USA > Ohio > Knox County > Past and present of Knox County, Ohio, Vol. II > Part 22
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Mr. Ferenbaugh was born on September 13, 1878, in Harrison town- ship, Knox county. He is the son of Leo and Amanda (Doup) Ferenbaugh, the father born on the farm in Union township, Knox county, Ohio, where the son resides; the mother was also a native of this county. Here they grew to maturity, received their educational training in the common schools and were married. The father devoted his life principally to the farm implement business, with headquarters in Buckeye City, and was an extensive and suc- cessful business man, having enjoyed a large trade with a wide territory. He was active in public matters, and a Prohibitionist in politics, taking much more than a passing interest in his party. He served as a member of the township school board for a number of years. Leo Ferenbaugh was born on October 20, 1843, and his death occurred on March 25. 1904. He was the son of Fidela and Eliza (Draper) Ferenbaugh. His father emigrated to America from Germany in 1830, and was engaged for a time in the manufacture and sale of brass clocks. Later he was an extensive farmer and fruit grower. The father of the subject had two brothers, Joseph and Frank, and a sister, Mary, all of whom are living in Union township, this county. The father was among the first to sell reapers and mowers in Knox county. He was married to Amanda Doup, of Jelloway, whose death occurred on July 19, 1882. This
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union resulted in the birth of three children, Burchard Blaine, of this sketch ; Luella Lester and Thomas Ludlow, all of whom live in Union township on the old home farm. The father was married a second time, March 23, 1893, to Rachel Alice Wheeler, of West Bedford, Coshocton county, Ohio, who is still living. Leo Ferenbaugh was widely known and held in the highest esteem by all. He was a man of strong convictions and unimpeachable hon- esty, far-seeing business ability and a safe counselor. He was always active in questions that pertained to his community, liberal with his time and money for the promotion of moral causes. He held various public positions, such as a member of the board of education.
Burchard B. Ferenbaugh, of this sketch, was reared on the home farm, and he attended the district schools when a boy, later the Danville high school and then the State University at Columbus for two years. He had long entertained an ambition to enter the legal profession and with this end in view he went to the Law School of the University of Chicago, where he made an excellent record and from which institution he was graduated in 1907. Before going to college he taught school three years in the public schools of Gambier. After being admitted to the bar he located in Chicago, where he remained one year, and upon the death of his father he returned to the old home for the purpose of managing the farm and here he has since remained, successfully carrying on the work inaugurated by the elder Ferenbaugh, this place having been in the family's possession ever since the grandfather, Fidela Ferenbaugh, secured it upon his arrival from the old country in 1830. and they intend keeping it in the family. Although the subject has been kept busy looking after the farm, he has found time to continue the practice of the law and has enjoyed a good business in this line and has taken a high place at the Knox county bar, having met with uniform success as a counselor and ad- vocate He has continued his studies and has kept well abreast of the times in his profession. He has shown a profound knowledge of jurisprudence and is a careful, conscientious and painstaking worker, sparing no pains to secure what is right for his client. Politically, he is a Democrat and has always been active in public matters and a frequent delegate to party conventions. Frater- nally, he is a Mason, belonging to Antioc Lodge at Danville.
Mr. Ferenbaugh has never married. He possesses a social nature and kindly attitude to those about him, and has won the respect and confidence of everyone. He has been very successful, being known as a careful business man and one whose integrity of purpose is beyond question. He is a very busy man and but few moments pass that do not see him busily engaged with the affairs of life.
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JACOB MITCHAEL BRYANT.
It will always be a badge of honor in this country to have it known that a person's father, or even his uncle, enlisted in the service of the country when the great rebellion broke out, to assist in saving the Union and to eradi- cate slavery from our soil. Just as to this day we boast that our grandfather or great-grandfather fought in the Revolution to gain independence, or car- ried a musket in the war of 1812 to protect our rights on the ocean, so the descendants of the gallant soldiers who fought during the Rebellion to save the honor of the Stars and Stripes will boast through the coming centuries of the bravery and self-sacrifice of their fathers or other relatives. And this is as it should be. Slavery was wrong, and although the war was for the sal- vation of the Union, it was made the medium at a later stage to free the slaves and wipe from our flag the last vestige of reproach. It is a pleasure to write of the career of Jacob Mitchael Bryant, well known citizen of Fredericktown, Knox county, who was one of the "boys in blue" who went forth to die on the field or in the no less dreadful fever camp, if need be, for the salvation of the country.
Mr. Bryant was born in Wayne township, this county, on October 18, 1837, on a farm four miles southwest of Fredericktown. He is the son of William and Mariah L. Bryant; the father came from New Jersey in 1804 and the mother's people from Virginia some years later. Grandfather James Bryant was a large landowner and was active in the affairs of the early pio- neers. The father of the subject devoted his life to farming and he stood high with the people of his community.
Jacob M. Bryant has spent all his life on the old home farm and here he still resides, having kept the old place under a high state of improvement and cultivation. He received his education in the country district schools. He was married in January, 1867, to Jennie Dickey, daughter of Samuel and Elizabeth Dickey, a highly respected Wayne township family, both parents having died a number of years ago.
One son has been born to Mr. and Mrs. Bryant, William P., who is married and is living at home, assisting his father with the management of the place, which consists of two hundred acres of as good land as the town- ship can boast, and which has been so skillfully managed as to retain its ori- ginal fertility. In connection with general farming Mr. Bryant has long been widely known as a dealer in fine horses for the eastern market and no small part of his annual income is derived from this source. He has always been a lover of a good horse and no better judge of horses could be found in
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his locality. Young Bryant is also something of a horseman and takes much interest in this phase of their work. They buy in Indiana, Illinois, Missouri and Iowa as well as Ohio, and bring them here. They formerly handled road horses principally, but since automobiles have become so generally used, they now handle only draft horses Although they are well known in the eastern markets, the Bryants sell principally at home; owing to the superior quality of their stock they never fail to bring fancy prices when offered for sale. Most of the horses not sold here go to New York, where they are used for heavy trucks. They have been in this business for many years and are widely known as a result of the same. The Arbuckle coffee people have taken many of their horses, as well as other large concerns.
Both father and son are Republicans, and while they take an abiding in- terest in public affairs they have never sought office. Mr. Bryant belongs to the Wayne Grange, Patrons of Husbandry. His commodious, imposing and modernly appointed home is one of the most attractive in the county, and everything about the Bryant place indicates thrift, prosperity and good man- agement.
Mr. Bryant was but a boy at the commencement of the great war be- tween the states, but in the fall of 1861 he enlisted in Company A, Twentieth Ohio Volunteer Infantry, in which he served very faithfully for a period of three years in the Army of the Cumberland and he saw much hard service and took part in many hard-fought engagements. His time had expired when Sherman made his march to the sea, so he did not accompany his regiment on this campaign. He was taken prisoner at Lafayette, Tennessee, but was soon afterwards paroled and was sent home.
Personally, Mr. Bryant and his son are men of integrity, honest, genial and obliging, and they have the good will and respect of their many ac- quaintances.
STEPHEN W. SEVITS.
The backbone of this country is made up of the families which have made their homes; who are alive to the best interests of the community in which they reside; who are so honest that it is no trouble for their neighbors to know it, and who attend to their own business, being too busy to bother themselves about the affairs of others ; who work on steadily from day to day, taking the sunshine with the storm and who rear a self-respecting, law-abid- ing family to a comfortable home and an honest life. Such people are always
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welcome in any country and in any community. They are wealth producers, and Knox county, Ohio, has been blessed with many such, among which is the Sevits family, of which the subject of this review is a worthy representa- tive.
Stephen W. Sevits was born on March 7. 1869, in Tiverton township. Coshocton county, Ohio, and he is the son of William and Jane (Workman) Sevits, and he is a brother of Irven Sevits, whose sketch appears in another part of this work. For a full history of this family the reader is referred to that sketch. Suffice it to say here that the family of the subject on both sides of the house were influential and highly respected in their communities.
Stephen W. Sevits was reared on a farm where he spent his youth, en- gaged, during the crop seasons, at work in the fields and in the winter time he attended the public schools of Tiverton township, also the schools of Mt. Vernon and the Danville Academy, thus becoming well educated. He was married on December 31, 1891, to Matilla Conkle, daughter of William and Sarah (Roof) Conkle, a well known family of Union township, and to the subject and wife five children were born, namely: William Howard is a student in the Danville high school : Bernard is deceased; May, Ruth, Orice Pearl.
Following his marriage the subject engaged in farming in Union town- ship, this county, for two and one-half years, then engaged in the mercantile business at Cavallo, Coshocton county, for two years, after which he went to Zuck. Butler township. Knox county, and there continued merchandising for two years. In the fall of 1898 he gave up the store business, although he had met with a fair measure of success in the same, and turned his attention once more to farming and stock raising, also breeding thoroughbred Delaine sheep. In March, 1905, he bought his present farm in Union township, three miles southeast of Danville, and here he has since resided, making a success of both general farming and stock raising, especially with his sheep, which he raises for breeding purposes, and his flocks, being the very finest of their kind in the country, attract widespread attention and find a very ready market. There are no better in the state. Some ewe fleece will weigh twenty-six pounds and some ram fleece as high as thirty-four pounds. These thoroughbred animals are shipped to all parts of the state and to other states, wherever breeders desire high grade stock, Mr. Sevits' reputation being much more than state- wide. The greater part of his farm is devoted to grazing and sheep raising ; blue grass pasture and alfalfa hay are his ideal feed. His place consists of one hundred and thirty acres. - He has a commodious, modern home in the midst of attractive surroundings, and he has numerous convenient outbuild-
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ings, large barns and stock sheds, for the proper care of his stock during the winter season.
Politically, Mr. Sevits is a Republican, but prior to the year 1903 he was a Democrat. He has always been interested and active in public affairs, but he has never been an office seeker. He and his family belong to the Dis- ciples church and have always been active in church work and in the support of the church.
The death of the subject's wife and mother of his children occurred on June 23, 1909, and burial was made in the Workman cemetery at Danville.
Mr. Sevits is a gentleman whose high sense of honor and genial bearing render him popular with his friends and acquaintances. He is public-spirited and withholds his support from no movement calculated to be of general good to the public. He is especially interested in good schools, and has given his children excellent educational advantages, with the result that they are well equipped for life's duties.
LEE DIAL.
He whose career is now taken under consideration and to whom the reader's attention is respectfully directed is numbered among the progressive and successful young citizens of the vicinity of Gambier, Knox county, of which he has been a resident all his life, while he has gained prosperity through his own honest efforts in connection with the development of the natural resources and the subsequent prosperity. Because of his industry, his honesty and public-spirit and his loyalty to all movements looking to the gen- eral good of the locality long honored by the residence of the Dial family, he has won the esteem of all who know him.
Lee Dial was born on September 19, 1869, on a farm one mile southeast of Gambier, Ohio, and here his home has always been. He is the son of James and Catherine (Lauderbaugh) Dial, a prominent old family of Knox county, a complete sketch of whom is to be found on another page of this work under the caption, James Dial.
Lee Dial grew to manhood on the home farm and when old enough assisted with the general work about the place, receiving his education in the public schools of Gambier. When a lad he began learning the milling busi- ness in the old Dial mill on the Kokosing river, near the Dial home, of which
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his father was part owner at the time. He was under the tutelage of Jacob South, who was head miller. This was one of the earliest mills built in this locality, and the subject has been connected with the same ever since, through its various ownerships and operations. It was formerly equipped with the old-fashioned buhr-process and in 1888 the Kenyon Milling Company, com- posed of W. S. Wing, H. C. Wing and Jacob Snider, came into possession and equipped it with the new roller process and all modern machinery. It then became necessary for Mr. Dial to learn the milling business over again, which he did under Jacob Snider, who was a practical and expert roller mill operator. In 1902 Mr. Dial, with his brother, Richard P. Dial, bought the mill property and operated as Dial Brothers until 1910, when Lee Dial be- came sole owner, buying his brother's interest and has since operated it with much success. This mill is one of the landmarks in this county and is known to everyone for miles around, its patrons coming from remote sections of the adjacent territory. It was first established in 1824, but it is yet a modern mill in every particular, with a capacity of seventy-five barrels of flour per day. It is still run by water-power. ( Many maintain that flour ground by a water- mill is the best made.) It is a great grain trading center for the farmers of this part of the county and it is busy every working day in the year.
In 1909, because of his expert knowledge of streams and construction, Mr. Dial was appointed by the commissioners of Knox county inspector of bridge construction, some very important and expensive bridge work then being done. After serving only a short time he found that his private affairs demanded his attention, so he resigned and was succeeded by his brother, Richard P. Dial, whose interest in the milling business the subject purchased.
Politically, Lee Dial is a Republican and has long been active in public matters. For a number of years he has served as a member of the Republi- can county central committee, also on the township board of elections, and he has been a frequent delegate to party conventions. He has been a trustee of College township since 1902 and is one of the progressive citizens of the county. He is a member of Kokosing Tribe No. 235, Improved Order of Red Men. Mr. Dial has never married. He makes his home with his parents, who reside near the mill property. He is very fond of outdoor sports and is a recognized crack trap shot. He is also much interested in base ball and is a popular umpire with the Kenyon College students and students of other col- leges. He likes a good story and is a most enjoyable companion, being genial, a good mixer and a man of many worthy characteristics, yet plain and un- assuming.
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WILLIAM ALLEN SILCOTT.
If there is one thing which distinguishes the American business man over those of any other country it is the faculty with which any and all occupations . are readily taken up by him and made successful. . In the older countries it was customary for the son to follow the father's pursuit. It is in such coun- tries as the United States that full swing can be given to the energies of the individual. A man may choose any business or profession he desires, and he is limited only by competition. He must meet the skill of others and give as good service as they, or he will not secure the positions. Such adaptation to any work has been forcibly illustrated in the life of William A. Silcott, whose interesting career shows that he has turned his hand to many things. He is a well known citizen of Mt. Vernon, where the major part of his life has been spent.
Mr. Silcott was born on Sunday, January 7, 1849, in the northeast cor- ner of Ripley township, Holmes county, Ohio, the son of a highly esteemed old family there who were engaged in agricultural pursuits. There he grew to maturity, assisted in the general work of the farm and attended the common schools of Ripley and Monroe townships until the fall of 1864, when he ac- companied his parents to Pike township, Knox county, where the family set- tled, and there the subject attended two winter terms of school, later attending the Mt. Vernon high school for a term in 1866, when Peter Hayes was prin- cipal.
For some time Mr. Silcott drove a horse and wagon over the country selling tinware from Fredericktown. He then secured employment as printer's "devil" and typo and worked in this capacity in various printing offices. In the spring of 1870 he obtained a muscle position as janitor with Probate Judge Charles E. Critchfield, and later as "hired hand" or substitute clerk for other offices, from time to time until February, 1882, when he became clerk of courts, which position he held six years in a manner that reflected much credit upon himself and to the eminent satisfaction of all concerned. Since them he has traveled extensively, his territory being confined to Ohio for a period of twenty years to this date, aside from collection trips in Wisconsin and Nebraska previously, of four and six months each. He made two visits to New York city during the Bryan-Mckinley campaign of 1896, but on a political mission. In 1867 he made a two months' trip to Indiana and Iowa, visiting also Chicago and Mississippi river towns, down to St. Louis, thence southwest to Texas county, Missouri, and returned to St. Louis, where he saw his first prize fighter, Mike McCool, just after his victory over Aaron Jones (11)
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at Cincinnati. He then went to Indiana and later to Dayton, Ohio, where he attended the state fair, then to Columbus for the first time, then home from a seventy-seven days' trip. In 1877 he went to Chicago, Kansas City and Indian Territory, returning home in August during the great railroad strike, as a result of which he was compelled to walk a part of the way.
At present, owing to age of sixty-three, Mr. Silcott is more or less on the retired list, though in good health. He devotes his time to abstracting land titles and making collections. He reads considerable of history, politics and current events. Of the former he has written much about Ohio, having visited every county of the state from two to a dozen or more times. Has some historical and statistical typewritten manuscript for posterity to peruse in the future. Mr. Silcott has been married and has but one child, a single daughter, and but few relatives. He has been an attendant at Sunday schools and churches from boyhood and yet for want of the moving spirit, is not a member. He has been a member of but one lodge, in early days, the duties and exercises of which are not to his nature and liking. In politics he has always been a Democrat, though not hoop tight.
DAVID W. STRUBLE.
One of the most noteworthy facts connected with country life in the United States is the easy manner in which a vocation may be varied or wholly changed. General Grant, in his memoirs, expressed his surprise and gratifi- cation at the easy manner in which his soldiers could carry on all phases of the art of war from their own knowledge of the various trades. They could print a newspaper, build a bridge, cook a meal of victuals to perfection, con- duct a flouring mill or saw mill, and in fact could do anything he wanted done. It is the custom in the armies of Europe to take with them on their war campaigns special artificers to do the specific duty or service likely to be required. The truth is that the average soldier of the army of the United States is higher up in the scale of intelligence and improvement than his European brother. He knows more and hence can accomplish more. This fact has been well exemplified in the career of David W. Struble, of Fred- ericktown, Knox county, both in his army life and his private affairs, for he has ever seemed capable of doing whatever was required of him. Skill like his and that of his honored father before him, while often met with, is not altogether common.
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Mr. Struble was born on April 10, 1841, in Fredericktown, Ohio, and he is the son of John D. and Mary ( Headley) Struble, who grew up in New Jersey and were married there in 1822, from which state they emigrated in covered wagons of the pioneer type to Fredericktown, this county, in 1832, being among the early settlers, their trip over the woody mountains being tedious and somewhat dangerous. The father was a blacksmith in New Jersey, and after he came to Ohio he followed blacksmithing, milling, farm- ing and merchandising, being always a very busy man of affairs, and he met with reasonable success in whatever line he turned his attention to and was influential in the community in the early days. Politically, he was a Demo- crat. but he was not an aspirant for office or leadership. He and his wife were members of the Baptist church. His death occurred on May 21, 1875, at the age of eighty-two years, his widow surviving until April 4, 1889, reaching the age of eighty-six years. Both are buried in Fredericktown cemetery.
The son, David W., has spent all his life in Fredericktown with the ex- ception of the years he was in the army during the Civil war. He was edu- cated in the public schools here and when a boy assisted his father with the work on the farm. He enlisted in defense of the Union on August 5, 1861, in Company A, Second New York Volunteer Cavalry, having gone to New Jersey on a visit and enlisted from there. He served very faithfully, accord- ing to his comrades, in the Army of Virginia, seeing considerable hard ser- vice, participating in many important engagements, but he was never wounded or taken prisoner. For meritorious conduct he was commissioned a corporal. He was discharged on September 14, 1864, having served a little more than three years. After his discharge he returned to Fredericktown and resumed farming. He also engaged in the mercantile business and the livery business with his brother Daniel for about two years. Following this he engaged in the drug business alone, which he conducted for several years. For a number of years he was in the produce business, also handled general merchandise, and finally dealt in boots and shoes exclusively. His business life has been marked with uniform success.
Politically, Mr. Struble is a Democrat, and during President Cleveland's second administration he was postmaster at Fredericktown, serving four years. He has also acted as census enumerator. Since leaving the postoffice he has been living a retired life, giving some attention to chicken raising by modern methods.
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