Memorial record of the counties of Delaware, Union and Morrow, Ohio, Part 33

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 33
USA > Ohio > Morrow County > Memorial record of the counties of Delaware, Union and Morrow, Ohio > Part 33
USA > Ohio > Union County > Memorial record of the counties of Delaware, Union and Morrow, Ohio > Part 33

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two terms of six or eight days each, so that he is what he himself calls a two-term grad- uate.

In the spring of 1853 he left his father and went to Cleveland, and employed him- self to H. G. O. Carey, to travel and sell his medicines, the main article of which was Borrell's Indian Liniment. The first six months were spent in canvassing eastern and southern Ohio. In the fall of the same year he was sent to west Wisconsin, Illi- nois, Iowa and Minnesota. For four years he continued to travel froin place to place, loading at Chicago, Milwaukee, Madison, Galena, Rock Island, Peoria, La Fayette and Indianapolis. This gave him a very extensive knowledge of the West, and en- abled him to direct others to such places as they could get good land at Congress price. The result is that very many families are now in the West and have homes to which they were directed by him. He also took advantage of his knowledge of the West, and invested the first thousand dollars he ever earned in land in Black Hawk county, Iowa, getting for $1,000, 859 acres of as good land as a bird ever flew over, and from which he realized a comfortable fortune. It may be well to go back and say that in the summer of 1853, while at his uncle's, Irenias Springer's, he chanced to meet a little school-girl who was destined to be a partner in his successes and failures. Her name was Edmonia Dawson, a daughter of Dr. Nelson Dawson (deceased), of Putnam, Ohio. Horatio C. Hamilton and Edmonia Dawson were married in Davenport, Iowa, June 3, 1856. In the spring of 1857 they settled on their land in Black Hawk county, Iowa, and during the summer built a house and broke 120 acres of land. In the fall of the same year the panic struck Iowa,

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and its wild-cat money went down and be- came worthless, and with it came ruin to almost everybody and everything in Iowa. Corn, wheat, oats and potatoes fell in price from $1.25 to a mere nominal price. This, with other things, caused them to leave Iowa and return to Ohio. In the fall of 1861 they came to live with his father, -'Monia to take care of the house and Horatio the farm. When the second call for volunteers was made in 1862, he was appointed by Governor Tod to recruit the quota of Union county under said call. His commission was dated July 21, 1862, and on the 6th day of August he had one full company, and quite a num- ber who were assigned to other companies, principally to Captain Lawrence's company of the One Hundred and Twenty-first Ohio Volunteer Infantry. On the 7th of August he was elected Captain of the company that was organized, and as such was assigned to the Ninety-sixth Ohio Volunteer Infantry. The regiment was sent to Kentucky, and assigned to the command of Brigadier Gen- eral S. G. Burbridge, and the brigade was attached to Major General A. J. Smith's di- vision of the Thirteenth Army Corps. The regiment reached Kentucky on the Ist day of September, 1862. It will be remembered that at this time there was a sentiment among the new recruits that slaves and slave prop- erty were being wrongfully protected by the army, and that it was no part of a soldier's duty to protect rebel property and catch and return slaves to their masters. It began to be noticed that negroes were turned out of our lines with an ever-increasing degree of reluctance; also that Captain Hamilton was the friend of the oppressed, and that he did not always obey an order to do so inhuman a thing as to turn a fellow-man over to his rebel master, even in obedience to a posi-

tive command of a senior officer. Finally a boy, some fourteen years of age, came into the camp of the Ninety-sixth Ohio, at Nicholasville, Kentucky, calling himself William Clay, and reporting that his master was a rebel, and that he had thrown an ax at him (Billy), and that he wanted protec- tion. He found a friend in Captain Hamil- ton and remained with him, as a servant, for some tinie, until the army was ordered to move to Louisville. On the way, and as it passed through Versailles, a person dressed in the uniform of a Union soldier came, representing himself as being on Major General A. J. Smith's staff, and as such he ordered Captain Hamilton to deliver the boy Billy to him to be turned over to the jailer as an escaped slave. This he refused to do unless the order came in writing from General Smith in the ordinary way, being countersigned by General Burbridge and Colonel I. W. Vance of the Ninety-sixth Ohio Volunteer Infantry. This the fellow refused to get, but notified him that he would be back in fifteen minutes with a de- tachment of soldiers, and that he would take the boy by force. Upon this the Cap- tain turned to his company and told them that if it was going to be a question of force, they might load their guns and pre- pare for the affray. That order the com- pany made haste to execute, and as they did so one company after another did the same, until, as far as one could see, the road seemed to glisten with the light of the sun as it was reflected by several thousand ram- rods which were being used to send home the ball that was intended to perforate the hide of any man who would attempt to take Billy by force. The effect of this preparation was that the staff officer gave up his notion of taking the boy by force

DELAWARE, UNION AND MORROW COUNTIES, OHIO.

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at that time, but notified the Captain that the affair would be deferred till evening, at which time the boy would be taken by force and the Captain put under arrest for disobedience of orders. This kept the mat- ter brewing in the minds of the soldiers. As soon as the army was encamped for the night the soldiers held an impromptu meet- ing at which speeches were made and reso- lutions passed approving the course of Cap- tain Hamilton, and resolving that they would stand by him to the death. A com- mittee was appointed to inform him of their purpose, and he was soon waited on by a soldier, who made known their action to him and requested that if any move should be made to take the boy by force, im- mediate notice should be given to the officers and soldiers whose names were found on a card, which was handed to the Captain. This uprising of the soldiers, occasioned by the refusal of Captain Hamilton to give up the boy Billy, had the effect to stop all effort in the Army of Kentucky to arrest or return slaves to their masters.

On reaching Louisville the army was ordered to go to Memphis and Vicksburg. The boy could not be taken, and the only thing that could be done was either to let him loose in Kentucky, to be seized upon and returned to slavery, or to send him home to Ohio. The latter the Captain chose to do, but had to force his way across the river for fear of arrest; but he finally reached New Albany, Indiana, and bought a railroad ticket to Marysville for the boy, paying for it all the money he had and going $1.25 in debt. When the boy reached Richwood it set everything in commotion. Some approved of the course of the Cap- tain, others condemned. The party in op- position called a meeting, and resolved that

the "nigger" should not be permitted to stay, and that they would return him to his master, etc. They also resolved that Cap- tain Hamilton should not be permitted to return to Richwood. The matter got into all the papers of the State and of other States as well. Letters came to the Cap- tain from every quarter, some approving and some disapproving his course. One

, man, who was given to understanding the force of what he said, wrote him that it was supposed that an effort would be made to take the boy by force and send him back to Kentucky, but he said that the Captain need not be alarmed, for that many thousands of men were armed and ready for any move that might be made to return the boy.

Billy Clay and H. C. Hamilton both live in Richwood at this time, and this story would not have been told if it had not been for the fact of its having had so im- portant a part in the war in overthrowing the slave power, and in developing liberal and Christian sentiment at home. During the winter of 1862-3, while with Sher- man's army, Captain Hamilton contracted a nervous disease, the external evidence of which appeared as a cutaneous disease called lepra, from the effects of which he became as spotted as a leopard. In August follow- ing, he resigned his office of Captain and came home, since which time he has been a resident of Union county. He was pros- pered in business, and bought and paid for the Hamilton homestead, and was supposed to be a man of wealth until the panic of 1873, when, by bad management and secur- ity debts, he became involved and sold his property at a low figure and paid his debts. His wife, Edmonia, was taken from him by death on January 29, 1877. On March 4, 1879, he was married to Miss Molly Ken-

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dall, and they now live together in the vil- lage of Richwood In the meantime he partially regained his health as well as property, and bids fair for long life and future usefulness. In religious matters he is somewhat peculiar, and cares nothing for the religion that one feels, but goes his last dollar on the religion that one does .- From Howe's History of Ohio.

ENRY FLECKNER, of Sunbury, Ohio, occupies a prominent position in business circles. He is proprie- tor of a stone quarry near by, which adds not a little to his income. He was born June 28, 1844, and is a son of Peter and Catherine Fleckner.

When quite young, Henry Fleckner started out in life for himself, spending his boyhood in work in the ore mines of Mary- land. At the age of eighteen he responded to the country's call for troops, enlisting for three years' service as a member of Com- pany A, Eighteenth Regiment of United States Regulars. After leaving Lebanon, Kentucky, he was continuously in active service and participated in some of the most important engagements of the civil war, in- cluding the battle of Perryville, siege of Corinth, Hoover's Gap, Stone River (where he was wounded in the right eye), Chicka- mauga (where he was wounded in the right leg), charge on Missionary Ridge, Resaca and during Sherman's march, was wounded in the right arm at Dallas, Georgia, or near New Hope Church.

Mr. Fleckner had taken up his residence in Delaware in 1858, and was engaged in farm work until he joined the boys in blue. When the war was over and the country no longer needed his services he returned to his

home in Delaware, and for a time was en- gaged in teaming and contracting, making and grading streets. In 1877 he became a resident of Sunbury, where he has since made his home and established a stone quarry, which he is yet successfully conduct- ing. He also owns thirty-two acres of land which yield a fine quality of freestone and he there has a good quarry.

In 1866 Mr. Fleckner was united in mar- riage with Miss Louisa C. Burrer, a daugh- ter of Jacob and Catherine Burrer. They became the parents of four children, but Charles Robert and Julia K. are now de- ceased; Harry and Carrie being the only ones living.

Mr. Fleckner is a charter member of the Knights of Pythias Lodge of Delaware and belongs also to Galena Lodge, No. 404, I. O. O. F., and Sparr Lodge, No. 400, A. F. & A. M. His business success has been achieved through careful management and well-directed efforts, and is therefore justly merited.

R. E. LUELLEN, one of the rep- resentative and popular physicians and surgeons of Morrow county, Ohio, retains his residence and base of professional operations in Westfield township, and controls a large practice throughout this portion of the county. His father, Philip Luellen, was a native of Washington county, Pennsylvania, and was a farmer by occupation, being a son of Samuel Luellen, who was born in the same county, as was also his father, Philip. The family is of pure Welsh descent, and was represented in the early pioneer history of the old Keystone State. The mother of our subject was Hannah (Chase) Luellen, a

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native of the State of New York, and a daughter of Lewis Chase, who was born in the same State, being of English extraction, and a descendant of one of three brothers, who simultaneously emigrated to the New World. The parents of our subject's mother moved to Meigs county, Ohio, after their marriage,-this being about eighty years ago. They were the parents of three sons. The mother of Dr. Luellen had been previously married to a Mr. Birch, and they had four children, namely: Electa, de- ceased, was the wife of Jonas Foust, and was the mother of five children; Herman is a resident of Delaware county, this State; Almira, deceased, was the wife of Jacob Van Brimmer, and left four children; Melinda is the wife of Elijah Bishop, of Delaware county, and they are the parents of three sons and three daughters.

The parents of our subject were married in Meigs county about 1822, and they soon removed to Delaware county, where they remained two years, after which they located in Marlborough township, which was later annexed to Marion county, and which now constitutes Waldo township, Marion county. There the father died in 1833, his widow passing away, at a venerable age, in 1891. Our subject was the only child of this mar- riage. The parents were members of the Methodist Episcopal Church, but after the death of her husband, the mother united with the Baptist Church. When they took up their residence in this section they set- tled in the woods, their abiding place being one of the little log houses common to the place and period, and their nearest neigh- bors being a mile distant.

Dr. E. Luellen, the subject of this sketch, was born in Meigs county, Ohio, February 21, 1824. He was three years of

age when he came to Delaware county, where he was reared to farm life until six- teen years of age, and attended a log school - house. He then came to Westfield village to learn the tanners' trade, which he fol- lowed for four years. His health becoming impaired, Mr. Luellen began the study of medicine with Dr. George Granger, of Westfield, and later graduated at the Eclec- tic Medical Institute of Cincinnati, Ohio. For the following five years he practiced with Dr. Granger in this village, when the latter retired from the firm, and our subject has since continued the practice of medicine alone. He has been a practitioner here for forty-two years, excepting an interval of four years, during which time he conducted a drug store in Delaware. In addition to this practice, the Doctor has also operated a farm of 130 acres of well-improved land.

He was married December 14, 1853, to Nancy Trindle, born April 2, 1824, in West- field township, Morrow (then Delaware) county, a daughter of James and Anna (Brundage) Trindle. Doctor and Mrs. Luellen became the parents of two children: Clara Estella, born April 1, 1857, died August 30, 1880, and James C., born in Westfield, August 11, 1858. He received his education in this village and at Union Institute, Delaware. He attends to the farm of 330 acres belonging to him and his father, 250 acres of which is general farm- ing land, and is also extensively engaged in the raising of Aberdeen Angus thoroughbred cattle, which have taken premiums at the Delaware and Morrow county fairs. He also has registered Jersey cows. The Doc- tor and his son are stanch Republicans, and in an early day the former was a member of the Whig party. Socially he is a member of the State Eclectic Medical Society. The

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family are members of the Methodist Epis- copal Church, of which the Doctor is Stew- ard, and the son Trustee. The latter has also served as secretary and treasurer of the Sunday-school.

a L. VAN BRIMMER, ex-Recorder of Morrow county, Ohio, is now a retired citizen of Mount Gilead. We take pleasure in presenting the following sketch of his life in this work:

The Van Brimmer family was of Dutch origin, and Jacob Van Brimmer, the father of C. L., is supposed to have been born in Holland. He was married in Ohio to Miss Almira Birch, a native of the Buckeye State, and after their marriage they settled in Del- aware county, Ohio, from whence they shortly afterward removed to Indiana and located at Napoleon, Ripley county, where he died in 1842. The mother, with her lit- tle family, in the following autumn returned to Marion (now Morrow) county, Ohio, and settled on a place owned by her brother, Herman Birch, until her second marriage, which was to Nehemiah Smith. The fam- ily then removed to Westfield township, Morrow county, Ohio, where some time later she died, and was buried in the Coles cemetery, Baptist, Delaware county, Ohio. She had five children by her first marriage, of whom four are living, namely: Delight, wife of Amasa Holt, Delaware county, Ohio; C. L., the subject of this article; Amanda, wife of John McCannon, of Westerville, Delaware county, Ohio; and Martha, wife of Edwin M. Conklin, Westfield township, Morrow county. John, a member of Com- pany I, Third Ohio Volunteer Infantry, died of disease in 1862, the week following his

return home from the army. His remains repose in the Coles cemetery, Baptist, in Delaware county, Ohio.

C. L. Van Brimmer was born at Napo- leon, Indiana, November 8, 1841, and grew to manhood in the county in which he now lives, receiving only a limited education, and early in life being thrown upon his own re- sources. He first worked out as a farm hand and later was engaged in house paint- ing. He was in the employ of Josephus Mc- Laid when the civil war broke out, and in May, 1861, enlisted in the three months' service, being placed in Company I, Third Ohio Volunteer Infantry, and serving his time in camp in this State. At the expira- tion of that time the Third Ohio was reor- ganized and was sent to Virginia, and some time later to Kentucky, Tennessee and Ala- bama, Mr. Van Brimmer remaining with it and taking part in all the battles and skir- mishes in which it was engaged. At Perry- ville, about 3 o'clock p. m., October 8, 1862, he was struck by a fragment of a shell and had his right arm nearly torn off at the el- bow. It was amputated in the field hospi- tal. He was then moved to Antioch Church, three miles in the rear, thence to a sheep shed, remaining two days, and from there to Perryville, where he remained about a month. He was afterward in hospital at Louisville, and from there was sent to Camp Dennison, Ohio. April 1, 1863, he was discharged and returned home. He then began painting, making his home at West- field. After his marriage, which occurred in 1867, he continued to reside in Westfield for two years, from there removing to Car- dington, this county, and in 1881 coming to Mount Gilead, where he has since made his home. While in Cardington he was em- ployed as painter in a carriage shop and

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DELAWARE, UNION AND MORROW COUNTIES, OHIO.

furniture factory, being in the furniture factory of J. S. Peck for about thirteen years.

Mr. Van Brimmer was married in 1867 to Miss Lorinda M. Bishop, a native of Westfield township, this county, and a daughter of Joseph and Sally M. (Place) Bishop, both deceased. Her father, also a native of this township, was a son of Elisha Bishop, who was born in Virginia and who was one of the pioneers of the West- ern Reserve; her mother a native of Onon- daga county, New York, was a daughter of John F. Place, also of the Empire State and an early settler of this part of Ohio. Mr. and Mrs. Bishop had five children, three of whom are living: Anson W., of Henry county, Ohio; Loretta A. Williams, Van Wert, Ohio; and Mrs. Van Brimmer. Two sons are deceased, -- Henry and Brazilla. The former was Sergeant in the One Hundred and Twenty-first Ohio Volunteer Infantry and after taking part in the bat- tles of Perrysville and Chickamauga died while in the service, in 1863. Mr. Van Brim- mer went South and brought home his body, and his remains repose in the Baptist ceme- tery at Westfield, Ohio. Brazilla W. was a soldier in the same regiment. He also took part in the battle of Perrysville and died after the war, of disease contracted while in the service; he was also buried in the Baptist cemetery at Westfield, Ohio. Both were married and left widows.

Mr. and Mrs. Van Brimmer have twochil- dren: Curtis L. and Clarence J. Curtis L., married Minnie B. Hall: they have one child, Martha Louise: they live in Toledo, Ohio. After a service of five years with the T. & O. C. R. R. he accepted a more lucrative position with the C. H. & D. R. R., some two years since. Clarence J. also 16

has a position in the C. H. & D. office at Toledo.

Mr. Van Brimmer is a member of the G. A. R .; the U. V. L., of which he is a Color Bearer; and the Royal Arcanum at Mount Gilead, being its Vice Regent. Politically, he is a Republican and has al- ways taken an active part in public affairs, frequently serving as delegate to conven- tions. In 1882 he was elected Recorder of Morrow county, and served in that capacity six years. After his term of office expired he was for a time employed in a railroad office in Toledo, but he is now, as stated at the beginning of this sketch, living retired.

EV. JOHN G. VENNEMAN, priest in charge of Our Lady of Lourdes Roman Catholic Church, Marys- ville, Ohio, a man of ripe scholar- ship and marked executive ability, whose life has been consecrated to the cause of his Master and the uplifting of men, must of a surety be accorded mention in this connec- tion. Father Venneman is a native of the Buckeye State, having been born at Cin- cinnati, February 17, 1835. His parents, both of whom are now deceased, were J. G. Venneman and Catherine (Washford) Ven- neman, who were of Holland descent, and who were for many years residents of Evansville, Indiana, where the father was a man of prominence, having been engaged in the wholesale grocery business. He was a pioneer in this line of enterprise at Evans- ville. Our subject is one of seven child- ren, four of whom are living. He passed his childhood days at Evansville, and upon attaining the age of eleven years he was placed at St. Xavier College, Cincinnati, where he took the preliminary course of in-

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struction, after which he entered St. Louis University, St. Louis, Missouri, where he graduated at the early age of seventeen years. Soon after his graduation, our sub- ject went to Boston for the purpose of tak- ing up a course of theological study, with a view to preparing himself for holy orders. He completed his divinity course in 1867, was duly graduated, and after a time pro- ceeded to Leavenworth, Kansas, where he was presented and ordained to the order of priesthood by the Bishop of Kansas, Rt. Rev. J. B. Meige. In the interim between his graduation and ordination Father Ven- neman had not been idle. In 1855 he be- came a teacher in the Jesuit college at Spring Hill, Alabama, where he remained for two years, at the expiration of which time he was transferred to St. Xavier Col- lege, Cincinnati, and subsequently to St. Joseph's College, Kentucky. After his or- dination he continued in the educational field for a time, becoming a professor at St. Ignatius College, Chicago, and holding the office as director of the institution for two years. After this he was retained in charge of the department of poetry at St. Louis University for a period of four years, there- after entering upon the more specific exer- cise of his priestly functions by going as missionary to Alabama, visiting the rude settlements in the great pine forests of that State, encountering many vicissitudes and enduring many hardships and inconveniences. He continued his work for three years, and then came North and conducted missions in several of the Eastern cities, after which he went to Helena, Montana, and took charge of all the missions and stations between that point and Miles City, covering a dis- tance of nearly 600 miles. This heavy burden he bore for about four years, being

on the road more than 300 days in each year, in all kinds of weather and with the mercury ranging at times between thirty and fifty degrees below zero. He also did missionary duty in Wyoming Territory for somewhat more than a year, after which he came to Marysville, where he has since re- sided, not resting from arduous toil, but laboring in a more quiet, peaceful field, not marked for so great a physical tension as superinduced to that of the mind.

While in Montana Father Venneman erected two churches, one at Miles City and one at Boulder City, also beginning the erection of a third. The Church of Our Lady of Lourdes was established in Marys- ville about thirty years ago, being for a number of years in charge of the priests from Columbus, Delaware, and Urbana, Ohio. About 1870, the first resident pas- tor, Father Paul, was secured, and since that time the charge has had regular incum- bents, viz .: Fathers Keffmeyer, Menke, Mazuret, Murphy, Dexter, and Hickey. Our subject was assigned to this parish in 1891, and he also has charge of the church organizations at Milford Center, Mechanics- burg, Woodstock, North Lewisburg, and Irwin, the total membership in the churches under his charge aggregating nearly one hundred families. The church in Marys- ville has now a membership of about twenty families, and its affairs are in a prosperous condition. The church building, which is merely a chapel, was erected many years ago, and has proved inadequate for the ac- commodation of the parishioners, who look forward to the erection of a modern and commodious edifice in the near future.

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Memorial record of the counties of Delaware, Union and Morrow, Ohio, Part 33

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