USA > Ohio > Delaware County > Memorial record of the counties of Delaware, Union and Morrow, Ohio > Part 39
USA > Ohio > Morrow County > Memorial record of the counties of Delaware, Union and Morrow, Ohio > Part 39
USA > Ohio > Union County > Memorial record of the counties of Delaware, Union and Morrow, Ohio > Part 39
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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 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49 | Part 50 | Part 51 | Part 52 | Part 53 | Part 54 | Part 55 | Part 56 | Part 57 | Part 58 | Part 59 | Part 60 | Part 61 | Part 62 | Part 63 | Part 64 | Part 65 | Part 66 | Part 67 | Part 68
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DELAWARE, UNION AND MORROW COUNTIES, OHIO.
of service in July, 1865, having participated in the grand parade at Washington. Mr. Mc- Cracken is a charter member of John Bayne Post, G. A. R., of Chesterville, and forty- two years ago became a member of the I. O. O. F., having been one of the first initi- ated in that order. He has passed all the chairs in the latter lodge, and has also been a member of the encampment. In his po- litical relations he affiliates with the Re- publican party, has served as Trustee of Chester township five years, been a mem- ber of the School Board, has frequently been a delegate to county conventions, and is now serving as Infirmary Director of Morrow county. He has also been a mem- ber of the City Council of Chesterville.
In 1848 Mr. McCracken was united in marriage with Elizabeth States, who was born in Tompkins county, New York, Sep- tember 30, 1829, a daughter of Benjamin and Elizabeth (Hinckley) States, natives of New York. They came to Ohio in 1832, locating on a farm in Huron county, after- ward spent seven years in Richland county, and in 1839 located at Center Corners, then called States Corners, having been named in honor of the States family. Mr. and Mrs. States had nine children, all now de- ceased but Mrs. McCracken, who was the youngest of the family. The parents were members of the Baptist Church, in which the father was one of the leading singers. He was an active worker in the Whig party. Christopher McCracken and wife are the parents of two children, W. Thurston, who married Lottie Trowbridge, resides in Cleve- land. They have one son, Fred. T. Loa B., is the wife of James Thomas, of Ches- terville. Mr. and Mrs. McCracken are members of the Baptist Church, in which he is a Deacon.
J UDGE L. PIPER, Marysville, Ohio, has for a number of years been prominently identified with the pub- lic affairs of Union county, and is well known throughout this part of Ohio. A glance at his life and ancestry reveals the following facts:
Two brothers by the name of Piper emigrated to America from the Emerald Isle, their native land, in 1790, one locating in Cape Girardeau, Missouri, and the other in Pennsylvania. The latter, whose name was Robert, was the grandfather of our subject. He was married in Pennsylvania to Miss Susannah Cochran, who was born September 16, 1781, and in 1813 they re- moved to Ohio and settled in Union town- ship, Union county. Their children were: Eleanor, Margaret, William C., Mary, Ro- sannah and Jane. After his death his widow became the wife of John Porter, by whom she had two children, -Mary and Susan. Her death occurred August 14, 1824.
William C. Piper, the Judge's father, was born in Washington county, Pennsyl- vania, and was six years of age at the time his parents moved to Ohio. His boyhood days were spent in diligent work on the home farm, and when a young man he went to Milford to learn the trade of carpenter. In 1834 he married Miss Hannah F., daughter of Richard Gabriel, who was born on her father's farm in Union township, this county, in October 1811. In 1834 Mr. Piper purchased the farm on which his widow and children now reside, and where he spent the rest of his life and died, his death being recorded in May, 1876. He was a man of sterling qualities, and was honored and respected in the community where he lived. For thirty-three consecu- tive years he filled the office of Township
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Trustee. The Whig party at one time solicited his candidacy for Sheriff, but he re- spectfully declined. He was a man of re- fined taste, a great reader, quiet and unos- tentatious in his habits, and a lover of home. Of his seven children, five are living.
Leonidas Piper, the eldest of the family, is the subject of this article. He was born on the homestead farm in Union township, Union county, Ohio, November 22, 1836, and in the select schools of the township received his early education. Then for two years he was a student in the Otterbein Uni- versity, Franklin county, Ohio, and subse- quently he entered the Ohio Wesleyan Uni- versity, Delaware, Ohio, where he graduat- ed in June, 1864. The year following his graduation he began the study of law in the office of Colonel M. C. Lawrence, of Marys- ville, and in June, 1867, was admitted to the bar by the District Court of Delaware county. March 15, 1869, the law firm of Robinson & Piper was formed, which asso- ciation continued until February 13, 1888. In October, 1869, he was elected Prosecut- ing Attorney, and was re-elected to the same office in the fall of 1871. In 1887 he was elected Probate Judge, in 1890 was again elected to this office, and served from February, 1888, to February, 1894, since which time he has given his attention to the practice of law.
Judge Piper has always taken a deep in- terest in educational matters. For twenty- two years he has been a member of the School Board, most of which time he has served as Clerk, which position he is now filling. From January, 1867, to the close of the following year he was Superintendent of Schools, and he served as County Ex- aminer from 1867 to 1874. During the war of the Rebellion he enlisted as a musi-
cian in the brigade band, but after a short service was taken sick, and while he was in hospital the band was discharged. Frater- nally he is connected with the Masons and the G. A. R. He was reared by Presby- terian parents and has been a member of this church for a number of years. Since 1873 he has been an Elder in the Presby- terian Church at Marysville.
Judge Piper was married April 29, 1869, to Miss Martha Coe, daughter of Daniel and Mary Coe. She was born October 13, 1845, and died June 15, 1882, leaving four children : Kate, William C., Ralph M., and Ruth. The last named child died July 23, 1887. June 24, 1886, Judge Piper mar- ried his present companion, whose maiden name was Rachel Conard and who was a resident of Hillsborough, Ohio. They had one child, Earle C., born August 7, 1890.
Much more might be said of the life of this active and useful man, but enough has been given to serve as an index to his character and show that his influence has ever been directed in the cause of truth and right.
ON. JOHN W. BARRY, Prose- cuting Attorney, Mount Gilead, Morrow county, Ohio, was born in Cardington township, this coun- ty, December 17, 1852.
His father, Yalvesten P. Barry, was born near Utica, Licking county, Ohio, March 12, 1832, and, when six years of age, went with his parents to Westfield township, Morrow county, this State. His father, Captain Elisha Barry, was born in Anne Arundel county, Maryland, September 4, 1787; at the age of twenty-five married Rachel Lucas, who was born January 3,
-
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DELAWARE, UNION AND MORROW COUNTIES, OHIO.
1798; and about 1830 they emigrated to Ohio. She died at Shawtown, Morrow county, this State, June 10, 1835, and he passed away at the same place, June 7, 1874. He won the title of Captain in the war of 1812. For sixty years he was a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church, and for thirty years of that time was a Class Leader. Few of the early settlers of his county were better known or more highly respected than he. His son, Yalvesten P., received his education in the primitive log schoolhouse at Shawtown. He was mar- ried at the age of eighteen, in Cardington township, this county, to Hannah E. Bene- dict, and there settled on a farm, where he resided until 1859. That year they re- moved to Westfield township, and in 1880 returned to Cardington township, where they still reside. Mrs. Barry is a daughter of Eli and Elizabeth (Shaw) Benedict, early settlers of Cardington township, where she was born in 1832. Her people are of English descent, while the Barrys are of Irish origin. Y. P. Barry, being a son of a veteran of the war of 1812, and the grandson of a Revolutionary soldier, was not slow to show his patriotism when the civil war came on. In October, 1861, he enlisted in Company K, Sixty-sixth Ohio Volunteer Infantry, under Captain J. H. Van Deman, and went to the front. He participated in numerous engagements, and in his last battle, that of Chancellorsville, he was struck in the arm by a piece of shell, and was permanently disabled, a few months later being discharged. His brother, Joshua S., a member of the One Hundred and Twenty-first Ohio Volunteer Infantry, was wounded at the battle of Chickamauga, and died while having his arm amputated.
Y. P. Barry and his wife have five chil-
dren, three sons and two daughters, viz .: Eli E., a farmer of Martin county, Indiana; John W., whose name heads this article; Lorinda J., wife of Elliott Breniger, of Westfield township; Charles B., a farmer of Cardington township; and Rachel E., wife of James Gillett, of Paulding county, Ohio.
John W. Barry was reared on his father's farm, receiving his education in the dis- trict school by attending three months each year. After his marriage, which oc- curred in 1873, he was engaged in farming for six years. Then he moved to Carding- ton and began the study of law in the office of Robert F. Bartlett, and after pursuing the study of law, as well as other branches of learning, for three years, he formed a partnership with Mr. Bartlett, with whom he was associated until 1891. In the meantime, in 1881, he was elected Justice of the Peace and served six years, and in 1884 he was Mayor of Cardington. In 1891 he was nominated by acclamation by the Republicans for the office of Prosecuting Attorney, and was elected. The following spring he moved to Mount Gilead, where he has since resided, and in 1894, he again re- ceived the nomination for the same office, receiving it by acclamation, as before, and was on November 6 successfully re-elected.
Mr. Barry was married October 2, 1873, to Miss Minnie Ocker, a native of Carding- ton township, this county, and a daughter of Thomas and Ann (Silver) Ocker.
Fraternally he is identified with the I. O. O. F. at Cardington and the K. of P. at Mount Gilead.
Mr. Barry has attained an enviable posi- tion at the bar. Three years ago he formed a law partnership with Judge Andrews, un- der the firm name of Andrews & Barry,
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which still exists, and they are doing a lead- ing business in their chosen profession. Mr. Barry has also been quite successful in a financial way and is possessed of consider- able real estate. In all his professional, busi- ness and local relations Mr. Barry enjoys the respect and confidence of those who come in contact with him. His home life is pure and kindly, and across his threshold we find a typical American home.
ETER PERKINS, a farmer of Lin- coln township, Morrow county, was born in Belmont county, Ohio, February 8, 1819. His father, Stephen Perkins, a native of Virginia, came with his parents to Belmont county when a boy of fifteen years. His father was also a native of Virginia, of English descent, and was among the early pioneers of Bel- mont county. His death occurred in Guern- sey county, Ohio, in his seventieth year. The mother of our subject, née Katie Ogan, was a native of Virginia, and came with her parents to Belmont county when about thir- teen years of age. Her father, Peter Ogan, was also a native of that State and a stone- mason by trade. Mr. and Mrs. Stephen Perkins were married in Belmont county, where they remained until death, the former dying at the age of ninety-one years, and the latter at the age of sixty years. He was a member and active worker in the Friends, Church. Stephen Perkins and wife were the parents of fourteen children, namely: David, born in 1812, is a resident of Iowa; Ann, of Belmont county; Euphany, de- ceased; Hannah, of Iowa; Peter, our sub- ject; Jonathan, of Wayne county, Indiana; Mary Jane Humphreys, of Iowa; Martha, de- ceased; Stephen and Lewis, also of Iowa;
Betsey Ann Russell, of Belmont county; John, of Iowa; Sarah C., of Belmont county; and one daughter died in infancy.
Peter Perkins, the fifth child and second son, was reared and educated in Belmont county. He assisted on the home farm until his marriage, and in 1847 came to what is now Morrow county, locating on his present farm in the woods. He has added to his original purchase until he now owns 106 acres of well-improved land. In political matters he is a Republican, and at one time served as Township Trustee.
In November, 1842, Mr. Perkins was united in marriage with Emily Russell, who was born and reared in Belmont county. Her death occurred in 1882. To this union were born ten children, as follows: Phœbe Ann, deceased when young; Isaac, died at Louisville, Kentucky, while a soldier in the civil war; Jephthah, also a soldier in the late war, is unmarried, and resides with his father; Stephen, a farmer of Iowa; Robert, of Belmont county, Ohio; William, of Iowa; Sarah C., wife of John Caris, of Fulton, this county; George, deceased when young; Elizabeth Ann, at home, and Martin L., who is married and resides on the home farm.
YRUS W. CHIDESTER, physician and surgeon, Delaware, Ohio, has been a resident of this city since May 1, 1890. For one year he was associated in practice with Dr. E. H. Hyatt, and at the end of that time he opened an office at his present location, 53 North San- dusky street, and has since practiced alone, giving his attention to a general practice. His abilities were soon recognized here and he has already filled various important positions. He
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is assistant surgeon at this point for the Big Four Railroad Company, is physician to the county jail, was elected Coroner of Dela- ware county in 1892, and is examining phy- sician for several life insurance companies, among which are the Home Life Insurance Company, of New York, the Provident Life & Trust Company, of Philadelphia, and the Phoenix Life, of Hartford, Connecticut. He was medical examiner of Lenape Lodge, Knights of Pythias, of this city, for two years, of which order he has been a mem- ber three years, and he also filled the same position two years in Olentangy Lodge, No. 53, I. O. O. F. He is a member of the Ohio State Association of Railway Surgeons.
Dr. Chidester is a native of Kingwood, West Virginia, born November 4, 1861, son of Harrison and Louvina (Falkenstein) Chidester, who were of Welsh and Ger- man origin. The family removed to Hock- ing county, Ohio, in 1867 and located at Union Furnace. His parents still reside there, and there our subject lived until he entered upon his professional career. His boyhood days were spent on the farm and his early education was obtained in the dis- trict schools. In 1880 he was granted a li- cense to teach in the public schools of the county, which vocation he took up and fol- lowed at intervals for five years. With the money he earned by teaching he defrayed his expenses through college. In 1883 he was a student at the Ohio University, at Athens, Ohio, and the following year he en- tered the Ohio Normal University, at Ada, Ohio, where he completed a scientific course and graduated in July, 1887. That same year he entered the office of Dr. H. G. Campbell, of Logan, Ohio, for the purpose of reading medicine, and in the fall of 1887 he became a student in the Columbus Medi-
cal College. He graduated in medicine in the spring of 1890, ranking second in a class of thirty-two, and also taking second prize in a competitive examination. While he was attending college at the Ohio Normal University, that institution conferred upon him the degrees of B. S. and M. S. It was through the influence of Dr. Hyatt that he located in Delaware, and here his excellent qualifications and his special fitness for his chosen profession soon brought him to the front.
Dr. Chidester was married in Delaware, May 10, 1892, to Miss Clara M. Fresh- water, daughter of William and Sarah J. Freshwater, of this city. Mrs. Chidester is an accomplished and charming lady. She is a graduate of the Ohio Wesleyan Univer- sity at Delaware and of the Central College of Eclectic Short-Hand, Chicago; was for two years professor of stenography and typewriting in Michael's Business College, this city, and for one year was private sec- retary of the superintendent of the Soldiers' and Sailors' Orphans' Home at Xenia, Ohio. They reside at No. 66 North Washington street. Both the Doctor and his wife are members of the Methodist Episcopal Church. He is a stanch Republican, and takes an active part in local affairs. As a writer he wields a facile pen. He has contributed much valuable matter to medical journals and other periodicals.
ILLIAM B. YOUNG, a veterinary dentist and stock dealer of Dela- ware county, whose home is on a good farm in Berlin township, was born in the city of Delaware on the 22d of August, 1861, and is a son of Will-
1
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MEMORIAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD OF
iam and Olive (Cruikshank) Young, both of whom were born in this State. The father was a member of the regular army for many years, and is now steward in the Soldiers' Home in Leavenworth, Kansas. The mother is now deceased, having been called to the home beyond in 1884.
Mr. Young, the subject of this memoir, received but ordinary school privileges, and when quite young began earning his own livelihood. He commenced dealing in horses, and has since followed that business during the greater part of the time, it proving to him a profitable venture. In the year 1884 he made his first purchase of land, becom- ing owner of a tract of seventy-five acres in Berlin township, upon which he still makes his home. His time and attention are now largely given to the practice of veterinary dentistry, which he carries on with good success.
On the 27th of October, 1881, Mr. Young was married, Miss Elnora Johnson becoming his wife. The lady is a daughter of Harvey and Margaret (Cronkleton) John- son, who are now deceased. Her father was a farmer, and followed that occupation throughout his entire life. He passed away in 1884, and his wife, who survived him about six years, was called to the home be- yond in 1890. The union of Mr. and Mrs. Young was blessed with a family of five children, four of whom are yet living: Lena Pearl, Hazel Ione, William Ethan, and Harvey Lewis. Georgiana died when bat five weeks old. The parents are both mem- bers of the Baptist Church, and in this community, where they have so long re- sided, they are widely and favorably known. Their friends are many, and by all they are held in the highest regard, for they possess many excellencies of character.
J CLINTON MAIN, a prominent farmer and stock-raiser of Troy town- ship, Delaware county, Ohio, was born here July 8, 1835. His father, James Main, was a native of Virginia, who came to Delaware county, Ohio, with his parents when he was two years old and was reared in Troy township. His life was that of a farmer and stock-raiser. He mar- ried Anna Cole, and they settled in a log cabin he had built in the midst of the for- est. He cleared and improved his farm, was a hard-working and highly respected man, and during his life wielded an influence for good in the pioneer settlement where he lived. He died at the age of sixty-eight years. His political affiliations were with the Democratic party and for a number of years he served as Township Trustee with- out salary, on account of the township be- ing in debt. He has also served as School Director. He was identified with the old- school Baptist Church and for a number of years was a Deacon in the same. It may be said of him that there were few, if any, better men in the whole community than James Main. He was the father of nine children, seven of whom grew to adult years, and to each of them he gave fifty acres of land, all his property having been acquired by his own efforts and with the assistance of his good wife. Mr. Main was temperate in all his habits, never using stimulants or to- bacco, and his liberal contributions to all worthy causes proved him to be a man of great generosity.
Colonel Timothy Main, the grandfather of our subject, was also a native of the Old Dominion. It was about 1813 that he came with his family to Troy township, Ohio, and here the rest of his life was spent among frontier scenes. He was a great hunter,
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DELAWARE, UNION AND MORROW COUNTIES, OHIO.
and by his jolly and genial nature won hosts of friends wherever he went. He was a Colonel in the militia.
John Clinton Main was the second born in his father's family and is the oldest one now living. His early education was re- ceived in the old-fashioned log school-house near his home, but his schooling was com- pleted in a frame building. He remained at home until he attained his majority.
September 28, 1856, he married Dee- meann Moses, a native of this township and a daughter of James and Hannah (Main) Moses, the former born in Marion county, Ohio, and the latter in Virginia. She is the oldest of a family of six. Mr. and Mrs. Main have two children : Florence, deceased, and Cora, wife of James Vergon, of Delaware township, this county.
After his marriage Mr. Main went to Tama county, Iowa, but a short time after- ward he came back to Delaware county, Ohio, and for three years continued farm- ing in Troy township. His next move was to Jefferson county, Illinois. Disappointed in this location, he turned around without even unloading his wagon and came back again to Ohio, this time settling in Marion county, where he purchased a farm and lived for some time, which farm he subse- quently sold at a profit of $700. After dis- posing of his Marion county farm, he bought a portion of the tract of land he now occupies, at first buying eighty acres and subsequently adding to it until he is now the owner of 300 acres. This is one of the best farms in the township. Mr. Main is extensively interested in stock, keeping an average of fifty head of cattle the year round. He has had his share of misfortunes and has had to pay numerous security debts, but notwithstanding this he has prospered
and is to-day ranked with the substantial men of his community. For six years he served as a member of the Infirmary Board. Politically he is a Democrat.
APTAIN C. W. WILES, superin- tendent of the Delaware Water Company, Delaware, Ohio, has been a resident of this city since 1892, when he came here to assume the du- ties of his present position. He has been engaged in this line of work during the past seven years, is master of the business in its every detail, and is the right man in the right place.
Captain Wiles was born in Cortland county, New York, and was reared on a farm, receiving a high-school and academic education. He taught school one year. He was just merging into young manhood when the civil war came on, and September 20, 1862, at the age of eighteen, he enlisted in Company L, Tenth New York Cavalry, and served with distinction until he was mus- tered out, his discharge being dated at Syr- acuse, New York, August 10, 1865. He en- tered the service as a bugler; was commis- sioned Lieutenant in the command of Gen- eral Davies in January, 1865; and after his return from the army was brevetted Cap- tain by the Governor for his meritorious service. He was in the army of the Poto- mac, and was in all the battles of that army from December, 1862, until the close of the war, and during all that time, although he was always at the front, he never received a wound nor was taken prisoner. He, how- ever, had four horses killed under him and at one time was knocked from his horse by a shell. During the past twenty-five years he has served as secretary of the Associa-
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tion of Tenth New York Cavalry Veterans, and in 1893 he was elected Colonel of the same.
At the close of the war he returned to his home in New York State, but on ac- count of ill health he was unfitted for busi- ness for two years. At the end of that time he engaged in the mercantile business in his native town, and continued the same some six years. Then he sold out and about that time was appointed an officer in the Auburn State Prison, which position he filled three years. After that he moved to Syracuse, New York, and entered the largest dry-goods house in that city, where he had charge of the black dress-goods department. The close confinement of the store caused his health to break down, and he sought other occupation. Under President Arthur's ad- ministration he received an appointment in the railway mail service, and here once more his health failed him and he was com- pelled to resign his position. He then re- turned to Cortland, New York, and soon after engaged with the water company, which was making an extension to its lines in that town. He began by laying the pipe lines, and worked on up in the various de- partments of the business until he has at- tained his present position. He now has full control of the company's business at this point, and under his supervision its affairs have prospered.
Captain Wiles is connected with various fraternal organizations. He is a member of the F. & A. M., Marathon Lodge, No. 438, which he joined in 1866; Cortland Chapter, No. 194, R. A. M., and Cortland Comman- dery, No. 50, K. T .; the A. O. U. W., No. 351, Cortland, New York; and Grover Post, No. 98, G. A. R. He has been a member of the post since 1868 and has served as its
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