USA > Ohio > Knox County > Past and present of Knox County, Ohio, Vol. II > Part 37
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Mr. Flack was married in 1860 to Elizabeth Lepley, daughter of Jacob and Margaret (Hoyman) Lepley, a complete sketch of whom is to be found on another page of this work. Five children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Samuel Flack, namely : Jacob, born August 29, 1861; Sylvia Ellen, born March 17, 1864; Philip W., born July 13, 1866, married, in 1904, Georgina Babcock, and they have four children, James C., J. Paul, Elizabeth Ann and Sylvia Ruth; Joseph L. was born on September 12, 1870; Dessie R. was born April 22, 1878. Two sons and two daughters live at home, all constituting a happy and congenial family.
Personally, Mr. Flack is a very pleasant gentleman, hospitable, obliging and he and his family have always stood high in the social life of this part of the county.
JOHN E. STONEBROOK.
In such men as John E. Stonebrook, the present able and popular treasurer of Knox county, there is peculiar satisfaction in offering in their life histories justification for the compilation of works of this character-not that their lives have been such as to gain them particularly wide notoriety or the admir- ing plaudits of men, but that they have been true to the trusts reposed in them, having shown such attributes of character as entitled them to the regard to all.
Mr .. Stonebrook is the representative of one of the honored old families of Knox county, where he has been content to spend his life, laboring in such a manner as to bring success to himself and good to the community in general. He was born in Brown township, this county, on July 28, 1867, and he is the son of Mathias and Mariah (Hagerman) Stonebrook, both natives of Car- roll county, Ohio, from which they came to Knox county in the early fifties. The father was a successful farmer; he and his wife are both deceased, John E. Stonebrook, of this review, being the only member of the family now living. He was reared on the home farm where he labored during the crop
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seasons when a boy, attending the district schools, during the winter months, later attending a normal school for a short time. He prepared himself for a teacher and followed that profession with singular success for several years and later engaged in various pursuits. Being a young man of studious and inquisitive habits, courageous and fostering proper ideals, he continued to press forward in the face of obstacles until he has been appropriately rewarded. He finally became connected with the C. & G. Cooper Company, of Mt. Vernon. in the capacity of timekeeper and he remained in the employ of this company until the fall of 1908, rendering most efficient service. In the year mentioned he was elected treasurer of Knox county, and he gave such high-grade and satisfactory service that his constituents gladly returned him to the same office in the fall of 1910 and he entered upon his second term in September, 1911. He gives his individual attention to the affairs of the office and the consen- sus of opinion is that the county has never had a better treasurer. He has always been a loyal Republican and ever since he was a young man he has been deeply interested in public affairs. For some time he represented Brown township, his home community, upon the Republican county central committee.
Mr. Stonebrook is a man of splendid characteristics and business quali- fications and has proven himself to be a painstaking and popular public official. His influence in the community is always for the betterment of conditions and the uplift of the people.
On June 12, 1902, Mr. Stonebrook was united in marriage with Sarah Beck, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Jacob Beck, of Holmes county, Ohio. and this union has resulted in the birth of four children, two sons and two daughters, Kenneth, Mary, Albert and Ruth.
Fraternally, Mr. Stonebrook is a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and Knights of Pythias. Religiously, he is a member of the Methodist Episcopal church, while his wife belongs to the German Evangelical Lutheran church.
JACOB LEPLEY.
One of the well known and highly revered pioneers of this section of the Buckeye state who is eminently entitled to a place in his country's history was Jacob Lepley, long since departed to that "undiscovered bourne from whence no traveler e'er returns." He is remembered as a man of many
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sterling attributes of head and heart, courageous, loyal to the right as he saw and understood the right, a persistent worker and a man of public spirit. He lived in an epoch that tried men's souls and tested their mettle, and he was not found wanting in the performance of his innumerable tasks. He was a fine type of those men who redeemed the fertile farms of today from the wilderness and made possible the pleasant homes of the present generation.
Mr. Lepley was born in Pennsylvania on June 7, 1801, and there he grew to manhood, his early life not differing materially from that of other pioneer children. Upon reaching manhood he married Margaret Hoyman, who was also born in Pennsylvania on April 17, 1801. They left Somerset county, that state, in 1825 and came to Knox county, Ohio. locating on a farm in Butler township, and there by hard work developed a farm on which they spent the balance of their lives, his death occurring on October 15, 1882, and the mother on May 5, 1878. In connection with farming. he also fol- lowed carpentering. He entered a quarter section of land here, thus found- ing the Lepley homestead. Hunting and fishing were his recreations, and he delighted in each, being a successful sportsman, in the days when game was abundant. Politically, he was a Jeffersonian, Jacksonian Democrat and loyal to his convictions. His wife was a great worker in the church. the field and the home. She wove and spun their own clothing for her family. They were Lutherans.
To Jacob Lepley and wife ten children were born, named as follows: Caroline, born March 31, 1824, died March 29, 1891 ; Valentine, born Janu- ary 22, 1826, lives in Hardin county, Iowa ; Polly, born September 12, 1827, died September 15, 1828: William, born July 6, 1829, died June 14, 1903 ; George, born January 26. 1831, died March 20, 1902; Susanna, born April 25, 1833, died February 25, 1905 : Adam, born April 16, 1835, died Novem- ber 10, 1908, in Hardin county, Iowa; Philip, born April 11, 1837, died October 22, 1909, in Yolo county, California; Elizabeth, October 5, 1839; Nancy, October 16, 1841.
Tradition says that Adam Lepley, Sr., was the first of the Lepleys to come to America; and that he emigrated from Wurtemberg, Germany, and settled in Pennsylvania, later moving to Ohio, where he spent the balance of his days, being an early pioneer here, and he and his wife are both buried in the Lepley cemetery in Knox county. He was born on February 6, 1755, and died on August 26, 1831 ; his wife was born on March 22. 1755, and her death occurred on April 11, 1842. They had several children, of whom Adam Lepley, Jr., was one, and he was the father of Jacob Lepley, subject of this sketch.
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LEANDER CAYWOOD.
The march of improvement is accelerated day by day, and each suc- cessive moment seems to demand of men a broader intelligence and greater discernment than did the preceding, showing that successful men must be live men in this age, bristling with activity. The purpose of biography is to preserve the records of such men for the edification of succeeding genera- tions : thus the lessons of biography may be far-reaching to an extent not superficially evident. A man's reputation is the property of the world, for the laws of nature have forbidden isolation. Every human being either sub- mits to the controlling influence of others or wields an influence which touches, controls, guides or misdirects others. If he be honest and successful in his chosen field of endeavor, investigation will brighten his fame and point the way along which others may follow with like success. Consequently, it is believed that a critical study of the life record of Leander Caywood, one of the substantial and prominent citizens of Knox county, long a leading agri- culturist and stock man, now living in the city of Fredericktown, will benefit the readers of this history, for it has been one of large success, usefulness and honor.
Mr. Caywood is a worthy representative of one of the sterling old pioneer families of Knox county, and here he has been content to spend his life, his birth having occurred in Middlebury township on January 9, 1844. on a farm. He is the son of John and Sarah ( Murphy ) Caywood. William Caywood, paternal grandfather of the subject, came from New Jersey in 1812 and settled in Middlebury township, this county, when this part of the state, indeed most of the state, was yet a wilderness and the home of the red man and wild beast. He entered a section of land from the government, and here he resided until his death, a few years later, in 1816. He was buried in the Friends cemetery, near the Owl Creek church, now fallen to decay. Many of the pioneer settlers were buried here. The elder Caywood's wife died in New Jersey and he brought with him his three sons, Will- iam, David and John. The hostility of the Indians caused him to return the sons to the home of their grandfather in New Jersey, with whom John re- mained until 1830. The other two sons returned to Knox county, Ohio, and took charge of their father's estate about the time of his death. David was killed by a falling tree and William remained in the community; neither ever married.
John Caywood, father of the immediate subject of this sketch, was married in Middlebury township, this county, to Sarah Murphy, a native of
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the township and a daughter of William Murphy, who came to Knox county from Pennsylvania in early pioneer days. Mr. and Mrs. Caywood began their married life on a farm purchased by his father in 1812, and there they established a good home, in which they spent the balance of their lives, both dying at the age of seventy-two years. Early in life Mr. Caywood was a Whig in his political belief, and later he voted the Republican ticket, at the birth of the party. To these parents thirteen children were born, nine of whom reached maturity and five are yet living, namely: Leander, of this sketch; Alfred, of Trinidad, Colorado; Lewis D., of Fredericktown; Lavilla married Zachariah Zedaker and they live on part of the old home farm in Middlebury township; Luella married C. J. Mann and they also live on a part of the old homestead. Three of the Caywood brothers were soldiers in the Civil war, Abner, Sylvester and Leander; the latter being the only one of the three now living.
The subject of this sketch was the sixth child in order of birth and he grew to manhood on the home farm, and when but a boy he began the hard labor of the fields. He received what education he could in the log cabin schools of his community. He was married in March, 1872, to Frances Ewers, who was born in Perry township, Richland county, Ohio, November 23, 1848, the daughter of David G. and Almina (Johnson) Ewers. David G. Ewers was a son of Robert and Martha (Gregg) Ewers, who eloped in youth and were married in the middle of the Potomac river. She was a worthy representative of the Gregg family, who underwent the hardships incident to the memorable siege of Londonderry, Ireland, and the blood of her Presbyterian Scotch-Irish ancestry made her a strong character. The Ewers family was prominent in the locality where the members of the same lived. Robert Ewers was the son of John and Sarah (Gladden) Ewers, of Loudoun county, Virginia. The ancestry of this family is traced back to the Norman conquest. The early emigrants of the Ewers family first settled on the banks of the Delaware river, near Philadelphia. Their property was later destroyed by the British and they moved to Virginia. Besides Robert Ewers and his brother David, who came to Knox county, Ohio, in 1812, Richard and Jonathan soon followed, all of whom lived to an advanced age and all are buried in the Friends cemetery on Owl creek. Robert settled in the northern part of Middlebury township, where he lived and died and where he became prosperous, owning upwards of one thousand acres of good land. His children were George Washington, John William, David Robert, Thomas, Mariah (who became Mrs. William Bigbee) and Martha (who married W. S. Files). There are no survivors. Almina Johnson, the mother
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of Mrs. Caywood, wife of the subject, was a daughter of Squire James and Abigail ( Richardson) Johnson. Mr. Johnson served for nearly a half cen- tury as justice of the peace. He first settled in Wayne township, Knox county. in 1813. Much of their later life was spent with their daughter, Mrs. Caywood, where they died, he at the age of seventy-two and she at the age of seventy-six years.
Mr. and Mrs. Leander Caywood began married life on a farm in Mid- dlebury township, where they continued to live until 1907. successfully en- gaged in general farming and stock raising; in that year they moved to Fredericktown. By judicious management and the exercise of sound judg- ment and honest business principles, Mr. Caywood prospered, became a large land owner and his was one of the finest and most desirable farms in Knox county. He always believed in employing the latest methods in agricultural pursuits and in keeping fully abreast of the times. He studied the soils, grains, crop rotation, fertilization and all phases of his work so as to get the largest results for the least outlay of labor. He kept his land under a high state of cultivation and improvement, kept the most approved modern machinery and his buildings were always in order. He has devoted much attention to the raising and breeding of live stock, being an excellent judge of the same ; in fact, it is doubtful if any man in this locality has done more to improve the breed of cattle. For many years he made a specialty of breeding Polled Durham cattle and his Klokosing herd of Polled Durhams were widely and favorably known among breeders everywhere, and many excellent animals have gone from this herd to improve the country's live stock in many states.
Mr. Caywood was one of the promoters and charter members of the American Polled Durham Breeders' Association, organized at Chicago, No- vember 18, 1890, and he was a member of the first board of directors. His herd was a prize winner wherever exhibited, and single animals brought fancy prices. He was a recognized leader among cattle breeders, as he was a model farmer among farmers. Mr. Caywood sold his fine herds when he moved to Fredericktown in 1907, and has since lived a retired life, having accumulated a competency. He retained one of his excellent farms and has looked after this in a general way.
Politically, Mr. Caywood has always been a Republican and active in party and public matters. . He was justice of the peace for twenty years, during which time he discharged the duties of this office in a manner that brought much credit to himself and won the confidence and hearty com- mendation of all concerned, his decisions being characterized by fairness and
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a rare knowledge of justice and jurisprudence, and they seldom met with reversal at the hands of a higher tribunal. In the language of Shakespeare, this honor was literally "thrust upon him," for he never sought office of any kind in his life. Besides being justice of the peace he served as township assessor and treasurer on several occasions, and also as a member of the school board for years. He has been a frequent delegate to county, district and state conventions. Fraternally, he is a charter member of the Middle- bury Grange No. 192, Patrons of Husbandry. He belongs to Jacob Young Post No 539, Grand Army of the Republic, being the present commander of the post, and he has been a frequent delegate to state and national encamp- ments. He is a member of the National Association of Civil War Musicians. He has traveled extensively and spent the winter of 1910 and 1911 in Florida. He is a man of high standards and wide influence.
Mrs. Caywood was called to her rest on March 29, 1909. She was a woman of commendable attributes and estimable disposition, a favorite with a host of friends. Strong-minded, progressive and of humanitarian ideas, she was a potent influence for good in her community and a fit helpmeet for such a gentleman as the subject, no small part of his success being attribut- able, no doubt, to her sympathy and encouragement. She attended school in the old log school house and later walked two miles to Fredericktown to school and was finally engaged as a teacher in the schools here
CHARLES A. YOUNG.
Charles A. Young was born on May 10, 1827, in Fayette county, Penn- sylvania. He is the son of Hubbell and Rachael (Shipley) Young. This family came to Knox county, Ohio, about 1833, and located on a farm one mile northeast of the farm whereon the family lived so long at a later day. They became well known and influential in that remote pioneer period and were among the county's substantial citizens.
Charles A. Young grew up on the home farm and when but a boy he knew the meaning of hard work, for in developing a farm from the primeval forests in those times the labor of all the family was required. His father set- tled in the woods and started life here in a log cabin which he erected, then cleared and developed the land into a good farm and finally had a comfortable home. The subject received such education as those early times afforded. Later he attended Sloan's Academy at Mt. Vernon. He was married on (50)
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December 28, 1858, to Angeline Armstrong, daughter of Eliphalet and Tacy (Irwin) Armstrong, a prominent old family of Mt. Vernon. To this union one son was born, Frank E. Young, who succeeds the father in the manage- ment of the estate.
Charles A. Young after his marriage began housekeeping on a part of the home farm, and there he lived for about seven years, when he purchased a farm one and one-half miles east of Mt. Vernon in Monroe township, his first purchase being one hundred and seventy acres. Here he prospered through good management, close application and honest dealings with his fellow men, and later added to his holding until he became the owner of four hundred and fifty acres of fine land, which he placed under excellent im- provements and a high state of cultivation. Here he carried on general farming and stock raising on an extensive scale for many years and became one of the substantial and most progressive farmers in this part of the county. Although he kept live stock of all kinds, he made a specialty raising sheep, keeping large flocks of good wool producers.
Politically, Mr. Young was a Democrat and he was always active in public matters. He served two terms as county commissioner and was a most efficient and conscientious public servant. His support could always be depended upon in the furtherance of any movement having as its object the general good. He was a man of great activity and force of character and one of the most representative citizens of Knox county. He was a member of the Masonic order and the Congregational church. and he carried the sublime precepts of each into his every-day life. Mrs. Young is a Baptist in her religious faith.
FRANK E. YOUNG.
Frank E. Young was born on September 15, 1860, on the home farm in Knox county, Ohio. He is the only child of Charles A. and Angeline ( Arm- strong) Young, the father born in Fayette county, Pennsylvania, May 10, 1827, and his death occurred on February 14, 1908, but the mother is still living, making her home on the old place with her son. The father became one of the substantial and well known farmers of Knox county, and farmed on a large scale and handled large numbers of live stock from year to year, devoting his entire life to farming, making sheep raising a specialty. He was an influential factor in public affairs and a loyal Democrat, and he was active in the Masonic order and the Congregational church, a good and use-
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ful man, whom the community will miss for many years to come. A com- plete sketch of him appears on another page.
Frank Young was married on November 26, 1884, to Nannie M. Mer- rin, daughter of George and Lodema (Irwin) Merrin, a prominent family of Morris township, this county, where Mr. Merrin has a valuable farm, and there Mrs. Young grew to womanhood and she received her education in the country and Mt. Vernon high schools.
Two daughters have graced the union of Mr. and Mrs. Young, namely : Florence M. and Mabel I., both educated at Oberlin College, where they made excellent records, and they have always been popular in local social circles.
Politically, Mr. Young is a Democrat, and while he takes the interest of a good citizen in public affairs and his support may always be depended upon in furthering any worthy cause, he is not a seeker after public favors or the emoluments of offices within the gift of the people, preferring to devote his exclusive interests to the home farm. Mrs. Young and daughters are mem- bers of the Congregational church of Mt. Vernon.
IRVEN SEVITS.
One of the farmers of Union township who has by his industry and good management reached a stage of comfortable circumstances is Irven Sevits. What is meant by comfortable circumstances does not only include material well-being, but also time for recreation and culture, and some lib- erty to travel. When the individual has reached this condition he is prepared to enjoy life and needs no money. But a great many people have reached various stages of this condition and in that proportion are happy. Most peo- ple imagine their troubles. It is now well known that the state of the mind has everything to do with the state of the temper. When one can reduce existence to the happy state of Mr. Sevits, he is prepared to enjoy a consid- erable degree of happiness. It requires a philosophic mind to be able to do this. He is yet a young man, and his greatest pleasure is not in idleness, but in its antithesis-work; he has never found labor and the every-day duties of life irksome, and although he is far from being a rich man he has suffi- cient of this world's goods to make him, or that should make any fair-minded man, content with their lot. Many millionaires are most unhappy, which goes to show that there are other things in life besides dollars.
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Irven Sevits was born on March 7, 1871, on the farm in Union town- ship, one mile south of Brinkhaven. He is the son of William and Jane (Workman) Sevits. The father was born in Somerset county, Pennsyl- vania, and the mother in Coshocton county, Ohio. The father came to Knox county in 1867, when he was twenty-three years old. He was married soon afterwards and settled in Tiverton township, Coshocton county, but soon afterwards he moved to Union township, Knox county. Early in life he followed railroading, but later turned his attention to farming. He is still living in Union township. His wife died in December, 1903. To Mr. and Mrs. William Sevits were born two sons and two daughters, namely : Stephen, who lives in Union township; Irven, of this sketch; Selena mar- ried Bur. Haugher, of Howard township; Alice married William Edwards, and lives in New Comerstown. The father was a life-long Republican and a member of the Disciples church, highly respected and a useful citizen.
Irven Sevits, of this review, was reared on the home farm and educated in the district schools. During his boyhood days he assisted with the gen- eral work about the place and has always followed farming pursuits.
Mr. Sevits was married on April 26, 1884, to Ida Wolf, daughter of Adam and Fanny (Butler) Wolf, of Union township, and to this union two sons and one daughter were born, namely: Everett, William A. and Mary F., all living at home.
Mr. Sevits after his marriage engaged in farming in Union township, and in 1904 he bought and moved to his present farm near where he was born, the place consisting of one hundred and seventy-five acres. He has placed this rich, productive land under a high state of improvement and cul- tivation, and here carries on general farming and stock raising successfully, specializing on thoroughbred Guernsey cattle, of which he has a fine herd. He also raises this kind of stock for breeding purposes, and he has a wide reputation as a result of his fine stock. Owing to their superior quality they find a very ready market when offered for sale. He is an excellent judge of live stock and knows well how to care for them so as to get the best re- sults. He also keeps high-grade horses, preferring Percherons, and at the exhibits over the country he usually takes first premiums, having frequently won blue ribbons at county fairs. He also handles high-grade Delaine sheep. He believes in keeping the best grades of all kinds of stock, and no small portion of his annual income is derived from this source. His name has gone throughout the state as a result of his fine live stock. He believes in employing up-to-date methods in his stock raising and farming, and is one of the progressive and substantial men of his township and county. He
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