USA > Ohio > Knox County > Past and present of Knox County, Ohio, Vol. II > Part 15
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and he has always enjoyed a large clientele. From early youth he has been active in the affairs of the Democratic party and from almost the time of at- taining his majority he has been a member of the Democratic county com- mittee with the exception of the years when absent from the state. For sev- eral years he has ably served in the capacity of chairman of the executive com- mittee and he is universally recognized as a most successful campaign mana- ger, better known to the voters of the county than any other man in the county.
Fraternally, the Judge belongs to the Masonic order, the Knights of Pythias, the Modern Woodmen of America and the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, in all of which he takes a great deal of interest.
The domestic life of Judge Berry began on August 17, 1899, when he married Elizabeth Kirk Cameron, daughter of Robert M. and Rachael (Mayers) Cameron, the father being a prominent merchant at Millersburg, Ohio. Both parents are living. Mrs. Berry was educated in her home city and Bethany College and is a lady of culture. This union has been without issue.
Judge Berry and wife are members of the Christian church, in which he is a deacon and a member of the Adelphian Class of Loyal Men, a Bible class of state-wide significance, for men of all denominations and of large member- ship. Both he and his wife are active in church and Sunday school work. The family home is at No. 125 East Vine street, where their many friends delight to gather.
FRANKLIN HARPER.
Examples that impress force of character on all who study them are worthy of record. By a few general observations may be conveyed some idea of the high standing of Franklin Harper, one of the best known newspaper men of this section of the Buckeye state. The many elements that are united in his makeup, such as persistency, energy, application, integrity and forti- tude, during a series of years have brought him into prominence and earned for him a conspicuous place in Knox county's list of enterprising men.
Mr. Harper was born in Mt. Vernon on April 18, 1858, and he is the son of Hon. Lecky and Eliza Ann (Mercer) Harper, the father born in county Donegal, Ireland, December 29, 1815, and he came to America with his parents, Hugh and Catherine (Long) Harper, in 1820. The father was an architect and was employed on government work in Washington, D. C.
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In a little more than a year. Hugh Harper contracted malarial fever from the swamps that then surrounded Washington, and died. The widow was left with four small children, and soon after the death of her husband she under- took the trip over the mountains to friends and relatives in the West in the locality of Cadiz. Harrison county, Ohio, and there she reared and educated her family in a most creditable manner, being a woman of Spartan courage. The son, Lecky, father of the subject, as a lad entered a newspaper office at Steubenville, Ohio, to learn the printer's trade and the newspaper business, which line of work he followed with much success all his life. He also took up the law. studying in the office of Metcalf & Loomis in Pittsburg, and in 1843 he went to Cadiz, where he edited the Cadis Sentinel and practiced law. Taking up his residence in Pittsburg, he was one of the founders of the Pennsylvanian Advocate and was also connected with the Post of that city. one of the early daily papers of the Smoky city. Early in his career he became recognized as a writer of great force and for his positive views on public questions in general. While connected with the Pittsburg papers he was pro- nounced in his support of the ten-hour-a-day law for employes in shops and factories. The custom then prevailing in factories was to work all employes, including girls and children, from twelve to fourteen hours. As a result of the agitation in which Mr. Harper was foremost, the ten-hour day was estab- lished in Pennsylvania. Mr. Harper also did the legislative work at Colum- bus for the Ohio Statesman under Samuel Medill. In 1840 he edited the Crawford Democrat at Meadville, Pennsylvania, and made the paper a great force in that memorable campaign. With a thorough knowledge of the print- er's trade, with a knowledge of the law and with his varied newspaper ex- perience, he came to Mt. Vernon in 1853 and bought the Mt. Vernon Demo- cratic Banner, which soon became widely known for its forceful editorials, and this paper he successfully conducted until his death, on June 18, 1895. He became prominent in the newspaper organization of the state, and for years he was president of the Ohio Editorial Association and was also president of the Ohio Democratic Editorial Association. His counsel in party matters was sought and in all these associations he was recognized as a pillar of strength. He also represented the Mt. Vernon district in the Ohio Senate in 1879 and served effectively upon important committees, winning the hearty. approval of his constituents and reflecting much credit upon his ability.
The marriage of Hon. Lecky Harper and Eliza Ann Mercer, the latter of Washington county, Pennsylvania, occurred in September, 1844, she being the descendant of Gen. Hugh Mercer, of Revolutionary fame. Mrs. Harper was a woman of many estimable traits ; her death occurred in July, 1897.
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Frank Harper learned the printing business in his father's office and was educated in the Mt. Vernon public schools, being graduated with the class of 1877. He read law in the office of Col. W. C. Cooper, of Mt. Vernon, and was admitted to the bar in 1879. In 1880 he opened an office for practice and was getting a good start in the legal world, when, in 1882, came an op- portunity to enter the newspaper business at Chillicothe. He had grown up in the business and the taste was inherent, so he went to Chillicothe and became a partner of George F. Hunter in the publication of the Chillicothe Advertiser. Upon the death of his father, in 1895, he sold his interests in the Chillicothe paper and returned to Mt. Vernon in November, 1895, and formed a partner- ship with his brother, William M. Harper, in the publication of the Banner, which partnership was terminated in June, 1896, by the retirement of the latter. The Banner had been published as a semi-weekly until June 20, 1898, when Mr. Harper began the publication of a daily and semi-weekly edition, which has since been continued, the Banner being universally recognized as one of the strongest, brightest and most influential papers in central Ohio. Having learned the newspaper business from the ground up, Mr. Turner is well qualified to successfully manage the same. He is a clear and concise writer, and in discerning the various questions of the day is a keen, though courteous, antagonist, and his influence has brought him into favorable notice with the leaders of his party in this section of the state. In a business sense the Banner has brought liberal financial returns upon the capital invested, and, as already indicated, has proved a series of successes since the first num- ber of the daily appeared as a claimant for public patronage. Its circulation is constantly increasing, as an advertising medium its importance is becoming generally recognized and its mechanical appearance is all that could be de- sired.
Fraternally, Mr. Harper is a member of the Masonic bodies and is a member of the board of trustees of the Masonic Temple Company and was president of the company in 1908-9. In politics he is an unswerving Demo- crat and is prominent in party councils, but he has never been an office seeker or office holder, but he and his paper are always back of party principles and candidates and the influence he wields in the cause of Democracy is very strong, especially during campaigns. He was a member of the Democratic state central and executive committees several times. He was vice-chairman of the Democratic state central committee in 1904 and chairman of the same body in 1905 and he was delegate from the fourteenth Ohio district to the Democratic national convention in 1896.
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Mr. Harper was married on June 5, 1890, to Bertha Hanby, a lady of many estimable qualities of head and heart and the daughter of an excellent Chillicothe family. This union has been graced by the birth of two sons, Donald and Kenneth; the elder is a student of Kenyon College at Gambier and the younger is a student in the Mt. Vernon high school. The subject and his family are members of the St. Paul Episcopal church, Mr. Harper having been a member of the vestry for a number of years.
HON. GEORGE D. NEAL.
The strong, earnest men of a people are always public benefactors. Their usefulness in the immediate specific labors they perform can be defined by metes and bounds, but the good they do through the forces they put in motion and through the inspiration of their presence and example is immeas- urably an infinite gauge or standard of value. George D. Neal, one of the most conspicuous public and business men of the section of the Buckeye state of which this history treats, is a man of this type. Although well known and highly esteemed, he is conservative and prefers to let his achievements speak for him rather than any notice savoring of adulation or fulsome praise of the chronicler. Every life, however, if properly known, contains more or less of interest. and the public claims a certain property right in the career of every citizen, regardless of his achievements or the station he has attained. In placing before the reader the brief review which follows, due deference is accorded the wishes of Mr. Neal in this respect and we omit too compliment- ary allusions, at the same time realizing that the latter have been honorably earned and should form no small part of a life sketch which is sought to render nothing but what justice and meritorious recognition demand.
Mr. Neal was born on September 2, 1844, in Mt. Vernon, Ohio, and he is the son of Hugh and Ruth (Jackson) Neal. The Neals came from Wash- ington county, Pennsylvania, to this section when Hugh Neal was a lad, and the Jackson family came from Fayette county, Pennsylvania, the daughter. Ruth, having been born on the farm in Milford township, Knox county, after the family came to Ohio. The father of the subject was engaged in the harness business in Mt. Vernon for a number of years, later being elected sheriff of Knox county, which office he held for many years. Politically, he was a Democrat and was prominent in public affairs, being public-spirited,
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and he supported all movements looking to the general good of the public. Prior to his term as sheriff he was elected coroner of the county. His death occurred in September, 1854, his wife preceding him to the grave by six weeks, having died in July the same year. They were the parents of three children : Ruth M., who married Liberty L. Cotton, of Mt. Vernon, died in December, 1910; George D., of this sketch; and Hugh, a resident of Mt. Vernon. Both parents are buried in Mound View cemetery, Mt. Vernon.
George D. Neal has always lived in Mt. Vernon and he was educated in the public schools here. When a very young man he found employment in the wholesale grocery of Jonathan Weaver, of this city, where he re- mained for three years, then the Civil war came on and he could not remain inactive at his country's call, so early in the struggle he enlisted in the Fourth Ohio Volunteer Infantry, as a private in Company A, but being merely a boy he only served a short time, returning to his position in Mr. Weaver's store. When Gen. Kirby Smith threatened Cincinnati and other Northern cities, Mr. Neal again went to the front with the famous "Squirrel Hunters" to stop the intrepid Southerner's progress, later enlisting in Company B, of the One Hundred and Forty-second Ohio Volunteer Infantry, and was transferred to Company F of the same regiment, in which he served with distinction until the same was mustered out at Camp Chase, having taken part in many im- portant engagements and proving himself to be a faithful soldier, always pres- ent at the call of duty.
After returning from the army Mr. Neal engaged in the manufacture of carriages in Mt. Vernon, which he conducted for a number of years with much success. Following his retirement from the carriage business he de- voted his attention to hardware, which he has handled for some time in con- nection with his carriage business. In 1887 he purchased the James Rogers hardware store, which he conducted with his usual success until 1894, having enjoyed a liberal trade with the city and county and always carried a large . and well selected stock of general hardware and farming implements.
Mr. Neal has always been a loyal Democrat and has been active and influential in party affairs for many years. In 1890 he was elected sergeant- at-arms of the sixty-ninth Ohio General Assembly, and in 1893 he was ap- pointed doorkeeper of the fifty-second United States Congress at Washing- ton. In 1902 he was his party's choice for congressman from the fourteenth Ohio district and was accordingly nominated and made a strong and praise- worthy race. The district was normally six thousand Republican, but Mr. Neal cut that majority down to less than three thousand, which attests his
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popularity with the people. He has served as Democratic committeeman and adviser and as a delegate to county, district and state conventions, in all of which he has made his influence felt for the good of his district and the party. After returning from Washington as doorkeeper of the House of Representatives, Mr. Neal organized the Mt. Vernon Paint and Oil Com- pany, incorporated under the laws of Ohio with a capital of one hundred thousand dollars, and he is president and general manager of the company, the business of which he has conducted in a manner as to reflect much credit upon his ability and integrity and to the eminent satisfaction of the stock- holders. He is also interested in the gas and oil development of this section of Ohio.
Mr. Neal is a member of the Masonic order, having attained the thirty- second degree in that time-honored body, and he is a Knight Templar. He is also a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, and he belongs to the Joe Hooker Post No. 21, Grand Army of the Republic. He has filled most of the offices in this organization and has passed all the chairs in the Odd Fellows lodge.
In the fall of 1869 Mr. Neal was married to Harriet Laughrey, daughter of Kinsman and Catherine (DeHart) Laughrey, of Martinsburg, Knox county, Ohio. To the subject and wife one daughter has been born, Catherine Ruth, who married David Kinley, dean of the University of Illinois at Cham- paign, Illinois, he being a very prominent educator, so recognized by leading college men throughout the United States.
With his various business and public duties, Mr. Neal found time to read law in the office of William C. Cooper, of Mt. Vernon, but, although well qualified, he has never practiced at the bar. In religious matters he affiliates with the Presbyterian church, of which Mrs. Neal is a member.
At one time Mr. Neal was extensively engaged in the real estate busi- ness, operating in various parts of Ohio and acquiring large holdings in Mexico. For a number of years he was president of the Knox County Agri- cultural Society, being active in promoting better farming conditions. He is vice-president of the Ohio Squirrel Hunters, comprising the survivors of the noted military organization of that name with which he was connected dur- ing the Civil war. The family home, a place noted for its hospitality and ., good cheer, is located at No. 120 East Vine street and is one of the modern, commodious and imposing homes of this city and located in one of the most desirable residence districts. Personally, Mr. Neal is a well informed, broad- minded, progressive, genial and obliging gentleman whom it is a pleasure to know.
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KNOX COUNTY, OHIO.
CHARLES A. MITCHELL.
The old-fashioned notion that hard work, patient industry and far- sightedness make for success in the various avenues of life does not seem to be accepted so unreservedly in our day. The spread of pessimism engen- dered by many phases of our complex life is in a great measure responsible for the lack of faith in the old idea. However, if we observe conditions closely we will find that the intelligent individual, who leads a practical and industrious life, will reach a point of success commensurate with his efforts. The life of Charles A. Mitchell, ex-mayor of Mt. Vernon, will afford us an instance of this.
Mr. Mitchell was born June 1, 1868, in Mt. Vernon, Ohio, being the representative of one of Knox county's honored old families. He is the son of John A. and Malissa ( Jackson) Mitchell, who were both born, reared, edu- cated, married and spent their entire lives in this community. Sylvester Mitchell, the great-grandfather, came to Ohio from Salem, Massachusetts, in 1808 and first settled near Granville, Licking county, soon afterwards moving to Milford township, Knox county, and the land on which he lo- cated still remains in the Mitchell family. The old pioneer had made the long journey from Massachusetts on horseback, bringing all the earthly goods of the family in that manner, in a saddle-bag. Grandfather Albert Mitchell was only three years of age at that time. This country was then a vast forest through which roamed red men and various kinds of wild game. He built a cabin and began clearing the site for the splendid farm which he later developed. He was the possessor of many commendable qualities, stood for good citizenship and right living and he took a leading part in the affairs of his community. John Allen Mitchell, father of the subject, was a stone- mason by trade, and he spent all of his active life in Mt. Vernon, with the exception of the years spent in the army during the Civil war, having enlisted in the Union army in April, 1861, in the Fourth Ohio Volunteer Infantry. in response to President Lincoln's call for seventy-five thousand troops. At the expiration of his term of service he re-enlisted in Company H. Eighty-second Ohio Volunteer Infantry, in which he served until the close of the war. For meritorious service he was promoted to the rank of captain of his company. He saw hard service, being continuously in the Army of the Potomac. He participated in both the first and second battles of Bull Run, Chancellorsville and many others. On the first day of the bat- tle of Gettysburg he was taken prisoner and was sent to Libby prison, where he had a long term of confinement, remaining there until the spring of 1865,
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not being released until after Lee's surrender. Prior to that battle he had also seen the inside of Confederate prisons in various parts of the South, having been taken prisoner long before the great conflict in Pennsylvania. He had many thrilling experiences. He is described by his comrades as a valiant soldier. always at his post, and he leaves an enviable war record. After his career in the army he returned to Mt. Vernon and resumed his trade as brick- mason. His death occurred on May 6, 1892. He was a man of positive character and strong in his likes and dislikes, and he had many warm friends throughout the county.
Charles A. Mitchell, of this review, has spent practically all his life in Mt. Vernon and he was educated in the public schools here. When eighteen years of age, in April, 1887, he secured employment as brakeman with the Cleveland, Akron & Columbus railroad, and he remained with this company until August, 1899, giving them high grade service, being advanced through the different stages until he became a conductor of freight. He suffered from a severe attack of rheumatism for several years, at times being compelled to use crutches, and one leg being seriously and permanently affected he is still compelled to use one crutch. In May, 1903, he entered the office of the audi- tor of Knox county as deputy auditor, which position he filled most satis- factorily until October, 1906, when he was appointed auditor to fill an un- expired term.
Mr. Mitchell has always been an active Republican in politics and in the fall of 1908 he was the party's candidate for county auditor, but, Knox county being Democratic, he was defeated. He has always been prominent and active in the councils of the party and has been a frequent delegate to county. district and state conventions. In November, 1909, he was elected mayor of Mt. Vernon and his term expired January 1, 1912. His administration proved to be most satisfactory to all concerned, irrespective of party align- ment, and he is doing much for the permanent good of the vicinity.
Fraternally, Mr. Mitchell is a member of Mt. Vernon Lodge No. 140, Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, and the Sons of Veterans.
Mr. Mitchell was married on June 30, 1897, to Lucy Clark. daughter of John and Sarah ( Johnson) Clark, of Mt. Vernon. This union has been without issue. The family home is at No. III East Front street. which. property has been the Mitchell home for more than fifty years. Mr. Mitchell is fearless and outspoken when he knows he is right, a man of positive ideas, integrity and force of character, and as a public servant is faithful and conscientious, and is proving to be one of the most popular mayors the city of Mt. Vernon has ever had.
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KNOX COUNTY, OHIO.
WILLIAM NOAH CARPENTER.
It is the pride of the citizens of this country that there is no limit to which natural ability, industry and honesty may not aspire. A boy born in ignor- ance and poverty and reared under the most adverse surroundings may nevertheless break from his fetters and rise to the highest station in the land. Accordingly it is found that very often in this country the president, gov- ernor and other high public officials possess no higher ability than thousands of other citizens. They have simply taken better advantage of their circum- stances than their fellows. And this truth runs through every occupation. The farmer who rises above his fellow farmers does so by taking advantage of conditions which others overlook or fail to grasp. William Noah Car- penter, of Pleasant township, Knox county, and his progenitors have al- ways identified themselves, for the most part, with agricultural pursuits, and they have been very successful in this line of endeavor.
Mr. Carpenter was born on August 5, 1876, on a farm in Clay town- ship, Knox county, Ohio. He is the son of Thomas H. and Martha (Dudg- eon) Carpenter, the mother a native of this county and the father of Greene county, Pennsylvania. Grandfather Charles Carpenter came with his family to Clay township from Pennsylvania in 1850 and here engaged in farming. His son, Thomas H., father of the subject, devoted his life to farming. In 1880 he left Clay township and became a resident of Pleasant township, owning a farm six miles south of Mt. Vernon, and there he engaged in gen- eral farming and stock raising, having one of the choice farms in that com- munity. He made a specialty of handling sheep. Politically, he was a Dem- ocrat, but he was never an office seeker. His death occurred on August 13, 1890. His widow still survives. They were the parents of two sons and a daughter, namely: William Noah, of this review; James Austin, born May 18, 1878, is farming in Wayne township, Knox county; Jannetta R., who married Edward P. Warman, lives in Mt. Vernon.
William N. Carpenter spent his youth on the home farm and was edu- cated in the district schools. He began carpentering when about twenty-two years of age and this has been his principal life work ever since, though he has engaged a great deal in farming. He is a very skilled workman and his services have always been in great demand. He does a great deal of contracting, and has built many of the substantial buildings over the county, having won a reputation for reliability and thoroughness. He supervises his mother's farm and is thus a very busy man in his various lines of endeavor.
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Mr. Carpenter was married on March 16, 1898, to Clara J. Warman, daughter of Alfred and Matilda (Mckibben) Warman, farmers of Pleas- ant township, where Mrs. Carpenter was born, reared and educated and where she has always lived. Her father was born in England, from which country he emigrated to America when twelve years of age, in 1850, and settled in Pleasant township, this county, though he remained in Mt. Vernon a short time before moving to the farm. The mother of Mrs. Carpenter died in January, 1904. Six children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Car- penter, two sons and four daughters, namely : Edith P., Robert Carl, Agnes G., Martha M., Ada L. and Charles T.
Politically, Mr. Carpenter is independent and, while he always exer- cises the right of citizenship at the polls and in advancing such measures as make for the good of his community and county, he has never been an office seeker, though he has served as township trustee since November, 1909. He is a member of Pleasant Grange No. 677, Patrons of Husbandry, and has been active in the same for some time. He and his wife belong to the Hopewell Methodist Episcopal church, of which he is one of the trustees, and he was formerly superintendent of the Sunday school there and teacher in the same. He is at present superintendent of the Mt. Pleasant Presby- terian church Sunday school, and is very active in church and Sunday school work.
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