USA > Ohio > Memoirs of the lower Ohio valley, personal and genealogical : with portraits, Volume I > Part 13
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W. P. NEWMAN, of Ironton, Ohio, proprietor of the Great Amer- ican Water Shows, was born at Ironton, March 27, 1872. For many years his father was engaged in the business of operating a saw mill, but now lives retired. He reared a family of seven children, the sub- ject being the fifth. At the age of fourteen the subject of this sketch left home, having acquired a high school education, and for a while trimmed windows in stores, flower wagons, etc., in different cities. He then engaged in the dry goods business at New Martinsville, W. Va., for about eighteen months, but sold out his business there and in 1901 built and equipped the traveling exhibition of which he is still proprietor and manager. His outfit consists of a large barge, covered with a tent and containing two circus rings and seats for two thou- sand people. This barge is towed from place to place by a steamboat, the show exhibiting at all the principal towns on the Ohio and Missis- sippi rivers. Mr. Newman carries with his show forty-two people, nineteen trained ponies, twenty-two acting dogs, and in 1904 bought out the W. W. Colshaw circus. He is the pioneer in the water show
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business and has the only circus traveling by and giving exhibitions on the water. Wherever he has been his show has been well received and he is laying the foundation for a fortune and a reputation as great as that of P. T. Barnum. Many of the river towns have no railroad connection, and this gives him practically a monopoly of the show business in a profitable field. But Mr. Newman aims to retain that monopoly by the excellence and high toned character of his perform- ances. He trains all his animals himself and in his shows can be seen many features not to be found elsewhere. On Nov. 25, 1896, Mr. Newman was united in marriage to Miss Carrie Haller, of Bucyrus, O. She is a lady of many attainments and travels with her husband as the cashier of the shows.
JAMES W. CORSON, auditor of Ohio county, Rising Sun, Ind., was born in that county, Oct. 18, 1877, his parents being John K. and Sarah E. (Pate) Corson, both natives of Ohio county. The paternal great-grandfather came with his family from Massachusetts to Indiana at an early day, settled in Ohio county, where he bought a place and lived there until his death. The grandfather, Albert Corson, continued to live on the place until the flood of 1840, when they were drowned out. In trying to save their effects the father of James came near losing his life by falling from the raft into the water, he being an infant at the time. All their household goods were lost and they had to start over again. But Albert Corson was a man of great pluck and industry and at the time of his death was worth several thousand dollars. John K. Corson grew up in Ohio county ; followed farming and has been engaged in various other business en- terprises; owns property at Indianapolis, Marion, Ind., and other places ; served as a member of the city council; prominent in Masonry and Odd Fellowship, having taken all the degrees in the latter order ; also a member of the Methodist church, to which his wife, who died Oct. 6, 1899, also belonged, and now lives a retired life at Rising Sun, The maternal grandparents were Peter S. and Elizabeth (Crandall) Pate, and the great-grandfather, George B. Pate came to Ohio county in 1818, fording the Ohio river with his teams; bought 400 acres of wild land and built one of the first stone houses in the county. He owned 500 acres of land at the time of his death, which land is still owned by his great-grandchildren. Peter S. Pate died in 1880, owning 700 acres and was estimated to be worth $25,000. In his time he held several local offices and was prominent in the affairs of his township and county. He helped to start the national bank at Rising Sun, was
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elected the first president, and at the time of his death owned two- fifths of the capital stock. John K. and Sarah E. Corson had a family of four children : John P. married Marion Hunt and is now manager of the home farm. For awhile he lived in Indianapolis, where he was assistant secretary of the board of trade, and later was in the wall paper business in that city for five years. James W. is the subject of this. sketch ; Albert T. is a dentist in Indianapolis, in the office formerly occu- pied by his brother, and Elizabeth is at home with her father. James W. Corson received a high school education at Rising Sun; entered the Indiana dental college at Indianapolis in 1896 and graduated in 1899; took charge of a dental office in Indianapolis the fall before he graduated; practiced there until 1901 ; turned over the office to his brother Albert and came to Rising Sun to look after his father's interests there while the latter was in California; elected auditor in the fall of 1902 and took the office Jan. 1, 1904. Mr. Corson has always taken an active interest in political affairs and is one of the leading Democrats of his county. He is prominent in Odd Fellow- ship, being a member of Capital Lodge, No. 124; Metropolitan En- campment, No. 5; and Olive Branch Lodge, No. 10, Daughters of Rebekah. In Masonry he is a member of Rising Sun Lodge, No. 6; Aurora Chapter, Royal Arch Masons, No. 13; Aurora Commandery, Knights Templars; and the Indianapolis Consistory of the Scottish Rite. He is always active in lodge work and is a popular member of the different bodies named. Mr. Corson was married, Nov. 7, 1900, to Miss Annie Carson, at Indianapolis. She is a daughter of Aquilla Carson of Dearborn county and was attending business college at the time of her marriage. Mr. and Mrs. Corson are members of the Methodist church and are identified with the social life of Rising Sun.
WYMOND G. SINK, recorder of Ohio county, Rising Sun, Ind., is a descendant of some of the pioneer families of that section of the state. His paternal grandfather, Bright Sink, was a farmer and road builder there in an early day. Later he went South and there he passed the remainder of his days. The paternal grandfather was Wil- liam Loder, one of the first physicians in Rising Sun, but afterward went to Indianapolis, where he married Sophronia Fisher, a native of that city, though her parents came from Stafford, Vt. William Sink, the father of Wymond, married Rebecca Loder and lived in Rising Sun, where he was prominent in politics as a Republican, serv- ing as city marshal for some time, and was also well known in Odd Fellowship. He died at Rising Sun in August, 1898. His widow still
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lives in Rising Sun. They had four children: Rebecca married Charles Berkshire, a Kentucky farmer; Jennie married Alfred Neal and lives in Rising Sun; Daisy is at home with her mother, and Wymond is the subject of this sketch. He was born at Rising Sun, April 20, 1879, and lived in his native town, until 1896, obtaining an education in the public schools. He then went to Chicago, where he learned the trade of sign painter, and was for two years with the R. J. Gunning company, traveling over the country and painting adver- tising signs. In that time he visited every state in the Union and Canada. After leaving this company Mr. Sink was for a short time in the employ of the Illinois Central Railroad Company. On July 20, 1899, he enlisted in the United States hospital corps and served three years in China and the Philippines, being discharged as a hospital steward. In August, 1902, he came back to Rising Sun and at the election in November of that year was elected recorder of the county, taking the office on the first of January, 1903, for a term of four years. Mr. Sink is a Democrat politically and is a member of East Bend Lodge, No. 114, Knights of Pythias.
HENRY RUMP, better known as "Harry," sheriff of Ohio county, Rising Sun, Ind., was born in that county, Sept. I, 1873, and is a son of Henry and Clara (Selmire) Rump, the former a native of Dear- born county, Ind., and the latter of Germany. The paternal grand- father, Frederick Rump, came from Germany at an early date and settled in Dearborn county, where he followed farming all his life. There his son Henry grew to manhood, married Clara Selmire, and in 1863 removed to Ohio county, where he bought a farm of about 100 acres and reared a family of twelve children, three of whom are now dead. Of the nine living children all but one are married and have comfortable homes. All the children received a good education. Henry attended the common schools until he was about sixteen years of age, when he left school and learned the blacksmith trade. Later he bought a small farm near Rising Sun, where he combined farm work with his trade. From the time he became a voter Mr. Rump has taken an active part in political affairs as a Democrat, always standing ready to help his party to win a victory. In 1902 he received the nomination of his party for the office of sheriff, was triumphantly elected the following November, and took the office on the first day of January, 1904. Mr. Rump's name will go down in history as the sheriff connected with the famous "Gillespie case," one of the most noted murder trials of Ohio county, and in fact of the state. In that case Mr. Rump won the appro-
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bation of the bench, bar, jury and spectators by his careful attention to his duty, and his readiness to minister to the comfort of the court, the attorneys and the visitors to the court room during the long and some- what tedious trial. He is a Knight of Pythias, which is the only frater- nal organization to claim his membership. Mr. Rump was married on May 8, 1895, to Miss Elizabeth, daughter of Ernest Detner, of Ohio county. Like her husband, Mrs. Rump is of German extraction. They have one son, Paul H., born Dec. 3, 1898. Both Mr. and Mrs. Rump are members of the German Reformed church.
HOWARD J. NORTH, clerk of the circuit court of Ohio county, Rising Sun, Ind., was born in that county, May 24, 1871. He is a son of Ernest C. and Tobitha E. North, the former a native of Switzerland and the latter of Ohio county, Ind. The Norths are of English extrac- tion. Royal North, the grandfather of Howard, came from New York to Indiana at an early date and settled in Switzerland county, where he followed farming until his death. Ernest North lived in Switzerland county until after his marriage, when he removed to Ohio county and embarked in the produce business at North's Landing. When the Civil war broke out he enlisted in Company C, Eighty-third Indiana infantry, as a corporal and served through the war. He was wounded in action three times and for his gallant conduct was promoted to the position of first lieutenant. He is still living, takes an active interest in politics as a Republican of the old school and in the affairs of the Grand Army of the Republic, of which he is an honored member. Ernest and Tobi- tha North had a family of two children : Nellie A. graduated from the Rising Sun high school, attended the State normal at Terre Haute, and has been a teacher for eleven years. She lives at home. Howard also received a high school education and took up the work of a teacher, but after one term in Kentucky and three in his native county he turned his attention to other lines of employment. In 1898 he was nominated by the Republicans of his county for the office of clerk and was elected, taking the office in 1900 for a term of four years. He is a member of the Sons of Veterans, the Modern Woodmen, and the Knights of Pythias, and has held all the offices in the different lodges to which he belongs. Mr. North has a farm of about seventy acres three miles from Rising Sun. This he rents out while he is in the clerk's office, and as an evidence of his progressive notions it is worth noticing that he has this farm connected with the outside world by telephone, thus keeping in touch with his tenant and giving the latter the advantages of such an arrangement.
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ANDREW WALLACE DARLING, postmaster at Carrollton, Ky., was born in that city Nov. 29, 1864. He is of Scotch descent, his grandfather, Thomas Darling, having been born in the county of Haddington, or East Lothian, a few miles east of the city of Edin- burg, and there grew to manhood. He married Jannet Wallace, whose ancestry can be traced back to Robert Bruce. In 1819 they came to the United States with their family, consisting of five sons and two daughters, viz .: Thomas, Adam, Andrew W., William, James, Isabella, and Jane, and settled in Wood county, in what is now West Virginia. Andrew W. Darling, the father of the subject of this sketch, was born near Edinburg, Scotland, Aug. 12, 1816, and was therefore but three years of age when his parents came to this country. He was naturalized with his father and brothers in Wood county in 1829, and while still a mere boy worked as time keeper on the first railroad that was built west of the Alleghany Mountains. In 1834, in company with his two brothers, Thomas and Adam, he went to Kentucky and assisted in building Cedar lock on the Kentucky river. After this he was for some time engaged in flatboating on the Ohio and Mississippi rivers. He then bought a farm in Carroll county and started the Darling distillery. He sold his interest in this concern before his death and spent the last years of his life in retirement. He married Eliza J. Troutman, a daughter of Peter and Katherine (Giltner) Troutman, the former born near Hagerstown, Md., and the latter in Bourbon county, Ky. Katherine Giltner's ancestry can be traced back to William, King of Holland. The children of Peter and Katherine Troutman were Elijah, Frank, Jacob, Barney, Thomas, John, Mary A. E., Eliza J., Nancy, and Katherine. Eliza J., the mother of the subject, was born in Bourbon county, Ky., Nov. 12, 1826, and now resides in Carrollton. Andrew W. Darling, the subject of this sketch, is one of eight children born to his father's second marriage, two children having been born to a previous union. He was educated in the public schools and after passing through the high school attended for some time the State university at Lexington. Upon leaving school he started life as a grocer's clerk. In 1886 he entered the employ of the Carrollton Furniture Manufacturing Company and a year later became a travel- ing salesman for the company. He remained on the road until 1895, when he resigned his position to engage in other pursuits. Always an active Republican he found favor with the national administration and in 1902 was appointed postmaster. In this position his long busi- ness training as a traveling salesman and his general qualities as a
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mixer have made him a popular and efficient official. He has intro- duced numerous little reforms in the service that have met the ap- proval of the public and which have facilitated the handling of mails, giving better service to the patrons of the office. Mr. Darling is a Knight of Pythias and a Royal Arch Mason. In both orders he is popular because of his genial disposition and his readiness to assist in every worthy charity undertaken by his lodges. He lives at home in Carrollton, with his mother, one brother and two sisters.
WILLIAM O. PROTSMAN, post- master at Vevay, Ind., and one of the Republican leaders in Switzerland county, was born at Moorefield, in that county, April 2, 1875. His parents, John W. and Lottie A. (Ogle) Protsman, were both natives of the county. The paternal grandfather was named William, and the great-grandfather, John Protsman, came from Maryland in a very early day, being. one of the first settlers in Switzerland county. On the maternal side the grand- parents were Hiram and Charlotte (Tague) Ogle, both of whom were born in the county. The great- grandfather on this side was Hiram Ogle, who came from Maryland in 1808, though he was a native of Virginia. He built the first jail in Switzerland county and was the first mail carrier between Vevay and Versailles. John W. and Lottie A. Protsman had four children: Wil- liam is the subject of this sketch ; Edward died at the age of seven years ; Grace married Festus Flinn and lives at Georgetown, Ky .; and Mabel is at home. William received a high school education and for three years taught in the common schools. He was then in agricultural pur- suits until 1902, when the Vevay Reveille company, which had been formed the preceding year, elected him secretary and treasurer. This company had purchased the Vevay Reveille, one of the oldest newspapers in Southern Indiana, of W. J. Baird, who had conducted it for thirty- eight years. Since taking charge of the paper in 1902 Mr. Protsman has doubled the circulation and made the paper more aggressive in its political sentiments, as well as more complete in its news departments. Ever since he attained his majority Mr. Protsman has been an earnest and active Republican. In 1900 he was chosen chairman of the county central committee, and although he was but twenty-five years of age he
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demonstrated in that campaign his ability as an organizer and a political strategist. During the legislative session of 1901 he was a clerk in the Indiana state senate, and on Feb. 4, 1902, he assumed the duties of post- master at Vevay. Mr. Protsman is a member of the Vevay Lodge, No. 149, Knights of Pythias, and Switzerland Lodge, No. 122, Free and Accepted Masons. He was married, Feb. 18, 1896, to Miss Leo C., daughter of Albert G. Bakes, a well known Switzerland county farmer, and they have two children : Helen, born April 24, 1897, and Merriam, born Oct. 27, 1899. Mr. Protsman occupies one of the coziest homes in Vevay and he and his estimable wife are prominent in the social life of the little city.
ANDREW J. BRUCE, clerk of Carroll county, Carrollton, Ky., was born at Warsaw, Gallatin county, of that state, Dec. 7, 1842, and is a son of Henry and Sarah (Jackson) Bruce. His father was born at Aurora, Ind., and was a son of Henry Bruce, who came from Vir- ginia in the early part of the nineteenth century, being one of the first three white men to settle at Aurora. Andrew's father grew to manhood at Aurora, but removed to Gallatin county, Ky., in 1835 to take charge of the farm formerly owned by his father-in-law. He continued to live on this farm until 1890, when he sold out and came to Carrollton, where he died in 1892. His wife died in 1886. He was a Baptist and she was a member of the Christian church. They had a family of six boys and four girls, of which Andrew was the third child and the eldest son. Andrew obtained a good education in the public schools and by self-study. He commenced teaching at the age of eighteen and followed that occupation until 1884. He was in love with his work and was one of the most successful teach- ers in Kentucky, as may be seen from the fact that he taught for twelve years in one precinct. In 1880 he came to Carroll county, which has ever since been his home. In 1867, while living in Gallatin county, he was elected county assessor and held the office for two terms. In 1892 he went into the marble business, in which he was successful, at the same time taking an active part in shaping the affairs of the Democratic party, as he had done ever since becoming a voter. His activity in this line and his well established qualifica- tions marked him out as a suitable candidate for the office of county clerk, and in 1897 he was nominated and elected, taking the office the following year. In 1902 he was again elected by a handsome majority, attesting his popularity and efficiency. Mr. Bruce was married on June 14, 1894, to Felicia C. Hopwood, nee McGee, a
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native of Trimble county, Ky. To this union there have been born two children: Hester, born Aug. 27, 1896, and Jessie, born April 28, 1898. The latter died in August, 1900. Mr. and Mrs. Bruce are both members of the Christian church and take a commendable interest in its good works.
FRANK H. GAINES, M.D., a well known physician and surgeon of Carrollton, Ky., was born in Washington county, Va., Nov. 4, 1834. His father was Samuel Dalton Gaines, a son of Ambrose and Mary (Moore) Gaines. Ambrose Gaines was a soldier in the Ameri- can army during the Revolutionary war, and was a cousin to Gen. Edmund P. Gaines who was connected with the arrest of Aaron Burr, and who rose to the rank of brigadier-general in the war of 1812. Mary Moore, Dr. Gaines' grandmother, was a sister to Gabriel Moore, who was the fifth governor of Alabama after its admission as a state. After the Revolution Ambrose Gaines settled in Tennessee, where for many years he followed the profession of teaching. On the other side Dr. Gaines' mother, whose maiden name was Sarah E. Gaines, was a daughter of James, a veteran of the Revolution and a brother to Gen. Edmund P. Gaines above mentioned. Among the relics of the Revolutionary period in the possession of James Gaines was the Jacob's staff used by George Washington while sur- veying. Samuel Dalton Gaines grew to manhood in Tennessee, inherited the old homestead, and was for many years a minister of the Methodist church. After the war he went to Arkansas and later came to Kentucky. He died at Bristol, Tenn., while on a visit, Nov. 20, 1887. His wife died May 4, 1878. Both were members of the Methodist church. Dr. F. H. Gaines is the eldest in a family of nine children. Elizabeth is now Mrs. J. H. Dorman, of Owenton, Ky .; Margaret is the widow of John Grace and lives in Arkansas; one of her sons, Frank, grew up in the family of Dr. Gaines and is now a physician in Alabama; Letitia died as the wife of Lot. Pence; Sarah married Dr. N. C. Brown, of Ghent, Ky., and died as his wife; Ambrose died at the age of fourteen years; John still lives in Ken- tucky; Fannie is deceased; George is a graduate of the Louisville Med- ical college and engaged in practice at Milton, Ky. After obtaining a common school education in Virginia Dr. F. H. Gaines attended high school at Blountsville, Tenn .; read medicine under one of the leading physicians there; took a course of lectures at Louisville; graduated from the Nashville university in 1855; received the degree of M. D. from Jefferson Medical college of Philadelphia in 1861, and took a
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post-graduate course at Bellevue Hospital college in New York in 1880. During the war he served four years as surgeon of a battalion in the Third Tennessee cavalry, being engaged in active service the whole time. After the war he located in Gallatin county, Ky .; re- moved to Ghent in 1869; practiced there until 1888, when he removed to Carrollton. He is a member and ex-president of the Carroll County Medical society, the American, the Kentucky State and the Mississippi Valley Medical associations. Dr. Gaines was married on "Oct. 15, 1856, to Elmira, daughter of John and Harriet (Rice) McFarland, the former a native of Tennessee and the latter of Connecticut. They were married at Marble Hall near Rodgersville, Tenn. Mrs. Gaines died in 1881 and the following year Dr. Gaines married Mrs. Priscilla Fisher, nee Linsley, a daughter of Gen. Jesse Linsley who came from Virginia to Kentucky in pioneer days. Dr. Gaines has had eight chil- dren. Lillian M. is deceased; S. Fisher married W. T. Sebree and resides in Carrollton; Harriet is the wife of L. G. Lawrence of Chi- cago; Roxanna died in infancy; Francis died young; Frank McFar- land, born Jan. 30, 1870, is associated with his father in the practice of medicine; Samuel Sherman is in business in Louisville. Dr. Frank M. Gaines is one of the rising young physicians of Carroll and adjoining counties. He graduated from the Kentucky School of Med- icine, at Louisville, in 1893, and since then has been associated with his father, profiting by his long experience and assisting him in the large practice that they enjoy. He is a member of the Carroll County, Kentucky State, and Eagle Valley Medical societies. The elder doctor is a member of the Masonic fraternity and the Odd Fellows, and the son belongs to the Knights of Pythias and is a Royal Arch Mason. The father and all his sons are unswerving Democrats, and all the family belong to the Christian church. Frank M. Gaines married Daisy B. Jemison, of Henry county, Ky.
JOSEPH S. LEHMANN, M.D., a prominent homeopathic physi- cian of Carrollton, Ky. was born at Midway, Woodford county, in that state, and is a son of David W. and Elizabeth (Marsh) Lehmann, the former a native of Wurtemberg, Germany, and the latter of New York City. David Lehmann came to the United States with his two brothers, William and John, and for a time they remained in the city of New York. Later William went to Florida and John to Georgia. David was a cabinet maker in his early life. After leaving New York he came to Kentucky, settling first at Lexington and later at Mid- way, where he embarked in the furniture and undertaking business.
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