USA > Ohio > Fairfield County > Pioneer period and pioneer people of Fairfield County, Ohio > Part 8
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Stephen Cole built the first mill and carding ma- chine on Cole's run.
Richard Hooker was an early settler in the neigh- borhood on Sec. 19. Richard Hooker was for years a Justice of the Peace. In September, 1817, Elder Eli
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Ashbrook and Elder Jacob Tharp organized the Turkey Run Baptist Church. Their meetings were held in Hooker's school house as late as 1838.
Elder Ashbrook died in Licking Count, January, 1877, aged 96 years.
Valentine Reber and wife came from Berks County, Pa., in 1805 and purchased Sec. 10, where he lived and reared a very large family. A talented family, widely known and highly esteemed.
David Swope came to this county from Huntington county, Pa., in the year 1801. His son, Thomas Swope, was born in the year 1801. He lived upon the old home during his life.
Thomas Swope was a very substantial and highly esteemed citizen and left a good name as the heritage of his children .:
His son, Felix, resides upon the old Cole place and his sister upon the home farm of Daniel Swope. Jacob Swope lives in Missouri, Thomas at Reynoldsburg, O., Abner R. at Bloomingsville, Fayette County, O. Sam- uel lives in Wood County, O.
Joseph Clement was an early merchant of Rovalton, We cannot give the date of his coming. He brought his family to Royalton from New Jersey, of which state he was a native. His sons were Charles, Joseph W. and Wm. L. A daughter married George Creed, Sr., and after the death of Creed she married James M. Pratt. Mary, the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. George Creed, Sr., married Governor Lowe, of California.
William L. Clement, a son-in-law of Valentine Reber, was a merchant for many years in Royalton and did a thriving business. This was between the years 1840 and 1880. His second wife was a daughter of Dr. Reber, of Brandon, Miss., a niece of his first wife.
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Ezra Schleich was a merchant of Royalton about 1835 to 1840. Samuel Busby lived there as early as 1826 and '27 and then his son, J. T. Busby, was born. Busby removed to Baltimore where he and a brother- in-law, Fetter, started a store in 1829.
Alfred McVeigh taught school there prior to 1840 and was a justice of the peace up to the time of his election as county auditor.
John D. Schleich lived there a few years, and there Col. Newton Schleich attended school.
Next to Dr. Silas Allen, Dr. Ezra Clarke was an early physician of Royalton. He came there from Vermont. He was father-in-law of Dr. Miner, of Lithopolis. He came to Lancaster to live in 1823. He died in the year 1830 and was buried in Zane Cem- etery. Dr. Rogers, from Vermont, practiced in Roy- alton in 1830.
Dr. M. Z. Kreider lived in Royalton a few years, but came to Lancaster about 1832 or 1833. Dr. Paul practiced medicine in Royalton for a number of years and died there. He had one or two daughters and three or four sons. Joseph H. Clements married his oldest daughter. They moved to 1Ilinois where the wife was accidentally burned to death and Clements died of disease. Dr. Paul sent for the children and brought them up in Royalton. The oldest son, Joseph Clements, married a daughter of Professor Freed. Dr. Frisbie lived for some years in Royalton. He had two daughters. One of them married Edward Hay. They moved to Hancock county. Dr. Frisbie, in his old age, went to live with them and died there. Paul and Frisbie were Vermonters. Dr. Frisbie married a second wife. She lived in Middletown, Vt., and was the widow of Orion Clarke, an attorney of Middle-
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town, during his life. He brought his bride to Royal- ton and her two sons, W. C. and Arthur. W. C. Clarke, who died but recently, married a daughter of Dr. Miner, of Lithopolis.
JUDGE BEATTY
John Beatty, who was born and reared near Colfax, married Delilah, daughter of Nicholas Beery, Jr., and moved to the Tent in Pleasant township, where he operated a tannery. There, in 1836, May 8, their son, James H. Beatty, was born. About the year 1840 he moved to Royalton, Ohio, where he was a tanner, mer- chant and stock dealer until the year 1857, when he moved to Mt. Pleasant, Iowa. James H. graduated from the Ohio Wesleyan University in 1858 and then joined his parents in Iowa, where he studied law.
In 1872 he went to Utah and served some years as U. S. attorney. In 1882 he moved or located in Bois City, Idaho. For ten years past he has been United States District Judge for the Pacific slope, residing in Bois City. At this writing his parents are both dead. His grandmother was a sister of Frederick Sites as is the wife of the late Dr. Luke Helmick, of Baltimore, · Ohio.
Dr. E. L. Miner was born in Middletown, Vermont, June 9, 1797. He was educated at Castleton College and graduated there in 1818. He then studied medi- cine, and moved to Royalton, Fairfield County, Ohio, in 1820.
In the year 1825 he moved to Centerville, now Lithopolis, where he lived an honorable and useful life for 45 years.
He was one of the founders of the Presbyterian Church of Lithopolis and the organizer of the Sunday
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Of Fairfield County, Ohio.
School. Dr. Miner was during his life a prominent and useful man.
The state of Vermont gave to Fairfield County a number of good men, beside Dr. Miner, Dr. Ezra Clarke, Dr. Silas Allen and his four sons, Dr. Torrence, E. B. Merwin, an attorney, and Dr. Paul. William Slade, son of Ex-Governor Slade, was an attorney of Lancaster. Dr. Rogers and Dr. Frisbie.
Other New England states gave us Beecher, Scofield, Sherman, Creed, Foster, Converse, Peck, Whitman, Dr. Hyde, Pennsylvania, McCracken, Kreider and Sanderson. New York gave us Stanbery, Clark and Brasee. Virginia gave us Thos. Ewing and Judge Irvin. All bright, brilliant, · educated men, who were chiefly instrumental in estab- lishing the civilization we now enjoy.
JOHN HUMRIGHOUS
For 55 years Mr. Humrighous was an undertaker of Royalton - in that time he buried 2,500 people, within a radius of ten miles. At the time of his death in 1893 he was the second oldest undertaker in the United States. He was born on the Huston farm near Roy- alton in 1811. He married Magdaline Wagner near Carroll, Ohio.
They were the parents of five children. Their daughter Mary Ann married H. S. Smith, of Bloom township.
John W. married Mary Ann Reber, daughter of Thomas Reber. He is now a retired farmer of Shelby- ville, Ill. Irvin married Mary Allen and moved to Shelbyville, Ill.
Lewis married Ellen Murry, Henry married Mary E. Strayer. Henry and Lewis live upon the old home place and carry on their father's old business.
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THE ALLEN FAMILY
The Allen family has been prominent in Fairfield County for one hundred years. The pioneer, Dr. Silas Allen, was a man of education and character, and his descendants were numerous, and throughout their long career have maintained the reputation of their distinguished ancestor. Samuel Allen (the first) came to America from Bridgewater, Somerset County, England, in 1620, and settled in Baintree, Massachu- setts. His wife's name was Ann, but we can not give the surname. Their son Samuel (the second), was born in 1632. A daughter, Sarah, was born in 1639, married Joseph Standish, a son of Miles Standish, of the "Mayflower." This Samuel, the second, married Sarah Partridge. Their son Samuel (the third), was born in 1660. He married Rebecca Carey in 1685. Their son Samuel (the fourth), was born in 1686. Their son Timothy, was born in 1691, and was the grandfather of General Ethan Allen, of Revolutionary fame. Rebecca died in 1697, and Sam- uel (the third), married Mary Alden, a daughter of Joseph, a son of Captain John Alden, made famous by Longfellow in "Miles Standish," and the first man to land on Plymouth Rock. To this union were born six children, viz .: Joseph, in 1701, Benjamin, in 1702, Mary, in 1704, Rebecca, in 1706, Matthew, in 1708, Seth, in 1710. This family, about the year 1727, moved to Connecticut, and settled at Norwich, later they moved to Centerbury, Conn. At Norwich, Jo- seph Allen married Rebecca Fuller, of Preston. Their son, Barnabas, was born February 24, 1729, at Nor- wich. Barnabas married Elizabeth Fuller, daughter of Randolph Fuller, in 1752. Their son, Silas, was born in 1754. He was educated and studied medicine.
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Of Fairfield County, Ohio.
He married Mary Cleveland, daughter of Samuel Cleveland, May 16, 1776. She was a fourth cousin of Moses Cleveland, the founder of the city of Cleve- land, Ohio. She was also related to Grover Cleve- land's ancestors. Soon after their marriage, with others of their family, Dr. Allen and wife moved to Middletown, Vermont. Their children were Lemuel, Jared, Rebecca, Anna, Elizabeth, Benjamin, Jedadiah, who was born in 1781, and Whiting, born in 1782.
In the year 1800, Dr. Silas Allen, with his family and several neighbors, in all forty persons, left Mid- dletown, Vermont, for the West, intending to go as far as the Mississippi river. Arriving in Fairfield County, they found the country on Tobey creek so inviting that they concluded to remain there and be- come permanent settlers. In the course of time Whit- ing and Benjamin Allen moved with their families to Delaware County, Ohio, where they were prosper- ous and respected people.
Whiting Allen married Mahitable Searle, one of a family, of the 40 emigrants mentioned. A descend- ant of this Searle family married a daughter of George Ewing, of Iowa City, Iowa, and resides there in charge of a newspaper.
Amos S. Thomas, of Lancaster, is a great-grand- son of Whiting Allen. Mrs. Eliza Mecker was a daughter of Lemuel Allen, and died aged 93 Years. Dr. Silas Allen lived an exemplary and useful life in his new home, reared and established his family, and at the age of 71 years, September 7, 1825, departed this life. His body was buried in the grave yard at Royalton.
Jedadiah Allen, fourth son of Dr. Allen and Mary Cleveland, married Sarah Bull, about the year 1803.
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Their children were, Rachel, born 1809, Howard, born in 1811, Lyman born in 1813. Rachel became the wife of Thomas Reber, and died near Upper San- dusky, Ohio. Howard married a daughter of John Leist. He was a farmer and successful in business. He was the father of John and Jesse Allen, who now live on the old Allen homestead. Howard was the father of Sarah, widow of the late Henry Reber ; Mrs. L. J. Silbaugh is a granddaughter. Lyman Allen mar- ried Eliza, daughter of Valentine Reber, in 1836, and spent his life amid the scenes of the early struggles of his pioneer ancestor. His children were Charles, Clinton and Mary, now dead; and Flavius, born in 1842. Magdalene born in 1844, Elnora born in 1846, Ethel born in 1848, Valentine Reber, born in 1851, Rachel born in 1853, and died June 22, 1860, Olive, born in 1858. Lyman Allen died November 16, 1894.
Jedadiah Allen was one of the best known men of Amanda township. He was a fine business man, full of energy and industry, and accumulated a large estate, a part of which he bequeathed to the " Ohio Wesleyan University." The late Jacob Beck was his executor. Jedadiah died September 5, 1856, at his modest home in Royalton.
Valentine Reber Allen married Effie Courtright in the year 1877. She was a daughter of Zephenia Courtright, one of the prominent and well known men of Fairfield County.
Their children are Pearl, now deceased, Eugene Huber, Effie Marie and Mary Etta.
V. R. Allen is one of the respected farmers and citizens of Greenfield township.
Dr. Hogue, Presbyterian, of Columbus, held ser- vices at an early day in the home of Lemuel Allen.
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Of Fairfield County, Ohio.
So far as known, however, the family are now and have been for three-quarters of a century, Metho- dists. There are many families in this county con- nected by blood or marriage with old historic Amer- ican families, and none more prominently so, than the Allen family. Harding and Jerome Allen were sons of Lemuel. They both moved to Delaware County, Ohio, and later Jerome moved to Shelbyville, Illinois.
COLE BROTHERS
Thomas Cole, and a brother, Broad Cole, came to Fairfield County in the year 1801, and settled in Amanda Township. They came from Huntington County, Penn.
Broad Cole was a Methodist, and Bishop Asbury, on his first journey to Ohio in 1803, preached at his cabin in the afternoon of a week day.
Mr. Broad Cole did not remain many years in this county, but moved to Pickaway County, where he died and was buried.
His son Shadrick was a man of some prominence and was a Methodist preacher of local reputation. A son of Shadrick Cole moved to Nebraska. Thomas Cole, born March 15, 1757, was one of the prominent carly citizens of Amanda Township, and he lived there during his life. His son Broad Cole married a daughter of Samuel Peters and lived and died upon the farm now owned by Felix Swope. His son Thomas Cole of Amanda Township is one of the intelligent and worthy men of the township and an old school Baptist preacher of more than local repu- tation.
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RUSHVILLE.
AN INTERESTING SKETCH ABOUT ITS PIONEERS.
C HE village of Rushville was laid out at an early day by a man named Montgomery and Joseph Turner, latter being owner of the land. Mont- gomery kept a tavern there as early as 1804. A man named Owens was the first merchant. What became of him or his family is not known. A man named Plummer erected the first mill near the village.
The descendants of Turner still reside in the vil- lage or in the county.
Daniel Baker, one of the most prominent men of the early period, was a native of Maryland. When a young man he learned the trade of a carpenter with William Duffield of Lancaster, whose dwelling stood where the courthouse now stands. He married Mary McNamee of Walnut township, and lived for a time on the farm now owned by Mrs. Boyer, on the Salem pike. There his son Milton was born November 28, 1815. Daniel Baker moved to Rushville in the vear 1817, and died there in the year 1855.
He was during his life a very highly esteemed citizen and a very zealous member of the Methodist Episcopal Church. He built their house of worship in Rushville, but in what year we cannot state.
As late as 1821 the Methodists worshipped at Rich- land chapel near Daniel Stevenson's.
Baker was a fine carpenter and built most of the early homes in and about Rushville. His son, Milton Baker, a very exemplary citizen, is now in his 84th
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year, the oldest man of Rushville, having lived there 82 years. He has had a long life and it has been a useful and honorable one. A daughter of Daniel Ba- ker married a McFee; they are the parents of Wilber and Homer McFee of Lancaster, Ohio.
The wife of Daniel Baker was a daughter of Thomas McNamee of Walnut township. He owned the land where Henry Musser now lives. There were several McNamee brothers; Job and Adam lived in Walnut, George and Moses lived and died in Mary- land.
The McNamees were prominent people and the owners of good land. One of their sisters married a Shane and one of his daughters was the first wife of James Ashbrook.
Job McNamee of Kankakee, Illinois, is a son of Job, Sr. A sister of Job was the first wife of the late John Lamb. The second wife of John Lamb was the Widow Gafford of Baltimore, Ohio.
John Baker, a brother of Daniel, was once county recorder of this county. His wife was a daughter of Judge Swayze. Another brother was Rev. Job Baker, who was an early Methodist preacher in this vicinity, but went South, and after a long career, died in Texas.
Rev. Henry Baker and Rev. Samuel Baker, neph- ews of Daniel Baker, were Methodist preachers. Rev. Henry Baker was stationed in Lancaster, Ohio, in the year 1840. J. H. Baker, son of Rev. Henry Baker, became a newspaper man and was elected Secretary of State for Ohio and Minnesota some thirty or more years since. "He now resides at Mankato, Minn.
As has been stated, Owens was the first merchant. In 1821 there came to Rushville one who soon became
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its distinguished and well known merchant, William Coulson. He was a native of Pennsylvania, but came to Rushville from the town of Barnesville. He was a brother-in-law of Hon. John Davenport, who at one time was a member of Congress from Ohio. Wil- liam Coulson transacted a very large business for 20 years. Sold many goods and dealt largely in tobacco. When the Ohio Canal was completed in 1831 he formed a partnership with his son-in-law, Michael Ruffner, and opened a store in Baltimore. He also built a large warehouse and a flouring mill. The warehouse is still standing but useless for that pur- pose. William Wing was a rival of the firm, and they made a very disastrous failure in. 1841 or 1842.
Mr. Coulson never recovered from this failure, and resorted to teaching school for a living. He was an effective local preacher of the Methodist Church. He was a man of fine presence, of fine mind and well informed. He lived beyond the age of 90 years.
His children were Louisa, who married Michael Ruffner, and died in Baltimore, Ohio. Mike Ruffner, before going to Baltimore, ran a small store in Pleas- antville, Ohio; he had formerly kept a tin and copper shop in Rushville. After the death of his wife, he courted and married a girl who lived with William Wing, and with her moved to Greenup, Illinois, and set up for a doctor without much preparation for so responsible a profession. His body was buried at the cemetery near Casey, Illinois, along with many other Fairfield County people.
Ann Coulson married Dr. Hyde, the most promi- nent man of Rushville, and a very fine scholar.
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Of Fairfield County, Ohio.
Mary Coulson married G. W. Ritchie, who was a merchant in partnership with his brother-in-law, Na- thaniel Coulson.
Susan married W. B. Lewis, who was a merchant and justice of the peace; they reared a nice family. Dr. Lewis and John Lewis, the merchant, both of Rushville, are their sons.
Lydia Coulson married for her first husband, Joel Beckwith of Somerset, Ohio. For her second hus- band, she married Lewis Peters of Nebraska, Pick- away County. She is still living, the widow of Mr. Peters, with her step-son Dr. Peters.
Nathaniel Coulson succeeded his father in busi- ness, with G. W. Ritchie as his partner, and later he was in business for himself. Late in life he moved to Edina, Missouri, where he died.
Thomas Coulson married for his first wife a Miss Tallman of Greenfield township. She was said to be the handsomest young woman in Fairfield County. For his second wife he married a daughter of the late Joshua Clarke. He has lived in the West for over 45 years. For some years he lived at Trinidad, Col- orado, where he died a short time ago.
John Davenport Coulson was a school teacher, and died while yet a young man.
William Coulson, Jr., died before he had attained his majority.
The grandchildren of William Coulson are numer- ous and highly respected people.
Some years after the coming of Coulson to Rush- ville, C. G. Wilson & Co., of Zanesville, opened a store there. This store was managed by Gilbert McFad- den, who in time became the sole proprietor. He lived in Rushville many years, an honest, upright life, and
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after the war, moved to Hillsboro, Ohio. He died in a few years after settling in Hillsboro.
William Reed of Baltimore, Maryland, came to Rushville about 1850, and opened a store, which he operated a few years. He then closed out and removed to Chicago, Illinois.
W. B. Lewis was a merchant in Rushville for a number of years. He was a good citizen, but did not leave much of an estate.
Rev. Henry Fernandes was a pioneer preacher and a very popular one for many years in Fairfield County. In his old age he ran a small store in Rushville. After his death his daughters became teachers in Chillicothe, Ohio.
Mansfield & Kelley were merchants in Rushville in 1840. Brooke & Lewis were there in 1849 and 1850. Joseph G. Nourse, a well educated man and a very thorough business man, was a merchant for several years in Rushville, going there in about the year 1851. From there he moved to Cincinnati, where he died of smallpox. He married a daughter of the late Orren Abbott of this county.
William Hutchinson, Asa Dennison and Bud Kerr were merchants in later years.
Dr. Simon Hyde and the elder Turner were the early physicians of Rushville, and Dr. Nathaniel Wait still earlier in West Rushville. Dr. Wait was the father-in-law of the late John Van Zandt.
Rushville is located upon a high bluff, just where Rush Creek enters the great canyon, which is the wonder and admiration of all who visit the locality. Here is the high bridge, 45 feet above the waters of Rush Creek. It is an interesting old town, one of the earliest of the county, the home and trading point of
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Of Fairfield County, Ohio.
many famous old pioneers, whose names even will be lost to history, unless soon gathered up and preserved in some permanent form.
This generation cannot learn too much of the his- tory of the prominent people of forty or fifty years ago. Dr. Simon Hyde, late of Rushville, Ohio, father of Eber Hyde and Mrs. Dr. Lewis, of this city, was a giant in intellect, a famous scholar and an eminent phy- sician of that period. When quite a young man two of his brothers were sent to college. Young Simon was not of robust health, and remained with his pa- rents upon their farm near Norwich, Connecticut. As his brothers laid aside their books, he took them up an :! alone and unaided mastered the college course. He was a fine Latin, Hebrew and Greek scholar, and was especially fine in mathematics. Of the latter, astron- omy was his favorite. During his long life he was a student of the Bible, and always read it either in the Latin, Greek or Hebrew. At about the age of twen- ty-three years, he left his Connecticut home and made his way the best he could on foot to Ohio. This was about the year 1815. On leaving home he said to his mother : "You will find in my trunk some old papers which you may be interested in after I am gone." Like all mothers under similar circumstances, she lost no time in mastering the contents of the trunk. Among other interesting papers found was a complete almanac, calculated for twenty years, as perfect as any pro- fessor of astronomy could have made it. His first stopping place in Ohio was Franklinton, on the Scioto river. He remained there two years, but was so af- flicted with chills, that he concluded to try the hill country, and removed to Rushville, where he continued to reside until his death. There he taught school and
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completed his medical studies. He became a very pop- ular and successful physician, and his practice extended over a very large extent of country. He would call to see a patient ten miles distant, would then be called upon to go further, and in this way his trips often ex- tended over two or three days. He was somewhat eccentric, but possessed a generous heart. At about the age of forty years he married a daughter of Wil- liam Coulson, then one of the prominent merchants of Fairfield County. This union was blessed with eleven children, four dying in infancy. The sons were Dr. William Hyde, of Detroit ; Eber, of Lancaster ; Solon, of Columbus ; Joseph K., of Rushville, and Rodney, of Adams county, Ohio. The daughters were Mrs. Dr. Lewis, of Lancaster, and Mrs. Harmon, of Columbus, Ohio. His boys were principally taught by their father, in which employment he spent his leisure hours, and in which he took great delight. He was a strong, rugged-looking man, kind and affectionate to his fam- ily. His daughter Mary (Mrs. Lewis) was educated at Lee Female College, Massachusetts. Dr. Hyde was a man of great endurance, and of great physical strength.
" He never felt fear."
This was demonstrated on one occasion in a very singular and dramatic manner. He was called to visit, in great haste, one of the Wilsons, just west of West Rushville, and as he approached the old bridge over Rush Creek, not so high as the present one, he saw a drove of cattle near the west end. He pushed on, however, notwithstanding the remonstrances of the drover, who urged him frantically to stop. Seeing the doctor determined to cross first, he took off his coat and met him in the center of the bridge, and caught
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Of Fairfield County, Ohio.
his horse by the bridle. The doctor very cooly dis- mounted, and remarking, " I will teach you better than to stop a doctor in a hurry to visit a patient," picked up the drover, raised him over the bridge railing, and dropped him into the water, some ten feet below. Then, as calmly as he got down, he mounted his horse and rode off. Dr. Hyde died at the advanced age of 79 years. His life was pure and honorable, devoted to his family, and to the good of his fellow men. The poor and unfortunate always found in him a friend. The good that he did lives after him.
"Greater is he that easeth men of their pains, than he that taketh cities."-Oriental Proverb.
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