USA > Ohio > Knox County > The Biographical record of Knox County, Ohio : to which is added an elaborate compendium of national biography > Part 23
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Mr. Jones was married, in Holmes county, Ohio, to Miss Mira Wholf, a daugh- ter of David Wholf, of Pennsylvania, and they have five children, namely: Carrie, the wife of O. Patterson, of Denison, Iowa; G. A., a prominent railroad builder and con- tractor of Mount Vernon; Mary B., at home; Fred R., who is engaged in business with his brother, G. A. Jones, business being carried on under the name of Jones Broth- ers; and Frank B., who is attending school. The family enjoy the hospitality of the best homes of the city, and their own pleasant residence is the center of a cultured society circle.
JAMES DICKSON.
Any work purporting to include the bi- ographical and genealogical data pertaining to the history of Wayne township, Knox county, Ohio, would be incomplete if it did not contain adequate mention of that ster1- ing citizen and successful farmer, James Dickson, and his antecedents and family connections.
James Dickson, son of Samuel and Eliz- abeth (Rood) Dickson, was born on the farm where he now lives in Wayne town-
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ship, April II, 1845. After obtaining an education in the public schools he gave his time wholly to farming, in which he has been proficient and successful. He joined Thrall Lodge, Free and Accepted Masons, No. 170, about 1881, and is well known in Masonic circles throughout Knox county. He is a member of the First Presbyterian church, of Fredericktown, and as such has done everything in his power to advance its spiritual and material interests. He mar- ried Miss Mary Bricker December 14, 1870, and their only child, Ray B., was born Sep- tember 14, 1879, and remains with his father on the farm. Mrs. Dickson died in July, 1898.
Samuel Dickson, father of James Dick- son, was born in the state of New York August 19, 1794. On coming to Ohio he located in Clinton township, Knox county, and later he removed to Wayne township, where he proved himself a progressive farm- er and citizen and did much to clear up and improve the country and to enhance its gen- eral prosperity. That he was a man of much innate patriotism is evidenced by the fact that when a mere youth he became a soldier under the stars and stripes and served his country admirably in the war of 1812. Elizabeth Rood, whom he married, was born January 12, 1807, a daughter of Noah and Mary (Merrick) Rood. She was a devoted member of the Presbyterian church and her life, which terminated July 1, 1875, was in every way worthy of emulation.
Noah Rood, grandfather of James Dick- son in the maternal line, came to Ohio from Redstone, Pennsylvania, at an early date, and was the father of seven children, named William, Samuel, Elizabeth, Mary, Mariah, James and Anna.
MORGAN HAYS.
One of several citizens of Clay township, Knox county, Ohio, who were especially conspicuous for their sterling worth and who have passed away during recent years was Morgan Hays, who was born May 21, 1821, and died April 22, 1900.
Morgan Hays was a native of Knox county, Ohio, and was the youngest son of James Hays, who was born in Pennsylvania and married a Miss Bell, who was also a na- tive of that state. When he was a small boy death visited his family and made him moth- erless, and he went to Coshocton county, Ohio, and for a time lived with a brother and with his sister .Elizabeth, who had be- come a Mrs. Boggs. His educational advan- tages were limited to such as were afforded by the public schools in vogue in his local- ity at the time of his youth. He was mar- ried October 16, 1849, when he was about twenty-eight years old, and located in Har- rison township, Knox county, where he lived on one farm for six years and on another farm for eleven years thereafter. He then re- . moved to Pleasant township and afterward to Clay township, where he farmed until 1889 when he retired from active life and bought the homestead in the village of Mar- tinsburg, upon which Mrs. Hays now lives. In politics he was a Democrat and as a man of influence and enterprise he was well known throughout the county.
Deborah A. (Breece) Hays, widow of Morgan Hays, was born in Virginia May 18, 1828, a daughter of Abraham and Eliza (Ward) Breece. Both of her parents died in Coshocton county, Ohio, when she was so young that she had little knowledge of their family history, the youngest child hav-
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ing been at the time of the death of her mother only three months old. They left thirteen children, of whom she was the eighth in order of birth, and they found homes with different families, she at the age of twelve years, with Mr. and Mrs. Ezekiel Boggs, with whom she lived six years. Af- ter leaving their roof she supported herself two years at Mount Vernon. She bore her late husband a son and a daughter-Leander Hays, county commissioner of Knox coun- ty, a biographical sketch of whom appears in this work, and Elizabeth, of Gambier, Ohio, who is the widow of Mark Workman. Mrs. Hays has three grandchildren, Bertha Hays, Howard Hays and Estella Workman. The last named is the wife of Lewis Horn.
Mrs. Hays, who is a member of the Dis- ciples' church, is a woman of high character and many accomplishments and her circle of acquaintances is large and extremely loyal to her. She is one of the well-to-do women of Knox county, owning a fine farm of eighty acres, which, since her husband's death she has managed with much ability.
HUGH L. GREEN.
If there is a farmer in Knox county, Ohio, who may fittingly be termed a man of public affairs it is the gentleman whose name is above and who was born on the farm on which he now lives, on section eighteen, Harrison township, April 29, 1854.
Daniel Green, father of Hugh L. Green, was born in Licking county, Ohio, and at the age of six years was brought to Harri- son township by his parents, William Green and wife. That was as long ago as 1825;
and he grew up and prospered, and died in the township in 1895, in the seventy-seventh year of his age. As a Whig he voted for William Henry Harrison in 1840 and as a Republican he cast his last vote for Will- iam Mckinley for governor of Ohio in 1893. William Green, his father, was a native of Maryland, and located in Harrison town- ship seventy-seven years ago, taking up his residence in the log house in which he ended his days.
Daniel Green married Lydia Bowman, a native of Virginia, who at the age of twelve years was brought to Knox county by her mother and stepfather, named Whitmer. She died at the age of sixty-six years. Dan- iel and Lydia (Bowman) Green were the parents of nine children, all of whom are living, the youngest being now a little more than forty years old. Hugh L. Green was the sixth of these children in order of birth. He was reared on the farm which is now his home and attended the common school in the district in which it is included. Later he was a student in the normal school at Liscomb, Marshall county, Iowa, and fin- ished his studies at Delaware, Ohio. He taught school in Harrison and adjoining townships for eighteen years, or until 1892, since which time he has given his attention to other matters. In 1880 he was appointed to a clerical position in the census depart- ment at Washington, in which he remained but a few months, and in 1890 he was made census enumerator. In 1899 he was a can- didate for a member of the Ohio state leg- islature. He is a Republican of the stanch- est type, always alert and active in political work, always devoted to the principles of the party of Lincoln, of Garfield and of Mc- Kinley, always patriotically solicitous for
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the progress and prosperity of his township, county, state and country, and is often found as a delegate to the party conventions. He is a member of Lodge No. 199, Free and Accepted Masons, of Bladensburg, and is identified with the Disciples' church in which he fills the office of deacon. He was also a member and was chairman of its finance committee in 1898 at the time of the erec- tion of the house of worship at "the grove." His home farm consists of one hundred and sixty acres and he owns another farm of fifty-three acres in Clay township.
Mr. Green was married August 21, 1888, to Miss Luella Martin, a daughter of George R. and Agnes P. (Shiply) Martin, and a native of Clinton township, Knox county. Mrs. Green was the seventh born of a fam- ily of nine children, all of whom grew to maturity excepting one, who died in infancy. She has borne her husband three children, named Helen Lee, Ruth Elda and Ronald Martin.
The family of Green, of which the sub- ject of this sketch is a representative, is of Welsh descent and for many generations has been prominent in its native land. Daniel Green, father of Hugh L. Green, was the oldest of the family of ten children. In all generations the Greens have given attention to public affairs and Mr. Green's counsel is sought on important matters of many kinds by his fellow townsmen.
GEORGE A. WELKER, M. D.
Dr. George A. Welker is a prominent physician of Ankenytown, for his careful preparation, his broad knowledge of the sci-
ence of medicine and his practical skill in applying it to the needs of suffering hu- manity, have gained him precedence in his chosen calling. He was born in Union township, Knox county, December 10, 1839, and is a representative of one of the oldest families in this portion of the state. His great-grandfather came to Knox county in 1807, bringing with him his family, but he was not long permitted to enjoy his new home as death came to him. He was of German descent. His son, David Welker, was a native of Pennsylvania, and was a young and single man when with his par- ents he came to the Buckeye state. He mar- ried Miss McMillan, who was of Irish de-
scent and their son was Paul Welker, the father of our subject, who was born in Union township, Knox county, in 1813. After arriving at mature years he was there married to Christina Ankeny, a native of Westmoreland county, Pennsylvania, whence she came to Knox county at about the age of fifteen years. She was a daugh- ter of Hon. George Ankeny, one of the hon- ored early settlers of Berlin township, in whose honor the village of Ankeny was named. By trade he was a blacksmith and there carried on business with creditable suc- cess. A man of strong character, he was recognized as a leading and influential citi- zen of the community and was prominent in politics, serving as a member of the state legislature at the time of his death. His, political support was given to the Democ- racy and his labors contributed largely to its growth and success. He passed away when about fifty-five years of age. The fam- ily from which he sprung was of Dutch line- age.
After his marriage Paul Welker began
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farming on his own account in Union town- ship and there devoted his energies to agri- cultural pursuits throughout his remaining days. For about thirty years he served as justice of the peace, proving a most capable officer and at the age of sixty-nine years he was called to his final rest. His wife long survived him and died when about eighty years of age. They were the parents of four children, of whom the Doctor is the eldest, the others being David, Sylvester and Mary B.
Dr. Welker was only four years old when he was taken to Howard township and there he was reared and educated, at- tending the district schools and also the academy in Millwood. He began the study of medicine at the age of nineteen under the direction of the firm of McMann & Camp- bell at Millwood. They directed his read- ing for two years and after attaining his majority he became a student in the medical department of the State University of Mich- igan, at Ann Arbor, continuing in that in- stitution for six months. He then began practice, which he successfully followed for twelve years, when he entered the medical department of the University of Wooster, in which he was graduated. In September, 1866, he came to Ankenytown, but for two years previously he practiced at Greersville, and for two and one-half years at Millwood. He has been established in his profession in this place for thirty-five years and is one of the oldest practicing physicians of the coun- ty. He has kept in touch with modern meth- ods of progress and has ever enjoyed a large and growing patronage. He owns a good farm of one hundred acres, which is well im- proved and his interest in agricultural pur-
suits is indicated by his membership in the Grange, of which he is treasurer.
The Doctor was married in 1863 to Miss Emma Giffin, a native of Berlin township and a daughter of Lauriston and Lucia Giffin. They now have two children: Nan- nie B., the wife of Henry B. Adams; and Harry B., who married Minnie Martin, and resides upon his father's farm.
At one time the Doctor was a member of the North Central Medical Society. He is now associated with the Masonic fraternity, belonging to the lodge in Fredericktown. He is also a member of the Christian church and is serving as one of its trustees and is active and influential in its work. Of the Demo- cratic party he is a supporter and for two terms he served as coroner of the county, while for one term he was treasurer of his township. As a citizen, friend and member of the medical profession he ranks high. His work has been of great benefit to his fellow men and his success is a merited reward of thorough equipment and conscientious ability.
JAMES M. CANNON.
James Madison Cannon a son of Zeph- aniah and Matilda (Painter) Cannon, was born in Clay township, Knox county, Ohio, May 15, 1843, and resided with his parents until nineteen years of age, when, at a call by Abraham Lincoln for troops his patri- otism became fully aroused and he enlisted in Company E, Twelfth Ohio Volunteer In- fantry, commanded by Captain Aaron Chan- nell. Captain, now General, Otis succeeded to the command after the death of Channell,
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and they were immediately sent to the front, the company forming a part of Colonel White's regiment. Mr. Cannon took part in about twenty-two battles and skirmishes, the more important ones being Antietam, Cloyd Mountain, Winchester, Cedar Creek and Lynchburg. He was with Colonel Av- ery for a year in front of Petersburg or until the surrender and evacuation of that place. He was also present at Appomattox Court House when the middle section of the Army of the Cumberland surrendered to the Army of the Potomac.
Returning home at the close of the war Mr. Cannon was married to Miss Margaret Painter, on January 1, 1867. She was born in Fallsburg township, Licking county, Ohio, and they are the parents of eleven children, namely: Melissa; William, de- ceased in infancy ; Edna Elnora; Jacob E .; Gertrude A., deceased; John Wesley ; Sadie; Callie ; Anna F .; Zephaniah M .; and Charles Albert. Politically Mr. Cannon is a Repub- lican and is highly respected by all who know him.
ANDREW BECHTEL.
Andrew Bechtel, who is now serving as township trustee in Berlin township and is there engaged in farming, is a native of Pennsylvania, his birth having occurred in Huntington county, on the 20th of Decem- ber, 1829. He is the eldest of the ten chil- dren of Peter and Elizabeth (Snowbarger) Bechtel, who were also natives of the Key- stone state, the father having been born in Huntington county, while the mother's birth occurred in Bedford county. They had six sons and four daughters. The father was
a farmer by occupation and followed that pursuit throughout his entire life. He died in the place of his nativity at the age of sev- enty-eight years, while his wife passed way at the age of eighty-six.
In Bedford county, Pennsylvania, An- drew Bechtel spent the days of his boyhood, his time being ocupied with play and work and the duties of the schoolroom. He re- mained at home until his marriage, which important event in his life occurred in 1852, Miss Elizabeth Brumbaugh becoming his wife. She was born in Bedford county and died in 1861. Of her four children, three are living-Simon, Jackson and Nancy Jane, while Mary Ann is now deceased. For his second wife Mr. Bechtel chose Elizabeth Frederick and unto them have been born four children, the living being Lewis F., Sarah E. and Minnie C. They lost one son, Isaac.
In 1853, Mr. Bechtel arrived in Berlin township, Knox county, locating in the east- ern part of the township, where he remained for twenty and a half years. He then came to his present residence and here he owns and operates one hundred and fifty-seven acres of rich land, which yields to him good harvests in return for the care and labor lie bestows upon the fields. He erected his res- idence here and has made many other sub- stantial improvements, which add both to the value and attractive appearance of the place. He follows general farming and stock raising and upon his place are seen excellent grades of stock.
In his political affiliations Mr. Bechtel has always been a Republican, never failing to cast his ballot for the men and measures of that party. His fellow townsmen, rec- ognizing his worth and ability, elected him
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township trustee in 1900 for a term of three years. He belongs to the German Baptist church, is one of its trustees and in its work is deeply interested, as is evidenced by his co-operation therein. A public-spirited cit- izen he accords his support to all measures which he believes will be for the general good and as a man and citizen he is ac- knowledged to be one of the most worthy representatives of the community.
ISAAC LYON JACKSON.
Almost an octogenarian, Isaac L. Jack- son has spent his entire life on the farm where he is now living, his birth having there occurred on the 25th of March, 1823. He has since been identified with the work of agriculture, which Washington said "is the most honorable as well as the most use- ful business to which man can devote his energies." He is of English and Scotch extraction and is descended from good old Revolutionary stock. His paternal grand- father, Benjamin Jackson, was a native of Morris county, New Jersey, and when the colonists fought for freedom he became a major in the American army and valiantly aided in the cause of independence. He was a bloomer by trade, and, living near Valley Forge at the time the American troops were there encamped, he was em- ployed in making chevaux de frise, a large pronged iron to cast in the river in order to obstruct the stream and render it unnavi- gable. He married Abigail Mitchell, who was also a native of Morris county, New Jersey, and some years after the removal of his son Ziba to Ohio he also came to
Knox county and settled in Morris town- ship.
Ziba Jackson, the father of our subject, was born in Morris county, New Jersey, February 2, 1777, and spent his boyhood and youth in his native state. He began his business career there as a farmer, and for a companion and helpmate on the journey of life he chose Miss Phoebe Lyon, who was born in Sussex county, that state, Feb- ruary 17, 1782, her parents being Abraham and Phoebe ( Kitchen) Lyon, who were also natives of Sussex county and belonged to an old family there, the ancestors coming from England at an early epoch in American his- tory. Abraham Lyon was a captain in the Revolutionary war, and his sword, now in possession of Judson Trowbridge, of Michi- gan, was sent to the family reunion recently held in this county. Both Mr. and Mrs. Lyon died in New Jersey.
Two of their children were born to Ziba and Phoebe Jackson in the state of their nativity, and with his little family he started westward in 1805. Being a poor man he had to remain in Pennsylvania for eighteen months in order to earn the funds necessary for the completion of the journey. In 1807 he again turned his face toward the setting sun, arriving in Knox county, Ohio, in the spring of that year. We of the twentieth century can scarcely realize what were the conditions of the country at that time. Nearly all of the land was still in possession of the government and was largely cov- ered with a dense growth of timber. There were marshy districts and here and there, at rare intervals, a blue line of smoke rising from amid the trees indicated that a settle- ment had been made by some brave frontier- man and the work of improvement had been
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OF KNOX COUNTY, OHIO.
begun. Mr. Jackson purchased a small place near the Salem church in Wayne township, and the first year cleared a little patch of ground and planted some corn. Steadily he continued the work of develop- ment, planted an orchard and made other improvements, but later he sold that prop- erty and removed to what is now known as the old David Ball farm, also in Wayne township. In 1814 he traded that property for the present Jackson homestead upon which our subject now resides. He there built a log cabin and in the spring of 1815 removed his family to his new home, where he resided up to the time of his death, which occurred in 1848, when he was in his seventy-second year. During the year of 1812 he served his country as first sergeant, and in the paths of peace he also performed an active work for his native land by carry- ing civilization to the frontier and aiding in reclaiming the wild land for the improve- ment of the white race. He was a Demo- crat in politics and for several years he was trustee of his township, proving a very capable officer. His wife passed away July II, 1836.
Isaac L. Jackson was one of a family of seven children born to this worthy and hon- ored pioneer couple, but only two of the number are now living, the other being Chalon, of Lynn county, Missouri, now in his eighty-seventh year. Amid the wild scenes of frontier life Isaac L. Jackson was reared, sharing with the family in the hard- ships and trials which are the inevitable lot of pioneer people, but there were certain pleasure to be enjoyed that are unknown at the present time, and thus the years were checkered with work and happiness. In the primitive schools of the time he pursued his
i education, and on the 13th of April, 1848, there occurred an important event in his life -his marriage to Miss Sarah A. Jackson, a native of Knox county and a daughter of Ephraim and Nancy Jackson, and who was formerly his pupil. They began their domestic life on a part of his father's farm, of which he had charge from his twenty- first year, receiving a share of the crops. Upon his father's death he purchased the place from the other heirs and has since made his home thereon, through all the years keeping his land under a high state of cultivation and making many improve- ments, so that the property has ever been valuable and attractive.
The home of Mr. and Mrs. Jackson was blessed with seven children, of whom five are yet living: Mary E., the deceased wife of Theodore Haines; Sarah E., the wife of William H. Gordon, of Morris township; George F., of Oklahoma; Nancy S., the wife of Dr. M. F. Cole, a practicing physician of Columbus; Albert M., de- ceased; Amanda Anna, the wife of G. M. Sipe, an attorney of Utica, Ohio; and Eva B., who married C. K. Conrad, of Mount Vernon. The mother died in 1877, and Mr. Jackson was afterward married, in Dela- ware, Ohio, in 1878, to Mrs. Sarah J. Con- verse, nee Douglass. Her death occurred in 1890, and February 16, 1892, Mr. Jack- son wedded Miss Anna Moffit, a native of Coshocton county, Ohio, and daughter of Rev. A. S. Moffit, of the Northern Ohio Conference.
Mr. Jackson has been very successful in his farming operations and is now the owner of three farms, aggregating three hundred and twenty-five acres of land. He still gives his personal supervision to the culti-
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vation of the home farm, and the rental from his place and the harvests garnered here in Morris township supply him with an excellent income which furnishes him with all the comforts of life. He is a stanch Republican, and though he has never been a politician in the sense of office seeking, lie has served for thirty years as justice of the peace and has "won golden opinions from all sorts of people" by his absolute fairness and impartiality. He has served for several terms as trustee, assessor, clerk and con- stable. These offices have been conferred upon him from time to time without his solicitation by his fellow citizens, who rec- ognize his worth and ability. He is a men- ber of the Methodist Episcopal church, in which he has for many years held office. No trust reposed in him has ever been be- trayed in the slighest degree. He has ever been found true and faithful and his life has been characterized by marked fidelity to duty. In the long years of his residence here he has become widely known and his friends are numbered among the rich and the poor, the old and the young.
HON. COLUMBUS DELANO.
True biography has a nobler purpose than mere fulsome eulogy. The historic spirit faithful to the record, the discerning judgment unmoved by prejudice and uncol- ored by enthusiasm, are as essential in giv- ing the life of the individual as in writing the history of a people. Indeed, the ingenuous- ness of the former picture is even more vital, because the individual is the national unit ; and if the unit be justly estimated the com-
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