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 40
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from for many years. Norton M. Knotts, third from the youngest of the above enumerated children, was born in Pennsylvania July 10, 1832, and was consequently about eight years old when his father reached Highland county. After attaining his majority he spent three years in Clinton county learning the blacksmith's trade, after which he returned and has since made this county his home. June 18, 1856, he was married to Mary J., daughter of Samuel and Cartharine (Carr) Edingfield, also settlers from Pennsylvania state. Having no children of their own, Mr. and Mrs. Knotts in 1861 adopted Emma Sexton, then seventeen months old, and she remained as a member of the family until married in November, 1879, to Richard Cook. Grace, one of the five children by this union, born July 10, 1881, was taken to the Knotts home when sixteen months old to fill the place left vacant by her mother's departure, and since then has been a much prized inmate of her foster-parents' household.
Jonathan Ladd, a retired farmer living near Leesburg, Ohio, belongs to a family connected with the growth and development of Highland county for nearly a hundred years. In the beginning of the nineteenth century there was a settlement of Ladds on Chowan river in North Carolina, descended from Welsh immigrants and pro- fessing the religion of the Society of Friends. Like many others in the South of the Quaker faith, they found the institution of slav- ery so repugnant to their notions of justice that they determined to seek residence in a free state. In 1808, Gerrard Ladd left his home in the Old North State, bound for Highland county, Ohio, where others of his faith had preceded him and found homes. When near Chillicothe he died, but his wife Margaret and several chil- dren continued the journey to Fairfield township where they made permanent settlements. Among these children was one named Jacob who became the parent stock of the Ladds that subsequently figured so extensively in Highland county. He was born in 1767 and married twice, his second wife being Elizabeth Reams, who accompanied him on his migration to Ohio. He settled first about two miles north of Leesburg, on the site of Roney's mill, but in 1811 bought of Isaac McPherson a farm one mile south of Leesburg near the Fairfield meeting-house. There he remained until his death, which occurred in 1850 when he was eighty-three years of age. By his wife Elizabeth he had twelve children, the oldest of whom was born in North Carolina in 1795 and named Asa. In the same year that the Ladds came to Highland county there arrived from Gray- son county, Virginia, William and Ruth (Hunt) Chalfant, also members of the Society of Friends. They were valuable additions to the little colony, as William understood the business of wagon- making, blacksmithing and milling which he carried on to the great benefit of the pioneer settlers, besides cultivating the five hundred
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acres of land which he had taken up under a warrant. He died in 1840, leaving a large family of children, and among the number a daughter named Mary, who subsequently became the wife of Asa Ladd. The latter was blessed with a numerous progeny, including Jonathan Ladd, the subject of this sketch, who was born near Lees- burg, in Highland county, Ohio, December 20, 1831. He has spent his entire life in the peaceful pursuit of agriculture and has been a worthy member of the family which has furnished so many high- minded, upright and industrious citizens to Highland county. One of his brothers served several terms as township trustee, and another held the offices of trustee, treasurer and county commissioner. His father died in 1864, after a life of usefulness, lamented as one of the most blameless of the county's citizens. In fact, from their advent in 1808 the family of Ladds, especially the descendants of Jacob, have figured conspicuously at all periods of the county's history as factors in its industrial, agricultural, civil and moral development. In 1859 Jonathan Ladd was married to Eliza, daughter of John Lazenby. This union was blessed with one son, Everett J., who married Rosa, daughter of Robert and Martha Cox, and resides with his father on the old homestead.
Wesley Lafferty, a substantial farmer of Salem township, has well earned all his present comforts by a life of labor which had very unpromising beginnings. Even as a lad only ten years of age he knew what hard work was and had to "keep his nose to the grind- stone," as the saying is, in order to obtain for himself the ordinary means of livelihood. His father was James Lafferty, a shoemaker by trade, who married Mary Snyder and lived for some years at West Union, Ohio, subsequently spending a short time at Lynchburg and then moving to New Vienna where he died about 1840. Shortly after this event, his widow came to Highland county and located in White Oak township, where a few years later she was married to John Heckerthorn. With him she spent the remainder of her days and reached the extreme age of over ninety-five years before her death. There were eight children by her first marriage, of whom John, Absalom, Rebecca, Eliza and Amanda are dead. The three living are William, of Paint, and Quincy of Salem township, besides the subject of this sketch. Margaret and Ella, the only two children by Mrs. Lafferty's second marriage, have both passed away. Wes- ley Lafferty, fifth of the first set of children, was born November 16, 1830, while his parents were living at West Union, Ohio, and was still quite young when brought by his widowed mother to Highland county. Even as a child, however, he was ambitious to "do for him- self" and early conceived a desire to go to work and become a man of independent means. He commenced carrying out this resolve at the age of ten, when most boys are still engaged in playing marbles
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or robbing birds-nests, and many weary years of drudgery passed before he succeeded in establishing himself on a firm basis. His work was mostly on farms at monthly wages, which were distressingly small at first, but grew better with age and experience, and eventu- ally he felt sufficiently independent to choose a wife. He was married to Mary, daughter of Solomon and Elizabeth Sprinkle, of Highland county, and settled temporarily on a rented farm in Salem township. By industry and economy he had saved enough money by 1860 to purchase a small place of thirty acres, which has since been increased to 104 acres and constitutes his present residence. He has farmed and raised stock in the usual way, depending on gradual increase from regular industry rather than on speculation or fancy schemes of any kind. In this way he has accumulated a comfortable home while rearing and educating his children to be useful men and women. He is a member of the Dunkard church and his political affiliations have always been with the Democratic party. His six children are Samuel, Henry W., Eliza B. and Lydia, at home; Lieu- phenia, wife of Mander Stevens, of Hillsboro; and Clara, wife of V. Stroop, of Salem township. Mrs. Lafferty died in 1892, since which time the children have been keeping house for their father.
John Charles Larkin, M. D., one of the popular physicians of Hillsboro, who has gained many friends during his six years' resi- dence, comes of a long and highly esteemed line of Quaker ancestors. Dr. Larkin possesses a chronology which directly traces his ancestry back two hundred and fifty years to John Larkin, who located in Prince Ann county, Maryland, in 1650, and afterwards in Pennsyl- vania. The most of the Larkin family came to this country with William Penn, and were identified with Penn in establishing a set- tlement near Chester, Pa. They became allied by marriage with John Salkeld, who was one of the founders of the Quakers and a noted preacher in his time in England. The chronology also traces direct descent from Queen Ann of England. The Ohio branch orig- inates from Joseph Larkin, a native of Chester county, Pa., who married Rachel Reece of the Winchester (Va.) neighborhood, and migrated to the West during the first quarter of the nineteenth cen- tury. He located first in Harrison county, Ohio, but in 1837 removed to Samantha, in Highland county. The children of this Pennsylvania couple, all now dead, were Reece, who moved to Iowa; John S., Joseph and Ann, the latter wife of Edwin Arthur. John S. Larkin, the second of these children in order of birth, married Sarah, daughter of Michael and Rachel Yost, of Harrison county, Ohio, and the result of this union was a large family as follows : Isaac, a resident of Hillsboro; Mary Ann, widow of William Hus- sey ; Elijah H .; Margaret E., wife of William Polk ; Rachel E., wife of Samuel Polk of New Vienna; Martha K., wife of F. M. Miller,
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residing near Hillsboro; John, who died at the age of fourteen years ; and William, who resides at Hillsboro. By a second marriage to Mrs. James Hussey, nee Edwards, John S. Larkin had two addi- tional children, whose names were Charles and Alice. Elijah H. Larkin, third of the first family of children, was born March 6, 1838, at Samantha, Highland county, Ohio, where his father kept tavern many years. In 1867 he was married to Rebecca, daughter of Charles and Elizabeth (Gibson) Stafford, and descended from one of the earliest settlers of the county. Her grandfather, Shadrick Stafford, was a native of Virginia who came out and built a fulling mill in Liberty township as early as 1805 and next year brought his family for permanent residence. The children of Elijah H. Lar- kin by his first wife were John Charles, the subject of this sketch, and Leoto, a teacher in the public schools at Muncie, Ind. In 1872 Mr. Larkin contracted a second marriage with Susan, daughter of Brice Cooper, by whom he had the following named children : Adima, teacher in the Hillsboro schools; McShurley, bookkeeper in Cleveland; Dora, exchange clerk at the Merchants National bank ; and Fred W., a student in the Hillsboro schools. John Charles Larkin, eldest of his father's children, was born at Hillsboro, High- land county, Ohio, June 1, 1868, and as he grew up obtained the best education that could be afforded by the schools of his native city. After finishing a four years' course in the Hillsboro high school he took charge of one of the district schools and followed the occupation of teaching from the years 1888 to 1893, inclusive. In the leisure hours before and after school and on holidays, the young teacher devoted most of his time to reading with a view to educating himself as a physician. In the fall of 1893 he matriculated at the Medical college of Ohio, where he finished the course in 1896 and had the honor of being appointed speaker for the class which gradu- ated that year. Shortly after obtaining his diploma, Dr. Larkin formed a partnership with Dr. Truman Holmes for the practice of medicine at Hillsboro, which association continued until the removal of Dr. Holmes to Washington in November, 1900. Since then Dr. Larkin has been alone, and has long since demonstrated that he was destined to be one of the most popular and successful physicians in the Highland capital. In 1896 he was appointed coroner of High- land county and gave such satisfaction that at the expiration of his term he was elected to serve two additional years. He is local sur- geon for the Baltimore & Ohio Southwestern railroad company, examiner for several life insurance companies, and member of the county, state and American medical associations. Dr. Larkin's fra- ternal connections are numerous and he is regarded as one of the most popular and attentive fraternity members in the city. At pres- ent he is worshipful master of Hillsboro lodge, No. 38, Free and Accepted Masons; exalted ruler of lodge No. 361, Benevolent and
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Protective Order of Elks, and medical examiner of Buckeye lodge, No. 17, Ancient Order United Workmen.
David N. Lawson, of Brush Creek township, an energetic and valued citizen, was born May 28, 1841, on the farm now owned by James M. Lawson, in that township. He is the son of James Law- son, born in Virginia in 1802, who was orphaned by the death of his father at seven years of age, and was reared by John Palmer. At twenty-five years of age James Lawson married Mary Hammond, a native of Brush Creek township, and they began housekeeping on the farm now owned by their son, James M., and were the parents of eleven children: John, living in Adams county ; Alfred A., in Kansas ; Josiah, deceased; David N .; James M .; Sarah A., wife of B. Cravens, of Illinois ; Lucinda E., wife of James Woods, of Iowa ; Lucilla, Jemima and Agnes, deceased ; and Mary, wife of James A. Taylor, of Brush Creek. James Lawson lived to the age of sixty- eight years, and had an honorable and fairly successful life, acquir- ing a comfortable property, although he began poor, and he was honored among his associates in the Universalist church, of which he was one of the trustees and staunchest supporters, and honored also by the people of the township, who made him township treasurer and trustee. David N. Lawson, son of the foregoing, started out at the age of eighteen years to make his own way in the world, working by the month at farming, but soon the great war came on, and he vol- unteered in defense of the nation he loved, becoming a private soldier in Company I of the Twenty-fourth regiment Ohio infantry. His first active service was in the West Virginia campaigns, fighting at Greenbrier and Cheat Mountain. Early in the spring of 1862, being transferred to the west, he was in the great battle of Shiloh, and after that he was in the campaigns under Buel and Rosecrans, participating in the great march from middle Tennessee to Louis- ville and back, and fighting at Crab Orchard, Perryville, and Stone River. In the Chickamauga campaign he was in numerous engage- ments, including the great battle of September 20th, 1863, when he with many others were made a prisoner of war. Then followed a long period of confinement in the southern prison pens, at Libby prison, Richmond, where he was held four or five months; Danville, Va., a like period; Andersonville prison, four or five months; and several months at Charleston, S. C., and Florence. Toward the close of the war, early in 1865, while being transferred to Raleigh, N. C., he escaped by jumping from a moving railroad train, and had the good fortune to reach the Union lines at Smithland. Being sent to Annapolis, he was given a furlough to visit his home, and was soon afterward honorably mustered out at Columbus. Since then Mr. Lawson has been a worthy citizen of Brush Creek township,
H-24
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for some time farming rented places, at one of which, the Hizer farm, he remained for twenty years, and is now the owner of a val- uable farm of 129 acres. He has also for eight years been engaged in operating a threshing machine, and is the owner of a saw mill. He is a member of the Grand Army post at Sinking Spring, and of the Threshers National Protective association ; and has served twelve or fourteen years as supervisor and constable. After the war he married Louisa Hatter, and they have two children: Agnes M., wife of S. West, of Brush Creek, and Laura J.
John O. Lemon, a well-to-do farmer of New Market township, is one of the many descendants of an old pioneer who joined the rap- idly increasing army of Highland county settlers in 1814. Samuel Lemon, a native of Pennsylvania, was a shoemaker by trade and after his arrival in Ohio drove a thriving business by making boots and shoes for the inhabitants of his bailiwick. His custom was to ply the awl and thread during the inclement season of winter and devote his time to farm work in summer, in this way earning a com- fortable living and laying up some store for the future. He bought and settled on a farm two and a half miles north of the town of New Market and there spent the remainder of his days. Samuel Lemon's marriage proved fruitful and was blessed with twelve children, of whom John, Adam, James M., Samuel, George, Perry, William Isaac, Isaiah, Catherine and Anna have passed away. The only one living is Eliza J., who married Thomas Peal of Lynchburg. James M. Lemon, third of the children in age, was born in New Mar- ket township, June 16, 1816, and as he grew up acquired knowledge of the chairmaker's trade. He worked at this in Hillsboro for a while before his marriage to Mary, daughter of John and Mary Chapman, old settlers of New Market township. He located with his bride on the farm now owned by Mr. McKee and shortly after- ward engaged in general mercantile business at what is now known as Shackelton. This he followed several years, meantime continu- ing to make chairs during his hours of leisure, and altogether between merchandising, farming and chairmaking he did a thriving business. He became a man of considerable local influence, having held all the important township offices and reached the age of eighty-two before his death. The children of Mr. and Mrs. James M. Lemon were Rachel, wife of Robert Purdy of New Market township; John O., subject of this sketch ; Laura, deceased, and Charlie, a resident of Hillsboro. John O. Lemon, second of the family, was born near New Market, Highland county, Ohio, March 16, 1847, and remained with his father on the farm until he reached his majority. About that time he was married to Miss Frances, daughter of William and Lucinda Strange, of Hamer township. The first ten months of their married life was spent on a farm, from which they removed to
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occupy a place purchased on the Cincinnati pike. Here they lived about fourteen years, when they took up quarters at the old home- stead for the purpose of caring for Mr. Lemon's aged parents. After the death of the latter, he bought the home place and has since resided there, being now owner of 146 acres which he cultivates with the usual crops and raises considerable stock. Mr. Lemon has been township trustee six years, also school director. His children, two in number, are Alvin, a resident of Union township, and Walter, who remains at home. The family are communicants of the Chris- tian church.
Charles M. Lewis, an estimable citizen of Concord township, resides upon the farm purchased in 1818 by his grandparents, Lewis and Abigail Lewis, who came to Ohio from Bucks county, Penn. They bought three hundred acres of wild land, much of which they cleared and improved, and Lewis Lewis came to be one of the leading men of his township, successful as a farmer and stock raiser, and active in politics, holding the office of justice of the peace for many years. His home was a polling place for many elections. The chil- dren of these grandparents were William, Clinton, Lewis, Judah, Milton, Celia and Alford. Milton was born in Bucks county, Pa., July 1, 1814, and reared from four years of age in Concord town- ship. In early manhood he married Catherine, daughter of Camp- bell Nance, a lady born in Virginia and reared in Highland county, and they began their married life and filled out their lives on the old home place, the husband dying at eighty-three years of age and the wife at seventy-two. Both are buried in the Lewis cemetery on the home farm. It can be said in memory of Milton Lewis that he was one of the leading men of the township, being honored with many local offices which he honorably filled, and that he prospered in busi- ness, becoming an extensive dealer in live stock. At one time he owned over three hundred acres of land in the township. His five children are: Martha, wife of Godfrey Wilkin; Jennie, wife of Joseph Burns; Allie, wife of William Stewart, of Greenfield ; Ella, widow of Daniel Butters, of Marshall, and Charles M., the subject of this sketch. The latter was born in the house where he now lives, February 23, 1862, was educated in the district school, and in early manhood was married to Elizabeth, daughter of James R. Shannon. One child has been born to them, a daughter, May. Mr. Lewis is an affable, courteous man, as well as of business habits and industry, and is notably popular throughout his vicinity. He is the owner of nearly two hundred acres of well-improved land, and his residence and farm buildings have been remodeled and improved until they are among the most attractive and convenient in the township. In addi- tion to farming and the breeding of Shorthorn cattle, Mr. Lewis gives much of his time to the introduction of the Page wire fence
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in his neighborhood, and whatever he undertakes is likely to meet with success. He is a member of the school board of the township, is a communicant of the Church of Christ, and is firmly allied to the Republican party, with which his family has long been identified.
Milton E. Lewis, notable among the leading men of Concord town- ship, is a grandson of Lewis and Abigail Lewis, early settlers of the township, of whom, a sketch is given in the foregoing. His father was William Lewis, born in Chester county, Pa., December 24, 1810, eight years before his parents came to Ohio. In youth William Lewis found employment in the work of pioneer farming with his brother Judah, in Concord township, was a teamster in the days of forest roads before the era of canals or railroads, hauled pottery from the Concord township pottery to various parts of the county, and made one trip down the Ohio and Mississippi rivers in the flat boats of that day. Meeting with success in his efforts he was able to buy a farm of 106 acres, and then married a Miss Williams, a native of Highland county, and settled down to farming, varying his employ- ment with work as a carpenter for a good many years. His in- dustry and business instinct made him a well-to-do man in his time, and he was the owner of 212 acres. He passed away at the ripe age of eighty-nine years, survived by several of his children. These
were, Cecilia, deceased; Phoebe A., wife of William Ridings, of Kansas ; Elizabeth, deceased ; Nancy, wife of William Link, of Con- cord ; Anna, deceased; Milton E., subject of this sketch; Clinton, deceased ; William, of Clinton county ; John, deceased; Thomas, of Concord township; Edward, living on the old homestead. Milton E. Lewis was born near Fairfax, Ohio, November 28, 1846, was reared on the farm and educated in the district school. When seven- teen years of age he began work on the farm for his uncle, Milton, which continued four years; after that he followed the carpenter trade for six years, and then spent a short time in Iowa. Coming back to Taylorsville, he succeeded J. T. Potts as a general merchant, but did not remain in business long, leaving it to engage in farming on a place that he traded the store for. On securing this home he married Levinia Hetherington, daughter of William Hetherington and descended from one of the pioneer families of the township. A year later they changed their home to the farm of 126 acres where they now reside, but have disposed of some of the land. They have one child, Eva Alice, wife of James Shannon, of Washington town- ship. Mr. Lewis is quite successful as a farmer and breeder of live stock, and is held in high esteem by his neighbors. For six years he has served as a member of the school board. He is a valued mem- ber of the Methodist church and in politics a Republican. He has made all the improvements now to be seen on his attractive property, and has one of the best equipped farms in that region. With a com-
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mendable spirit of enterprise he was one of the principal promoters of the Concord pike, No. 49, and Rural free delivery, No. 2, and he is one of the stockholders in the Merchants National bank of Hills- boro.
Christopher Lewis, proprietor of the famous farm in Penn town- ship known as Flora Vale, is the principal living representative of one of the oldest and most honorable families in Highland county. They came originally from Wales. According to the carefully pre- served records it was in the year 1682 that three brothers emigrated to America and fixed their abodes in different parts of the colonial settlements along the Atlantic coast. Two of them were lost to sight, so far as subsequent history is concerned, and it is not known whether they left descendants or what became of them. Evan Lewis, second in age of the trio, settled in Philadelphia and became the progenitor of the family subsequently so well known in the West. Among his children was a son named Jehu, born in 1723, who afterward settled in Chester county, Pa., and remained there until the close of that century, when he removed to Bedford county, Va. He married Alice, daughter of George and Hannah Maris, and their nine children were as follows: Jesse, born in 1750; James, in 1751; Elijah, in 1752 (these three died young) ; Joel, in 1755; Hannah, in 1757; Evan, in 1760; Jesse (named from the eldest, who died), in 1763; George, in 1765; Ann, in 1767. Jehu Lewis died in 1804 and his wife, who was born in 1726, died in 1820, both being buried in Friends' graveyard, Goose Creek meeting house, in Bedford county. Their son Joel, accompanied by his brothers Evan and Jesse and sister Ann, migrated to Ohio in 1814 and settled first on the Little Miami, near Millgrove, where he remained until 1822. In that year Joel removed to Highland county, where he purchased a farm in the southern part of what is now Penn township. March 9, 1786, he was married to Sarah, daughter of William and Esther Daniel, of Loudoun county, Va., and his four children were: Jehu, born in 1791, and died in 1875, at State Center, Iowa; Daniel, more fully noticed below ; Sarah, born in 1797 ; and a second daughter who died on day of birth in 1802. Joel Lewis died at his home in Penn town- ship November 30, 1829, after which his widow was tenderly cared for by her children and grandchildren until her death, which occurred June 23, 1840, in the eighty-second year of her age. Her remains were deposited in the cemetery of Clear Creek by the side of those of her husband which had been left eleven years before in the same place of final rest. Daniel Lewis, the second son of this pio- neer couple, was born in Bedford county, Va., in 1794, and after coming to Ohio with his parents in 1814, taught school several years in the counties of Warren, Clinton and Highland. In 1825 he bought of Gov. Allen Trimble the farm in the northwestern part of
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