USA > Ohio > History of the Upper Ohio Valley, with family history and biographical sketches, a statement of its resources, industrial growth and commercial advantages, Vol. II pt 2 > Part 38
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Robert I. Ogilbee, a prosperous and successful farmer of Smith township, Belmont county, was born October 20, 1830, a son of John and Ann (Irwin) Ogilbee, the former of whom was born in Pennsyl- vania. in 1796. John Ogilbee emigrated to Ohio in ists, with his parents and settled on the farm now owned by William Lash. He married, and had one son, the subject of this mention. Robert 1. Ogil-
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bee was reared on the farm and received a common school education. Choosing early in his life the vocation of a farmer, he has devoted himself to that with much success during life. On May 30, 1860, he was married to Martha I., daughter of of William and Sarah Ogilbee, and to this union have been born nine children, four sons and five daughters, six of whom survive. Mr. Ogilbee and wife are members of the Presbyterian church.
James A. Ramsey, a popular citizen and prosperous farmer of Smith township, and a resident of Jacobsburgh, was born August 6, 1835. He is a son of Samuel and Ellinor (Nichols) Ramsey, the former of whom was born in Washington county, Penn., in 1803, and the latter in 1807, and the parents of both of whom were natives of county Tyrone, Ireland. James A. Ramsey, the subject of this mention, was reared on the farm, and trained to that vocation, and his education was obtained in the common schools of Jacobsburgh. Arriving at majority, he entered upon the career of a farmer, and in 1866 he was united in marriage to Nancy J. Jackson, daughter of Henry and Eliz- abeth (Belleville) Jackson, natives of Hampshire county, Va. Mrs. Ramsey was born in the year 1839. By this marriage she is the mother of six daughters: Elizabeth, Viola, Mary E., Lora J., Nora, and one deceased.
R. D. Sutton, a native of Belmont county, and one of its energetic and successful farmers, residing in Smith township, near Glencoe. was born March 8, 1864, the son of Richard and Nancy (Ilarvey) Sutton. He was educated in the common schools, on leaving which he devoted himself to agriculture, in which he is still engaged. He also gives much attention to the breeding of sheep, and has a fine herd of National Delaine Merinos, to which he is justified in attach- ing a high value. Though a young man, Mr. Sutton holds a high rank among the farmers and stock-raisers of his township. He was married March 6, 1884. to Mary A. Giffin, who was born July 7, 1865, the daughter of Joseph and Mary J. (Ault) Giftin. By this union Mr. Sutton has two daughters, Edna F., born May 22, 1885, and Blanche J., born April 2, 1889. He and wife are members of the United Pres- byterian church at St. Clairsville.
William T. Taylor, a well-known resident of Smith township, who is by occupation a farmer, and has devoted himself to that pursuit all his life, with the exception of two years spent in mercantile pursuits at Jacobsburgh. was born in Mead township, May 24, 1846, and is a son of Frazier and Lucy (Remley) Taylor. His father was a native of Jefferson county, Ohio. The subject of this mention was educated in the common schools of Mead township, and reared as a farmer. In 1872 he was united in marriage to Josephine N. Johnson, on May 2. She is a daughter of Sterling and Elizabeth (Dunlap) Johnson, both of whom are natives of Belmont county, Ohio. Seven children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Taylor, four sons and three daughters, six of whom are living: Samuel Burt, William T .. Alpha. Josie D., Her- man and Kenneth. Mr. and Mrs. Taylor are members of the Metho- dist Episcopal church of Jacobsburgh, and are highly esteemed.
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William Warnock, Sr., one of the oldest residents of Belmont county, is a son of John Warnock, a notable pioneer, who was born in 1767, near Winchester, Va., the son of a native of Ireland, who served in the British army seven years. John Warnock was married about 1796, to Isabella Gilkison, of Virginia, and in 1804, with his wife and four children, he came to Belmont county, and settled on section 11, Smith township, one-half mile below Warnock's Station. There they made their home in a little log cabin, and began the work of clearing. He was successful in business and amassed a comfortable property and built himself, in 1831, a good brick house. In 1806 he built the first saw-mill on McMahan creek, and established a fulling mill on the creek in 1814 or 1815, in which he subsequently put carding and spin- ning and weaving machines, and these were in operation until a recent period. He died in 1840, and his wife in 1847. They reared a family of ten children. William Warnock, born in West Virginia, September 25, 1801, was three years old when the family came to Ohio, and he was reared among the hardships and deprivations of a pioneer life. At the age of fifteen he became engaged in his father's woolen mill, and remained in that occupation until 1832. He was then in mercantile business two years, and then purchased the grist- mill and farm at Warnock, which he operated many years. He has been one of the township's prominent men, has served as trustee eight or ten years, and has been selected in eleven instances to settle up estates of decedents, some of which are quite complicated. His career has beon a successful one, and he now owns 260 acres of valuable land, including part of the village of Warnock. He is a member of the United Presbyterian church, which his father estab- lished at that place. Mr. Warnock was married in 1828, to Jane Poak, of West Virginia, by whom he had ten children, of whom John, William, Sarah, Lucy and Frances are living. Their mother died in 1871, and on March 24, 1874, he was married to Nancy, daughter of Robert and Ann (Ferguson) Dunn, born in county Derry, Ireland, in 1819.
A. P. White, a prominent and successful teacher of Belmont county, was born March 5, 1840, the son of Benjamin and Margaret E. (Phipps) White, the former of whom was born at Brownsfield, Penn., in April, 1So6. Prof. White received his first education at Belmont, and subsequently attended the Barnesville academy, then under the direction of Profs. William S. Alder and Samuel Davenport. He then became a student at Hopedale college, in Ilarrison county, then presided over by Edwin Regal, and after leaving this institution he began teaching at Jacobsburgh, and afterward was the principal of the Belmont school for several years. Sometime later he was treas- urer of the Belmont Glass works for about two years, and was then salesman in a grocery and queensware store at Bellaire for eighteen months. He became superintendent of the Bellaire schools and served one year, and was then the principal of the First ward school of that city for three years, after which he went to Quaker City, and was principal of the school one year. On closing this engagement
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he went to his farm near Lewis' Mills and remained there some time but subsequently removed to Belmont, and for five years held the position of principal of the school. He is now residing on his farm, and teaching a school in the vicinity. Mr. White was married De- cember 29, 1863, to Ermina J. Hoge, who was by this union the mother of six children. She died March 15, 1877. Of the children, Alvin Lincoln, a graduate of Bethany college, is a civil engineer of Wheel- ing; the other children are Albert Bushrod, Ernest Milton, Charles Lloyd, Ada Iloge and Clara Leona. On September 24, 1879, Mr. White was married to Caroline Virginia Wilkinson, by whom he has one daughter, Julia Elizabeth. Mr. White and wife and four eldest children are members of the Disciple church of Belmont.
Job Dillon, one of the firm of Dillon Bros., proprietors of the Na- tional Mills, Hendrysburg, Ohio, and the subject of this sketch is one of eight children, born to Job and Catharine Dillon. The children were: Levi, deceased; John, deceased; Nancy, deceased; David, de- ceased; Peter C., deceased; Benjamin F. and Job, our subject; Han- nah, deceased. The father, Job Dillon, was born in New Jersey, but moved, in 1803, to Belmont county, Ohio, where he engaged in farm- ing until his death, which occurred in 1816. His wife, Catharine (Colley) Dillon, was born in Pennsylvania, near Union. She died in 1861. Mr. and Mrs. Dillon were life-long members of the Methodist Episcopal church. Job Dillon, seventh child of Job and Catharine Dillon, was born in June, 1815. The years of his boyhood were spent upon the farm, but at the age of twenty-five, he began the carpenter's trade, which he carried on successfully for twenty years, then, upon the death of his brother, returned to the farm where he worked five years. At the end of this period he began his present business, that of milling. The business is owned by J. Dillon & Bro., who, by their close attention to business, and fair dealing with their customers, have succeeded in establishing one of the best mills in Kirkwood township. They have just put in the patent roller, manufactured by Todds & Sanley, of St. Louis, Missouri, and the first of its kind in the state of Ohio. Mr. Dillon served his township as trustee for nine years, and is well and favorably known and much liked by all his friends.
William Eaton is the only living representative of nine children born to John and Catherine (Eckels) Eaton. The children were: Joseph, born January 4. 1805, died February 8, 1825: John, born Octo- ber 18, 1So6, died December 10, 1848; Jeanet, born November 4. ISoS. (the wife of Robert Miller), died December 11, 1826; Mary, wife of Joseph Rodgers, born February 1, 1811; Benjamin, born April 21, 1814. died May 15, 1877: Daniel, born July 5, 1816, died November 4, 1861; William, born December 16, 1818; Isaac E., born December 22, 1820, died in 1882, in Leavenworth City, Kan .; David, born March 2, 1821. died May 28, 1847, he was a soldier in the Mexican war, and met his death at the front. The father of these children was born April 6, 1781, in Pennsylvania. In 1814 he came with his parents to Morris- town, Belmont Co., Ohio. He died July 11, 1843. At the time of his
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death he was standing behind the counter in his hotel, his demise be- ing caused apoplexy. The mother was born December 11, 17So, and died March 1, 1863, having reached the advanced age of eighty-three years. . Mr. and Mrs Eaton were devout members of the Presbyterian church, the latter being one of the first members, at a time when ser- vices were held in the woods, before they had any church building. John Eaton established a hotel on what is now the "Old State road," when the township was unsettled, there being but three houses in Morristown at the time. He was postmaster of Morristown during the last twenty-five years of his life. William Eaton received his edu- cation in the old log school-house at Morristown, which was the only school in the vicinity in that day. When he was twelve years of age he was taken into his father's store and remained there for sixteen years. December 1, 1846, he was united in marriage to Miss Eliza- beth Atwell, a daughter of Thompson and Nancy Atwell, who were natives of Loudon county, Va. They came to Belmont county, Ohio, in 1826, and here reared six children, viz .: William, born August 12, 1826, he went to California in 1849 and was not heard from until January. 1SS9, he was then in Mexico; Elizabeth, born February 2, 1828; Jesse, born January 30. 1831. died in Nevada in ISS7; Thomas E., born June 20, 1833, died December 30, 18SS; Susan, born August 19, 1836, the wife of Edward Harris, now living in California; Mary Jane, born Febru- ary 1, 1839, wife of Andrew Ewers. The father was born Septem- ber 28, 1797, and died March 3, 1861; the mother died June 29, ISS1. William Eaton was engaged in the mercantile business for six years after his marriage, he then turned his attention to farming and stock- raising, and has been very successful in this pursuit. The children that have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Eaton are: Robert M., born April 23, 1849, he is one of the brightest young men that Belmont county has produced; he was prosecuting attorney of Belmont county, being elected in ISSo, he served two years, and after that became one of St. Clairsville's most prominent lawyers; he was admitted to the bar in IS;1. In 1886 he moved to Atchison, Kan., and has met with such success in his new home that in ISSS he was elected judge of the district court: Charles .\., born August 16, 1851, lives with his parents; Mary B., born February 23, 1854. is the wife of John C. Tomlinson, a member of the firm of Tomlinson & Eaton, lawyers; Ruth E., born April 18, 1858, died October 5, 1860. Mr. and Mrs. Eaton are consis- tent members of the Presbyterian church, and are held in the highest esteem by their large circle of friends. Mr. Eaton is one of the rep- resentative agriculturists of the county.
John V. Fisher is the only child of Archibald and Eliza Ann (Vance) Fisher. The former was born in Glasgow, Scotland, in about 1800. He was a graduate of one of the noted Latin schools of Scot- land. He emigrated to this country in 1826, coming, with his parents, direct to Wheeling. W. Va. Soon after his arrival in Wheeling, Mr. Fisher embarked in the printing and book-binding business. A great part of all the printing done in the upper Ohio valley was turned out of his printing establishment in that day. . Mr. Fisher, the
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subject of this mention, has several very interesting old almanacs which were published by him. Archibald Fisher married Eliza Vance in 1836, and they removed to St. Louis, Mo., where he engaged in the wholesale book trade, continuing in this business until his death in 1848. His wife was born in Baltimore, Md., about the year 1808, the daughter of William and Mary (Paxon) Vance. Mary (Paxon) Vance was born in Philadelphia, of Scotch parentage. Will- iam Vance was a lieutenant in the Nicholson regiment during the war of 1812. He had the distinguished honor of hearing the Star Span- gled Banner sung the first time it was ever produced. His sword, which he carried in the war of 1812, and also one which belonged to Andrear Ferrea, having been made in the twelfth century, are in the possession of Mr. John Fisher. John V. Fisher was born in Wheel- ing, W. Va., September 28, 1837. His parents' death occurred while he was attending the public schools of his native state; he then went to live with his paternal grandfather, who resided in Wheeling, and remained with him until he was nineteen years of age. By this time Mr. Fisher had obtained a good education, and went to sea on a whaling vessel, sailing to the Indian Ocean. After a two-years' cruise the good ship "Corthian" put in at New London, Conn., with a cargo of 4,500 barrels of oil; her commander was Captain Rogers. Mr. Fisher returned to Wheeling after his long voyage, and after remaining for a time, removed August, 1859, to Morristown, where he engaged in the drug business. In the same year of his coming to Morristown he was married to Miss Martha Lippincott, the youngest daughter of John and Charity Lippincott, who come from one of the oldest fam- ilies of Belmont county. The following children were born to them: Agnes (deceased) ; Mary, the wife of Frank Amos, of Columbus, Ohio, she was a graduate of Monroe seminary, of Michigan; her marriage occurred June 15, 1887; she died July 10, 1887, of heart trouble; Virginia Belle, a bright and highly cultivated lady, and Earl Vance. Mrs. Fisher and daughter are earnest members of the Presbyterian church. Mr. Fisher is a member of Hazen Masonic lodge, and also a charter member of the Morristown lodge, K. of P. He is a democrat.
A. J. Hogue, one of the leading physicians of Morristown, Bel- mont county, Ohio, was born in Union township, Belmont county, Ohio, in 1832. Like most farmer's sons, Dr. Hogue attended the district schools in the winter and worked on the farm in the summer season. When he had reached the age of eighteen years his parents moved to Loydsville, and he became a scholar in the village schools. After completing his preliminary education he taught school for sev- eral terms, and then commenced the study of medicine under the tutelage of Dr. Y. Il. Jones, of Loydsville, with whom he remained for three years. At the expiration of this time he entered the Cin- cinnati medical college. After remaining in college for five months Dr. Hogue began the practice of medicine in the winter of 1855, at Malaga. After two years he removed to Burns Mills, Belmont county, Ohio, and practiced there until his removal to Morristown
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in 1859. When his country called for volunteers to defend its cause, he proffered his services, and was soon made surgeon in charge of the Refugee hospital for women and children. He remained in this ca- pacity until he was honorably discharged in May, 1865, at Clarks- ville, Tenn. His marriage to Miss Eliza Harper was solemnized in 1856, and their union has been attended by the happiest relations. In August, 1889, Dr. Hogue admitted G. C. Watson into partner- ship. Dr. Watson is a physician of rare ability, and his presence in the firm has been attended with the most gratifying results. Dr. Hogue was a member of the board of examiners of Belmont county, have been appointed to fill this responsible position by the Belmont Medical society. He has filled various different positions of trust in the township, and is a member of Hazen lodge of the Masonic fra- ternity. G. C. Watson, above mentioned, is a graduate of the Starl- ing Medical college, having been a member of the class of 1889. He is the son of John K. and Annie ( Culvertson) Watson, who were residents of Concord, Muskingum county, Ohio. The father died in 1885, and the mother in ISSI. They were both earnest members of the Presbyterian church, and were useful members of the community in which they lived. At the time of his death he was the super- intendent of the Concord high school. Dr. Watson is a physician of much promise.
John C. Israel, a leading agriculturist of Kirkwood township, Bel- mont Co., Ohio, is one of five children born to Robert and Mary Elizabeth Israel. The children are: Sarah Elizabeth, deceased; John C .; Noble J., deceased; Joseph, deceased, and Clara Ann. These parents were both members of the Christian church, and were very highly respected. The father is still living in Morristown; the mother, who was the daughter of Noble Taylor, of Union township, died in February, 1856. John C. Israel, the principal of this memoir, was born in 1833, on the farm which his grandfather settled in iSo1, and now occupied by Mr. Israel. Ile taught school for some time when a young man, and then began his life work as a farmer. In September, 1856, he espoused Elizabeth Ann Pryor. She died in February, 1858. Some time after he married a second time, by this marriage he had two sons: Eugene L. and Robert S. Mr. Israel's second wife died, and he then married Maria Gregg, November 22, 1872, by whom he has had two children: Emmet G. and Albert G. Mr. and Mrs. Israel are worthy members of the Christian church. Eugene 1. Israel is a graduate of Pittsburgh Mercantile college. and Robert entered Bethany college, will graduate in June, 1890. Mr. Israel has filled most of the township offices, and is now serving his second term as a county commissioner. Is vice-president of the First National bank, Batesville, Ohio. His large farm of 377 acres is in the highest state of cultivation. He makes a specialty of raising grain and stock. His live stock is of the finest breeds, and has gained for him an enviable reputation as a stock-raiser. Mr. Israel is an energetic farmer and a useful citizen.
William B. Kirk, the prosperous merchant and wool dealer of Mor-
45-B.
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ristown, Belmont county, Ohio, is a representative of a very old and influential family. His great-great-grandfather's name was Alfancy Kirk, who was born in Scotland and came to this country in early man- hood; the great-grandfather's name was Adam Kirk, who was a physician. His three sons were William, Adam and Caleb. All that is known of the latter is that he owned a large flour-mill on the Brandywine. William, the grandfather of the subject of this sketch, and his brother Adam, left Chester county, Penn., in 1796, and moved to Fayette county, Penn. After a residence in the last named county of sixteen years, they came to Belmont county, Ohio. In a few years Adam took up his abode in the western portion of the state, and noth- ing further is known of him or his family, except that a part of his sons went to Indiana. William Kirk remained in Belmont county until his death in the year 1842. His eight children were: Hannah, Samuel, Mary, Isaac, Robert, Phebe, Edith and William. The latter died when twenty-two years of age. The mother of these children was Edith. Robert lived to be eighty-two years old. Samuel died in his eighty-sixth year and Isaac in his eighty-seventh year. Samuel was the father of William B. Kirk. He was born June 2, 1792. About 1816 he was joined in marriage to Rachael Jones, a native of Jerfferson county, Va. Six of their children reached maturity. They were: Levi, Sarah A., Edith, William B., Samuel and Lydia H. William B., Sarah A. and Lydia H., still survive. William B. Kirk was born in Belmont county, Ohio, July 8, 1822, on a farm within a mile of the village of Flushing. He obtained his education by his own efforts, working hard during the day, he would study at night by the light of a fireplace, getting what help he could from his father. He taught school for seventeen years, his first charge being near the town of Athens, Ohio. November 27, 1845, he took Miss Ann Jinkins to wife. She is a daughter of James and Margaret Jinkins, the former a native of Virginia, who came to Ohio with his parents when a mere lad. Margaret (Barlow) Jinkins was born in Maryland, and came to Ohio with her parents when a small child. The father died in his eighty-seventh year, and the mother at the advanced age of ninety years. Mr. and Mrs. William B. Kirk are the parents of five children: Cyrus H., born September 18, 1846; John J., born Febru- ary 16, 1849; Samuel .A., born March 20, 1851, died November 5, 1853; Ralph W., born April 22, 1858, and Elwilla, born March 9, 1862. August 7, 1862, Mr. Kirk entered the Union army as captain of Com- pany B, One Hundred and Twenty-sixth regiment of the Ohio vol- unteer infantry. He was honorably discharged for disability, June 24. 1863. Captain Kirk has several highly complimentary official documents in his possession, setting forth his efficiency as an officer in the service and petitioning his admittance as an officer to the Invalid Corps. They are signed by the following distinguished officers: Lieutenant Colonel William Harlan, One Hundred and Twenty-sixth regiment Ohio volunteer infantry; B. F. Smith, colonel commanding the Third brigade, Third division, Third army corps; and Brigadier General .B. F. Kelley. Mr. Kirk was prevented from
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further service however, by the ravages of disease. But his valor and patriotism are fully evidenced by his bravery and patriotism during the term of hard service in which he was engaged. Mr. Kirk has been honored by his fellow townsmen by being elected as clerk of the township, and also as a justice of the peace. After the war he embarked in the mercantile and wool-buying business, and has since continued with much success. Mr. Kirk is a believer in the doctrines laid down by Swedenborg, but his wife is a member of the Methodist Episcopal church. He is a member of the Robert Hallis post, of Barnesville, of the G. A. R., and is also a member of the F. & A. M., Hazen lodge, No. 251, and the I. O. O. F. He has been Master of the Masonic lodge for many years, and has filled all the chairs in lodge No. 196 of the I. O. O. F. Cyrus 11. Kirk married Kate Shepherd, and his four children are: Estella, James W., Anna C. and Mary L. Estella is the wife of Warren Cowen, whom she married January 22, 1890. John J. married Emma Lynn, by whom he has had three children: Irena, Gertrude and John W. Ralph W. married Maggie E. Davis. His children are: Willis D., Ross L. and Hazen. Elwilla is the wife of Ross W. Lindsley, of Cambridge, Ohio. They are the parents of two children: Ida B., James Kirk Lindsley. Mr. Lindsley is a prominent boot and shoe merchant of Cambridge.
Ralph W. Kirk, an enterprising young merchant of Morristown, son of the above mention, is successor to his father in business. By his unwearied industy, he has made his business a thriving one, and himself one of the representative merchants of Morristown. His wife, Mrs. Margaret Kirk, is an active member of the Presbyterian church, and they are always both interested in whatever movement will bring benefit to the community in which they live. Mr. Kirk was educated at Mt. Union college, having there taken a complete business course.
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