USA > Ohio > Delaware County > Memorial record of the counties of Delaware, Union and Morrow, Ohio > Part 51
USA > Ohio > Morrow County > Memorial record of the counties of Delaware, Union and Morrow, Ohio > Part 51
USA > Ohio > Union County > Memorial record of the counties of Delaware, Union and Morrow, Ohio > Part 51
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
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
In 1889 Judge Banker married Miss Clara Kreis, a native of Cardington, daughter of Hon. George Kreis, and they have had two children, -Helen E. and Ruth V. The former died at the age of three years.
37 1
DELAWARE, UNION AND MORROW COUNTIES, OHIO.
Socially the Judge is identified with the Masonic order, having taken the Royal Arch degrees. Thus in social, political and educational circles he is well known, and is justly entitled to the high esteem in which he is held.
ILLIAM PATTAN, deceased, was the first settler of Liberty town- ship, Delaware county, Ohio, and was the progenitor of a large and highly respected family of this State.
He was born, reared and married in Maryland, the lady of his choice being Mary Harden, and after their marriage they came west to Ohio, and settled on a large tract of land where Marietta now stands. There he made a clearing in the forest and resided for some years, and in 1804 removed from that place to what is now Liberty township, Delaware county, then a trackless wilderness. Here he cut down the trees and built a log cabin, and soon he and his wife and their little family of five children were comfortably estab- lished in their pioneer home, far removed from any other habitation. And here he lived until his family were all grown and married, after which he distributed a por- tion of his property among his children and sold the rest. He then bought property at Prospect, Ohio, where he spent the residue of his life and died. He was eminently a successful man. During the war of 1812 he served as Captain, and did faithful serv- ice for his country. An enthusiastic Meth- odist, and an exhorter in the church, he exemplified in his own life the truths which he tried to impress upon others. His famn- ily was composed of the following members: Thomas, who removed to Marion county,
Ohio, and engaged in farming; Richard, a merchant of Marion county; Sally, wife of Oran Powers; William, a farmer of Marion county; Isaac, who remained in Liberty township, Delaware county, and further mention of whom is given below; Oran, a banker of Marion county; Lorenzo, a farmer of Marion county; Ruth, who died in early life; Milton, M. D., of Larue, Ohio; and Maria, widow of Thomas Berry, a mer- chant of Marion county. All the sons grew up to be successful men and honored and useful citizens.
Isaac, the fifth of the family, was born in Marietta, Ohio, in 1801, and died in Delaware county, Ohio, in 1893. He spent his whole life on the farm upon which his father had settled, devoting his energies to agricultural pursuits, and being successful in his operations. He assisted in making the shingles which covered the first building erected in the city of Delaware. In his re- ligious views he followed in the footsteps of his honored father, and was one of the first members of the Williams Street Methodist Church of Delaware. Politically he was first a Whig and afterward a Republican. His first Presidential vote was cast for William Henry Harrison, and his last for Benjamin Harrison. His wife, whose maiden name was Ariel Eaton, was born in Vermont in 1803, and died in Delaware county, Ohio, in 1872. They had six chil- dren, viz .: William, a farmer of Liberty township, Delaware county; Levi, who died in infancy; Millard, deceased; Luvia, wife of John Gardner, of Delaware; Stephen, who occupies the old home farm in Liberty township; and Mary, deceased.
Of Mrs. Isaac Pattan, we further record that she was of English descent, and that her father, Levi Eaton, was a soldier in the
372
MEMORIAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD OF
Revolutionary war. He came with his family to Franklin county, Ohio, at an early day and settled on a farm, where he met with prosperity and where he spent the rest of his life and died. His children were Fannie, Levi, Lavernie, Philanda, Stephen, Ariel, Ruth and Phoebe. Mrs. Pattan was a woman of deep piety and high intellectual attainments. She was for a number of years a teacher in the Worthington Female Seminary of Ohio.
As above noted, two sons and one daughter are the only survivors of the fami- ly of Isaac Pattan. This daughter, Luvia, in 1866 became the wife of John Gardner, a highly respected citizen of Delaware county, who was for years an active minister of the Methodist Episcopal Church, continuing in the work until failing health compelled him to retire. He was born in New Jersey in 1821, son of Moses and Seba (Dickinson) Gardner, and came to Delaware county, Ohio, with his parents when he was ten or twelve years old. Mr. and Mrs. Gardner lived on a farm prior to 1881, but since that time have made their home in Dela- ware, now living with their only child, Ariel, widow of Christian E. Graff. They occupy a beautiful residence at No. 25 West Central Avenue. Mr. Graff was one of the promising young business men of Delaware, and his untimely death occurred in 1891. Mrs. Graff has one child, George Edward.
Such, in brief, is a sketch of this pio- neer of pioneers and his posterity.
S ILAS D. WOLFLEY, dealer in hides and furs, Delaware, Ohio, was born in Delaware county, this State, March 6, 1846, son of John and Hattie (Allen) Wolfley. He received
his education in Delaware, and when he was fifteen years old began to learn the trade of tanner in his father's tannery. This was during the civil war, and, young as he was, he felt it his duty to enter the Union ranks, which he did May 2, 1864, at the age of sev- enteen. He enlisted in Company D, One Hundred and Forty-fifth Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry, and was mustered out August 24, 1864, at Camp Chase. Re-en- listing February 3, 1865, he served until September 18, 1865, when he was mustered out at Nashville, Tennessee, as Corporal. His first service was near Washington and the latter part of his army career was in Tennessee and Georgia. The war over, he returned to his home in Delaware and re- sumed work at his trade, with which he has been connected up to the present time. He has been at the head of the hide and leather firm of S. D. Wolfley since its establish- ment, having the entire supervision of the business. At the present he confines his operations to the handling of hides and furs. Mr. Wolfley has also dealt considerably in real estate in this city and county and also at Bowling Green, Ohio.
He was married in Fairfield county, Ohio, March 13 1867, to Maggie Allen, daughter of Lyman P. and Eliza Allen. They have had two children, viz .: Clara, deceased wife of Dr. W. N. Leonard, of Delaware; and Mary, wife of Frank Huff, also of this city.
The family are members of Williams Street Methodist Episcopal Church, of which Mr. Wolfley has been identified for over thirty years. He is also an Odd Fel- low and a member of the Grand Army of the Republic, being a member of the George B. Torrence Post, No. 60. His political affiliations are with the Republican party.
373
DELAWARE, UNION AND MORROW COUNTIES, OHIO.
J E. RODGERS, the well-known Re- corder of Delaware county, who makes his home in the city of Dela- ware, has the honor of being a native of this locality, his birth having occurred in Scioto township on the 4th of October, 1862, and in that township he has spent nearly his entire life, coming to the city only when called here by his official duties. He is an only son of Ezekiel and Mary(Dodds) Rodgers, both now deceased, the mother having passed away at the age of twenty-three years, while the father died in the fifty-ninth year of his age. He was a member of the Presbyterian Church, held membership with Tanners Post, G. A. R., and was a highly respected citizen, whose sterling worth won for him many warm friends. The Rodgers family was established in Delaware in 1830, and the Dodds family in 1813, and its mem- bers were therefore numbered among the pioneer settlers of this locality.
No event of special importance occurred during the childhood and youth of our sub- ject, who was reared to manhood under the parental roof in the usual manner of farmer lads. After he had attained to years of maturity he was united in marriage with Miss Carrie Tuller, the wedding being cele- brated in 1885, and by their union have been born three children, namely: Imel B., LeRoy and Clarence.
When the grandparents of our subject came to Delaware county, they located land and developed a farm which is now the property of J. E. Rodgers, and he continued its cultivation with good success until No- vember, 1893, when he was nominated and elected to the office of County Recorder. He then came to the city, and has since devoted his time to the discharge of his official duties, administering the affairs of
the position in a very acceptable manner. His long residence in this county has made him widely known, and his well-spent life has gained him high regard.
M. GARDNER, proprietor of a tile factory and sawmill at New California, Union county, Ohio, is one of the enterprising young men of the town.
This factory and mill plant was built in 1886 by his father, F. M. Gardner, and is one of the most complete establishments of its kind to be found. The sheds are 1 70 x 30 feet, the engine is a 30-horse power, and the capacity of the kiln is 1, 300 rods of 3-inch tile. Six men are here employed, Mr. Gardner has a local market for all his prod- uct and does an annual business of $2, 500. He has worked at this business for a num- ber of years, thoroughly understands its every detail, and is meeting with merited success.
A. M. Gardner was born in 1872, and comes from a worthy ancestry. His father, F. M. Gardner was born in Athens county, Ohio, in 1847, son of Obadiah Gardner and grandson of Captain Gardner, a sea captain of Gardner, Maine. The Gardners are of Scotch origin. Obadiah Gardner's wife, née Maria Vincent, was a daughter of Captain John Vincent, her father also being a sea captain. F. M. Gardner married Maria Rettenhouse, daughter of Thomas Retten- house, and a lady of culture and refinement. She died in November, 1877, leaving three sons and one daughter, viz .: Albert M., Harry, Laura, and Lester.
Albert M. is a member of the United Presbyterian Church, affiliates with the Pro- hibition party, and is a young man of the
374
MEMORIAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD OF
highest integrity of character. His frank and genial manner make liim a favorite with his many friends. It is too soon on his journey of life to attempt a sketch of his ca- reer, for much of it, we trust, is before him.
S AMUEL HOFFMIRE, a retired farmer of Lincoln township, Mor- row county, was born in Knox county, Ohio, March 24, 1824. His father, Isaac Hoffmire, was a native of Bedford county, Pennsylvania, and a son of Samuel Hoffmire, also born in that State. He came to Knox county, Ohio, in 1810, locating on Owl Creek, four miles north of Fredericktown, where he entered land. He was one of the earliest settlers there, and remained there until his death. Isaac Hoff- mire located on a farm a mile and a half from his father's place, where he also de- parted this life. He was of German descent. The mother of our subject, Margaret (Pack- er) Hoffmire, was a Quaker by birth. Her parents located in Richland county, Ohio, in 1810. She was a daughter of Moses Packer, and one of her brothers was a Quaker minister. She had three brothers who were Mormons, and participated in the Mormon massacre at Nauvoo, Illinois. Isaac Hoffinire and wife had eight sons, namely: Luther, deceased; Samuel, the subject of this sketch; Milton, of Fulton, Morrow county; Moses, deceased; Job, who is sup- posed to be a resident of Oklahoma; Thomas, who died from wounds received in the late war; James, of Colorado; and Burr, who was lost in the mountains and died there.
Samuel Hoffmire, the eldest child now living, was reared in Knox county, and re- ceived his education in the subscription
schools. During those days he had to cut his regular share of wood to keep the old school-house warm, the windows of which were made of greased paper. His father purchased forty acres of land, except a small payment down, on credit, and they put in twenty acres of wheat, from the sale of which they received sufficient money to pay for the land. At the age of twenty-two years Mr. Hoffinire left home and began work by the month, receiving $10 per month, for three months, after which he worked for himself at harness-making and blacksmith- ing. In 1849 he came to Lincoln township, Morrow county, bought an improved farm, on credit, remaining there six years, then moved to Perry township, and then in 1858 bought an improved farin in Lincoln town- ship, on ten years' time, and in 1865 moved where he now lives. During his residence in this county he has owned ten different farms. Mr. Hoffmire began life for himself with nothing but a three-year-old colt, and he now owns forty-three acres of well-im- proved land, and has given 100 acres to his children. In political matters, he votes the straight Republican ticket. He served as Trustee for many years in Lincoln town- ship, having been first elected in 1873, and is at present Justice of the Peace.
In November, 1847, Mr. Hoffmire was united in marriage with Catherine Carr, a native of Richland county, Ohio, and a daughter of David Carr, who came to this county before the land came into the market. He located in the woods, and purchased a farm after the land became salable. Her mother was formerly Sallie Fisher. Mrs. Hoffmire was their second child, and her death occurred May, 1888, leaving three children, -Melvina, born in February, 1849, is the wife of F. M. Carpenter, of Lincoln
375
DELAWARE, UNION AND MORROW COUNTIES, OHIO.
township; L. B., born in 1850, married Ellen Coomer; and W. T., born in 1865, married Effie DeMuth, and they reside with our subject.
EORGE S. SINGER, Cardington, Ohio, proprietor of the Olentangy poultry yard, fruit farm and garden, and inventor, patentee and manu- facturer of the Olentangy incubator and Olentangy brooder and non-freezing foun- tain for poultry, is a man who has in a com- paratively few years established an immense business. In 1880 he began raising fancy poultry merely for a pastime, and to such an extent has this business increased on his hands that last year, 1893, he sold no less than $3,000 worth of eggs. Early in his experience in the business he felt the need of better incubator and brooder facilities than were at that time on the market, and set his inventive genius to work, the result being his Olentangy incubator and brooder, which he first placed before the public in 1890. That year, however, he sold only forty ma- chines. In 1891 his sales reached $4,000, and then for the first time did he contem- plate the manufacture of incubators as a a regular business project and took out a patent on his machines. In 1892 the busi- ness reached $12,000, and in 1893 a little in excess of $30,000. In 1890 one man did all the work, while this year, 1894, one hundred workmen are busily engaged in supplying the demand. Recently he has established a branch factory in Omaha, and from these two points in Ohio and Nebraska he ships his incubators to all parts of the United States; and he also makes shipments to Australia and other foreign countries. Mr. Singer has received no less than fifty
premiums on his invention, these premiums coming from fairs held in several different States.
Having thus briefly glanced at the rap- idly increasing business in which Mr. Singer is engaged, we now turn for a sketch of his life.
George S. Singer is of German and En- glish descent, but spoke the German lan- guage. His grandfather Singer was born in England, was one of the early settlers of Maryland, and in that State reared his family. His son John, the father of George S., was born in Maryland, in Frederick county, in the year 1792; was a participant in the war of 1812, was a Democrat in poli- tics, and long before the outbreak of the civil war he predicted that such a war was sure to come. He ran a huckster wagon, kept a country dry-goods store, and also carried on farming, and was fairly success- ful in his operations. He was married in Frederick county, Maryland, to Sarah Hawkensmith, a native of that place, born in 1800, she, too, being of German origin. They became the parents of five children. The first born died in infancy, and of the others we record that Charlotte A., widow of Jesse Hoover, lives on the old home place in Maryland; Mary S., wife of Thomas Rosensteel, lives in Cambria county, Penn- sylvania; George S. was the fourth born; and Sarah Wilhelmina, widow of Hiram Ovelman, resides at the old home place in Maryland. The father died in 1859, and the mother survived him until 1892. Both were members of the German Reformed Church.
George S. Singer was born in Frederick county, Maryland, September 15, 1837, and was reared and educated there. In March, 1857, he came to Ohio, stopping
376
MEMORIAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD OF
first at Tiffin. In 1858 he entered the Ohio Wesleyan University, where he spent one year, and during the winters of 1859, '60 and '61 was engaged in teaching school in Morrow county. Next, he began buying butter and eggs, and kept a grocery at Cardington, being thus occupied when the civil war came on. July 25, 1862, he en- listed in Company C, Ninety-sixth Ohio Volunteer Infantry, as private, was made Corporal at muster-in and later promoted to Sergeant. This regiment was mustered in at Delaware, Ohio, and from there imme- diately went South, via Cincinnati, Lexing- ton, Louisville, Memphis and Vicksburg, and was first in battle at Yazoo Swamps. Mr. Singer was with his regiment in all the battles in which it participated until the war was over, among them being the siege of Vicksburg and the battles around that city. At Jackson, Mississippi, he was taken sick, and was sent to the hospital at Memphis. Later he spent three months as clerk in the office of the head Surgeon at that place, re- joining his regiment at New Orleans. May 29, 1865, at Mobile, Alabama, he was dis- charged on account of sickness, and from there returned home, arriving on the fifth of June.
After his return from the army, Mr. Singer accepted a position as clerk in the freight depot at Cardington, which he filled for five years. In 1877 he established him- self in the livery business, also dealing in coal and ice. Since 1880 he has developed his present business, as above stated.
Mr. Singer was married in 1859 to Anna Maria Roach, a native of Morrow county, Ohio, born June 13, 1843, daughter of John A. and Rachel A. (Noyer) Roach. They are the parents of four children, namely: Harley S., of Cardington, mar-
ried Jennie Ackerman and has two children; Van Doren C., Huntington, Indiana, mar- ried Rosie Firstenberger, and has five chil- dren; Emery M. is married and lives in Omaha, Nebraska; and Mary Ellen, wife of Joseph Kahnheimer, Cardington, has two children.
Politically Mr. Singer is a Republican, and has served as a member of the City Council of Cardington. Fraternally he is identified with the I. O O. F., in which he has passed all the chairs, and has twice been through the chairs of the Encampment.
EORGE HOLLOWAY, Ray- mond's, Ohio, is one of the well- to-do farmers and prominent men of Liberty township, Union coun- ty, where he has resided since 1845.
Mr. Holloway was born in Columbiana county, Ohio, January 21, 1827, son of Isaac Holloway, a native of Culpeper coun- ty, Virginia. Grandfather Asa Holloway was a Quaker, but notwithstanding his re- ligion he took sonie part in the Revolu- tionary war, and drove his own team. The Holloways are of English descent. Isaac Holloway was married in Columbiana coun- ty, Ohio, to Miss Hope Garwood, a native of Culpeper county, Virginia, and a daugh- ter of Isaiah and Mary Garwood, both of whom died in Columbiana county. This marriage resulted in the birth of five sons, namely: Charles, Eli, George, Isaiah, and William. The father was reared a Quaker, but in later life was a member of the Meth- odist Episcopal Church. Politically he was a Whig. The mother lived to the advanced age of ninety-three years.
The subject of our sketch was reared on a farm in his native county, and was
1
377
DELAWARE, UNION AND MORROW COUNTIES, OHIO.
cated in the public schools, remaining in Columbiana county until he was eighteen, and then coming to his present location. This part of the township was then all cov- ered with dense forest. Here he at first bought fifty acres of land, and, after he had cleared and improved it, bought other land. He now has a fine farm of 150 acres, a comfortable residence, other good farm buildings, and is nicely situated.
Mr. Holloway is a veteran of the civil war. He enlisted in 1864 in the One Hun- dred and Twenty-first Ohio Volunteer In- fantry, and joined the regiment at Ross- ville, Georgia. At Kenesaw Mountain he re- ceived a gunshot wound in the right knee, from the effects of which he was confined in the hospital for some time, after which he was honorably discharged and returned home.
April 16, 1853, Mr. Holloway married Miss Abigail Phifer, a native of Clinton county, Ohio, and a daughter of Joseph C. and Charity (Crihfield) Phifer, both de- ceased, her father dying in Union county, at the age of fifty-seven years, and her mother in Logan county, at the age of fifty- two. Both were members of the Church of Christ and were people of high standing in the community in which they lived. They had eight children, -William, John, Amelia, Mary, Abigail, Sarah, Jane, and Narcissa. Mr. and Mrs. Holloway have two sons: Clifton E., who married May Dean and has one son, Olin, living in York township, this county; and J. P., who married Lizzie Snider, and lives on the home farm.
Politically Mr. Holloway is a Repub- lican. He has served three terms as Town- ship Trustee and on various occasions has been a delegate to his party conventions. Ho is a member of the Disciple Church and
a Deacon in the same. A man of the strictest integrity, honorable and upright in all the affairs of life, frank and cordial with all, he is as highly esteemed as he is well known. .
ON. PHILANDER B. COLE, de- ceased, for many years a promi- nent citizen of Marysville, was born near Columbus, Ohio, son of James and Jerusha (Blakeslie) Cole, who were of Dutch and English descent respectively. James Cole was a son of Benjamin Cole, a native of Wyoming, Pennsylvania, and a grandson of James Cole, who was born in Holland. The elder James Cole came to this country when a young man and settled at Wyoming, and there reared his family. Benjamin Cole removed from Wyoming to Pottstown, where it is supposed he spent the rest of his life. He was a soldier in the Revolutionary war, was a farmer by occupa- tion, and reared a large family. One of his sons, Benjamin, was killed in the war of 1812. James Cole, the father of Philander, was in early life a wheelwright. He was a quiet and unassuming man and was domes- tic in his tastes. He was twice married, our subject being the only child by his first wife. By his second wife, née Nancy Smith, he had a large family.
When Philander B. was five years old his parents moved to Belle Point, Delaware county, where he spent his boyhood days on his father's farm and attended the public schools. Later he went to Granville Col- lege, supporting himself while in college, and soon afterward began teaching in the district schools, which he continued for sev- eral terms. Then he began reading law in the office of William C. Lawrence, of Marys-
378
MEMORIAL AND BIOGRAPIIICAL RECORD OF
ville, Ohio, and was admitted to the bar when he was twenty-one years of age. Im- mediately afterward he opened an office and engaged in the practice of his profession, which he continued up to the time of his death, which occurred in 1892, at the age of seventy-seven years. His career as a law- yer was one of eminent success, and his high intellectual attainments and popularity gained for him numerous positions of prom- inence and trust. Soon after he opened his law office he was elected Prosecuting Attor- ney, which office he filled for three terms. He was a member of the Ohio Legislature in 1850-1, and from 1864 to '66 he was in the State Senate. From 1871 to 1877 he was Common Pleas Judge; in 1884 he was Presidential Elector, and for many years he was active in political affairs, -first a Whig and later a Republican. During the civil war he was Chairman of the County Mili- tary Committee and labored hard for the good of the cause. He was a delegate to the National Convention that nominated Lincoln for President. Indeed, he was al- ways found on the side of truth and right, and was a hearty supporter of any move- ment or measure he deemed for the best in- terest of the people. A few years before the war-from 1846 to 1850-he edited the Argus, a weekly paper published in Marys- ville. His whole life was characterized by earnestness in whatever he undertook; he was generous and liberal almost to a fault, and in his public service his every duty was performed with the strictest fidelity.
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.