History of Stark County, with an outline sketch of Ohio, Part 134

Author: Perrin, William Henry, d. 1892? ed
Publication date: 1881
Publisher: Chicago, Baskin & Battey
Number of Pages: 1060

USA > Ohio > Stark County > History of Stark County, with an outline sketch of Ohio > Part 134

Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).

REV. LOUIS PAINE, Minister of Meth- odist Episcopal Church, Limaville; was born in Salem, Columbiana Co., O., Dee. 4, 1837.

762

BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES:

His parents were Rufus and Narcissa (Al- drich) Paine. Rufus Paine was born in Smith- field, R. 1., Sept. 11, 1993. Narcissa Aldrich was born in Northbridge, Mass., April 2, 1809. They were married at Norwich, Conn., April 27. 1836, and removed to Ohio in the spring of 1837. In 1838 they located in Limaville, Stark Co., where Mr. Paine engaged in the mercantile business; but at the end of two years he disposed of the same, and purchased a farm on the northern limits of the village, which has been the family homestead ever since. To Rufus and Narcissa Paine were born four children, viz: Louis; Rufus Smith, who died at the age of 16; Henry, now in the real estate and banking business, in Decorah, Iowa; and Eva, now Mrs. C. T. Mattingly, of Plymouth, Ind. Louis Paine's primary edu- cation was received in the public school, and in a select school in Limaville, his first teacher being H. M. Lewis, now of Alliance. After- ward he attended the Atwater Academy, and in 1857 entered Mt. Union Seminary, which soon afterward was chartered as a college, and from which he graduated in the classical course in 1862. Jan. 1, 1860, while a student, Mr. Paine was married to Mary E. Cunning, of Shanesville, O., who died April 21, 1861. In the beginning of 1856 Mr. Paine had united with the Methodist Episcopal Church; but up to this event had pursued his educational course, having in view a business life; now, however, his thoughts turned toward the min- istry. In the fall of 1861 he was licensed to preach by the Quarterly Conference of the Alliance Cireuit. In the fall of 1862, after his graduation, he was appointed by Dr. I. N. Baird, who was the Presiding Elder, to the Marlborough Circuit. In March, 1863, he was received on trial in the Pittsburgh Conference, and appointed to the Columbiana Circuit. In March, 1864, he was appointed to the Elkton Circuit. On the 20th of March, 1865, at the Conference held in Canton, Ohio, he was or- dained to the office of Deacon, by Bishop Ames. At the close of this Conference, on the evening of March 21, he was united in marriage to Mary E. Lind, who was a teacher in the Canton Union School, and a daughter of John Lind, Esq., of New Berlin, Stark Co., O., this being the second marriage solemnized in the M. E. Church of Canton, O. The suc- ceeding two years, for the purpose of recuper-

ating his health, he took no charge in the Con- ference, but resided in Limaville, and engaged in mercantile and farming pursuits, At the Conference held in Massillon, O., in Mareb, 1862, he was ordained by Bishop Thompson to the office of Elder, and appointed to Roch- ester, Pa. Here he organized, in the town hall, the first Methodist Episcopal Church, with about 65 members; but the work pros- pered so successfully that during the three years of his stay as pastor, he received over 300 additional members, and succeeded in erecting their present fine two-story brick ed- ifice. From the arduous labor of this charge he retired in March, 1870, but his health hay- ing suffered thereby, he again retired to the farm for the succeeding two years. In March, 1872, he was appointed to Irondale, O., hav- ing in view the liquidation of a debt upon a new church building. In March, 18:3, he was placed in charge of the " Centenary Church," Pittsburgh, Pa. Here he completed a church building which had been some years before begun, at a cost of some $22,000. At the ex- piration of two years, in March, 1875, the Con- ference having concluded to divide into the Pittsburgh and the East Ohio Conference, he asked to be placed again in the Ohio work, and was appointed to Mt. Union charge, in Stark Co., O. Here he remained during three terins, or until September, 1828; and his labors were eminently successful, receiving, in one reviv- al, one hundred into the church. From Sep- tember, 1878, to September, 1880, he was pas- tor of the Wellsville charge, during which time he received into the church about 160 by letter and on profession of faith. In Septem- ber, 1880, he was appointed to Willoughby, Lake Co., O., where he officiates at this date. Rev. Mr. Paine retains the old family home- stead at Limaville, O., where his mother still resides, his father having died in 1864, and where his family spend a portion of each sum- mer. To Louis and Mary E. Paine have been born seven children, five of whom are living, viz :- Dellie (deceased when a few weeks old), Bertram Lind, Mary Myrtilla, Lura Bell, Stel- la Rosalie (died at the age of 2 years), Lou- is Heury, and Bertha Leona.

DAVID ROCKHILL, farmer and proprie- tor of livery stable ; P. O. Alliance ; was born near the site of Alliance, Stark Co., Dec. 11, 1846, son of David and Hannah (Buckman)

763

LEXINGTON TOWNSHIP.

Rockhill. The latter was a native of Pennsylva- nia, but the father came here at an early date from New Jersey. They reared seven child- ren, six of whom are living. Mr. Rockhill married Jane E. McDonald in 1820. They have two children, viz :- Wesley L. and Es- tella May. In 18;9 he purchased the livery establishment of Mr. Phillips, and has charge of that business as well as superintending his farm, upon which he still resides, and which is the same farm entered by his grandfather Rockhill, when they first located here.

CLEMENT ROCKHILL, farmer ; P. O. Alliance ; was born where he is now residing, Jan. 8, 1828. He is the fifth child and oldest son of eleven children (all of whom lived to maturity) born to Samuel A. and Nancy (Bry- ant) Rockhill. His parents were natives of New Jersey, and after they were married they removed to Ohio, and settled at Salem, Columbiana Co., in February, 1820. They had stopped a short time when they removed to Stark Co., and entered 160 acres west of Mt. Union, and subsequently purchased the farm which our subject owns, which is all within the corporate limits of Alliance, for the sum of $3 per aere. When quite young, Mr. Rockhill was obliged to work on the farm, as he was the eldest son of a large family ; consequently his early education was rather limited. When he had attained his majority he began to do for himself, and took charge of the homestead. In 1858 he married Sarah Hogate, a daughter of John Hogate, of Mar- shall Co., Ind. She died in November, 1821, leaving three children, viz :- Cassius Clay, Lulu M. and Clarence A. Mr. Rockhill mar- ried a second wife, Louisa Barnes, by whom he had one child-Charles C. From her he obtained a bill of divorce. His present wife was Sarah Stone, of Ravenna, Portage Co. They own a farm of 49 acres in the corpora- tion of Alliance, which is a comfortable home. Mr. Rockhill is a quiet, industrious citizen and has always been one of those men who attends to his own affairs, and allows others a like privilege.

WILLIAM SOULE, M. S., Ph. D., Professor of Physics and Chemistry in Mt. Union College; was born at Dover Plains, Duchess Co., N. Y., Dec. 5, 1834. Ilis pa- rents were John B. and Jane (Tabor) Soule, the former a teacher in his early life, but lat-

terly turned his attention to farming, and was an influential citizen in his neighborhood. The early education of our subject was that of the common schools, which cost him six miles of travel each day. He subsequently attended the famous " Quintillian Seminary," of Rev. Eliphaz Fay. In 1856, he entered the American Seminary, and was a close student and hard worker, to the serious injury of his sight and general health. He entered the I'niversity of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Mich., in 1858, and graduated from that institution in 1861 ; he took a post-graduate course in chemistry and natural history, and took a sec- ond degree. In May, 1862, he married Ade- lia E., daughter of Eber White, a prominent and early resident of Ann Arbor, Mich. They have two children-Stella and Marion. Sub- sequent to his post-graduate course, Prof. Soule returned to New York ; was principal of a school for some time, and was then ap- pointed Professor of Natural Science in Caz- enovia Seminary, where he remained thirteen years. During this time many medical stu- dents pursued a regular course of analytical chemistry under his instruction. He is fre- quently called upon to decide the character of minerals, the purity of drugs, etc. Upon one occasion, a case of supposed poisoning was submitted to him ; the body was exhumed, which he analyzed, and his report accepted as conclusive. In the summer of 1880 he was elected to the professorship, which he now holds in Mt. Union College. The honorary degree of Ph. D. has recently been conferred upon Prof. Soule.

HENRY A. SOLIDAY, Limaville; of the firm of Soliday & Sparr, millers, proprietors of the Valley Mills; was born in Blair Co., Penn., Feb. 25, 1837; the third in a family of ten children born to Abraham and Catharine Soliday. His parents were both natives of Pennsylvania, and his father a millwright by trade. In 1845 the family removed from Pennsylvania to Ohio, and settled near Wooster, Wayne Co., where his father en- gaged in the milling business. Having been brought up to that trade by his father, the subject of these notes followed mill-building until about 28 years old, when he engaged in the mercantile business in Doylestown, where in connection with his business, he was Post Master. and served as a Justice of the Peace

764

BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES

about seven years. He removed to Akron in 1873, and continued in the mercantile busi- ness until 1879, when he purchased the Val- ley Mills, at Limaville, and took as partner his brother-in-law, B. F. Sparr. They have re- fitted and made various important improve- ments in the mills, they being only adapted to water-power when they purchased; but they have since provided a 35-horse power steam engine and boiler, and are now prepared to do work at any season. In November, 1860, Mr. Soliday married Sarah A., daughter of Elias Galehouse, a pioneer of the township in which he settled, in Wayne Co. By this union there are three children living, viz .- Charles H., George W., and Jessie A.

JOSEPH SEBRELL, farmer; P. O. Lima- ville; was born in Sussex Co., Va., April 15, 1796, the fifth child of Joseph and Rebecca (Jones) Sebrell, who with their six children, were a part of the party of some fifty persons who emigrated from Virginia to Ohio in 1807. Several families came direct to Stark Co., while Mr. Sebrell's family located near Salem, and remained there until 1823. His father was a hatter by trade, and during the pioneer days, when it was almost impossible to pro- cure money for produce of any kind, Mr. Se- brell found his manufactured articles a handy commodity to exchange for other necessaries. When he got the hatting business established, his sons also worked at the trade with him, but soon turned their attention to farming. The subject of these notes states that their first few crops of corn were almost all devour- ed by squirrels, having in his boyhood, day by day paced the field and guarded the seed corn when planted, until it had grown beyond the stage when liable to suffer from the pests; but as soon as it formed "ears," the ravages of these pests were as bad as ever, necessita- ting the corn to be cut when only in roasting- ear, and gathered near their cabin for protec- tion. His father came to Stark Co., and purchased 160 acres about a mile west of Lexington, and to this location the family re- moved from Salem in 1823. Previous to their removal, Joseph, the subject of these notes, married Mary Shinn, in 1817. She was born in New Jersey, July 3, 1798, and came with her parents to Salem in 1803. Mr. and Mrs. Sebrell have been familiarized with hardship in pioneer life, which can be real-

ized only by those who settled in the unbrok- en forest, where naught of civilization was to be found. They are both hale, and happily passing their declining days with their daughters. Although Mrs. Sebrell has for some time been totally blind, and the organs of hearing somewhat affected, she is other- wise enjoying good health, and is sound of mind, with a wonderful memory of past events. They are parents of nine children, all of whom lived to maturity-Abigail (dle- ceased), wife of Jos. Wiley; Mathews; Re- becca, wife of E. Bennett; Thomas; Mary A. (deceased), wife of J. Kennedy; Elizabeth, wife of Aaron Gibson; Hannah, Joseph and Hulda.

ELISHA TEETERS, farmer; P. O. Alli- ance; whose portrait appears in this history as a representative pioneer of Lexington Tp., was born in what is now Mahoning Co., Ohio, Jan. 11, 1814. His grandfather, Elisha Tee- ters, emigrated from Germany to this country about the time of the Revolutionary war, and settled in Eastern Pennsylvania, in 1796, finally becoming one of the early pioneers to what was then Columbiana, now Mahoning Co., Ohio. The parents of our subject were John and Mary (Cook) Teeters. His father was a Colonel under Gen. Harrison in the war of 1812; a warm friend to educational and moral reform, and an influential member of the com- munity. He was a "Friend " in his relig- ious belief, a Democrat up to the beginning of the late war, and afterwards a Republican. He died July 25, 1866, in his 85th year. Of a family of ten children, Elisha, the subject of this sketch, is the oldest son. Reared amid the surroundings of pioneer life, he obtained such an education as that early period afforded. On July 16, 1835, he married Eliza, daughter of Richard Webb, an early pioneer to Co- lumbiana Co., and in August following they moved to Lexington Tp., Stark Co., where he began life for himself in the woods in the vi- cinity of this place, where he has since re- mained, a lover of agriculture and its kindred pursuits, and now resides near Alliance, on one of the finest farms in Stark Co. Aside from his industry, he has been prominently identified with various local enterprises. Early in the history of Alliance, he was for several years engaged in the dry goods and produce trade. He then engaged in private banking,

765

LEXINGTON TOWNSHIP.

which he carried on for fifteen years, his son, R. W., having been a partner most of the time. He was also for a number of years of this time, treasurer of the Lake Erie, Alli- ance & Wheeling R. R. Co., and along with this business he was for ten years connected with the manufacturing interests of Alliance, being president of Nixon & Co.'s Agricultu- ral Works. In this enterprise he was the un- fortunate loser of about $250,000 surety money, none of the obligations being of his own contracting. For six years he has served as County Commissioner, and is now one of the trustees of the Fairmount Children's Home, situated near Alliance, for the coun- ties of Stark and Columbiana. He is also the owner of Alliance College and Boarding Hall, the original cost of which was upwards of $100,000. Politically, he has been a life-long Demo rat, and firm in that faith, and for many years a member of the Christian Church, and an elder in the same. He has long en- joyed the reputation of being a clear-headed business man, honorable in his dealings, firm in his views, and a plain, unostentatious geutleman, possessed of an unusual amount of sterling good sense. He has ever been a warm and zealous advocate of all measures cal- culated to advance the social and moral welfare of the community, and now being well advanced in years he enjoys the confi- dence and respect of all good citizens. Mrs. Teeters died in January, 1866, having been the mother of ten children, all living but one. Jesse W. lives on the old homestead, which was cleared by his father; R. W., is a busi- ness man of Alliance; Isaac F. and Charles are engaged in stock-raising in western Kan- sas; E. P. is now mail agent on the Lake Erie & Alliance R. R .; M. Susan, is now Mrs. John Shimp, of C'anton; Rachel L. is the wife of James Amerman, an attorney of Al- lianee; Rosa J. is now Mrs. C. C. Eddy, of Kansas City, Mo .; and Laura E., now Mrs. George Kay. book-keeper in the bank of Lamborn & Gray. On July 14, 1871, Mr. Teeters married a second wife, Sarah R., daughter of Mathias Hester, whose biography is in this work.

JESSE W. TEETERS, farmer ; P. O. Al- liance ; was born where he is now residing, June 5, 1836. Ile is the oldest of ten child- ren born to Elisha and Eliza (Webb) Teeters.

He was reared amid the scenes and circun- stances incident to a newly settled locality. He was brought up to the multifarious duties of farm life, and received a fair education in the common schools. June 28, 1866, he was married to Addie Brosius ; she is a daughter of Amos and Esther Brosius, of Washington Tp. Mr. and Mrs. Teeters have one child- Mary Mabel. Mr. Teeters has a good farin of 192 aeres, well improved and in a beautiful location, being the old homestead where his father settled when he first came to this town- ship. He is much interested in good farming and stock-raising, and has taken pains to in- troduce some excellent short-horn cattle, which are beginning to attract the attention of the farmers and stock men of this section, from the grand results produced on his farm. At various times he has marketed steers of this breed, when four years old, weighing up- wards of two thousand pounds. Mr. Teeters is a gentleman of no political or office-seeking aspirations; he is a pleasant, unassuming man, possessed of considerable natural ability, ex- cellent judgment, and above all, that rare gift, common sense. He was a member of the Disciples' Church, and at the division of the congregation he united with the Independent faction.

JOSHUA WOOD, farmer; P. O. Alliance; was born on the farm adjoining the west of his present home, Dec. 3, 1830. His father, Robert Wood, came with his parents from Virginia when quite young ; they located near Salem, Columbiana Co. He (Robert Wood) married Abigail Gaskill, a daughter of one of the first pioneer families of that section of Ohio. They came to Lexington Tp., and set- tled in the unbroken forest, and began to clear up their land ; and in which they made good progress by dint of industry. Mr. Wood became a man of considerable inthe- enee in the new settlement, and was sought after by the citizens as a proper person to transact the duties of the township offices, some of which he held almost all his life; he died here about 1862, at the advanced age of 70 years. They had 13 children, of whom six sons and two daughters survive, viz :- Lovi. of Lexington Tp .; Joshua; E. J., in Iowa ; E. M., a minister of the gospel, in M. E. Church at Pittsburgh, Pa. ; J. D., of Mahon- ing Co .; Daniel, in Colorado; Hannah, now

766

BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES:

Mrs. E. E. Scranton, of Alliance; and Jane, Mrs. L. J. Kelley, of this township. The sub- jeet of these notes began on his own account, in the vicinity in which he lives ; first having acquired a good common school education, and that principally by private study at night, by the blazing torch-light in the old-fashioned fire-place of his father's log cabin, as school facilities were poor and expensive ; and a large family to be cared for, with limited means. Amid such surroundings the family were reared to be industrious and frugal. But above all else, Joshua evineed a strong desire for instruction and a love for knowl- edge. His seanty stock of books he eagerly perused, and fitted himself for teaching; he taught eleven school-terms-ten of which he was in the same school. December 31, 1854, he married Maria, daughter of George and Eunice Carter, who were formerly of Portage Co. They have five children, viz :- Lorinda O., now Mrs. G. A. Winner ; Bell, Edwin G; Ona E., and Artie B. Mr. Wood has always held some township office since he has been of age; and in 1872 he was elected County Commissioner, and held that office six years in succession. IIe has ever been an industri- ous, energetie citizen, and a promoter of every measure which proposed general and material development for the welfare of the commu- nity. A portion of the old homestead, which was owned and first settled on by his father, constitutes a part of his present farm of 156} acres, which is a comfortable home-the re- sult of his own and his wife's industry and care.

JOSEPH L. WICKERSHAM, farmer ; P. O. Alliance; was born in Columbiana Co., Ohio, Jan. 9, 1833. His father, Ellis Wickersham, came to Ohio from Chester Co., Pa., when a young man. He married Eliza Morgan, and they reared ten children. The family remov-

ed from Columbiana to Stark Co., and settled on the farm now owned by Joseph L. in 1841; its improvements were then of little value- an old log cabin for residence, and the greater part of the farm covered with heavy timber. Here the family grew up and spread out over the country, as follows : Mary A. was mar- ried to William Angus, and removed to Wood Co., Ohio ; Lydia E. married D. Wood, and went to Indiana ; Emeline is Mrs. Ellis Ha- zen ; Lewis went to Iowa, thence to Kansas, where he died ; Ellis T., deceased ; Thomas M., deceased ; Joseph L., William Q., went to Kansas ; and two died in childhood. Jo- seph L. was the seventh child. His early ed- ucation was of the public schools and Marl- borough Union School. He taught district school two winters. He has a good farm of 183 aeres, on which is found beds of excellent quality of potters' elay, which he furnishes to various manufacturing institutions in this part of the State. Nov. 26, 1859, he was married to Susan Fowler. Her father was a native of New York and came to Pennsylvania a young man; there married and came to Portage Co., Ohio, in 1830. Mr. Wickersham was elected a member of the County Board of Agrieul- ture, which office he has held since 1876. He was prominently instrumental in the organi- zation of the Lexington Aid Association, in 1876-a mutual agreement by several farmers to aid each other in ease of fire ; it has given such satisfaction that its promoters were en- couraged to organize under the State laws, and apply for a charter, which was duly grant- ed June 4, 1881. The charter-members are : Joseph Grant, Joseph L. Wickersham, Joshua Wood, William Hugus, Joseph Kelley, Jacob Butler, Elias Ellett, President of the organ- ization, and others. Mr. Wiekersham has been Secretary of the Company since the organization in 1876.

767

LAWRENCE TOWNSHIP.

S. M. BUCKMASTER. manufacturer of to Miss Belle Lambright, of Pennsylvania; carriages and buggies and general repairing. they have six children - Hattie, Waldon, Champion, Truman, Franklin and Carrie. Canal Fulton: was born in Jackson Tp .. Stark C'o. in 1510: son of James and Nancy ( Miller) BEAR & ARTHER, sash, doors and blinds and planing mill, Canal Fulton. Franklin Bear, the senior member of this firm, is a native of Pennsylvania: he commeneed when a youth to learn the carpenter's trade, which he followed for a few years, and was also engaged in a rifle manufactory. in Pennsylvania, work- ing in that two years; he next engaged in a saw mill. in Center Co., Penn, and soon after engaged in a sash, door and blind manufac- tory, in Pittsburgh, remaining there three years. In 1575, ho came to Canal Fulton, and entered into partnership with his brother Samnel, manufacturing sash, doors and blinds together nearly three years; his brother thon retired from the firm, John Arther becoming his successor, since which Buckmaster. Passing his youth upon a farm. our subjeet, at the age of 19, commenced to learn his trade in Canal Fulton. under in- Atruetions, from William Stam, with whom he continued for eight months, subsequently fiu- ishing his apprenticeship in Bath Tp., Sum- mit Co In 1861. he enlisted in the 15th O. V. 1 .. and was soon after detailed for duty as a blacksmith: he remained in the service over three years, and then re-enlisted as a veteran in the 2d Ohio, which was under the command of Sherman; he was soon detailed as a seout, under the command of Harry Kenderdine, of lowa. and in this capacity entered the rebel lines several times in search of information. Our limited space will not permit of a recital of the

many exciting episodes in which he was a par- . time they have been associated together, mak-

ticipant: his army life continued until the close of the war. In IS65. he purchased from Stam his blacksmith shop, and commeneed business operations. in Canal Fulton, where he has remained an important business factor: his increasing trade has. from time to time. com- pelled an increase in room and assistance, and at the present time is contemplating still more improvements and enlargements. He mann- factures all varieties of wagons, carriages and buggies, and does all manner of jobbing and repairing, his business being one of the lead- ing industries of the community. employing. at different seasons, from nine to sixteen hands. As a citizen, Mr. Bnekmaster is prom inent and honored: he has served as Council man for six years, and a member of the School Board six years: he is a member of the Knights of Honor: in the Masonie order ho is Master, and for the last fourteen years has been Past Grand in the I. O. O. F. fraternity : he is also a member of the 1. O. O. F. Camp and Eureka Lodge, No. 24. Massillon En- campment. He was married. Sopt. 7. 1875,

Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.

History of Stark County, with an outline sketch of Ohio, Part 134

Author: Perrin, William Henry, d. 1892? ed Publication date: 1881 Publisher: Chicago, Baskin & Battey Number of Pages: 1060

Author: Perrin, William Henry, d. 1892? ed
Publication date: 1881
Publisher: Chicago, Baskin & Battey
Number of Pages: 1060