USA > Ohio > Knox County > Past and present of Knox County, Ohio, Vol. II > Part 11
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Politically, Mr. Hamilton is a Republican, and while he is a strong partisan he has not been an office seeker or holder; however, he has been urged frequently to be a candidate for county offices, but has always de- clined, preferring to attend strictly to his individual affairs, leaving the emoluments of public offices to others, though his support in all local move- ments looking to the general good of the community may always be de- pended upon.
GEORGE A. HARRIS.
One of the self-made men of southeastern Knox county is George A. Harris, of Jackson township, farmer, contractor and carpenter, a man who began life's struggles with little aid except such as his good strong arms, backed by a well defined purpose, afforded him, and he has never depended upon his friends and acquaintances to do his work or lay his plans, well knowing that life is a battle which each must fight out for the most part alone and learn to rely solely upon himself.
Mr. Harris was born in Jackson township, this county, January 21, 1852. He is the son of Jesse and Elizabeth (Holtz) Harris. His paternal grandfather, Elijah Harris, was one of the early settlers of Knox county and here became very comfortably established through his industry and close application. The maternal grandparents, George and Susan Holtz, were also early settlers here, entering land from the government which they developed into a good farm on which they spent the remaining years of their lives.
The father of the subject was born in this county on September 1, 1830, and the mother on November 4, 1827. They devoted their lives to farming, owning a good place. The father died January 28, 1908, and the mother on December 30, 1903.
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George A. Harris was educated in the public schools of Newcastle and in Indiana common schools. He was reared on the farm and has al- ways followed farming. Early in his career he moved to a forty-acre farm which he bought in Jackson township, on which there were already good buildings and here he has carried on general farming and stock raising and he now has a good home. In connection with farming he has also engaged in the building trades, working as a stone mason for a period of thirty-eight years and for the past five years he has worked at carpentering, but he has lived on his farm all the while. He is now the owner of one hundred and twenty acres of excellent land which he has kept well improved and under good cultivation. He has been very successful in a business way, always a hard worker and is regarded as very skilled as a builder, his services being in great demand.
Politically, Mr. Harris is a Democrat and he has been more or less ac- tive in public affairs, always supporting such movements as make for the general upbuilding of the community and county. He has been justice of the peace for six years, the duties of which office he has discharged in an able and praiseworthy manner. He is a member of the Disciples church, as is also his wife, and fraternally Mr. Harris belongs to the Patrons of Industry.
On May 22, 1877, Mr. Harris was united in marriage at Mt. Vernon, Ohio, to Susanna Ashcraft, a native of Knox county, and the daughter of Simon Ashcraft and wife, old settlers of this county, both now deceased. To the subject and wife six children have been born, named as follows : Orpha Estella, wife of Willis Johnson, and they live in Licking county; Cary Douglas lives in Coshocton county : Aldice Ray, who lives in Harri- son township, Knox county; Leota is the wife of Ben John, and they live near Gambier, Ohio; Grover G. and Jesse Carlisle live at home.
COLEMAN E. BOGGS.
A member of one of the honored pioneer families of the locality of which this history treats, the name of Boggs has been closely associated with the history of this section of the Buckeye state, and Coleman E. Boggs, like his honored father before him, is counted one of our progressive agri- culturists. In business relations he has always been known to be straightfor- ward and reliable, is patriotic in citizenship, and his social relations ever
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wholesome. He is esteemed for these commendable traits of character to- gether with his cordial disposition and genuine worth.
Mr. Boggs was born in Clay township, this county, December 27, 1848, on a farm in Clay township, one mile west of Bladensburg. He is the son of Ezekiel and Sarah (Magee) Boggs, both natives of Belmont county, Ohio, of the vicinity of St. Clairsville. They grew to maturity, received their education and were married in Belmont county, and they moved to Knox county about 1830, in pioneer days, settling in Clay township, and engaged in farming, establishing a good home through industry and econ- omy, and here the elder Boggs became a substantial and prominent citizen. He was a Democrat in politics and was a leader in local affairs, his counsel being sought by candidates and his advice carried weight in all things. At one time he represented Knox county in the state Legislature for one term in an able and praiseworthy manner. He served as justice of the peace and as a member of the district school board. He held to the Presbyterian faith, but was not a church member. His death occurred in 1853, when a comparatively young man. His widow survived nearly forty years, dying on October 8, 1892, and both are buried in the Presbyterian cemetery at Martinsburg. Their family consisted of five sons and four daughters, named as follows: John M., Lucinda J., Jesse, William W. and Mary E. are all deceased; Coleman E., of this review; Martha F. is single and lives in Wheeling, West Virginia; Tabitha is deceased; Abraham, the third child, died in infancy.
Coleman E. Boggs was reared on the home farm and educated in the public schools of Wheeling, West Virginia. After leaving school he clerked in a store in Bladensburg for three years, then began teaching school in 1867 and continued constantly as a teacher until 1904 in the schools of Knox county and six years in the high school at Bladensburg, also five years in the Martinsburg high school, two of the most noted and best high schools in the smaller towns of Ohio. He taught six years in one country district and the first school he taught was so satisfactory that he was re- tained in that district for a period of seven years. He became one of the best known and popular educators in the county, his services being in great demand and he ranked high among his professional brethren in this section of the state. He alternated teaching with farming, raising crops during the vacation periods. For nine years he was one of the board of three mem- bers of county school examiners and was universally recognized as one of the county's most progressive exponents of education. In the year 1904 he retired from the ranks of teachers, although not from those interested in educational progress.
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Politically, Mr. Boggs is a Democrat and he has always been interested in public matters and supported such measures as had for their object the general betterment of local conditions in any way. He has served as clerk of Clay township for about ten years, though he has never been an office seeker. Fraternally, he is a member of Colfax Lodge No. 184, Knights of Pythias, at Bladensburg, being a charter member of that lodge, and he has filled all the chairs in the same. While teaching he was a member of the Knox County Teachers' Association and also the Southeastern Ohio Teach- ers' Association and was an active participant in their discussions and was always an attendant at the annual meetings of the Ohio Teachers Associa- tion. He kept thoroughly in touch with all that was best in progressive education and he yet retains his membership in the Ohio Teachers Reading Circle.
Since leaving the school room as teacher Mr. Boggs has been engaged in general farming and stock raising on his farm, four miles east of Mar- tinsburg in Clay township, his place consisting of thirty-two acres, and to this he gives his exclusive attention. He has never married.
Mr. Boggs is not a church member, but he was reared in the Presby- terian faith and he has never departed from the belief of his parents. He is a regular attendant at church and Sunday school and is a liberal supporter of the church. He is a man of literary tastes and has accumulated an ex- cellent library.
NEWTON R. EASTMAN, M. D.
Only simple justice is done a biographical fact when we place the name of Dr. Newton R. Eastman, of Mt. Vernon, in the front rank of Knox county physicians, a fact universally recognized throughout the locality by those at all familiar with his career. A gentleman of sound discretion, good judgment, scholarly attainments and a high order of professional ability, he has so impressed his individuality upon the community as to gain recog- nition also among its leading citizens and public-spirited men, and yet plain and unassuming in his every-day life, a man of the people, honest, honorable and obliging, always ready to support any movement having for its object the betterment of the city and county whose interests he has long had at heart.
Doctor Eastman was born of a sterling old family at Bucyrus, Craw- ford county, Ohio, on November 11, 1871, and is the son of James W. and
NEWTON R. EASTMAN, M. D.
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Katherine (Vance) Eastman. The Doctor's ancestry is accurately traced back to Warden Eastman, who emigrated from Wales to America in 1614 and located in New Amsterdam, now the city of New York, the Doctor being the fourteenth generation descended from him. The father, James W. Eastman, was a man of influence in his community, and he was a soldier in the Civil war, a private in Company G, Forty-ninth Ohio Volunteer In- fantry, under Colonel Gibson, for whom he had worked on a farm as a boy. He served very gallantly for a period of three years and six months, and he was wounded during the battle of Atlanta. He is buried at Rock Creek cemetery at Tiffin, Ohio, and beside him lies the remains of his grandfather, Peter Ward Eastman, who died in 1777. The Doctor is a relative of the well known manufacturers of Eastman kodaks, also a relative of Doctors Eastman, prominent surgeons of Indianapolis, Indiana. Abigail Eastman, mother of Daniel Webster, was a sister of Peter Ward Eastman, mentioned above. Doctor Eastman's mother comes of a fine old Virginia family. His great-grandfather Vance was a great slaveholder and at the beginning of the Civil war he released a number of slaves. He was then well advanced in years and he died during the progress of the war.
Doctor Newton R. Eastman received his early educational training in the schools of Bowling Green and Shelby and later attended Baldwin Uni- versity, from which he was graduated in 1890. The following year he began reading medicine in the office of the late John E. Russell, of Mt. Ver- non, where he remained one year, then entered Starling Medical College at Columbus, Ohio, where he made an excellent record and from which he was graduated in 1895. In April of that year he began practicing in Bellville, Richland county, this state, remaining there until January 4, 1908, when he came to Mt. Vernon, where he succeeded to the practice of his old preceptor, Dr. John E. Russell, with whom he formed a partnership, but the death of the latter prevented its consummation. Doctor Eastman has remained in Mt. Vernon and he has enjoyed a very liberal patronage from the first, which has continued to grow with succeeding years until today he is re- garded as one of the leading medical men of this section of the state. He has a well-equipped office and, always an assidious student, he has kept well informed on everything pertaining to his profession. While in Rich- land county he was president of the board of United States pension exam- iners. In June, 1909, he was elected, at St. Louis, first vice-president of the Association of Baltimore & Ohio Railway Surgeons, which has a member- ship of nearly five hundred. He is company surgeon for the Baltimore & Ohio railroad and Pennsylvania railroad. He is a member of the Knox (34)
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County Medical Society, the Ohio State Medical Society and the American Medical Association. Politically, he is a Republican, and fraternally he be- longs to the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks and the Masons.
Doctor Eastman is the only son in a family of four children ; his sisters are Mattie, wife of R. P. Hall, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Morna is the wife of James E. Dykes, of Birmingham, Alabama; Edith is the wife of John De Voe, of Mt. Vernon, Ohio.
On February 3, 1897, occurred the marriage of Dr. Eastman and Katherine Schuler, daughter of Edwin and Jennie (Fitting) Schuler, the latter the daughter of Frederick Fitting, one of the pioneer business men of Richland county and the man who built the Baltimore & Ohio railroad from Newark to Sandusky. Mrs. Eastman was born at Covington, Kentucky, and she lived in Cincinnati, Ohio, until she was six years of age, then, upon the death of her father, the mother took her to Bellville. She is a lady of many estimable traits and, like the Doctor, is a favorite with a wide circle of friends and acquaintances.
To Doctor Eastman and wife two sons and one daughter have been born, namely: Russell, born February 7, 1898; Robert, born in 1900, and Jane, in 1902.
W. W. STONEHOCKER.
The medical fraternity in Knox county has in Dr. W. W. Stonehocker, of Bladensburg, a most worthy and able exponent, for during his years of successful practice in this locality he has won a wide reputation as a learned, painstaking and conscientious general practitioner, and he has long enjoyed a wide and ever growing patronage. He is a worthy representative of an honorable old Buckeye family and he has kept the even tenor of his way in such a manner that the luster of the family name has been augmented.
Dr. Stonehocker was born in Coshocton county, Ohio, July 25, 1855. He is the son of John J. and Sarah (Wencklepleck) Stonehocker. The pa- ternal grandparents, Jacob and Elizabeth (Dicker) Stonehocker, were na- tives of Germany, from which country they emigrated to the United States in 1812, locating in Coshocton county when the country was sparsely set- tled and the painted savage and all manner of creatures of the wild inhabited the far-stretching forests. The grandfather entered a farm of one hundred and four acres from the government, and here he set to work with a will and soon established a good home and had an excellent farm. This land
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is still in possession of his descendants, having thus been in the family for an even century.
On this farm the grandparents spent the remainder of their lives. He was a soldier in the war of 1812. They were the parents of ten children. The maternal grandparents of the subject were of Scotch descent and were also among the old settlers in Ohio.
The father of the subject was born in Coshocton county, this state, in 1807, and the mother in Tuscarawas county, and they were married in that locality. He devoted his life to farming, owning an excellent farm. Their family consisted of eight children, two of whom died in infancy ; six grew to maturity and four are living at this writing, the subject being the only one married. The father of these children was a Democrat in early life, but at the commencement of the Civil war he turned Republican, and while deeply interested in public affairs he was never an office holder. He was a member of the Methodist Episcopal church and was a man of exemplary character. His death occurred in Coshocton county in 1869, and his wife died in 1879.
Doctor Stonehocker attended the public schools, and, having had a laud- able ambition from early life to enter the medical profession, he entered the Ohio State University, later the Jefferson Medical School at Philadel- phia, and he was graduated from the Columbus Medical School in 1881, having made an excellent record in all these institutions. Thus well equipped for his chosen life work, he located for the practice of his profession at Canal Dover, Tuscarawas county, Ohio, where he remained four years, en- joying an excellent practice from the start ; but seeking a wider field for the exercise of his talents, he came to Bladensburg, Knox county, in the spring of 1885, opening an office here in April and here he has since remained, having enjoyed a large patronage with the people of southeastern Knox county and adjoining counties, in fact, none of his professional brethren in the county has a more extensive practice, and he has met with singular success. Although a very busy man looking after his numerous patients, he has found time to keep fully abreast of the times in all that pertains to his profession, having ever been a student as well as a keen observer.
Politically, the Doctor is a Republican, and while he takes the interest of a good citizen in public affairs, especially as affecting his community, he is not especially active in political matters, preferring to give his attention exclusively to his profession, in which he stands very high in this part of the state. In fraternal matters he is a Mason, a Knight Templar, a member of the Order of the Eastern Star and the Ancient Arabic Order of Nobles
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of the Mystic Shrine. He is also a member of the Knights of Pythias and the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. His wife belongs to the Disciples church.
Doctor Stonehocker was married on April 14, 1904, to Mrs. Mae Allen, nce Myers, a native of Coshocton county, where she grew to womanhood and received her education. She is a lady of culture and many commendable attributes. She is the daughter of James and Elizabeth Myers, a prominent old family of that county. By a former marriage, Mrs. Stonehocker be- came the mother of one son, Oliver Allen. Her union with the Doctor has been without issue. They are pleasant people to know, hospitable, genial and alert to the best interests of society.
ADAM SCOTT.
One of the best known and most progressive agriculturists and stock raisers of eastern Knox county is Adam Scott, whose finely improved landed estate in Butler township never fails to attract the attention and admiration of the observer, for it indicates even at a cursory glance that the owner is a man of good taste, sound judgment and progressive ideas. He has been content to spent his life in his home community and carry onward the work here inaugurated by his ancestors in the pioneer epoch, for the Scott family has been prominent in this locality for several generations, consequently a history of Knox county would be incomplete were there failure to give proper space to them.
Adam Scott was born in Jackson township, this county, on April 30, 1868. He is the son of Lewis B. and Martha A. (Blunt) Scott. The pater- nal grandfather, Alexander Scott, was a native of Pennsylvania and an early settler in Coshocton county, Ohio, where he became a farmer and land owner. His family consisted of two sons and two daughters. He and his wife both spent the remainder of their lives in that county. The maternal grandparents, James and Mary (Ross) Blunt, were early settlers in Knox county and here they spent the balance of their lives; they were probably of English descent.
Lewis B. Scott, father of the subject, was born in Coshocton county about 1838; the mother was born in Knox county about 1840. Here they grew to maturity and were married. Mr. Scott devoting his life to farming, owning one hundred and sixty acres at the time of his death in 1903, his
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widow surviving until in October, 1910. Politically, he was a Democrat and was active in township affairs, holding a number of township offices. Their family consisted of nine children, four sons and five daughters, seven of whom are living.
Adam Scott, of this sketch, was reared on the farm and educated in the public schools. He began working by the month on farms in his native community, which he continued for six years, then married, and he in- herited a farm from his wife's people. He is now the owner of one hundred and twenty acres of excellent land, which he has kept well tilled and well improved. Here he carries on general farming and stock raising. - He and his wife are members of the Baptist church. Fraternally, he belongs to the Independent Order of Odd Fellows at Newcastle and to the Grange in Butler township. Politically, he is a Democrat and he has been trustee of his township.
Mr. Scott was married on January 25, 1894, to Minnie A. Horn, who was born May 6, 1874, in Knox county, the daughter of Abraham and Sarah Catherine (Giffin) Horn, an excellent old family here, both parents being reared in this township. Mr. Horn died October 7, 1906, his wife having preceded him to the grave on September 1, 1883. They were the parents of two children, Minnie Adella, wife of Mr. Scott, and Mary Selora, who was born January 27, 1877, and whose death occurred on April 10, 1879. Mr. Horn devoted his life to farming and insurance, making a spe- cialty of fruits and bee raising, was also a dealer in furs and wool in the winter time.
To Mr. and Mrs. Scott two children were born, namely: Charles Lee, born September 3, 1895, and Elsie Marie, born January 28, 1899, both at- tending school in Newcastle.
In view of the prominence of the antecedents of Mrs. Scott it is deemed advisable to go further into the history of the same. Her maternal grand- parents, Robert and Martha (Busenburg) Giffin, were natives of Virginia, he born on November 21, 1813, and she on February II, 1821. They came to Coshocton county, Ohio, in a very early day and here they were married and spent their lives on a farm. The paternal grandparents of Mrs. Scott, Jacob and Kerren Happuch (Morningstar) Horn, were also early settlers here, he having been born on January 1, 1815, in Washington county, Penn- sylvania, and in 1816 he was brought by his parents to Knox county, Ohio, where he grew to manhood and was married on March 12, 1843, his wife having been born in Virginia on March 10, 1818. They were the parents of six children, namely: Abraham, born October 2, 1845, is deceased;
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Elizabeth, born June 7, 1847; William, born September 5, 1849; Solomon, born October 1, 1857; Alonzo, born July 11, 1859, is deceased; Mary Ellen, born July 9, 1860. These children were reared in this county. Abraham was the father of the wife of the subject.
Robert Giffin came to Knox county with his parents and he located in Butler township in 1838, having been married the year previous to Martha Busenburg, and they became the parents of eight children, namely: Louisa, born March 28, 1839; Sarah Catherine, born September 16, 1841; Amanda J., born March 20, 1843; William B., born June 28, 1844; Mary Elizabeth, born August 9, 1847; Charles Francis, born September 20, 1850; Wilson Monroe, born June 5, 1853; Martha Ellen, born March 7, 1858. The only ones now living are William B. and Mary Elizabeth.
JOHN CALVIN HARRIS.
One of the most painstaking and modern agriculturists of southeastern Knox county is John Calvin Harris, of near Bladensburg, Jackson township. He was fortunate in having good parents, who taught him from the start the duties of life-not ordinary instruction, but the higher duties which all owe to each other and to society. The result has been to give him broad ideas of life and its responsibilities and to fit him for upright and worthy citizenship.
Mr. Harris was born in Bladensburg, Ohio, August 10, 1856, and is the son of Jesse and Elizabeth (Holtz) Harris. The paternal grandparents, Elijah and Sarah Harris, were natives of Pennsylvania and they came to Ohio in a very early day. He was a farmer and he spent his last days here, becoming very well established through his industry, he and his wife dying in Clay township. He was a soldier in the war of 1812. The maternal grandparents, George and Susan Holtz, were also natives of Pennsylvania and from that state they, too, came to Knox county in pioneer times where they developed a good farm and spent the balance of their lives.
The parents of the subject were married in this county and here the father devoted his life to farming. He also conducted a tannery at New- castle for a number of years, in connection with which he also did some farming. He lived a quiet and retired life. His family consisted of seven children, six of whom grew to maturity, and five of them are now living.
The death of Jesse Harris occurred on January 28, 1908, aged seventy- seven years, and his wife died on December 30, 1903, aged seventy-six years.
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John C. Harris was educated in the public schools of his native com- munity and at Newcastle, and he went to school two years in Greene county, Indiana. When a young man he took up carpentering and farming, buying forty acres in Jackson township, which he later sold and bought fifteen acres. He now owns about forty-five acres in and around Bladensburg, also forty acres in Clay township. He farms in a general way and handles some good stock. For about twenty years he ran a nursery on his fifteen-acre farm, handling all kinds of fruit trees, and he became widely known in this con- nection. He made a special study of horticultural subjects and was very successful as a nurseryman, enjoying a large business.
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