USA > Ohio > Fairfield County > Pioneer period and pioneer people of Fairfield County, Ohio > Part 15
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Emanuel Ruffner, the ancestor of the large family sketched above, lived to be 91 years of age and died June 4, 1848.
His first wife, Magdalene, died November, 1822. aged 65 years.
His second wife, Elizabeth, died December 1. 1842. aged 63 years.
Elizabeth, daughter of Emanuel Ruffner, married M. Garner ; she died in Pleasantville in 1860.
There was a large Ruffner connection in the old neighborhood, all related to Emanuel, but the exact relationship we cannot state.
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Of Fairfield County, Ohio.
Benjamin Ruffner, Sr., lived on what has since been known as the Augustus R. Keller farm. He was the father of David, Benjamin and Noah Ruffner. Noah lived and died on the old farm. He married a daughter of Jonas Friend. David lived near Millers- port and was for many years a prominent man. He married his cousin, a daughter of Daniel Ruffner. Benjamin married a daughter of William Lamb. He was a great business man and very prominent sixty years ago. He ran a large whiskey distillery for several years at Hebron, Ohio. He finally failed in business, moved west and settled on a farm near Fort Wayne, Ind.
THE ROWLES FAMILY
This family was of English and Scotch origin, but the exact date of their coming to America is not known. . William Rowles is the earliest name found upon Eng- lish records. He was born July 9, 1682, and died Nov. 17, 1750. His son Christopher Rowles, was born May 9, 1708. This record was found in a bible printed in London in 1716. John Rowles the immediate ancester of the Fairfield family, lived near Baltimore, Md. He was born April 11, 1734 and died aged 67 years, in 1804. The name of his wife was Sarah. They had four sons and several daughters. Jesse. Jacob, Nicholas and William were the sons. Jesse and William came to Ohio in 1803. William lived a few years with Jesse; then returned to Maryland and married Sarah Cham- berlain. He returned to Ohio and lived until 1838 in Franklin County, when he moved to Missouri, where he died in October, 1854. His son, Reuben, lives in Missouri and John in California. His daughters, Mary, Ann. and Eliza, married brothers, named Barbee of
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Grove City, O. Of this family was ex-Sheriff Barbee, who married Joseph Leib's daughter.
Jesse Rowles was born in Baltimore county, Md., Nov. 9, 1772. He married Elizabeth Murphey, daugh- ter of Rev. John Murphey, and Esther, his wife, March 27, 1798. She was born June 2, 1777, and died in Bre- men, Nov. 11, 1843. Jesse Rowles died May 7, 1835. Jesse Rowles came to Fairfield County with his family in 1803 and settled on a quarter section of John Mur- phey's land, since known as the Spence farm. Here he gave his attention to farming, making an occasional trip to Baltimore with a freight team. George Clum. an old wagoner, was often in his company. In early life he was a millwright and worked on the big mills at Ellicott's mills, Maryland.
Jesse Rowles was an Episcopalian, and he never united with any church in this county. He lived a good life and reared a good family. Their descendants are very numerous and all Christian people. Rev. J. F. Kemper, of Seward, Neb., is a Methodist and a grand- son, one we hope, worthy to wear the mantle of John Murphey. There are numerous teachers in the family. good business men, good farmers.
THE DAUGHTERS.
Arabella Rowles. was born July 14, 1817. She married her cousin, Theodore Murphey, April 9. 1842. She was the mother of a family of children mentioned in the Murphey sketch.
Lydia Rowles was born in Pennsylvania, January 25, 1799, and died in Bremen at her sister's home, Mrs. King, in 1853. She never married.
Charlotte, daughter of Jesse and Elizabeth Rowles. married Morris Smith, of Thorn township, Perry County, Ohio, March 24, 1844. Smith came at an
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Of Fairfield County, Ohio.
early day from Stamford, Conn. He was a typical Yankee, plain, frugal and intelligent. He was a good farmer, fond of horticulture and a great reader. He was thoroughly well informed and while working his farm and rearing a family of eight children, studied medicine for the pure love of learning. His children inherited his tastes and formed an interesting family. Their mother was an excellent woman, fond of her children and her home. Everet, lives in Nebraska, James M., at New Salem, and Mary and sister in Del- aware, Ohio. Mr. Smith was born July 27, 1814, and died July 14, 1893.
Althea was born August 31. She married Asa Kemper, April 20, 1843, a most excellent man of near Thornville, Perry County, Ohio. Mrs. Kemper died October 1, 1861. They educated their family of three children. Mrs. Abbie Tillotson lives at Table Rock, Neb., and Rev. James F. Kemper at Seward, Nebraska.
Elizabeth was born December 6, 1806. She married Thomas King of Rushville. Mr. King and she were married in 1828. He died in 1832. In 1853, the widow married H. Barbee, of Grove City, and moved with him to Prospect, Marion County, where she died May 3, 1887. Barbee is living in Columbus, 84 years of age. Mary M. King, of Westerville, is the only living descendant of Elizabeth A. Rowles ..
Mary Ellen Rowles was born December, IS19, and died in 1834. She was unmarried. Sarah Louisa, a teacher , never married. She was born May 7, 1809, and died Nov. 9, 1842.
John Murphey Rowles was born September 23. 1804, on the Spence farm .- He married Mary Ann Morrow in 1829. She was born in Mifflin County, Pa., February 15, 1809. He was a farmer and moved upon
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his farm, north of Bremen in 1830. They reared and educated ten children. For many years he was a wag- oner and drove a six horse team with produce to Bal- timore, returning with goods. The merry music of the bells cheered him on his way. He died July 10, 1878. His was a Christian home and his family a happy one. His children were wont to gather about him before the old fashioned fireplace and hear the story of his trips to old Baltimore. Death has since made sad inroads upon his once happy circle and those joyous occasions are only a memory to those that are left.
His daughter, Mrs. Johnson, died Sept. 27, 1882. Florence died May 30, 1890; Adelia died January, 1898. Mrs. Ellen Kelsey lives near Bremen ; Caroline, who married R. D. Grant, lives in Grove City; Mrs. Jennie Shelhamer in Bremen.
James R. Rowles lives in Pulaski county, Indiana.
John Rowles was a member of Company C, Cap- tain John Wiseman's Co., 46th Ohio. He was 24 years of age when he enlisted. He was killed early in the morning of the first day, April 6, 1862, in the battle of Shiloh. Fifteen of his comrades fell upon that fatal field of battle. "The Southland holds their dreamless dust" and the mocking birds sing their requiem. Cap- tain and comrades are all together now.
"On fame's eternal camping ground. Their silent tents are spread."
John Rowles was first sergeant and favorite of his company. He was a fine, manly, generous fellow, and as brave and gallant a soldier as ever carried a mus- ket.
His voice is no more heard in the happy homes of Rushcreek, but his memory is fondly cherished by many loving hearts.
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Of Fairfield County, Ohio.
"Brave boys were they, Gone at their country's call."
William, son of Jesse and Elizabeth Rowles, was born January 5, 1802, in the State of Maryland. He was brought to Ohio in 1803. He was brought up to farming, and when old enough he was entrusted with his father's team of six horses and carried produce to Baltimore and returned loaded with goods for Rush- ville merchants. Just when he ceased to be a wagoner we cannot state. January 13, 1826, he was married to Maria Stuart of Rushcreek township.
They settled upon a tract of land, since known as the Kelsey farm, once owned by Daniel Kelsey. In a short time they moved further down Rushcreek to what is known as the beaver dam, below the present town of Bremen. There he devoted his time, prin- cipally to raising tobacco, then the great staple of Rush- creek farms.
The farmers of Rushcreek sold their product to Joseph Ijams & Bros., West Rushville, or to William Coulson of Rushville, then great merchants. This to- bacco was taken east by great wagons, or by the Ohio Canal from Baltimore, Ohio. Both firms had branches and warehouses at the latter place.
This tobacco trade was a great boon to the farmers, and enabled hundreds to pay their debts and secure titles to their farms. In the end many good farmers were heavy losers by the disastrous failure of both firms.
George Beery and Hedges, in 1835, opened a store in the new village of Bremen, then but recently laid out by Beery. John Ashbaugh was a merchant later, as were the sons of George Beery, Isaac, Brooks and
16
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Simon. The tobacco they purchased was shipped by canal from Lancaster. John Holliday was kept busy for weeks at a time hauling their hogsheads to Lan- caster.
Conestoga teams came from Baltimore with goods and returned loaded with produce. The last one seen in Bremen was driven by a negro slave from Baltimore.
His master had agreed to free him at a certain time if he proved faithful and true and give him the team and wagon. He had but two years to serve when he came to Bremen. He drove a splendid team of heavy bay horses, six in number. He rested them for a week in Bremen. He then put on an extra load - 10,000 pounds of bacon cured by John Ashbaugh. The entire population turned out to see the team pull up Rush- creek hill. He rested them for a moment at the foot. Took each horse by the bridle and touched him with his whip, and mounted the saddle horse, pulled the line and they moved like clock work, without a break or stop to the top of the hill.
William Rowles and wife while living at Beaver Dam, about the year 1832, joined the Presbyterian So- ciety at Bethel, four miles southeast of Bremen, under the pastorate of Rev. Francis Bartlett. In 1836 he purchased the farm of Ralph Cherry, who married the youngest daughter of Joseph Leib, Sr., the same farm where Thompson Rowles recently lived. Upon this farm he continued to live up to the date of his death, which event occurred, September 9, 1863. His wife outlived him thirteen years-dying at the age of 63 years.
He reared and educated a family of children, an honor to their name and their township. After the organization of the Bremen Presbyterian church, Octo-
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Of Fairfield County, Ohio.
ber 21, 1844, Wm. Rowles and wife changed their membership from Bethel to Bremen. Of this new church, Wm. Rowles, John Ashbaugh and Daniel Rode- hafer were the first elders.
William and Elizabeth Rowles were the parents of eleven children, eight sons and three daughters. Jesse, the eldest, married Emily Ruffner, a sister of Jonas Ruffner and a daughter of Jacob Ruffner. They lived upon a farm until recently and reared a family of children. Mrs. Rowles died February 2, 1899, aged 66 years. A daughter married the late J. J. Elder. Their son, Jesse A., married a daughter of Dr. Rankin. Jesse Rowles now lives in Bremen. A daughter married Dr. Driver.
John S. Rowles married Elizabeth Larimer, daughter of Wright Larimer, once a leading man in Rushcreek. They lived upon a farm south of Bremen. John S. died in 1897. He had a family of nine chil- dren. Wm. Rowles married Rebeccah Larimer, a daughter of Isaac Larimer, once a prominent man of the county. His first wife was Margaret Orndorf. They live upon a fine farm in Pleasant. They are the parents of nine children. David Rowles married Mary Holliday. They are both dead. The wife was a daughter of Zebulon Holliday. Charles Rowles mar- ried Elizabeth Ashbaugh, a daughter of Wm. Ash- baugh. They live upon a farm near Bremen. They reared a family of eight children. Thompson Rowles married Rebecca Holliday, a daughter of John Holli- day. They spent many years on the old home place. One of their daughters married a son of John Q. A. Blue.
Isaac Rowles married Ella Lehman. The wife died some years since. Isaac owns a fine farm near Bre-
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men. His second wife was Rebecca R. Musser, daughter of David Musser.
Eli Rowles, in 1872, married Ann M. Kraner, grand-daughter of Tunis P. Ashbrook. She died about one year since. They lived in Pleasantville. Eli has been for some years a grain merchant. He received a good big vote for County Clerk.
Mary Jane Rowles married Edward Thompson. She has been dead for some years.
Emily Rowles married D. S. Black. She is also numbered among the dead.
. Sarah E. Rowles did not marry. She died at the age of seventeen.
Thompson and Jesse Rowles married Baptist wives and they are now of that faith. Every third Sunday, though living eight miles from the church, finds them with their families in their pews. The other members of the family are of the faith of their parents, Presby- terians.
RUSH CREEK PRESBYTERIANS
Rev. Charles Work and his brother, distinguished Presbyterian clergymen, were brought up at old Bethel. A plow boy at the head of the first church of Cincin- nati is something for Bethel to be proud of. Dis- tinguished lawyers, distinguished clergymen and merchants honor the names of both Bethel and Rush- creek-Leib, Work, Davis and Beery.
We must refer more fully to the Presbyterians of Rushcreek. In 1803 missionary workers of the associ- ate Reform Presbyterians came from Kentucky and held services in a tent. A church was soon built just over the line of Pleasant, two and one-half miles west of Rushville and south of Maysville pike one-half mile.
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Of Fairfield County, Ohio.
In later years this society was known as the United Presbyterians, most of its members were Rushcreek people. They still sing Psalms, but have introduced modern music on account of their children.
Rev. John Wright, organized the Rushcreek society in 1806 and in 1807 a two story hewed log house was built in what is now Jockey Hollow on Joseph S. Shaw's farm, two miles south of West Rushville. This society worshiped here until 1830. William Larimer and Wil- liam Trimble were elders, when a brick church was built in West Rushville. The church (the old log) was abandoned and a part of the society went to West Rushville. Of this society David Y. Davis was an elder, a part to Bethel and a few to the United Pres- byterians. The logs of the old church were used to build a shop in the village. The Bethel church build- ing was erected in 1828. Amos Davis, a public spir- ited man, furnished the lumber and was a liberal con- tributor. The subscriptions were mostly in produce. One man subscribed so much wheat to be delivered at Leib's mill. Jacob Moyer, father of John and Thomas of Pleasant, and David Miller were the contractors. Moyer died here ; Miller in Iowa. Jacob Moyer, John Larimer and Amos Davis were the first elders. Rev. John Wright preached for them once each month. Rev. Francis Bartlett became the regular pastor in 1832. Many of the members were Scotch-Irish, they were strict with their children and almost invariably raised good families.
As previously stated Wm. Rowles married Maria Stuart. She was the daughter of pioneer parents, William Stuart and Maria Henderson, known as Scotch-Irish. Stuart's mother was a Thompson. They were both born in Ireland. The father came to the
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United States in 1796 when twenty years of age. 'T'he mother came in 1797. Their parents settled in Penn- sylvania.
Here they became acquainted and were married February 18, 1801. A few years after their marriage they came to this county and settled near what is now Bremen. In a few years they were owners of a halt section of land, a part of which is now within the cor- poration of Bremen. They built a comfortable home on the bluff just north of the present village where they spent a peaceful, honorable and useful life, rearing a family of children. One of their best known sons, Thompson Stuart, highly esteemed and useful man, was born March 20, 1816. He married Rebecca C. Holliday, daughter of Zebulon Holliday, another sturdy and vigorous man of Rushcreek township. The wedding occurred April 20, 1845. He purchased a part of the old Stuart homestead and lived the life of a farmer to the end of his days in sight of Bremen. They reared a family of seven children.
Mrs. Charles Perrin of Columbus, Mrs. W. B. Henry of Lancaster, Mrs. N. W. Good of Logan, W. J. Stuart of Springfield, Mrs. W. C. McCandish, Zebu- lon and Wesley of Bremen.
Thompson Stuart was an honored member of the Methodist Episcopal church. He died Dec. 15, 1898, aged eighty-two years.
His father-in-law Zebulon Holliday was a staunch Methodist and was devoted to his church. The writer has known him to attend a quarterly meeting twelve miles from his home. Fifty years have come and gone since that occasion.
The brothers of Thompson Stuart were Charles, William and James, Charles Stuart of Lancaster, who
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Of Fairfield County, Ohio.
married a daughter of Christian Rudolph, is a son of James Stuart.
Alexander T. Stuart the great merchant of New York is claimed as a cousin of William Stuart the pio- neer. Both were born in the same neighborhood in North Ireland.
We cannot close without referring to the early schools of Rushcreek. The first was taught by Chris- topher Welty in George Beery's kitchen. The second by Joseph Osborn in the kitchen of Joseph Leib, Sr. The late David Y. Davis attended the last named.
THE WILSON FAMILY OF RICHLAND
In the spring of 1800, William Wilson, of Bedford county, Pennsylvania, in company with his three sons. James, William and Michael, started for the Ohio country - with a pack horse to carry their camp equip- age. They arrived at Rushcreek on the 16th day of May, and camped near the great spring now owned by Mrs. William Friend. They spent the summer here, and made some progress in clearing land, but were too late to raise a crop of corn. In the fall Wil- liam Wilson left his boys in camp and returned to Pennsylvania for the remainder of his family. He sold his property and started for Ohio, arriving at his camp on Rushcreek on the 27th of November.
At Zanesville they crossed the river on a ferry boat with difficulty, as it was covered with ice. They spent the night on the west bank with a brother of Col. Ebenezer Zane. After leaving Zanesville they fell in company with George Sanderson, whose horse, on the way, came near dying with the colic. He was relieved by a liberal use of bear's oil. Whether applied extern- ally or given internally we cannot state. Sanderson
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was then the mail carrier. Nearly the entire route from Zanesville was through the forest over Zane's trace.
They found two cabins at the crossing of Rush- creek near Whitmore's or Binckley's in Perry County. A Mr. Atkinson and Peter Zarley were living there.
They reached the camp of the boys at sunset -- when the family was united, thirteen in all, without house or home. But strong hands soon put up a cabin.
Their nearest neighbor was S. Chaney, who lived near where West Rushville now stands on what is now the Barr farm. He kept a log cabin tavern, undoubt- edly the first in the county. Other neighbors lived on the section north of their location, viz .: Fredrick Heck, Ben. Johnson and a man named Smith.
William Brown, a fine scholar, the Loofberrys, S. Hammel and J. Wilson lived in the neighborhood. Moses Plumme in 1800, built a small tub mill, as it was called, on Rushcreek where the high bridge now stands. In two or three years this mill was carried off by a flood and Plummer moved to Muskingum county, Ohio. There is some question as to who built the first water mill in Fairfield County. Plummer, Loveland and Smith, or the Carpenters - all three were built in 1800. So tradition and history says.
In 1801 William Turner came to the settlement and purchased the section where Rushville now stands. S. Hammel and James Wilson purchased 30 acres of Wil- liam Turner and built a small mill and a whiskey dis- tillery, just below the site of the Plummer mill.
In the fall of 1801, other emigrants came in. Among them Isaac Thomas and William Ijams, and settled on the land since owned by Mr. Spoon
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Of Fairfield County, Ohio.
About 1803 John Murphy settled on what has since been known as the Lamb section. His son William, soon after their coming, was killed by the falling of a log while raising the timbers of a school house. This is the first school house in Fairfield County of which we have any account.
About this same time Edward Teal, Christly Smith, Robert Chaffin and John Shepler came into the neigh- borhood, to the north. Teal purchased 1200 acres of good land, now the Ashbrook neighborhood. He was the father-in-law of Rev. James Quinn, the first Meth- odist to preach in Fairfield County. John Manly and Judge David Swayze came about the year 1803, and settled in the Elm flat. Emanuel Ruffner, father of the late Col. Jos. Ruffner, settled on a part of the Wil- son section in this same year, or near that time. David Pence came about the same time. Daniel Stevenson, with a large family, settled in or about 1803 on the sec- tion north of Wilson. Edward Murphy came to the neighborhood about this time and courted and married Sarah Murphy, daughter of John Murphy. Edward settled on the section south of Wilson and Ruffner. He kept tavern - was a farmer, and he also purchased the mill and distillery of Hammel and Wilson and operated them for a while. He was a good citizen, and he and his wife were hospitable and amiable peo- ple. They reared eighteen orphan children, some of them black. William Wiseman was a settler of this period. He lived near West Rushville. He was the son-jn-law of William Ijams; was an old soldier of Gen. St. Clair's army. Peter Ruffner, another early settler of this period, lived near Edward Murphy on the old State road. He was a farmer and distiller, but died young. He left three or four sons, Benjamin
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S., Abraham, Martin and Michael. Martin was killed by the Indians in what is now Ashland County, Ohio. A full account of this tragedy may be found in Howe's History of Ohio. Michael was a merchant in Rush- ville, Pleasantville and Baltimore, and lately a doctor in Greenup, Illinois. Henry Huddle came about 1803 or 1805. He married a daughter of John Murphy. He was the first man to improve the Foresman mill site on Rushcreek. He built at an early day a grist mill and a distillery. In a few years he sold out to Solomon Linville, and in time Linville sold to George Foresman; the section now belongs to his grandson of Circleville. There is not a vestige of the old mill left, and the exact spot cannot, with certainty, be pointed out. William Wilson was a prominent man in his township, and very much esteemed. He was the first justice of the peace elected in Richland town- ship. Thomas and Isaac Ijams were early justices of the peace, and Thomas Ijams represented Fairfield county in the legislature.
Wilson reared a large family of children. Thomas Wilson lived an old bachelor on the old home to a good old age. He was a gentleman of the old school, kind and generous, and lived a quiet, happy life.
David lived many years on a part of the old home section, but before the civil war moved to Tipton, Mis- souri. David was a prominent man and would have attracted attention anywhere. He was a man of fine presence and a good conversationalist. He was enter- taining and agreeable. Isaac Wilson was all his life a farmer of Fairfield County. At the time of his death he owned the best farm in Greenfield. Isaac was an active, powerful man, a leader in early times, and the man around whom everybody rallied when they wanted
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Of Fairfield County, Ohio.
a brave and invincible leader. He was the father of the late J. W. Wilson, of Greenfield. Michael Wilson lived for some time in Vinton county, and was living as late as 1852. Benjamin died in New Orleans.
Robert Paden, an old citizen of this county, near Baltimore, married a daughter of William Wilson.
James Wilson and William Wilson spent most of their lives on a farm near Uniontown, Ohio. Joseph, one of the eight sons, lived on a farm near Rushville.
Mary, daughter of William Wilson, married a hat- ter of Zanesville named Herron. Their daughter, Mary, was for years a teacher in our Lancaster schools. Another daughter made her home with Thos. Wilson, and became the wife of Alfred Melick.
The third daughter married Chas. Nourse, father of the late Dr. Nourse.
Catherine Wilson married Gen. John Williamson, and after his death she became the wife of Col. Wm. Sumner. She was for many years a leading lady of Lancaster. The father of Gen. Tom Ritchie married a daughter of William Wilson. The General was a farmer and a popular man. He represented the Perry district in Congress and sent Phil. Sheridan to West Point. Mrs. Mary Work, of this city, is a daughter of David Wilson, and Mrs. W. M. Leiby is a great- granddaughter of the old pioneer, William Wilson. Mrs. Ada Wiseman is a great-granddaughter.
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