USA > Ohio > Memoirs of the lower Ohio valley, personal and genealogical : with portraits, Volume I > Part 7
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Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39
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CLAYTON WHITTEMORE SHAW, M.D., of Alexandria, Ky., one of the leading physicians of Campbell county, was born near California, in that county. Aug. 10, 1871, and is the eldest son of James Fremont and Lura (Reed) Shaw. His father is a prominent citizen of the county and has served with distinction in the legislature. (See sketch of James F. Shaw.) Dr. Shaw grew to manhood on his father's farm and received his primary education in the common schools at Cal- T. M'D, HILL. ifornia. In 1891 he entered the Medical College of Ohio, at Cincinnati, and graduated with the class of 1894. For about a year after his graduation he practiced at Dayton, Ky., and in January, 1896, he located at Alexandria, where he has a lucrative practice and stands high in his profession, both with his brother practitioners and the general public. Believing in association as a means of progress and advancement Dr. Shaw is a member of the State Medical association of Kentucky and the Medical Society of Campbell county. He keeps in close touch with the new discoveries in the field of medical science and is regarded as one of the pro- gressive physicians of his section of the state. In fraternal circles Dr. Shaw is a member of Jewel Lodge, No. 44, Knights of Pythias, at Alexandria, and of Alexandria Lodge, No. 121, Independent Order of Odd Fellows. On Nov. 12, 1901, Dr. Shaw was united in mar- riage to Miss Fay Fern, daughter of the late Hon. Theodore McDon- ald Hill, a prominent citizen of Campbell county, whose widow now lives with her daughter, Mrs. Dr. Shaw. Dr. Shaw and his wife have one son, named Hill McDonald Shaw. The doctor is a member of the Baptist church and outside of his profession is one of the leading citizens of the community in which he lives.
WILLIAM HILL, the first of this family to come to America, was born in County Antrim, Ireland, about 1730. A few years before the American Revolution he came to this country, settled in Western Pennsylvania, and served in the Continental army during the Revolu- tionary war. In the spring of 1794 he came with his family on a flatboat down the Ohio river, landing at Fort Washington, now Cincinnati, on May 25. Here he was for many years proprietor of the old-time tavern known as the "Black Bear" on what is now Sycamore street, near Ninth. For a time he lived in the "Black Bottoms" of the Miami Valley, but
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returned to Cincinnati and died there Dec. 9, 1828. His wife was Jane McDonald, of the Isle of Skye, and a cousin. Both husband and wife were cousins to the famous Scotch beauty, Flora Macdonald, an account of whom may be found in "Chambers' Miscellany." Jane Hill died on May 2, 1834, near Cincinnati, the mother of a large family. One of the sons was William Hill, Jr., who was born at Cincinnati, May 25, 1794, the night after the family landed there. When the war of 1812 began he ran away from home and enlisted under General Scott, fighting at River Raisin, Fort Meigs, the Thames, Chippewa and Lundy's Lane. He also served under Scott in the Mexican war. His chief occupation through life was that of stonemason. He died near Alexandria, Ky., Sept. 16, 1872. He married Elizabeth, daughter of Joel and Mary (Albright) Nation, the former of English and the latter of German descent, but both natives of North Carolina. William and Elizabeth Hill settled in Campbell county, near the little village of Cali- fornia on the Ohio river, twenty-three miles above Cincinnati, in the early forties. There their only son, Theodore McDonald, was born on July 4, 1842. When he was about a year old his mother died and he was reared to manhood by foster parents, Mr. and Mrs. Samuel Thomp- son. In his boyhood Theodore attended the common schools of his native county, went to Indianapolis, Ind., with the Thompson family, and there finished his education at Butler university, but did not gradu- ate. When the Civil war broke out he returned to Kentucky and en- listed in Company D, Fourth Kentucky Confederate cavalry, and served with that command until the end of the war. For about a year he was a prisoner of war at Rock Island. After the war he decided to study law and entered the office of R. T. Baker, a prominent attorney of Alexandria, and one of the leaders of the Republican party in Kentucky, and on Feb. 22, 1871, was admitted to the bar. In 1872 he was elected police judge of Alexandria, and to the legislature in 1877 and again in 1879. From 1871 until 1888 he practiced his profession at Alexandria, where he acquired a high reputation as a jurist. In 1888 he was ap- pointed by the board of county magistrates to fill the vacancy in the county judgeship, caused by the death of Judge Mckibben, and he removed to Newport. Two years later he was elected by the people to succeed himself, and was re-elected in 1894. In 1895 he was nominated by the Democracy of Campbell county for state senator, but was de- feated by the Republican wave of that year, along with the rest of the ticket. In 1899 he was again nominated for state senator and this time was triumphantly elected, but before entering upon the duties of the office his death occurred, May 4, 1900. Mr. Hill was married to Miss
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Isaphine White, daughter of Henry E. White, an old resident of the county, and their children were Rhea Rhodes, died at the age of eight years; Malcolm Macdonald, died in infancy ; Fay Fern, now Mrs. Dr. Shaw of Alexandria; and Pearl Pauline and Roy Raymond, both of whom died in infancy.
MICHAEL KINSTLER, a well-known farmer living near Alexandria, Ky., was born in Hamilton county, O., Aug. 14, 1857, his parents being Adam and Eliz- abeth (Orr) Kinstler, both natives of Ger- many. Adam Kinstler was born in the duchy of Berne, near Oldenburg, Nov. II, 1827. He received a good education in his native land and followed various occu- pations there until 1855, when he came to America and located at Cincinnati. There he learned the coopers' trade, at which he worked until 1859, when he pur- chased a farm of thirty-two acres near Alexandria and removed to it. Although he worked some at his trade after this his principal occupa- tion was farming. Shortly after his arrival in this country he was married at Cincinnati to Miss Elizabeth Orr, a native of Hesse Darm- stadt, and a daughter of Conrad Orr, who died comparatively young in his native land. Elizabeth Kinstler died on May 21, 1894, and Adam Kinstler on Jan. 25, 1895. They had two sons: Michael, the subject of this sketch, and John, a machinist in Newport, Ky. Michael Kinst- ler was less than two years old when his parents located in Campbell county. Since that time he has always lived in the county. His school- ing was limited to eighteen months in the common schools, but by close application he has obtained a fair education at home. From his father he learned the trade of cooper, at which he has worked some, but the greater part of his attention has been given to his farming interests. He is one of the directors of the Bank of Alexandria, and is a man of affairs in his neighborhood. He believes in good government, good roads, etc., and is always willing to do his share to secure them. On Nov. 11, 1880, Mr. Kinstler was married to Miss Katherine Schuster, daughter of Louis Schuster, an old resident of Campbell county, and to this marriage there have been born eleven children. Anna died at the age of one year, and the others, Catherine, Mary, Frank, John, Adam, Elizabeth, Emma, George, Hubert and Genevieve, are all living at home
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with their parents. Mr. Kinstler is a member of the Ancient Order of United Workmen and he and his family belong to the Catholic church at Alexandria.
JOSEPH FREDERICK LEOPOLD, a farmer near Ten Mile, Campbell county, Ky., and the oldest living son of Frederick and Louise (Kessler) Leopold, was born near Alexandria, in the county / where he now lives, Nov. 23, 1856. His grandfather, Charles Leopold, was the first of the family to come to America. He was a native of Germany, and there grew to manhood and married. While a young man he served his time in the German army and about 1835 came to this country, located on the upper branch of Tuck Fork in Campbell county, and there followed farming until his death in 1879. At the time the family came to America Frederick Leopold, the father of Joseph, was about ten years of age. He grew to manhood and received a com- mon school education in Campbell county. Upon reaching his majority he became a farmer and followed that occupation until the fall of 1902, when he removed to Cullman, Ala., where he now resides. During the Civil war he was a member of the home guards. In 1855 he was mar- ried to Miss Louise Kessler, of Cincinnati, and to this marriage there have been born nineteen children, six of whom died young. Charles, Henry, George and Louis died later in life and those living are: Fred- erick, the subject of this sketch; John C., who enlisted in the Eleventh United States infantry in the Spanish-American war and is now sup- posed to be in Porto Rico ; Frank, William, and Valentine, now in New- port ; Edward, who lives in Georgia ; Ernest resides in Campbell county ; Hannah, now the wife of William Kulel, of Campbell county, and Lizzie, now Mrs. William Perry, of Fort Thomas. Joseph F. Leopold received a moderate education in the common schools of his native county and upon arriving at manhood took up the calling of a farmer, which has been his occupation through life and in which he has been successful. On April 20, 1880, he was united in marriage to Miss Francisco Mary Knack, a daughter of John Knack, a native of Germany, but an old resident of Campbell county. To this marriage there have been born the following children, together with the dates of their birth : Charles, March 25, 1881 ; John, March 21, 1883; Anna, March 7, 1885 ; Louisa, Aug. 7, 1887 ; Lena, May 12, 1890; Katrina, June 30, 1892 ; and Lizzie, Dec. 18, 1898. Charles is employed in Newport and the others are all at home. The family are members of the Lutheran church.
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EDWARD C. FOX, recorder of Dear- born county, Ind., was born at Greendale in that county, Jan. 10, 1872. He is de- scended from one of the oldest and most worthy German families of the county. His grandfather, Nicholas Fox, came from Germany in 1817 and settled in Lawrenceburg, where he conducted a meat market until 1884. He died in Dear- born county in 1891. His son, also named Nicholas, the father of the subject of this sketch, was born in Lawrence- burg, in April, 1843, and for the last forty-three years has been in the meat business in his native city. Edward C. Fox, after attending the public schools of Greendale and Lawrenceburg, graduated in 1893 from Nelson's business college in Cincinnati. For awhile after leaving school he was engaged as book- keeper for a coal company at Lawrenceburg. He was then appointed truant officer for Dearborn county, serving in that capacity until elected recorder in 1902. At the age of twenty-one he was elected to the council in the town of Greendale, to which. office he was re-elected for four terms ; serving in all seven years, after which he was elected marshal for one term. Mr. Fox is a Democrat and is always ready to do battle for his political convictions. His term as recorder expires in 1908. He was reared and educated in the faith of the German Lutheran church and is now a member of that denomination. In 1899 he was married to Miss Susie E., daughter of the late John Mahoney, and they have two sons and one daughter, viz .: Leslie M., Lorena C., and Nicholas H.
JOHN LEAP, a farmer on the Licking river, near Alexandria, Ky., was born in Bavaria, one of the States of the German Empire, Feb. 15. 1841. When he was about six months old his parents, Casper and Barbara (Smith) Leap, (German Leoöp), came to America, and soon after their arrival in this country they located at Cincinnati, where both the parents died. They had five children. The eldest son, whose name was also John, died in Cincinnati; Susan is the wife of Adam Guyman of Campbell county, Ky .; John is the subject of this sketch ; and Frank and Carrie are both deceased. John Leap lived in Cincinnati until he reached his majority and was educated in the public schools of that city. In 1862 he enlisted in Company E, Eighth Kentucky Federal cavalry, for a term of one year, and during that time was in all the
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operations of his regiment, among which was the pursuit and capture of Gen. John Morgan, the famous raider. After the war Mr. Leap became a farmer in Campbell county and since 1881 has occupied his present farm, which is one of the best in the county. He is a member of the Grand Army post at Alexandria and is one of the most respected citizens of his neighborhood. In 1871 he was married to Miss Anna Seibert, a native of Germany. She died in 1895, the mother of the following children : John, Jr., is a resident of Campbell county ; Anna is dead; Joseph works in a paper mill at Middletown, O .; Josephine is the wife of William Weinel, of Cumberland, O .; Augustus is at home ; Peter, Leo, Mary, Frank and William are all deceased, and Katy is at home with her father.
JAMES F. SHAW, a farmer living about one mile east of California, Ky., was born near New Richmond, Clermont county, Ohio, Jan. 5, 1847. He is a son of John and Ida (Webb') Shaw, both natives of Ohio, the former having been born in Clermont county, April 1, 1810, and the latter in Hamilton county, Sept. 17, 1812. Five children were born to this union, viz .: Nancy, now Mrs. Frank Bettle, of Ohio; Clayton, enlisted at the beginning of the Civil war in the Fifth Ohio cavalry and died at Pittsburg Landing soon after the battle; James F., the subject of this sketch; John C., a farmer in Clermont county ; Viola, now Mrs. E. M. Reed, of Detroit, Mich. Mr. Shaw's ancestry has figured promi- nently in the affairs of the Ohio valley for several generations. His maternal great-grandfather, John Morin, fought in the American army during the Revolution. After the independence of the United States was established his family in Virginia wanted him to become a slave- holder. This he refused to do and came to Kentucky. He never went back to Virginia and some of the old estate there is still unclaimed by his heirs. The paternal grandfather of Mr. Shaw came to Mason county, Ky., about the year 1790, and later settled in Campbell county. He served in the militia during the Revolution. Both of Mr. Shaw's grand- fathers served several terms in the Ohio legislature-being members at the same time-and a brother of his father fought with Sam Houston for Texan independence. One of Mr. Shaw's uncles was wounded in a skirmish with the Indians while with a surveying party in Texas, and afterward fought in the Mexican war. James F. Shaw was educated at Parker's academy, in Clermont county, and at Antioch college, at Yellow Springs, Ohio. For several years after leaving school he was engaged in teaching, after which he turned his attention to farming. For the past thirty-three years he has resided upon the farm where he
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now lives. This is a beautiful farm of 170 acres, overlooking the Ohio river. In politics Mr. Shaw is an unswerving Democrat and takes a keen interest in all public questions. In 1883-84 he represented Camp- bell county in the legislature. While a member of that body he was a member of the committee on education, and championed the bill revising the school laws of the state. This bill became a law and remained in force until the adoption of the new constitution in 1889, when its lead- ing features were incorporated in the organic law. On Sept. 29, 1870, Mr. Shaw was married to Miss Lura, daughter of Whittemore and Almira Reed, who came from New Hampshire and settled in Meigs county, Ohio, and later in Clermont county. One of Mrs. Shaw's uncles graduated from West Point at the head of his class, received a com- mission as first lieutenant, and served in the regular army until his death, which occurred in 1859. To Mr. and Mrs. Shaw have been born the following children: Clayton W., a physician at Alexandria, Ky .; Frederick, living at Fort Thomas, Ky .; Elwood R., graduate of the Ohio normal school in the class of 1902, now at home ; George A., mer- chant in Chicago; and Ida, Carl and Alice, at home. Mr. Shaw is a member of Mayo Lodge, No. 198, Free and Accepted Masons, at Cali- fornia. His wife is a Presbyterian, the eldest son is a Baptist, and all the other children are members of the Christian church.
JACOB ANDERSON, a farmer near Carthage, Campbell county, Ky., was born on the farm where he now lives, June 5, 1827. His parents were John and Elizabeth (Carmack) Anderson, the former coming to Kentucky from Virginia with his parents when he was but nine years of age. The Carmacks originally came from Scotland. Jacob is one of a family of ten children, only three of whom are now living. George lives in Campbell county, Ky. He is nearly eighty years of age and is almost blind. America, now Mrs. Wesley White, lives near Carthage. Mr. Anderson's opportunities to acquire an edu- cation were extremely limited. In his boyhood he attended private or "subscription" schools for a few months and this constituted his school- ing. This he has supplemented by reading until he is one of the best informed men in his neighborhood. He is particularly fond of reading the Scriptures and few men know more of the Book of Life than he. His farm, which consists of about 100 acres, is directly opposite New Richmond, O. From a point near the house one can see up the beautiful Ohio for fifteen miles, and down the river for about ten miles, while opposite the city of New Richmond, with its surrounding hills, forms a gorgeous panorama. The farm is also widely known for a fine spring
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of water. This Mr. Anderson has utilized for keeping milk and butter, dairy products being the principal output of the farm. Along the side of the farm next to the Ohio river runs the Chesapeake and Ohio rail- way. Before the war Mr. Anderson was a Whig. Since then he has been a Democrat, though he takes no active part in politics. On July 4, 1848, he was married to Mary Hester, daughter of James and Mar- garet (Dicken) White, both of whom were natives of Campbell county. Mrs. Anderson's mother was a distant relative of Charles Dickens, the celebrated English novelist, though for some reason the American branch of the family dropped the final letter of the name. Mrs. Ander- son was born at Alexandria, Ky., May 25, 1830, and received her educa- tion in the schools of her native town. Mr. and Mrs. Anderson are the parents of eight children, viz .: John, died at the age of eighteen months ; Martha, married Robert Mell and died at the age of twenty-six years. A daughter of this marriage, Miss Birdie Mell, a bright and amiable young lady, now lives with her grandparents. Joseph Wesley, now a farmer living near Winnebago City, Minn .; Millard Fillmore, who died near New Richmond, O., in 1902 ; Margaret Lizzie, now Mrs. Zeno Barker, living near Carthage ; Mary Jessie, now Mrs. William Madden, of Mount Washington, O .; Jacob, a farmer near Carthage; and Esther Holmes, wife of Thornton Painter, a farmer near Carthage. Mr. and Mrs. Anderson are both members of the Baptist church and are firm believers in the faith of that denomination. They practice the teachings of their religion, are charitable to the unfortunate, and their home is one of the most hospitable in Campbell county.
GEORGE W. HENDERSON, pilot on the steam ferry boat operated by the Chesapeake & Ohio railroad, at New Richmond, was born in Campbell county, Ky., Oct. 26, 1861. His paternal grandfather, John Henderson, was a native of Ireland, but came to America while still a young man, settling in Pennsylvania. There he married Abigail Liv- ingston and about 1810 or 181I came to Cincinnati, which was then a small village. A year or two later he removed to Campbell county, where, after serving in the war of 1812, he died when about forty years of age. His widow married Henry Martin, a wealthy farmer and large land owner of Campbell county. Two sons of John and Abigail Hen- derson are still living, John and Asa, and four sons and two daughters are deceased. One of those was George W., the father of the subject of this sketch. He was born after the family settled in Kentucky and was for the greater part of his life employed on the river, most of the time in the lower trade. During the Civil war he and his brother
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Alva were the first and second mates on the steamer "Prima Donna" and were captured by the Confederates and held as prisoners of war for about four months. He married Nancy Bruce, a native of Camp- bell county. Her parents came from Pennsylvania and were among the pioneers of the settlement about Carthage. George W. and Nancy Henderson had three children. Alice is now Mrs. T. J. Tarvin, of Carthage; Ella is the widow of Solomon Anderson and at present lives in New Richmond, O., and George W. Mr. Henderson received a good common school education, after which he, like his father, found employ- ment in the steamboat trade of the Ohio. For more than thirteen years he has followed the river, the greater part of that time in his present position. He owns a fine farm of seventy acres on the Kentucky side, opposite the ferry, and when not engaged upon the boat devotes his time to fruit growing. In October, 1885, Mr. Henderson led to the altar Miss Lucy, the daughter of Oliver and Mary Moore, old and honored resi- dents of Campbell county. Her father is dead and her maternal grand- father, whose name was Boots, was a soldier in the American army during the Revolution. Mr. and Mrs. Henderson have five children : Mary, aged eighteen; Roger, fifteen; Raymond, twelve; Daisy, five; and Delpha, two. Both parents and the eldest daughter are members of the Methodist Church South at Carthage.
HON. WILLIAM H. O'BRIEN, pres- ident of the Citizens National bank, of Lawrenceburg, is one of the best known and most popular men in Southeastern Indiana. His father, Cornelius O'Brien, a native of Callan, Ireland, landed in Dear- born county in 1835, fresh from the Em- erald Isle. He has been described as genial, energetic and quick-witted, and the son has inherited these characteristics in a marked degree. About 1847 Cornelius O'Brien was elected county treasurer and shortly after the expiration of his term he was appointed to fill out an unexpired term in the county clerk's office. At the next election he was chosen to succeed himself in that office and from that time until his death he was an influential factor in the Democratic politics of his state. In 1856 he was a delegate to the national convention that nominated James Buchanan, and was the same year elected to the state senate. In 1860 he was a candidate for clerk I-6
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of the supreme court. He married Harriet Hunter, daughter of James W. Hunter, and they had two sons, Robert Emmett and William H. William H. O'Brien received his primary education in the Lawrence- burg schools, and later attended Asbury-now DePauw-university, for two years. His old schoolmates speak of him as a quick-minded, mischief-loving youngster, yet his love of fair play was so well known that he was frequently called upon to act as umpire or referee in games of different kinds. Upon leaving college he became deputy clerk of his county for a short time, and in 1877, in company with Dr. W. D. H. Hunter, purchased the Lawrenceburg Register. They published the paper until 1894, when they sold out. The latter part of that time Mr. O'Brien had practically full control of the paper, Dr. Hunter having been appointed collector of internal revenue for the old Sixth district, in 1885. That year Mr. O'Brien was elected mayor of Lawrenceburg and was re-elected at each succeeding election until 1894, when he de- clined a renomination. As mayor he played an important part in the construction of the levee to protect Lawrenceburg from the Ohio river in times of flood. Besides securing government aid to the amount of $60,000 he recommended the issuance of bonds to the amount of $50,- 000 by the city. The benefits derived from the construction of the levee are seen in the appreciated values of all city property. In 1898 a peti- tion, signed by a majority of the business men, was presented to Mr. O'Brien asking him to again consent to the use of his name as a candi- date for mayor. He reluctantly consented and was elected by the largest majority ever given any one for the office. In 1890 he was one of the principal organizers of the Citizens National bank, and after serving for some time as vice-president and cashier he was elected president, which office he has held ever since his first election. He was also one of the organizers of the Lawrenceburg Fair Association and was secretary for several years. Governor Matthews appointed Mr. O'Brien a trustee of Purdue university, and he has been reappointed by two subsequent governors. He has also served as trustee of Moores Hill college for a long period. Mr. O'Brien has been active in political work outside of local offices and affairs. From 1880 to 1886 he was secretary and from 1888 to 1902 chairman of the county committee. This brought him in contact with party leaders from all over the state and gave him a chance to increase the scope of his political usefulness. From 1890 to 1896 he was a member of the state central committee, and during the campaigns of 1896 and 1898 served on the state executive committee. In 1900 he was a delegate to the national convention, and was the Indiana member of the committee appointed to notify Mr. Bryan of his
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