USA > Ohio > Auglaize County > Portrait and biographical record of Auglaize, Logan and Shelby Counties, Ohio : containing biographical sketches of prominent and representative citizens, together with biographies and portraits of all the Presidents of the United States > Part 28
USA > Ohio > Logan County > Portrait and biographical record of Auglaize, Logan and Shelby Counties, Ohio : containing biographical sketches of prominent and representative citizens, together with biographies and portraits of all the Presidents of the United States > Part 28
USA > Ohio > Shelby County > Portrait and biographical record of Auglaize, Logan and Shelby Counties, Ohio : containing biographical sketches of prominent and representative citizens, together with biographies and portraits of all the Presidents of the United States > Part 28
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In the parental family were seven children, two of whom died on the passage to this country. Those living are Fred. Mary, Anna. Barbara, and our subject. The latter was born April 5, 1811, in Wurtemberg, Germany, and was a lad of six years when he accompanied his mother to their new home. llis advantages for obtaining an education were extremely limited. he being per- mitted to attend school only three months during his life. Ile was, however, trained by his mother in all that goes to make an honorable man. and
was thoroughly drilled in farm work while young, so that he came to his vocation well fitted to per- form its duties.
In 1860. Mr. Kohler went to St. Louis, Mo., and April 27 of the following year returned and en- listed in the I'nion Army as a member of Com- pany K. Fifteenth Ohio Infantry. The company, which was organized in this county, was sent to Columbus, thenee to Zanesville, where they re- ceived their arms, and then crossing over into West Virginia. guarded the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad. Ilis term of enlistment having expired August 28, 1861, our subjeet re-enlisted two days after for three years, in Company C, Thirty-seventh Ohio Infantry, and was soon promoted to the po- sition of Sergeant. The regiment was sent into the Kanawha Valley, and thence to Vicksburg under Gen. Grant. They were later with Gen Sher- man in the Chattanooga campaign, and partici- pated in the following battles: Princeton. Rolla, Fayetteville, Charleston (W. Va.), siege of Vieks- burg and Jackson ( Miss.), and Mission Ridge. Mr. Kohler was wounded, November 21. 1863. by a minie-ball, and after being confined for a time in the field hospital at the mouth of Chickamauga Creek, he was sent to Bridgeport, Tenn., and thence to Nashville, where he received a furlough for thirty days. At the expiration of that time. he rejoined his regiment at Cleve- land, Tenn., and took part in the battle of Dal- las, Ga., where he was again wounded, May 29. 1864, by a minie-ball, which entered his right Jung. He was then sent to the hospital at Chick- amanga Gap, and then to Rome. Ga., where he lay until brought'home. Mr. Kohler received his hon- orable discharge December 13, 1864. having served his country faithfully and well for three years and eight months.
March 5, 1865. our subjeet and Miss Paulina, daughter of Philip and Annie Maria ( Kepler) Pfaff. were united in marriage. The parents of Mrs. Kohler were natives of Prussia. Germany, where the father served four years as a soldier in the Prussian army. They came to America in 1834, and the father is still living at the advanced age of eighty-seven years.
The wife of our subject was born March 4, 1844,
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in Duchouquet Township, this county, and de- parted this life in November. 1879, after having become the mother of nine children, two of whom are deceased. Those living are Annie (Mrs. Charles Romsha), John, Fred, Mary, George, Ed- ward. Albert, and Frank. In December, 1880, Mr. Kohler chose for his second wife Miss Melinda Lee, a native of Rockingham, Va., and the daugh- ter of Jacob H. Lee, who was a soldier in the Con- federate army, and now lives in Pusheta Town- ship, this county. Mrs. Kohler was born January 25. 1858, in Virginia.
The original of this sketch has a good farm of one hundred and twenty acres, nearly all of which is improved. Since his return from the army, he has been unable to do any hard work and devotes his time and attention to superintending the oper- ations of the farm. Religiously, he is a member of the Lutheran Church, while his good wife is connected with the I'nited Brethren denomina- tion. Ile is a member of Kyle Post No. II, G. A. R., in which body he has been Chaplain, Senior and Junior Vice, and also Commander. He is greatly interested in school affairs, and has served as a Director of the School Board and also as a member of the Township Board of Education. Ile has occupied the position of Township Assessor, and has been frequently chosen by the Republican party as delegate to the various district conven- tions, and also as a member of the Central Execu- tive Committee.
OSEPHI KNOX CUMMINS, Auditor of Shelby County, was elected to that posi- tion in October, 1886. and re-elected in the fall of 1889, for a term of three years. Our subject was born in Sidney, April 30, 1857. where he is at present residing, and is a son of John E. Cummins, who was brought to this county by his | parents when three years of age, they removing from Mifflintown. Juniata County, Pa., in 1834.
Joseph Cummins, the grandfather of our sub- jeet, was a native of Lancaster, Pa., and on remov- ing to this county established in the mercantile business, and at the same time carried on a thriv- ing trade as a miller. The father of our subject was very prominent in this county, having been an attorney at Sidney, where he spent the greater part of his life. He was a member of the Shelby County Bar from 1855 until the outbreak of the Civil War. when, volunteering his services to the Union army, he was made Lieutenant-Colonel of the Ninety-ninthi Ohio Infantry, and later was promoted to be Colonel of the One Ilundred and Eighty-fifth Ohio Infantry. He served his eoun - try faithfully and well for a period of three years, and on returning home from the battlefield at the close of the war, resumed his practice as one of the well-known and influential members of the legal fraternity.
The maiden name of our subject's mother was Harriet K. Carey; she was a native of this city and the daughter of John W. Carey, an old and re- spected resident of Sidney, who was the first banker of the county. John E. Cummins, prior to enter- ing the army, was Prosecuting Attorney, and on the close of that conflict, when again taking up the pursuits of civil life, represented his district in the State Senate, and was Revenue Assessor under President Johnson. Ile departed this life in April, 1875, leaving a widow and three children; his good wife, however, survived him but a twelve- month, her death taking place in February, 1876. The sons of John E. Cummins are John C., now engaged in the Citizens' Bank; Frank C., Deputy County Auditor, and our subject. The latter received a good practical edneation in the city and High Schools, later supplementing the knowl- edge gained therein by a two-years course at the University at Wooster. Mr. Cummins then taught in the city school for one year, after which he was appointed Deputy County Auditor, in November, 1880, under H. S. Ailes. He served in that posi- tion for six years and ten months. when he was elected County Auditor, and has since performed all the duties pertaining to that office in a most satisfactory and creditable manner. Our subject was a Delegate to the National Democratic Con-
yours Truly P. B. Allen
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vention at Chicago, from the Fourth Congressional District of Ohio.
Miss Kate, daughter of George Ackerly, a promi- nent resident of Sidney, became the wife of our subject November 15, 1887, and to them has been born one daughter, Margaret Ackerly. Mr. and Mrs. Cummins are very pleasant, intelligent peo- ple, whom it is a pleasure to meet. and they are very highily thought of by people among whom they have made their home. Mr. Cummins seems to possess special talent for the work in which he is engaged, and success has indeed been with him.
A
INLEMON B. ALLEN. It is doubtful if Shelby County contains a better example of that type of man, who in the West would be called a " hustler " than Mr. Allen. who' is the owner and occupant of a fine farm in Dinsmore Township. As his father was a farmer in ordinary circumstances. he had no special advantages, but, on the contrary, began his life's work with only a limited education. but an abun- dant store of enterprise and determination. llis farm is one of the best in the county, every rod of it being made useful or ornamental and display- ing the hand of a master in its appearance of fer- tility and the improvements that it bears. The residence is a comfortable one. is well furnished. and makes an appropriate shelter for the interest- ing and happy family cirele.
Our subject is a native of this State. having been born in Fairfield County, February 27, 1826. and is a son of Sila- D. Allen, who was born May 22. 1801. in Vermont. Grandfather Whiting Allen was born April 16. 1779. in Connecticut. and for eighteen months served as a solcher in the War of 1812. On emigrating to Ohio in 1802, he located in Fairfield Countyawhere he was one of the earliest pioneers. Ile there redeemed from its native wildness a quarter-section of land, which he subsequently sold, and removed to Delaware. this
State, where he died at a ripe old age. He was the father of a large family of five sons and three daughters, to whom he gave as good educations as the times and his circumstances would permit.
On the paternalside, the ancestors of our subject were residents of Vermont, where they were well known and well-to-do. His father was the eldest of the family, and when starting out in life for himself, began the manufacture of spinning wheels and afterward learned the carpenter's trade. In 1832, he came to this county and purchased four hundred acres of Government land in Dinsmore Township. for which he paid $1.25 per acre. The country at that time was in its original condition. and Mr. Allen erected a log cabin in the woods on section 25. The Indians were still in the locality, but did not remain long after the section came to be inhabited. The forests were so dense in some places that a man could not be seen at a distance of three rods, but these goodly forests in their primeval beauty drew the pioneer as the magnet does the needle. No other consideration ever bore such weight as the thought of the generons shel- ter which these islands of shade and cool streams gave-about the only comfort the early settlers found in their new home; all others were sur- roundings of discomfort. The absence of schools and markets, the cramped cabins, sickness, se- vere storms, depredations of wild beasts, fires, snakes. poorly paid toil and the uncertainty of the future, all gave way to the supporting shelter of the grove and timber. Mr. Allen, like other pioneers, was engaged in subdning nature, clearing land. breaking prairie, etc., but with all this labor was social and happy, having a care for the morals and education of his growing family. Hle was a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church. and was well calculated to aid in the building up of a new country, being energetic. affable and kind-hearted. Ile departed this life .June 10. 1850.
Our subject's mother. prior to her marriage, was Elizabeth Gouge. a native of Virginia, from which State her parents emigrated to Fairfield County in an early day. At her death, which occurred in ts29. she left two children, the elder of whom is . our subject. The daughter married W. II. Ed-
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=
wards and makes her home in Putnam County, Ohio. The father of our subject chose for his second wife Miss Phoebe Fridley, also a native of Virginia. by whom he became the father of five children, three of whom are still living. Mrs. Allen died in 1861 in this township.
Hle of whom we write was a lad of six years when he accompanied his parents on their removal to this county, and well remembers the long jour- ney through the woods to their new home. There were no schools in the locality of his home for ten years after coming here, and even after their es- tablishment they were furnished in a most primi- tive manner, with puncheon Hoor. slab seats, etc.
When establishing a home for himself in the fall of 1847, Mr. Allen was married to Lydia A., the daughter of James II. Coleman, a native of Ken- tucky. The young couple took up their abode on a tract of wild land which our subject had pur- chased from his father, and on which only one tree had been cut. Ile erected a log house, in which he lived for some time, and began clearing the estate which is his place of residence to-day.
A few years after starting out on his own re- sponsibility, Mr. Allen procured a yoke of oxen and did teaming for about five years, after which he worked at the carpenter's trade for some time in his neighborhood. He has recently erected on his place a barn 34x70 feet in dimensions and eight- teen feet high. This was built entirely in accordance with an original idea of his own, and in its con- struction he did not use a chisel or a stick of tim- ber thicker than 2x8, yet it is considered strong and substantial in every particular. In his earlier years he did some contracting and built two miles of pike. His first house. which he constructed himself, cost him just seventy-five cents, but the comfortable structure in which he now makes his home is among the best in the township.
The father of Mrs. Allen came from Kentucky with his father. Philip Coleman, who in turn was a son of Ilenry Coleman, a native of Montgomery County, Pa., and a hatter by trade. Her mother's maiden name was Susannah Snider, and the mar- riage of her parents occurred February 20. 1817. They were the parents of ten children. six of whom are living; the mother died January 1, 1841.
The lady whom Mr. Coleman chose as his second wife, March 5, 1841, was Mrs. Mary A. Summers. The father, who was one of the early settlers of Shelby County, died in Logan County, January 10. 1882. Mrs. Allen has a workbasket in her possession which her mother purchased of the Indians in this locality, and which she prizes very highly. She also has some garments that her mother, with her assistance, spun and wove many years ago, when the pioneers were acenstomed to make by hand all their own wearing apparel as well as carpets.
To Mr. and Mrs. Allen have been born ten chil- dren, namely: Elizabeth, Susan, Mary, Hannah C., Silas D., Eliza. (deceased), Lydia A., George P., Ella C. and James C. All those living are mar- ried and established in good homes of their own. Although reared a Whig in politics, our subjeet. since 1856, has voted with the Democratic party and has been the incumbent of the various local positions of trust and honor. With his wife. he is a consistent member of the Methodist Episcopal Church, with which denomination he has been connected for a half century. At one time he owned four hundred and twenty acres of land, but since dividing his estate among his children, now has only two hundred and forty acres, which are pleasantly located on sections 25 and 26, and which he has developed from the wilderness by his own hands. Not only has he been a witness of almost the entire growth of this section of the State, but he has also contributed his quota to its upbuilding, and his portrait presented in this con- nection is therefore a valuable addition to the volume.
THOMAS B. MCCORMICK. When mention is made of the prominent farmers of Shelby County, the name of this successful agricul- turist of Jackson Township should be included. For several generations the family of which he is a member has been represented in the Buckeye
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State, and has contributed to its progress and the development of its material resources. Ilis pater- nal grandfather owned a section of land where the city of Hamilton now stands, and afterward pur- chased two sections in Greene County. this State. With the assistance of his two sons, he built the Kniseley Mills in Mad River Township, and also devoted considerable attention to general farming pursuits. During the Revolutionary War. he fought for the independence of the Colonies and was present at the surrender of Cornwallis at Yorktown.
The father of our subject. James MeCormick. possessed the family characteristics of enterprise and patriotism. He was born in Pennsylvania in 1790, and in early manhood served his country in the War of 1812. After coming to Greene County, Ohio, he was married to Elizabeth Shearer, who, like himself. was a native of the Keystone State, and was born in 1802. In 1831. he removed from Greene to Shelby County. and settled in the south part of Jackson Township, of which he and his family were the first white settler. From that day to this, the MeCormick family has been promi- nent in the public affairs of the township. and is probably better known than any other family therein.
During the early days of his settlement in Jack- son Township, James McCormick endured the hardships of pioneer life, and was surrounded by Indians and wild animals. Ile was not permitted to enjoy the fruits of his labors. for he was removed by death in 1812. when still in life's prime. llis wife survived until 1864. They were members of the Reformed Church. Politically, he was a Dem- oerat, and served as the first Township Trustee, as well as one of the first Overseers of the Poor. Their family numbered eleven children, three of whom are now living. Three sons served in the Civil War. one of whom. Francis M., was a soldier in Company K. Fifty-seventh Ohio Infantry. and died in the Marine Hospital at St. Louis, Mo .. in 1862.
Fifty-seventh Ohio Infantry, at the organization of the regiment in Columbus, Ohio. He was See- ond Sergeant of his company and acted in the ca- pacity of Orderly Sergeant during all the time of his service. With his regiment he marched to Pa- dueah, Ky .. and from there to Pittsburgh Landing, where he participated in an engagement with the enemy. At Corinth. Miss., he became ill with lung fever and later with bronchitis, from which he suffered severely. After a service of seventeen months. he was honorably discharged at Colum- bus, Ohio.
The marriage of our subject, November 2. 1863, united him with Elizabeth Hawver, who was born in Miami County. Ohio, January 25, 1839. Mrs. MeCormick is the daughter of Daniel and Elizabeth (Brown) Hawver, natives of Maryland, and born respectively in 1791 and 1797. After their mar- riage, which occurred in Maryland in 1816, Mr. and Mrs. lawver resided in their native State until 1837, when they removed to Miami County, and there the former died. In 1855, Mrs. lawyer re- moved to Shelby County and bought a farm in Jackson Township, where she resided until death. She and her husband were faithful members of the Lutheran Church. and politically, he was a Dem- ocrat. They were the parents of thirteen children, seven of whom are still living.
For one year following his marriage, Mr. Me- Cormick resided on a farm south of Jackson Centre, whence he moved to Salem Township and made his home on a rented farm for eight years. He then removed to his present estate, which com- prises one hundred and fifty acres of land and is considered one of the most finely-improved farms in the community. Mr. McCormick and his es- timable wife have no children of their own, but adopted a child, Edgar. when he was two years old and gave him every educational advantage within their power, as well as the care and love which they would have bestowed upon a child of their own. Edgar is a graduate of the Ohio Medi- cal College and is now an active practitioner at Kossuth. this State.
The subject of this sketch was born at the old homestead in Jackson Township. January 24. 1839. Besides being a successful farmer. Mr. MeCor- mick is an enterprising citizen, and is always anx- and grew to manhood amid the pioneer scenes of the county. In 1861. he enlisted in Company K, ; ious to promote any projeet that will advance the
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interests of the community. Ile has served as a member of the School Board, and has been Trustee and Treasurer of Jackson Township for the past ten years. For twenty years he has been identified with the Reformed Church, in which he has filled official positions. Ilis wife is also active in the good works of the Reformed Church, of which she has been a member since she was eighteen years of age.
ALTER S. ROEBUCK, of the firm of Roe- buek & Brand, editors and proprietors of the Logan County Index, was born in Bellefontaine, July 31, 1848, and is a son of Jo- seph and Arpatia MI. (Shepherd) Roebuck, natives respectively of Ohio and Virginia. The elder Mr. Roebuck came to Bellefontaine at an early day, at a time when the Indians inhabited the country, and carried on his business of a tailor in this place until his decease, which occurred in 1877. Ilis widow. who still survives, has attained the ad- vanced age of eighty-one years.
Our subject was the second in order of birth in the parental family of three sons, and received his education in the public schools of his native place. When fourteen years of age, in the midst of his studies, he enlisted in Company L, Second Ohio Heavy Artillery, and served his country until the close of the war, being one of the youngest soldiers from Logan County.
After the close of hostilities, our subject returned to this city and engaged at work in the printing- office of the Republican, and served his full ap- prenticeship in that art. He then worked at the printer's trade in different cities for several years, and in 1875, going to Washington, D. C .. was employed in the Government printing-office for five years. At the expiration of that time, he again returned to this place, and in 1879 pur- chased a half interest in his present office, which was then owned by J. II. Bowman. They contin- ued together until August, 1885, when the firm
name was changed to Roebuck & Brand, the latter gentleman having purchased the interest of Mr. Bowman. The Index has continued under its present management very successfully and has a very large circulation. The office is well equipped with all modern machinery, having a Cottrell press. The paper, which is an eight-page folio, is a spicy and newsy sheet, containing all the enr- rent and local news.
The lady to whom Mr. Roebuck was married in 1873 was Miss Mattie M. Culp, of Springfield, this State. To them have been granted a family of four sons and one daughter, namely: Lee J., Charles W., Florence N., Edwin C., and Carl M. Mrs. Roebuck is a devoted and conscientious mem- ber of the Methodist Episcopal Church, and her linsband, in social affairs, is a prominent Mason, Knight of Pythias, Odd Fellow and Grand Army man. Ile also belongs to several insurance orders. and was District Deputy of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows for two terms, and served as a representative of that body for a like period. Ile is greatly interested in secret societies and is an active worker in the same. He has been elected to the position of Alderman of Bellefontaine and is heartily in favor of whatever scheme is ad- vanced to promote the interests of his county.
HIE SIDNEY PUBLIC LIBRARY was in- corporated as a stock company on the 5th of December. 1869. by the citizens of the city subscribing to a stock, as follows: A. I. Robert- son. Jason MeVay. S. A. Leckey, Robert Given. John II. Mathers, George Vogle, L. C. Barkall, William P. Metcalf, James Johnson, H. C. Morhing. S. G. MeCullough, L. E. Mathers, Hugh Thompson, A. L. Marshall, N. R. Wyman, E. M. Green. H. Guthrie, O. O. Mathers, J. W. Pampell, II. H. Sprague, James MeKercher, Joseph G. Irwin, HI. S. Conklin, Zinn & Hoover, Jonathan Counts. Turner & Bro., William McCullough. R. K. Lytle, James
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A. Wells, R. McCaslin, D. L. & George S. Bush, B. F. Carey, John Bailey, B. W. Maxwell, Al- exander Green, James Caldwell, James Murray, and James R. Kendall, each of whom paid $28.50.
Benjamin W. Good paid $30.50; J. S. Crosier 829.00; A. B. Coles, $30.00; HI. Wilson, 831.30; William HI. Lueans, 87.50; William Il. Rhodehamel, 817.22; A. Clanson, $10.25; II. A. Rhodehamel, $14.00; James MI. Fletcher, 85.00; Joseph MeGonagh. $11.00; H. G. Steeley, 85.00; Alexander Ramsey, $15.00; Clay R. Joslin. $17.50; M. C. Hale, $5.00; J. S. Conklin, $10.00; J. A. Henry, 88.50; Ed Smith, $20.00; Benjamin Slusser, 82.50; Wilham C. Wy- man, $21.00; Dr. A. Wilson. $14.00; 11. Rauth, 816.50; JJolin G. Stephenson, $19.00; John A. Cum- mins, $25.00; N. R. Burress, $14.00; A. J. Rebstock. $14.00; R. II. Trego, $7.40; William Binkley, 85.00; II. C. Roberts. 82.50; J. B. Walker, $2.50; C. E. Fielding, $2.50, and R. B. Thorn, $10.00. Whole amount paid in, 81,506. 27.
This was run as a stock company until October, 1876, when it was turned over to the Monumental Library Association in the Monumental Building, and remained in a dormant state until 1885, when it was under the Young Men's Christian Associa- tion. In 1886, William C. Wyman was appointed Librarian by the Town Couneil and after Septem- ber l it was to be open every day, Sunday ex- cepted, from 8.30 A. M. until 9 P. M. Mr. Wy- man has held this position ever since, with the exception of one year, and there are an average of two hundred and fifty books out per day. There is also a depository of United States publie docu- ments.
W. SIDESINGER. Agriculture and stock- raising have formed the principal occupa- tion of this gentleman, and the wide-awake manner in which he has taken advantage of all methods and ideas tending to enhancing the value of his property has had a great deal to do with obtaining the competence which he now enjoys.
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