Memorial record of the counties of Delaware, Union and Morrow, Ohio, Part 11

Author:
Publication date: 1895
Publisher: Chicago : Lewis Pub. Co.
Number of Pages: 570

USA > Ohio > Delaware County > Memorial record of the counties of Delaware, Union and Morrow, Ohio > Part 11
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office alone and forthwith exposed his profes- sional " shingle" to the admiring gaze of passers-by, possessing his soul in due pa- tience and humility as he waited for the eligible clients upon whom to begin his practice. The initial phases of any profes- sional career are not usually typical of "flowery beds of ease," but our subject was qualified, was energetic, was ambitious, and above all, was determined to succeed. The budding professional prestige was carefully nourished, and its expansion into the full bloom of success was consistently rapid. Mr. Porter soon formed a professional part- nership with P. B. Cole, an association which continued for a period of nearly three years, after which our subject was alone in his practice for a short time and then formed a partnership with Mr. J. B. Coats, which as- sociation prevailed, with slight intermissions, until August, 1862, when patriotic ardor de- termined Mr. Porter upon contributing his quota to the defense of his country, and the upholding of the eternal principle of right which was indisputably involved in the great fratricidal conflict which ensued. He ac- cordingly enlisted as a member of company A, One Hundred and Twenty-first Ohio Vol- unteer Infantry, and remained in the service until the close of the war, being mustered out at Columbus as First Lieutenant, receiv- ing his discharge at the national capital, in 1865, and participating in the grand review. His military record is one of which he may well be proud, his service on the field being valiant and his incidental labors arduous. He was appointed Sergeant of his company before leaving Delaware, in 1862, and dur- ing the latter half of his service he acted as Sergeant Major, his superior in that of- fice having been killed. During the last half of his service he held commission as

MEMORIAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD OF

First Lieutenant and as such was mustered out.

It is possible in this connection to revert in only a cursory way to our subject's mili- tary career, but the same can scarcely be passed without more definite mention than has been thus far accorded. His command was first engaged in following the famous raider, Morgan, and after a time they pro- ceeded to Nashville, Tennessee, remaining in that State about ten months, within which period Sergeant Porter was appointed First Assistant Provost Marshal, in which position he served two months. The prin- cipal engagements in which he participated may be enumerated as follows: Perryville, Lookout Mountain, Mission Ridge, Buz- zard's Roost Gap, Atlanta, Jonesborough and Bentonville. While on their way to Savannah, they had several light skirmishes with Wilson; at Kenesaw Mountain, our subject relates that he was so close to the rebel lines that he could feel the heat of the fire from the guns of the enemy. At Peach Tree Creek there was a call for volunteers to relieve the picket line, and Mr. Porter was one of the first to respond, taking eigh- teen men under his command and all being compelled to make a run of several hundred yards under open and constant fire in order to make the post. This one service is in- dicatory of the courage, brilliancy and dash which were characteristic of our subject dur- ing his military career. He was also at Chickamauga, but here he was left on de- tail to guard the commissary's stores, at Bridgeport, Tennessee. This battle (that of Chickamauga,) was the only engagement in which his regiment participated that he did not take an active part. At the battle of Bentonville he was wounded in the right arm while making a guard detail.

After the close of the war Mr. Porter re- turned to Marysville, and formed a profes- sional partnership with Colonel James Ster- ling, and this association was not dissolved until our subject was elected to the bench, as will be noted later on. This firm stood as the representative law firm of the county, and in the work of securing extra bounties for soldiers it undoubtedly did a larger and more effective service than all other lawyers and agents in the county rendered in con- junction. In 1855 Mr. Porter had been elected Prosecuting Attorney of the county, was chosen as his own successor two years later, and was again elected to the office in 1865, succeeding himself in 1867, and being again chosen in 1873, serving in all ten years, his last nomination and election hav- ing been brought about almost without his knowledge. In the fall of 1876, he was elected Judge of the Court of Common Pleas and served on the bench until Febru- ary 12, 1882. In this exacting office he was eminently judicial, seeing all sides of a question at once, and selecting the right side with a promptness that indicates intui- tive wisdom. His rulings were at all times just and impartial. A man of inflexible principles, he was never known to sacrifice what he considers right to any rule of ex- pediency. Other honorable official prefer- ments have come to Judge Porter in more specifically a local sense: he was Mayor of the city in 1854; has twice served as mem- ber of the Common Council, and for a time was a member of the County Board of School Examiners. In his political proclivi- ties and adherency the Judge is a stanch Re- publican and one of the leaders in local po- litical affairs. Touching the present busi- ness association of Judge Porter, it may be said that in 1882 he admitted to partnership

DELAWARE, UNION AND MORROW COUNTIES, OHIO.

in his legal practice his son, Edward W., who had pursued the study of law under the preceptorship of his father and secured ad- mission to the bar in 1881. He is a young man of much natural talent, conspicuous professional ability and devoted to his work. The firm of Porter & Porter stands forth most unmistakably as one of if not the strongest of legal associations in the county, retaining a representative clientage, and holding marked and recognized precedence.

The marriage of Judge Porter was con- summated in Delaware county, April II, 1852, when he was united to Miss Anna R. Benton, daughter of the late Edward Ben- ton, a prominent resident of that county. Judge and Mrs. Porter had three sons who lived to attain mature years, and one daugh- ter, who died in infancy. Edward W. is associated with his father in the law practice, and whose history is given in an- other place. Deruelle S., who has been con- nected with the Pension Department in a clerical capacity for the past twelve years, having, during the past three Congresses, been assigned to detail work with the Com- mittee on Invalid Pensions. In 1888, at the request of the chairman of the Pension Committee of the lower house, he was dele- gated by the Secretary of the Interior as advisory clerk to said committee, and after- wards was one of two chosen to codify the pension laws: he married Miss Mattie P. Bethel, daughter of Union Bethel, of Evans- ville, Indiana, and they have two children. Dana C., the Judge's youngest son, died August 19, 1889, at the age of twenty-four years; he was a graduate of the Ohio Wes- leyan University, class of 1884; taught in the public schools of Marysville for about two years, after which he went West for the benefit of his health, accepting a position

as assistant superintendent of the public schools of Pueblo, Colorado, and remaining there one year, after which he returned home to soon after meet an untimely demise.

In his fraternal relations, Judge Porter is prominently identified with the Grand Army of the Republic, being a member of Ran- som Reed Post, No. 113, of Marysville.

Touching in conclusion points that have more particular reference to the subjective characteristics of the Judge, we may say that he is exceedingly quick, seeming never to hesitate in judgment, and always ready in argument or repartee. He is genial, urbane and large-hearted, has an irrepressible spirit of camaraderie, a pleasing raconteur, sel- dom failing to win the regard of any person who comes in contact with him, and always ready to do a kindness for a friend or stranger.

a LIAS HATHAWAY .- It is now privileged the biographist to offer a resume of the life of one who stands forth as an honored native resident and a representative citizen of Union county, and as one whose ancestral history has been conspicuously identified with that of the Buckeye State since the early pioneer days when were essayed the initial steps looking to its reclamation from the sylvan wilds; one whose patriotic service to his country has been unstinted, and whose posi- tion in the respect and esteem of his fellow- men is assured beyond peradventure.

He whose name initiates this review was born on the farm where he now abides, in Union township, January 26, 1844, the son of Ebenezer P. Hathaway, who in turn was a son of Dr. Nicholas Hathaway, a man of high professional attainments and one of

MEMORIAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD OF

much prominence in public and private life during his long residence in this county. He was one of the first Associate Judges of the Union County Court of Common Pleas, which held its initial session at Milford, on the 14th of April, 1820, this being a special term prior to the first regular term, which convened on the 15th day of the suc- ceeding month. Dr. Hathaway was a native of Massachusetts, and was a repre- sentative of one of the leading Colonial families in New England, -that cradle of our national history.

Ebenezer P. Hathaway, father of our subject, was born in the old Bay State, but was a mere boy when his parents removed to Ohio and took up their residence in the forest wilds of Union township, this county, where he grew to maturity, received his education and eventually took unto himself a wife, in the person of Mary A. Hopkins, who was born in Pennsylvania, but who was reared and educated in this county, whither her parents, Benjamin and Elizabeth Hop- kins, came in an early day, the former be- ing a native of Rhode Island and the lat- ter of England. Ebenezer P. Hathaway settled on the paternal farmstead after his marriage and devoted himself to its culti- vation and improvement until 1850, when he became imbued with the " gold fever," whose ravages in that memorable year sent so many enthusiastic men across the weary stretches of plain and mountain to the new El Dorado, -the gold fields of California. The long and perilous journey across the the plains was not completed by Mr. Hath- away until six months had elapsed, and his quest was fruitless, for he died in that dis- tant land in the year succeeding his depart- ure from home, and his mortal remains lie buried there, where the sunset gates open

wide, far out in the crimson West. Such was the fate of many a brave and adventur- ous spirit who sought fortune during that period of excitement. Though his death was an irreparable loss, still he left to his widow and children a competence, repre- sented by his real-estate interests in this county.

The children of Ebenezer P. and Mary A. Hathaway were eight in number, and of them we leave the following record: Anna is the wife of Dr. D. W. Henderson, of Marysville, concerning whom an individual mention is made elsewhere in this volume; Maria is the wife of Crawford Reed, of Des Moines, Iowa; Helen is the deceased wife of Nathan Howard, a prominent farmer of this county; Martha is the wife of Charles Mc- Mullen, of Woodstock, Ohio; Elias is the subject of this review; Benjamin met his death in a railway accident, in 1865; Mary is the wife of David Kimball, of Champaign county, and Ebenezer P. is a resident of Darby township, this county. The mother is still living, at the venerable age of eighty years, and is a resident of Champaign county. The father was a successful farmer, in politics was an ardent Whig, and was a man honored and admired by all who knew him. In religion he was a zealous suppor- ter of the Christian Church, of which his widow has long been a devoted member.

Elias Hathaway was reared to man's estate on the paternal homestead, and was but six years of age when his father died. He was granted the best educational advant- ages which the place and period afforded, attending the district schools, and then pur- suing a course of study in the old academy at Marysville.

In August, 1862, rendering loyal response to President Lincoln's call for 300,000 more

DELAWARE, UNION AND MORROW COUNTIES, OHIO.

recruits, he enlisted for service as a member of Company B, Thirty-second Ohio Volun- teer Infantry, Colonel Ford commanding. He participated with his regiment in the en- gagement at Harper's Ferry, where he was taken prisoner, but was soon exchanged, be- ing then sent to Camp Douglas, Chicago, where he remained for a period of one year, after which he joined General Sherman's command at Memphis, Tennessee. He thereafter participated in the battle of Milli- ken's Bend, the siege of Vicksburg, and the famous Atlanta campaign. In action at At- lanta Mr. Hathaway was struck by a frag- ment of shell, which inflicted a most pain- ful wound in the breaking of his jaw. Our subject still preserves this piece of shell as a memento of his none too pleasant experi- ence on that occasion. He was confined in the hospital for several months before he had sufficiently recovered from his injuries to enable him to rejoin his regiment, which he finally did, at Pocotaligo, North Caro- lina. He was honorably discharged at Washington, D. C., where he participated in the grand review, after which he returned to his home, where he has ever since remained in the acquiring of other honors, " for peace hath its victories no less renowned than war."

Mr. Hathaway is the fortunate possessor of what is conceded to be one of the best farms in Union county, the same compris- ing 300 acres under effective cultivation and thoroughly improved. The beautiful family residence, erected in 1893-94, is of modern and attractive architectural design, eligibly located in a park of magnificent old forest oaks, and giving evidence of the refined tastes of its occupants. Other permanent improvements are of excellent order, and discriminating care has been given to every portion of the farmstead.

September 25, 1867, Mr. Hathaway was united in marriage to Miss Huldah Bland, who was born in Madison county, Ohio, the daughter of Solomon and Abigail (Ferris) Bland, both of whom died at Milford Cen- tcr, Union county, where they were honored residents for many years. Mrs. Hathaway is a woman of innate refinement and of ex- cellent education, having been a successful and popular teacher for five years previous to her marriage. It is needless to say that the home is one in which the culture and the amenities of social intercourse are ever in evidence. The children of our subject and wife are four in number, namely: Ed- gar, Helen, wife of Louis Erb, of Milford Center; John, and Lucile. The best of ed- ucational advantages have not been denied the children, for Mr. Hathaway has ever been an earnest and progressive promoter of educational interests, as well as other under- takings which have conserved the higher welfare of the community. The two elder children completed their educational disci- pline at Antioch College, this State, and Mrs. Erb was a successful tcacher at Milford Center prior to her marriage.

Politically our subject renders active support to the Republican party, and has served as Trustee of the township and in other offices of public trust, being honored as a man and respected for his ability and sterling worth of character. Fraternally he is a member of Silas Kimball Post, G. A. R., of Milford Center.

S HEPHERD CLARK .- He whose life now comes under review must be distinctively regarded as one of the representative men of Union county, -one whose prominence in the an-

MEMORIAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD OF

nals noting the progress of agriculture in the prosperous Buckeye commonwealth is pre- cisely similar to the position occupied, in the earlier stages of development and reclama- tion, by his honored father, who was one of the most intelligent and enterprising pio- neers of Champaign county, where he lent his assistance in causing the towering forest to give place to the grain field, whose soil has now for years been furrowed and re-fur- rowed by the plowshare.

Our subject, whose paternal ancestry is of Scotch extraction, was born June 7, 1832, on the old homestead farm in Rush township, Champaign county, this State, the son of Angus Clark, who passed many years in that section, where he had occu- pied a position of marked prominence from the time of his arrival in the frontier settle- ment in an early day. Angus Clark was born in 1783, in Lancaster county, Pennsyl- vania, and in 1826 he came to Rush town- ship, where he effected the purchase of 200 acres of densely wooded land, which he cleared and improved, subsequently adding 300 acres more to his landed estate and like- wise giving his attention to reclaiming the new accessions. He lived to enjoy the boun- tiful harvest gleaned from the broad acres of what was one of the largest and best farms in Champaign county, his position in the community being one in which respect, honor and admiration were accorded. That line of industry which has given the Buck- eye State a prestige from its earliest settle- ment, the manufacturing of maple sugar, secured much attention at his hands, and amid the leafy shadows of the maple forests he operated one of the most extensive sugar camps or " bushes" in the State, the pro- duct from the same reaching an annual ag- gregate of from 8,000 to 10,000 pounds.

The death of Angus Clark occurred in 1859, at the age of seventy-six years. His wife, neé Elizabeth Green, was a native of Lancas- ter county, Pennsylvania, the daughter of Nehemiah Green, who was a soldier in the - war of the Revolution, and who passed many years of his life in Champaign county, this State, where he died at a venerable age. The mother of our subject passed away March 20, 1881, at the age of ninety-one years.

Shepherd Clark passed his boyhood days on the old homestead farm, and early became familiar with such incidental duties as were in his strength to perform, their range widen- ing as the days passed, until he was able to take his place with other sturdy yeomen and to do a full day's work with the best of them. What this implied was far more than at the present day, for the work of clearing away the forest and breaking new land is far dif- ferent occupation than following the plow as it furrows its way through the earth softened by oft-repeated tilling. Remaining beneath the paternal roof-tree until he had attained to maturity, he became ambitious to start out in life on his own responsibility, and accordingly he turned his face toward the great West, going to Iowa in 1856,-that section representing at the time the practical frontier. Here he, following in the foot- steps of his honored father, likewise became a pioneer, but found not so great obstacles in cultivating the sweeping prairies as had his sire in his initial efforts in this State. He settled in Allamakee county, Iowa, and there remained for a period of four years, after which he returned to the old homestead, and there remained for a number of years, as- sisting in its cultivation. In 1867 he pur- chased his present magnificent farmstead, which comprises 635 acres, lying in Union,

DELAWARE, UNION AND MORROW COUNTIES, OHIO.

Champaign and Logan counties, the portion in this county being in Allen township. The postoffice address of our subject is North Lewisburg, Champaign county. The farm has been most appropriately designated by the name of Green Bush. The character of the soil is a rich loam, and it is particu- larly prolific in the production of crops of grasses and cereals, and it is considered one of the finest stock farms in this section of the State The family residence, which was erected in 1877, at a cost of $10,000, is of modern architectural design, and not only stands as one of the most attractive rural homes in the county, but as unexcelled by any residence structure in the county, ex- cept by one or two in Marysville, the county seat. The interior is one which shows many of the elegancies of the end of the century period, and betokens the refinement and taste of the occupants, -a quiet, peace- ful abode, which most perfectly deserves the true old name of home. The location of the house is upon a most eligible site, which commands a view of the broad demesne of the favored owner. The entire place, with its fields, its upland meadows, its orchards, its wood-lots and its substantial and well- ordered improvements, can not fail to de- light the eye of the passer-by, nor to suggest to his mind the thought that here abide those whose lines are cast in pleasant places. The system of drainage on the farm is most perfect, there being many hundred rods of tile drain, which carry away all exces- sive water; a fine hedge-row stretches along the fertile fields for a distance of fully a mile, and in every part of the place there is unmistakable evidence of painstaking care and of an executive ability that can direct affairs with economy and success. A fine horse-barn, 60 x 80 feet in dimensions, is

equipped specifically for the accommodation of the noble animals who lend such effect- ive aid in the cultivation of the farm, while there are ample provisions in the way of sheds for produce, stock and machinery. Water for both domestic and farm purposes is furnished by a modern windmill.

For many years Mr. Clark has been most conspicuously interested in the breed- ing and raising of Norman draft-horses, in which line of enterprise his efforts have been crowned with marked success. He has spared neither time nor money in securing good individuals, and to-day there may be seen on his place some of the best Percheron or Norman horses to be found in the State. He is a man who is proud of his vocation and he has ever manifested a lively interest in all that touches the progress and welfare of the farmer, being a most active worker in various farm and agricultural societies.

In politics Mr. Clark has always used his franchise in the support of the Republican party, and he has represented his locality as delegate to numerous county and Congress- ional conventions. His extended private in- terests have demanded his undivided atten- tion and he has never manifested any desire for official preferment, although, in 1870, he served as Land Appraiser.

Fraternally our subject is identified in a prominent way with the Masonic order, re- taining a membership in Blazing Star Lodge, No. 268, and Royal Arch Chapter, No. 126, of North Lewisburg, and of Raper Com- mandery, No. 19, Knights Templar, of Ur- bana.

Turning to the domestic life of our sub- ject we find that, at the age of twenty-four, he was united in marriage to Miss Hannah Barney, who was born and reared in this county, the daughter of Adam Barney. Mrs.

MEMORIAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD OF

Clark died in 1866, leaving the following children: Charles, who is in the hardware trade at Chanut, Neosho county, Kansas; Florence E., who married Joseph Spain, of North Lewisburg, Ohio; Lucy, wife of W. T. Beach, of Zanesville, Ohio; Pearl L., a teacher in the Urbana high school; John E., who is also a teacher; George; Ada, who graduated at the North Lewisburg high school as a member of the class of 1894; and Blanche. The members of the family are conspicuously identified with the Metho- dist Episcopal Church of North Lewisburg. Mr. Clark's second marriage was consum- mated on April 16, 1870, when he was united to Miss Eliza Asher, daughter of John and Deborah Asher. Their children are: Flora E., Alice, Lucy E., and Charles.

Though our subject's educational advan- tages in youth were limited in scope, yet he secured a good practical education, which has been most admirably supplemented by the wide experience which has been his in later years. He stands forward as a man of marked intelligence and broad general infor- mation, his judgment being unerring and his business sagacity pronounced. He is char- itable and kindly and holds the respect and esteem of the community, to whose advance- ment, in an incidental way, he has contrib- uted so largely during his active and honor- able life.

J OHN SPEARMAN, a farmer of Porter township, Delaware county, was born in Devonshire, England, January 21, 1839, a son of Richard and Grace (Snow) Spearman, natives also of that place. They were the parents of twelve children, nine now living, viz .: Rich- ard, in England; Mary Ann, of London;

Susan, wife of John Lane, of this township; Persilla Sanders, of Condit, Ohio; Grace, of England; John, our subject; William, of Condit; and Mulford, of Rich Hill, this State. Two sons, George and Thomas, were cattle drivers for General Sherman, and the former died at Nashville, Tennessee, and the latter at Mt. Vernon, Ohio. Richard Spearman died in Ohio at the age of ninety years. His wife died at Devonshire, England, in 1865.

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Memorial record of the counties of Delaware, Union and Morrow, Ohio, Part 11

Author: Publication date: 1895 Publisher: Chicago : Lewis Pub. Co. Number of Pages: 570

Author:
Publication date: 1895
Publisher: Chicago : Lewis Pub. Co.
Number of Pages: 570