USA > Ohio > Knox County > Past and present of Knox County, Ohio, Vol. II > Part 20
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Seven children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Ephraim Rice, namely : . Clinton M., of this sketch; Tamzen J. married Solomon Ross, of Jelloway, this county ; Emma F. married Peter Wise, of Brown township; Harriet E. married Eugene Loney, of Brown township; Sol B. lives in Danville; William B. lives on the home farm in Brown township; Jay J. C. died in May, 1908.
Clinton M. Rice was reared on the home farm and he was educated in the country district schools, and the Central Normal School at Danville, also spent part of one year at Kenyon College. Thus well equipped for life's work, he began teaching, which he followed with marked success for a period of ten years in the district schools of Knox county. In 1886 he engaged in the banking business with Albert I. Wolfe as the Danville Bank for ten years, Mr. Rice being cashier, from which position he retired in 1895, but still retained a financial interest. While teaching, Mr. Rice read law with Judge J. B. Waight, of Mt. Vernon, and after giving up teaching he went to Fayettsville, Arkansas, for the practice of law, but his health failing there, he remained less than a year. He was admitted to the bar in that state. Upon his return to Danville, Ohio, he opened a law and real estate office in 1898, which he still maintains in Danville, and he has built up a large business in each. In recent years he has been actively engaged in the gas development of this section of Ohio, being identified with the Mohegan Oil & Gas Company. He has settled a large number of estates, having a large business in the probate court, and is a very active and busy man. He has various business interests, owning several farms in this county, also owns land elsewhere. He is a man of sound judgment, keen discernment and wise foresight, and his integrity is unquestioned so that he has ever enjoyed the good will and confidence of the people with whom he has dealings.
Mr. Rice was married on November 4, 1886, to Ocena M. Gilmore, a lady of culture and refinement, the daughter of Francis and Mary (Loney) Gilmore, a prominent family of Pike township, this county. This union has been graced by the birth of one daughter, Mary C., who lives at home.
Politically, Mr. Rice is a Democrat and he has been active and influential
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in public affairs. He was a member of the Danville board of education for seventeen years consecutively. He was a member of the board when the high school, one of the best in the county, was established. He is a member of the Democratic county central committee, and has been a frequent delegate to county, district and state conventions, and he has made his in- fluence felt for the good of his community and the party. As a public servant he has been most diligent and conscientious and won the approval of all, irrespective of party alignment. He is a member of the Methodist church and has been active in church and Sunday school work and is a class leader and liberal supporter of the church. He is a man of liberal ideas, broad-minded, progressive in all that the term implies, obliging, genial and ever vigilant of the best interests of his town and county.
HERSCHEL J. CHAPPELEAR.
Action is the keynote of the character of all who achieve success on this planet of ours-action subtly planned and carefully carried out. The successful life story of the energetic young man whose name forms the caption of this biography is a case in point, being one of a determined struggle for a definite purpose.
Mr. Chappelear was born on June 15, 1876, in Brazil. Indiana, and he is the son of William and Margaret ( McMullen) Chappelear. The father was an undertaker and in 1877 he moved with his family to Gratiot, Lick- ing county. Ohio, where he engaged in the undertaking business and be- came well established, and under him the son, Herschel J., learned this line of endeavor. He grew up and attended the public schools at Gratiot and later attended the high school at Mt. Perry, Perry county, Ohio. He began assisting his father at his business at a very early age and when thirteen years old he conducted a funeral himself. He took a course in the Massa- chusetts College of Embalming, at Boston, receiving his degree in due course of time and making an exceptionally fine record there. Later he took a post-graduate course at the Echels Embalming College at Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, and thus unusually well equipped for his life work, he began business for himself when twenty-one years of age, establishing himself at his old home, Gratiot, Ohio, succeeding his father, who retired from active work. He continued at Gratiot until 1902, when he came to Mt. Vernon, where he has since continued in the undertaking business. He is universally
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regarded as an expert in all that pertains to his line and is equipped with everything necessary for the embalming and proper care of bodies. His ambulance and funeral cars are all thoroughly in keeping with a modern and thoroughly equipped funeral outfit. He handles caskets of every descrip- tion. from the plainest to the most elaborate, and of all designs.
Mr. Chappelear was married in March, 1897, to Mattie Morrison, and this union has been blessed by the birth of four children, namely : Raymond, now fourteen years old ; Ralph, whose age is eleven years; Margaret is nine years old and Paul has reached his sixth birthday.
Mr. Chappelear is a member of the Masonic order, the Independent Or- der of Odd Fellows, the Knights of Pythias, the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, the Modern Woodmen of America, the Fraternal Order of Eagles, the Knights of the Golden Eagle, the Improved Order of Red Men. the Knights of the Maccabees, and he also belongs to the Sons of Veterans. his father having served through the Civil war in the Union army. He is held in high favor in all these lodges. He and his family are members of the Methodist Protestant church. His parents are still living, residents of Mt. Vernon. The family home is at No. 527 East Gambier street in a very popular residence district.
FRENCH W. SEVERNS.
One of the leading business men and public-spirited citizens of Mt. Vernon, Knox county, is French W. Severns, a man who has figured more or less conspicuously in the material and civic affairs of his locality for over a quarter of a century. As a citizen, his reputation is unimpeachable and as a neighbor and friend he is widely respected, none in the county standing higher in public esteem.
Mr. Severns was born on December 5, 1862, on a farm near New- castle, Coshocton county, Ohio. He is the son of Isaac D. and Elizabeth (Mills) Severns. In 1871 the family moved to Pleasant township, Knox county, where the father engaged in farming, becoming one of the sub- stantial farmers of his community. Politically, he was a Democrat and was active in public affairs. He was trustee of the township for several years, also filled other public offices. His death occurred in May, 1906; his widow survives, still making her home on the farm in Pleasant township.
Five children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Isaac D. Severns, named as
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follows: Melissa, now Mrs. Hagaman, of Huron county, Ohio; Sarah mar- ried C. A. Hagerty, of California ; French W., of this sketch; Edgar C., of Chicago : Clementine, the oldest child, died at the age of twenty-three years.
French W. Severns, of this sketch, was reared on the home farm and educated in the district schools of his home community, later attending the Baptist College at Hillsdale, Michigan, after which he returned home and remained on the farm until his marriage, on November 30, 1891, to Olive E. Hagaman, daughter of John and Julia ( Walls) Hagaman, a well-known family of Mt. Vernon.
To Mr. and Mrs. Severns five children have been born, named as follows: Edna M., Robert D., John E., Elizabeth J. and Josephine, all at home at this writing.
For several years following his marriage, Mr. Severns farmed in Pleas- ant township, and in 1900 he left the farm and moved to Mt. Vernon, where he has since resided, having been active in business affairs and where he has a modern and attractive home.
Politically, Mr. Severns is a Democrat and he has taken much more than a passing interest in public affairs since reaching maturity. He was clerk of Pleasant township for a number of years, also a member of the board of education. As a public servant he has always performed his duties faithfully and acceptably. In November, 1899. he was elected treas- urer of Knox county, and his record was so eminently satisfactory that he was re-elected in 1901, serving for a period of four years. He has served almost continuously for fifteen years as a member of the Democratic county executive committee and he has always been prominent in the councils of his party. He has also been a frequent delegate to district, county and state conventions. After leaving the treasurer's office he was cashier of the Farmers and Merchants National Bank of Mt. Vernon for two years, giving the utmost satisfaction to patrons and stockholders. Since severing his connection with the bank he has devoted his attention to his farm and and other business interests. His place in Pleasant township consists of one hundred and eighty acres which is well improved and under a good state of cultivation. He keeps his farm well stocked with good grades of live stock of various kinds.
Mr. Severns is a member of the Mt. Vernon board of review which is operated by the state tax commissioner, for a period of five years. He be- longs to the Masonic order and all the Masonic bodies, including the com- mandery. He also belongs to the Knights of Pythias and the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. He and his family are members of the Methodist
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Episcopal church, he being one of the board of trustees and an active mem- ber in the church, also the Sunday school. His home is at No. 301 North Gay street and is prominent in the local social life, the family having been popular in all circles in which they move since coming to Mt. Vernon.
ROLLIN C. MITCHELL.
One of the well-known citizens of Mt. Vernon, Knox county, is Rollin C. Mitchell, who enjoys distinctive prestige among the enterprising men of this locality, having fought his way onward and upward in indus- trial circles, and in every relation of life his voice and influence have been on the side of right as he sees and understands the right. Like his worthy father before him, he has always been interested in every enterprise for the general welfare of the community and liberally supports every move- ment calculated to benefit his fellow men, and therefore enjoys the esteem of all who know him.
Mr. Mitchell was born on April 7, 1847. in Chesterville, Knox county, now a part of Morrow county, Ohio. He was the son of William and Lucy (Brown) Mitchell, the father born near Fredericktown, July 15, 1811. William Mitchell, grandfather of the subject, came to this country from Pennsylvania about 1805, one of the earliest pioneers, he having been com- missioned by the government as agent for government lands of this section of the Northwestern Territory, and here he spent the remainder of his life, dying at his home near Fredericktown, Knox county, in 1848. He is described as a brave man of strong characteristics. Thus the Mitchells have been well known in this locality for more than a century. William Mitchell, father of the subject, was reared in the pioneer forest home here and ob- tained a meager education in the old log school houses of his day. As a young man he learned the trade of ax maker, winning thereby the sobri- quet of "the ax maker." by which he was widely known, and it is said of him that he made a most excellent ax and that his axes felled more trees of Knox county than any other make. Most of his life was spent in this county, but the machine-made axes supplanting his business, he turned his attention to tool making and dressing, and for a number of years he sold machinery for the Cooper Company of Mt. Vernon, though he was known all his life as "the ax man." Soon after his marriage he moved to Illinois and was a resident in the same district in which Abraham Lincoln resided, and at one
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time Lincoln won a lawsuit for Mr. Mitchell. The latter returned to Ohio in 1846 and located at Chesterville, where the subject was born, later moved to Centerburg, this county, where the family lived for about ten years, and in the spring of 1864 moved to Mt. Vernon, where he spent the remainder of his life, his death occurring on December 9, 1909, at the advanced age of ninety-eight years and five months, his wife having preceded him to the silent land in 1878. William Mitchell was active in the work of the Metho- (list Episcopal church, having been a class leader and exhorter, a devout churchman, and he was an acquaintance and on friendly terms with many of the church dignitaries of his time. He was a man of exemplary char- acter. charitable and hospitable.
Eight children were born to Mr. and Mrs. William Mitchell, three of whom died in infancy, the other five growing to maturity, namely: Naomi, deceased, was the wife of Henry A. Hyatt; Emma L., also deceased, was the wife of Captain Harrison : Stephen Lewis Y. was a captain in the Union army during the Civil war and breveted major at the close of the war ; Rollin C., of this sketch ; Sarah is deceased; Luella lives in Mt. Vernon.
Rollin C. Mitchell was educated in the schools of Centerburg and Mt. Vernon, and when a young man he learned the jewel-maker's trade with Levi Stone, of Mt. Vernon, for whom he worked for some time, later work- ing in Mt. Gilead and Coshocton, being very skilled in this line of endeavor.
Mr. Mitchell was married on November 22, 1871, to Perliette O. Stauffer, daughter of Joseph and Deborah (Brown) Stauffer. her father having been a merchant in Mt. Vernon for many years, building up an excellent business, which is still continued by his son, Almon F. Stauffer. Six children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Mitchell, namely: Clifton A. lives in Columbus, Ohio; Florence D. married Halbert M. Eggleston, of Mt. Vernon : LuNylla married John Whitford, of Mt. Vernon; Harry O. lives in Mt. Vernon; Lena A. married Vincent Welker, of Gambier, Ohio; Lucy M. married Phillip J. Brereton, of Mt. Vernon.
In March, 1872, Mr .. Mitchell engaged with Mr. Stauffer, his father- in-law, as a clerk, with whom he remained for a period of twenty-three years, assisting very materially in building up a lucrative business. Then he went into business for himself, men's and women's furnishings, under the firm name of R. C. Mitchell, Son & Company. This continued success- fully for six years, during which time he enjoyed an excellent trade with the town and surrounding country. He then traveled for two and one-half years for the Patric Furnace Company of Springfield, Ohio. During the five years following this he kept books for B. E. Salesbury. Since 1908 he has been in charge of the third ward school building.
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Politically, Mr. Mitchell is a Republican and he has always been active in public matters. For four years he served as city treasurer. He and his wife are members of the Methodist Episcopal church and are active in church work. Fraternally, he is a member of the Masonic order and the Knights and Ladies of Honor, his wife being a member of the latter also. He also belongs to the Independent Order of Foresters and the Ben Hur lodge. The pleasant home of the family is located at No. 113 East Lamartine street, Mt. Vernon.
DR. JOSEPH WENGER.
The science of osteopathy has gained so rapidly in universal favor dur- ing the past few years that it is safe to say that it is only in very remote sections of the Union that it is not known, and as it is better understood and its praiseworthy results more apparent it has come rapidly into favor, the plausableness of its theory appealing to the contemplative mind readily, and so those who have set themselves the task of practicing it are now finding a fertile soil, as it were, and their offices are, as a rule, crowded with patients, even in the smaller cities. This science has a very able exponent in the per- son of Dr. Joseph Wenger, of Mt. Vernon, Knox county, who has within a comparatively short time built up a very satisfactory practice. Doctor Wenger was born August 17, 1854, in Adair county, Missouri, and he is the son of John and Elizabeth ( Hoofer) Wenger. The father was born in Germany and was brought to the United States when three years of age, the family locating in Pennsylvania, later coming to Ohio, thence to Mis- souri in 1850. The Doctor's mother came from Switzerland, when she was ten years of age, with her parents, who settled first in Missouri, where she grew to womanhood, met and married John Wenger. They are both de- ceased.
The son, Joseph Wenger, spent his youth on the home farm which he worked during the summer months and attended the district schools in the winter time, and he remained under his parental roof-tree until his marriage, November 26, 1874, to Eliza A. Bragg, daughter of William E. and Martha (Murphy) Bragg. This family came from the state of Virginia to Ken- tucky in an early day, Mrs. Wenger's father being born in the latter state. Later the family moved to Illinois, thence to Missouri. The maternal an- cestry of Mrs. Wenger, the Murphys, came from Ireland. Mr. and Mrs. Bragg were married in Missouri and there spent their lives on a farm in Adair county.
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Eleven children have been born to Dr. and Mrs. Wenger, five of whom are deceased. Those living are Alta M., Alfred O., Everett L., Clinton P., Ona MI., Stella A., all of whom are at home. The deceased children were William Henry, Clarence, Lawrence Norman, Aaron Austin, Tilda Ethel.
After his marriage, Doctor Wenger followed farming in Adair county, Missouri, for several years, and in 1899 he gave up agricultural pursuits, al- though he had a good start, and turned his attention to the study of osteop- athy at the college at Kirkville, Missouri, where he made a splendid record and from which institution he was graduated in 1901. He located for the practice of his profession soon afterward at Warrensburg, Missouri, and remained there one year. In January, 1902, he located in Mt. Vernon. Ohio, and he has been successfully engaged in the practice of osteopathy here ever since, having built up a large and lucrative practice, which is steadily grow- ing. He keeps thoroughly up to date in everything pertaining to his pro- fession and he has a neat, well arranged and modernly-equipped office in the Republican-Newes building at No. 19 East Vine street.
Politically. the Doctor is a Democrat in national affairs, but he votes the local ticket independently. He has never held or been a seeker of office, preferring to give his undivided attention to his profession. Fraternally. he is a member of the Modern Woodmen of America and the Maccabees. He and his entire family are members of the Christian church and they are active in church and Sunday school work. They have a very pleasant home at No. 110 North McKinzie street, Mt. Vernon. The Doctor is an intelli- gent, agreeable and progressive gentleman, interested in the improvement of his city and community and he has won a wide circle of friends since lo- cating here.
GEORGE S. HARTER.
Among the successful self-made men of Mt. Vernon, Knox county. whose efforts and influence have contributed to the material upbuilding and general good of the respective communities which they have honored by their citizenship. the gentleman of whom the biographer writes in this con- nection occupies a conspicuous place. For many years he was one of the leading educators of this section of Ohio, later won a prominent place in the field of journalism and at present he is one of our valued public officials. He is a veteran of the great war between the states, in which he proved his loyalty to the government. Being ambitious from the first, but surrounded
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by none too favorable environment, his early youth was not any too promis- ing, but he accepted the discouraging situation without a murmur and reso- lutely facing the future, gradually surmounted the difficulties in his way and in due time rose to a prominent position in the body politic, besides winning the confidence and esteem of those with whom he has been brought into con- tact, and today he stands as one of the representative citizens of this favored. section of the Buckeye state.
Mr. Harter was born on November 18. 1845. in New Madison, Darke county, Ohio, and is the son of Elias and Gertrude ( Biddle) Harter. The father's people came from Rockingham county, Virginia, moving from there to Berks county, Pennsylvania. Grandfather David Harter came to Darke county. Ohio, with the pioneers about 1818. bringing his family into the wilderness. He was a Dunkard minister and a man of great prominence among the early settlers. Elias Harter was a blacksmith by trade, a land- owner and a man of affairs. During the Civil war he went to the front and rose to the rank of captain in the Union army, serving with distinction. He is remembered as a man of remarkable memory and a close student of nature. He was well informed on general topics. Politically, he was a Republican and an abolitionist in the early days, and, while he was always greatly in- terested in public affairs, he was never an office seeker. His death occurred in 1898 at his home on the farm near New Madison, Ohio, his widow sur- viving until 1899. They were the parents of eight children, five of whom are yet living.
George S. Harter, of this sketch, grew up in the village of New Madi- son and he received his education in the public schools there, working on the home farm during the summer months. Although young in years at the out- break of the Civil war, he enlisted in defense of the government on August 8, 1862, in Company H, One Hundred and Tenth Ohio Volunteer Infantry. in which he gallantly served until the close of the war, almost three years. For meritorious conduct he was advanced to the rank of corporal. His regiment saw much hard service. At the battle of the Wilderness Mr. Harter was taken prisoner, May 6, 1864, and was confined in various Confederate pris- ons, landing in Andersonville on May 24th of that year, and he experienced all the horrors of that terrible place. Later he was taken to Florence, South Carolina, and was exchanged on December 6, 1864, and passed out of Charleston Harbor, by old Fort Sumter, to a government transport and again joined his company and regiment just a short time prior to Lee's surrender. He was mustered out of service on June 27. 1865, while in camp near Wash- ington City, and reached home on July 3, 1865.
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After leaving the army Mr. Harter entered the Heidelberg Preparatory School at Tiffin, Ohio, where he spent three years; while there he taught school at different periods and prosecuted his studies. Later he entered Adelbert College at Cleveland in the fall of 1871 and was graduated from that institution with the class of 1875, with the degree of Bachelor of Arts, and later he was given the degree of Master of Arts. Thus exceptionally well equipped for life's duties, he turned his attention to teaching. He be- came principal of the Greenville high school, successfully filling this position for five years, then he was senior high school teacher at Dayton for one year, then went to the Sidney (Ohio) high school, where he remained five years. The next seven years he spent at Celina, Ohio, as superintendent of public schools. Although he has established a state-wide reputation as an educator, giving eminent satisfaction wherever he worked, he finally tired of the school room and turned his attention to journalism and became editor and publisher of the Celina Observer, continuing in that work for three years. In 1895 he came to Mt. Vernon and here he has continued to reside. He continued in the newspaper business one year after coming to Knox county.
Mr. Harter is a stalwart Republican and he has always been active in party affairs and while in newspaper work he did much for the success of the party in his community. In 1900 he was elected mayor of Mt. Vernon, serv- ing one term of two years, during which time he did much for the permanent good of this city and won the admiration of all classes by his commendable course. In 1905 he was appointed to fill an unexpired term of justice of the peace, serving thus two years. In 1907, having made a most satisfactory record in this office, he was elected to the same for a full term of four years and he is still incumbent of this office, the duties of which he has discharged with an ability and fidelity that has reflected much credit upon himself and to the satisfaction of all concerned. His decisions have been characterized by fairness and they have met with few reverses at the hands of higher tri- bunals. While living in Shelby county, Ohio, he served as county school ex- aminer for four years. He holds a high school life teacher's certificate, to teach all branches.
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