north- ward through the Carolinas, taking part in the engagements at Averysboro, March 15, and at Bentonville, May 19 and 20, and finally witnessing the surrender of Johnston's Army, in April, 1865. He was present at the Grand Review held in Washington, D. C. and was mustered out of service on June 8, 1865. At the battle of Chickamauga Mr. Mather was wounded in the head, and after an absence of sixty days rejoined his regiment before his wound was entirely healed, and served until the close of the conflict.
During the Atlanta campaign, while Mr. Mather, with some of the other boys of his regiment, was foraging, a large rooster was captured, and was afterwards kept as a mascot, being named "Bill Sherman." The rooster was captured July 25, 1864, and during the march to the sea rode a pack mule. At Bentonville, North Carolina, as related above, the regiment had a skirmish with the Rebels, lasting from two o'clock until after dark, and the mascot, which stood upon the back of the mule, kept up a constant crow- ing during the fight. After the Grand Review the mascot was brought to Chesterville, Ohio, and a fine painting of the bird was made by Mrs. D. V. Wherry, of Mount Gilead, who painted it for the brave One Hundred and Twenty-first Regiment. It is four feet by five feet in dimensions, and is now in the possession of Mr. Mather, who prizes it highly, and no reunion of the regiment is considered complete without this picture of the rooster. Mr. Mather now receives a pension of a dollar a day.
At the close of the war Mr. Mather engaged in the livery
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business at Chesterville, but later had charge of the star route be- tween Mount Gilead and Fredericktown for twelve years, four years of the time having also the route to Centerburg. At three differ- ent times he has been foreed to give up active work for a while on account of the wound he received in battle.
Mr. Mather married, December 20, 1860, Caroline Freneh, who , was born July 12, 1844, a daughter of James French. Two child- ren were born into their household, namely: Jewett A., born in Chesterville December 14, 1861; and William, born Otober 17, 1864. Jewett A., general agent at Oklahoma, married Mary An- dress, and they have one son, Jewett A. Mather, Jr .; William. a jeweler in Chieago, Illinois, married Virginia Cobbs, and their only child, a daughter, is named Caroline. Mrs. - Mather has passed to the higher life, her death occurring May 7, 1891.
A Republican in politics, Mr. Mather cast his first presidential ballot in favor or John C. Fremont. He is a member of the Pres- byterian church, in which he has served as deacon for ten years. For forty-one years he has been a member of the Masonic Order, and belongs to lodge, chapter and commandery, in all of which he has filled the various chairs. He also belongs to the Order of the Eastern Star, and is past worthy patron of his chapter. He is ever ready to perform his full duty in regard to the publie, and for more than twenty years has been a member of the village board, and at the present time is serving as mayor.
ELLSWORTH W. CLEVENGER .- A resident of Morrow county since his childhood days, Mr Clevenger has attained to precedence as one of the representative agriculturists and stock-growers of Canaan township, where he is the owner of a finely improved farm of seventy acres in sections 27 and 34. Farming is a prosaie and monotonously arduous vocation to one who fails to bear progres- sive ideas and discrimination such as are demanded in other lines of enterprise, but to the one who knows and appreciates its details and is willing to put forth a due amount of efforts it offers the most independent position and the most generous returns. Mr. Cleven- ger is one who has thus taken advantage of the gracious opportun- ities offered in connection with the great basic industry, and his success has been on a parity with the well directed effort he has put forth.
Mr. Clevenger was born in Morgan county, Ohio, on the 23d of October, 1872, and is a son of Lorenzo C. and Esther (Pleteher) Clevenger. The mother was born in Morgan county, this state, and was a daughter of the late Eli Pletcher, who passed the closing years of his long and useful life in Morrow county, where he died at the age of seventy-seven years. The mother of the subject of this review died March 31, 1896. When Ellsworth W. Clevenger was two years of age his mother and her parents came from Morgan county to Morrow county and located on a farm one mile and a half
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northwest of the village of Edison, in Canaan township, where he was reared to maturity and where his honored grandparents passed the residue of their lives. He was afforded the advantages of the public schools until he was twenty-one years of age. Soon after attaining to his legal majority Mr. Clevenger became associated with his mother in the purchase of a farm of twenty acres, located a half a mile north of the village of Denmark, this county, and he had the supervision of the same for the ensuing six years, at the expiration of which the property was sold and he removed to his present farm, upon which he has made good improvements, the while everything about the place is kept in good repair and excel- lent order, indicating the thrift and enterprise of the owner. The place is devoted to diversified agriculture and stock-growing, and is one which is constantly increasing in value, as are other farms in this favored section of the old Buckeye state. Mr. Clevenger gives his support to those projects and measures that tend to con- serve the general welfare of the community along both material and social lines and he is at the present time school director of his district. In politics he gives his allegiance to the Democratic party, and he is a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fel- lows at Denmark, Lodge No. 760. Both he and his wife hold mem- bership in the Methodist Episcopal church.
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