USA > Ohio > Fairfield County > Pioneer period and pioneer people of Fairfield County, Ohio > Part 12
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A son of Lewis Peters, Hon. S. R. Peters, of New- ton, Kan., is an old Pickaway County boy, born in Wal- nut township in 1842. He is a graduate of Delaware University, and served through the war as a member of the Seventy-third regiment, O. V. I., coming out of the service as captain. He went to Kansas following the war, and in a little over a year after settling in that state his political career began. He was a member of the State Senate, judge of the Ninth Judicial District, a very trying region to hold court. He was three times elected to the difficult position without opposition. In 1883 he was elected at large to the Forty-eighth Con- gress. In 1890 he declined further congressional hon- ors, preferring to practice his profession. Judge Peters is now postmaster at Newton and editor of the Kansas Republican, published in that city. He also practices law. Judge Peters' wife was Amelia C. Doan, daugh- ter of Rev. John Doan, and they were married in Cir- cleville in April, 1867. Mrs. Peters was a universal favorite in Washington society during their residence in that city. Dr. W. L. Peters lives in Circleville.
Gideon Peters learned the trade of a tanner and for some years conducted the business at the foot of Main street. He was a prominent member of the Meth- odist church in the forties. He died in the prime of life in 1844. He married a Stevenson.
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Wesley Peters lived most of his life in Hocking township. He was a quiet citizen and unassuming in his manners. A man to be liked and trusted upon first acquaintance. In the late years of his life he lived on " Hallelujah Heights " near town. His wife was an Ingman.
For a year or two he was president of the Fairfield County Bank. He died at an advanced age. His son John W. Peters is a very prominent Methodist preacher of the Cincinnati Conference. Henry Will Peters, Samuel Peters, Silas and James were his sons. Sallie, his youngest daughter, resides in Champaign, Ill. Mrs. Thomas Strode and Mrs. George Hoffman reside near Lancaster. Mrs. Euens in the West; Dr. Wesley Peters, of this city, is a grandson, as is Mr. George Peters, of Hocking township. A daughter of Silas Peters is the wife of George Lamb, of Hooker.
Robinson J. Peters was one of the prosperous farm- ers of this county. He married a Galligher of Amanda township and for some years was a farmer in that township. About middle age he came to Hocking township, and was both a farmer and capitalist. He was a money maker from the start and pursued his business with unflagging courage and industry. He was a shrewd business man and seldom made a mis- take in his investments or business ventures. He was a judge of good land and owned fine and productive farms. He died at a great age having passed, by two or three, his eightieth year. Zebulon, his oldest son, passed three score and ten, inherited good business qualities, industry and integrity. He has reared and educated an interesting family. His oldest son Henry is the Vice President of the Fairfield County Bank. Frank is a farmer of Greenfield township. A daughter
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Of Fairfield County, Ohio.
married George Cunningham. Zebulon's wife was the daughter of Mr. Jacob Beck. His son Will is a part- ner in the firm of N. R. Butler & Co. Newton Peters, another son and now a gray-headed man, married a daughter of David Eversole. Thev have reared quite a large family of children. Two of the sons, Robinson and Charles are promising young farmers of Hocking township. A daughter married James Claypool.
One of R. J. Peters' daughters married Thos. Cochran and another Thos. Whiley.
Andrew Peters married a daughter of Valentine Reber, a sister of one of the best of Fairfield County's men, Henry Reber. Andrew Peters was a good and successful farmer and cattle man. He made money and at one time owned 1,600 acres of very fine land. He was prominent in Fairfield County, and was elected County Commissioner in 1854. He lived beyond four score years. His son Milton is one of the large farmers of this county, owns a fine home and lives in elegant style. Frank lives upon a 300 acre farm in Pickaway County and John in the same county on a like farm.
The only daughter married George Creed and lived and died upon a farm near her old home in Amanda township. Her son, Frank Creed, is a promising young man.
A daughter of Sam'l Peters married Wm. Brum- field, one of the first brewers of Lancaster. They lived for many years upon their farm near town. Broad Cole married one of the daughters. He was a well known farmer forty years ago and resided at the big spring, where Felix Swope now lives. The Coles were early settlers and at the house of the pio- neer, Bishop Asbury preached in 1803 the first sermon heard in the township.
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Thos. Cole, son of Broad, is an old school Baptist preacher and a very worthy man.
One of the daughters married Daniel Walters and they spent their lives upon a farm in Amanda township. Judge Festus Walters of the Common Pleas Court of 'Circleville, is their son. He has attained quite a promn- inent position at the bar.
The venerable Elizabeth Williamson, widow of Isaac N. Williamson, is a daughter of Samuel Peters and the only one now living of this large family of sons and daughters. She has lived beyond four score years and may be often met in town in fair weather. This is a brief sketch of a very remarkable family and in all respects a very worthy one. Prominent, influential and highly esteemed wherever known.
THE ASHBAUGH FAMILY
The Ashbaugh family of Rushcreek left Hunting- ton County, Pennsylvania, in the fall of 1799, for the Ohio country, and arrived safely at the cabin of Col. Samuel Carpenter, December 31, 1799, where they remained over night. That night a child was born to one of the families and was named David Ashbaugh. The parents were John Jr. and Catharine Miller, his wife. The family that left Pennsylvania consisted of John Ashbaugh, sr., and wife, and their sons, Jacob, Joseph, Frederick and Andrew and his two daughters, Mary and Patsy, and John Ashbaugh, jr., and wife. They came in company with Joseph Miller, wife and daughters Elizabeth and Rachel. Rachel Miller, in about twelve months became the wife of Edward Young and reared a large family of children. She was the mother of the late Mrs. Jacob Moyer. The party floated down the Ohio from Pitts-
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Of Fairfield County, Ohio.
burgh on flatboats, or family boats, landing at the mouth of the Hockhocking. The men came up the valley on foot and on horseback, and the women, with the goods, in canoes, to the mouth of Rushcreek. Here the goods were placed upon pack horses and the party made their way to Col. Carpenter's cabin on foot. From Carpenter's they traveled through the woods to a spot since known as the Neely farm and now as the Weaver place, near Bremen. Here a small plat of ground had been cleared the previous spring by Joseph Miller, John and Joseph Ashbaugh.
Elizabeth, a daughter of John Ashbaugh, sr., was left in Pennsylvania. She had previously married a Mr. Saxton of Huntington, and there she lived with her family until her death in 1822.
Mr. Saxton was a mechanic. He manufactured nails by hand, a slow process, but then the only method. Four sons were born to them, viz: John, Joshua, Joseph and William. John Saxton learned the trade of a printer and came west at an early day and commenced the publication of a weekly paper called the Repository, at Canton, Ohio. John Sax- ton was a man of ability and of high character and was, all of his useful life, a distinguished citizen of Canton, Ohio. He was the father of James Saxton, the banker, and the grandfather of Mrs. President McKinley. We gather from this that Mrs. Mckinley is a third cousin of the late John Ashbaugh. Elizabeth Ashbaugh, Mrs. McKinley's great grandmother, was the aunt of John Ashbaugh, of Lancaster. Ohio. Joshua Saxton learned the printer's trade and made his way to Canton, Ohio, when a young man and assisted his brother in the publication of his paper.
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Pioncer Period and Pioneer People
In 1838 he moved to Urbana and established a weekly paper called the Citizen. He was always a promi- nent and useful citizen of Urbana, and like his brother John achieved much more than a local reputation.
Many years ago the writer had the pleasure of meeting both brothers in their respective editorial rooms in Urbana and Canton.
Joseph and William Saxton, sons also of Elizabeth Saxton, settled at an early day in Washington City. Joseph was a fine scholar and a very brilliant me- chanical genius. He was a silversmith by trade. Prof. Bache pronounced him the greatest mechanical genius the world ever saw. He was a member of the Franklin Institute of Philadelphia and of the Royal Society of London, England. He made the city clock of Philadelphia, still to be seen and heard at Independence Hall. He spent nine years in Paris and London and while there invented the first mag- netic machine capable of producing a spark. He exhibited his machine in the presence of thousands of people in London and was honored by the presence of forty scientists. He was received with great honor while abroad. He invented and made the machinery of the United States mint at Philadelphia. He in- vented the electric clock in the department of weights and measures in Washington, D. C. John Ashbaugh once visited this cousin and was very cordially received.
Joseph and Jacob, sons of John Ashbaugh, sr .. moved at an early day to Kentucky and the family lost all trace of them and their descendants.
Patsy, the daughter of John Ashbaugh, sr .. mar- ried Mr. A. Ray and died young.
Mary, a daughter of John, sr., married Samuel Ray. They were the parents of two daughters. one
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Of Fairfield County, Ohio.
of whom became the wife of Wright Larimer, and the other the wife of Isaac Larimer.
Catharine, a daughter of John, sr., married Asa Johnson. They were the parents of the late Edward Johnson, of Rush Creek.
Andrew Ashbaugh married Esther Ray, of Hunt- ington county, Pennsylvania, and after coming to Rushcreek settled east of Bremen on the farm now owned by A. Grafis. Their children were John, Wil- liam, Abraham, Samuel, James and Robert, Catharine, Jane, Margaret and Elizabeth, who married George Orndorff. Their daughter, Margaret, married Wil- liam Rowles, who now lives with a second wife near Pleasantville, Ohio.
Andrew, at an early day, sold his farm to his brother Frederick and moved to Perry county, where he reared his large family.
John, the oldest son, was born October 24, 1808. He worked on the farm until 21 years of age. He worked for William B. Lewis, of Rushville and learned the carpenter trade. While in Rushville he witnessed the great fight between Isaac Wilson and a man named Maxwell, who came from the east on pur- pose to whip Wilson. A large crowd of people formed a circle and the combatants fought to a finish. Max- well was at the close of the fight put to bed and was under the care of a doctor for several weeks.
John Ashbaugh was for some time a partner of Jacob Moyer in the building business.
In 1839 he married Mary Beery, daughter of George Beery, and engaged in the mercantile bus- iness in Bremen, and so continued until the year 1854. He traded in horses, tobacco and packed pork.
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In 1854 he sold out to Simon and Thomas E. Beery. He then purchased the Lieb farm north of Bremen.
In 1870 he purchased the Albert Claypool farm, east of Lancaster, where his son George now lives. In 1874 he moved to Lancaster, where he died Novem- ber 10, 1895. His children were George B., Josephine and Kate. George married Mary A. McCandlish, of Bremen; Josephine married Dr. Rankin, of Bremen ; Miss Kate resides with her mother in Lancaster.
Kate Rankin married Samuel Porter, of Mus- kingum County; Viola married Jessie Rowles of Bremen ; Nellie married Victor Coen, of New Mexico; Grace and Florence Rankin are with their parents in Bremen.
William Ashbaugh, brother of John, married Julia Cohagen and lived on a farm near Rushville. His death occurred in 1892.
John J., his son, married Jennie Davis, daughter of David Y. Davis, of Rushcreek. He lives on the old Davis farm and is a highly esteemed citizen of his township and a veteran of the civil war. George was accidentally killed in Indiana. Robert married Miss Franks and lives in Rushville, Ohio. James lives in Columbus, Ohio. Hiram was a farmer and died in Indiana. Mariah, daughter of William, mar- ried William Work and lives near Rushville. Eliza- beth married Charles Rowles, of Bremen. Jane mar- ried William Stuart and now lives, a widow, in Bucyrus, Ohio. Margaret married Isaac Mast - both are now dead.
Abraham Ashbaugh, brother of William and John, married a Miss Linton and moved to Tama county, Iowa, where they died. Samuel and James lived and died in Perry County. They were farmers.
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Of Fairfield County, Ohio.
Robert, son of Andrew, was a carpenter. He was a soldier of the Union army and lost his health in the service. He died a few years since in Columbus, Ohio. His widow and son, George, live in Columbus.
Another son lives in Wheeling, W. Va. ( Hart). .
Catharine, daughter of Andrew Ashbaugh, mar- ried Washington Adcock. They lived in Perry county, Ohio, and reared a large family.
Adcock gave each of his children a farm and has several hundred acres left.
Jane married John Cohagen and both are now dead. Children of this couple live, or did live, near Pickerington, Ohio. Margaret married Anderson Crooks.
Fred Ashbaugh, brother of Andrew, married Mary Musser, of Rushcreek. Three of their children moved to new homes in the north and west.
One of the daughters married George Spangler. Their daughter, Miriam, married Joseph Stukey, son of Judge Stukey, who in time moved to Jasper County, Missouri. Their son, W. W. Stukey, lives in Lan- caster, Ohio, also a daughter, Clara Good.
Eliza married Robert Shugart of Lancaster, and died there.
John Jr., brother of Andrew, married Catherine Miller of Pennsylvania. They settled on a farm near Jerusalem church, east of Bremen. They reared a family of ten children.
Joseph married Elizabeth Musser and moved to Perry County, Ohio.
David was born January 1, 1800, in the cabin of Col. Samuel Carpenter, if tradition is correct, where the parents were over night before going to Rushcreek. He lived and died in Rushcreek, below Geneva.
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Pioncer Period and Pioneer People
Andrew, son of John Jr., married Elizabeth. daughter of Amos Davis, a very prominent Rushcreek man.
Seymour married Catherine Leckrone and moved to Effingham county, Il1.
Margaret married Gico. McCandish. They lived a few years on a farm and then moved to Bremen. where McCandish, for some years, was a merchant.
They were the parents of Mrs. Geo. Beery Ash- baugh.
Elizabeth, daughter of John Jr., married Absalom McCormick of Perry County.
The Ashbaughs have been prominent people in Rushcreek township for 100 years.
They were all wood business men in their line and maintained throughout their long career an honor- able record.
THE BEERY FAMILY
The Beery family has been for more than 130 vears one of the largest and most prominent in the valley of Virginia. They were, originally. from Berks county, Pennsylvania.
A branch of this family, or rather two branches. came, or began to come, to Fairfield County as early as 1800, and settled in Rushcreek township.
Nicholas Beery of Rockingham County, Virginia, was the founder, or ancestor of the Fairfield family we propose to sketch,in this paper.
He was born in Rockingham County, Virginia, was twice married, and reared a family of sixteen chil- dren. His first wife was a Miss Keller, an aunt of the late Hon. Daniel Keller, of Fairfield County.
Their sons were John, Jacob, Abraham, Isaac, Henry, George and Nicholas. Their daughters were
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Of Fairfield County, Ohio.
Barbara, Elizabeth, Martha, Mary and Susan. The second wife of Nicholas Beery was a woman of Rock- ingham whose name we cannot give. Their children were Joseph and Christopher, Margaret and Fanny. All of the children, except Barbara, who married Mr. Blosser, came early to Fairfield County.
John, son of Nicholas, married Margaret Shaeffer and settled just east of where Berne Station is now located. Their sons were Noah, David, Abraham and Nicholas. Noah married, for his wife, Miss Rader, who was a daughter of John Rader, of Rockingham County, Virginia, and for his second wife, a Mrs. Smith, and moved to N. W. Missouri, where he pros- pered and was a respected and influential citizen. A daughter of his married Andrew J. Snider, at this time a wealthy stock dealer of Kansas City, and presi- dent of the First National Bank of that city. A son, Chester A. Snider, of Mr. and Mrs. Snider, married a daughter of ex-Governor Oglesby, of Illinois. An- other son, a very promising young man, died in Cali- fornia.
David married a Hufford and moved to Missouri. Abraham married a daughter of Frederick Friesner. He moved to Logan, Hocking County, and lived and died there. Nicholas married a sister of Frederick Sites. He moved to Missouri. John, the son of Nich- olas, Jr., married a sister of Jacob Huber and moved to Auglaize county, Ohio. Delilah married John Beatty. Their son, J. H. Beatty, is United States Dis- trict Judge of Idaho. Elijah Beery of Sugar Grove, was a son of Nicholas.
The only daughter of John Beery, Elizabeth, mar- ried John Coffman, near Carroll, the father of the late Samuel Coffman and grandfather of Benjamin.
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Pioncer Period and Pioneer People
Jacob Beery married Nancy Geil, in Virginia. Upon their arrival in Fairfield. they settled on a farm on Upper Raccoon, now owned by Frank, a son of Lewis Beery. Later in life they moved to Wyandot County, Ohio, where they died.
Abraham Beery married Catharine Fast and they settled on the bluff, north side of Raccoon and one mile east of Berne. Their son, Abraham, married a Miss Elizabeth Weldy and moved to Decatur, Indiana, where he still lives. Their son, Joel, married Sarah Huddle and moved to Darke county, Ohio. Their daughter, Elizabeth, married Abraham Geil and they lived and died in Rushcreek. Their daughter, Cath- arine, married Joseph Swartz, and lived near Mount Tabor church. They were the parents of Joel and Rev. Andrew Swartz and Mrs. Sheldon.
Sarah, daughter of Abraham, married Henry Swartz of North Berne. Later in life Mr. Swartz moved to Illinois. One of his sons married a daugh- ter of Samuel Jackson. He enlisted in the Union army and died in the service. Ex-Mayor Swartz, of Columbus, is their son.
Rebecca, daughter of Abraham, married John Turner. Turner died leaving his widow with a fam- ily of small children. Jacob B. Turner of Bremen, all of his life a reputable and influential citizen of this county, is one of the sons of this couple. A brother resides in Bremen and Peter in Lancaster, Ohio. Their son Emanuel, now deceased, was a minister in the Evangelical church. Mr. Turner's widow mar- ried John Shoemaker. Mrs. Shoemaker is still living near Bremen, Ohio. Their son Eli is a Methodist preacher. Fanny, daughter of Abraham, married Emanuel Sites, who became one of the highly es-
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Of Fairfield County, Ohio.
teemed citizens of Pleasant township. George Sites and attorney J. S. Sites, of Lancaster, are sons of Emanuel. Mrs. John E. Miller and Mrs. Frank Beery are daughters, and Drs. H. C. and E. F. Sites, of Ft. Wayne, Ind., are sons. Delilah, daughter of Abraham, married a Mr. Samuel Bear and they moved to Darke County, Ohio, where Bear died. Late in life she became the wife of Emanuel Sites. Mary married George Swartz and moved to Hancock Coun- ty, Ohio. Another daughter Barbara, married a Mr. Daniel Huddle. Samuel, one of their sons, is a min- ister. They reared a good family.
The oldest of Abram's girls married Joel Shaeffer, a long time county commissioner.
Isaac Beery, son of Nicholas, came to Fairfield County a single man. He married Mary Cradle- baugh, a daughter of the first German Reformed preacher in this county, Rev. Cradlebaugh. Her brother, Andrew Cradlebaugh, of Circleville, was the father of Col. John Cradlebaugh, an attorney of some prominence.
Isaac Beery was a Dunker preacher of consider- able prominence and of high character. He lived on the original section purchased by his father, south of Hartzler's mill on Raccoon. George, son of Isaac, was a dentist and lived and died in Royalton and was buried there. Andrew died a single man. Levi mar- ried a Miss Short and moved to Iowa, where both died. Jesse married Rebecca Larimer, moved west and died there. Elijah Beery, son of Isaac, married, but we can not give the name of his wife. They moved to Miami County, Ohio. Isaac also married and moved to Miami County, Ohio. Enoch, son of Isaac Beery, Sr., married a lady of Perry County,
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Pioncer Period and Pioneer People
Ohio. They moved to Miami County, Ohio, where he still lives. The horse trainer, named Beery, who occasionally visits Lancaster, is a son of Enoch Beery.
Delilah, daughter of old Isaac, married a Mr. Ward, of Miami County, where they lived and died. Catharine, daughter of Isaac, married Daniel Sites or Seitz, and they lived about one mile south of North Berne. Enoch Beery Seitz, one of the famous math- ematicians of the world, was their son, and was born on the farm in Berne. He was a brilliant scholar when a boy and always in advance of his teacher.
The mother of Prof. Sites is still living in Green- ville, aged 92 years. Noah Sites or Seitz was killed in the Civil War.
Elizabeth Beery, daughter of old Isaac, married James Stuart, of Rush Creek. Charles Stuart, of this city, is their son.
Maria Beery married a Mr. Fristo and moved to Miami County, Ohio.
Priscilla married a man named Hillis and they moved to Missouri, where they died.
Henry Beery, son of Nicholas, settled near Sugar Grove. We can not give the name of his wife. His son-in-law and Henry, his son, live near Sugar Grove. Elijah was a prominent citizen of that vicinity for sixty years.
George Beery, son of Nicholas Beery, Sr., was born in 1783. He married Catharine Cradlebaugh in 1809, a sister of his brother Isaac's wife. They were prom- inent and influential people and they reared a large and interesting family. George Beery was a well- known man - a farmer and merchant by turns. He was the original proprietor of the village of Bremen and the first merchant there. He died on his farm six
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Of Fairfield County, Ohio.
miles east of Lancaster, in 1856. He was the best known of his numerous brothers and numbered among his friends many prominent men of Lancaster. He came to Fairfield County in 1800.
The numerous sons of George Beery were all good business men and they made a success of life. Samuel married Catharine Hull and was a farmer all of his life. He built the fine brick residence just east of Lancaster. He died in the prime of old age. His widow married Samuel Black. John married Mary Black and lived and died upon his farm near Bremen. Joseph died while yet a young man. Isaac was for a few years a merchant in Bremen, but moved to Upper Sandusky, where he married a daughter of Dr. Fow- ler, a wealthy farmer near Little Sandusky. He was, in connection with his brother Anthony, a prosperous merchant in his new home. Anthony married a Miss Sherman. George studied law and settled in Upper Sandusky. He married Ann McDonald, of Lancas- ter. In the last few years of his life he was president of the First National Bank of Upper Sandusky. Simon was for several years a prominent and suc- cessful business man of Bremen. He married Mel- vina Grove, and late in life moved to Urbana, Ohio. He owned a fine farm on Mad River. Noah died young. Solomon was a farmer of this county and is now a prosperous one near Upper Sandusky. He married Louisa Hammack, of this city. Thomas Ewing Beery married a college mate, a Miss Witt, of Indiana. He married the second time a Miss Os- borne. He has been for many years a successful busi- ness man and a highly esteemed and influential citizen of Wyandot County, Ohio. Christena, daughter of George Beery, married Charles Stuart and lived near
ยท
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Pioneer Period and Pioncer People
Bremen. Mary married John Ashbaugh and lived many years near to and in Bremen. She is a well pre- served woman, on the shady side of eighty, and after a long and useful life she enjoys the peace and com- fort that comes to those who fairly earn it.
Barbara, the oldest daughter of old Nicholas Beery, married a Mr. Blosser and lived and died in Virginia. Elizabeth married Rev. Jacob Geil and settled on lower Rush Creek. He was a Mennonite. Martha married a Comer and lived on what is now the George Clover farm. They were the parents of Isaac Comer, an old-time tailor of Lancaster, Ohio.
Mary, daughter of Nicholas, married Rev. Henry Stemen. They came to Rush Creek, southeast of what is now Bremen, where they reared a large fam- ily. Rev. Stemen was an earnest, zealous Mennonite preacher, and always spoke in the German language. The Beerys were of Pennsylvania German descent and all understood the language. Susan married Abra- ham Beery, a distant relative of her father. They settled in lower Ruch Creek.
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