USA > Ohio > Highland County > The County of Highland : a history of Highland County, Ohio, from the earliest days, with special chapters on the bench and bar, medical profession educational development, industry and agriculture and biographical sketches > Part 24
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A very prosperous establishment at Lynchburg is the distillery, owned by Freiberg and Workum since 1847, which has nine ware- houses and employs eighty men, consumes an immense lot of corn, and produces one million gallons of whiskies annually.
At Leesburg a carding mill was established by David Swain in 1822, which soon went into the hands of William W. Hardy, who became one of the most notable manufacturers of the county. He was in the business at intervals until 1837 when he bought a mill site and established a woolen mill, which flourished so well that in 1855, when he sold out to his sons, he was manufacturing large quan- tities of stocking yarn, satinets, jeans, tweeds, cassimeres, flannels and blankets. At the same town the important steam flouring mill industry was established about 1832 by John C. Batton. The mill is yet in operation and is one of the important industries of the county. A number of other pioneer industries throughout the county have been mentioned on other pages of this work. Such were the Sonner, Barngrover, Gossett, Baldwin, Crawford, Reece, Hulitt, Spargur, VanPelt and Fenner mills ; the Andrew Smith mill at Lynchburg that began with the career of that town in about 1830; the J. B. Faris mill on White Oak, about the same date; the mill of
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Zachariah Leatherwood at Sinking Spring, established in 1810, that once shipped flour to New Orleans and New York; the Gerens and Bingerman mills and later the Kibler and Marconet mills in Clay township, and other thriving industries of a day that is gone forever. Some of those were the origins of industries yet maintained and still. bear the names of their founders. Of the present status of manu- facturing there is no statement more accurate than the figures of the United States census of 1900. According to this work there are 180 manufacturing establishments in Highland county, with an investment in the various forms of capital of $1,062,392. The wage earners employed average 985, and the total of wages paid is $339,960. The materials used annually are valued at $1,379,019, and the product of the year is estimated at $2,164,974. The part taken by Hillsboro in this showing is as follows: establishments, 48; capital, $331,539 ; wage earners, 293; wages, $114,135; materials, $305,399 ; products, $574,988. Unfortunately, the figures are not given for Greenfield, or other places of the county.
TRANSPORTATION.
The pioneer roads have already been noticed. They were for many years in a condition that greatly embarrassed the development of the county, but they were the best, apparently, that the people could afford to make. The first marked improvement came as the result of the apportionment of the surplus in the United States treas- ury among the states under the administration of Andrew Jackson. The Ohio legislature divided the money that fell to this state, popu- larly known as the Jackson Fund, among the counties, and the High- land county authorities devoted their share to aiding two turnpikes or toll roads, the Milford & Chillicothe road, which was a link in the communication between Cincinnati and the East, and consequently very important to the people of Highland county, and the Hillsboro & Ripley road, which served to connect Hillsboro and the county with the Ohio river. As originally made, the two turnpikes were sixty feet wide, covered with broken stone and provided with stone cul- verts and substantial bridges. The cost of construction was not less than $5,000 a mile, as the labor of clearing away forests and haul- ing stone was immense. Through the Jackson Fund the county subscribed $39,450 to the Milford & Chillicothe turnpike company, of which Gen. Joseph J. McDowell was president, and $7,500 to the other, and as the county was required to pay these amounts back to the state treasury in taxation, and no dividends were ever received from the roads, the transaction did not profit the county treasury, except a little interest at five per cent. Yet it was a great blessing to have a temporary use of the money for this purpose, and the script
H-15
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that was issued in connection with the subscription by the county served for a good number of years as the local money. How impor- tant this item was may be inferred from the fact that the total amount involved, less than $50,000, was as large in comparison with total county wealth and taxation, as a million would be now, and money was very scarce and very uncertain in value. In a much later period the county bought up all the interests in these two roads within her bounds and made the roads free.
The next great improvement was under the free turnpike laws of the state, under which assessments for benefits were levied upon the owners of land within two miles on each side of the proposed road, and paid as taxes for the specified purpose. Under the law land owners were able to "work out" their assessments, which made the burden less onerous when money was scarce. Under this law in 1866 the people of Sinking Spring and vicinity constructed a road from Sinking Spring over the old Maysville and Zanesville road, or "Zane's trace" to the Pike county line, and many other improve- ments followed. Judge Dittey wrote in 1890 :
"From, this time on there was a general movement in the county for better roads, and by the year 1876 roads had been completed or were rapidly approaching completion from Hillsboro to Belfast and Locust Grove, Hillsboro to Lexington, Hillsboro to Danville and Pricetown, Greenfield to Cynthiana, Greenfield to Carr's Ford, Greenfield to the county line, Greenfield to Centerfield, Samantha to Leesburg, Lynchburg to Dodsonville and McCarthys, and Lexing- ton to the county line. These roads were built under the same gen- eral act as that at Sinking Springs, and were macadamized, but the work was not so elaborate as that done on the Milford & Chillicothe road, although it cost almost as much per mile. The discovery of gravel about this time in large quantities where before it was not known to exist gave new zest to the movement, and from then until the present more than two hundred miles of turnpike roads have been built, making the total aggregate of 341 miles of free macad- amized roads in the county. The total number of roads improved at present is sixty-eight. Two, the Milford & Chillicothe and the Ripley roads, have been built by private corporations and afterwards purchased and made free by the county, twenty-one built under the "two mile law" and the remaining forty-five under the "one mile law," which is similar to the "two mile law" except in the extent of territory included in the assessing district and that all persons within the bounds are assessed equally. The cost of this work has been very great. The expense of building the roads has not been less than three-quarters of a million dollars, while the bridges and culverts have cost at least a half million more. There is not a princi- pal road and but few by-roads of importance now unimproved, and it is possible at any season of the year to reach all parts of the county
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over roads better than are the streets of many cities far exceeding in, numbers the population of the county."
Starting at Hillsboro we have the Cincinnati and Chillicothe pike, following the original road way established at an early date between the places named; the Greenfield turnpike, the Leesburg and New Lexington pike, the Marshall and Carmel pike, intersected at Car- mel by the Sinking Spring road, also a turnpike; the Belfast pike, West Union pike, New Market pike, Danville pike, Gall Hill pike, East Monroe pike, Lynchburg and Dodsonville pike, Careytown pike and quite a number of short turnpikes which cross and recross the county between the main lines above mentioned, such as the Spar- gur mill road, Cynthiana pike, Prospect pike, and others. All these are first class roads and kept in good repair by superintendents appointed for that purpose. The streams are spanned by elegant iron bridges and every facility is afforded for easy and quick travel from one point of the county to the other. Highland county is proud of her good roads, which are elements and symbols of her pro- gress and civilization and liberality.
The first railroad project that gave Highland county hope of that modern system of transportation that has revolutionized commerce and travel seems to have been the Marietta and Cincinnati line, but the difficulties of constructing this line across the hills, valleys and rivers delayed it much beyond other important railroads in Ohio. It was expected that the building of the proposed road would be undertaken by the Belpre & Cincinnati company, under a charter dated in March, 1845, but no work was done until after the reorgan- ization in 1847, at Chillicothe, under the title of the Marietta & Cin- cinnati railroad company, in which Allen Trimble and William O. Collins, of Highland county, were directors. In the course of the survey, two lines were discussed, west of Chillicothe, one called the Paint valley route, by way of Bainbridge, which was shorter but sup- posed to involve greater expense than the other route, which was by way of Frankfort and Greenfield. This led to large subscriptions of stock by the people on the last named route, to offset the supposed natural advantages of their rivals, and it was decided in May, 1850, that the road should pass through Greenfield. After this point was settled, it appeared that the most economical route westward, the cost of construction only being considered, rather than the probable ratio of cost to business secured, would be through the northern part of the county, leaving Hillsboro off the line. When this policy became apparent, the citizens of Hillsboro withdrew from the Chilli- cothe company and gave their united and earnest support to the Hills- boro & Cincinnati railroad company, which had been organized in 1849 under the presidency of Gen. Joseph J. McDowell, and was already beginning construction between Hillsboro and Loveland. The negotiations that had been in progress to unite the lines from
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east and west at Hillsboro were broken off, and "war" was declared. The promoters of the Cincinnati line proposed to extend their road east beyond Hillsboro through Piketon and Jackson to Parkersburg, and the promotors of the Marietta and Chillicothe road decided to build an independent line to Cincinnati by way of Blanchester. But the Hillsboro & Cincinnati, after completing its line from Loveland through Lynchburg to Hillsboro in 1853, stopped at Hillsboro, though it sank nearly $450,000 in the effort at extension to Park- ersburg, while the Chillicothe company ceased its westward exten- sion at Blanchester. In 1854 the two companies made an agree- ment of union and the Hillsboro and Loveland line became, for oper- ation, part of the Marietta and Cincinnati line, throwing Hillsboro upon a blind branch from Blanchester, instead of a through line as was anticipated. The town was not to blame for this misfortune, as the people had done everything possible to effect a better result, but the difficulties in the way were insuperable.
Greenfield, more fortunate, had its road to Chillicothe opened May 1, 1854, and in the same year the remainder of the line through Leesburg to Blanchester was ready for business. Through the use of the Little Miami railroad trains were soon running from Green- field and Hillsboro to Cincinnati. In 1860, the old Marietta & Cin- cinnati railroad, having become insolvent, was reorganized after modern methods, the capital stock was increased and bonds issued, and the Hillsboro & Cincinnati line formally purchased. After many vicissitudes this railroad passed into the hands of the Balti- more & Ohio Southwestern railroad company.
In 1875 the Springfield, Jackson & Pomeroy railroad company was organized, with William W. Bell and George I. Rucker among the incorporators, to build from Springfield through Greenfield, to Jackson. Mr. Bell was the first secretary and one of the first direc- tors. On August 1, 1878, the first train ran over this road from Springfield to Jackson. Bankruptcy and reorganization soon fol- lowed, and the company was reorganized as the Springfield South- ern. It is now known as the Detroit Southern.
The latest railroad in the county is the branch from Sardinia, Brown county, to Hillsboro, of the Portsmouth and Cincinnati rail- road, now known as the Norfolk & Western. By use of this sys- tem, one can leave Hillsboro at five o'clock a. m., and be in Cincin- nati or Portsmouth, within three hours. At the same time the serv- ice on the older lines is much improved. Greenfield and other points on the main line have ample accommodation, and three pas- senger trains run between Hillsboro and Blanchester daily, connect- ing with main line trains from Cincinnati, Columbus and the East.
BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.
R. Rufus Anderson, M. D., a prominent physician of Buford, is a native of Highland county, born in White Oak township, near Mowrystown, September 24, 1851. Dr. Anderson is the son of Hamilton Anderson, who was born in Cynthiana, Ky., March 3, 1814, son of a pioneer family of that state, of whose interesting career some facts may appropriately be given in preface to the sketch of his son. Hamilton Anderson left his Kentucky home, when twenty years of age, to become a pioneer farmer near Quincy, Ill., and in that region contracted his first marriage by which he had three children, William, who resides in Missouri, and Margaret and Mary Jane, both of whom reside in Texas. His sec- ond marriage, following the death of the first wife, was to Eliza- beth Davidson, who was born and reared in White Oak township, and through this union the Anderson family was brought to High- land county. Miss Davidson met her future husband when on a visit in Illinois, and within a year or so after their marriage they removed to Ohio and made their home in White Oak township. There they lived until 1883, when they moved to Missouri, where the wife died at the age of sixty-three years in 1885. Subsequently Hamilton Anderson moved to Alton, Mo., where he died in June, 1890. He was in comfortable circumstances through life, and at the last was the owner of one hundred and thirty-six acres of land. The children by the second marriage were Isaiah (deceased), John S., of Indian Territory ; Dr. R. R. Anderson, Mary E., wife of A. Boyd, of Missouri; Laira of Indian Territory; Alexander, of Oklahoma ; Lou, wife of A. Ott, of Kansas. Dr. Anderson received his early education in the district schools of Highland county and in the Georgetown Normal. When twenty years of age he went west and remained a year, then returned and for eight years was engaged in teaching. In 1874 he was married to Albina Winkle, a native of White Oak township, and they made their home on the farm now owned by A. Roberts, where he farmed and taught school for eight years, continuing farming alone for three or four years afterward. In 1883 he moved to Mowrystown and embarked in business as a druggist, and three years later sold out, and devoted himself entirely to the study of medicine, which he had already
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given much attention. In the progress of his study he read one year with Dr. M. F. Funk, and attended two terms of lectures at the Eclectic medical college at Cincinnati, where he was graduated in 1889. In the same year be began the practice at Galion, Ohio, but two years later (January, 1891), he made his home at Buford. From the first he made a creditable success of his profession. While at Galion he was local surgeon of the Cleveland, Columbus, Cincinnati & St. Louis railroad, and at Buford, during the admin- istration of President Cleveland, he was an examining surgeon for the United States pension department. He is a member of the Ohio State and Southwestern Ohio Eclectic medical associations, and highly regarded by his professional brethren. Dr. Anderson is an elder of the Church of Christ, in politics a Democrat, and fra- ternally is associated with the orders of Odd Fellows and the Mod- ern Woodmen of America, in the latter lodge serving as camp phy- sician. His children are, Perry Lee, Hamer C., Clanie M., and Frank E.
Calvin Andrews, of Fairfield township, has long been prominent in the educational and official affairs of Highland county as teacher, office-holder and public spirited citizen. The family is of Virginia origin on both sides of the house, the Ohio branch being founded by Lewis Andrews, who became one of the early settlers of Clinton county. Lewis Andrews, son of the foregoing, married Ellen, daughter of Eli and Mary (Goldsborough) Bolin, also an early Ohio settler from Virginia and a man of mark in his day. Among the children resulting from this union was Calvin Andrews, subject of this sketch, who was born within ten miles of where he now resides on January 25, 1849, and is the only living descendant of the original settler. At an early period of life he nurtured an ambition to become a teacher and with a view to preparing himself thoroughly for this vocation entered the National Normal univer- sity at Lebanon, Ohio. As soon as he had finished at that institu- tion, Mr. Andrews assumed the task of teaching and followed that occupation with success and constantly increasing reputation for many years. During this period, while publishing a paper at Lees- burg, he began the agitation to abolish the fee system and place all county officials on salaries, and it was largely through his active efforts that this wholesome reform was eventually consummated. Mr. Andrews has held all of the more important township offices and proved himself to be an excellent business man by the manner in which he discharged these duties. For five years he was town- ship clerk and for four years he held the office of assessor. He was also elected township trustee but resigned that position in 1889 to accept the office of superintendent of the county Infirmary at Hills- boro. This place he retained for two years and discharged its
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duties so acceptably as to be offered another term, but this honor he declined. Since retiring from public life, he has resided in com- parative repose on his country place near Leesburg but maintains a watchful interest in all events and movements affecting affairs in his county, town or township. Mr. Andrews married Margery Ladd, daughter of Jeremiah and Rebecca Ladd, one of the staunch old Quaker families of Fairfield township. She was born in the house where she now resides November 23, 1850, and was the youngest of the thirteen children of Jeremiah and Rebecca (Moor- man) Ladd, her father having been born in North Carolina in 1797 and settled near Leesburg, with his parents in 1808. Mr. and Mrs. Andrews have two children, Rodney L. and Brice J. The former married Fannie Covan, of Leesburg, and is now engaged in the mer- cantile business there, is a member of the town council and of the board of education and takes an active interest in all public affairs. Brice J., who married Laura Griffith of Leesburg and resides there, having one child, Lillian Margery, has devoted much time to news- paper work and as a writer is regarded as having superior talents. These two sons and their wives are all high school graduates.
Isaac Armbrust is of German genealogy though a native of Ohio . and connected from youth with the industries of the state. Philip Armbrust, now deceased, came from Germany in early life and located in Pike county, Ohio, where for years he pursued the call- ing of a builder and contractor. He married Catharine Fry, also a native of Germany, and reared a family of seven children, six of whom are living in different parts of Ohio. Isaiah Armbrust is in business at Cincinnati, and Philip is a farmer of Highland county ; Lizzie married Edward Hyde, a business man of Milford Center; Louise is the wife of Frank Went, of Portsmouth, and Sadie is unmarried. Isaac Armbrust, who completes the list, was born at Waverly, Ohio, and received his early education as well as busi- ness training in his native place. His first venture in business on his own behalf was as manager of a bakery at Greenfield. This, however, he soon gave over to become a contractor and builder, which occupation he followed eight or nine years and during that time erected many residences in Greenfield. In 1897, he embarked in the planing mill business, and this has absorbed all of his atten- tion since that time. Being a reliable workman and popular citi- zen he enjoys a fair share of the patronage in his line. In 1883, he was married to Missouri, daughter of John Ely, of Greenfield, Ohio. John W. Armbrust, their only son, is a mechanic of consid- erable ability and especially efficient as a turner. Mr. Armbrust is a member of the Methodist Episcopal church at Greenfield and the family are highly esteemed as good citizens and good neighbors.
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Joseph Bailey, one of the large land-owners and representative farmers of Penn township, comes of an honored old Quaker family which traces its pedigree far back into the seventeenth century. It was in 1687, just five years after William Penn made his historic landing in Pennsylvania, that Joel Bailey was married to Ann Short and from this couple have descended all the Baileys subse- quently conspicuous in the various states of America. Thomas Bailey, a great-great-grandson of Joel, was the founder of the Ohio branch of the family and he it was who changed the spelling of the name by introducing the letter "e." His birth occurred August 4, 1777, in Virginia, and there he married Elizabeth Timberlake, with whom and her two children he came to Highland county in 1808. He settled in Penn township on the farm now occupied by his grandson, who is the subject of this sketch, and there he built a small house in which he lived until his death, which occurred at Samantha, November 27, 1858. This worthy progenitor of the Highland county Baileys was one of those quiet, unostentatious men who exert great influence by their probity of character, regard for the rights of others and conformity to all the requirements of good citizenship. He and his son John were prominent and respected members of the Friends' meeting and this influence was transmitted to and since maintained by their immediate descend- ants. The children of Thomas and Elizabeth (Timberlake) Bailey were May, John, Christopher, Joseph, Sarah, Ann, Judith, Anso- lum, Elizabeth and Moses. John Bailey, second in age of the above enumerated children, was born in Virginia, January 21, 1806, and was an infant between two and three years of age when his parents arrived at their new home in Ohio. He grew up on the farm and in after life became a man of influence in his community, especially active in religious affairs of the denominaton to which he belonged. He married Mary Baker and his children were William Y., Lydia Ann, who married George F. Buzzard and died November 20, 1897, Mary E., Hannalı J., wife of Isaac W. Harold, John H., Joseph, David, Sallie C., who married Samuel Smithson, and Jesse, who died in infancy. Joseph Bailey, sixth of these nine children, was born in Penn township, Highland county, Ohio, Jan- uary 6, 1845, and grew up to be one of the most successful farmers of his neighborhood. He has well sustained the reputation of his father and grandfather as good citizens and industrious agricultur- ists, and like them also stands high in his community as one whose daily walk is along the lines of right conduct and the fulfillment of all the duties between man and man. Like all the Baileys for many generations he is a member of the Society of Friends, the his- toric organization which has done so much to realize the prayer of the Christian founder for "peace on earth and good will among men." Mr. Bailey has prospered in worldly affairs and now owns
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all told about 583 acres of land, mostly in Penn township, and including the farm of 153 acres half a mile south of Samantha on which he resides. July 23, 1869, he was married to Martha, daugh- ter of Jesse and Ruth (Davis) Engle, and by her has had the fol- lowing named children: Etta, wife of Benjamin Carey, a farmer of Penn township; Cora Inez; John Elber, who married Luella Medsker and is farming near Careytown; Jesse, Elmer, twin brother of the last mentioned, who died in infancy; Charles E., died in infancy ; Harlan D., at home, and Walter, who married Osa Roads.
William S. Barker, prominent in Salem township as a breeder of fine stock and long connected with Sunday school and other relig- ious work, is descended from honorable Virginia ancestry indenti- fied with Highland county at an early period. The grandfather, John Barker, was a native of Maryland who married at nineteen years of age and moved to West Virginia. He became a noted hunter and was called out to help suppress the "Whisky insurrec- tion" which occurred in the second administration of Presi- dent Washington. In 1828, accompanied by his wife and thirteen children, he came to Ohio and after a short sojourn near Hillsboro located in New Market township where he lived fifteen years. In 1842, he moved to the farm in Salem township which was subse- quently owned by his son James. The original thirteen children were increased by one birth after the parents reached Ohio, but all have long since passed away. Of all the children, the best known was the late Rev. James H. Barker, whose birth occurred in Vir- ginia, November 4, 1827. May 30, 1846, he was married to Eliza- beth, daughter of Jesse and Nancy (Davidson) Faris, and occupied the homestead farm for many years thereafter. In 1882, he pur- chased the old Beam farm at Pricetown, where he lived until a few years before his death, much respected in the community, as a good and conscientious man. For many years and until ill health pre- vented, he was a minister of the Christian church and enthusiastic in the discharge of all the duties connected therewith. Of his eleven children, Nancy J., Alice, Emrick and two infants are dead. Those living are Sarah J., wife of Philip Laniger of Pricetown ; Jesse P., of Clay township; Dillie, wife of Frank Chaney; Ella, wife of Charles Barr, of New Market township; the subject of this sketch; and Virginia, wife of Robert Mclaughlin, of Salem town- ship. William S. Barker, last but one of these children, was born in Salem township, Highland county, Ohio, January 10, 1865, and remained at home until he was of legal age. Shortly after that period he was married to Louisa (Miller) Turner, a native of High- land county and daughter of William C. and Louisa A. Miller. He located with his bride on a farm of 231 acres where he is engaged
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