History of Preble County Ohio: Her People, Industries and Institutions, Part 67

Author: R. E. Lowry
Publication date: 1915
Publisher:
Number of Pages: 985

USA > Ohio > Preble County > History of Preble County Ohio: Her People, Industries and Institutions > Part 67

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On March 17, 1896, James E. Wynkoop was married to Alice Gold- smith, a native of Washington township and the daughter of P. C. Goldsmith, to which union were born four children, Lidia M., the wife of Chester O. Wright; Frank and Edgar (twins), born on September 23, 1899, now students in the common schools, and Charles L., who was born in July, 1901.

Mr. Wynkoop is an extensive breeder of thoroughbred Red-Polled cat- tle. His herd is headed by "Asadan, No. 23393," a very valuable animal. Mr. Wynkoop has, at the present time, about twenty head in his herd which is as fine as any found in Preble county.

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Mrs. Wynkoop is a devoted member of the Christian church. Mr. Wynkoop has always had considerable influence in local affairs. He is an ardent Democrat in politics and at one time was justice of the peace of Wash- ington township. Subsequently, he was an assessor in Washington town- ship. Formerly, Mr. Wynkoop was a member of the Knights of Pythias. The Wynkoop family are highly respected citizens of Monroe 'township and in every respect deserves the high esteem in which they are held by their neighbors and fellow citizens.

LEANDER D. LESH.

The biographies of successful men are instructive as guides and incen- tives to those whose careers are yet to be made. The examples they furnish of patient purpose and consecutive endeavor strongly illustrate what is in the power of each to accomplish. Leander D. Lesh is a conspicuous example of one who has lived to good purpose and achieved a high degree of success in the special cares to which his talents and industries have been devoted.

Leander D. Lesh, vice-president of the Preble County National Bank and secretary of the Eaton Loan and Home Aid Association, was born in Gratis township, Preble county, Ohio, October 22, 1849, the son of Henry and Julia Ann ( Morningstar ) Lesh, natives of Preble county, Ohio, who were parents of three children, Jonas, of Sabina, Ohio; Lydia. the wife of John Lantis, of Gratis township; and Leander D.

Henry Lesh was reared in Lanier township and became a farmer. own- ing a farm of one hundred and sixty acres at the time of his death in 1852, at the age of thirty-two. His widow survived him more than thirty years, her death occurring in 1883, at the age of sixty-two. He was reared a Dunkard and his wife was also a member of that church.

The paternal grandparents of Leander D. Lesh were Jacob and Mary (Landis) Lesh, natives of Pennsylvania and Virginia, respectively. They were early pioneers and farmers in Preble county and lived to advanced ages, Mrs. Lesh being nearly ninety-six years of age when she died. They were the parents of eight children : Joel, Jacob, John, Daniel, Henry, Mary, Susanna and Aaron.

The maternal grandparents of Leander D. Lesh were George Morning- star and wife, natives of Maryland and early settlers in Preble county, where they followed the occupation of farming. They also were Dunkards and

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lived to advanced ages. They were the parents of seven children : Solomon, Susanna, Eliza, Mary, Anna, Lydia and Julia Ann.

Leander D. Lesh was reared as a farmer boy and attended the country schools and later the Normal University, at Lebanon, Ohio. He taught for about fourteen years, at the end of which service he was elected clerk of the Preble county courts, in which office he served six and one-half years. He then worked at the real estate and loan business for several years, finally becoming secretary of the Eaton Loan and Home Aid Company, which posi- tion he now holds. Mr. Lesh also is vice-president of the Preble County National Bank and secretary of the Eaton Telephone Company, and has lived in Eaton since the first of January, 1888.

Leander D. Lesh was married to Lola Lockwood, the daughter of Samuel and Sarah (Clayton) Lockwood, who was born in Eaton, her parents having been natives of Preble county. She is a member of the Presbyterian church.

Mr. Lesh belongs to Bolivar lodge No. 82, Free and Accepted Masons; Eaton Chapter No. 22, Royal Arch Masons, and Reed Commandery No. 6, Knights Templar, of Dayton. He also is a thirty-second-degree Scottish Rite Mason, and belongs to Antioch Temple, Nobles of the Mystic Shrine. Politically, Mr. Lesh is a Republican. Mr. and Mrs. Lesh are highly re- spected in the community in which they live and are prominent in the society of Eaton and extremely popular in social circles.

MICHAEL BROWN.

Of the thousands of occupations listed in the United States census re- port, there is hardly more than one which is absolutely necessary to man's existence. The three things without which man cannot live are food, cloth- ing and shelter. The farmer not only controls the food supply, but also the clothing products of the world. His is the only occupation which can exist independently of the others. Within recent years, the business of farming has taken on increased dignity. The farmer of today has the advantage of working with machinery which renders his work free from many of its former disadvantages. Competition, however, requires the very best efforts in all lines of endeavor and this is especially true of farming. From the time of the earliest spring planting until the crops are harvested, the farmer's life is a busy one and the good wife must toil as unceasingly as her husband. One of the prosperous farmers of Preble county, who is now living retired, is

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Michael Brown, of Harrison township, a man who has always taken a deep interest in agriculture and has recognized industry and management as the basis of success.

Michael Brown was born on February 1, 1844, in Harrison township, Preble county, Ohio, the son of Eli and Mary (Cox) Brown, who were the parents of nine children, Mrs. Martha Hecathorn, deceased; Severe and Nel- son, deceased; Mrs. Sarah Odell, a resident of Ithaca, Ohio; Michael, the subject of this sketch; Mrs. Jerusha Banta, a resident of Castine, Ohio; Mrs. Amanda Bosman, of Brookville, Ohio; Mrs. Mary Parks, of Harrison town- ship; and Mrs. Catherine Minich, of Manchester, Ohio.

Eli Brown, the father of Michael, was born in 1815, in Harrison town- ship, Preble county, and was a farmer all of his life. He died in 1898 and his wife died eleven years before.

Michael Brown was married in 1865 to Almira Dinwiddie, the daughter of James R. and Sarah (Niswonger) Dinwiddie. Mrs. Brown was born August 8, 1842, on the farm where she now resides. Her father was born in 1817 at Centerville, Ohio, and came to Preble county, Ohio, with his father, who settled in section 15, where he spent the remainder of his life. Mrs. Brown's mother died when she was only eighteen months old.

Michael Brown has always been a hard-working, industrious farmer. He was a renter for many years, and was very successful in his farming operations. He is a stockholder in several concerns, and financially, has ac- cumulated a handsome competence for old age. Mr. and Mrs. Brown to- gether own two hundred and sixty acres of land, and have made extensive improvements upon this property. They have always kept a high grade of stock. They have now turned the active management of the farm over to their son, August W., who makes a specialty of breeding full-blooded Jersey cattle.

To Mr. and Mrs. Brown ten children have been born: Mrs. Ida Hinea, who is referred to elsewhere in this volume; Frank, who assists in farming his father's land; Myrtle, deceased; Osborne, also deceased; August, living at home and farming the home place ; Mrs. Carrie Howell, living in Harrison township: Mrs. Zella Studebaker, deceased; Charles, deceased : Mrs. Amanda Gebhart, living in Harrison township; and Goldsmith, unmarried and living at home.

Mr. and Mrs. Brown are active members of the United Brethren church, in whose welfare they are interested, and to whose support they are liberal contributors. They are prominent citizens of the community where they re- side, and are admired and respected by their neighbors and friends.

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GEORGE C. HORN.

What a wonderful heritage a man gives his children and his descend- ants in passing from this life, when he leaves behind him a knowledge of an active life well spent and evidences of the good he accomplished for his age and community and the ages and communities to follow. To be considered the foremost man of his county in his day and a leader in all things pertain- ing to the welfare of his community, does not fall to the lot of many men. Only those who are truly great in heart and mind and possessed of indomit- able energy and unfailing optimism, are capable of winning the trust and confidence which place them in the leadership in matters of public good, especially in a new section. This cheering knowledge is possessed by the descendants of Henry Horn, among whom is George C. Horn, the subject of this sketch.

George C. Horn, a contractor and builder of Lewsiburg, Ohio, was born on April 30, 1857, at Lewisburg, Preble county, Ohio. He is the son of Jacob and Elmira (Rowland) Horn, who were the parents of six children, George C., the subject of this sketch; Mrs. Mary Jane Heeter, who lives in Twin township, Preble county; Mrs. Elizabeth Bishop, of Chicago, Illinois; Charles A., who died at the age of six months; Mrs. Emma E. Schlotter- beck, of Preble county ; and Calvin, who is farming the old home place.

Jacob Horn was born on January 3, 1836, at Lewisburg. He was a farmer in Preble county and died in 1894 on his farm. He was the son of George and Sarah (Good) Horn, natives of Virginia, who came to Preble county with their parents. The father of George Horn was Henry Horn.

Henry Horn was born at Huttenburg, Germany, in 1755, and came with his parents to America in 1768. They settled in Adams county, Pennsyl- vania, and remained there until 1790, in which year Henry Horn moved to Virginia. Either just before coming to America or during the passage on the ocean, Henry Horn's parents lost the money with which to pay for their passage and the steamship company bound them out for security of the debt. In 1806, Henry Horn came to Ohio, coming down the Ohio river by boat and landing near the present city of Cincinnati, then containing only a few huts. At this time he could have purchased land within the present limits of Cincinnati for ten dollars an acre but this price then was considered very high. Hearing that the price of land was much less up the state, he traveled in a northerly direction from what is now the Queen City and purchased a large tract between Eaton and Camden at one dollar and twenty-five cents an acre.

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It was Henry Horn's intention to move to Ohio, but his wife, hearing of the savagery of the Indians, declined to come, so he sold the land and re- turned to Virginia. In the meantime, his wife died and he returned to Ohio in 1814 in search of land and prospecting for a mill site. Finding a mill on the location of the old Turner mill, he purchased this, together with two hun- dred and eighty acres, which included some of the present town of Lewis- burg, building his house on the site known as Horn's Hill, facing the east, which is on North Greenville street, Lewisburg, and overlooks the beautiful and fertile Twin valley.

His first house was made of hewn logs and was built in 1814, more than one hundred years ago. This land has remained in the possession of the Horn family until the present day. The farm was handed down to Henry Horn's son, Michael Horn, who with his wife made it their lifelong home. They reared a family of seven children, William, Elizabeth, Henry, Amanda, Allen, Catherine and Isabel. Of this family only Elizabeth and Isabel, who now occupy the old home, inherited from their father at his death in 1891, are now living.

The mill which Henry Horn purchased, having been destroyed by fire, was rebuilt and has long since been known as the old Turner mill. Henry Horn also built a saw-mill, still-house and tannery. Being interested in the organization of a town, he made a plat consisting of twenty-eight lots and on September 7. 1818, he laid out the town of Lewisburg, naming it after an old town in Virginia. The first church was erected in 1820, on the spot where Roselawn cemetery is now located. It was a log church and the logs were hewn by Mr. Beard. The pioneer settlers came from miles around to the "raising." accompanied by their wives and daughters. Reverend Espech was the first minister who preached in this church.

Thus is George C. Horn, the subject of this sketch, a descendant of this early pioneer and the man who had so much to do with leaving the marks of civilization in this primeval wilderness. George C. Horn's mother, who was Elmira Rowland, was born on April 3, 1836. in northern New York, the daughter of Michael Rowland, a native of New York state and an early settler in Jay county, Indiana. She is now living on the old home place in Preble county.

George C. Horn was reared on the farm and attended the district schools and the public schools of Lewisburg, Ohio. He began working for himself when about twenty-four years old. He worked at several different kinds of work, including about seven years in the lime-kiln quarries, at the end of which time he went to Lewisburg and for twelve years worked in a shoe store

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for Mr. Finney. Thereafter he worked in the Zoological Gardens at Cin- cinnati for two years and then learned carpenter work in that city. In 1907, with his son, Edgar J. C., he started what was known as the Home Builders Contracting and Building Company. They began on a small scale and have gradually broadened the scope of their work.

Mr. Horn was married in 1881 to Elizabeth C. Disher, who was born in Harrison township, Preble county, Ohio, in 1857, the daughter of Christian and Mary M. (Reichard) Disher, both natives of Ohio, and now both de- ceased. Two children have been born to this union, Edgar J. C., who is in partnership with his father; and Edith M., who is at home.

In 1902 Mr. Horn was elected mayor of Lewisburg and served two years. He has held nearly all the other offices in the town of Lewisburg and has extensive property interests in this town.

Mr. Horn is a Republican and is a member of the Evangelical Lutheran church. In his work as a contractor and builder, George C. Horn is carry- ing out the work of his worthy ancestor, Henry Horn, who himself was the first great builder in this section of Preble county.

WILLIAM EDWARD GOLDSMITH.

The venerable gentleman who is the subject of this sketch is one of the older residents of Preble county. By correct principles of living he has won the confidence and good will of the people of his community and is favorably known throughout the county of which he has been so long an honored citizen. In the highest sense of the term, he is a self-made man and as such has met with success in material things. His career is one which may be studied with profit by the young men of the present generation.

William E. Goldsmith, a retired farmer living at 506 West Main street, Eaton, Ohio, was born one mile west of Eaton on the west road, March 19, 1836, the son of William and Mary (Null) Goldsmith.

William Goldsmith was the son of John and Mary (Bridge) Gold- smith. John Goldsmith, better known as "Uncle John," was born in New Jersey and married Mary Bridge in that state. They moved to Ohio, stop- ping for a short time in Butler county, near Middletown. He came on and entered a quarter section one mile west of Eaton, Ohio, in 1802, and the family moved to this farm in 1806. At this time he engaged in hauling merchandise from Cincinnati, Ohio, to Eaton and Richmond, Indiana,

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eighteen days being required to make the trip through the woods. He lived on this farm the remainder of his life. During the War of 1812 he was six months engaged in a fight with the Indians. He never liked to take medi- cine. He and his family were members of the Christian church, of which he was a deacon and to which he was a liberal contributor. He and his wife were the parents of three children, Benjamin, William and Deliverance, the latter a girl.

William Goldsmith, the father of William E., was born in 1800 and was six years old when his father moved to the farm near Eaton. He grew up and helped to clear two farms. He married Mary Null, whose mother's name was Oler. William Goldsmith and wife settled on the old homestead on the north and lived on this farm until his death in 1882. His wife died. in 1886. William Goldsmith was a quiet and unassuming man and an honorable citizen. Throughout his life, Mr. Goldsmith prospered in farming. His first tax receipt on a quarter section was for, the payment of one dollar and sixty-two cents. Mr. and Mrs. Goldsmith were the par- ents of nine children, two of whom are living, Pliny, who is a resident of Eaton, Ohio; and William E., who is the subject of this sketch.

William E. Goldsmith was reared on a farm west of Eaton and when he was old enough he went to a subscription school and later attended the public schools. He remained with his father until after he had reached his majority.

William E. Goldsmith was married in October, 1857, to Emeline Bowles, who was born in Preble county and was reared in this county. She had attended the subscription and public schools of the county. Mr. and Mrs. Goldsmith rented land for a short time and later went to Huntington county, Indiana, locating near Andrews, Indiana, where he purchased eighty acres. They lived there three years during which time a daughter was born. He sold out and returned to Preble county, buying land in Jackson township, where he lived for two years. He traded this farm for one hundred acres near New Hope and lived on this latter farm nine years. During this time his first wife died, in September, 1874. Three children were born to this marriage, Minnie, who is the wife of Frank Dunlap, of Eaton; William A., who is a farmer in Washington township, and Clara, who is the wife of Edgar Quinn, of Washington township.

Mr. Goldsmith sold his farm and moved on a rented farm after the death of his first wife. He married, secondly, November, 1875, Phoebe Whiteneck, the daughter of John and Rebecca Whiteneck, who was born on April 6, 1844, in Warren county, Ohio.

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Mr. and Mrs. Goldsmith have a substantial competence for their old age, owning one hundred and ten acres in Washington township near the corporation line of Eaton, also a house and lot in Eaton. Mr. Goldsmith is a member of Eaton Lodge No. 30, Independent Order of Odd Fellows. Both he and his wife are members of the Daughters of Rebekah. Mrs. Goldsmith is a member of the Christian church and active in church affairs. Mr. Goldsmith is a Democrat and served as one of the trustees of the town- ship for fourteen years, during which time he discharged his duties with rare ability and courage.

JOHN A. CAIL.

Holding prestige among the successful farmers of Jackson township, John A. Cail has had much to do in advancing the material interests of Jackson township, and making it one of the agricultural centers of Preble county. He is distinctly representative of his sphere of activity and has contributed in no small measure to the prosperity of the township which is his home and field of operation. At the same time he has established a last- ing reputation for honor and integrity.

John A. Cail, a farmer and representative citizen of Jackson township and a brother of David F. Cail, referred to elsewhere in this volume, was born in Jefferson township, this county, September 27, 1851, the son of James G. and Elizabeth J. (McCown) Cail.

Mrs. James G. Cail was the daughter of John and Mary (Campbell) McCown and one of seven children born to her parents, the others being James, who lives at New Paris; Sarah, who is deceased; John C., who lives at Streator, Illinois and who served in the Civil War; Nancy, who is de- ceased; Margaret, of New Paris; and Alexander, who was a soldier in the Civil War. Mr. and Mrs. James G. Cail were married in 1847 and a list of their children is set out in the biographical sketch of David F. Cail, presented elsewhere in these pages.

John A. Cail was born in Jefferson township, this county, and lived there until 1864, when he moved to Jackson township. He was educated in the common schools of Preble county, remaining at home until he was twenty-one years old. His father having died in 1865, Mr. Cail remained with his mother.

On March 22, 1883, John A. Cail was married to Louise Short, who was born October 15, 1854, in Cincinnati, Ohio, the daughter of J. M. and

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Adelia (Graham) Short. She went to Wayne county, Indiana, with her parents in 1858 and lived there until 1885, when she came to Preble county, and has been a resident of this county since that time. She was educated in the common schools of Indiana.

To John A. and Louise (Short) Cail four children have been born, Mabel E., who is a graduate of the Jackson township high school, Ernest M., J. R. and Stanley G., all of whom are still single and at home.

Mr. Cail owns one hundred and twenty-three and one-third acres, a part of the old McCown homestead. The ownership of practically all of this farm is the result of Mr. Cail's own efforts. He is a general farmer and stock raiser and has been quite successful.

Mr. Cail is a Republican although he has never been particularly active in political affairs. He does, however, take a keen interest in matters which relate to the public welfare and has never shown any hesitancy in devoting his time and his energy toward working out the problems of better local government.

RICHARD E. BRANDENBURG.

One of the influential citizens of Campbellstown, Ohio, is Richard E. Brandenburg, who is also one of the leading farmers of Jackson township. He is a man of excellent endowment and upright character and has been a valued factor in local affairs. He has ever commanded the unequivocal confidence and esteem of the community in which he lives, being loyal in the upbuilding of this community and ever vigilant in his efforts to further the interests of the town along material, moral and civic lines.

Richard E. Branderburg was born near Germantown, in Montgomery

county, Ohio, September 5, 1851, a son of Samuel and Melinda (Feasler) Brandenburg. His father was born in Frederick county, Maryland, in 1814, the son of Jacob Brandenburg, who was born, reared and married in Mary- land and there spent his life. Samuel Brandenburg came from Maryland to Ohio, locating in Montgomery county, where he spent the remainder of his life. He learned the shoemaker's trade and worked at it until he was thirty years old, when he took up farming. He acquired a farm of two hundred and forty acres, all of which he made for himself. He was a quiet unassuming man, and a good citizen. He died in Montgomery county in March. 1871, his wife having preceded him to the grave in 1854. After his wife's death he married again, but there were no children by this sec-

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ond marriage. By the first marriage there were nine children, five of whom are now living, Aaron P., who is an engineer in Germantown, Ohio; Samuel T. a farmer in Whitley county, Indiana; Anna R., the wife of Henry Green, of Montgomery county, Ohio; Richard E., who is the subject of this sketch; and John W., a farmer in Gratis township.

. Richard. E: Brandenburg was reared in Montgomery county, educated in the common schools of that county and at the National Normal Univer- sity at Lebanon, Ohio. He became a teacher early in life and taught in the district schools of Warren and Montgomery counties. He then took up farming and now owns an excellent farm of two hundred acres immediately adjoining the town of Campbellstown on the east, all of which is in a high state of cultivation.

On January 13, 1876, Mr. Brandenburg was married to Emily A. Cooper, a daughter of Jacob and Harriett (Patton) Cooper, the former a native of German township, Montgomery county, who came to Preble county in 1877 and lived there until his death in January, 1896. He was the father of eight children, four of whom are now living, Peter R., who is a retired farmer of Jackson township; Catherine J., the wife of Wesley Smith, of Montgomery county, Ohio; Joseph S., who is a farmer in Jackson township, Preble county, and Emily A., the wife of Mr. Brandenburg. She was reared on a farm in Montgomery county.

To Richard E. and Emily A. (Cooper) Brandenburg six children have been born, Edna, the wife of Ed Irvin, of Jackson township; Peter E., who married Grace Wilford and lives in Jackson township; Samuel J., who mar- ried Margaret Johnston, lives at Oxford, Ohio, and is a graduate of Oxford University, where he is librarian: Clyde, deceased; Harriet, a graduate of the Jackson township high school and the wife of Homer Hart, of Dixon township; Orpha .1., the wife of Everette Yost, of Washington township, and Harold D., who is a student in the high school at Campbellstown and lives at home.

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History of Preble County Ohio: Her People, Industries and Institutions, Part 67

Author: R. E. Lowry Publication date: 1915 Publisher: Number of Pages: 985

Author: R. E. Lowry
Publication date: 1915
Publisher:
Number of Pages: 985