History of Pickaway County, Ohio and Representative Citizens, Part 108

Author: Aaron R. Van Cleaf
Publication date: 1906
Publisher:
Number of Pages: 923

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From his youth up Mr. Dunlap has been an intelligent student of public affairs and has been more or less prominent in the councils of the Republican party, for an extended period. He belongs to the younger body of political workers and was elected to his present honor- able and responsible position by a very flatter- ing vote. In September, 1906, he received the Republican nomination for the office of State dairy and food commissioner.

Mr. Dunlap was married June 9, 1897, to Maxie E. Cummins, who was born at Colum- bus, Ohio, and is a daughter of Edward W. Cummins, of that city. They have one son, Nelson H., who was born February 16, 1902.

Fraternally Mr. Dunlap is connected with the Modern Woodmen of America and with the various Masonic bodies. He has always been notably public spirited, has always worked for the welfare of his township and county and has testified to his interest in educational and religious enterprises by liberally contributing to their advancement.

BEL SEYMOUR GULICK, whose name unites two old and honorable family names of this section of Ohio, is a representative farmer and stock- raiser of Muhlenberg township. He has always lived on his present farm of 250 acres in Muhlenberg township, on Darby Creek, where he was born April 17, 1845. He is a son of Jesse and Elizabeth (Seymour) Gulick.

The Gulick family is of Welsh descent and came to Ohio from Virginia. The Seymour family came from the North of Ireland, was well established in Virginia, coming to the United States at the same time as did the Renicks, and settled in Ohio at a very early day.

Jesse Gulick was a son of William Gulick, who came to Ohio from Virginia in 1818. The former was born in Virginia and was about three years old when his parents settled in Muhlenberg township. He died here in 1878, aged 63 years, and was buried on Decoration Day. His whole life after marriage was spent in Muhlenberg township, where he owned a farm of 150 acres. He was a stanch Demo- crat. He married Elizabeth Seymour, who was born near Waverly, Pike County, Ohio, and died at Mount Sterling, Madison County, Ohio, in February, 1903, aged 80 years. She was a daughter of Aaron Seymour; her mother dying when she was 12 years old, she was reared by her cousin, Abel Seymour.

The fine farm now owned by our subject is known as the old Seymour farm, its original owner having been William Seymour. It is situated on the old Federal road and its loca- tion and value have been known to the people of this section for generations. Mr. Gulick utilizes it mainly as a stock farm, raising many sheep. There are several old mounds on the farm which scientists are of the opinion were constructed by another race, for burial places for their dead. From a valuable gravel pit which is on one portion of the farm, a proof that at a remote period water covered this territory, Mr. Gulick has removed many human relics. Portions of skeletons have been found, which, when exposed to the air, fell to

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pieces, and a number of teeth imbedded in skulls which indicate that once a race of giants lived and died here. All trace of that civiliza- tion seems to have passed away.

Our subject is one of a family of 10 chil- dren and the eldest, the others being: Mrs. Mary Merrill, deceased in 1892; Minerva, who is the wife of William C. Hill, of Jackson township; Augustus P., of Darby township; Elizabeth Sidney, wife of Elmer Strader, of Darby township; Margaret, widow of Alex- ander McCord, of Grove Citv. Ohio; Jona- than Renick, of Darby township; Rachel, wife of L. C. Closan, of Mount Sterling; Fannie, wife of Nelson Mckinley; and Josephine, a resident of Columbus.

Mr. Gulick was married (first) on Decem- ber 6, 1877, to Anna B. Carpenter, who was born in Fleming County, Kentucky, January 25, 1854, and died October 26, 1886. She was a daughter of John R. Carpenter. The children of this union were: Milward N., born December 8, 1878, who lives in Darby- ville; Elizabeth C., born September 16, 1880, who married William McGuire; John R., born September 29, 1882, who died aged one year; Harry, born November 6, 1884, who died aged four years; and Anna Belle, born October 5, 1886, who resides with her grandfather in Kentucky. Mr. Gulick was married (second) on August 8, 1889, to Mrs. Matilda Strader, who was born in Knox County, Ohio, Novem- ber 17, 1854, and was the widow of Jesse Strader and a daughter of Abner and Anna (Gorrel) Wade. She had four children by her first marriage, namely: Effie, Isabel and Claude, all deceased, and Pearl, wife of Rus- sell Hill. To her marriage with Mr. Gulick have been born three children, viz .: Ursil Irene, born May 25, 1890; Guy Bryant, born January 20, 1892; and Nolo Wade, born April 27, 1894. A group picture of the Gulick fam- ily accompanies this sketch.

In political sentiment Mr. Gulick has al- ways been identified with the Democratic party. He has taken an active part in public matters in the township and has served two terms as township trustee. He is a member of the Masonic fraternity.

ILLIAM FORESMAN, vice-presi- dent of the Second National Bank of Circleville, is the senior banker of this city, and for years has been one of the prominent business men here. Mr. Foresman was born in Lafay- ette, Indiana, in October, 1845, and is a son of Philip and Elizabeth (Bennett) Foresman.

The Foresman family is of Scotch-Irish descent, its founders in America being the great-grandparents, who came from the North of Ireland. They settled in Virginia and there William Foresman, the grandfather of the present William, was born, and from there, in boyhood, he accompanied his parents to Wayne township, Pickaway County, Ohio. He ac- cumulated land to the amount of 520 acres, not far from the present city of Circleville, and when it was proposed to construct the Ohio Canal he gave the right of way through his farm. He built a mill here, on Darby Creek, which he carried on until 1849, establishing what has become one of the largest milling in- dustries of this part of the State. In religious observance he was a Presbyterian. Of his five children, Philip, father of our subject, was the second eldest.

Hon. Philip Foresman was born on the present site of Foresman's Mill and learned the milling business. Soon after his marriage, he moved to Lafayette, Indiana, where he pur- chased a large tract of land, comprising some two sections, where he was extensively inter- ested in farming and where he also built the first as well as the largest mills in that locality. These he operated in .connection with a large grain business for many years. He was a very prominent political factor, a Whig in politics and served two terms in the Indiana State Legislature. His death took place in 1847, when a comparatively young man, being but 45 years of age; at that time he was considered one of the largest capitalists of his county.

Hon. Philip Foresman married Elizabeth Bennett, who was born in Deer Creek town- ship, Pickaway County, Ohio, and was a daughter of George and Margaret Bennett, natives of Virginia, who were early settlers in Deer Creek township. After the death of Mr.

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Foresman, Mrs. Foresman returned to Circle- ville, with her three sons, Bennett (who is a resident of Lafayette, Indiana), William and George P.

William Foresman obtained his early edu- cation at Circleville and then graduated at a commercial college at Cincinnati. Returning then to Lafayette, he followed farming until 1869, when he 'came back to Circleville, and. with his brother George P., purchased the mill property, which continued in their possession until 1900, and on which were operated mills having a capacity of 150 barrels of choicest family and baker's flour per day. The loca- tion, at the junction of three thoroughfares west of the city with superior railroad connec- tions, gave the best imaginable facilities for transportation. They manufactured several special brands, all of which commanded an immense sale. Shipments were made all over the country. The equipments of the mills were of the most modern description, every inven- tion of approved utility having been introduced. In connection with their large milling inter- ests, the Foresman Brothers owned and oper- ated a farm of 225 acres of valuable land ad- joining the mills and were also large cattle feeders. It was in 1900 that Mr. Foresman dis- posed of his milling interests and has since been engaged in looking after his farm lands, which consist of about 700 acres.

Mr. Foresman was elected a director of the Second National Bank of Circleville, on Janu- ary 9, 1883, and upon the death of Samuel H. Evans, he was elected vice-president of this institution, on January 10, 1893. At pres- ent he is the senior banker in Circleville, hav- ing survived all the members of the board in office at the time he was chosen as vice-presi- dent.

William Foresman was married (first) to Mary Millar, a daughter of Adam Millar. She was born at South Bloomfield, Ohio, and died at Circleville, leaving one son, Adam, also de- ceased, who inherited his grandfather Millar's farm of 640 acres of land, near South Bloom- field, the finest in the county.

On January 20, 1900, Mr. Foresman was married to Mrs. Nannie (Winship) Partridge,

daughter of E. E. Winship, Sr., of Circleville, now living retired. Mrs. Foresman has one son by first marriage, Elton Winship Part- ridge, who resides in Columbus. Mr.' Fores- man resides at No. 239 South Scioto street. where he located in 1849 and which has con- tinued to be his home ever since.

Politically William Foresman was a Repub- lican for some years and under the adminis- tration of President Grant served four years as postmaster of Circleville. Mr. Foresman has seen reason to change his political senti- ments and is now identified with the Demo- cratic party. In religious views he is, like his ancestors, a member of the Presbyterian Church.

e D. HESS, manager of the Pressing & Orr Company, a business con- cern of magnitude which has been established at Circleville since 1901, is one of the experienced cannery men of this part of the country. Mr. Hess was born in Northern New York and is a son of Alexander Hess, who is a retired farmer of Northern New York.

Mr. Hess was reared and educated in his native place. He came to Circleville in 1885 and was identified with C. E. Sears & Com- pany until 1897, next was for two years with Sears & Nichols Company, of Chillicothe, and then was manager for four years with the Winorr Canning Company at Circleville. The business underwent reorganization and the firm name became the Pressing & Orr Com- pany. Mr. Hess has entire management of their plant at Circleville. They are extensive canners of corn, tomatoes, beans, spinach and beets and packers of pickles, and have first- class facilities and an annual capacity of some 150,000 cases.

In 1887 Mr. Hess was united in marriage with Etta M. Ashworth, who is a daughter of the late William Ashworth, of Kingston, Ross County, Ohio. Mr. and Mrs. Hess have two children : Blanche M. and Malcolm C., the former of whom is a member of the graduat-

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ing class of 1906, at the Everts High School, Circleville.

Mr. Hess is a member of the Knights of Pythias and the Ancient Order of United Workmen. He is one of the leading members of the Methodist Episcopal Church at Circle- ville, in which he is a steward and a member of the board of trustees.

J AMES REICHELDERFER, one of Circleville's representative business men, a director in the Sears & Nichols Company, of Chillicothe, and also one of the managers and part owner of C. E. Sears & Company, of Circleville, belongs to one of the pioneer families of Pickaway County, Ohio. He was born in Salt Creek township, Pickaway County, in 1844, and is a son of Samuel Reichelderfer.

The family was established in this county by John Reichelderfer, who was a native of Berks County, Pennsylvania, and who came here when this whole extent of country was one vast wilderness. Here he reared a large family, one son, Henry, becoming the grand- father of our subject. Samuel Reichelderfer, son of Henry and father of our subject, was born in 1813 in Salt Creek township and be- came one of the locality's extensive farmers.

James Reichelderfer was reared in Salt Creek township and went to school in the little log structures then used for educational pur- poses. He continued on the farm until 1876, when he moved to Circleville where he em- barked in a grain and milling business with William Heffner, under the firm style of Will- iam Heffner & Company. About 18 months later he became associated with the firm of Heffner & Company and continued interested with this firm from 1879 until 1897, when he sold out his interests to the Heffners. Subse- quently in partnership with his brother, Fran- cis Reichelderfer our subject engaged in a grain business and in connection with their elevator they built a canning factory. After operating it for some time, they sold to the Sears & Nichols Company, of Chillicothe, but Mr.

Reichelderfer remained an interested party in the business as mentioned above.

Mr. Reichelderfer was married (first) in 1864 to Maria Westman, who died in 1886. In 1889 he was married (second) to Julia M. Work, of Lancaster, Ohio. They have two children, Evan W. and Ruth M., both bright students in the Circleville High School. The family belong to the Presbyterian Church. Fraternally, Mr. Reichelderfer is a Royal Arch Mason.

ORBAN GRANT ALKIRE, a well- known resident of Mount Sterling, Ohio, and a member of one of the old and honorable families of Pick- away and Madison counties, was born on his father's farm in Madison County, Ohio, May 26, 1863, and is a son of Abraham Reid and Mary Jane (Tanner) Alkire, grand- son of Abraham and Jennie Martin (Creath) Alkire and great-grandson of William and Elizabeth (Moore) Alkire.

The Alkire family in America was estab- lished by Almonas Alkire, who in the time of James. I., of England, was a member of Lord Baltimore's colonizing expedition, which set- tled in Maryland. Old records demonstrate the fact that in 1626 there lived in Holland a noble family by the name of Algire, which had originally come from Scotland where the fam- ily name was Alkirk. From Maryland the Alkires passed to Virginia, thence to Ken- tucky and finally to .Ohio, where the family has been established nearly 100 years. The early family history has been given at length in the sketch of William Harvey Alkire, brother of our subject, which appears elsewhere in this book.

Abraham Reid Alkire was born on the old Alkire homestead, in Pleasant township, Mad- ison County, Ohio, on February 27, 1830, and died February 12, 1902. He married Mary Jane Tanner, who was born February 22, 1839, and died October 10, 1886. They reared five sons and one daughter, as follows : William Harvey, vice-president of The .Citizens' Bank

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at Mount Sterling; Charles Francis; Abraham Scott; Corban Grant; Tully Smith and Lillie Annie, wife of Charles Edgar Zahn. Abra- ham Reid Alkire was president of The Citizens' Bank at Mount Sterling from the date of its organization to his death. He married for his second wife Mrs. Flavilla (Coalton) Tenny, January 29, 1889. She died January 16, 1899, aged 66 years, 9 months and 15 days.

Corban G. Alkire was mainly educated at Columbus and is a man of solid intellectual attainments. At the death of his father he came into possession of land amounting to 273 acres, in Madison and Pickaway counties, and owns an elegant home at Mount Sterling.

Mr. Alkire was married at Columbus, Ohio, June 29, 1898, to Clara Liggett, who was born April 22, 1868, at Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and is a daughter of the late Col. John B. Lig- gett. Mrs. Alkire has two sisters, Georgia and Kate.

The late Col. John B. Liggett was born at Smithfield, Jefferson County, Ohio, November 25, 1839. Like many other men who have reaped success in other fields, Colonel Liggett was reared on a farm and had only the educa- tional advantages offered by the public schools. On leaving the farm he engaged in a mercan- tile business in various places until the out- break of the Civil War. During the war he had a contract with the United States govern- ment to supply coal and for some time he fol- lowed the river in fulfilling his contracts. At the close of the war he went to Louisiana and for a time was engaged in a coal business there, later removing to New Orleans, where he was very successful in the same line.

Colonel Liggett then came North, estab- lished his home at Toronto, Jefferson County, Ohio, and there became connected with the sewer-pipe industry and continued in that busi- ness for several years. He then became inter- ested in the Bell Telephone Company and was soon recognized as one of the company's most valuable employees in this whole section. Im- portant interests were soon placed in his hands and they were managed with skill and ef- ficiency. He became general manager of the Central at Toronto and was noted for his

promptness as well as his courtesy. Person- ally he was held in the highest esteem and many expressions of intense regret were heard at the time of his decease. The mother of Mrs. Alkire still survives and resides with her two daughters at Toronto.

A visitor to Mount Sterling could not help but admire the beautiful home of Mr. 'and Mrs. Alkire, situated as it is in a wealth of flowering loveliness. Winter is turned into summer with them, for flowers bloom for these true lovers of the floral kingdom, within doors as well as out. They have a fine collection of palms and ferns, among which may be seen many fine . specimens. Mr. and Mrs. Alkire are both deaf mutes, but with such beautiful surroundings and with congenial tastes, the affliction seems a light one. Mrs. Alkire was born thus but Mr. Alkire sustained his loss from a severe attack of fever in his childhood. Both enjoyed the educational advantages af- forded at the Deaf Mute College at Columbus and are highly educated and also variously accomplished. The atmosphere of their quiet home, with its refined influences, is very at- tractive.

HOMAS WHITE BROWN, a well- known business man of Wayne town- 'ship and Circleville, who has been identified with many interests in Pick- away County for some years, was born in Deerfield township, Ross County, Ohio, in 1869, and is a son of Ambrose White Brown.

The father of Mt. Brown was also born in . Deerfield township, Ross County, Ohio, where his parents had settled at an early date. In 1876 he removed to Pickaway County, where he died in the following year.

Thomas W. Brown was reared in Ross County, attended the Chillicothe High School and in 1887 entered Wooster University, where he remained until 1891. He then returned to his farm in Ross county, but on May 1, 1900, he came to Pickaway County, where he bought the flour mill, elevator and farm of William Foresman. He operated this prop-

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erty until his mill was totally destroyed by fire on July 26, 1905. Mr. Brown has not rebuilt but has given his attention to other in- terests. With other capitalists he is contem- plating the erection in the near future of an ice plant for the manufacture of artificial ice. He is a man of business enterprise and has met with success in his previous business ven- tures.

Mr. Brown was united in marriage in 1903 with Annie E. Wright, who was born at South Bloomfield, Pickaway County, Ohio, and is a sister of Dr. T. B. Wright, of Circleville.

Mr. Brown retains his membership with the various societies with which he became identi- fied at Wooster University and he belongs also to the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks.

AYNE CALDWELL, treasurer and manager of the Scioto Canning Company, one of the leading in- dustries or canning concerns of the Scioto Valley, is a resident of Cir- cleville. He was born in Jackson township, Pickaway County, Ohio, in 1848, and is a son of Alexander Caldwell.

The Caldwell family is of Scotch ancestry and was founded in Ohio by Alexander Cald- well, a native- of Scotland, who came hither in early days. Alexander Caldwell, the younger, was born in Pickaway County in 1812, and his whole life was spent as a farmer and stock- raiser in Jackson township.

Wayne Caldwell was reared in Pickaway County and after attending the district schools entered Bloomingburg Academy, where he spent three years. Upon his return he became a farmer in Scioto township for three years and in Jackson township for five years. In 1878 he moved to Circleville and entered into a mercantile business in which he continued until 1898, when he became interested in the Scioto Canning Company. This company was in- corporated under the laws of the State of Ohio, with a capital stock of $100,000, all paid up. Hon. Festus Walters was elected president ; Wayne Caldwell, vice-president; S. P. Deeds, secretary ; and James Reichelderfer, treasurer.

The other stockholders were John L. Krim- mel, Irvin F. Snyder and H. C. Allen.

After two years of business, Mr. Caldwell, with Judge Walters and S. P. Deeds, bought out the other stockholders and reorganized the business, admitting some of their faithful em- ployees. The officers of the present company are: Hon. Festus Walters, president; Milton Marris, vice-president; S. P. Deeds, secre- tary, and Wayne Caldwell, manager and treas- urer. The board of directors is made up fur- ther of James Ward, of Ashville; Hon. Thad- deus E. Cromley, of Ashville; Mrs. Dorothy Turney, widow of the late Hon. Nelson J. Turney ; and Mrs. Elizabeth Renick, widow of the late Harness Renick. The company's plant, which is located at Ashville, has an annual output of 200,000 cases. They have a plant at Ashville also for the manufacture of cans, which turns out 50,000 cans a day. The com- pany owns 655 acres of land which is utilized in the raising of vegetables for their factories. In addition to this business connection, Mr. Caldwell is a director in the Third National Bank of Circleville.

In 1878 Mr. Caldwell was married to Mar- garet Renick, who is a daughter of Felix Renick, one of the old and prominent settlers of Pickaway County. They have two sons- Felix R. and Arthur R. The former is a graduate of the Circleville High School and of Cornell University, where he took a four- year course in law and art, graduating in 1903, and is now located at Seattle, Washington. The family belong to the Presbyterian Church, in which Mr. Caldwell is an elder. Both he and his older son are Masons, Mr. Caldwell being a member of blue lodge chapter and coun- cil, and the son having taken the 32nd degree.

ENRY R. HEFFNER, of the Heffner Milling Company, at Circleville, has been a resident of this city since 1868. He was born in Fairfield County, Ohio, in 1834, and is a son of Henry Heffner.

The father of Mr. Heffner was born in Berks County, Pennsylvania, and came to

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Fairfield County, Ohio, in young manhood. He operated a sawmill and became the pos- sessor of a pioneer farm.

Henry R. Heffner was reared in Fairfield County and attended the little log schoolhouse in the neighborhood of his father's farm and mill. In 1868 he came to what was then the village of Circleville and carried on a large grocery business here for some two years and then became interested in a grain and milling business. He purchased a corn and flour mill at Brooklyn, New York, and bought grain at Circleville and shipped it to Brooklyn for grinding. After operating the Brooklyn mill for some three years, partly as owner and partly as lessee, with his brother William he erected another mill, which was subsequently burned. In 1897 and 1898 Mr. Heffner, to- gether with his brother William and Harvey S. Heffner and William F. Heffner, built the present substantial corn mill, which has a ca- pacity of 1,500 barrels of meal per day and 100 tons of feed. The company makes a great quantity of export meal, the main brands being "Sagamore" and "Dixie."

In addition to his large mill interests, Mr. Heffner owns other property and considerable real estate, his fine residence at the corner of Pickaway and Watt streets having been erected at a cost of about $12,000.

In 1856 Mr. Heffner was married to Sarah A. Brobst, who was born in Pickaway County, Ohio ,and is a daughter of Daniel Brobst, one of the early settlers of the county. The eight children of this marriage have all passed away. Mr. and Mrs. Heffner are members of the Evangelical Lutheran Church, in which Mr. Heffner has been an officer for a half century. Mr. Heffner is one of the most highly esteemed citizens of Circleville.

I SRAEL U. FINKEL, one of the older merchants of Circleville, where he has been established in business since 1876, was born in Walnut township, Pick- away County, Ohio, in 1847, and is a son of the late Hon. W. C. Finkel.

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History of Pickaway County, Ohio and Representative Citizens, Part 108

Author: Aaron R. Van Cleaf Publication date: 1906 Publisher: Number of Pages: 923

Author: Aaron R. Van Cleaf
Publication date: 1906
Publisher:
Number of Pages: 923