USA > Ohio > Wayne County > History of Wayne County, Ohio, Volume I > Part 82
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John J. Lowe, when four years old, removed with his family to East Union township where he was reared at the parental homestead and received his education in the schools of that locality. He was reared to the life of a farmer and has followed this vocation practically all his life. He has been at all times wide-awake and alert in his business affairs and has so conducted his operations as to realize a comfortable annual income from the same. He has made many permanent and substantial improvements on his property. which he has at all times kept in the very best of condition, and because of his enterprise and progressiveness he is numbered among the reliable and representative farmers of the township.
Mr. Lowe has twice been married. His first wife bore the maiden name of Cerena Beam and is now deceased. To this union were born three children, namely : Osa A. married Alta Byrns and lives in Holmes county ; Roy Clay- ton, who lives in Holmes county, married Mabel Byrns, and they have one child, Rosetta ; the youngest of these children is Wealthy Fern, now the wife of Roy Slater, of Wooster. For his second wife Mr. Lowe chose Sadie Tay- lor, a daughter of Mark and Catherine (Kuhn) Taylor, and to them were born six children, of whom five are living, and all at home, namely : Alta, Elton, Glenn, Lillian and Leo, the two last named being twins. Mark Tay- lor, who at the time of his death, December 4. 1905, was numbered among the well-known and highly-esteemed citizens of Franklin township, was born in Somersetshire, England, February 5, 1823. In 1842 he emigrated to America with his parents, locating in Franklin township, Wayne county, Ohio, where the remaining years of his life were spent. His parents were James and Mary Taylor, who on their emigration to this county settled first near Wooster, later locating in Franklin township. James Taylor was a
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stonemason by trade and followed that vocation during most of his active years. He and his wife were the parents of the following children : Josiah, born November 27, 1820, died in infancy; Mark, born February 5, 1823; Martha (Mrs. John Tuttle), born May 6, 1825; Thomas, born February 15, 1828; Mary, born January 13, 1830, became the wife of Samuel Bodine; Jo- siah (second of this name), born April 22, 1832; Sarah, born April 14, 1834, became Mrs. William Guyor; Elizabeth, born March 23, 1836, became the wife of Thomas Gilmore; Hester, born March 21, 1838, became the wife of William L. Newstetter, of Wooster township, but is now deceased; Jane, born November 22, 1839, became the wife of Adam Schaaf. James Taylor died June 1, 1853, at the age of fifty-seven years and one month, and his wife died April 9, 1856, at the age of sixty years, five months and five days, their remains being interred in the cemetery at Moorland. They were a grand old couple and enjoyed the love of all who knew them. Mark Taylor was a stonemason by trade, and followed that vocation largely during his life. He also worked some as a cooper, which trade he had learned in his early life. He was also successful in high measure as a farmer and was prospered finan- cially in all his undertakings, so that at the time of his death he was one of the large landholders of the township. He was twice married. His first wife was Sarah Boyd, whose death occurred June 15, 1854, at the age of thirty- one years, ten months and twelve days. To this union was born one child, a daughter. Mary, who became the wife of L. A. Hall, of Chicago, Illinois. On the 22d of March, 1860, Mr. Taylor married Mrs. Catherine Gabriel, the widow of Jacob Gabriel, and they became the parents of two children, namely : Sadie C., born September 28, 1861, and Josiah J., born in 1864, who makes his home in Franklin township, this county. Mark Taylor died December 4, 1905, and his second wife on November 30, 1898, at the age of seventy-three years, seven months and twelve days.
In politics John J. Lowe is an ardent Republican and maintains at all times a deep interest in the local affairs, giving his unreserved support to ev- ery measure calculated to benefit the community in any way. His religious belief is that of the Methodist Episcopal church, and he is a member and trus- tee of the church of that denomination at Moorland. His fraternal relations are with the Brotherhood of American Yeomen, Wooster, to which Mrs. Lowe also belongs. In all the qualities that go to make up a stalwart and well- rounded manhood, standing "four square to every wind that blows," Mr. Lowe is conspicuous and during the years of his residence in this community he has ever enjoyed the unbounded confidence and the highest regard of all who know him.
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RICHARD HARRISON.
One of the best known and most progressive agriculturists of Frank- lin township, Wayne county, Ohio, is Richard Harrison, a native of Frank- lin township. He is the son of John and Hannah (Shreve) Harrison and his birth occurred on August 7, 1870. John Harrison, now deceased, was born on August 1, 1796, in Franklin county, Pennsylvania, about seven miles southwest of Uniontown. He was the son of Peter Harrison, who was the father of fifteen children, thirteen of whom grew to maturity, the oldest and youngest dying in childhood. Peter Harrison was reared in Maryland, from which state he emigrated to Fayette county, Pennsylvania, thence to Cumberland county, Ohio, and later to Harrison county, this state. John Harrison's death occurred on the old home farm in Franklin township, October 19, 1889.
John Harrison, with his brother, Elisha, came to the state of Ohio in May, 1816, and settled in Franklin township. Before he left his native state he was married on April 30, 1816, to Margaret Dysert, a native of Virginia. They made the trip overland on horseback, bringing with them one hundred and fifty pounds of flour, it being seventy miles to their destination in Har- rison county. They settled first in section 22, about a mile south of where he purchased land later. In 1826 he bought a farm where his son, the subject, now lives, and there he lived until his death. In 1836 he built a substantial brick house, the brick having been burned on the farm near by the spot where the house was erected. Mr. Harrison also burned lime here in the early days, and many of the old homes of the county are plastered with it. He was an honest, plain, hard working man whom everybody respected. He was a Quaker in his religious belief. He reached the advanced age of ninety-three years, having been regarded by all as a useful citizen and a kind and generous neighbor. Eleven children were born to John Harrison and his first wife, namely: William, deceased : Stephen, deceased : John lives at Millardsburg, Ohio; Hannah married Jacob Miller: Jane married John Frees; Elizabeth married William Cristwell; Nancy married Mr. Sterling; two children died when young. The other child was Richard. John Harrison's second marriage was to Hannah Shreve, who was born in Holmes county, Ohio, south of the town of Shreve. the daughter of Samuel Shreve. One child was born to this union, Richard. John Harrison, who died in 1889, and is buried in the East cemetery at Fredericksburg, as is also his wife.
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Richard Harrison was born on August 7, 1870, and was reared and educated in the community where he was born, remaining at home until his father's death. He married Ida Merryman, a native of Morrow county, Ohio, the daughter of Thomas and Hannah ( Ruby) Merryman; the former died in Morrow county, Ohio, while the latter is still living in Mount Vernon, this state. The following children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Richard Harrison : Lena, Ethel, Donald (deceased), Nettie Belle.
Politically, Mr. Harrison is a Republican and he belongs to the Disciple church at Fredericksburg. He has an excellent farm of two hundred and forty acres on which he carries on general farming and stock raising in a manner that shows him to be abreast of the times in these lines, his farm being one of the "show places" of this township. Mr. Harrison has a large and comfortable home, beautifully located, and here the many friends of the family often gather, for he is one of the best known and most highly esteemed men of the township and his friends are limited only by the circle of his acquaintance.
WILLIAM FRARY.
Rising above the heads of the masses are many men of sterling worth and value, who by sheer perseverance and pluck have conquered fortune and by their own unaided efforts have risen from the ranks of the commonplace to positions of comparative eminence in the business world, and at the same time have commanded the trust and respect of those with whom they have in any way been thrown in contact. Among the earnest men whose depth of char- acter and strict adherence to principle exite the admiration of his contem- poraries Mr. Frary is prominent and he is now recognized as one of the lead- ing merchants of his portion of Wayne county.
William Frary is a native of the county in which he lives, having been born at Burbank. Canaan township ( called Bridgeport then ), on May 27, 1859. His paternal ancestors as far back as can be traced were New England Yankees and in that section of the country were born and reared his paternal grand- parents, Orange and Jerusha Frary. They were married in their native state, and in a very early day they emigrated to Ohio, which at that time was consid- ered a frontier state. Locating in Wayne county, they created a comfortable home and acquired a modest estate, where they spent their remaining years and died. The subject's maternal grandfather, Cornelius Seeley, was a na- tive of Ohio, his family having been among the first comers here. Mr. Frary's
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Will Ferany
MRS. WILL FRARY
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parents were Asa and Florentine ( Seeley) Frary, who were born in Huron county, Ohio, the former in 1830. The father was reared to the life of a farmer, which pursuit he followed throughout his life, his death occurring in February, 1906. His wife had died in 1882. Asa Frary loved his family and was devoted to them. He was an enthusiastic farmer and nothing di- verted his attention from his family and his farm. In politics he was a Repub- lican and gave a proper attention to public affairs, giving his support to every movement calculated to benefit the community. He was not an office seeker. however, and public preferment would have been extremely distasteful to him He was at one time, however, induced to serve as trustee of Canaan township and gave to the discharge of his official duties the same careful and painstak- ing attention that he gave to his private affairs, retiring from the office with the highest esteem of his fellow citizens. He and his wife were the parents of four children, all of whom are living.
William Frary received his elementary education in the common schools of his home neighborhood, supplementing this by attendance at the Burbank Academy. After leaving school he devoted himself to work on his father's farm, remaining there until about twenty-four years of age, when, in 1884, he went to Burbank and accepted a position as clerk for Eli Palmer in the lat- ter's hardware store. He was careful and economical and saved his earnings. and eventually was enabled to buy a half interest in the store. Two years later he bought the remaining interest and has since run the busi- ness on his own account. He keeps one of the largest and most complete stocks of both shelf and heavy hardware to be found in this part of the coun- ty and he commands a large share of the local trade. Mr. Frary is accommo- dating in his attitude, genial in disposition and absolutely honest in all transac- tions, the result being that he has won a reputation for integrity and square dealing that has made a friend of every one who has patronized him. In July, 1897, he was appointed postmaster at Burbank and has hield the office continually since. He is also the owner of a fine farm, which he operates at a profit.
In politics, Mr. Frary follows in the footsteps of his antecedents and gives his support to the Republican party, taking a commendable interest in the trend of current affairs. His religious belief is that of the Methodist Episcopal church, to which he and his wife belong and to which they render an earnest and generous support. His fraternal relations are with the Knights of the Maccabees.
In January, 1883, Mr. Frary was united in marriage with Libby McBride. a native of Ashland county, Ohio, and a daughter of John Abner and Maria
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McBride, early settlers and prominent citizens of Ashland county. To Mr. and Mrs. Frary the following children have been born : Leslie, who married Mag- gie Shriner: Eugene; Grace, a student in the Burbank high school; Wayne and Leah.
Personally, Mr. Frary is a gentleman of quiet demeanor, unassuming in his relations with his fellow men, but nevertheless popular with all classes and most highly respected by those who know him best. He has read and thought much, possesses a broad mind well stored with knowledge, and is a man of broad views and wide culture. Well posted in the general and political history of the country and keeping in touch with the times on current events, he is a loyal citizen and a true type of intelligent and symmetrically devel- oped manhood.
CHARLES MUNSON.
No citizen of Franklin township, Wayne county, Ohio, is more widely known or highly esteemed than Charles Munson. Of a sterling pioneer family, he and his ancestors have been prominent in the development, organ- ization and maintenance of this county, always being safely counted upon to endorse and support to the extent of their ability every good work, move- ment and enterprise. A successful farmer, public-spirited citizen and faithful friend, Mr. Munson is eminently deserving of representation in a work of this nature.
Charles Munson is descended from a long line of honorable ancestry. The subject's great-grandfather, Isaac Munson, Sr., was a native of Con- necticut, who, some time after his marriage, emigrated with his family to the state of New York, where his wife, Eleanor Andrews, died in August, 1815. Soon after her death he and his son Henry came to Ohio. They passed the winter of 1815 in Holmes county and in the spring of 1816 they located in Franklin township, Wayne county, where they made their future home and where the father died on July 10, 1830. He was a man of many and varied experiences, not the least of which was his service in the Conti- nental army during the war of the Revolution, he having entered the service at the age of fifteen years. The subject's grandfather, Henry Mun- son, soon after coming to Wayne county recognized the value of the lime- stone deposits in this locality and he at once opened up the stone and built the first kiln in the county. His preliminary test of the stone was made by burning some of it in a big log heap. It proved to be of splendid quality
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and for many years he was successfully engaged in its manufacture. He sold it at fifty cents a barrel and people from a radius of fifty miles came to him for their lime. He shipped enormous quantities to Mansfield, Ohio, by ox teams, it having been used in the construction of the old Wiler House in that city. Mr. Munson took a leading part in local public affairs and served as trustee of the township in 1839, 1840, 1841 and 1848. Henry Munson was married November 15, 1821, to Mary Cutter, a native of Holmes county. He then removed to Shreve, but five years later he returned to the old homestead, where his death occurred on December 1. 1867. His wife died May 4, 1872. They were the parents of seven children, namely : Ezra, who married Ann Eliza Wycoff; Isaac, father of the subject of this sketch; Samuel C., who married Jane Hughes, the daughter of John Hughes ; Eleanor, who died September 9, 1856, was the wife of Jared Barker, of Sum- mit county, this state; Mary, who died in 1862, was the wife of Isaiah Jones, of Holmes county; Elizabeth, who remained single, died on October 12. 1856; Henry, born February 12, 1837, married Rebecca Jones, a daughter of John Jones and granddaughter of Isaiah Jones, who died February 15, 1861. They had five children, John Henry, E. N., James K., William B. and one that died in infancy. Rebecca Munson died November 30, 1876, and subsequently Mr. Munson married Martha McCartney.
Isaac Munson, the subject's father, was born on the 19th of September, 1823, and was reared to the life of a farmer. He received his education in the common schools of the neighborhood and during his mature years sup- plemented this education by much reading and habits of close observation. He was the possessor of a large fund of sound common sense and was practical in all his affairs. He long occupied a leading position in the com- munity and at the time of his death, which occurred on February 13. 1898, he was considered one of the representative citizens of the township. He was twice married, first to Eliza A. Lowe, who bore him three children, namely : Mary, who is the wife of Samuel Geisinger, of Shreve, this county ; Phoebe, now deceased, was the wife of William Musser; Jacob is deceased. After the death of his first wife, Mr. Munson, in 1856, married Susan Thomas, who is now living at the advanced age of eighty-seven years. To this union was born one child, Charles, the subject of this review. His birth took place in the place where he now lives, May 10, 1860, and he has always made his home in this township. He was early initiated into the mysteries of successful agriculture and has followed that vocation continuously since taking up life's work. He is the owner of a fine farm of three hundred
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acres, which is finely improved in every respect and is generally considered one of the best farms in Wayne county. Good buildings, well-kept fences and highly cultivated fields characterize the place, the general appearance of which indicates the owner to be a man of sound ideas and practical methods. Mr. Munson is progressive and energetic and is not slow to adopt new ways of doing things when their feasibility has been demonstrated by experiment and experience. In addition to the raising of a general line of crops, he is also to a considerable extent engaged in the breeding and raising of livestock, in which he has achieved a distinctive success.
Mr. Munson was united in marriage to Rebecca J. Ven Ordel, a native of Holmes county, Ohio, and they have become the parents of two children, Harry and Hazel. Harry was married on January 6, 1910, to Edna S. Crile, of Franklin township. Personally Mr. Munson is a man of splendid qualities and has so ordered his life as to win and retain the unbounded confidence and respect of those who come in contact with him. He is popu- lar in the circles in which he moves and has ever been found on the right side of every movement having for its object the advancement of the best interests of the community.
OLIVER D. BRUCE.
Oliver D. Bruce, who is numbered among the leading and successful business men of Shreve, Wayne county, Ohio, is an Ohioan by birth and may justly bear the title of "self-made man," having worked his way unaided from the humble ranks of toil through the vicissitudes and adversities of life to an enviable position in his community. The success attained in his busi- ness enterprises has been greatly owing to his steady persistence, stern integ- rity and excellent judgment, qualities which cause him to take rank with the leading men of his community, besides winning for him the confidence and esteem of the public to a marked degree.
Oliver D. Bruce was born in Holmes county, Ohio, on June 13, 1860, and is a son of Alexander and Elizabeth Bruce, both of whom are dead. The subject attended the common schools of his home neighborhood, sup- plementing this by brief attendance in the normal school at Millersburg. He was reared to the life of a farmer and after leaving school he followed that vocation, also engaging in teaching several terms of school, in which he was highly successful. In 1890 he came to Shreve and engaged in the
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livery business under the name of Coffman & Bruce. The style of the firm changed a number of times, but eventually Mr. Bruce became the sole owner and ran the business alone until 1907, when he disposed of the business and engaged in the real estate and insurance business. He is a man of pronounced business ability and has met with very satisfactory success in his latest enterprise. He has handled a number of important real estate deals in this locality and is numbered among the solid and substantial business men of the town. In the insurance field he stands well, carrying none but the best companies and exercising a commendable conservatism in his placing of risks. While a resident of Holmes county he stood well in the community and served as clerk of his township. Since becoming a resident of Shreve he has been several times honored by election to responsible offices, having been elected mayor of Shreve in 1898, and serving in the position four years. He was again elected to this position in 1907 for a two-years term. He has given his community valuable and appreciated service as justice of the peace, to which office he was first appointed and afterwards elected three consecutive terms.
Politically, Mr. Bruce is a stanch Democrat and has been active in advancing the interests of his party, having served a number of times as a delegate to the county and state conventions of his party. Fraternally, he is a member of Challenge Lodge, Knights of Pythias, at Shreve, and has several times passed the chairs in this body. He is a man of acknowledged ability and personal worth and by a life of unimpeachable integrity and right living he has gained for himself the unbounded confidence and regard of all who know him.
URIAS F. WELLS.
Few men of Wayne county are as widely and favorably known as Urias F. Wells, whose attractive home is located in Clinton township. He is one of the strong and influential citizens whose lives have become an essential part of the history of this county and for years his name has been synony- mous for all that constitutes honorable and upright manhood. Tireless en- ergy, keen perception and honesty of purpose, combined with every-day com- mon sense, are among his chief characteristics and while advancing individual success he has also largely promoted the moral and material welfare of the community.
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Urias F. Wells is a native son of the Buckeye state, having been born in Ripley township, Holmes county, on the 28th of July, 1843. He is a son of Aaron and Mary (Shreve) Wells. The subject's paternal grandparents were Moses and Happy (Gorsuch) Wells, and the paternal great-grandfather was David Wells. The latter was a native of Wales, from whose rock-ribbed hills he came to the United States in 1816, locating first in Maryland and later in Ripley township, Holmes county, Ohio. Moses Wells, who also was born in Wales, came to this country at the time of the emigration of his father, and settled in Maryland, near Annapolis. He married Happy Gor- such after arriving in his new home. Subsequently he located in Holmes county, where he remained until 1850, when he moved to Fulton county, Ohio, where he spent the remaining years of his life. He was the father of twelve children, of whom Aaron was the third in the order of birth. His birth occurred in Holmes county, where he was reared to the life of a farmer and where during his youth he secured his education in the neighboring schools. He followed farming during all the days of his life and was a prominent and influential man in the community. He was proprietor of the leading hotel in that section where they had general muster. He married Mary Shreve and they became the parents of the following children: Martin, Thomas, Martha Jane, Ellen, all of whom are deceased; Urias F., the immediate sub- ject of this sketch; Aaron, who lives in Clinton township, Wayne county. Aaron Wells died when the subject of this sketch was about four and a half years old and his widow subsequently married Isaac N. Fouch, to which union were born the following children: Caleb S., who resides in Shreve; Mary E., now deceased, who was the wife of William Easterday; Ira, de- ceased. The subject's mother died in 1881 and her remains were interred in the cemetery in Ripley township.
The subject of this sketch was reared under the parental roof and se- cured his education in the district school. He made splendid progress in his studies and at the age of eighteen years he engaged in teaching school, fol- lowing this vocation during a period of ten years, during which time he ac- tually taught seven hundred and twenty-five days and one hour. He then relinquished the pedagogical chair for the plowshare and applied himself closely during the following years to agricultural pursuits. He was a prac- tical man in his operations and, besides the tilling of the soil, he also devoted much attention to the breeding and raising of livestock, in which also he was successful. In 1881 Mr. Wells became a resident of Wayne county, where he has since remained. He is the owner of a fine farm in Clinton
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