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 67
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 67
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 67
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great desire to visit the Pacific Slope, and in 1852 he went to California via the Isthmus and remained there two years. He had lost his wife previous to going to California and after returning to the East he married Elizabeth Duett, afterward settling in the home where he now lives. He is a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church and a man universally respected.
The youthful days of our subject were divided between assisting on the farm and attending the city schools, where he received a good practical educa- tion. In 1879, when twenty years of age, he be- gan reading medicine with Dr. Beebe and remained with him one year before attending Cleveland Homeopathie Hospital College, from which insti- tution he was graduated in the Class of '83. Fol- lowing this, Dr. Reddish located in Sidney and has been engaged in general practice ever since. He has met with unusual success in the prosecu- tion of his chosen profession, and the people all over the county are familiar with his name.
Dr. Reddish is a member of the Montgomery County Homeopathic Medical Society, of which he President; a member of the Homeopathic Medical Society of the State of Ohio, and the American Institue of Homeopathy. Socially, he is a mem- ber of the Masonic fraternity, and Sidney Com- mandery No. 46, K. T. January 18, 1886, saw him married to Miss Mary Le Baron, of Sara- toga Springs, born in January, 1863, and the daughter of Horace and Jennic Le Baron. Two bright little children have blessed this union, Lenita and Louise. The Doctor and wife are worthy members of the Methodist Episcopal Church and are highly respected in the community.
E H. ROGERS has been identified with the successful farmers of Western Ohio for many years, and has contributed his quota to- ward the development of its marvelous agricult- ural resources. Ile is the proprietor of eighty acres
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of finely-improved land, pleasantly located on see- tion 29, Union Township, Auglaize County, where he gives his entire attention to farming and has made a signal success of his life calling.
The father of our subject, Col. John Rogers, was a son of John Rogers, Sr., and was born Octo- ber 20, 1800, in Orange County, N. Y. The mother of our subjeet bore the maiden name of Mary Ilad- ley and was born in New York State. Col. Rogers came to Ohio with his father when a lad, and lo- eated in Licking County in 1814. They later re- moved to Richland County, where the grandfather died.
The parents of our subject were married in the above-named county, and in 1833 settled upon seetion 5, Clay Township, this county, the traet being then in its primitive condition. The estate comprised two hundred and forty acres, to which Mr. Rogers later added one hundred and sixty acres on seetion 29, and upon which farm he re- sided for forty-six years. In company with a Mr. Bitler, he laid out the village of St. John's.
The mother of our subject departed this life in 1842, and the lady whom Mr. Rogers chose as his second wife was Naney Coleman. By his first mar- riage he became the father of seven children, only five of whom are living: our subject, George, Louisa Jane, Mitchel Y. and Alfred. By his second union were born two children, John and Emma. In polities. the father of our subjeet was very active, and after the organization of the Republican party, joined its ranks. He was elected to the office of Justice of the Peace, and per- formed its duties acceptably for seven years. He was also Township Trustee and Supervisor, and while a member of the State militia was Colonel of his regiment. Ile was a prominent factor in developing the resources of this portion of the State, and has always been identified with the farming interests of this eounty.
E. H. Rogers was born July 21, 1822, in Rich- land County, this State, and was a lad of eleven years when he accompanied his parents to this county. llis advantages for obtaining an educa- tion were very limited, and he remained with his parents until reaching his majority, affording his father valuable assistance in carrying on the farm.
Previous to loeating upon his present estate, he worked for some time at the carpenter's trade, and taught sehool for three terms.
Miss Nancy Jane, daughter of John and Mary Ann (Jones) Morris, became the wife of our subjeet in 1845. She was born September 26, 1823, in Vir- ginia, and departed this life January 6, 1850. Mr. and Mrs. Rogers had born to them three children, only one of whom is living, Mary F., who was born September 15, 1847, and is the wife of Dr. Thomas Emerson. December 24, 1851, our subjeet was married to Maria Baker, who bore him two chil- dren, both now deceased. She died December 30, 1854. January 2, 1859, our subjeet chose as liis third wife Miss Luey V. Morris, daughter of John and Mary Ann (Clarkson) Morris, natives of Vir- ginia, the father's birth occurring in 1800 and the mother's in 1800. Mr. and Mrs. Morris came to this State in 1833, and after residing a twelvementh in Sidney, located on seetion 30, Union Township, when this portion of the county was entirely un- improved. With the aid of his son John he cleared up his estate, upon which he was residing at the time of his decease in 1884; his good wife, who is still living on the old homestead, has attained to the advanced age of eighty-three years. They were consistent members of the Christian Church. and were in favor of all things which tended to the moral and social elevation of their township. In polities, Mr. Morris was a Republican, and served his community in the offices of Justice of the Peace, Township Trustee and County Com- missioner. By a previous marriage, he had be- come the father of three children, only one of whom is now living, Betsey Ann. By his second union fourteen children were born, eight of whom still survive. Six of his sons served in the Union army during the Civil War, William being killed in the battle of Kenesaw Mountain.
Mrs. Rogers was born July 2. 1836, on the old homestead in this township, and was given a fair eduestion in the common schools of the distriet. Mr. and Mrs. Rogers have a pleasant home, and during his many years' residence here the former has made many improvements, including the erection of a good set of frame buiklings. They are devoted members of the Christian Church, and
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have always given liberally and cheerfully of their means toward the support of the same. In politics, he is a Republican. He has never sought publie office, but has been called upon by his fellow- townsmen to occupy the positions of School Di- rector and Supervisor.
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B RUCE S. HUNT, M. D. The professions are represented in Tawawa, Shelby County, as in other towns in the State, by men of ripe intelligence, practical skill and good character. One of this number is Dr. Hunt, who combines in his person the sturdy traits, mental . ability and vigor of body derived from New England ancestors. U'ntil within the last few years, he has been engaged in the active practice of his profession, and by his success in his chosen work has won an excellent reputation as a citizen. He now devotes his entire time and attention to the manufacture of the "Domestic Corn Cure," for which he has a wide market throughout the United States.
Our subjeet is a son of Heman R. Hunt, a na- tive of Butler County, this State, where he was born September 26, 1819. IIc was a farmer by oc- eupation, and a son of Ira Hunt, a native of Ver- mont and a minister of the Christian Church. The family is an old and respected one and oeenpies a prominent place in the annals of New England. Our subject's mother bore the name of Ann Conover, and was a daughter of Timothy Conover, of New Jersey. IIer father came to this State in an early day, and located in Butler County, where he was identified with its most influential citizens.
Mrs. Hunt was born November 13, 1819, in But- ler County, Ohio, and was married in Shelby County. soon after which she and her husband lo- cated on section 6, Green Township. The Cono- ver family came to this township in 1835 and made their bome on section 1, where they resided until near their demise.
The father of our subject was a Republican in
politics. In early life he voted with the Whig party, casting his first ballot for W. II. Harrison in 1840. Mr. and Mrs. Hunt are the parents of two children, both of whom are living: Preston R., who married Rosanna Search, and resides in Sidney; and our subject, who was born October 11, 1850.
The original of this sketch conducted his pri- mary studies in the common schools of his district, and the knowledge gained therein was later sup- plemented by an attendance at the schools at Sid- ney. Desirous of following the medical profes- sion, he read for some time under Dr. Bebee, of the above-named place, and subsequently entered the Pulte Medical College at Cincinnati, from which institution he was graduated January 17th, with the Class of '77. In the spring of that year, he be- gan the practice of his profession at De Graff, Ohio, and by his widely-extended knowledge of the principles of therapeutics, and skill in their use and practical application, has established a repu- tation for success in bis chosen field of labor.
Two years ago, Dr. Hunt began the manufacture of the "Domestic Corn Cure," of which he is the inventor. He handles this remedy exclusively himself, having his headquarters at Tawawa. The medicine cures on the principle of penetration, and Dr. Hunt guarantees it to do as represented or the money will be refunded to the purchaser.
May 2, 1877, Miss Josie, daughter of Charles C. and Barbara (Speece) Woolley, and our subject were united in marriage. lIer parents are natives respectively of Champaign and Butler Counties, this State, and after their marriage located in the first-named county, where the father was a promi- nent farmer. A proof of the respect in which he is held lies in the fact that he has held the office of Township Trustee for twenty-one consecutive years. He is now living at the advanced age of eighty-one years, having been bereft of the com- panionship of his good wife, who died September 30, 1888. Mr. and Mrs. Woolley were the parents of five children, only two of whom are now liv- ing: William, and Mrs. Hunt, who was born Feb- ruary 20, 1853, in Champaign County.
To the Doctor and Mrs. Hunt have been granted a family of three children: Ora C., born Septem-
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ber 21, 1878; C. Ilollace, August 25, 1881; and Edith Carnes, July 1, 1892. The parents are de- voted and conscientious members of the Christian Church, and endeavor to mold their lives in ac- cordance with the Golden Rule. The Doctor is a member of the Homeopathic Ohio State Medical Society. and is also connected with the Hahne- mann Society of the Pulte Medical College. In politics, he has always been identified with the Re- publican party. He has no reason to be dissatis- fied with his business, and throughont his entire career has shown himself to be alive to the duties and responsibility of citizenship, and is ranked among the most prominent residents of Shelby County.
2 UIN LEAPLEY. The name of Leapley has long been prominently identified with the pioneers of Shelby County, our subject's grandparents being among its earliest settlers. Since the subject of this sketch first learned his trade, he has been engaged in the building up of Sidney. The work turned out by this gentle- man is up to the highest standard in the material used and the quality, finish and perfection of de- tails, as well as in scientific principles of construc- tion. Mr. Leapley has been a resident of this county since his birth, May 21, 1861, and is one of the prominent young business men of Sidney. Ilis parents, Otho and Mary (Stone) Leapley, reside on a farm about two and a half miles northeast of Sidney, the father engaging successfully in tilling the soil.
Our subject supplemented an education received in the country schools by attending the High Schools of Sidney and at an early age displayed unusual business ability. When about nineteen years of age, he began learning his trade and has worked at this ever since. Ile first began working in Sidney in 1886, as a journeyman for Samuel Stevenson. and continued with him for three years. After this. he began contracting, and built the
agricultural hall on the fair ground, besides nu- merous other buildings. Later, he went to Nebraska and was engaged in the southern and western part of that State in building elevators from Wymore west to McCook. Returning to Sidney, he em- barked in business in this city and erected a fine two-story frame house at No. 1044 Maple Street, in which he has been residing for the past five years. Ile is a first-class workman, and brings vast practical experience to bear, coupled with sound judgment and ample resources, while the prices asked are the lowest consistent with the best workmanship.
On the 4th of December, 1887, he selected his wife in the person of Miss Eva Randolph, a native of Shelby County, Ohio, and their home is a pleas- ant and most attractive place Mr. Leapley gives his whole attention to bis business and has the confidence and esteem of all elasses of the com- munity. Mr. Leapley is one of the most promi- nent citizens, ever taking a deep interest in the advancement of the city and in the progress of the whole country. Ile is a self-made man and is thoroughly conversant with the fact that "there is no road to excellence without great labor."
M AJ. CHARLES HHIPP, Postmaster at St. Mary's, and a highly respected citizen of Auglaize County, is a veteran of two wars, and his fine military record reflects credit on the soldiery of his adopted country, for which he did and suffered much when rebellion threat- ened disunion and dishonor.
Our subject was born in Prussia, January 20, 1830, a son of Frederick C. Ilipp, who was for sev- eral years an officer in the Prussian army, and took part in the war waged against Napoleon. which resulted in the defeat of the great French commander at Waterloo. After leaving the army, Frederick C. Ilipp became a merchant, and in 1844 emigrated with his family to America. Ile first
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settled near Parkersburgh, Va., where he had bought land before leaving the Old Country. Hle only lived there a short time, and then re- moved with his family to Marietta, Ohio. He subsequently came to St. Mary's, and here his earthly pilgrimage was brought to a elose in 1872, at a ripe old age. Ilis wife died in 1880, at a ven- erable age. Three of their eight children are still living.
Ile of whom this sketch is written is the fourth child of the family. Ilis early education was eon- dueted in the excellent schools of Neuwied in his native Prussia, which he attended until he was fourteen years old, and after coming to this eoun- try he had the advantage of a year's schooling at Prof. Maxwell's academy at Marietta. After that, he was a elerk in a grocery store for a year, and then in 1846 he went to Cineinnati with a view to learning the eigar-maker's trade. He abandoned that in 1847, to enlist at the second eall for troops to serve in the Mexican War, joining Company I, Fourth Ohio Infantry, which was commanded by Col. C. H. Brough, brother of the late Governor of the State. He was in the battles at National Bridge, Huamantla, Pueblo, Tlaseala, and in other engagements, serving with his regiment until the war closed, and he was discharged in June, 1848.
On his return from Mexico, Maj. Hipp resumed his former employment as elerk, and was engaged in a grocery at Ilamilton the ensuing three years. In 1852, he went to Central America to join his brother William, who had opened a plantation on the San Juan River at the mouth of the Sevapiqui, then, and still, known as lipp's Point, and where Walker's filibusters afterward had quite a fight with forces from Costa Rica, defeating them. La- ter, he went to Castillo Rapids, where he engaged in the hotel business two years. From there he went to San Juan Del Sur, on the Pacific Coast, and kept an hotel there for over a year, entertain- ing travelers on their way across the Isthmus to or from the gold fields of California. During his residence at that point, he was elected Captain of a company of Home Guards, composed of foreign- ers living in the town, and organized for their own protection. A revolution had broken out in Ni- caragua. and the forees occupying Castillo sided
with the revolutionists. They were surprised by the Government troops, and all but a few, who es- caped, were killed. Mr. Ilipp also acted as Vice- Consul for the United States in San Juan Del Sur, and in 1855 found himself once more in Ohio. He purchased a stave mill at St. Mary's, which he re- fitted with machinery for the manufacture of floor- ing and all kinds of finished wood material.
When the war broke out, our subject's martial spirit, which had deseended to him from his fore- fathers and had before found expression on Mexi- can battlefields, was again aroused, and as soon as he could settle his affairs, he, in one week, raised a company of soldiers to help defend the Stars and Stripes. He entered the service August 20, 1861; was commissioned Captain of Company C, Thirty- seventh Ohio Infantry, September 7; Major, June 5, 1862; remustered in the same rank June 14, 1865; mustered out August 7, the same year, at Little Rock, Ark., and honorably discharged with his regiment August 21, at Cleveland, Ohio. Among the numerous engagements in which he fought were those at Cotton Hill, Logan C. H., Princeton and Charleston, Va., and participated in the as- sault on Vicksburg, having command of the regi- ment during the siege. The regiment then marched to Chattanooga, and crossed the Tennessee River on pontoon bridges to Missionary Ridge, where the assault took place November 25, 1863. Again moving Southward on the Atlanta Campaign, took part in the battles of Resaca, Dallas, New Hope Church, Kenesaw Mountain and Ezra Church, where he was twice wounded, and had the left arm amputated.
After the war Maj. Ilipp returned to St. Mary's and for a few years devoted himself to mercantile pursuits. In 1866, he was appointed Postmaster, but he was removed five months later by President Johnson. Ile was re-appointed to the same posi- tion by President Grant in 1869, and for sixteen years served most efficiently. During Cleveland's administration, he took a vacation, but was again made Postmaster by President Harrison in 1889, and is still the ineumbent of the office. He gives complete satisfaction to the people of St. Mary's, who regard him as the right man in the right place, as he is thoroughly conversant with the
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routine of the office, manages its affairs in a busi- ness-like way, and is always urbane and courteous in his intercourse with all with whom he comes in contact. In him the Republican party has one of its most stanch adherents, and he is an important figure in local politics, and has been a delegate to county, district and State conventions. He was Mayor of St. Mary's two years, and he gave the city a good administration, making permanent im- provements by establishing grades for streets and the natural gas plant for the town. He is promi- nent, socially, as a member of Kishler Post No. 83, G. A. R., of the Loyal Legion, and of the Army of the Tennessee. The Major was married in 1853 to Miss Mary Miller, a resident of Hamilton, and they have established a very pleasant home, over which his wife presides with tact and ability.
0 J. TAYLOR, one of the best known and most successful business men of Sidney, has been engaged in business in this city since 1854, and he is not only popular in business, but in social circles as well. Ilis grandfather, Samuel Taylor, was a native Virginian, but at an early date moved to Champaign County, Ohio, near West Liberty, and entered and bought in this county a large tract of Government land, two miles west of Port Jefferson. Ile cleared a small portion, erected a log cabin on this, and there the family remained for many years. Mr. Taylor, Sr., subsequently sold this farm and moved to Sid- ney, where his death occurred.
Jason Taylor, father of our subject, was born in Virginia, near Harper's Ferry, in 1801, and re- mained there until 1824, when he moved with his parents to the Buckeye State and settled in Sid- ney, when there were but seven families there. He assisted his father in clearing and developing the farm, but afterward located in Sidney and was engaged in merchandising for some time, thus ob- taining a practical knowledge of business at an early age. Later, he embarked in the dry-goods
business in New York, and followed this for seven- teen years in that city. Returning to Ohio, he settled in Wapakoneta, engaged in banking at that place, and there his death occurred in 1867. Ile married Miss Sarah Skillen, a native of Penn- sylvania, and the daughter of Judge Skillen, of this State. Her death occurred about seventeen years before that of her husband. To this union were born nine children, four of whom are liv- ing, as follows: Jane, Mrs. Jessup, of La Porte, Ind .; O. J., of Sidney; William II., of Mansfield; and Aurelia, wife of Col. B. F. Crawford, of Mans- field. The parents of these children held mem- bership for many years in the Presbyterian Church, and the father was an old-line Whig in politics. Hle was a great military man, was general of the militia, and took great pride in its organization.
O. J. Taylor was born in Sidney, Ohio, on the 26th of September, 1830, and here he received a good edu- cation. After leaving the schoolroom, he followed civil engineering for nearly four years, accumulat- ing in the meantime about $1,000. With this he em- barked in the hardware trade on his own responsi- bility and first opened a store on Poplar Street, afterward following business in the room that the German American Bank now occupies. From there he went into the Main Avenue Building in 1874, a fine block, 50x122 feet, at the corner of Poplar Street and Main Avenue, one of the best lo- cations in the city, and ocenpied the corner store, three stories high, the second story being used for offices and the third floor for the Masons' lodge. This store he has leased for twenty years. He has erected a fine two-story brick residence at No. 61I Main Avenue, and it is surrounded with all the comforts of life.
Our subject selected his companion in life in the person of Miss Sarah Harrison, of Sidney, and the fruits of this union have been six chil- Gren, of whom the following are now living: Harry J .; Mrs. Mabel Lyon; Jennie A., wife of J. E. Cummins, of the Citizens' Bank, at Sidney; Willis B., of Chicago; O. E., who is now at- tending school at Terre Ilante, Ind., and Charles J. The mother of these children died suddenly in July, 1887, after having retired. She was a member of the Presbyterian Church, in which our
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subject also holds membership, and he has been Treasurer in the same for twenty-one years, having handled over 880,000 of the church funds. Ilis sec- ond marriage was to Miss Helen C. Search, of Marion, Ohio, and a member of the Sharpless family, of Pennsylvania, a very prominent one.
R EV. CHARLES FARNSWORTHI, who for many years administered to the spiritual wants of his fellow-men in various Method- ist Episcopal Churches of this county, is now the efficient Superintendent of the Logan County Children's Home, which is pleasantly sit- nated one mile west from Bellefontaine, on a com- manding eminence on the Sidney Pike, and in a healthy locality. The building is a substantial briek structure, one hundred and thirty feet long, sixty-six feet wide, and three stories above basement in height, and was built in 1886-87-88, at a cost of 827,000, in round numbers. The farm contains sixty-eight aeres of good arable land, has two never-failing wells of water, one of which is mineral, with two orehards and many shade trees. The land lies in an almost perfeet square, with excellent roads on the north and east. The object of the institution is to furnish an asylum for the dependent children of the county under sixteen years of age, where they can receive proper care and culture until suit- able homes ean be prepared for them, or until they become capable of providing for themselves. Mr. Farnsworth is now serving his second year as Superintendent of this institution, and is in every way qualified for the position, which he fills with credit to himself, and to the entire satisfaction of the people.
Rev. Charles Farnsworth is a native of the Green Mountain State, born in Franklin County on the 24th of October, 1834, and is a son of Israel W. Farnsworth, who was also a native of Vermont, born in 1801, and of Scotch extraction. The father of our subject followed the pursuit of
farming in his native State, and died there when eighty-three years of age. He was an ardent mem- ber of the Congregational Church from boyhood, and took an active interest in its growth and pro- gress. He was a Republican in politics and a strong Abolitionist before and after the war. He married Miss Abigail Rawson, a native of Ver- mont, and four children were born to them, all sons, viz: Jerome, Oscar (deceased), Osear and our subject. The mother died when seventy-one years of age. She had been a life-long member of the Congregational Church, and was very active in the cause of Christianity.
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