History of Noble County, Ohio: With Portraits and Biographical Sketches of some of its pioneers and prominent men, Part 41

Author:
Publication date: 1887
Publisher: Chicago : L.H. Watkins
Number of Pages: 709

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LODGE.

Olive Lodge, No. 210, Free and Accepted Masons of Sarahsville, was chartered December 4, 1851. The i in the first cotton manufactory erected charter members were JJ. Y. Hop- kins, W. M .; L. S. Dilley, S. W .; J. : B. Heaton, J. W .; M. Beatty, D. Gay, William Tracy. W. R. Gay, James Morrison. The lodge is in a fairly prosperous condition, has a good lodge room and is out of debt, notwithstanding the fact that the hall and all of its contents was destroyed in the fire of 1884, only the lodge record being saved. The present officers are Dr. W. S. Spriggs, W. M .; Win. J. Johnson, S. W .; Wm. Price, J. W .; J. W. Powel- son, S. D .; Levi Davis, J. D .; J. T. Davis, secretary; Ezekiel Dyc, treas- urer; W. R. Kirk, tyler.

The Noble County Agricultural Society was organized in 1852. Its incorporators were Levi Devolld, W. Stewart, John McGary, Jonas Ball, , and even then evidenced the posses- Samuel and Jonas Danford, Fred. Secrest, James Ball, and others, whose names were not obtainable. The first meeting of the society was held in Sarahsville, in the autumn of 1852. Hiram Danford was the first

president. Present officers are W. S. Spriggs, president; J. W. Pettay, vice- president and treasurer ; Joseph John- son. secretary.

BIOGRAPHICAL.

HON. WILLIAM J. YOUNG .- IIon. William J. Young, one of the promi- nent and successful men of Noble County, was born in a little village called Lippit's Factory, six miles from the city of Providence, R. I., in the year 1815, March 27. Ilis father, William Young, was a manufacturer of cotton goods, and was an operative

in the United States. His father was of Scotch nativity, and the progenitor of the Young family in this country, whither he immigrated some time before the war of the Revolution, set- tling in Rhode Island. In 1825 Will- ! iam removed to the " Ohio country " with his wife and seven children. Ile settled in what is now Stock Town- i ship, where he entered a section of land. The early life of the family in the new country was replete with privations and hardships, which was attributable, in a measure, no doubt, to their being destitute of any knowl- edge of pioneer life or agricultural operations. William J. at the time of the family's emigration, was a strong. robust lad of ten years; he was pos- sessed of a large amount of vitality, sion of those qualities which in after years contributed so largely to his success. Up to the age of twenty- two he had formed no definite plans for the future, turning his attention to whatever venture presented itself.

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and invariably he was successful. He was principally engaged, however, in farming and stock dealing during his residence in Stock, where he lived until 1845, when he removed to Sarahsville, where he engaged quite largely in merchandising and the tobacco trade. In the latter he was very successful. IIe was a man of sound judgment and keen perception, with confidence in his own ability, and all his undertakings were finan- cial successes. In a few years he found himself possessed of a compe- tency, which afforded him an oppor- tunity for relieving the wants of his less fortunate neighbors, and for a time he did an extensive business as a broker, and it can be said to his credit that he never took an advan- tage of a distressed debtor. Shortly after the erection of the county he began to take quite an active interest in political matters, and soon became one of the leading members of the Whig element of the county. Upon the formation of the Republican party he joined its ranks, but in 1861 he became a pronounced Democrat, and was an influential member of that organization until his decease. Ile was not a politician, however, in the present definition of the term ; he did not court political preferment, his efforts were solely for what he deemed to be for the best interests of the people. IIe was one of the leading spirits in what is now known as the People's Convention, held in Sarahsville, in 1851, which was the first political movement of promi- nence after the erection of the County of Noble.

During the war of the Rebellion he took a deep interest in the cause of his country. Ilis money and time were always at command in the fur- therance of any war measure or in the raising of volunteers. Neither did he forget the " brave boys in blue " after they had left their homes, but with a fatherly care he looked after the interests of their families. In 1872 he was elected on the Democratic ticket to represent Noble County in the convention to revise the State constitution. As a member of this convention he evidenced that tact, judgment and sterling good sense which were the salient features in everything he undertook. Judge L. D. Campbell, of Hamilton, Ohio, one of the prominent members of that convention, spoke of him as " one of the useful and efficient members of that body." Mr. Young was married, in 1836, to Miss Jane McCann. The result of this union was a family of thirteen children, of whom ten are living: Simon K., Martha (Dudley), Elizabeth (Danford), Mary (Ijams), Sarah (McGuire), Nancy (Berry), Jane (Finley), Ella (Ijams), Charles and Maria (Brown).

William J. Young was in many respects a remarkable man, physi- cally as well as mentally, and had he had the advantages of education and the ailventitious aids accessible in an old country, would have made his name illustrious in almost any call- ing. lle was possessed of a large amount of versatility. While he never studied law, he was a lawyer. Ile never had the benefit of a basi- | ness education, either theoretical or

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practical ; still, he was a business man in all that the word implies. Uneducated, still but few men had a larger share of general information. Ile was finely poised ; his brain was as massive as his body. He was a man of powerful physique and fine presence. Socially he was extremely affable and agreeable, and never failed to interest a large circle of listeners. Hle had a large personal following, which was attributable largely to his broad charity and kindness of heart, and his death, which occurred May 25, 1882, was everywhere regarded as an irrep- arable loss.

Henry J. Young was born at Lippet's Factory, R. I., October 12, 1819, and came to what is now Noble County with his father's fam- ily in 1825. His youth and early manhood were spent in the wilds of the new county. His father was in limited circumstances, and he learned to rely upon his own resources at an early age. By dint of energy and economy he acquired a sum suffi- cient to purchase forty acres of new land, and soon after (1842) he married Miss Mary A. Davidson, who is a native of Washington County, Pa.

In 1846 he removed to the farm, where he now resides. Mr. Young has been engaged in farming and dealing in tobacco, and is one of the most successful men in the county. In his religious affiliations he is a Meth- odist, and for a time was a local preacher. Ile has reared a family of ten children, seven of whom are liv- ing; all have received liberal educa-

tions, three of the sons being colle- giates.

Thomas J. Young was born at Lip- pet's Mills, R. I., in 1813. He was the eldest of the family of William Young, and immigrated with the family, in 1825, to what is now Noble County. In 1835 he married Miss Mary Stotsburg, and commenced life on a small piece of new land, which he improved. Ile was successful in business as a stock dealer, merchant. and in the tobacco trade; in the latter he was quite largely engaged. IIe was in trade in Sarahsville until 1876. In 1857, through the perfidy of a partner, he lost heavily. Ile died on his farm, in Center, in 1885. Ile was a kind father, a generous friend, and a worthy citizen. His children were: Adaline (Spriggs), Mary A. (Alexan- der), Margaret (Teeters), Isabella (Michaels), Ellen (Young), Thomas II., Arnold, Edmund, and Dora.

THE BROWN FAMILY.

Jeremiah Bateman Brown was one of the prominent early settlers. He was born in New York State, of Scotch-Irish parentage. Ile served in the War of 1812, and after its close removed to Pennsylvania and thence to Ohio, locating at Zanes- ville. where he worked in the first glass factory ever established west of the Alleghanies. About 1820 he settled within the present limits of Center Township, Noble County, on a piece of unimproved land which he entered from the government. IIe married Miss Nancy Gillotte, and reared a large and respectable family. Hle was a warm Union man during

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the late war, and at the time when the Morgan raiders were spreading terror through Ohio, though then over seventy years of age, he shouldered his squirrel rifle and joined in the pursuit of the guerrilla band. Mr. Brown died in 1864. Ilis widow reached the advanced age of - ninety years, and died in 1885. The sons were G. W., Admi- ral N., Jeremiah B. (deceased), and Jason Whitney. The daughters were Sarah A., Eliza J. (deceased). Margaret A. and Mary A. (deccased). The oldest son, G. W., served in the late war in Lanphere's Michigan Battery, and was wounded at Chick- asaw Bayou. The fourth son, Jason W., served in an Indiana regiment during the war.

Jeremiah Byron Brown, third son of Jeremiah Bateman Brown, was born in Zanesville. IIe married Miss Isabella C. Harris, and reared six children : Mary E. (Smith), John II .. better known as Judge Brown, of Caldwell ; LeRoy D., of Alliance, Ohio, late State school commis- sioner; Orra A. (Lamley), Amanda (Grim), and Warren B .- the latter a student at the Cincinnati College of Medicine. The father, like his father before him, was a most ear- nest and zealous friend of schools, and gave his children the best educa- tional advantages that his means afforded. The sons and daughters have been successful teachers, fol- lowing that useful vocation for many years, and one of the sons has filled in a highly creditable manner the highest educational office within the gift of the people of Ohio.

Jeremiah Bateman Brown died in 1880, while on a visit to his former home. He was a farmer and lived the greater part of his life in Center Township, removing thence to West Virginia in his later years. ITis widow is still living.

LEROY D. BROWN, A. M., PH. D. Among the many prominent educa- tors whom Noble County has fur- nished to the State and country, the gentleman whose name heads this article, stands pre eminent. LeRoy D. Brown was born in Center Town- ship, Noble County, November 3, 1848, and his boyhood was passed amid the rugged but beneficial influ- ences of farm life. At the early age of fifteen years, in the darkest days of the Rebellion, he became a volun- teer soldier, and for two years bravely bore his part in the stern discipline of civil warfare. He took . part in many engagements, serving under Crook, Sheridan and Grant, and was wounded while with Sheri- dan in the valley of Virginia. At the close of the war he returned to the farm, and by teaching one year and attending school the next, man- aged to fit himself for the Ohio Wes- leyan University, which he entered in 1869. From this institution, after several intervals of teaching, he was graduated in the regular classical course. Having decided to make teaching his life-work, he devoted himself closely to his pursuit and gained an excellent reputation as a teacher in castern Ohio. In due time he was called to the Miami Valley, and became distinguished as a teacher and organizer. He held

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the position of superintendent of schools in the city of Hamilton, and proved both popular and efficient in that capacity. Ile is a close observer and a hard student. His character- istic energy is shown by the fact that he studied law and was admitted to the bar in the midst of his profes- sional duties.

Since 1873 Mr. Brown has visited many of the best schools in various parts of the United States and Can- ada, and in 1882 he traveled in Europe, visiting schools and study. ing the educational systems of Great Britain, Germany, France and Aus- tria. Ile has been styled " the best travelled schoolmaster in Ohio." In 18>3 he was nominated by the Demo- cratic party, and elected State com- missioner of common schools, by a handsome majority. His labors to improve the educational institutions of the State have been indefatigable and have brought good results. The excellent educational exhibit, sent to ; the New Orleans Exposition, was pre- ; pared under his direction, and won for him the highest praise. In recog- nition of his scholarship he has re- ceived the degree of Doctor of Phil- osophy. Ile has contributed many valuable articles to prominent edu- cational journals.

In a published sketch of Mr. Brown* occur these remarks:

"As the head of the Ohio school system he has proved an efficient officer, and the schools of Ohio were ! never in a better condition than they are to-day. * * : * At various times

he has been honored with important offices in educational conventions and organizations, and he is now the president of the department of super- intendence of the National Educa- tional Association. As a vocation, he holds that teaching should be so well remunerated as to induce the noblest young men and young women to adopt it as a life-work. Only thus, he thinks, can the new pro- fession assume its true place among the callings of men ; and to the end that it may assume such a place, he is willing to give to it the greatest energy and the best thought of his life."

Governor Joseph B. Foraker, as a mark of his confidence in the integ- rity, capacity and public spirit of Mr. Brown, appointed him as a mem- ber of the Board of Trustees of the Ohio Soldiers' and Sailors' Orphans' Home, on the 10th day of February, 1887. This appointment, coming as it did from a chief executive of the State, of opposite political views, near the close of Mr. Brown's official term as school commissioner, attests the fidelity and ability with which he has discharged the important duties of his high office at the head of the ! public school system of his native State.

In 1878 Mr. Brown was married to Miss Esther Emma Gabel, of Eaton, Ohio. Three children have blessed this union. JIe and his wife are members of the Methodist Epis- copal church. Their home is always open to their friends, and their hands are always ready to do any good work for "family, church or state."

*Cincinnati Graphic, July 4, 1885.

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John II. Brown, ex-probate judge, was born in Center Township in 1846. He was reared on a farm, attended the common schools, and for a few terms was a student at Ohio Uni- versity, Athens, Ohio. For twelve years he taught in the schools of Noble County, and during seven years of that time was principal of the Batesville schools. While there he served as justice of the peace and as county school examiner, being twice chosen to the former office and once to the latter. In 1878 he re- ceived the Democratic nomination for probate judge, and was elected. IIe was re-elected and held the office for two terms. This, in a strongly Re- publican county, is sufficient evidence of his popularity. Judge Brown has been a resident of Caldwell since the fall of 1878. Ile is a member of the Odd Fellows and of the Masonic order. IIe was first married, in 1866, to Miss Louisa Maria Knox, of this county. She died in 1881, leaving four children: Oscar E .. Ida M., Carey I, and Miles E. In 1882 he married Mrs. Maria D. Carr, daughter of William J. Young, formerly one of the prominent business men of the county. Two children have been born of this union - Guy B. (deceased), and Simon K.

THE TAYLOR FAMILY.

a store. In 1845 he came to Mount Ephraim, where he engaged in gen- eral merchandise and the tobacco business. In 1851 he took charge of a co-operative store in Freedom, and while here was elected county audit- or and was the second auditor elected by the people. Upon the expira- tion of his term he removed to Sarahsville, where he resumed the mercantile business, in which he was successfully engaged until 1878, when he retired from active business. During his commercial career he was an active, energetic business man. and a gentleman whose name was a syno- nym for integrity and moral recti- tude. Ile identified himself with all measures pertaining to the moral welfare of the people, and was a worthy and influential member of the Methodist Episcopal church. He reared a family of seven children: Elizabeth (Young), Norvall, John W., George W., Susan (Saltgaver), Melville E. and Thomas II. Norvall, the eldest son, as will be seen from the civil list, was elected auditor in 1865. During the war he was in command of a company in the regu- lar army. He served with credit until the latter part of 1864, when he was forced to resign his commission by reason of physical disability.

George W. Taylor, son of Henry Taylor, was born in Senecaville, Guernsey County, Ohio. in 1844. Ile received such advantages for educa- tion as were afforded by the common schools of that day, and at the age of eighteen commenced life as a

HENRY TAYLOR, for many years one of the prominent merchants of the county, is a native of Morgantown, Va. The family removed to Ohio in 1831, settling in Senecaville, Guernsey County. At the age of sixteen . teacher. Ile followed this vocation Henry commenced life as a clerk in . for some time, but it not being wholly

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congenial to his tastes, he entered the. JOHN W. ROBINSON. store of his father as a clerk, and ac- The Robinson family are of Eng- lish extraction. Richard J. Robin- son, the father of the gentleman whose name heads this article, was born in Virginia in 1812, where he 1 grew to manhood and married Miss ! Nancy Hook. He acquired the trade of millwright, and was also skilled quired a thorough knowledge of the business. For many years he was a member of the firm of Henry Taylor & Son, and upon the retirement of the elder Taylor succeeded to the business, in which he has since been engaged. While paying strict atten- tion to his business, Mr. Taylor has | in wagon making. In 1854 he re- interested himself in all matters of

moved to Noble County, settling in public import pertaining to his town- ; Sarahsville, where he died in 1886, ship and county. For many years aged seventy-three years. John W. Robinson was born near Winches- ter, Va., January 28, 1843. Early in life he evidenced a decided apti- tude før mechanics, and when but a i mere child was able, with the few rude tools at his command, to con- struct almost anything, from a toy wagon to a miniature steam-engine. Ilis youthful imagination was highly wrought up by some telling him that huge fortunes awaited him if he could discover "perpetual motion." Ile immediately commenced a series of experiments with wheels, buckets, elevators, etc , only to have his hopes blasted by the information that the same experiments had already been made by others, and that he was laboring with an impossibility. At the age of sixteen his mind was directed toward educational matters. His facilities were, of course, quite limited, but by the aid of private tutors he studied history and the classics. Ile entered the Marietta College, but ill health prevented him from pursuing a collegiate course. In 1862 he began life as a teacher at East Union, Noble County, where he taught one term. The war was in he has been a leading member of the board of education of Sarahs- ville. Perhaps he is best known as a worthy and sincere Christian gen- tleman, who practices in everyday life the tenets of his faith. He is a prominent member of the Methodist Episcopal church, and in him all re- ligious and charitable enterprises find a generous friend and patron. Polit- ically, he is a Republican, but never an' aspirant for political preferment, nor a politician, in the usual acceptation of the term. In 1884 he was sent as alternate to the national conven- tion at Chicago. In 1883, and again in 1885 he was the unanimous choice of the leading Republicans of the county for representative, and was persistently urged to accept the nomi- nation, but declined the honor. On numerous occasions he has repre- sented his party at State conventions. In 1867 Mr. Taylor was married to Miss Mary, daughter of Dr. Noah Hill, of Senecaville, Ohio. Seven chil- dren have been born to them : Lillian II., Myra V., Candace II., Bessie B., Mary II., George II. and Henry DeHass.

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progress, and he was so thoroughly impressed with his duty to his coun- try, that after teaching a second term at his home in Sarahsville he joined Company E, Eighty-eighth Ohio Vol- unteer Infantry, as a private soldier. At the expiration of a year he was .detailed as clerk in the Commissary Department, where he remained until honorably discharged by special order of General Hooker, when he returned to his home and resumed his former vocation. His profession, however, then as now, was illy remunerated, and not wholly conge- nial, and he next turned his attention to the introduction of improved text- books for schools, and for four years he traveled the eastern part of the State as the representative of Ingham & Bragg, Cleveland, Ohio, at which time traveling agents in this capacity were discontinued by the "publish- ers' compact." Ile next engaged in the drug and book business in Sarahs- ville, but the business was too slow and tedious for one so impulsive and energetic, and he removed to Indian- apolis, where he became associated with Messrs. Martin & Hopkins, State agents for the Northwestern Life Insurance Company of Milwau- kee, as a solicitor. In this, as in other enterprises, he was successful, and in two years we find him occu- pying the responsible position of special agent for the same company, working in Indiana, Kentucky, and Michigan.

In this department he soon evinced his marked ability as an insurance man, and as evidence of their appre- ciation of his services the company

offered him the State of Kentucky, which he accepted. For one year he took the sole charge of the business. Being ambitious to control the. larg- est agency the company had, he associated himself with General B. R. Cowen (Assistant Secretary of the Interior during General Grant's ad- ministration), taking, under the firm name of Cowen & Robinson, the States of Oho and Kentucky. This connection was highly successful, and continued for nearly four years, Gen- eral Cowen retiring.

Under the able management of Mr. Robinson, the company's business has not only been built up from $1,500,000 to over $4,000,000, but has commanded the confidence and patronage of the best men in the State; and it can be truly said that no agency is in a more healthy and prosperous condition than this. One of the officials of the company, in speaking of Mr. Robinson, says: " Mr. Robinson has been in the employment of our company for many years, and is likely to continue in such employment much longer. We have found him a thoroughly competent and reliable man and we commend him to you as a gentleman who enjoys our confidence." Decem- ber 24, 1867, Mr. Robinson was mar- ried to Miss Olive B. Dilley, of Sarahs- ville. He resides in Louisville, Ky.

The career of Mr. Robinson is one worthy of emulation. Starting in life with only his natural resources as his capital, he has, by individual effort, acquired an enviable position in the business world, and the esteem and regard of all his acquaintances.

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CHARLES C. DAVIDSON was born in Noble County, Ohio, February 24, 1844. Ile worked on his father's farm while a boy, attending school during the winter months. When nineteen years old he entered the where he pursued his studies so vig- orously that at the end of two years failing health sent him again to his fa- ther's home. Here, under private teach- ers, he con- tinued his studies and completed the course begun at col lege. For the first few years his teaching was in the schools near his home Dur- ing these early years his abilities were recog- nized, and his services were eagerly sought at the various institutes and in the normal schools. In 1871 he was appointed school examiner of Noble County, and with signal suc- cess he filled this position until called to the superintendency of the Quaker City schools.

To identify himself more closely with the professional teachers of Ohio, he completed, in 1875, the clas-

sical course of study at the Ohio Cen- tral Normal School, and in this year obtained a life certificate from the State Board of School Examiners.

In 1876 he took charge of the public schools of New Lisbon, where

Ohio University at Athens, Ohio, ; he remained for nine years, winning for himself and the schools an envi- able reputation.

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History of Noble County, Ohio: With Portraits and Biographical Sketches of some of its pioneers and prominent men, Part 41

Author: Publication date: 1887 Publisher: Chicago : L.H. Watkins Number of Pages: 709

Author:
Publication date: 1887
Publisher: Chicago : L.H. Watkins
Number of Pages: 709