USA > Ohio > Representative citizens of Ohio : memorial-genealogical > Part 14
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49 | Part 50
As above stated Doctor Ring was married in Baltimore on April 9, 1850, to Susan Anna Whitelock, who was a native of that city, her birth having occurred there on March 13, 1829, and there she grew to womanhood and was educated in private schools. She is a woman of fine intellectual attainments and her advice, sym- pathy and encouragement did much toward the pronounced suc- cess of her husband. Her life has been unselfishly spent. But few people retain a more beautiful nature and temperament to old age. She never lacks proper gratitude for the many blessings
139
Hamilton Ring, M.D.
of life, such as perfect health, the retention of the five senses, and trustworthy friends. She has the appearance and activity of mind and body of many women half her age. She is truly one of those rare people who grow old sweetly, like a ripening sheaf in all the golden fullness of the harvest, and she is greatly beloved by her wide circle of close friends. She is a daughter of Samuel West Whitelock and Elizabeth (Cromwell) Whitelock, the mother be- ing a descendant of the great Oliver Cromwell, one of the most striking figures in English history. Samuel West Whitelock, who was named for America's greatest artist, was a native of Mary- land, of Scotch ancestry. He was an early educator and later an artist of local note, especially in Maryland. He was very adroit in miniature portraiture on ivory. He devoted his entire life to ar- tistic pursuits and died in Baltimore at the age of fifty-two years. His widow survived him many years, dying in Baltimore in 1900, at the advanced age of eighty-two years.
Doctor and Mrs. Ring were the parents of the following chil- dren: Emma, widow of G. M. Eichelberger, now deceased, who was the dean of the lawyers of Champaign County, Ohio; his widow is still living in Urbana, and she has these children, Ger- trude M .; Susan R., George H., Frederick Benteen, Frank, and Lieut. Robert. All these children were highly educated, and are all leading professional or military lives and are prominent in the circles in which they move. Elizabeth C. Ring, the second child of our subject and wife, like the rest of the children, received an ex- cellent education in the Urbana University. She has remained unmarried. Charles Francis Ring, the third child, is a successful homeopathic physician; he studied in Europe, and he has five di- plomas and attended Pasteur Institute; he is famous for his suc- cessful research work, which has won him almost a national rep- utation; he is now located in New York City; he has remained un- married. Hamilton Ring, the next of our subject's children, died in infancy. The youngest of the family, William Frederick Ring, is now one of the best known and most popular lawyers in Urbana or this section of Ohio; he was graduated from the Cincinnati Law School. He is prominent in other circles than the law. He married Luella McGrew, and they had these children, Gertrude M., and Hamilton, the latter having lost his life while gallantly trying to save the life of a little friend, having been shocked to death by electricity.
The death of Dr. Hamilton Ring occurred at his home in Ur- bana, Ohio, on November 14, 1884, and his passing away was sin- cerely lamented all over the country.
Charles Udl. Tauck
HAT "man lives not to himself alone" is an assurance that is amply verified in all the affairs of life, but its pertinence is the more patent in those instances where persons have so employed their inherent talents, so im- proved their opportunities and so marshaled their forces as to gain prestige which finds its angle of influence ever broadening in practical beneficence and human helpfulness. He whose helpful activities are directed along legitimate and normal lines is by very virtue of that fact exerting a force which conserves human prog- ress and prosperity, and the man of capacity for business affairs of importance finds himself an involuntary steward upon whom devolve large responsibilities. To the extent that he appreciates these duties and responsibilities and proves faithful in his stew- ardship does he also contribute to the well-being of the world in which he moves. The late Charles W. Hauck, for a number of years one of the best known of the younger generation of business men of Springfield, Ohio, was essentially a man who "did things," and this accomplishment was altogether worthy in all the lines in which he directed his energies. As a man of ability, sturdy in- tegrity and usefulness, and as a citizen representative of the ut- most loyalty he merited consideration by his fellow men, and his life-record is deserving of a place in this publication, which touches those who have given to and sustained the civic and material prosperity and precedence of the State of Ohio.
Mr. Hauck was born in Springfield, Ohio, March 24, 1854, and here he was content to spend his life, believing that better oppor- tunities existed for him at home than in other fields and climes. He was a son of Louis and Anna M. (Haerr) Hauck, both natives of Germany. The father was born in Prussia and the mother was a native of Hesse-Darmstadt. They were children when they came with their respective parents to the United States, each of the families settling in Clark County, Ohio, and here the parents of our subject grew to maturity and received their educational training, and they were married in the city of Springfield, estab- lished through hard work and good management a comfortable home here, in which they spent the rest of their lives, the mother dying when in the prime of life, about the year 1875, his death oc- curring nineteen years later, in 1894, when past sixty years of age.
140
141
Charles W. Whauck
Louis Hauck was a mechanic and was very skilled, his services always being in demand. He and his wife were stanch members of the German Lutheran Church, and were known as good, honest people.
Three children were born to Louis Hauck and wife, namely: Charles W., subject of this memoir; George and Elizabeth. The two latter are married and live in Springfield. George Hauck is a hardware merchant, has a well furnished store and enjoys a good trade.
Charles W. Hauck grew to manhood in his home city and here he received a good education in the public schools. When but a boy he began learning the mechanic's trade, under his father who proved to be a splendid preceptor, consequently the lad made rapid progress and became as adroit in the use of tools as his father, in due course of time. He worked at his trade for a number of years, giving eminent satisfaction to his employers. Later Mr. Hauck went into the stove and tinware business in which he was very successful, carrying a large and carefully se- lected stock, and enjoyed an extensive trade over the city of Springfield and Clark County, and he was fast becoming one of the leading young business men of this locality when his career was cut short by the common fate of mankind, which summoned him to his eternal rest on February 18, 1900.
Mr. Hauck was a worthy member of St. John's Lutheran Church of his home city. Politically he was independent in poli- tics, being a man who loved to see the right prevail in public life as well as in business and social affairs.
Mr. Hauck was married in Springfield on May 11, 1878, to Anna E. Kolb, who was born in Springfield, Ohio, September 11, 1858, and here she was reared and educated. She is a daughter of Frederick and Margaret (Idabentz) Kolb, a highly respected fam- ily, well known among the German element here. These parents were natives of Hesse-Darmstadt, both representing old German families of good Christian people. Frederick Kolb was sixteen years old when he left his native land and came unaccompanied to the United States, locating in Springfield, Ohio, where he learned his trade of shoemaker, and becoming an expert in this he soon had a good start and in due course of time became a shoe dealer and was thus successfully engaged until his death in 1870 at the age of forty-one years, when in the prime of life. He was an energetic, honest and capable gentleman who was liked by all who knew him. He and Margaret Idabentz were married in Springfield, whither she had come with her parents from the Fa-
142
Charles T. Dauck
therland when two years old, and here she grew to womanhood and was educated. She was a daughter of Peter and Elizabeth (Alt- vater) Idabentz. Both these parents died in Springfield, each at- taining the advanced age of eighty-seven years, the father dying in January, 1878, and the mother in 1875, she being the elder, but they both died at the same age, as stated above. They were pious German Lutherans, and had spent their lives on a farm, and they had four children who grew up. Mrs. Frederick Idabentz lived until July, 1907, reaching the age of seventy-five years. She, too, was of German birth. Mrs. Hauck, to whom we are indebted for the data in this article, is the eldest of her family, of whom herself and sister, Rachael Maxwell, of Springfield, are living.
To Mr. and Mrs. Hauck the following children were born: Charles F., a hardware dealer in Springfield, married Myrl Giffen, of Sabina, Ohio, and they have a daughter, Helen G .; Mary E. is a stenographer, is unmarried and lives at home; George L., a clerk in a hardware store, married Alma Blinn, and they have a daugh- ter, Gretchen M., also a son, Elden L .; Rachael K., a young wo- man of much promise, died when eighteen years old; Eva M., a stenographer, is unmarried and lives at home; Frederick K., a chemical engineer, who is employed in a powder mill at Woodbury, New Jersey, has remained unmarried; Howard W., a tinner by trade, is living at home. The above named children all received good educational advantages in their home city and are all well liked in the circles in which they move. Mrs. Hauck and family are all members of the English Lutheran Church, and faithful in their support of the same.
John Doung Sheehy
HAT period of the nineteenth century and the latter part of the eighteenth century embracing the years between 1795 and 1830 was characterized by the immigration of the pioneer element which made the great State of Ohio largely what it is to-day. These emigrants were sturdy, he- roic, sincere and, in the main, upright people, such as constitute the strength of the commonwealth. It is scarcely probable that in the future of the world another such period can occur, or, in- deed, any period when such a solid phalanx of strong-minded men and noble, self-sacrificing women will take possession of a new country. The period to which reference is made, therefore, can- not be too much or too well written up, and the only way to do justice to such a subject is to record the lives of those who led the van of civilization and founded the institutions which to-day are the pride and boast of a great State and a strong and virile people. Among those who came to Ohio when the country was in its primi- tive wildness was the Sheehy family, one of the most prominent of the pioneers of Mahoning and adjoining counties, two of whom were Daniel Sheehy and his wife, parents of him whose name ap- pears at the head of this memoir. He was not only a leading actor in the great drama which witnessed the passing of the old and the introduction of the new conditions in this locality, but he en- joyed a reputation which extended throughout this section of the State, whose interests he ever had at heart and which he sought to promote whenever occasion offered. No less industrious and enterprising was his son, John Young Sheehy, who, though cut down in the very prime of his life, had gained an enviable reputa- tion as a man of sterling qualities of character and abilities of high order. As prominent and influential figures in the early and later history of this section of the Buckeye State they, father and son, are clearly entitled to representation in a work of the char- acter of the one at hand.
Daniel Sheehy was born in Ireland, of sturdy Catholic stock, and was there reared to manhood. He secured a good education, his studies being completed in Dublin with the intention to enter the priesthood of the Catholic Church. However, though he ever remained faithful to the teachings and practices of the mother church, he did not carry out his original intention, but instead,
143
144
John Doung Sheehy
cast his eyes westward to the new country across the sea, where so many of his countrymen had gone. Making the long, tedious journey across the Atlantic on one of the slow-going sailing ves- sels of that day, he at length landed in New York City, where he spent some time. That patriotism and love of liberty which has ever characterized the race from which he spring, prompted him to take up arms in defense of the colonists and during the dark days and sometimes uncertain struggles of the Revolutionary War the young Irishman performed his part. In 1796 Daniel Sheehy joined a party of surveyors, his education having included that science, and they proceeded west under orders to survey the West- ern Reserve. After the arrival of the party in this country Mr. Sheehy made his home in a little cabin on the banks of a little stream, and close by a good spring, the latter being still in use. Be- ing of a roving and adventurous disposition, he soon began the con- struction of a canoe, in which he made trips to Beaver, Pennsylva- nia, by way of the Yioghiogheny River. There he met Jane Mc- Clane, a young Scotch Presbyterian lassie, between whom andhim- self there sprang up a friendship which quickly ripened into love, and, after making several more trips there, he finally went for the last time, this time on horseback, and brought her back with him, seated behind him on the horse, the bride of sixteen years showing the same heroic qualities and disdain for hardships which charac- terized, in the main, the first settlers in the new country. This was not at that time a very inviting place to which to bring a young bride, for Indians and wild animals still occupied the coun- try, and it required a high order of courage to set up a home amid such conditions. Her tact, courage and sweet disposition soon made her popular among the frontier settlers and she was a gen- eral favorite. Although Daniel Sheehy and his wife were directly opposite in disposition, he being high-strung and hot-headed, while she was cool and dispassionate, yet their union proved to be a most congenial one, ruled by mutual confidence and trust that enabled them to be real helpmates during all the years of their life together.
Daniel Sheehy took up over one thousand acres of land, one of the stipulations of the contract being that he was to put out forty acres of wheat in order to get a deed for the entire tract. He began to clear the land for the purpose named and engaged a num- ber of young Irishmen from around Pittsburgh to help him. With the crude implements of those days, however, he soon saw that he would be unable to complete the required task in time, and he was in a quandary. But here his native Irish wit came to his rescue.
145
John Doung Sheehy
Reading the contract carefully, he discovered that it did not spec- ify that the land must be cleared before the wheat was sown, so he sowed the wheat on what land was cleared and the balance of the forty acres was sowed in the woods, thus covering the letter if not the spirit of the agreement. This, however, did not satisfy John Young, one of the noted characters in the early history of Ohio, and who had been sent here from the East to look after the land deeds. Young had returned to Connecticut and young Sheehy made two trips, afoot, to that State, that winter, in order to get his deed from Mr. Young. Being refused both times, he proceeded to give Mr. Young a sound thrashing, after which he set out on his return journey to his western home. On his arrival Young had him arrested and he was confined in the little log jail at Warren, where he was treated like one of the jailer's own family. In a short time friends came to bring him home, but he refused, saying that he intended to pay for his offense. The old saying that people are never good friends until they have fought was exemplified in this case, for Mr. Young not only now gave Daniel Sheehy a deed for a tract of land (not the original thousand-acre tract, but three hun- dred acres), but later often accepted the hospitality of the Sheehy home. On one occasion, shortly after the birth of the second child in the Sheehy family, Mr. Young inquired of the mother what the baby was to be named. "I have decided on a great name," she replied, "he is to be called John Young Sheehy." Mr. Young, greatly pleased, then said, "That being the case, we must give him a good start," and he turned over the deeds to two lots for his namesake. These two lots have since become valuable land, one being now occupied by the wholesale house of John Fitch and the other by the Lucretia Baldwin Memorial Kindergarten. To the last named institution one of Daniel Sheehy's sons, a bachelor, left a large sum of money at his death, for the benefit of "the poor children of the city." After his death it was decided to appropri- ate the money to the use of the kindergarten, which thus received the annual interest on thirty thousand dollars. The original deed for the three hundred acres from John Young to Daniel Sheehy is now the prized possession of the latter's granddaughter, Mrs. Ellen S. Wilson, who is the owner of the Sheehy land, which origi- nally cost about fifty cents an acre. It is now included among the most valuable and desirable tracts of real estate in Youngstown.
After getting his land cleared and in cultivation, Daniel Shechy erected a larger and better log house, and here the priests of the Catholic Church, coming through on horseback from Pitts- burgh to minister to the spiritual need of the people, were enter-
146
John Doung Sheehy
tained, and it was on this farm that the first mass was said in the Western Reserve. Daniel Sheehy was probably the best educated man in his part of the country and his advice was frequently sought by his neighbors, and was always cheerfully given. In physique, he was large and powerful, just such a man as was needed in those troublous days, and his heart was as large as his frame. He made many friends, and some enemies, but, like all truly great men, he was always ready to forget past differences, and he stood always ready to lend a helping hand to all who needed assistance. He died on his home farm, at the age of seventy-five years, being survived several years by his wife, who died at about the same age. They became the parents of nine children, some of whom became Catholics in religion, others becoming Protes- tants, but all lived in perfect harmony. They were named as fol- lows: Robert, Catherine (Mrs. Campbell), Mary (Mrs. Woods), John Young, Margaret (Mrs. McCallister), Daniel, James, McClain, and Jane, (Mrs. Lett). All are now deceased.
John Young Sheehy, who was a lifelong resident of Mahoning County, Ohio, was born on his father's farm on September 17, 1805, He was reared under the parental roof and his early years, as soon as old enough, were devoted to farm labor. Eventually he came into possession of a part of the home farm, having inherited some of it and buying out the interests of some of the other heirs. He also bought what is now known as Kennedy Springs, having been sold to the Kennedys after his death. Like his father, he was a great walker and at one time made the trip afoot to Indiana, which was then thought of as the Far West, where he bought some land. Sometime after his death, his widow realized from the sale of this land. In young manhood John Y. Sheehy took up the vocation of a blacksmith and later in life had a large and well equipped shop on his farm, in which was done blacksmithing, wagonmaking, etc., on a large scale for those days. He was a genius for making money and had he lived longer would un- doubtedly have reached a position of importance in the business and financial world. However, his untimely death occurred at the early age of thirty-nine years, being cut off in the prime of his life.
Politically, John Sheehy was a Whig and was an active and influential worker in the interest of his party. In religion he was a Protestant. He inherited much of his father's shrewdness and strong personality, but lacked his hot-headedness and impulsive- ness, being popular with all who knew him, to whom the news of his death came as a profound shock.
147
John Doung Sheehy
John Young Sheehy married Anna Kimmel, who was born in this locality on November 15, 1809, and who had been his play- mate in their early school days. Her early home was where is now located the great plant of the Youngstown Sheet and Tube Company. She was a daughter of Isaac and Anna Kimmel, early settlers of Mahoning County, the father having been a native of Switzerland and the mother of Amsterdam, Holland. To John Y. and Anna Sheehy were born the following children: Robert, de- ceased, who was a veteran of the Civil war; Ellen, the widow of George Wilson; Lois, the widow of James Ross; Anna, the widow of Thomas Lewis; Daniel J., of Youngstown, who was a soldier in the Civil war. At the age of eighteen years, he enlisted for the three-months' service, and at the expiration of his first period, he re-enlisted and served faithfully to the end of the war. He was wounded and was cared for by Mr. and Mrs. George Wilson, who were located in the South during the war.
After the death of John Young Sheehy, his widow married Joseph Kennedy, who died a short time afterwards. Her third husband was Alexander Truesdale, whom shemarried twenty years after the death of Mr. Kennedy. Thus, though three times mar- ried, she was a widow the greater part of her life, having survived her third husband a number of years. Her death occurred in 1891 at the age of eighty-two years. She was a woman of exceptional character, being a faithful wife, a loving mother and a kind neigh- bor, so that she was beloved by all who knew her. Truesdale Ave- nue, which was constructed through the old Sheehy farmstead, was named in her honor.
Elmore dalillard Ross
T IS the progressive, wide-awake men of affairs who make the real history of a community, state or nation, and their influence as a potential factor of the body pol- itic is difficult to estimate. The examples men furnish of patient purpose and steadfast integrity strongly illustrate what is in the power of each to accomplish, and there is always a full measure of satisfaction in advertising even in a casual manner to their achievements in advancing the interests of their fellow men and in giving strength and solidity to the institutions which tell so much for the prosperity of the community. In every life of honor and usefulness there is no dearth of incident, and yet in summing up the career of any man the biographer need touch only those salient points which give the keynote to his character. Thus in setting forth in these paragraphs the leading characteris- tics of the noted Ross family, and especially of the late Elmore Wil- lard Ross, for a number of years a leading manufacturer and pro- gressive citizen of Springfield, Ohio, sufficient will be said to show that his family has been from the early history of the United States to the present day, one deserving of the highest commenda- tion and esteem, for they have been leaders in the communities honored by their residence, not only in the material affairs of life, but in all avenues of human endeavor, doing much for the general development of the country in every way, and herein will also be shown that the immediate subject of this memoir was a man after whom the youth might do well to pattern his future career, for he was known for possessing the qualities that win and at the same time that make the world better, he having been of that type who, while laboring for their own advancement, do not fail to do their full duty as citizens. Such a life as his is an inspiration to others who are less courageous and more prone to give up the fight when obstacles thwart their way, or their ideals have been reached or definite success has been obtained in any chosen field. In the brief history of Mr. Ross are found evidences of characteristics that always make for achievement-persistency coupled with for- titude and lofty traits-and as the result of such a life he was long one of the best known, most popular and successful men in the city of Springfield, and we are glad to give his name a conspicuous position in this work.
148
149
Elmore Willard Ross
In tracing the genealogy of the Ross family we first hear of Zebulon Ross, a native of Scotland, who emigrated to Amer- ica in the early part of the eighteenth century, and settled at South Dover, New York, where he continued to reside, becoming very prosperous, owning quite an extensive tract of land, and was one of the largest farmers of his day in that country. The sub- stantial house he built in 1756 is still standing and is in use. He was well known and influential in the affairs of Dutchess County. He married Elizabeth Marsh. He spent the rest of his life in that locality and was buried in the southeastern part of the town of Dover, near Friends' Meeting House. All his seven children, named as follows, were born in that town: Artemus, who went to Canada where he went into the business of rafting lumber and was drowned; Zebulon, who lived and died in Cayuga County, New York, married Phebe Briggs, who was born in 1747, and they had five children, John, Archibald, William, Polly and Elizabeth all born in the town of Dover. John, the eldest, born in 1770, mar- ried Sally Hurd, of Dover, and died in Cayuga County in 1830. Archibald (the next in direct descent from Zebulon, Sr., and Zeb- ulon, Jr., from which has descended the subject of this sketch) was born in 1773, married Catherine Hugabone, of Dover, and died in Auburn, Cayuga County, New York, in 1830; Polly, born in 1774, lived in Dutchess county, and died in 1842; William married Elizabeth Thomas, in Dover, and died in the town of Mentz, Dutch- ess County, in 1840, his wife dying in Oakland County, Michigan; Elizabeth Ross, born in 1785, married Abijah Preston in 1806, lived in Dover, had four children, and died December 28, 1881.
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.