History of Preble County Ohio: Her People, Industries and Institutions, Part 78

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 78

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To Mr. and Mrs. Ehrhardt nine children have been born, eight of whom are living: Addie E., born on March 3, 1877. the wife of Louis Creech, of Somers township, this county; Ollie, born on August 24, 1878, the wife of W. J. J. Johnson, of Warden, Montana; John A., born on February 26, 1880, now living in Dixon township; Levi L., born on August 8, 1882, now living in Somers township: Fred D., born on December 12. 1884, who died on September 27, 1891 : Rebecca M., born on April 5, 1886, the wife of Stan- ley Dillman, of this county; Carrie K., born on April 20, 1888, the wife of George Winholt, of Sugar Valley, Ohio, and Edmund A., born on May 10, 1891. who is in charge of the home farm.

After his marriage Mr. Ehrhardt moved from Cincinnati to Preble county and bought eighty acres of land, on which he now lives. By degrees he added to his original land until he now owns five hundred and forty acres of rich Preble county land, all thoroughly improved and in the best of condition. On his land he has erected a fine residence and several excellent barns.

Mr. Ehrhardt is a devoted member of the German Lutheran church. as was also Mrs. Ehrhardt, previous to her death, which occurred April 4, 1914. The children are all members of the United Presbyterian church. Mr. Ehr- hardt is a loyal supporter of the Democratic party and has long taken an active interest in the affairs of the party in his community. His efforts in its behalf have been recognized and rewarded by his election to the office of road supervisor of his county, the duties of which office he has so ably exe- cuted that the voters of his township have continually re-elected him and have kept him in the office for a period of seventeen years.

Mr. Ehrhardt is in every sense of the term a self-made man, a distinc- tion which rightfully gains for him the highest esteem and respect of his neighbors. Starting. as he did, a poor boy obliged to aid his father in the support of his family, the intelligent application of his efforts and industry

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enabled hm to achieve success to such an extent that he is now the owner of one of the finest farms in his community, certainly giving him title to a place in the pages of this history of his county.

CHARLES C. WILKINSON.

Hard and laborious work was the lot of Charles C. Wilkinson during his youth and early manhood, but his fidelity to duty has won for him the re- spect and confidence of those with whom he has come in contact. By pa- tient continuance in well doing he has gradually risen from a humble sta- tion to his present standing as a progressive farmer of Preble county. He has worked his way from a modest beginning up to a position of considerable prominence. His efforts have been practically unaided, a fact which renders him more worthy of praise by his neighbors and fellow citizens.

Charles C. Wilkinson, the proprietor of the Morgan Huffman farm, consisting of seventy-eight acres eight miles west of Eaton, Ohio, on the west road, was born in Preble county October 31, 1846, the son of William H. H. and Anna (Davis) Wilkinson. William H. H. Wilkinson was born in Gratis township, Preble county, and Anna Davis also was born in Preble county. After their marriage they lived here for many years. They were the parents of eleven children, five of whom are living: Elizabeth, the wife of Samuel Poffernberger, of Eaton, Ohio; Charles C., the subject of this sketch; Curtis, of Dayton, Ohio; Eva B., the wife of Pliny Deem; Addie, the wife of Frank Potterf.

Charles C. Wilkinson was reared on the farm in Preble county, Ohio, and attended the district schools, mostly in Dixon township. On November 27, 1867, he was married to Charity Parks, who was born July 30, 1843, the daughter of George and Mary (Price) Parks, the former of whom was born in Barren county, Kentucky, November 8, 1801, and was brought to Preble county, Ohio, in 1808. George Parks settled in Dixon township and lived there until his death, on June 3, 1869. His wife died February 13. 1869, she having been born September 4, 1805. They were the parents of nine children, four of whom are now living: Henry Newton, of Grant county, Indiana; Mary J., of Preble county ; Charity, the wife of Mr. Wilkinson, and Leander, of Dixon township.

Mrs. Mary Parks, mother of Mrs. Wilkinson, was the daughter of David and Elizabeth Price, the former of whom was born August 25, 1777, and the

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CHARLES C. WILKINSON AND FAMILY.

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latter October 8, 1782, who were the parents of nine children, as follows: Mary, born September 4, 1805, who married George Parks; Phebe, born Au- gust 13, 1807; Harriet, born February 18, 1809; Henry Watts, born Novem- ber 30, 1810; John Ross, born December 5, 1812, who died the next August; Katherine, born March 15, 1815; Elizabeth, born March 22, 1817; Abraham, born July 5, 1819, and Susannah, born November 25, 1821, who died at the age of twenty years, three months and twenty-five days.

To Charles C. and Charity (Parks) Wilkinson one daughter was born, Alba, born September 12, 1868. She attended the common schools, and on March 4, 1889, married William Peters, who was born in Greene town- ship, Wayne county, Indiana. They have two sons, Otto O., born October 4, 1893, and George W., born February 22, 1896.

Mr. Wilkinson is a Democrat. Both he and his wife are descendants of very old families, are well known in the community in which they live and command the universal respect of the people, a respect to which they are justly entitled by their long record of good works.

CHARLES W. PIERCE.

Preble county, Ohio, owes much of its enviable record and its present high standard of citizenship and community welfare to the sterling qualities and splendid characteristics of its early settlers. The pioneers of Preble county came into the territory at a time when it was considered little better than a howling wilderness. They brought with them few indeed of the comforts which our modern standard of living has caused us to regard as necessities, but they were equipped with a spirit of determination to suc- ceed, and were persevering and industrious. By their determined efforts they created Preble county and made of it a community which is second to none in the state of Ohio. Better still, they left behind them descendants who were endowed with the spirit of the early pioneers themselves, and who have ably maintained the high standard which their ancestors established. Among these families that of Charles W. Pierce, the subject of this sketch, takes high rank, having been founded by sturdy pioneers of an earlier day and maintained by worthy descendants who have most ably upheld the tra- ditions of the family.

Charles W. Pierce was born at Camden, Ohio, September 30, 1851,

(51)

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the son of Francis A., and Nancy (Barnet) Pierce. Francis A. Pierce, Sr., the grandfather of Charles W., emigrated from England, his native country, when a young man, and settled in Pennsylvania, where, in 1818, he married Lois Ladd. After his marriage he migrated to Camden, Ohio, being one of the early pioneers of that place. He was a carpenter and, after settling in Camden, followed that trade in addition to his occupation as a farmer. To Mr. and Mrs. Pierce were born five children, Charles W., Azel, Mary Jane, Marinda and Francis A. Mr. Pierce died in 1825.

After Mr. Pierce's death Mrs. Pierce married a second time, her second husband being Mr. Ross, to which union five children were born: Henry, Savela, Sophronia, Helen and Mary. Mr. Ross went west at a later date and no word was ever received from him. As he had on his person about eight hundred dollars at the time he left, it was supposed that he was murdered for his money. Mrs. Ross then moved to California, where she lived with her son. She later married James Creson and died in California in 1873, without further issue.

Francis A. Pierce, the father of the subject of this sketch, was born in Camden, Preble county, Ohio, March 19, 1825. He owned extensive farm lands, but followed his trade as a brickmason and gave more time to that work than to his farm. At the time of his death he owned more than a thousand acres of Preble county land.

On November 2, 1848, Francis A. Pierce married Nancy Barnet, who was born near Camden, Ohio, August 18, 1827, and who died on January 19, 1910. Seven children were born to them, as follows: Azel, born on De- cember 10, 1849, died on July 23, 1910; Charles W., born on September 30, 1851 ; Emerson, born on October 18, 1853, died on January 12, 1912; William H., born on February 20. 1855, died on July 27, 1882; David, born on Oc- tober 18, 1857, now an attorney in Hamilton, Ohio; Thomas P., born on September 7, 1859, now living in Harrison, Ohio; James F., born on July 16, 1864. and now living in Somers township, this county.

Previous to the Civil War Mr. Pierce was an upholder of the Repub- lican party, but after the war he became a loyal supporter of the Demo- cratic party principles. He died on August 26, 1900, at the age of seventy- five years, five months and seven days.

Charles W. Pierce was born in Camden, Preble county, Ohio, September 30, 1851. He was educated in the district schools of Preble county and. after having finished his studies, took up, in 1881, the work of operating his father's large farm. On February 3, 1897. he married Retta M. Bloom, a daughter of John H. and Julia Ann ( Albaugh) Bloom. Frederick Bloom,

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grandfather of Mrs. Pierce, came to this country from Wittenburg, Germany, and settled in Pennsylvania, where he lived until the time of his death.

Mrs. Pierce's father, John H. Bloom, was a native of Hanover county, Pennsylvania, where he was born on April 18, 1825. He came west when a young man and settled in Preble county, Ohio. On November 19, 1851, he married Julia Ann Albaugh, who was born in Preble county on June 21, 1824. Mr. Bloom died on February 23, 1897, and Mrs. Bloom is now making her home with Mrs. Pierce. She is a bright and remarkably well- preserved old lady at ninety-one years of age. She makes her home al- ternately with her children, spending a part of the time with each.

To John H. and Julia Ann (Albaugh) Bloom were born six children, all of whom are living: Angeline, who lives in Colorado; Fred A., who lives in Montgomery county, Ohio; Steven M., now living in Nebraska; Nancy Josephine, living in Paulding county, Ohio; Retta M., the wife of the subject of this sketch, and Henry J., who lives in Clermont county, Ohio.

Mr. Bloom was a stonemason and stonecutter by trade, and followed that occupation throughout his life. During the Civil War days he enlisted in Company E, Thirteenth Regiment Missouri Volunteer Infantry, and served three years, being honorably discharged at the close of the war.

Charles W. Pierce has followed the calling of a farmer all his life. He and Mrs. Pierce each own farm land, their holdings aggregating two hun- dred and sixty-two acres of fine farm land, mostly lying in Gasper township, but ninety acres of it is in Somers township, where he makes his home in the fine old family homestead that was built by his grandfather, David Bar- net, sixty-seven years ago. Mr. Pierce specializes in the raising of Short- horn. cattle.

Mrs. Pierce is a member of the Presbyterian church at Eaton, Ohio, and gives it her loyal support, being closely identified with many branches of the church work. Mr. Pierce is a stanch Democrat, although he has never entered actively into the political affairs of his community. He is not suffi- ciently partisan in his political views, however, to blindly support any can- didate who may be put forward by his party, always being ready to vote for the candidate of another party if he considers that candidate a better man than the one representing his own party.

Mr. and Mrs. Pierce are held in high esteem by the residents of their community, and are regarded as being neighbors of the very highest type. They are both of the same splendid type which made their pioneer ancestors willing to endure any and all hardships to procure independence for them- selves and their children by laying the foundations of a permanent home in Preble county.

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FRED M. NEFF.

What a dreary world this would be without the graceful and delicate things of life to give us moments of cheer and refreshment. What a dreary round the mere necessary act of taking for our bodies the nourishment es- sential to their physical sustenance would become if there were none of the dainty food delicacies with which we are wont to regale ourselves to lend a spice to the meal. The man who does his share toward keeping us sup- plied with these delicacies with which we delight to refresh our "inner man" certainly is to be regarded as a public benefactor, and when the his- torian of the future comes to foot up his balance these purveyors of the delightful things of life certainly will be accorded a place well up in the front ranks of those who loved their fellowmen. Of such as these there are few better known or more deservedly popular in Preble county than Councilman Fred M. Neff, whose delicatessen shop at Camden is widely known for the table dainties with which the people of that community so de- light to regale themselves, and the historian would consider himself re- miss in his duty toward the future generations of this favored section. were he to omit mention of the activities of this gentleman in this volume.

. Fred M. Neff, one of the most popular and useful of the members of the city council of Camden, Preble county, Ohio, was born in Somers town- ship, this county on March 29, 1869, the son of John W. and Ruth (Wil- son) Neff, the former of whom was born in Pennsylvania and the latter in Butler county, Ohio. John W. Neff migrated with his parents from Lan- caster, Pennsylvania, when a small boy, the journey being made by stage coach, and settled with them on a farm west of Camden, this county, where they remained for some time, later taking a farm east of the town of Cam- den, where they spent the remainder of their lives. Here John W. Neff, father of Fred M., grew to manhood and married Ruth Wilson, one of the belles of this section. To this union three children were born, of whom Fred M. is the sole survivor, his sister, Belle, dying at the untimely age of thirteen years, and his brother William dying in 1914, at Washington, D. C., where he had been for many years connected with the postoffice depart- ment of the United States government.

John W. Neff contributed his services to the Union in the dark hour of its trial by fire and sword in the sixties. He first enlisted in answer to the call for three months' recruits and at the end of this term of service re- enlisted in Company B. Fifty-Fourth Regiment Ohio Volunteer Infantry, under Colonel Bob Williams, in which regiment he served until the end of

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the war, being mustered out in April, 1865. After the war he taught school and farmed until the year 1885, when he became attached to the govern- ment service, his first civil service being rendered in the government's fac- tory for the manufacture of revenue stamps at East Pepperell, Massachu- setts, where he remained for two years. He is now a clerk in the internal revenue division of the United States treasury department, a position he has held for the past twenty-seven years. Though he is a Republican, his services have been so efficient that he has not been disturbed in his tenure by the various changes in the administration of the government in all these years.

Fred M. Neff was educated in the district schools of his home town- ship and so apt was he in learning that at the age of sixteen he secured a license to teach in the public schools of Preble county and for two years followed this profession. His ambition then being turned toward mercan- tile pursuits, he entered the clothing store of Strauss & Company, for which firm he worked for six years, except eighteen months of which time he acted as assistant supervisor in the state hospital for the insane at Dayton, Ohio, under appointment of Governor Campbell. For a year and six months he then acted as bookkeeper and ticket agent for the Miami Valley Traction Company at Trenton, Ohio, and in 1898 returned to Camden and bought out Frank Eikenberry's ice cream parlor, which he conducted for a time. He then took up the insurance business and was thus engaged for two years, following which he learned the trade of painter and paper-hanger, which vocation he followed for about three years, after which he moved onto a farm, where he remained for one year, at the end of which time he re- turned to Camden, going to work as a clerk in the store of White & Eiken- berry, with whom he served for a year and on December 19, 1907, bought a bakery and grocery in Camden, which he is at present conducting very suc- cessfully.

On April 12, 1899, Mr. Neff was married to Martha White, a daugh- ter of James and Eliza ( Kennedy) White, the former of whom was born in Butler county, Ohio, and the latter near Cincinnati, Ohio. James and Eliza (Kennedy) White were the parents of eight children, seven of whom are living, one having died in infancy. These children, in the order of their birth, are: Nellie, wife of Charles McFall, who lives in Camden; Ada, wife of Frank Eikenberry who conducts a furniture store in Camden; Charles F., a Camden dry-goods merchant; John, resides in Camden; Sarah, re- sides with her father in Camden; Martha, wife of the subject of this sketch, and Frank, who lives in Camden. The mother of these children died in

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July, 1901. The father is a retired farmer and lives in Camden, where he is honored of all who know him.

To Fred M. and Martha (White) Neff four children have been born, all of whom are living: Cecil E., born on October 10, 1900, attending school; Ruth E., born on January 8, 1904; Harry E., born on May 17, 1906, and Helen W., born on August 16, 1909, all lively and interesting youngsters who are the continual delight of the lives of their good-natured father, Councilman Neff, and his excellent wife.

Mr. Neff claims that it is a distinction to be the only Democrat in the Neff family, and he has been active in the deliberations of his party in this county for years. Four years ago he was elected to the Camden city coun- cil on the Democratic ticket and his services in that connection are proving highly satisfactory to his constituents. He is a member of Lodge No. 259, Knights of Pythias, at Camden and is one of the most earnest boosters for that order in this section.

JAMES H. BECKETT.

Among the prominent families of Preble county, Ohio, are many which have been closely identified with the development of the state during both this and preceding generations. Of these families that of James H. Beckett, who was born in Butler county, Ohio, but who later made his home in Preble county, is a typical example.

James H. Beckett was born in Butler county, Ohio, on December 12, 1866, the son of William and Margaret (Richmond) Beckett. His father also was born in Butler county on June 20. 1830, and his mother was born on March 22, 1849, in Indiana. William Beckett was a farmer during the earlier years of his life, following that calling in Illinois for a period of about eleven years. He later returned to Butler county, where he worked as a farmer until the time of his death, on May 30, 1892. His wife died in 1887.

William Beckett was married in Butler county on December 21, 1865, and to him and his wife were born eight children, five of whom are yet living: James H., the subject of this sketch; Isabel, who died when four years of age; Dezora, who is engaged in the hardware business at Oxford, Ohio; Anna, the wife of Chief of Police John Evers, of Middletown, Ohio; Fanny, who died in childhood; Mary, who died at the age of fifteen; Cliff,

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who is a farmer at Clarksville, Ohio, and Theodore, who is a clerk in his brother's store, in Oxford, Ohio.

James H. Beckett received a common school education and, at the age of fourteen commenced "working out" by the month, a form of employment in which he was engaged for a period of about seven years. On January 15, 1889, he married Bessie Halteman, a daughter of Henry and Martha (Pat- terson) Halteman, the former of whom was born in Dayton, Ohio, and the latter in Ireland. After having lived in Preble county, they moved to Dayton, where Mrs. Halteman died in 1904. Mr. Halteman is yet living in that city.

To James H. and Bessie (Halteman) Beckett were born eight children, six of whom are yet living: Pearl, now the wife of Leroy Matix, of Israel township; Henry, who lives in Israel township; Jennie, who died at the age of sixteen; Ora, now attending high school at Fairhaven, Ohio; Arthur, attending school at Fairhaven; Anabelle, who lives at home; Rachel Roberta, who lives at home, and one child, not named, who died in infancy.

After his marriage Mr. Beckett worked by the year for about three years, and then rented a farm, which he operated for about four years. At the end of that time he bought a farm of eighty acres in Dixon township, this county. After four years on that farm he bought a farm of one hun- dred and twenty-one acres, in section four of Israel township, this county, where he now lives. He also owns his original farm of eighty acres in Dixon township. He sold another farm in that township, the latter contain- ing sixty-two acres, thus making his present land holdings total two hun- dred and one acres. Mr. Beckett still follows the business of farming, and also does an extensive business in the buying and feeding of hogs, cattle and sheep. In addition to his regular business interests, he is a stockholder in the Farmers Grain and Supply Company, of Camden, Ohio, and has been vice-president of the company for two years.

James H. Beckett is a strong supporter of the Democratic party, and his efforts in behalf of that party have been rewarded by his having been elected to one term as township trustee of Israel township. While he lived in Dixon township he served the community as a constable.

Mr. Beckett is a striking example of the self-made men who form such a solid foundation in the community life of Preble county. Having started life with no capital except his own native intelligence and industry, he has prospered through his own efforts until he has become one of the county's most highly respected and influential citizens.

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EDWARD MADDOCK.

Preble county, Ohio, owes much of its present prosperity to the high type of pioneers who laid the foundations of the county during the early years of last century. Not only did the thrift and industry of those sturdy settlers determine the early character of the county, but their influence is yet felt through the many fine qualities of their descendants. The pioneers laid the foundation of the county, but it fell to the lot of the descendants to so ably rear the structure of Preble county, and their efforts have been crowned with a success to which they can well point with pride. Among those who so capably aided in the working out of the destinies of Preble county the Mad- dock family takes high rank, its first representative arriving in the county early in the preceding century. Through his efforts he established a foot- hold for the descendants who were to follow him, and laid the cornerstone in the architecture of a family name which was destined to become one of the most respected and esteemed in the county.

Edward Maddock, the subject of this sketch, was born in Israel town- ship, Preble county, Ohio, February 2, 1840, a son of William and Sarah (Huffman) Maddock. William Maddock was born in North Carolina in 1785. When he was quite young his father migrated to Georgia where, shortly afterward, his mother died. Mr. Maddock's father than followed the custom so much in vogue at that time and bound his son to Joseph Stubbs, a Quaker, until he should have reached the age of eighteen. Shortly after- ward, owing to a prophecy made by a Quaker preacher to the effect that there was to be a slave insurrection, a great many Quakers, among whom was the Stubbs family, migrated north to Ohio, leaving Georgia in 1806. They win- tered on Lost creek, in Tennessee, and arrived in Preble county, Ohio, in the spring of 1807.

When William Maddock was twenty-four years of age he married Han- nah Stubbs, a niece of the man to whom he had been bound when a boy. After his marriage he moved a distance of twelve miles from the Stubbs home and bought a quarter section of government land, for which he paid two dol- lars and twenty-five cents an acre. The land was situated in Israel township, this county, where Mr. Maddock for a time worked for his neighbors in order to earn the money with which to pay for his newly-acquired land. He lived on his farm for sixty-five years.

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History of Preble County Ohio: Her People, Industries and Institutions, Part 78

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

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