USA > Ohio > Fayette County > Portrait and biographical record of Fayette, Pickaway and Madison counties, Ohio : containing biographical sketches of prominent and representative citizens, together with biographies and portraits of all the presidents of the United States > Part 37
USA > Ohio > Madison County > Portrait and biographical record of Fayette, Pickaway and Madison counties, Ohio : containing biographical sketches of prominent and representative citizens, together with biographies and portraits of all the presidents of the United States > Part 37
USA > Ohio > Pickaway County > Portrait and biographical record of Fayette, Pickaway and Madison counties, Ohio : containing biographical sketches of prominent and representative citizens, together with biographies and portraits of all the presidents of the United States > Part 37
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Mrs. Yates was born October 14, 1841, in Fay- ette County, and until 1874 resided with her hus- band upon one hundred acres of land which had been given him by his father. Ilis estate now com- prises two hundred aeres which his industry has placed under an excellent cultivation. In 1882, his tool shed was struck by lightning, thus destroy- ing $1,800 worth of machinery, and in 1891 he suffered the loss of his residence by fire.
To Mr. and Mrs. Yates have been born nine children, viz: Batteal H., who married Miss Susan S. Wissler; Seymour, who married Emma Ogden; Anna D., Mrs. James T. Timmons; Myrtle W., the wife of Herman McClimans; Pearl M., Mrs. Cassius B. Porter; Charles M .. Alpha A., Martha E., who died in infancy, and Lyle B. at home.
.In his political relations, Mr. Yates is an ardent
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Democrat and has served as Trustee of his town- ship for the past ten years and has also done effi- cient work as a member of the School Board. He is a member of the Masonic fraternity, having taken the Thirty-second Degree.
R. O. A. ALLEN. Success is the true test of merit, and without in any way reflecting upon the other talented mem- bers of the medical profession who are residents of Washington C. H., we feel sure that our readers who are acquainted with Dr. Allen will bear witness to his being an honorable, conscien- tious physician, who has, by hard study and in- domitable energy, become thoroughly conversant with the details of his profession.
Dr. Allen is one of the oldest physicians of Washington C. II., having come hither in 1850, and, in addition to his large practice, he also for a number of years conducted a drug business. Ile came to Ohio from New Jersey, where he was born July 1, 1825, the son of John P. and Jane ( Adams) Allen. IIe was only four years old when he ac- companied his parents to Mansfield, Richland County, where nine years later he was orphaned by the death of his mother. Afterward he at- tended the Granville (Licking County) Academy for two years, and later was a student in the col- lege at the same place for five years.
At the age of twenty, our subject ceased his lit- erary studies and commenced to read medicine in Wilmington, Ohio, with Dr. Davis as his preceptor. In 1850, he came to Washington C. II., where, on March 18 of the following year, he was married to Miss Jane, daughter of Isaac Jenkins. He at- tended medical lectures at Cleveland in the fall of 1852, graduating during the following year, and at once opened an office in Washington C. H., where he practiced for ten years uninterruptedly. Then buying out a drug business, he was engaged in that line for twenty years, first alone, but much of the time in partnership with Dr. H. C. Coffman. About 1880, he sold the drug store and has since given his attention wholly to his professional la-
bors. Ile retains much of the activity of his youth, although he no longer does night work if he can avoid it.
Washington C. H. contains a number of elegant and tastefully furnished residences, and among them the stranger is sure to notice particularly the home on the corner of Washington Avenue and McLean Street. The grounds are five acres in ex- tent, and are beautifully laid out in lawns, gardens, etc. The Doctor erected the residence and has made it his home for twenty-two years. Ile and his wife are the parents of two children: Lucy, wife of Capt. E. A. Ramsay, and the mother of two chil- dren: Ellis W. and Richard A .; William J. is an undertaker at Washington C. H. The Doctor is identified with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, and is a member of the Baptist Church, while his wife holds membership in the Presbyterian Church.
AVID S. LUDWIG. Biographies of sue- cessful men are most useful as guides and incentives to others, and hence a volume of this character, containing the life rec- ords of the most prominent and representative citizens of Pickaway County, serves to stimulate the young and invite their emulation. Mr. Lud- wig is well known throughout the county as an influential farmer and business man of Circleville Township. Ilis fine farm, located on section 32, forms a most beautiful picture in the surrounding landscape. His handsome residence, which was erected in 1891 at a cost of $7,000, is equipped throughout with all the conveniences and improve- ments known to modern architecture. It is heated with hot water and bears all the furnish- ings which indicate its inmates to be people of means and refinement. The estate of Mr. Ludwig is located in the southeastern corner of Circleville Township, on the famous "Pickaway Plains."
David S. Ludwig was born on the old home- stead June 16, 1842, and is the son of Jacob Lud- wig, one of the pioneers of this section. IIe was
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given a common-school education and passed his boyhood days on the old farm on which he still resides. He remained under the parental roof until his marriage, December 26, 1872, at which time Miss Rosa L. Driesbach became his wife. Mrs. Ludwig was born in Pickaway Township Septem- ber 3, 185I, and was the daughter of Isaac E. and L. C. (Hittel) Driesbach, natives of Pennsylvania, who came to Ohio in an early day. Mrs. Lud- wig acquired a good education in the schools of the district, later attending one term at the North- western College at Naperville, Ill.
The six children born to our subject and his estimable wife bear the respective names of Eva D., Fannie D., Edgar J., Lydia I., Mary and Mabel G. In political matters, Mr. Ludwig casts his vote and influence in favor of Democratic principles and candidates. For two years, he served accept- ably in the position of Trustee of Pickaway Town- ship.Mrs. Ludwig is a member of the Evangelical Lutheran Church and takes an active interest in all good works.
The old Ludwig homestead comprised one hun- dred and sixty acres, which is the property of our subject. In addition to that, he is the possessor of an estate of two hundred acres, just across the road, in Pickaway Township; one hundred and fifty acres in another portion of that township and forty acres in Washington Township. He is one of the largest landholders in this county, and justly occupies a high place in the agricultural community. He devotes a great deal of time and attention to the raising of cattle, his favorite be- ing the Polled-Angus. The estate of our subject is splendidly developed, Mr. Ludwig believing that the latest improvements and best methods in agriculture always bring in the largest returns.
He of whom we write responded to the call for volunteers during the Morgan raid, being com- missioned Captain of Company E, First Regiment. Ohio Militia, in July, 1864, receiving his honor- able discharge in August of that year. On erecting his present handsome residence, Mr. Ludwig tore down the famous old brick house, which was built by his grandfather in 1809, and at that time was the first brick dwelling in Pickaway County. Among the personal characteristics of our subject
are those of justice and progress and that cordial, kindly spirit which makes warm friends and stanch adherents. We are pleased to be able to place in the hands of our readers a sketch of so prominent and influential a citizen of Pickaway County as is Mr. Ludwig.
6 HOMAS F. PARRETT. Fayette County's native-born sons, who are represented in various walks in life, are many of them among the principal promoters of the prosperity that she enjoys, and of this number is Thomas F. Parrett, a farmer of high reputation, standing among the first of his calling in Wayne Township, and one of our best civic officials. Jefferson Town- ship is his birthplace, and he was born into the home of George and Anna Parrett of that place in 1840.
George Parrett was also a native of this county, born in 1813, a son of John and Catherine Parrett, who were early settlers in this part of Ohio. They were Virginians by birth, and after marriage came to this State in 1810, and first located in Ross County, whence they came to this county a year or two later and were among its most useful pioneers, buying and improving a large tract of land, lying along Paint Creek. Ile served a short time in the War of 1812. He was a son of Frederick Parrett, who was a native of Virginia, but was of Swiss descent. The father of our subject grew to man- hood on a farm in Jefferson Township. Ilis early education was conducted in the rude log school- house of pioneer times, where he spent many a weary hour on a split log seat without any back to it. He remained with his parents until his marriage at the age of twenty-four or twenty-five, to Miss Anna Fletcher. Her father had died when she was quite young, and she was reared by her mother, with whom she came to Ohio. Mr. Parrett began life by operating the farm that his father had left him. He was very industrious, made every stroke of work count, and was also keen in money matters, so that he became well-to-do. He added to the original area of his farm until he had
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three hundred and fifty acres of excellent farming land, the most of which he cleared himself. He lived to a ripe age, dying in 1872, and thus elosing a life that had been well spent. Politically, he was of the old Whig stock in early life, but the Republican party found in him a strong supporter after its organization. Both he and his wife were people of strict religious views, and the Methodist Protestant Church had in them good and faithful members. Mrs. Parrett, who was born in Pennsyl- vania in 1811, died in this county in 1886. She was the mother of seven children: Elmira, wife of H. Kirk: Thomas F .; Mary C., wife of T. F. Boyd; Caroline E., wife of J. P. Popejoy; Belinda A., widow of J. W. Morris; Susan, who died young, and Lucy O., wife of Dr. S. Marshall.
At the age of twenty-one, our subject started out in the world on his own responsibility, begm- ning life as a farmer. At the age of twenty-four, he married Mary Greenlee, daughter of Samuel and Ann Greenlee. Their union was blessed with three children : Frank L., who married Stella Briggs; Fantie B., and Carey. After the death of his first wife, Mr. Parrett was married to Miss Mary B. Coffman, daughter of Nathan and Sarah Coff- man, who were natives respectively of Fayette and Greene Counties. They were the parents of eight children, as follows: William E., deceased; Lewis C .; Charlotte .J., wife of J. D. Pridy; John M., deceased; Benjamin F., Mary B., Esther A., who married F. P. Willard, and is now dead, and Sarah J., her twin sister, who is the wife of R. W. Merchant. Our subject and his wife have three sons: Harry, Thomas F., Jr., and Louis C.
Mr. Parrett remained in Jefferson Township thirteen years after his first marriage, and then came to Wayne Township, and to his present farm in 1880. Ile owns three hundred and seven- teen acres of well-improved land, and he may well take pride in the fact that its fine condition is the result of his persistent and well-directed labors, the building, fencing, ditching and tiling all of his planning, and much of the work done by his hand.
Our subject has a noble war record, which re- flects credit on the soldier of his native State HIe first entered the service in Company HI, Sixtieth
Ohio Infantry, which formed a part of the Army of the Potomac, and while he was fighting at Harper's Ferry he was captured by the enemy. He had the good fortune to be paroled at Annap- olis, Md., and subsequently started for Minnesota to fight the Indians, but on arriving at Chicago he found that peace had been declared with the savages. He remained in Camp Douglas two months, and his term of enlistment then expiring, he was mustered out of the service. His patriot- ism had not been dampened by the many trials and hardships that he has undergone in defending the Stars and Stripes, and he afterward enlisted in Company D, One Hundred and Sixty-eighth Ohio Infantry, of which he was made Captain for his meritorious services and for the good soldiership that he displayed, whether on the march, in camp or in the heat of battle. It was his misfortune to be again captured while engaged with the enemy in Kentucky, by John Morgan, the celebrated rebel raider, and his captivity terminated his usefulness in the field. Politically, our subject is a Republi- can, and has ever stood firmly by his party in de- feat as well as in victory. Ilis fellow-citizens hold him in honor, and have entrusted to him many of the most responsible local offices, such as that of Trustee, etc. In 1887, he was first chosen as one of the County Commissioners, and he still holds that important office.
G EORGE ZWICKER, a retired farmer, is one of the prominent and most esteemed old settlers of Circleville, having been a resi- dent of this city since 1845. He was born in Ba- varia, Germany, on the 15th of February, 1821, and his father, George H. Zwicker, was also a na- tive of that country. The latter followed agri- cultural pursuits there until his death, in 1824. Ile married Miss Margaret Forist, also a native of Germany, and the daughter of George II. Forist, who was born in the Fatherland, and who carried on agricultural pursuits there. The mother of Mrs. Zwicker was brought to this country by our
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subject in 1845, and here passed her last days. She was a member of the Reformed Church.
Our subject was second in order of birth of four children, three of whom grew to mature years. The youngest brother, Deibold, died in Germany, and a sister, Margaret, died in Pike County, Ohio. George Zwicker received good advantages in the educational line from the age of six to fourteen, and remained under the parental roof until he came to America. He desired to live in a free and inde- pendent country, and in the spring of 1838 he took passage for the United States. He remained in New York City over a month, and then came on to Pike County, settling in Waverly. He was out of money, could not speak English, and was among strangers. However, he did not inherit the thrift, energy and perseverance of his German an- cestors for nothing, and he immediately set to work to find employment. He worked on a farm during the summer, and then on the State boat until 1844. His mother had secured his release from military service, and after the death of his brother our subject returned to his native country to get the remainder of the family. This was in the fall of 1844, and he took passage at New York on the sail- ing-vessel " Louis Plullipe," and after a twenty days' ocean voyage, reached Ilanover. In the spring of the following year, he returned with the family to the United States, remaining at Waverly, Ohio, until the fall and then located at Circleville. He bought two acres in that city, engaged in garden- ing, and added to his land from time to time, until he had fifteen acres of fine land in the corporation limits.
Mr. Zwicker had followed gardening in his na- tive country, and consequently was thoroughly posted in this branch of industry. He began rais- ing plants, sold seed, and, being very successful in this, continued it for over forty years. He at- tended the Columbus markets twice a week, and bought and built a booth at North Market; he also hired a booth at Central Market, where he handled vegetables of his own raising. In 1878, he bought the old Valentine Farm, consisting of one hundred and twenty-one and one-quarter acres, and later he bought sixty acres, so that he now has over one hundred and eighty-one acres of land, part in the
corporation of Circleville, with good buildings and improvements. He also owns eity lots here, and is one of the substantial men of the county, all the re- sult of pluck and perseverance. In 1867, he and Michael Kelstadt were selected as assignees for the defunct Marfield Bank, and took as their interest a part of twelve acres between Scioto and Court Streets, which they have platted out as Zwicker & Kelstadt Addition, and have sold a number of lots. In 1888, Mr. Zwicker bought a large brick residence on East Main Street, and has a most pleasant and comfortable home. He owns real estate on South High Street, in Columbus, and built a residence there, at the corner of Pearl and Willow Streets.
Our subject was an organizer of the Piekaway County New Fair Association, and assisted in buy- ing property and getting it in good shape, and he now owns the property. He has assisted in build- ing all the railroads here, and has taken a deep interest in all other worthy enterprises. After many years of industry and hard work, he has re- tired from the active duties of life to enjoy the fruits of his labor. He is one of the representative citizens of the county, is social and genial, and is warmly welcomed everywhere. He was educated in the German language in his own country, and although he never attended school here, he speaks the English language quite fluently. During the memorial exercises on the 29th of December, 1891, he was stricken with paralysis, but has now nearly recovered.
He was married in Pike County, Ohio, on the 4th of July, 1845, to Miss Anna M. Palm, a na- tive of Wurtemberg, Germany, and the daughter of Jacob William Palin, a native of the Old Coun- try. Mr. Palm followed merchandising there until 1846, and then crossed the ocean to the hospitable shores of America. He located in Circleville in 1847, and there received his final summons. His wife, whose maiden name was Anna M. Sterley, was born in Germany, but died in this country. Fifteen children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Palm, and of these seven are now living. Mrs. Zwicker, the second in order of birth, was born January 2, 1826, and remained in her native country until the spring of 1841, when she and a sister sailed for America. She became acquainted with Mr.
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Zwicker on shipboard, and on the 4th of July of the following year became his wife. They are the happy parents of one child, J. George, a native of Circleville, born September 18, 1818. The latter was well educated in the public schools, later assisted his father on the farm. and afterward was engaged in business for him. He spent one year, from 1889 to 1890, in Columbus, but afterwards returned and engaged in farming and gardening. He was married in 1872 to Miss Frances Schneider, a native of Worcester, Ohio, and the daughter of John Schneider, a cooper, now deceased. Eight children have been born to them: George II., Annie M., Sarah E., C. Frederick, Harry W., Otto D., Albert and Emma C. The subject of this sketch is a strong member of the Lutheran Charch. In politics, he is a Democrat.
M RS. ELIZA M. CUMMINS. Among the many intelligent and refined ladies of Harrison Township, Pickaway County, Ohio, we find none more worthy of a place in this volume than Mrs. Cummins, who has been a resident of this State nearly all her life. She was born in Chester County, Pa., on the 18th of May, 1830, and her parents, Jacob and Mary (McGill) Wright, were natives of that State also. About 1835 her parents left the Keystone State and emigrated to Ohio, settling ten miles north of Columbus, where they passed the remainder of their days, the father dying in 1878 and the mothier in 1886. Nine children were born to their union, only the following now surviving: Eliza M .; John; Susan, wife of Robert Brelsford; Charles; Jacob; and Mary, wife of Sylvester Hard.
The original of this notice was but five years of age when she came with her parents to Frank- lin County, Ohio, and here she passed her girlhood and received her education in the pioneer log schoolhouse of those days. Thus she was reared to hardships and privations, but this only served to form a character whose kindly influence and gentleness are made manifest at home and in so-
ciety. On the 4th of March, 1849, she was mar- ried to Mr. Snyder B. Cummins, a native of Harri- son Township, Pickaway County, Ohio, born June 11, 1818, and the son of William and Mary Cum- mins, natives of Virginia, but carly settlers of Pickaway County, Ohio. Young Cummins was also reared amid pioneer surroundings and re- ceived a good practical education. For a number of years he was an active worker in educational matters, taught several terms of school, and was an able and very successful instructor.
After marriage, Mr. Cummins and his youthful bride settled upon the farm which his widow now owns in Harrison Township, and began house- keeping in a log cabin. He then went to work to clear and cultivate the land, which required years of labor and ceonomy, but with the assistance of his prudent and most able helpmate, he persevered and became the owner of one of the finest places in the vicinity. A few years after their residence on this place, a fine frame structure took the place of the rude log cabin, cultivated fields were seen in the place of forests, and thus their toil was re- warded. Their union gave them nine children, five of whom are living: Frank; Snyder; Arthur; Joseph; and Mary, wife of George Richards. The four deceased were Jacob, Susan, Martha and Hattie.
Mr. Cummins departed this life on the 4th of March, 1876, and his death was the occasion of universal sorrow, for all felt the loss sustained by the departure of such a man. He was known far and wide for integrity and fair dealing, and enjoyed the esteem and confidence of all who knew him. No better man had his home in Pickaway County, and his honesty and upright- ness were proverbial in the community. He was one of the prominent members of the United Brethren Church and an active worker in the same. He was a School Director for some time, and was a friend to education, as to all worthy enterprises. He was interred in Reber Hill Cem- etery, in Walnut Township. In politics, he was a Republican with Prohibition tendencies. A self-made man, Mr. Cummins made all his prop- erty by industry and good management and with the assistance of his wife, who is a woman of unus-
yours Truly A.J. Kepler Med .
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ual managerial qualities, prudence and industry. She is identified with the United Brethren Church, is a charming lady, and very popular with her neighbors.
NDREW J. KEPLER, M. D., of London, who is one of the foremost representatives of the Eclectic School of Medicine in this part of Ohio, enjoys a large practice, and is regarded as one of the best physicians in Madi- son County. He is a native of Butler County, and July 22, 1852, was born into the home of Jolin T. and Mahala (Clemmer) Kepler, also natives of Ohio. They were married in Montgomery County, and the father was actively engaged in farming in the same county for several years, but he and his amiable wife are now living in retirement in Preble County. In politics, he is an unswerving advocate of the Democratic party. For six years he held the office of Justice of the Peace, and made an admirable official, administering the law without fear or favor. He and his wife are members in high standing of the Methodist Episcopal Church, and carry their religion into their everyday lives. They have three children: Samuel, a farmer; Mary, Mrs. Toby; and our subject.
The paternal grandparents of our subject were Joseph and Mary (Horine) Kepler, who were na- tives, respectively, of Germany and Ireland. They came to America when young, and were married in Kentucky. Later in life they came to Ohio and located on the Miami River, near Dayton, in an early day, where the grandfather engaged exten- sively in farming, owning some eight hundred acres of land. He subsequently removed with his family to Butler County, where he continued agri- cultural pursuits, and also operated a grist and saw mill. Moving to Dayton in the latter part of his life, he lived retired until his demise. He was a Democrat, and served through the War of 1812. His family numbered four sons and three daughters. The maternal grandparents of our subject, Andrew and Sarah Clemmer, were natives of Pennsylvania. The former was a wealthy farmer, and the propri-
etor of over a thousand acres of land near Dayton, where he had settled in an early day, entering his land, which was mostly timber, from the Govern- ment. He was a Justice of the Peace, and was known far and near as "Squire Clemmer." Ile was a soldier in the War of 1812, and a Whig in politics.
The subject of this biography passed his youth on a farm and laid a solid foundation for his edu- cation in the local schools, which he attended until he was sixteen years old. At that age, he sus- pended his studies to teach school, and was thus engaged eight years. He then attended the Leb- anon High School two years, and was graduated therefrom with high honors. Resuming the pro- fession of teaching after his graduation, he devoted his spare time to studying medicine, and for five years applied himself diligently to his books, so that when he entered the Eclectic Medical College at Cincinnati he was already well grounded in the principles of medicine, and made rapid progress in his college studies. He was graduated from that institution in 1882, with third honors, in a class of one hundred and twenty-six, and at once opened an office at London, where he has been stationed ever since. By his frank and unaffected man- ner, Dr. Kepler soon gained favor with the people, and in due time his practical demon- stration of skill in administering to various dis- eases, and his evident knowledge of medicine in all its branches, secured him their patronage, and he now has not only numerous patients in the village, but his practice in the country for many miles around is extensive. Notwithstanding the de- mands of his profession, to which he is devoted heart and soul, the Doctor is not an unfamiliar figure in public life. Ile was one of the Village Couneil in 1886 and 1887, and is now a member of the Board of Health. In politics, he gives his allegiance to the Democratic party. Socially, he is an Odd Fellow and a Knight of Pythias. He is prominent in the councils of various medical or- ganizations, belonging to the Ohio State Eclectic Medical Society, and to the Ohio Central Eclectic Medical Society, of which he was President in 1888.
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