The History of Miami County, Ohio, Part 110

Author: W. H. Beers & Co.
Publication date: 1880
Publisher:
Number of Pages: 1051

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ALLEN COPPOCK, farmer ; P. O. Pleasant Hill. Prominent among the farmers of Newton Township is the gentleman whose name heads this sketch ; he is a descendant of a worthy family of early pioneers of this county, and son of Joseph C. Coppock, whose sketch appears in another part of this work; he was born in 1838, on the place where he now resides, and which has always been his place of abode, with the exception of about six years ; his life has always been that of a farmer, which, by industry and good business habits, he has made an eminent suc- cess. His nuptials with Miss Maria Furnas were celebrated in 1865 ; she is the daughter of Joseph Furnas ; after the marriage of Mr C., he located in the northeast quarter of Sec. 29, where he remained a period of six years, and then moved to his pres- ent farm ; he operates a farm of 300 acres, two-thirds of which is arable and under a good state of improvement ; Mr. and Mrs. C. were the parents of six children, four sons and two daughters ; two children are dead.

D. M. COPPOCK, farmer; P. O. Pleasant Hill ; he is a son of Ben- jamin Coppock, and grandson of Benjamin J., Sr., who was one of a family of nine children, who came from Newberry District, S. C. about the year 1800 ; he settled two miles west of Ludlow Falls, Union Township, where he raised a family of ten children. He married Susan Jay, in South Carolina, and they both lived to an advanced age; Benjamin J., Jr., had three chil- dren-Ellwood, D. M. and Almeda; the parents still survive, residing with our subject, who was born Dec. 29, 1841, in Union Township, and raised to farm labor, and, aside from common schools, was educated in the select schools of the Friends, and was raised a Quaker ; he is now a member of the Christian Church and highly respected in the community in which he lives ; he is a member of the

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A .. F. & A. M. Lodge, of Pleasant Hill. He married Jane, daughter of J. Fur- nass Jay, who died Jan. 17, 1879, leaving nine children ; she was a good Christian woman, and a member of the Christian Church.

H. B. CRUMRINE, miller, Pleasant Hill ; he was born in Darke Co. in 1855, and is the son of Jacob and Susannah Crumrine; Jacob C. was born in Montgomery Co. in 1811 ; he was the eighth child of a family of eleven children, whose father was Peter C. ; he was a native of Greene Co., Penn., and immigrated to Ohio in 1806 or 1807, and located on Wolf Creek, in Montgomery Co. He was married to Elizabeth Ringer ; Peter C. pioneered his way into Darke Co., and settled in German Town- ship in 1818; in this vicinity he and his wife passed the remainder of their days, he dying in 1860 at the age of 862 years, and she about 1858, at the age of 82 years ; the subject of this sketch has made farming his life occupation ; he lived in Darke Co. until 1873, when he moved to his present place and purchased the Sugar Grove Mill, which he has since been operating ; at the time of purchase, there was attached to it a saw-mill, but in February, 1879, the two were burned down ; they have since been replaced by a large, fine flouring-mill, with the latest improve- ments ; he is a minister of the Congregational Brethren Church of Pleasant Hill. He was married to Susanah Kunkle, of Pennsylvania, a daughter of Michael and Mary Kunkle, early settlers of Darke Co. ; they have had eight sons and four daughters, three of whom have died. The subject of this sketch lived on a farm till 1873, when he came to his present place, and has since been operating his father's mill.

STEPHEN DAY, farmer ; P. O. Bradford ; was born in Knox Co., Ohio, in 1840. William M. Day, his father, one of a family of four sons and one daughter, was born near Cincinnati, Hamilton Co .; he was a cabinet-maker by trade, but devoted the last twenty years of his life to farming. He was married to Margaret Trimble, of Knox Co., and by her had four sons and three daughters. His death occurred March 28, 1878, and his wife died the 16th of April of the same year. Stephen has made farming his life occupation ; he remained at home till he grew up to maturity, receiving his education in the common schools. In 1862, he came to this State, and in 1864, entered the army as a member of the 147th O. N. G. ; after serving his time out in this regiment he enlisted in 2d Ohio Heavy Artil- lery, and was identified with the Army of the Tennessee till the close of the war. After returning home, he finally located, in 1868, on Section 3, Range 4, of this township. His farm consists of eighty acres, on which he has established a large cider-mill of the most modern style; it has a capacity of 100 barrels per day (see card in directory). Mr. D. identifies himself with the Republican party ; his father was a strong Anti-slavery man, and used his utmost efforts to crush out slavery. Mr. Day was married February, 1866, to Jennie Maxwell, of this county, a daughter of Samuel Maxwell, an early settler. Two sons have been born to this union-William M. and Orrion O.

D. W. DE BRA, painter; Pleasant Hill. Among the business men of Pleas- ant Hill deserving of notice is Mr. De Bra; he comes of early settlers of the town- ship. His father, Daniel De Bra, was born in Huntingdon Co., Penn., in 1812, and when 2 or 3 years old, was brought to this State by his parents ; they camped first on the present site of the town of Pleasant Hill ; they died soon after coming here with milk sickness. Daniel was a cabinet-maker and passed the remainder of his life in Newton Township. He was married to Mary Langsten, of Preble Co., Ohio ; she was born in 1815 and still survives. Daniel died in 1844. The subject of this sketch was born Oct. 9, 1843, and his early days were passed in the village of Pleasant Hill. Early in the progress of our late civil war, he enlisted as a member of the 110th O. V. I., Co. G, and participated in all the hard-fought battles which this regiment engaged in till the fight of the Wilderness; here, while at his post of duty, he received a wound which disabled him so that he was unfit for any more active duty ; after passing some time in different hospitals, he was honorably discharged at Cleveland, Ohio, on the 6th of February, 1865, having been in the service over two years. Mr. De Bra finds expression for his political creed in the

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Republican party, and, although not a politician in the true sense, he was recently elected to the office of Township Treasurer, and is now the present incumbent of this office. He is a worthy member of the following orders : F. & A. M. and I. O. O. F. Lodges of Pleasant Hill. His maternal grandparents were natives of North Carolina, and were early settlers of Union Township. His grandmother died a few years ago at the advanced age of 96 years. He has been married twice ; first to Elizabeth Pearson in 1873 ; she died Jan. 22, 1875. He was married the second time, May 4, 1876, to Eliza Graybill, of. Juniata Co., Penn. Two children, Charles Earl and Nellie, have been the issue of this union.

J. B. DEETER, farmer ; P. O. Pleasant Hill ; was born on his present place in 1854, and is the son of John S. Deeter, who was born in Preble Co., Ohio, in 1813 ; he was a son of David Deeter. John S. was a farmer by occupation, and at different times owned and operated the Sugar Grove Grist-Mill. He was married in 1831 or 1832 to Sarah Reed, born in Virgina in June, 1812. Of their family of four sons and three daughters, two sons have died ; one, David, lost his life in the United States service at Murfreesboro, Tenn., in 1862 ; he was a member of the 94th O. V. I. Isaac died in October 1867. John S. died in 1872, a faithful member of the German Baptist Church. He located on Section 7, about 1835. J. B. is the youngest of the family, and has devoted his life to farming ; his early education was limited to the common school ; his energy and industry, directed by his skill, has made his career as a farmer a success ; he finds his religious creed in the German Baptist Church, of which he and his wife are consistent members, and in which he has held the office of Deacon since he was 22 years old. He was married in October, 1873, to Angie Younce, of Union Township ; she was born in November, 1854, and is the daughter of Larkin Younce. A son and daughter have been the issue of this union.

FRED DEETER, cabinet-maker and undertaker, Pleasant Hill ; was born May 8, 1834, within the present limits of Pleasant Hill ; is a son of Jacob and Elizabeth (Reed) Deeter, and grandson of David Deeter, an early settler ; Jacob was a farmer by occupation, and made his first location from home on Sec. 17, Newton Township, where he passed the remainder of his life, his death occurring Nov. 22, 1865, and that of his devoted wife a few years later ; of his family of five sons and five daughters, all grew up to maturity but one; seven still survive. Our subject was the fourth child of the family, and lived on the farm till 19 years old, when he went to learn the cabinet trade under the tutorship of his brother S. R .; in about two years, he formed a partnership which lasted till 1862, when he pur- chased the whole interest and added to it carpentering, undertaking and painting; he has since carried on cabinet work and undertaking, and, by his careful attention to business, has enjoyed gratifying success ; in May, 1873, be formed a partner- ship with his brother Isaac ; the year previous to this, he united in partnership with Groff & Aspinwall in the tile factory, but soon purchased the whole interest; since 1873, he has been operating the factory, cabinet and undertaking business, under the firm style of F. & I. Deeter; their large and increasing trade bears evi- dence of the quality of their work, their integrity and good management. In politics, Mr. Deeter is a Republican ; in 1870, he was elected to the office of Township Treasurer, to which position he was elected for ten consecutive years, and the duties of which he discharged with commendable zeal and satisfaction to the public ; he has also been School Director, and member of the Town Council and of the Board of Education ; he is a member of the A., F. & A. M. and I. O. O. F. of Pleasant Hill, and Encampment of West Milton, and, with his wife. & member of the Christian Church. He has been married twice, first on Nov. 22, 1855, to Emily Riffle, of Darke Co., Ohio, who was born Aug. 8, 1841, and died March 4, 1860, leaving two daughters-Martha J., born Aug. 23, 1856, and Sarah E., born Feb. 24, 1858; a son died in infancy ; his second marriage was on April 18, 1861, to Lydia J., daughter of Joseph Pearson ; three daughters have been the issue of this marriage-Dora D., born March 19, 1862 ; Harriet Armina, born Nov. 22, 1863, and Nellie, born Feb. 11, 1876. Lydia J. Pearson was born in

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Newton Township March 20, 1840; she began teaching school at the age of 17, and continued at it for four years, teaching nine months out of each year ; she is of Quaker parentage, and a direct descendant of Thomas Macy, who was the first white settler of Nantucket Island, in 1658, and who forms the subject of a poem by John G. Whittier, entitled "The Exiles ;" the line of descent is as follows ; Thomas Macy, John, Thomas, Joseph, Paul, Paul, Lydia, Lydia J. Pearson ; she is also a direct descendant of Peter Folger, the maternal grandfather of Benjamin Franklin, the line of descent being as follows : Peter Folger, Johanna, John Cole- man, Eunice Coleman, Bethia Coleman, who married Paul Macy, the great-grand- father of Lydia J. Pearson. Joseph Pearson, one of the early pioneers of New- ton Township, was born in Newberry District, S. C., in 1800, and is the son of Benjamin and Esther (Furness) Pearson, both natives of South Carolina, and of English descent ; Benj. immigrated to Ohio with his family in 1805, and halted till the fall of 1806 in Warren Co., whence he pioneered his way to Miami Co., locating within the present limits of Newton Township ; he was a farmer by occu- pation, and passed his remaining days in Newton Township, his death occurring March, 1844, his wife dying about eleven years previous. Joseph was reared on a farm, and has made farming his life occupation ; he remained at home till he was 28 years old, having after his majority accumulated some money, with which he purchased a quarter-section near the homestead ; on this he moved in October, 1828, and resided till April, 1862, when he moved to his present place in Pleasant Hill; he has witnessed the changes wrought in this country by the unflagging industry of man, for seventy-four years ; Mr. P. still survives at the ripe age of 80 years, with his physical and mental powers remarkably well preserved ; he is a member of the A., F. & A. M. of Pleasant Hill ; he is a man esteemed for his many sterling characteristics. He has been married twice, first to Lydia Macy, who died April 7, 1846, leaving ten children-Allen (now deceased). Phebe (deceased), Robert, Panl (deceased), Esther (deceased), Eunice, Lydia J., Charles, Seth and Levi; his second marriage was with Mary Patty, daughter of Richard and Anna Brandon, Nov. 10, 1846.

C. H. DEETER, blacksmith, Pleasant Hill; born in Newton Township in 1841 ; is a son of Daniel and Mary A. (Hoke) Deeter ; his early life was devoted to farming and attending school. In September, 1861, he enlisted in the 1st O. V. C., and December following, was sworn in as member of the 11th O. V. I., at Camp Dennison ; he was in many hard-fought battles, viz., Frederick City and South Mountain, Md., Chickamauga, Mission Ridge, Buzzard Roost, Resaca, and many others ; he served in Virginia, Maryland, Tennessee and Georgia. Among his Gen- erals were Mcclellan and Rosecranz. When his regiment was mustered out he remained in the service, working on the National Cemetery, at Chattanooga, until Dec. 3, 1864, when he was mustered out of service, having served over three years. Returning home, he completed his education and taught school. In 1867, he com- menced his trade, which he has since successfully followed. In February, 1867, married Sophronia Ward, born in Hocking Co. in 1847 ; they have six children living. Mr. D., while leaning toward the Republican party, exercises his judg- ment, and votes for men best qualified for the different positions.

M. DEETER, farmer ; P. O. Covington ; was born in this county and township Jan. 31, 1821, and is one of the few remaining early-born citizens of the township ; his father, David Deeter, a Pennsylvanian by birth, emigrated to this county in early times ; he was one of the pioneer ministers of the German Baptist Church. He was married to Elizabeth Stultzman, and reared fifteen children, all of whom grew up to maturity and were married. The subject of this sketch is the youngest of the family ; his boyhood and youth were passed on the farm, thus acquiring a knowledge and experience in agriculture which have served him well through life; has made stone-cutting and stone masonry his chief occupation, op- erating, at the same time, his farm ; he has, with the exception of about six years, lived on his present place, which is the place of his nativity ; he lived about three years near Union City, Ind., and three years at the Sugar Grove Mill, which he

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.operated ; Mr. Deeter has on his farm an extensive limestone quarry, which he has operated for a number of years, turning out a vast amount of stone of the best quality ; he is now engaged in sinking a shaft to the depth of thirty or more feet, for the purpose of operating a fine marble stone which is supposed to exist there. Mr. Deeter is a man of many sterling characteristics, unimpeachable in his busi- ness transactions, and industrious. He finds his religious creed in the Congrega- tional Brethren Church, of which he has been a member since its organization, and now holds a deaconship in the same. He has been married twice; first to Frances Eller, in 1842 ; she was born Nov. 8, 1821, and was the daughter of Henry Eller, an early settler of the county ; her death occurred March 6, 1865; six sons and two daughters were the issue of this first union, one son of whom is dead ; the youngest of this family is now 16 years old. His second marriage was with Mary Fowler, nee Teeter, a native of Pennsylvania ; three children have been born to this union.

R. E. DEETER, farmer ; P. O. Covington. The subject of this sketch is the son of John R. Deeter, who was one of the early settlers of this township ; he was born on the place where he lived most of his life, and died on Jan. 19, 1816; he was brought up to farm labor, and farming was his life occupation. He was mar- ried twice ; first to Mary Harden, Sept. 27, 1835; she was born March 17, 1812, and died in 1844 ; four children were the issue of this union, two of whom are dead; his second marriage was with Maria Maurer, Sept. 26, 1845 ; she is a Pennsyl- vanian by birth, and reared in Ohio ; she was only 1 year old when her parents located in Darke Co., Ohio ; fifteen children were born to this union, eight of whom are living. After his first marriage he moved to Darke Co., where he remained till about 1850, when he returned to the old homestead, it being a part of the land which his father entered in an early day, being the south part of Sec. 5, Newton Township. Mr. Deeter was a man of integrity in all his business relations, and his life was made admirable by his uprightness and Christian spirit. He was identi- fied as a faithful member of the German Baptist Church. His death occurred in September, 1877, at the age of 61 years.

A. H. DEETER, farmer ; P. O. Covington ; was born in Newton Township in 1847 ; he is the son of John Deeter, a Pennsylvanian by birth, who immigrated to Ohio in 1805, and located on Wolf Creek, in Montgomery Co .; he moved, in 1812, to this township, and located on southwest quarter of Sec. 8; here he lived till his death, in 1828. He married Susannah Stover, of Pennsylvania, by whom he had a family of six sons and five daughters ; she died in 1851. A. H. Deeter was the fifth child of the family ; he moved to his present place, located on Sec. 8, in 1838. He was married, in 1838, to Mary A. Hoke, a native of Juniata Co., Penn. ; they have had three sons and one daughter, all of whom still survive; the subject of this sketch was reared on a farm ; he remained at home, attending the district school and doing duty on the farm until he attained his majority ; at the age of 21 years, he moved on to a farm near the homestead, and at the end of three years removed to the home place ; in three years he settled on his present place. He was married in the spring of 1868 to Angeline Myers, of this township; four children have been born to this union, one of whom died in infancy. Mr. Deeter finds expression for his politics in the Republican party.

JACOB DRIVER, farmer ; P. O. Pleasant Hill ; was born in York Co., Penn., Sept. 16, 1828 ; his father, Jacob, was born in York Co., Penn., where he passed his entire life, his death occurring in 1855. He was married to Mary Strickler, of York Co., who was born in 1800, and died in 1874; they had three daughters and two sons, all of whom still survive. The subject of this sketch is the fourth child of the family. He remained at home till shortly after the death of his father, when he found his way into Juniata Co .; from there, in 1860, he took up his journey westward, and located in Covington, Miami Co. After one year's residence here, he moved to Darke Co., near Union City, where he remained two years, and returned to this county ; and after a temporary stay of about one year in Coving- ton, he moved to Henry Deeter's farm. In 1867, he purchased his present place,

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consisting of 80 acres ; he has cleared nearly one-half of it. He finds his religious . creed in the " Brethren in Christ" Church. He was married in Pennsylvania in 1858 to Frances Moist, of Juniata Co. Her parents still live in her native place. Four daughters and three sons have been born to this union, one son dying in infancy.

ABRAHAM FACKLER, farmer ; P. O. Pleasant Hill. One of the early settlers of this section of country is the gentleman whose name heads this sketch. He was born in 1803 in Huntingdon Co., Penn., and came to this township in 1817, locating on his present place. He was married in 1826 to Miss Hepzibah Inman, a native of this township, born in 1811. She is a daughter of Asa Inman, a native of South Carolina. He was married to Miss Mary Coppock, a native of North Caro- lina. In 1807 or 1808, Mr. Inman, with his family, bade farewell to the "Sunny South," and took up his march for the wilds of Ohio, then considered the " Far West." He found a location within the present limits of Newton Township, on the northeast quarter of Sec. 30, where he toiled the better part of his life. His death occurred at the advanced age of upward of fourscore years. He is buried in the Harris Creek Cemetery. Mr. and Mrs. Fackler are the parents of nine children, six daughters and three sons, all grown up and married but two. Abraham Fackler is the son of George F., who was born in Dauphin Co., Penn., from which county he moved to Huntingdon Co., and from there to Ohio in 1817, locating on Sec. 29 in Newton Township. He brought with him a family of six children, leaving one in the East. Of these, three live in Newton Township, and one, the youngest, in Covington. Mr. Fackler died soon after coming here. In August, 1819, he was married to Miss May Nisonger, who survived her husband many years, dying at an advanced age.

HENRY F. FAVORITE, deceased ; was born in Monroe Township, Miami Co., near Tippecanoe, June 10, 1832; he was a descendant of Abraham Favorite, of Maryland, and Eve Long, of Virginia ; Abraham Favorite was a pioneer settler of this county, coming here just previous to the war of 1812, in which struggle he served as a teamster. He was married twice; first to Elizabeth Swihank, of a family of early settlers ; nine children were the issue of this union, five of whom grew up to maturity ; Eve Long, his second wife, comes from a distinguished family of pioneers of Greene Co .; there were ten children in the family ; three of the sons became ministers of the Gospel-two in the German Reformed and one in the M. E. Church; Abraham Favorite was by profession an agriculturist; he was born in 1786 and died in 1848 ; his wife, Eve, was born in 1798 and died May 9, 1878 ; three sons and three daughters were born to this second union, all living but the subject of this sketch; he was the second child of this family, and was reared on the farm of his nativity until he arrived at his majority ; in 1864, he purchased a farm in Concord Township and moved to it ; this place he cultivated for five years, and then disposed of it; in a few months, he purchased the present place, where he passed the remnant of his days, his death occurring April 30, 1877. Mr. Favor- ite was admired for his many sterling virtues ; although not committed to any re- ligious creed, he practiced the principles of Christianism in his intercourse with the world ; in all his transactions with his fellow-men, integrity was the ruling ele- ment; he was an active member of the Patrons of Husbandry, and a charter mem- ber of the Pleasant Hill Lodge; his death brought a loss to the community in which he lived, as well as an irreparable one to the family which he left behind. He was married Nov. 22, 1862, to Carrie Byrkett, of this county, near Tippecanoe ; her father, Abraham Byrkett, was a native of North Carolina, and is still living in Monroe Township, whither he had immigrated at an early day ; he was married to Mary Chrisman, of Virginia, a descendant of early settlers of this county; her father's house was the home of the pioneer Methodist ministers ; her death oc- curred Feb. 11, 1872, lamented by all who knew her. Nine children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Byrkett-seven daughters and two sons, three of whom died when very young. Four daughters were born to Mr. and Mrs. Favorite, all of whom are still living with their mother.

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S. B. FRESHOUR, farmer and teacher ; P. O. Covington; was born in Shelby Co., Ohio, in 1834, and is the son of George and Mary (Byrkett) Freshour ; Geo. F. was born in Berkeley Co., Va, in 1808; he moved to Ohio in 1831 and located, in 1833, in Shelby Co., but in 1839 moved to Newton Township, on Sec. 10; in 1866, be removed to Newberry Township, where he still resides; he was married in 1833, to Mary Byrkett, of Union Township, who was born in 1818, and comes of early settlers ; she died in 1848, leaving three sons and two daughters. S. B. is the oldest child, and was reared to farm labor ; he improved his meager educa- tional advantages, and, at the age of 21, was qualified to enter the profession of teaching, which he has since followed (with the exception of four years), during the winter months; he attended school considerably previous to the war, and after, he began teaching at leisure times ; at the first call for men to suppress the late rebellion, Mr. F. enlisted in the 11th O. V. I .; at the expiration of his three-months enlistment he returned home, staying until the spring of 1864, when he went out again as a member of the 147th O. N. G., and served 100 days, which closed his military career. He is a Republican in politics, and is a member of the Christian Church. He married, in 1862, Elizabeth Langston, of Union Township, daughter of Leonard Langston ; of his three sons and three daughters, two sons and one daughter have died. Mr. Freshour takes a great interest in the education of his children, and his son has lately graduated from the high school of Covington.

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The History of Miami County, Ohio, Part 110

Author: W. H. Beers & Co. Publication date: 1880 Publisher: Number of Pages: 1051

Author: W. H. Beers & Co.
Publication date: 1880
Publisher:
Number of Pages: 1051