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 55
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THE COUNTY OF HIGHLAND.
iam, Jane St. Clair, Rosa (who died in childhood), Mary, Ella, Augusta, Cyrus B., John A. (who died in carly manhood), Rod- ney T., and Alice M. . The two last named, who are residents of New Vienna, in Clinton county, are the only survivors of the fam- ily. Rodney T. Trimble was born in Hillsboro, Ohio, October 13, 1846, and was educated in the public schools, supplemented by pri- vate instruction under the tutelage of his brother. In 1866 he entered the Ohio Medical college and in 1867-68 attended lectures at the University of Pennsylvania, receiving a diploma from that famous institution with the class of 1868. Immediately after leav- ing college Dr. Trimble located for practice at Hillsboro and remained there until 1871. He then removed to New Vienna, Clin- ton county, which has since been his theater of operations and the central headquarters from which he has practiced his profession for more than thirty years. In December, 1896, Dr. Trimble was mar- ried to Emma, daughter of Dr. Samuel and Mary (Rogers) Smith, formerly of Oxford, Ohio, and later of Vincennes, Ind., her place of nativity being Highland county. The doctor is a member of the medical societies of Clinton and Highland counties, also the Miami Valley, State and American medical associations. He is promi- nently connected with many of the fraternities as will appear from the following list of his titles and memberships: past-master of New Vienna lodge, Free and Accepted Masons ; Hillsboro chapter, Royal Arch Masons; past eminent commander of Highland commandery, Knights Templar; member of Syrian temple of Cincinnati; Ancient Arabic Order Nobles of the Mystic Shrine; past grand of New Vienna lodge, No. 92, Independent Order of Odd Fellows; past chancellor of Charter Oak lodge, No. 311, Knights of Pythias ; mem- ber of Hillsboro lodge, Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks. Dr. Trimble's brother, Cyrus B., was a promising attorney until cut off in the flower of manhood by typhoid fever. His brother, John Alexander, was visiting with relatives in Virginia when the civil war opened and joined the Confederate army on the staff of General Imboden.
Sampson Turley, well known throughout the county for many years as one of the leading farmers of Brush Creek township, is a son of Sampson Turley, born in 1780 in South Carolina. The elder Sampson Turley moved to Virginia with his parents in boyhood and there married Catherine Shoemaker, a native of that state, where he lived for several years, going out during the war of 1812-15 as a soldier of the republic. In 1816 he moved with his wife and family to Brush Creek township, and in 1825 bought the farm of 223 acres where his son Sampson now resides. He was a man of industry and integrity and had more than ordinary success as a farmer, acquir- ing a comfortable estate, and living to the age of ninety-three years.
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His wife died at seventy-five. Their children were Mary, Margaret, Nancy, Jane, Hepzibah, Giles, all deceased; and Sampson, the sub- ject of this sketch, and James B., now residing in Kansas.
Sampson Turley, the younger, was born May 24, 1823, on the farm now owned by Owen Countryman, in Brush Creek township, receiving his education in the district school, and in early manhood married Eliza Taylor, a native of Loudoun county, Va. After the death of his father he became the owner of the old homestead, and at one time owned in all 362 acres. He has been nearly eighty years a resident of the township, and from his youth he has held the high esteem and confidence of his neighbors. In his church, the Metho- dist, he is an active worker, holding the office of trustee, and in pol- itics he adheres to the Republican party. Mrs. Turley died, after a long and useful life, February 10, 1899, but nearly all their chil- dren are living. These are: John M., whose home is in Paint township; Daniel C., of Brush Creek; Francis R., of Sinking Spring; A. J., of Brush Creek township; Sarah C., living at the old home; Alberta J., wife of William O. Setty, of Brush Creek town- ship; Flora L., deceased; and Harley C., of Brush Creek.
Willis A. Tway, one of the enterprising farmers and business men of Marshall township, is of Virginia parentage though a native Ohioan. His father, Levi Tway, married Catharine Glaze and came with her to the west in the first half of the nineteenth century. A few years later he died, leaving Willis A. as the only child of this union, but subsequently Mrs. Tway was married to Jacob Fultz, by whom she had nine children. Willis A. Tway was born June 23, 1857, while his parents were living in Fayette county, Ohio, and after he grew up worked on the farm for some years. November 28, 1880, he married Mary, daughter of Isaac and Elizabeth (Smith) Melson, and member of a well-to-do family. The parents of Isaac were Hiram and Elizabeth (Core) Melson, Virginians who settled in Pike county, Ohio, at an early date, and the brothers and sisters of Mrs. Tway were Samantha J., widow of Henry Glaze, of Indiana ; John J., who died in infancy; Clara, wife of Millard Kneisley, a farmer of Marshall township; James Walter, a farmer of Pike county ; Amanda, a millinery trimmer at Jackson Center; twins, who died in infancy; and Sarah Alice, housekeeper for her father. After his marriage Mr. Tway continued farming but also embarked in the milling business which he has since prosecuted extensively. He is senior member of the firm of Tway & Squiers, who own one hundred acres of timber land in North Carolina, where they have a portable mill. Besides the lumber they themselves cut, they buy the products of several other mills and ship to dealers in carload lots from a point in Tennessee. Mr. Tway owns a farm in Marshall township and his wife has 161 acres where they reside, one mile east
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THE COUNTY OF HIGHLAND.
of the town, this place being well improved with orchard, good build- ings and pleasant surroundings generally. Mr. and Mrs. Tway have four children : Zoe, born July 14, 1882, has developed good musical talent; Edward D., born July 14, 1884, is member of the Hillsboro high school class for the current session ; Ada K., born October 21, 1887, and Walter, born May 12, 1890, are pupils of the district school.
The Vance family has been identified with Highland county affairs from a very early period and the members of this widely diffused social connection include a strong element of the county's citizenship. William Vance, who was born in Fayette county, Pa., February 8, 1779, was married about 1800 to Rachel Minton, one of the neighboring girls of his native county. In one respect the record of this pioneer pair was unique and perhaps unequaled even in those days of fruitful marriages. They had twenty children, all of whom but two reached maturity, and one of them, Mrs. Margaret Vance, widow of Thomas Vance, is still living in Washington town- ship. William Vance died in Highland county in September, 1852, and his wife passed away January 12, 1867. Their son, Jacob Vance, who was born in Pennsylvania, September 18, 1806, came with his parents to Highland county in 1826. Before leaving his native state he married Lydia, daughter of Isaac and Nancy (Zerley) Conn. The Conns were also Pennsylvanians, who resided in Vir- ginia a while, and reached their new homes in Ohio about the same time that witnessed the advent of the Vances. Jacob Vance died September 10, 1885, and his wife, who was born October 16, 1814, survived until October 3, 1893. Their family, though not so numer- ous as that of the father's parents, was quite up to the standard in number as will appear from the appended list: William C., a farmer of Clinton county; Anna, who died about the age of forty years; Electa, widow of Col. Van. B. Hibbs; Isaac K., farming on part of the old homestead in Washington township; Lemuel W. and Griffith L., noticed more fully below; Clara E., wife of William C. Larkin, of Hillsboro; and three children who died in infancy. Griffith L. Vance, who resides upon the farm where his father first settled on coming to Ohio and remained until his death, was born in Highland county, Ohio, April 20, 1851, and had the usual diffi- culty of the farmers' boys in those days in procuring an education. By going to school in winter and assisting on the farm in summer he arrived at adult years with sufficient learning for business pur- poses, which he has since greatly increased by observation and read- ing. He lived single for forty years, and was regarded by his friends as a confirmed bachelor, but finally wisely concluded to take a wife and in June, 1891, was married to Lizzie, daughter of John Glaze, whose parents formerly resided one mile south of the Infirm-
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ary farm. Mrs. Vance's grandfather was one of the early pioneers of Highland county, born about 1776 and died in 1857. Mr. and Mrs. Vance lost their first child, Leslie, who died at an early age, but have one bright and promising boy whom they have named Lester G., born September 30, 1894. Lemuel W. Vance, another of the sons of Jacob and Lydia (Conn) Vance, was born in Hillsboro, Ohio, March 1, 1847, and was first married to Lucy Crow, of Fay- ette county, who died August 26, 1890. Unto this union were born Anna G., Clarence E., Emmitt G., and Lucy, all attending school in Highland county. January 26, 1898, Mr. Vance married Sarah E., daughter of Samuel and Nancy (Arledge) Edingfield, a highly respectable family of Highland county. William Arledge, the father of Nancy Edingfield, was born February 27, 1779, and his wife, whose maiden name was Sarah Bradley, was born June 12, 1784. They were parents of twelve children and came to Highland county in 1809. Mrs. Vance's mother died July 17, 1871, and her father June 3, 1892, their other children being William J., Eliza- beth A., Mary J., James H., John, Samuel, and Charles. Mrs. Vance is the youngest of the Edingfield family and a lady of many excellent traits of character. A notable event of August 27, 1902, was the reunion of the Vance family, at the grove of Griffith L. Vance. It was looked forward to with great interest by many mem- bers of the family, and on the day set a large attendance gratified the hospitable intentions of all concerned. The day was one long to be remembered and was thoroughly enjoyed as a famous social event. Year after year this reunion will be maintained, as an organization has been perfected for that purpose.
Isaac K. Vance, of Washington township, widely known as a suc- cessful farmer and worthy citizen, is a grandson of William Vance, mentioned in the foregoing sketch, who was born in Pennsylvania and there married Rachel Minton, a native of New Jersey and daughter of a soldier of the Revolution. They made their home in Pennsylvania until 1838, when they came to Highland county. Meanwhile they reared in Pennsylvania a large family, twenty chil- dren being born to them in all, of whom three died in infancy. The others were: Isaac, Thomas, Jacob, Davis, Minton, Brownfield, Lemuel, William, Margaret, Ruth, Comfort, Rebecca, Anna, Rachel, Mary, Mehitable, and Louisa, of whom the only one now living is Margaret, widow of Thomas Vance, of Washington township. The father lived to the age of seventy-five years and the mother to ninety- one. On coming to Highland county with his family William Vance bought 200 acres of land in Newmarket township, and to this he added other land, so that he left a large estate. He was a most worthy man, highly regarded by his neighbors, and one of the most devoted members of the Baptist church at Newmarket.
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THE COUNTY OF HIGHLAND.
Jacob Vance, son of William, was born in Fayette county, Pa., September 9, 1806, and was married in that state to Lydia Conn. Soon afterward they moved to Virginia, and from there in about 1839 came to Liberty township, Highland county, and bought a farm of 160 acres. He was a successful farmer and good business man, increased his land holdings to more than four hundred acres, and when he died at eighty years of age left a valuable estate, as well as the example of a useful and honorable life. He was one of the founders of the First Baptist church at Hillsboro, and for many years an active member. He and his wife, who died at seventy-five years of age, were buried in Hillsboro cemetery. Their children were: William, of Clinton county ; Anna, deceased ; Electa, widow of V. V. Hibbs; Isaac K., whose name heads this sketch; L. W., of Liberty township; Clara, of New Market township, and Griffith, on the old homestead.
Isaac K. Vance was born on the Liberty township farm Septem- ber 10, 1844, and remained there until about twenty-five years of age, when he went to Illinois as a sales agent. Two years later he returned to Highland county, and resumed the occupation of farm- ing, and married Amy D., daughter of John C. and Elizabeth Miller, of Concord township. They made their home for a few years, first in Washington township, and later in Newmarket, and then settled in Concord township. In 1886 he moved to his present home in Washington township, where he bought 101 acres. He is now the owner of 131 acres, which he devotes to farming and stockraising, and upon which he has built a modern and handsome home. He has served as a member of the school board for twelve years, and is a valued member of the First Baptist church of Hillsboro. By his first marriage Mr. Vance had three children: Hamer C., now living in Clinton county ; Harley G., of Liberty township, and Elmer M. Their mother died in 1880, and he subsequently wedded Damaris, daughter of Jacob Pennington, of Liberty township, and they have four children : Jacob P., Charles, LeRoy and Paul C.
Lem W. Vance, a prosperous farmer of Liberty township, is a son of Jacob Vance, a native of Pennsylvania, who married Lydia, daughter of Isaac Conn, of Virginia, and became a farmer in High- land county. They had seven children: William, living in Clinton county ; Anna, deceased ; Electa M., wife of Col. V. B. Hibbs, of Portsmouth, Ohio; I. K. Vance, of Highland county; Lem W., subject of this sketch ; Griffith L., Clara E., wife of William Larkin, and three who died in infancy. Lem W. Vance was born March 1, 1847, near Hillsboro, O., was educated in the public schools, and in early manhood was married to Lucy Crow, of Favette county, who died August 26, 1890, leaving four children: Anna G., Clarence E., Emmet G., and Lucy C. On January 26, 1898, Mr. Vance was
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married to Sarah E., daughter of Samuel and Nancy (Arledge) Edingfield. Mrs. Vance's father was a native of Pennsylvania, born October 15, 1806, and died in Highland county, Ohio, June 3, 1892. Her mother was born in Randolph county, N. C., January 18, 1805, and died in Highland county, Ohio, July 17, 1871. Her parents were William and Sarah (Bradley) Arledge, who located in Liberty township, Highland county, in 1809, where they passed the remainder of their lives. William Arledge was born February 27, 1779, and Sarah Arledge was born June 12, 1784. Mr. Vance has his home of fifty acres on the New Vienna pike, four miles north- west of Hillsboro, and he also owns a large farm south of Hillsboro on the West Union pike. He is one of the progressive and intelli- gent farmers of the county, and is held in high esteem by many friends. He and his wife are both active members of the Baptist church of Hillsboro.
Hugh S. Vance, prominent for many years as a teacher and holder of county offices, has been a factor in the educational and political circles of Highland county. His grandparents, Hugh and Margaret (Tedrick) Vance, were natives of Pennsylvania, where they reared a family of nine children. The only survivor is a son named Hugh, who went to California during the gold excitement in 1849 and is now a resident of Isleton, a town situated in the vicinity of Sacra- mento. George Vance, another son, was born at Uniontown, Penn., in 1825, and in early manhood married Lydia, daughter of William and Sarah (Harris) Wilson, with whom he subsequently migrated to Ohio and died at New Market in 1892. The children of this union were Hugh S., who is further noticed below; Robert C., an attorney in West Union, Ohio; Anna, who married J. D. VanWinkle, of New Market, and died in 1897; Dora, wife of Frank Lemon, a school teacher and resident of Hillsboro; and John O., a farmer of New Market township. Hugh S. Vance, eldest of the children, was born in Fayette county, Pennsylvania, February 20, 1856, and after pass- ing through the schools at New Market and Hillsboro determined to educate himself for the profession of teaching. With this view he entered the National Normal university at Lebanon, Ohio, and took a full course in the various departments of this excellent institution. After finishing there, Mr. Vance taught school about fifteen years and from 1882 to 1885 served as one of the school examiners for Highland county. In 1884, he was elected recorder of Highland county and after serving out his term was elected county surveyor in the fall of 1899. In the discharge of the duties of all these respon- sible positions, Mr. Vance showed himself to be a good business man as well as a conscientious and competent official in every respect. January 10, 1888, he was united in marriage with Hattie, daughter of Carey and Emma (Ridgway) Leaverton, names which recall
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early pioneer days in Highland county. Mrs. Vance's paternal grandfather, John F. Leaverton, was born in Guilford county, N. C., in 1812, came to Ohio with his father when five years of age and afterward became one of the leading farmers of Penn township. He had fourteen children, among the number being Carey, who married Emma Ridgway. The latter is a daughter of David H. and Jane Ridgway, who reside on the original family homestead at Samantha, and celebrated their golden wedding anniversary in October, 1898. The children of Mr. and Mrs. Vance are a son and a daughter. The birth of the former, whose name is George C., occurred May 31, 1889, a day made memorable by the great flood at Johnstown, Pa., in which over 4,000 people lost their lives. Jane R., the only daughter, was born August 21, 1890.
Oliver Dow Van Pelt, of Jackson township, widely known as a prosperous and worthy citizen, is a grandson of one of the pioneers of Adams county. His grandfather, Benjamin Van Pelt, was born in Tennessee, June 1, 1775, and was married there to Susannah Crosby, in August, 1793. Not long afterward the young couple sought the Ohio country for a home and settled in Adams county, where Benjamin Van Pelt was well known among the pioneers as a wheelwright, and also as an occasional preacher for the Methodist church. He was a man of wide influence, and one of the important figures of the early days of Adams county, where he lived twenty years, and after that in Highland county. He served his country, also, as a soldier of the war of 1812. His children were fourteen in number: Joseph A., Benjamin, John, Riley, Anna, Susannah, Nancy, Margaret, Mary, Elizabeth, Maria, Penina, Sarah and Lydia.
Joseph A., father of the subject of this sketch, was born in Adams county September 24, 1816, and on March 15, 1838, was married to Esther Foster, a native of Adams county. For some years they made their home in Adams county, and then removed to Highland and occupied the farm where Dow Van Pelt now lives. Joseph A. devoted much of his life to carpentering as well as farming, but he was embarrassed in his life work by illness, that almost kept him an invalid. Fourteen children were born to him and wife: Martha J., Melissa, Mary E., Anna, Maggie, Ella, May, Ida, John B., of whom the only survivors, Mary E., and Anna, reside with their brother, Dow; and William H., in Oregon; Andrew J., in Oklahoma ; Joseph R., in Kansas; James C., in Jackson township, and Oliver Dow, on the old homestead. The latter, as has been stated, occupied the old homestead in Jackson township, with two sisters, and manages the farm and livestock interests. He is a member of the Methodist church and a republican in politics, and his sisters are members of the Christian church. Dow Vanpelt was born June 23, 1861, and was an infant during the great civil war, but his elder brothers repre-
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sented the family in the ranks of the Union. John B. served, four years among the Ohio soldiers, and participated in several of the great battles, making a creditable record, and William H. and Andrew J., also did honorable service for the nation on the field of battle.
Ethan A. Walker, one of the leading citizens of Concord town- ship and prosperous as a farmer, is a grandson of one of the earliest settlers of the township. This ancestor, Elijah Walker, born in Rockbridge county, Va., in 1775, was married in Virginia to Mary Diehl, and with his brother Charles and their families came to Ohio in 1808 and settled in Concord township, where they bought 830 acres of the original patentees. When the war of 1812 came on, Elijah Walker enlisted for the defense of his country, and served as a private soldier, but he did not long survive this experience, dying at the age of forty-five years. His widow, however, lived to over seventy-eight years of age. Their children, Samuel, Catherine (who married Joseph Massie), Mary (who became Mrs. McDay), Martha (who married a Campbell), Rebecca (wife of Marshal J. Manker), Elizabeth (who married Hugh J. Hetherington), and John, George and Elijah, are all dead, but their descendants are found among the best families of the townships. Elijah, father of the subject of this sketch, was born on the farm now owned by L. D. Walker, May 27, 1810, was educated in the old log district school building lighted through greased paper windows, and when he had grown to manhood was married to Hannah J. Hamilton, a native of Adams county of Irish descent. Elijah Walker was an enterprising and successful man, owned three hundred acres of land, was the first owner of a portable sawmill in that part of the county, and was quite popular with his many acquaintances. He was one of the early opponents of slavery, in the days before the great war, aided in the work of the "underground railroad," and was a devoted member of the Free Soil party, before the formation of the Republican party, in which he and his sons have been prominent. He died at a little over fifty years of age, and was followed in five years by his wife, and the remains of both were interred in the family cemetery. The children born to them were Isabella, deceased; Samuel, deceased ; Ethan A .; Mary, widow of W. H. Dedrick, of Kansas; Matilda J., wife of P. Woolums, of Packwood, Ia .; Nelson J. of Kansas; Margaret A., wife of O. L. Marsh, of Packwood, Iowa, and John W., deceased. Ethan A. Walker was born on the farm where he now lives December 18, 1840, and lived there, receiving a district school education and aiding in the work of the farm, until after his father died, an event that made it impracticable for him to leave home during the early part of the war. Early in 1864, however, he entered the military service of his country as a member of the company of Capt. Rob-
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ert J. Hatcher, which became Company A, of the Hundred and Sixty-eighth regiment Ohio volunteer infantry. This was one of the regiments sent into Kentucky, and was engaged in battle with Gen. Jolın H. Morgan at Cynthiana, all being made prisoners. Mr. Walker, with his comrades, came back to Cincinnati on parole, from which they were released later and discharged September 8, 1864. On the 24th of the same month he re-enlisted in Company I of the Forty-first regiment, which he joined in Athens, Ala. Then followed active and dangerous duty during the invasion of Tennessee, by Hood's rebel army, and Private Walker had opportunity for gallant service in the great battles of Franklin and Nashville, as well as in a number of minor encounters. At the close of the war he was honor- ably discharged at Nashville, June 13, 1865, and returning home, he resumed the work of civil life. On September 28th, following his discharge he was married to Hannah J., daughter of John and Nancy Rotroff, of Adams county, and a few months later they occupied their present home, which, with the improvements since made, is one of the most convenient and attractive in the township. Mr. Walker is the owner of 250 acres of excellent land, is successful as a farmer, and enjoys the esteem and confidence of his neighbors, as is shown by his election as township clerk two terms, as township trustee four or five terms, and his service for about twenty-five years as member of the school board, and from 1890 to 1900 as land appraiser. He is a member of the Presbyterian church, of the Grand Army post at Sugartree Ridge, and in politics a Republican. He has ten children living: William C., a resident of Adams county; Eva, wife of John A. Long, of Concord township; John N .; Mollie, at home; Myrtle, wife of George Baker, of Concord; Maggie, wife of John Eyler, of Brown county; Elsie, wife of J. M. West, of Jackson township, and Linnie, Ida and Anna, at home.
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