USA > Ohio > Union County > History of Union County, Ohio; its people, industries and institutions > Part 98
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Mr. Howe was married July 3, 1869, to Lizzie Gum, the daughter of Jacob and Mary (Martin) Gum, and to this union two children have been born, George R. and Joseph E. George R. is a contractor living in Marce- line, Missouri. He married Lillie Davis and has three children, Ned, Elbert and Dorothy. Joseph E. is assisting his father in the wool business in Rich- wood. Mrs. Howe was born in Logan county, Ohio, and lived there until
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her marriage to Mr. Howe. She is a sister of George R. Gum, whose sketch elsewhere in this volume gives the history of the Gum family.
Mr. Howe has long been identified with the Republican party, and has served as a member of the school board for two or three terms in Richwood. Mrs. Howe is a member of the Methodist Episcopal church, and although Mr. Howe is not an active member, he gives to its support. He has been a stockholder in the Richwood Banking Company for several years, and was for a time the vice-president of the company. He takes an active interest in the general welfare of his village, and has so lived that he has gained the high esteem and good will of all those with whom he has been associated. He would be pleased to see all American citizens live by the Golden Rule and bring the United States to the highest standard of any nation, withont the use of army or navy.
ISAAC WALTER SANAFT.
The whole career of more than half a century of Isaac Walter Sanaft, has been spent in Union county, Ohio, where he was born. He has been a farmer most of his life and lived on the farm until 1903, when he moved to Broadway, where he has since resided. Since moving to the village he has been engaged in the grain and elevator business, although he still keeps a close supervision over his farm. He has taken a very prominent part in the civic life of his community and has been an active worker in the Christian church for more than a quarter of a century. He is the kind of a citizen who makes for the stability of our country, and no public-spirited enterprise ever appeals to him in vain. He is a man of irreproachable character with the highest ideals of honesty and uprightness and well merits the high esteem in which he is held in his county.
Isaac Walter Sanaft, of the firm of Sanaft & Sanderson, dealers in grain, flour, feed and coal. was born in Liberty township, this county, on a farm one and one-half miles southwest of Broadway. October 18. 1859. His par- ents were Isaac J. and Elizabeth ( Greene) Sanaft, natives of Perry county, Ohio, and Vermont, respectively. Five children were born to Isaac J. Sanaft and wife: Irena, deceased, who was the wife of William P. Hisey: Serepta, Marilla and Delphine, who died within four days of each other in 1860, of diphtheria, and Isaac W., with whom this narrative deals.
Isaac J. Sanaft was a day laborer in his earlier years, but later became a
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thrifty farmer and a horticulturist, dealing largely in apples and cherries. In early life he settled near Milford Center, and died in Taylor township in 1901, at the advanced age of eighty-three. His wife died May 23, 1892, at the age of seventy-five. Both were loyal members of the Christian church.
The paternal grandparents of Isaac W. Sanaft were Henry and Jane Bonie (Davis) Smiff, pioneers in Perry county, Ohio, where he died. His widow later moved to Milford Center. Ohio, where her death occurred at a good old age. Henry Sanaft and wife were the parents of a large family, among whom were the following children : Henry Harrison, Isaac James, Juan, Mary, Rhoda, who became the wife of Harrison Hopkins. The ma- ternal grandparents of Isaac W. Sanaft were Robert Clark and Ruth (Draper ) Greene, natives of Vermont and early settlers in Liberty township, Union county, Ohio. His wife died before 1859, and he died shortly after the war. Robert Greene and wife were the parents of several children: Elizabeth, Ira D .. John C., Sallie, Ruth, Almira, and some who died in infancy.
Isaac W. Sanaft was reared on his father's farm in Taylor and Liberty townships, this county, and received such education as was afforded by the district schools of his time. He remained at home until grown, then mar- ried and went to housekeeping in the house in which he was born. Here he resided for a number of years. He owns a part of the old home farm and he and his wife own the old farms of John C. Greene and Ira D. Greene. Mr. Sanaft was a successful farmer and in 1903, he moved to Broadway. Wanting something to do, however, he engaged in the grain business, and for the past six years has been a member of the firm of Sanaft & Sanderson, and has handled grain, flour, feed, coal, salt and other commodities.
Mr. Sanaft was married February 1, 1882, to Sarah L. Dixon, the daugh- ter of John and Mary O. (Evans) Dixon. Mrs. Sanaft was born in Liberty township, this county, and was the only child of her parents. The father died in 1868; the mother in 1906. The maternal grandparents of Mrs. Sanaft were Joseph and Margaret (Harlan) Evans.
Mr. and Mrs. Sanaft are both devoted members of the Christian church. Mr. Sanaft was trustee of his conference for twenty-four years, and is now a deacon, and is also president of the Ohio Central Conference of his church. He has been a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows since August 4, 1881. and a member of the Knights of Pythias since 1901. In politics, he has given his loyal support to the Republican party. His worth as a public-spirited citizen is shown by the fact that his party nominated and elected him as treasurer of Taylor township, an office which he held for five
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years. He was also a member of the school board of his township for five years, and in both capacities gave his fellow citizens faithful and conscientious service. He is a man who is deeply interested in the moral welfare of his community, and has lived a life consistent with the Golden Rule in all matters.
REUBEN POLING.
One of the most highly honored and respected citizens of Allen town- ship, Union county, Ohio, is Reuben Poling, who was born, reared and has spent his entire life in this township. He served with notable distinction in the Civil War. He served in many of the severest engagements of that ter- rible struggle and was fortunate to escape without being wounded or cap- tured. A complication of measles and a cold while in the service caused rheumatism, from which he has never recovered.
The old veterans are fast passing away, and it seems eminently fitting that the lives of many of them should be included in this history of their county.
Reuben Poling was born in Allen township, April 6, 1841. His parents, James and Mary (Carpenter ) Poling, both were born in West Virginia, and came to Union county, Ohio, after their marriage. Here they passed the remainder of their lives. They reared a family of seven childrn, three of whom are still living : Orsamus, of Raymond, Ohio; Sarah A., the wife of Edward Ryan, of Delaware, Ohio, and Reuben, of Allen township.
The boyhood days of Reuben Poling were spent amid the pioneer con- ditions which surrounded the settlers of the early forties. He attended school in his neighborhood. On January 17, 1862, he started to school as usual, but, learning that a regiment was leaving, walked to Woodstock, where he enlisted. He became a member of Company H, Sixty-sixth Regiment Ohio Volunteer Infantry, the regiment being under the command of Colonel Candy. His regiment was attached to the Twelfth Army Corps, and later was transferred to the Twentieth Army Corps. His first fight was at Port Republic under General Shields. He was with Sherman on his famous march through Georgia to the sea and fought in all of the bloody battles which occurred on that march during the summer of 1864. He was in the battles of Cedar Mountain. Chancellorsville and Lookout Mountain. He was also in the battle of Gettysburg and attended the reunion of the survivors of that battle on the fiftieth anniversary in July, 1913.
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At the close of the Civil War, Mr. Poling returned to his home in Union county, and on October 12. 1865, was married to Sarah Faulkner, a native of Delaware county, Ohio. To this union, five children have been born: Eva; Lawrence, who married Kate M. Lillie: Ella, a teacher in the public schools of Union county; Jerome, married Lockey M. Spain, who died in 1904, and a few years later married Lucy Davidson ; and Clara, a teacher of music and a graduate of the musical department at the O. N. U., Ada, Ohio, and of the O. W. U. School of Music, Delaware, Ohio.
Mr. Poling has been a lifelong Republican and during his younger years served for ten years as treasurer of Allen township. He is a prominent member of the Grand Army of the Republic post at Marysville.
JOHN M. WILKINS.
The Wilkins family have been residents of Union county, Ohio, for more than eighty years, and during all of this time have been actively identified with the history of the county. For the past quarter of a century John M. Wilkins has been engaged in mercantile pursuits in Richwood, and by his good business ability and careful management, has become recognized as one of the substantial men of the village. He is a worthy scion of a family which has always stood for high ideals, and he has conducted his life in such a way as to win the hearty approval of his fellow citizens.
John M. Wilkins, the son of Alfred F. and Harriet J. (Stewart) Wilkins, was born in Marysville, Ohio, December 29, 1857. His father was born in Saratoga, New York, in 1821, and his mother was a native of the same city. Alfred F. Wilkins came with his parents from New York to Ohio in 1832, and located in York township, Union county, where he grew to man- hood. The parents of Alfred F. Wilkins were Beriah and Amanda ( Rhodes) Wilkins. natives of New York state, and residents of Union county, Ohio, after 1832. Three children were born to Beriah Wilkins and wife, Alfred F., Charles and James Rhodes.
Alfred F. Wilkins was one of the early surveyors of Union county, and later moved from the farm where he was reared in York township to Marys- ville, where his death occurred in 1876, his wife surviving him many years, passing away at the age of eighty-five. He was a prominent member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, and a stanch Democrat in politics. For many years he served as mayor of Marysville, and he also held the office
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of county treasurer. Six children were born to Alfred F. Wilkins and wife : James C., of Washington, D. C .; Beriah, deceased; Keziah, the wife of Col. A. B. Robinson, of Marysville; Charles F., deceased; John M., of Richwood; and Joseph S., deceased, who was a paymaster in the regular army. The maternal grandfather of John M. Wilkins was Nathaniel Stewart, a native of New York state, and an early settler in Liberty township, Union county, Ohio. Nathaniel Stewart died in Marysville, after passing his eightieth birthday, and his wife also lived to a good old age. Nathaniel Stewart and his wife reared a large family, among whom were Ephraim, Joseph, Adeline, Mary, Harriett Jane and others who died in childhood.
John M. Wilkins was reared in Marysville and received all of his educa- tion in the schools of that city. After leaving school, he went to work for Colonel Robinson in the old factory store and remained there from 1876 until 1883. He then went to Maynard, Ohio, where he operated a mining store for eight years and a half. In 1890 Mr. Wilkins formed a partnership with Col. A. B. Robinson and James W. Robinson, and this firm opened a general store in Richwood under the firm name of Robinson & Wilkins. In 1896 the firm was incorporated under the name of the Robinson & Wilkins Company, and the firm still conducts a prosperous business in Richwood.
John M. Wilkins was married to Ella M. Lee, the daughter of William Lee, and to this union three children have been born, Lee, Alfred F. and one who died in infancy. Lee married Mary Van Brunt, of Saginaw, Michigan, and is now the manager of the Wilkins store in Marysville. Alfred F. is single and works in his father's store in Richwood.
Mrs. Ella M. (Lee) Wilkins was a member of the Presbyterian church, and was born in Marysville, Ohio. Her parents were natives of Connecticut and early settlers in Marysville, where her father conducted a general mer- cantile establishment. Mr. and Mrs. Lee died in Marysville. They reared a family of three daughters and two sons, Mary, Martin, John, Kate and Ella.
Mr. Wilkins was married to Martha T. Godman, the daughter of Daniel W. and Susan (Thornhill) Godman, of Adrian, Michigan. Mrs. Martha Wilkins was born in Richwood, Ohio. Her father was engaged in the hard- ware business in the firm of Blake & Godman, and later of the firm of God- man & Thornhill. He is deceased and his wife is still living. There were five children born to Mr. Godman and wife, Mary, Fannie, Martha, Anna and Kate. Mrs. Wilkins' maternal grandfather, French Thornhill, was a member of the Ohio house and senate for many years, and was acting lieu- tenant governor of the state at one time, and a man well known in early Democratic circles.
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Mr. Wilkins and his wife are consistent members of the Presbyterian church. He is a member of the Mount Carmel Lodge No. 303, Free and Accepted Masons; Marion Chapter, Royal Arch Masons; Marion Command- ery of Knights Templar; Aladdin Temple, Nobles of the Mystic Shrine. He also holds his membership in the Knights of Pythias, being a member of Ris- ing Sun Lodge No. 71. In politics, Mr. Wilkins is a stanch Democrat and has been a member of the county council and executive committee for several years.
GEORGE W. REAM.
One of the many young men who enlisted from Union county, Ohio, in the Civil War, was George W. Ream, now a prosperous farmer of Liberty township. He has spent the last half century farming in this county and his success speaks well for his good management and ability. He has taken a prominent part in the civic life of his community and for many years was trustee of Allen township. In this position, he rendered efficient service to his fellow citizens.
George W. Ream, the son of Samuel and Elizabeth ( Featherlin) Ream, was born in Ross county, Ohio, March 10, 1842. His father was a native of Pennsylvania and his mother, of Virginia, both coming to Ohio with their parents in their childhood. Samuel Ream was four years old when his parents moved to Ross county. Here he later married Elizabeth Featherlin and in 1849 they moved to Union county. They located in Allen township, where they lived the rest of their lives. There were seven children born to Samuel Ream and wife, four of whom are still living : George W., of Liberty township; Matthias, of Jennings county, Indiana; Elizabeth, of Warren county, Ohio, and Adelia, living in Logan county.
George W. Ream was seven years old when his parents moved to Union county, where he received an education in the district schools. He went to school a short time in the winter, working the rest of the time on his father's farm. He was at home at the beginning of the Civil War. He enlisted May 2, 1864, as a member of Company D, One Hundred and Thirty-fourth Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry, and served four months, being mustered out September 4, 1864.
Immediately after discharge from the service, he returned to Union county and took up farming. He now owns one hundred and thirty-six
RESIDENCE OF GEORGE W. REAM.
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acres in Allen township, which is well improved, yielding an ample return annually.
Mr. Ream was married September 27, 1881, to Mrs. Ortinsey Victoria (Eaton) Robinson, and to this union one son was born, G. C. Ream, now liv- ing in Allen township. The first wife of Mr. Ream died in 1897, and May 24, 1906, he married Mrs. Zelda Clegg, born and raised in Union county. Mr. and Mrs. Clegg had adopted a girl, Etta Reed, who is now the wife of Pearl Clark.
Mr. Ream is a Democrat and served as trustee of Allen township for twelve years. He is a quiet man who takes an active interest in the welfare of his community. He is a good man and highly respected by his fellow citizens.
GEORGE W. SPRAGG.
There are many excellent farmers in Mill Creek township, Union county, Ohio, and a large majority of them were born in this township. George W. Spragg, who owns a well improved farm of one hundred and twenty acres in this township, was born in Greene county, Pennsylvania, and came to this county, attracted by the fine farming lands which are to be found here.
George W. Spragg, the son of Adam and Lydia (Pettit ) Spragg, was born July 4, 1867. His parents, both of whom were born in Pennsylvania, lived all of their days in that state and reared a family of four children, three of whom are now living: Nancy H., the wife of George E. Phillips, of Penn- sylvania : Otho, who married Anna Whitlatch and lives in Pennsylvania in the old Spragg homestead; and George W., of Union county, Ohio. His father died when he was only five years old.
The boyhood days and early manhood of George W. Spragg were spent on his grandfather's farm and he remained on the old homestead until he came to Ohio in 1909 and located on a farm near Jerome, in 1914. He then bought the farm on which he lives of one hundred and twenty acres in Mill Creek township. He engages in general farming and stock raising and has met with much success in this dual capacity.
Mr. Spragg was married December 8, 1898, to Clara B. Conklin, a native of Pennsylvania.
Mr. Spragg and his wife are loyal members of the Methodist Protestant church. Politically, he gives his allegiance to the Democratic party but has not been active in its councils since coming to this county.
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LEONIDAS TURNER.
To have lived in one place for nearly fourscore years and to have fol- lowed one occupation in that same place for threescore years, is a record somewhat out of the ordinary. Such a life experience is, in itself, an evi- dence of stability of character and a disposition to make the best of circum- stances in which the lot of the individual is cast. To have followed a trade in one place for a long time is evidence of efficiency as an artisan and a repu- tation for honest dealing and an established confidence of the community. Such a life experience and character is that of the man who is the subject of this review.
Leonidas Turner was born in Clark county. Ohio, February 24, 1832. He is the son of Thomas and Diana ( McMillan) Turner, the father being a native of Maryland, the mother, of Ohio. They had five children who lived to maturity, namely: Augustus, deceased; Leonidas, the subject of this sketch; Elizabeth, deceased, who was the wife of John Rathburn; Naomi and Archimides ( twins) ; Naomi is the widow of Aaron Turner and lives in Marysville; Archimides was accidentally killed by the premature discharge of a cannon at a celebration for Bell and Everett, in the presidential campaign of 1860. There were other children in the family who died young. Mrs. Diana Turner died when she was a young woman, and Mr. Turner was married the second time to Jane Tacj. To this union three children were born, namely: Margaret, who married Lee Wentz; Viloris, and Emily, who married John Wenner and are now living at Richmond, Kansas.
The father of our subject was a blacksmith and wagon maker. He came to Ohio from Maryland with his parents when he was a young man and settled in Clark county, where he married and engaged in business for himself. While living in Clark county his wife died and sometime later he removed to Marysville and was among the early settlers of Union county. His first home in Marysville was in a log cabin, a common place of abode for people of those primitive times. He married his second wife after com- ing to Marysville: he died here at the age of about sixty-two years. The parental grandfather of our subject was Thomas Turner and his wife was Jemima Turner, both natives of Maryland. They were among the earliest settlers of Union county, Ohio, and lived for several years in Marysville. where they died at an advanced age. Their five children were: Acquilla. John, Ellen. Thomas and James. The maternal grandfather was Samuel McMillan and his wife was Elizabeth ( Chatfield) McMillan. They were
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also among the pioneers of Clark county, Ohio, settling on a tract of land in that county on which they developed a farm and established a home in which they lived their allotted days. In addition to his farming interests Mr. McMillan was a blacksmith, and was also a justice of the peace. The chil- dren of this family were: Archimides, Lura Hany, Naomi, Amanda, Mianda. Samuel, Duncan, and Solon, who died young.
Leonidas Turner, the subject of this sketch, was only seven years old when he came with his parents to Marysville, in 1839, and he has been a resident of this town ever since, more than seventy-five years. He grew up as a farmer boy and was trained to habits of industry and accustomed to the work of an average boy's life on the farm. When he became of sufficient age, he went to work in his father's shop to learn the blacksmith trade and succeeded his father in that business, continuing in this business for sixty years. As a boy and young man he had little reason to complain of oppor- tunity for work but the opportunities for education were not quite so good. The schools of that time were not up to the present day standard and the boy on the farm was often of necessity deprived of such advantages as these schools afforded. Our subject, however, was privileged to attend these dis- trict schools with sufficient regularity to obtain a fair education.
Mr. Turner was united in marriage with Miss Lucy Emily Alexander. daughter of James Smith Alexander and Nancy Couver (Twiford) Alex- ander, May 7, 1857. Five children were born to this union, namely: Leroy, Lester T .. LeTroune Brough, Leonidas D. and Diana Turner. Leroy is a blacksmith by trade and is now employed by an ice cream company in Cleve- land, Ohio. He married Addie MI. Bomees, now deceased. They had one daughter, Mary May, now the wife of Charles Hickish, of Denver, Colorado, and is the mother of three children, Frank Leonidas, Alwilda and Charline. Lester T. is a carpenter and lives in Richmond, Indiana. He married Carrie Dell Elliott and they have two children. Lee Moon and Lucy Early. Le- Troune Brough died March, 1908. He was a traveling salesman for many years. Leonidas D. died June 18, 1892. He was a photographer. He married Katie Louisa Eversen, of Cincinnati, who died in 1892. Nancy Diana is a bookkeeper in Columbus, Ohio, and is unmarried.
Mrs. Turner, the wife of our subject, was born in Amity. Madison county, Ohio. December 6. 1838. Her father was born in Mt. Vernon. Ohio: her mother in Fayette county, Ohio, in 1814. and died November 12. 1857. Her father died in 1895. nearly eighty-two years of age. They had a family of fourteen children, ten of whom were living when the mother died, namely : William, James S., Pamelia Elizabeth. Lucy Emily, Nancy
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Jane. Mary Louisa, Henry Clay, Zachary Taylor, Samuel Couver, Winfield Scott, Charles and Augustus ( twins). The father of Mrs. Turner was a tailor by trade and afterwards merchant, hotel keeper and stock dealer.
The paternal grandfather of Mrs. Turner was William Washington Clement Alexander, and his wife was Lucy ( Sprague) Alexander, both natives of Pennsylvania, where they were married. Their four children were, William, Joseph, Louisa and James. The maternal grandfather was Clem- ent Twiford: his wife was Milcah ( Hicks) Twiford, natives of Maryland. Their children were: Mary, Thomas, Nancy, Parmelia. Stephen, Elizabeth and Willis.
Mr. Turner, the subject of our sketch, is living a quiet retired life in his comfortable home at 427 East Fifth street, in the enjoyment of the friendship and esteem of the community in which he has so long been a resident. He is a Republican in politics and has always taken an active inter- est in party affairs. He has at various times been called by his fellow citizens to the discharge of public duties, filling the office of street com- missioner at one time, and, for sixteen years he filled the responsible office of township trustee. Mr. and Mrs. Turner are faithful and respected mem- bers of the Methodist Episcopal church and are actively enlisted in every cause in the interest of the church and for the moral good of the community.
JAMES H. MYERS.
.As long as history endures, the American nation will acknowledge its indebtedness to the heroes who fought from 1861 to 1865 for the preserva- tion of the Union and the honor of that starry banner which has never been trailed in the dust in a single struggle in which this country has been involved. Union county, Ohio, contributed its quota and answered every call of the governor of the state, and many of these gallant boys who offered their services in the sixties are still living in Union county. One of the youngest soldiers to enlist from Union county was James H. Myers, who was only fourteen years of age when the Civil War broke out. Notwithstanding his tender age, he volunteered his services, was accepted as a volunteer and served for a year and a half with credit to himself. As a lad of fifteen he fought at the terrible battles of Chickamauga and Chattanooga, and during the sum- mer that he was sixteen years of age he marched the full length of the state of Georgia with General Sherman.
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