USA > Ohio > Knox County > The Biographical record of Knox County, Ohio : to which is added an elaborate compendium of national biography > Part 30
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In November, 1873, the Doctor was united in marriage to Miss Mary A. Thomp- son, a native of Morrow county, Ohio, and a daughter of John Thompson of that coun- ty, who removed to Mount Liberty during her early girlhood. By her marriage she has
become the mother of one daughter, Olive, who is now a student in Otterbein Univer- sity, where she is devoting special attention to music. Fraternally the Doctor is a Mason and in the line of his profession is connected with the Ohio Medical Association. He be- longs to the Metliodist Episcopal church and in his political views is an earnest and zeal- ous Republican. He belongs to the school board and the cause of education finds in him a warm friend. As a citizen he is ever loyal to the best interests of county, state and nation, and at the time of the Civil war he manifested his patriotic spirit by enlist- ing, on the Ist of September, 1862, as a member of Company F, One Hundred and Twenty-first Ohio Volunteer Infantry, with which he served until the close of hostilities, being promoted from the ranks to the office of sergeant major. He took part in a num- ber of battles, went with Sherman on the march to the sea, and also participated in the grand review in Washington, the most celebrated military pageant ever seen in the Western Hemisphere. He was only away from his company thirty days in three years. Always found at his post of duty, he faith- fully defended the cause he espoused and was a valiant soldier. The same fidelity has characterized him through life and has been one secret of his success as a member of the medical profession.
CLAYTON H. BISHOP.
Among the most enterprising and in- fluential citizens of Centerburg and Knox county is Clayton H. Bishop, the present effi- cient postmaster and insurance and loan
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agent. Starting out upon his business career without capital, he has steadily and persist- ently overcome all difficulties and advanced to a prominent position in commercial circles. He has a wide acquaintance in the county, for he is one of her native sons, his birth having occurred in Milford township, on the IIth of June, 1860. His father, Allen Bishop, was born in the same township and is a farmer by occupation. There he yet makes his home-one of the highly respect- ed citizens of that community. His wife, who bore the maiden name of Nettie Way- land, was born in South Bloomfield town- ship, Morrow county, Ohio, and was there reared when that locality was within the borders of Knox county. By her marriage she became the mother of six sons of whom Clayton H. Bishop is the eldest.
On the family homestead in Milford township the subject of this review spent his boyhood days and the work of the farm early became familiar to him through the channels of practical experience. He at- tended the district schools and continued his education in Mount Liberty. When twenty- one years of age he started out in life for himself without capital and chose as the field of his labors the insurance business, with which he has since been connected. In 1884, when twenty-four years of age, he opened an office on his own account and purchased the agency of Critchfield & Ashley. He has long been well established in this line of work and is now representing the Ohio Farmers' Insurance Company, the Royal of New York, the Underwriters, the Franklin of Columbus, the National, the Hartford of Hartford, the Milwaukee Mechanics', the German of Freeport, Fire Association of Philadelphia, the Philadelphia Underwrit-
ers' Insurance Company of North America and many other reliable companies. He an- nually writes a large amount of business and he has three employes in his office.
Mr. Bishop is a man of excellent busi- ness ability and executive force and his sound judgment has proven a valuable fac- tor in the successful control of other import- ant enterprises. He is secretary of the Cen- terburg Building & Loan Association, is one of the stockholders and directors in the Cen- terburg Bank, and has a farm of three hun- dred and fifty acres in Milford township, in- cluding the old family homestead, to which he has added until it has reached its present extensive proportions. This property yields to him a good income. Added to the man- agement of his other interests he is now capably and acceptably serving as postmaster to which position he was appointed by Presi- dent Mckinley in June, 1897, and on the expiration of his first term, in June, 1901, he was again appointed, so that his incumb- ency will continue until 1905. In his ad- ministration of the affairs of the office he is prompt and notably reliable and has there- fore won the unqualified support of the public.
A free delivery was started from this office in December, 1900, and since Febru- ary I, 1902, three others have been establish- ed, the four routes now serving all the sur- rounding territory. One office, that of Lock, has been closed.
On the 14th of January, 1882, oc- curred the marriage of Mr. Bishop and Miss Lizzie Bennington, a native of Pennsylva- nia, in which state she was reared and edu- cated. Prior to her marriage she was a successful teacher in the public schools of Centerburg. Mr. and Mrs. Bishop now
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have two sons, Ray B. and Guy C., both at home. He is a stanch Republican in his political affiliations and warmly endorses the principles of the party. Socially he is con- nected with the Masonic and Knights of Pythias fraternities and religiously with the Methodist Episcopal church, in which he is now serving as trustee. The qualities of an upright manhood are his, and though his life history contains no startling or exciting chapters there is much in his career that is worthy of emulation, notably his fidelity to duty and the determination and energy with which he has advanced in business.
H. H. ROBERTSON.
One of the boys in blue of the Civil war, and at all times a loyal citizen, true to the in- terests of county, state and nation, H. H. Robertson is numbered among the represen- tative business men of Mount Liberty. He was born in Washington county, New York, on the 4th of September, 1840, and is a brother of Dr. A. P. Robertson, whose sketch, containing the family history, will be found on another page of this volume. Our subject is the third child in order of birth in his parents' family, and his twin brother, John T., is now a resident of Hilliar town- ship, Knox county.
When only about four years of age the subject of this review accompanied the fam- ily on its removal to Knox county, Ohio, and he was reared in Mount Liberty and Center- burg, also spending about fourteen years on a farm in Hilliar township. During his youth he attended the district schools of his neighborhood, and- completed his education
in the high school of Mount Vernon. When the Civil war was inaugurated he went to the front as a defender of the Union cause, enlisting on the 5th of June, 1861, in Com- pany B, Fourth Ohio Volunteer Infantry. During his army career he participated in twenty-seven battles, among them being those of Winchester, Chancellorsville and Gettysburg, and although he took part in many hard-fought engagements during the contest he was never wounded, but for three months, on account of disability, he was con- fined in a hospital. After a faithful service of three years and fifteen days he was hon- orably discharged, returning to his home with a most creditable military record. After the close of his army experience Mr. Robert- son was engaged in farming near Mount Liberty for the following three years, but on the expiration of that period he abandoned the tilling of the soil to embark in mercantile life, opening a general store at Mount Lib- erty, and he is now the oldest merchant in years of continuous service in the village. He first began business here in a small way, but as time has passed by, success has re- warded his efforts and he is now the propri- etor of a large and well stocked store. His success is largely due to his capable manage- ment, splendid executive ability, untiring efforts and firm purpose, and his reputation in commercial circles is above question.
The marriage of Mr. Robertson was cele- brated in 1866, when Miss C. Scarborough became his wife. She is a native daughter of Knox county, her parents, James and Eliza (Breckenridge) Scarborough, having been among the early pioneers of this local- ity. locating in Liberty township as early as 1838. Three children have been born unto this union: Josephine, William N. and Ar-
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thur E., the latter attending school at Mount Vernon. The daughter is a graduate of music at the Boston Musical Conservatory, and her husband, the Rev. A. E. Winter, is a minister in the Methodist Episcopal church at Sandusky, Ohio. Rev. William N. Rob- ertson is a graduate of the Ohio Western University, and is also a minister of the Methodist Episcopal church, being now lo- cated at Wakeman, Huron county, Ohio. He married Miss Daisy Mclellan. Mr. Rob- ertson, of this review, is a stanch Republi- can in his political views, and socially he is a member of the Grand Army of the Republic and the Knights of Honor. His religious views are in harmony with the Methodist Episcopal church, in which he has long held membership, and for many years has served as a steward therein. His friends have the highest appreciation of his many excellent qualities, and all esteem him for a life over which there falls no shadow of wrong or suspicion of evil.
BENJAMIN DURBIN.
Benjamin Durbin, who is now living re- tired at his pleasant home in Danville, en- joying the fruits of his former toil, was born in Belmont county, Ohio, on the 8th of May, 1828, a son of Baptist and a grandson of John Durbin, both natives of Maryland. In early life the latter was employed as a dis- tiller, but he was a weaver by trade and fol- lowed that occupation after coming to Ohio. His death occurred in Howard township when he had reached the eighty-second mile- stone on the journey of life. He was of Ger- man descent. His son and the father of our
subject left his native state when a young man and removed to Belmont county, Ohio, where he was engaged in farming until 1832, the year of his arrival in Knox county. Lo- cating in Howard township, he there carried on agricultural pursuits during the remaind- er of his life, passing to the home beyond when he had reached the age of seventy-four years. In Belmont county, Ohio, he was united in marriage to Catherine King, a na- tive of that county, and she passed away in death at the comparatively early age of forty- four years. Her father, John King, came to this country from Ireland, his native land. Unto this union fourteen children were born, eleven of whom grew to years of maturity. After the death of the mother of these chil- dren the father was again married, but there were no children by the second union.
Benjamin Durbin, the second of his par- ents' fourteen children, was but three years of age when he was brought to Knox county, Ohio, and his education was obtained in the district schools of Howard township. Re- maining with his father until his twenty-first year, he then, in 1850, went to Wyandot county, Ohio, where he remained for the fol- lowing three years, on the expiration of which period he again went to Howard township. From that time until his mar- riage he remained with his father on the old homestead, and about 1863 he came to Union township, purchasing and locating on the farm which he still owns. His home place consists of two hundred and forty acres of excellent land, all of which is under a fine state of cultivation, and everything about the place bears evidence of a progressive and thrifty owner. Success has abundantly re- warded the well directed efforts of Mr. Dur- bin, securing for him an excellent compe-
15
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tence, and in 1898 he was able to put aside the active duties of a business life and spend the remainder of his days in quiet retirement, removing to Danville.
Mr. Durbin has been twice married. In 1857 he wedded Margaret McNaman, and they had the following children, name- ly: William B., deceased; Alice, de- ceased; Clement, a prominent farmer of Union township; Salora, the wife of Albert Loysdon, of Wyandot county, Ohio; Mary J., wife of Thomas Dur- bin, of Howard township; and Bertha, wife of William Grassbaugh, who resides on a farm belonging to our subject in Union township. For his second wife Mr. Durbin chose Elizabeth Porter, the widow of Francis McNamara. He cast his first presidential vote for Scott, and his ballot was afterward cast in favor of Whig and Republican can- didates until he supported Buchanan in 1856, and he also voted for Bryan at both elec- tions. For six years he served as trustee of Union township. Religiously he is a mem- ber of St. Luke's Catholic church, and has assisted in the erection of its three houses of worship in this township, the last one having been erected in 1895.
JACOB H. DELONG.
Jacob H. Delong is numbered among the native sons of Knox county, his birth having occurred in Jefferson township, August 21, 1839, and since he has arrived at years of maturity he has been an important factor in agricultural circles. As a progressive citi- zen he has aided in the work of development and improvement in the county and well
does he deserve representation among the leading farmers here. His father, John De- long, was also a farmer by occupation and entered land from the government in Jeffer- son township. The latter's father was a sailor, but John Delong always devoted his energies to the work of tilling the soil, and upon the original homestead in this county he passed away at the age of forty-five years. His wife bore the maiden name of Mary Ann Schultz and was born in Union town- ship, Knox county, her parents being hon- ored pioneers of this locality, whither they came from Pennsylvania. Unto Mr. and Mrs. Delong were born ten children, all na- tives of Knox county. One of the number is B. F. Delong, a twin brother of our sub- ject and now a resident of Butler township, Knox county. One brother, Louis, enlisted in the Union army and died in the service of his country. The daughters of the fam- ily were Martha, the wife of M. Simpson, of Jefferson township; Elizabeth, the wife of George Stockman, of Shelby, Ohio; and Rose, who married Felty Derr, of Ashland county.
On the old family homestead, J. H. De- long was reared, and in his early youth he pursued his education in a log school house of the neighborhood. Very early in life he started out on his own account, working by the month or day as a farm hand in the district in which his parents resided. When he had attained to man's estate he chose as a companion and helpmate for the journey of life Miss Louisa Horn, the wedding being celebrated in Jefferson township January 15, 1863. She was born in this township, a daughter of Abram and Rebecca (Staats) Horn, who were early settlers of Knox county. Their union has been blessed with
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five children, three sons and two daughters, namely : Benjamin F., who married Edith Pinkley and resides in Brinkhaven; Eldora, the wife of Porter Matthews, of Brown township; Rebecca, the wife of Emmerson Kunkel, also of Brown township; Abram J., who married Della Yarger, and is a farmer of Brown township; and Eldon Roy, at home. Mr. and Mrs. Delong began their domestic life upon a rented farm in Jeffer- son township, there residing for about fif- teen years, at the expiration of which period Mr. Delong purchased the farm which is now their home and to the cultivation of which he has since devoted his time with excellent results. He owns one hundred and twenty-nine acres in this tract, fifty acres adjoining the home place and one hundred and forty acres in Jefferson township, so that his landed possessions aggregate three hundred and sixteen acres. For about thirty years he was also engaged in the shipping business, buying and selling stock in con- nection with farming. He is well known throughout the county as a reliable business man, and well has he earned the title of a self-made man, for his prosperity is the out- come of his own earnest and honorable ef- forts. His political allegiance is given the Democracy and he is a member of the Meth- odist Episcopal church of Jelloway, in which he has taken an active part in its work and upbuilding, and is a member of its board of trustees. In 1861 he manifested his loyalty to the government by enlisting in the Sixty-fifth Ohio Regiment, with which he went to Columbus, but there he was rejected on account of physical disa- bility. At home, however, he did all in his power to advance the Union cause and the same determined spirit has ever marked the
discharge of his duties of citizenship. Hav- ing spent his entire life in Knox county his fellow citizens are familiar with his record, which at all times has been worthy of com- mendation and those who have known him from boyhood are among his stanchest friends.
DAVID T. BEST.
The celebrated English historian has said: "A people that take no pride in the noble achievements of remote ancestors will never achieve anything worthy to be remem- bered with pride by remote generations." A published family history, however, is proof that those who bear the name of Best are interested in the ancestral history as far as it is known and as through several gener- ations members of the family have resided in Knox county and have borne an important and honorable part in its development and progress it is expedient that mention be made of their work in this volume, contain- ing the records of the prominent citizens of the community from pioneer times down to the present period of modern achievement. David Best has for six decades resided in Knox county. He was born in New Jersey, January 5, 1832, and is the sixth of the eleven children, nine sons and two daugh- ters of Peter and Mary (Trimmer) Best.
It is believed that the Best family is of Scotch lineage, but when it was founded in America is not known. There is only a traditional history back of the grandparents of our subject, for in the midst of busy lives the ancestors did not pause to think that their work and records would some day be valued by their posterity. John Best, the
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grandfather, was born in New Jersey, June 15, 1759, and his brothers were James, Will- iam, Cornelius and Michael, and a half- brother, Daniel. John Best wedded Mary Haas, who was born May 10, 1767, and was of a Holland Dutch family, but her an- cestral history is even more obscure than that of the Best family. The marriage, which occurred November 2, 1784, was blessed with the following children: Mary, who was born June 6, 1788, and became Mrs. Rush; John, born April 3, 1791; James, born April 23, 1794; Peter, born May 13, 1797; William, born March 27, 1800; Mrs. Eleanor Bond, born Decem- ber 7, 1802 ; and Jacob, born April 11, 1804. The children became widely scattered as they married and left home. The parents both died in Pennsylvania, the mother April 24, 1822, the father in April, 1839, when he was laid by her side in the Chillisauqua graveyard in Northumberland county, Penn- sylvania.
Peter Best, the father of our subject, though born in New Jersey, was reared just across the Delaware river in Northumber- land county, Pennsylvania. At German Valley, in the former state, however, he was married, January 2, 1823, to Mary Trim- mer, who made for him a happy home and was a loving and devoted mother to their children. She was born June 5, 1802, the eldest daughter of John and Elizabeth ( Lan- terman) Trimmer, who were married in New Jersey, September 12, 1801. The father was of German descent, born in 1781, and the mother's birth occurred March 12, 1779. Leaving their two married daughters in the east they removed with their younger children to McLean county, Illinois, and there secured from the government a home-
stead, but the father was not long permitted to enjoy his new home, his death there oc- curring October 3, 1826. In that frontier region the mother then reared her children in a manner that made her memory revered and honored by them. She died April 7, 1847
Peter Best and his wife began their do- mestic life on a rented farm near Hacketts- town, New Jersey, the young husband sturdily tilling the soil through the first year with the aid of only one horse, but the little home was blessed by the presence of a son, their first born. They afterward returned to German Valley and during. their eight years' residence there four more children were added to the household and still four others were born in New Germantown, that state. The following is the record of their family: John, born October 3, 1823; Will- iam, June 9, 1825; Jesse, January 7, 1827; Jacob, January 14, 1829; Mary E., October 25, 1830; David T., January 5, 1832 ; Lydia E., May 20, 1834; Ananias, July 10, 1836; Peter, September 5, 1838; James, October 25, 1840; and Sylvester, January 30, 1843. The last two were born in Ohio. Of this number Peter died at the age of fourteen and William died September 12, 1877., It was in the fall of 1839 that Peter Best with his wife and children started westward in the manner of "movers" of that period and on the 3d of October crossed the Ohio river into this state, making their way to Gambier where lived David Trimmer, an uncle of Mrs. Best. The mother and children re- mained at his home while the father sought a favorable location. He finally purchased one hundred acres of land near Centerburg, in Hilfiar township, afterward known as the Best homestead. The family moved into a
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OF KNOX COUNTY, OHIO.
log cabin, which, about 1846, was replaced by a more commodious and comfortable frame residence. Peter Best, with the aid of his sons, performed the arduous task of clearing the land for the plow and cultivat- ing the first crops, but in course of time the farm returned to him a good living. His wife aided in the establishment of the home by her neat and frugal management of the household and the years were thus passed; but as there were no railroads and as it was almost an impossibility to hold any commun- ication with people in other parts of the county, this immediate family lost all trace of their relatives, as did the latter of them, and it was not until many years afterward, through the genealogical research of Dr. Robert B. Rush, that the separated families were once more brought in touch. In this way Jacob Best came to know of his brother Peter's whereabouts and resolved to visit him. One night he arrived in Centerburg and unannounced he walked into his broth- er's sitting room. They had not seen each other for forty years, but the recognition was mutual and instantaneous, and it may readily be imagined that the reunion was a most happy one.
The greatest grief which came to the pioneer home was in the death of the wife and mother, Mrs. Mary Best, July 22, 1856. The husband survived almost twenty years, passing away September 12, 1875. They were both earnest Christian people and brought up their children in the fear and admonition of the Lord. Their names were long on the membership rolls of the Cum- berland Presbyterian church of Centerburg, and their lives were in harmony with the teachings of the Master.
The following is a brief record of their
children, with exception of Peter, whose death has been chronicled: John Best went to Champaign county, Ohio, in 1842, and has since lived near Cable. He was married November 29, 1849, to Mary Jane Yocom, who died August 17, 1894. They had three children-Enola Jane, wife of Staton E. Middleton; Carrie Belle, wife of David Perry; and John W. P.
William) Best was married November 15, 1846, to Sophia Houk and located on a portion of the home farm, where he died September 12, 1877, his wife March 22, 1884. Their children were Ananias Trim- mer; Laura Josephine Isable, the widow of John R. Headington; Malissa Adaline; Pe- ter Leroy; and Mary Loella, the wife of William A. Palmer. All are deceased with the exception of the married daughters.
Jesse Best spent the winter of 1854-5 in Lexington, Illinois, and in the latter year re- moved to Clarksville, Iowa, but after eleven years wenut to Neosho Falls, Kansas, where he has followed farming. He was married November 30, 1856, to Mary E. Spawr and died December 20, 1901. Their children are Elizabeth Ellen, wife of William Cooke; William James; Peter Sylvester, deceased ; Lydia Olive; Jesse Jasper; Frank Leslie; and Myrtle Imogene, deceased.
Jacob Best went to Lexington, Illiniois, in the fall of 1853 and became a successful lumber merchant, but retired from business in 1891. He was married February 24, 1874, to Isabel Garrett, and they lost two children, Saidee Belle and Leonard Garrett.
Mary E. Best was married April 13, 1854, to Lemon Chadwick, and in 1868 they removed to Woodson county, Kansas, where they followed farming until about 1893, when they went to Nevada, Missouri. They
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