USA > Ohio > Knox County > The Biographical record of Knox County, Ohio : to which is added an elaborate compendium of national biography > Part 29
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EDWARD CONWAY BEGGS, D. D. S.
Dr. Edward Conway Beggs, the leading dentist of Mount Vernon, is a native son of the Buckeye state, his birth occurring in Gal- lia county. His father, George W. Beggs, also a native of that county, was promi- nently engaged in the newspaper business in Gallipolis, Ohio, and in Charleston, West Virginia. He was an active worker in the ranks of the Republican party, and during the Civil war he served as a member of the Thirty-sixth Ohio Regiment, in which he rendered efficient service to the Union army. His father, James Beggs, was one of the early pioneers of Gallia county, Ohio, re-
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moving to that place from York, Pennsyl- vania. The mother of our subject bore the maiden name of Taphena McMillen and was a native of Gallia county, her father, Ed T. McMillen, also claiming that county as the place of his nativity. He served as the first sheriff of the county and also held the office of justice of the peace. The McMillens or- iginally came from Pennsylvania, and the maternal grandmother of our subject, Laura Holcomb, was a member of one of the lead- ing eastern families of Gallia county. The great-grandfather of our subject, General Ansel T. Holcomb, was a paymaster in the Revolutionary war, and was one of the early abolitionists of Gallia county, Ohio. Our subject now has three brothers, namely : Frank Leslie, a chemist of Newark, Ohio; Charles T., a prominent salesman of Pitts- burg, Pennsylvania, and W. J., who is en- gaged in the insurance business in Colum- bus, Ohio, in company with Hon. William Hahn, of Mansfield, and Colonel Fletcher, of Columbus, Ohio.
Dr. Beggs, the immediate subject of this review, received his professional training in the Ohio College of Dental Surgery, at Cin- cinnati. In 1891 he took up his abode in Co- lumbus, Ohio, where he was engaged in practice for three years, on the expiration of which period he came to Mount Vernon, where he has built up a large and lucrative patronage, his patrons coming to him from all parts of the state. As a companion on the journey of life he chose Miss Martha Niewvahner, of Jackson county, Ohio, and a daughter of H. Niewvahner, who came to this country from Germany. One child has blessed this union, Mary Taphena. Dr. Beggs is a prominent and active member of the Presbyterian church, and in his social
relations he is a member of nearly all the bodies of the Masonic order, of the Knights of Pythias and of the Maccabees. He is now serving as recorder of the Knights of Pythias fraternity. The Doctor occupies a high position in the ranks of the dental fra- ternity, and is also recognized as one of the leading and influential citizens of Knox county.
WILLIAM L. BOTTENFIELD.
The subject of this review is a well- known farmer of Milford township, Knox county, Ohio, whose skill and ability in his chosen calling are plainly manifest in the well tilled fields and neat and thrifty appear- ance of his place. He was born in Greene county, Pennsylvania, on the 2d of May, 1839. His grandfather, John Bottenfield, was a native of the Old Dominion, of Ger- man descent. He subsequently left the state of his nativity and removed to Pennsylvania, and in Greene county, that state, his son, John Bottenfield, Jr., the father of our sub- ject, was born. In October, 1839, the latter came to Knox county, Ohio, locating in Mil- ford township, where he passed away in death in his seventy-third year. He was a farmer and cooper by trade, and was a Dem- ocrat in his political views, having on its ticket been elected to many positions of trust and responsibility. For his wife he chose Mary Woodruff, a native also of New Jersey, and she, too, was reared and educated in Greene county, Pennsylvania. Her death occurred when she had reached the seventy- fourth milestone on the journey of life. Her father, Abial Woodruff, of English ancestry, claimed New Jersey as the state of his nativ-
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ity, living near Newark, but in an early day he located near Zollarsville, Greene county, Pennsylvania.
William L. Bottenfield, the youngest of ten children in his parents' family, was but six months old when he was brought by his parents to Knox county, and the educational advantages which he enjoyed in his youth were those afforded by the district schools of Milford township. During his early years he assisted his father with the labors of the farnı, and he continued to care for his par- ents during their declining years. After his marriage he purchased and removed to the farm which he yet owns, consisting of one hundred and fifty acres of rich and excellent land, and there he is successfully engaged in farming and stock-raising. In addition to this valuable homestead he also owns resi- dence property in Newark, Ohio.
September II, 1872, in Milford town- ship, occurred the marriage of Mr. Botten- field and Miss Clamana L. Stevens, a native of this township, and a daughter of John and Emeline ( Terrell) Stevens. Her father came from Vermont to the Buckeye state, after his marriage, locating in Milford town -. ship. The mother was born in Milford township, her parents being Curtis and Phebe (Knowles) Terrell, who in 1816, came from Milford, Connecticut, and was the second family to become permanent resi- dents of this Milford township, which was named in honor of their old eastern home. Their old homestead is still owned by a sister of Mrs. Bottenfield, Linda M. Higgins. One son has blessed the marriage of our subject and wife, Lee M., who is at home, assisting in the operation of the farm. The Democ- racy receives Mr. Bottenfield's hearty sup- port and co-operation, and on its ticket in
1893 he was nominated for the position of county commissioner, and, although he re- ceived the highest number of votes of any man on the ticket, he was defeated with the entire ticket. He has held the position of treasurer of his township, and in the locality in which he has spent nearly his entire life he is honored and respected by all who have had the pleasure of his acquaintance. Active in all that advances the interest of the farm he served for years as a director and as vice- president and president of the Hartford Agricultural Society.
LEWIS BRITTON.
Lewis Britton, who for many years was one of the leading and representative agri- culturists of Howard township, Knox coun- ty, passed away in death on the 28th of Sep- tember, 1901. He was the first white child born in Millwood, his natal day being Jan- uary 29, 1828. His father, James Britton, was a native of New Jersey, but when a child was brought by his parents to Knox county and was reared in Amity. His fath- er, Samuel Britton, was also a native of New Jersey, but became one of the early pioneers of this county. He was a black- smith by trade and was said to have been a most excellent workman. The son, James, spent his youth and early manhood under the parental roof, often accompanying his father to mill, to which they were obliged to journey on horseback a distance of twen- ty-five miles. After his marriage he lo- cated at Millwood, Knox county, having erected the first house in the village. This was a hewed log structure and is still stand-
LEWIS BRITTON.
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ing, although it has been considerably trans- formed. He also became a blacksmith, fol- lowing that occupation for many years, but about 1850 he removed to Iowa, locating on a farm in Johnson county, not far from Iowa City, where he made his home until his death, at the age of eighty years. For many years he was a faithful member of the Meth- odist Episcopal church, in which he was an active worker and an officer. His political faith was exemplified by the principles of the Whig and the Republican parties.
Mr. Britton's first wife and the mother of our subject, Hannah Porter, was a na- tive of Pennsylvania, but was brought by. her parents when a child to Knox county, Ohio, where she died in 1844. Mr. Brit- ton was again married in this county, and after his removal to Iowa he was twice mar- ried, and children were born of each union with the exception of the last, there being eight to attain mature years.
Lewis Britton, the eldest, was reared to years of maturity in Millwood. the place of his nativity, receiving his mental discipline in the old log school house of the neighbor- hood. When yet a boy he began to work at the blacksmith's trade, but in his seven- teenth year opened a grocery store in Mill- wood, which he conducted for about two years. During the following year, in part- nership with Dillen Brook, he conducted the "Tavern" and was then employed in the general store of William Dillen, at Mill- wood, removing the stock for his employer to Marengo, Iowa, where he sold it to the Indians. After one year spent in that state, however, he returned to Millwood and clerked in the general store of George Shaw for a year and for four years in that of Jonathan Hammond. He then purchased
the business of Mr. Hammond and was en- gaged in its conduct for several years, a part of the time having Christian Peterman as a partner. During those years Millwood was the principal trading point in Knox county, drawing a large trade from an ex- tensive territory. Under the administration of President Buchanan the postoffice was established there and Mr. Britton was the first incumbent of the office. For some years also he was a partner with George B. Pot- win in selling goods at Mount Vernon, while the venerable John Ponting, now retired, was his associate and business partner over an extended period. Probably no man had a more extended business acquaintance in Knox and the surrounding counties than Mr. Britton, and certainly no man held more exalted ideas of business honesty and probity, his every transaction having been characterized by open frankness and can- dor. In the midst of a wide and remunera- tive commercial activity the death of his father-in-law demanded that personal at- tention be given to the operation of his es- tate, Mr. Britton yielding to the demands to the extent of removing, in 1862, to the farm in Howard township, where the remainder of his life was passed. For thirty-five years his attention was more especially given to agriculture, in which he soon became as much interested and of which he made as great a success as he had done in merchan- dising.
During all this time he was constantly being urged to accept some local office, the esteem in which he was held by all, regard- less of party affiliation, being unbounded, and he often served as trustee, treasurer or assessor, discharging all public duties with that fidelity and exactness demanded by his
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private business. While yet in his minor- ity he was defeated for coroner of the coun- ty by but a small majority, and in 1868 was the Democratic nominee for auditor, lacking but thirty-seven votes at a time when the county was considered. largely Republican. In 1876 he was chosen treasurer of the county, residing in Mount Vernon during his incumbency of that position, to the du- ties of which he brought a clear mind, thor- oughly trained through a long career of suc- cessful private business, his conduct of the office reflecting credit upon himself and bringing honor to the county. While thor- oughly imbued with the principles of the Democratic party and an influential mem- ber of the party, many of his warmest friends were found among the Republicans, who recognized in him a man of sterling character and undoubted honesty of pur- pose. While his later years were passed upon the farm, he ever kept in close touch with the public life of the county, seldom a week passing that did not see him mingling among his old friends and associates in Mount Vernon. His interest in the public welfare never flagged, he ever being an advocate of every measure intended to pro- mote the progress of the community. His 'homestead consists of one hundred and sev- enty-five acres of rich and productive iand, the well cultivated fields annually returning rich harvests, while the buildings which adorn the place are among the most desira- ble in the locality.
The marriage of Mr. Britton was cele- brated on the 12th of March, 1855, when Miss Elizabeth Critchfield became his wife. She was born on the 19th of October, 1834, a daughter of Isaac and Sarah (Barkus) . Critchfield, who were among the early pi-
oneers of Howard township, Knox county, their old homestead being the present Brit- ton farm. Here she was reared to woman- hood and here her parents lived and died, Isaac Critchfield on the 15th of March, 1862, and Sarah, January 7, 1872. They were among the highly respected citizens of Howard township, contributing in many ways to the growth and development of the county as well as to the temporal, moral and spiritual welfare of neighbors and friends. Five children were born to them, Elizabeth being the youngest. Her two brothers, Ba- sil and Nelson, are deceased, while Melinda is the wife of Vincent Miller and Mahala is the wife of Noah Boynton. The union of Mr. and Mrs. Britton was blessed with four children who reached mature years, two sons and two daughter, namely: LeGrand, at home; Samuel H. Britton, M. D., who graduated with honors at Kenyon College and is now a prominent physician of Marion, Ohio; Eva L., the wife of James M. Berry, of Howard; and Nannie Alice, the wife of Columbus D. Mccullough, identified with the commercial interests of Mount Vernon. April 17, 1897, after traveling hand in hand for more than forty years Mr. Britton was called upon to part with the companionship of her whose wholesome advice and sound judgment often proved a true support, and from that time his interest in temporal af- fairs seemed to yield to the longings for that final rest and consolation that would come when he was once more united for eternity with her whose love and devotion to him and his children had so much to do in shap- ing his own course. Typhoid fever laid its burning and devastating hand upon him, only to end in freeing the soul from its earthly body, the last hour coming on the
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28th of September, 1901, after upwards of a month's distress. On Tuesday, the Ist of October, his body was followed by a large concourse of friends and laid in the Valley church cemetery beside her whose love had sustained him in many an hour of trial. In his social relations he was a member of the Knights of Honor. In all positions which he was called upon to fill he was highly suc- cessful; as a business man he was upright, reliable and honorable ; in all places and un- der all circumstances he was loyal to truth, honor and right; and in those finer traits of character which attract and endear man to man in ties of friendship he was royally en- dowed. Few men had more devoted friends than he and none excelled him in unselfish devotion and unswerving fidelity to the worthy recipients of his confidence and friendship.
LeGrand Britton was born at Millwood August 28, 1856, and from the age of six was reared on the present home farm, re- ceiving such education as the country and village schools afforded. His marriage oc- curred August 24, 1876, when he had just passed his twentieth year, to Miss Ella Critchfield, a daughter of Harris and Sarah (McCarty) Critchfield. In 1890 Mr. Brit- ton became a partner with George W. Mc- Nabb in a general store at Howard, remov- ing after two years to Adelaide, Marion county, where for five years he conducted the only store. Suffering a serious loss by the destruction of his store and stock by fire, he returned to assume the management of the homestead for his father, and from that time his attention has been wholly cen- tered upon the requirements of such an es- tate. Like his father he early became identi- fied with political work, being elected as a
trustee when quite young, a position in which he was retained for thirteen years, re- signing only when he removed from the county. He was chosen postmaster, under Cleveland's administration, at Adelaide, where he also served as a justice of the peace, being the only Democrat placed in office in that township. In 1881 he was de- feated for infirmary director by a small ma- jority by his old teacher and life-long friend. He was chosen by the court as the Democratic member of the committee to ex- amine the annual report of the county com- missioners for 1901, and was later named for a similar place to examine the report of the county treasurer. He is generally se- lected as a delegate to the various conven- tions of his party, in the work of which he is an important factor, few men in Knox coun- ty having a wider acquaintance with public men or greater familiarity with practical politics than he. He is a member of the Knights of Pythias and the Woodmen, be- ing one of the most active local workers in the latter society. His children are: Bertha, wife of James Mitchell, of Marion, Ohio; Lewis H., a student in the Starling Medical college, Columbus, Ohio; Tamsy, a student in the Gambier schools; and Carl H., a student in the Howard high school.
Columbus Delano Mccullough was born on the old homestead known as the Colum- bus Delano farm, near Mount Vernon, on the 7th of November, 1872, and is a son of Robert and Ellen (Miller) Mccullough, who soon thereafter removed to Howard township, where he grew to maturity. At the age of seventeen years he engaged as a clerk in a general store at Howard, an oc- cupation he has since followed with the ex- ception of about five years in which he sold
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insurance and worked in a factory in Akron. For about one year he has been associated as salesman with the Stadler Clothing Com- pany, at Mount Vernon, where he is con- sidered a capable and enterprising gentle- man. He was married January 19, 1897, to Miss Nannie Alice, the youngest daugh- ter of the late Lewis Britton, and they have one child, Robert, born July 14, 1901.
THEODORE S. PITKIN. -
When the tocsin of war sounded and from the workshops, the fields and the office men flocked to the standard of the nation, the patriotic spirit of Theodore S. Pitkin was aroused and when only seventeen years of age he donned the blue as a defender of the Union. On the field of battle he dis- played valor and resolution which equalled that of veterans of more than twice his years and not until the war ended and the flag of the Union floated triumphantly over the capitol of the confederacy did he leave the army. From that time forward he has been an actice factor in business and public af- fairs in Knox county and is ever found sup- porting the cause which he believes to be right and the measures which he thinks will promote the general welfare.
Mr. Pitkin was born in Milford town- ship, Knox county, July 2, 1846, a son of the Rev. John Pitkin, who was born and reared in Vermont. The latter's father died when the son was only eight years of age and largely from that time he depended up- on his own resources. In early manhood he came to Ohio and studied for the ministry in Chillicothe, Ohio. He also attended col-
lege in Cannonsburg, Pennsylvania, and throughout his remaining days he devoted his time and talents to the Master's service as a preacher of the Presbyterian denomin- ation. In Chillicothe he married Eliza Wil- son, a native of Charleston, South Carolina. Her father, Rev. Robert Wilson, was also a Presbyterian minister and for some time president of Athens College. Rev. John Pitkin served in the war of 1812 and his country and her institutions were ever dear to him. He reached a very advanced age, dying at his ninety-ninth year, while his wife passed away in her sixty-first year. They were the parents of ten children, six sons and four daughters, and four of the sons were soldiers in the Civil war-John, Samuel, Ebenezer and Theo. S. John and Ebenezer both died in the service. The former served Company G, Twentieth Ohio and Ebenezer was a member of Company A, Ninety-sixth Ohio. Samuel served three years in the First Minnesota Volunteer In- fantry. He was wounded by a bayonet thrust at the battle of Fredericksburg, and he par- ticipated in many other important engage- ments including those of Bull Run, Antie- tam, Gettysburg and others. He is now liv- ing in Portland, Oregon. The other brothers of the family are Robert Pitkin, who was a merchant in Iowa and is now deceased; and Rev. Paul, who is a teacher of languages at Springfield, Masachusetts. The sisters were: Mrs. Elizabeth Camp and Mrs. Mary Smith, both deceased; Emily, of Mount Vernon; and Mrs. Sarah Hookway, who is also de- ceased.
Mr. Pitkin of this review is the youngest of the family. The days of his childhood and youth were passed in Milford township, where he attended the district schools.
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In 1863, he donned the blue uniform of his country and became a member of Com- any G, Twentieth Ohio Volunteer Infant- y, the same in which his brother had served und in which he continued as a private until he close of the war. He participated in he Meridian raid and the engagements of he Atlanta campaign. At Atlanta he was vounded in the right breast by a gun shot und was sent to the Marietta hospital. Later le was in the hospital at Louisville, Ken- ucky, and from there was transferred to he Covington hospital. After an absence of six months he was sent to Hilton Head, South Carolina, rejoining his regi- nent at Raleigh and participated in the Grand Review in Washington, receiving an honorable discharge at Columbus. Mr. Pit- in returned to his home in Milford town- ship, Knox county, and resumed farming. He was married November 30, 1871, to Miss Mary F. Walton, a native of Greene. county, Pennsylvania, whence she came to his county when seventeen years of age. For six years she successfully engaged in eaching, following that profession until her marriage. She has become the mother of ight children: Edith Estelle, who was a eacher in the Mount Vernon schools and while taking a drive in company with an- other teacher and pupils, was killed at Ball's Crossing on the B. & O. Railroad, as was also one of her pupils, Henry Rosenthal. Harry W., who is a graduate of Wooster College, of the class of 1900, and is now a student in the Columbia Law School in New York city; Robert W., Mary F., Walter G., Eva S., Ethel E. and Ruth E., all yet at home. Several of the children have had the advantages of the High school and Normal or College training, it being
their parents' desire to afford each such thor- ough educational advantages as will amply fit them for any responsible position.
Since his marriage Mr. Pitkin has re- sided upon his present farm in Milford township, where he owns and operates two farms of two hundred acres of rich land, which he has placed under a high state of cultivation. He also has property in Mount Vernon. He is a member of the Congrega- tional church in Lock, is serving as one of its deacons and takes an active part in its work. In politics he is a stanch Republi- can and he has been a member of Yager Post, G. A. R., of Mount Liberty, since its organization.
AMASA P. ROBERTSON, M. D.
The qualities which insure success to the representatives of the medical fraternity are possessed in large measure by Dr. Robertson, who is now a prominent physician of Mount Liberty. He was born near Cambridge, in Washington county, New York, January 3. 1843. His father, Ezra S. Robertson, was a native of the same locality, born September 6, 1809. In early life he learned the trade of carriage and wagon making, and throughout his entire life he followed those pursuits. On the Ist of October, 1835, he married Miss Sarah Pratt, who was born December II, 1812, in Washington county, New York. In 1844 they came to Knox county, locating in Mount Liberty, where they spent their re- maining days, the father passing away in 1880, while his wife, died in 1889. He was a member of the Presbyterian church, while she belonged to the Methodist Episcopal church. In his political views Ezra Robert-
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son was a stalwart Republican and at all times he was loyal in support of his honest convictions. Both he and his wife were of Scotch descent and they were people of the highest respectability, their upright lives en- titling them to the warm regard of all with whom they were associated. They were the parents of six sons and three daughters, seven of whom are now living.
The Doctor had a twin brother, Jesse, who lived to be twenty years of age. They were only a year and a half old when brought to Knox county, and in Centerburg and Mount Liberty Dr. Robertson spent his youth. He began his education in the dis- trict schools and in the high school of Mount Vernon continued his studies. He was grad- uated in the Bryan & Tomlinson Commercial College at Columbus in 1866, and soon after- ward began the study of medicine. While thus engaged he taught school in order to meet his expenses while pursuing his studies, which were directed by Dr. T. H. Van Kirk. Later he entered the Eclectic Medical Insti- tute in Cincinnati and was there graduated with the degree of M. D., with the class of 1873. He then began practice at Mount Liberty, where he has since remained, and his practice has continually grown until the multiplicity of his professional duties leaves him little leisure time. He receives the pat- ronage of many of the best families of the town and surrounding county, and his suc- cess is an indication of his skill and ability.
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