USA > Ohio > Knox County > The Biographical record of Knox County, Ohio : to which is added an elaborate compendium of national biography > Part 5
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It was upon the old family homestead that the subject of this review spent the days of his boyhood and youth, working in the fields and meadows, early becoming an ac- tive factor in the development and cultiva- tion of his father's land. His labor in this direction, however, brought to him the prac- tical experience which enabled him to carry on the business successfully when he started out upon an independent career. Like most young men who begin work for themselves he desired a home of his own and on the 30th of October, 1851, he completed his ar- rangements for one by his marriage to Miss Polly Jackson, with whom he lived for more than twenty-one years, when they were sep- arated by the hand of death, the lady being called to her final rest on the 22d of Febru- ary, 1873. On the 28th of September, 1876, Mr. Spry was again married, his second union being with Miss Wealthy Almira Os- born, who was born in Cayuga county, New York, February 16, 1831, a daughter of Isaac and Lois Osborn. At the age of eighteen she began teaching school in Craw- ford county, Ohio, and successfully followed that profession for eleven terms, her last school being in Monroe township, Knox county. By his first marriage Mr. Spry had the following named children : Henry, who is living in Fredericktown, Ohio; Na- than Albert, who follows farming in Pike township; Mary, the wife of Oakly Marion, of Morris township; and a son who died
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OF KNOX COUNTY, OHIO.
1
when only one year old, having been born the 14th of September and died the 15th of the following September.
Almost a half century ago Mr. Spry took up his abode upon his present farm, which has been his home continuously since. The place comprises one hundred and thirty-one acres of the rich land of Pike township and he has devoted his entire attention to the cultivation and improvement of his land, the years bringing to him excellent crops, and from their sale he has added each year to his income. In political views he is a Demo- crat, but has no desire for office. He be- longs to the Methodist church, and although his life has been quietly passed, unmarked by any event of exciting interest, it has ever been characterized by fidelity to duty, by honor in his relations with his fellow men and by straightforward dealings in all trade transactions.
JOHN LORA RUSH.
. No other resident of Morris township hạs for so long a period been located within its borders as John L. Rush and his active connection with the affairs of the county through many decades would render this work incomplete if the record of his life was omitted. His memory forms a connecting link between the primitive past and the . progressive present, between pioneer condi- tions and the advanced civilization of to-day. It is therefore meet that he should be men- tioned in this volume, for not alone because of the fact that he was an early settler, but also because of his sterling worth and his active connection with business and public affairs should his history form a part of this volume.
Mr. Rush was born in Morris township, October 6, 1818, and on the paternal side is of German lineage, for his grandfather came from Germany to the new world. Peter Rush, the father of our subject, was born in New Jersey, and, making his way to Knox county, he here entered one hundred and sixty acres of land from the government, which is still in possession of his descend- ants. From the government he secured a large tract of land, which was then wild and unimproved, but offered excellent possibili- ties to the man of determination and energy. Those characteristics in Mr. Rush enabled him to transform his place into a valuable farm, upon which he spent his remaining days. He wedded Clarissa Upson, whose parents were natives of Long Island and after their marriage emigrated to Knox county, where they became prosperous and well known. Mr. Rush passed away in death at the age of seventy-nine years.
On the old family homestead Mr. Rush of this review was reared amid the wild scenes of frontier life. There were no pub- lic schools at the time and he pursued his education in a subscription school, which was held in an old frame building, supplied with slab seats, while boards hung to the wall served as writing desks. The floor was also made of slabs, and one entire end of the room was taken up by an immense fireplace. Although his educational privileges were somewhat meager his training at farm labor was not limited. He aided in the arduous task of clearing and cultivating new land, and throughout his entire life he has carried on agricultural pursuits. He has never lived outside the boundaries of Morris township and is the oldest resident within its borders born in the township. He has engaged in
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A CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY
a limited extent in carpenter work and also manufactured coffins for the burial of the dead in an early day, but during the greater part of his life his energies have been de- voted to the tilling of the soil, whereby he has secured a good living.
On the 30th of September, 1841, Mr. Rush secured as a companion and helpmate for the journey of life Miss Ann Eliza Lev- eridge, a daughter of James and Anna (Douglass) Leveridge. They had two chil- dren, but one died in infancy. The surviv- ing son is Alfred, who married Emma Mer- rin, a daughter of George and Ludima (Irv- ine) Merrin, and he now operates the home farm. For many years Mr. Rush was very prominent in public affairs. He held a num- ber of township offices, including those of supervisor and trustee, and he has ever been a warm advocate of the Republican party since its organization. His public duties were ever discharged with promptness and fidelity and his upright, honorable career won for him the confidence and respect of all with whom he has been associated. With the consciousness of a life well spent and with pleasant memories of good deeds per- formed for his fellow men Mr. Rush is near- ing the end of the journey of life, but his influence on his generation cannot be calcu- lated nor his value as a pioneer be meas- ured.
WILLIAM EBERSOLE. !
In the death of William Ebersole Knox county lost one of its citizens whom it had learned to value by reason of his sterling worth, his business honesty and his upright life. He was a valiant soldier of the Civil
war and throughout the remainder of his life was actively identified with farming in- terests in Knox-his native county. His birth occurred in Wayne township, July 26, 1831, his parents being John and Elizabeth (Krider) Ebersole. His father was a sol- dier in the war of 1812 and devoted his energies to agricultural pursuits, so that our subject was reared upon a farm, where he early became familiar with the work of the field and meadow and with all the labors that make up the sum of the day's toil for the agriculturist. In the schools of Frederick- town he mastered the common branches of learning and then pursued his chosen occu- pation until the Ist of September, 1862, when feeling that his duty was to his coun- try he offered his services to the government and was enrolled among the boys in blue of Company G, One Hundred and Twenty- first Ohio Infantry. He was mustered into service at Camp Chase and remained at the front throughout the remainder of the war. Being taken ill he lay in the army hospital for a long time, but nevertheless he rendered active and efficient service to the Union cause in a number of hotly contested battles. He participated in the battles of Chicka- mauga and Perryville, the siege if Atlanta and after the fall of that city went with Sherman on his celebrated march to the sea, which proved that the strength of the Confederacy was almost spent. When the active hostilities had ceased he participated in the grand review in Washington, D. C., where "wave after wave of bayonet crested blue" swept by the stand from which the president watched the return of the victori- ous army. He was then discharged and mustered out of service in April, 1865.
With a creditable military record Will-
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OF KNOX COUNTY, OHIO.
iam Ebersole returned to his home, and on the 15th of October of the following year he was united in marriage to Matilda Eber- sole, a daughter of John and Mary Ann (Johnson) Ebersole. Her paternal grand- father, Jacob Ebersole, came to Knox coun- ty from Lancaster county, Pennsylvania. in 1812, and therefore was one of the pioneer settlers, for the work of improvement and civilization had scarcely been begun at the time of his arrival. He married Magdalene Whitmore, and they had six children : John the father of Mrs. Ebersole of this review ; Elizabeth, who became the wife of Jacob Wise; Nancy, who married John Baugh- man; Jacob; Catherine; and Joseph. The first of this family, John Ebersole, married Mary Ann Johnson, a daughter of Jacob and Elizabeth Johnson, and they became the par- ents of three children : Floretta E., the wife of Edward Coe; Mrs. Matilda Ebersole of this sketch; and Rebecca Ann, who married David Studer.
William Ebersole and his wife began their domestic life on the farm where she is now living. He devoted his energies to agricultural pursuits from the time of his return from the army until his death, and his labors brought to him success, for he was energetic, capable and systematic-qual- ities, which always contribute largely to pros- perity. His fellow townsmen knew him for an honorable man, reliable and trustworthy, and his friends found him genial and kindly, but his loss is most greatly felt in the home where he was a devoted husband and where he is survived only by his widow, they never having had any children. He passed away November 14, 1893, but his memory is still enshrined in the hearts of many who knew him. Mrs. Ebersole is living alone on the
farm, which she superintends. It is pleas- antly and conveniently located only a mile from Fredericktown, and she has one of the finest residences in the township. Her land is seventy-three acres in extent and returns to her annually a good income in reward for the care and labor which, under her direc- tion, is bestowed upon it. In the community where she has so long resided she has many warm friends who will be glad to read this history of her and her husband.
WILLIAM H. SMITH.
On the roster of county officials in Knox county appears the name of William H. Smith, who is now serving the second term as county recorder. A well-known states- man has said, "You may fool all of the American people some of the time; some of the people all of the time, but you can't fool all of the American people all of the time." The truth of this is continually manifest in political life. It is a well-known fact that men by unworthy methods sometimes gain public office, but a discriminating public does not retain them there, and when one is re-elected to office it is very good evidence that he is deserving and trustworthy. Such is certainly the case with Mr. Smith, who is now capably serving in the position of coun- ty recorder for a second term.
He is one of Knox county's native sons, his birth having occurred in Milford town- ship in 1836, and his ancestry may be traced back to one of the Revolutionary heroes, for his grandfather, Captain Henry Smith, com- manded a company in the war for independ -. ence and was at Wheeling, West Virginia,
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A CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY
when the place was surrounded by Indians. He wedded Mary Irish, who was born in Ireland, and among their children was Will- iam H. Smith, the father of our subject. He was born in Ohio county, Virginia, in 1799 and in 1823 emigrated to Knox county, Ohio, locating on a farm in Milford township, where he successfully carried on agricultural pursuits until 1866. A recognized leader in public thought and opinion, he was called upon to serve in many positions of trust and respon- sibility. He acted as township trustee and in other local offices and in 1843 and in 1845 was elected to the state legislature. Later he was a candidate for the state senate. His political belief was that of the Demo- ocratic party. He took an active part in try- ing to defeat the Walhondig canal and this caused his political defeat on one occasion, but time proved that his course was a wise one and that the people again placed confi- dence in his political work was shown by the fact that he was again elected to the legisla- ture. He left the impress of his individual- ity upon many measures which came up for settlement in the house when he occupied a seat therein, and he ever commanded the re- spect of his colleagues by reason of his fidel- ity to his honest convictions. For many years he was a prominent member of the Presbyterian church in Milford township, and with every movement that had for its object the general welfare he was in sym- pathy.
Hon. William H. Smith was united in marriage to Miss Esther Dill, who was born near Columbus, Ohio, a daughter of Andrew Dill, who served as a captain in the war of 1812 under General McArthur and was present at the time of Hull's surrender. Mr.
Smith died in Mount Vernon, in 1871, at the age of seventy-two years and the com- munity thereby lost one of its honored and valued citizens. His wife survived until 1891 and died in Tennessee at the age of eighty-one. The members of the family were: Henry, of Kossuth county, Iowa; Mary, deceased wife of Morris Mahan, of Grand Rapids, Michigan; William H .; James, who served as sergeant major in the Civil war and is now living in Tiffin, Ohio; Harriet, of Knoxville, Tennessee; and Thomas and Adalaide, who are also living in Knoxville.
In the common schools of this county William H. Smith pursued his education and throughout his business career he has carried on general farming and stock-rais- ing, following those pursuits on an extensive scale in Liberty township. His enterprise and industry, combined with good judg- ment, made him one of the leading and pros- perous farmers of the community and every- thing about his place indicated his care and supervision. In 1897, however, he put aside the work of the farm to enter upon the duties of county recorder, to which office he had been elected in the fall of the previous year, for a three-years' term. In 1900 he was again chosen for the same position-the election being a comment upon his efficiency and trustworthiness. .. For twelve years he had served as justice of the peace in Milford township and was assessor both in Liberty and Milford townships. He has been a life- long Democrat, very active in behalf of the party.
Mr. Smith married Miss Hannah J. Milligan, of Miller township, a daughter of George Milligan, who came from Ohio county, Virginia, to the Buckeye state.
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OF KNOX COUNTY, OHIO.
Their children are William H .; Elizabeth, at home; George, of Columbus; Esther, who assists her father in the recorder's office; Louisa, the wife of John Keys, of Liberty township; Hervey and Frances, who assist in the recorder's office. The family is wide- ly known in the county and its members enjoy the warm regard of many friends.
HENRY P. DURBIN.
The name of Durbin is closely inter- woven with the history of Knox county, for at an early day its representatives came to this part of Ohio and since that time mem- bers of the family have been actively indenti- fied with the line of work that leads to the substantial development and improvement of a community. From pioneer times down to the present they have been associated with agricultural interests-and it is the work of the farm that forms the basis of all business activity. Henry Patterson Durbin is now engaged in the cultivation of the soil upon an excellent farm in Morris township. His ancestry on both the paternal and maternal sides may be traced back to Germany, but in the primitive period of American settle- ment those from whom he traces his descent crossed the Atlantic to the new world. Sam- uel Durbin, his grandfather, was a native of Pennsylvania and in that state was reared and married. In 1810, accompanied by his wife, he came to Knox county and entered a large tract of land from the government, developing therefrom a farm which is still owned by his descendants. Since that time the Durbins have been classed among the leading citizens of Knox county on account of their sterling worth and the efficient aid 3
they have given to all measures and move- ments for the general good.
Henry Patterson Durbin was born in Mount Vernon, June 7, 1838, and to its pub- lic schools system he is indebted for the edu- cational privileges he enjoyed. Early in life he went to Paris, Illinois, where he was mar- ried, on the 20th of December, 1864, to Miss Mary Chilcoat, a daughter of Nathaniel and Mary (Swope) Chilcoat. Seven chil- dren have been born unto them, as follows: Emery, who is operating the old home farm with his father ; Jessie E., the wife of James Parish, by whom she had four children- Ethel Adel, Frances Marie, Tina, deceased, and Minnie; Lizzie, who died in 1893, at the age of eighteen years; William R., who lives in Mount Vernon ; Miles, at home ; one who died in infancy; and Grace, wife of Ellsworth Johnson.
Mr. Durbin has for a number of years resided in Morris township, where he owns and operated a valuable tract of land of one hundred and sixty acres. The industry which has ever been characteristic of his bus- iness career has enabled him to overcome all the obstacles and difficulties in his path and steadily advance on the high road to success.
Thomas Emery Durbin, his son, who is associated with him in the management and cultivation of the home farm, was born in Paris, Illinois, January 23, 1866, but during his infancy was brought by his parents to Knox county. He pursued his education in the public schools and then turned his atten- tion to the pursuit to which he had been reared-that of farming. Experience and careful consideration have taught him the best methods of tilling the soil so as to pro- duce good crops and annually his rich har- { vests add to his financial resources.
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A CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY
On the 16th of February, 1898, Thomas E. Durbin was married to Miss Birdie E. Hess, who was born July 7, 1878, and they are now the parents of two interesting little sons, Dwight Russell and Floyd Hess. Mr. Durbin is a member of the Knights of Pyth- ias fraternity, belonging to Timon Lodge, No. 4, and also to the Uniformed Rank. He was also at one time associated with the In- dependent Order of Odd Fellows. In his re- ligious faith he is a Methodist and in his po- litical views is a strong Republican, unwav- ering in his allegiance to the party which he thinks best conserves the public welfare.
ELI A. WOLFE.
Eli A. Wolfe now ranks as the leading business man of Howard and is classed among the most energetic and progressive citizens of Knox county, where he has spent his entire life. An analyzation of his char- acter shows that he owes his success not to inheritance or the aid of influential friends, but to his own well-directed efforts. Realiz- ing that in America "labor is king," with resolute purpose he set to work to achieve prosperity and earnest toil has secured his steady advancement.
Mr. Wolfe is a native of Harrison town- ship, this county, December 30, 1857. and comes of a family of German lineage, which, however was planted on American soil at an early period in the development of this coun- try. His grandfather, John Wolfe, was born in Pennsylvania and became one of the pioneer settlers of Knox county, where he followed his chosen occupation of farming. His son. Jacob Wolfe, the father of our sub-
ject, was born in Harrison township and when he had attained to man's estate fol- lowed the occupation to which he had been reared-that of cultivating the soil. His death occurred in 1861 .. His wife, who in her maidenhood was Mary A. McArtor, was born and reared in Howard township. Her father, Jonathan McArtor, was a native of Virginia, and became one of the first settlers of Knox county. He was of Irish descent and provided for his family by following the plow. His daughter, Mrs. Wolfe, is still living and makes her home with her daugh- ter, Mrs. Holmes, in Mount Vernon. By her marriage she became the mother of two sons and a daughter, all of whom are living : Cary E., a resident farmer of Harrison township; Eli A .: and Celesta, the wife of Harry Holmes, of Mount Vernon.
On his father's farm in his native town- ship Eli Wolfe spent the days of his boyhood and youth and began his education in the home district. After mastering the common branches of English learning he became a student in the Normal at Utica, Ohio, where he completed a three-years' course and was graduated in 1881. He then engaged in teaching school for a year in the village of Bladensburg, and on the 4th of July, 1882, he began dealing in general merchandising in Howard, where he has since conducted a store, carrying a large and well-selected stock of goods. His reasonable prices, his straightforward business methods and his earnest desire to please have secured to him a liberal patronage and made the business profitable. Since 1891 he has been associ- ated with J. G. Critchfield in the undertak- ing business and since 1897 has been an act- ive representative to the grain trade. It will thus be seen that his efforts have not
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OF KNOX COUNTY, OHIO.
been confined to one line. He is a man of resourceful business ability and his capable management, enterprise and laudable ambi- tion have won him prosperity. It is true that like other business men he may not have found all the days equally bright. Indeed, in his commercial experience he has seen the gathering of clouds that threaten disaster, but his rich inheritance of energy and pluck has enabled him to turn defeats into victory and promised failures into brilliant suc- cesses. His strict integrity, business con- servatism and judgment have been so uni- formly recognized that Mr. Wolfe has en- joyed public confidence to an enviable de- gree and naturally this has brought him such a lucrative patronage that through times of general prosperity and general ad- versity alike, he has witnessed a steady in- crease in his business until to-day it is one of the most flourishing in this part of Knox county.
Mr. Wolfe has been twice married. In 1881 he wedded Blanch McKee, who died leaving one son, Frank L. In 1895 he was again married, his second union being with Edna Ellis. He has filled some local offices, has been notary public since 1885 and in that year was appointed postmaster and again in 1892 under President Cleveland. Altogether his service as postmaster and as- sistant postmaster has covered fourteen years, and his public service, like the record of his business career and his private life, is alike above reproach. For nine years he was township clerk and in his political views he is a stanch Democrat. Fraternally he is a member of Danville Lodge, F. & A. M., and is also identified with the Modern Woodmen Camp at Howard. He holds membership with the Christian church, in which he is
serving as clerk, and is a gentleman of up- right principles, unfailing honor in business, of uniform kindness and courtesy and one who has high regard for the amenities of life.
JOHN LEONARD.
John Leonard, now deceased, was one of the honored pioneers of Knox county, where he located when this portion of the state was a wild frontier region in which the work of progress and development had scarcely been begun. His labors added to the general ad- vancement and improvement, and in the passing of the years he was acknowledged to be one of the most valuable representa- tives of the farming interests of the county.
Mr. Leonard was a native of Pennsyl- vania, his birth having occurred in Wash- ington county, of the Keystone state, on the 28th of March, 1814. His education was there obtained in the primitive schools of the time, and through the summer months the work of the home farm claimed his attention. He was but thirteen years of age when he came to Knox county with his parents, Sam- uel and Phebe (Logan) Leonard, who en- tered a large tract of land in Morris town- ship and there began the development of a farm. Our subject shared with his family in all the hardships and trials of pioneer life and bore his share in the arduous task of re- claiming wild land for purposes of civiliza- tion. Throughout his entire life he carried on general farming and at his death was the owner of a very valuable and richly improved tract of land of three hundred and fifty acres.
On the 2d of March, 1866, Mr. Leonard married Miss Harriet Boudinot, who repre-
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A CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY
sented one of the oldest families of America, tracing her ancestry back to the French Huguenots, who sought freedom from per- secution in America in the early part of the seventeenth century. Three brothers, Elisha, Elias and John Boudinot, it is believed, crossed the Atlantic in the Mayflower in 1620, and the first named was the grand- father of Mrs. Leonard four times removed. Her grandfather also bore the name of Elias. The family became very prominent in public affairs and representatives of the name were associated with events which went to frame the policy of the nation. An uncle of Mrs. Leonard was Elias Boudinot, LL. D., who was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, May 2, 1740. He became an eminent lawyer and was an advocate of colonial liberty. In 1777 congress appointed him commissary general, having charge of provisions for the army, and the same year he was elected to congress. He became president of that body in 1782 and the following year, in his official capac- ity, he signed the treaty of peace which ended the eight years' struggle that brought inde- pendence to the nation. Washington made him superintendent of the mint in 1796, and he filled that position until 1805, when he resigned and retired from public life, after a career of public usefulness and honor that extended over more than a quarter of a cen- tury. He was a trustee of Princeton College, to which he gave a cabinet of natural history specimens. In 1812 he was a member of the American board of commissioners for for- eign affairs and missions, and in 1816 was the first president of the American Bible So- ciety, to which he gave very liberal dona- tions. He was one of the first writers to favor the idea that American Indians were of Jewish origin, to which end he publislied
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