The History of Miami County, Ohio, Part 111

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

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JOSEPH FURNAS, retired farmer ; P. O. Pleasant Hill; was born Aug. 8, 1809, on the farm where he now resides. His family was derived from England. In 1142, there was an Abbey founded in the north of England in the Furness name, and quite a house of them established a colony in Cumberland and North Cumber- land Cos. and were possessed of land in the year mentioned. The elder branch of the family, without much increase or diminution of property, still adhere to the "old sod;" from these the Furnases of this country do not blush to descend. John Fur- ness, grandfather of Joseph, was born Jan. 1, 1735, near Standing Stone Monthly Meeting House. Married Mary Wilkinson, of Wigton, March 24, 1762; emigrated to America about 1763 or 1764 ; settled in South Carolina. William Furnas, son of John and Mary, and father of Joseph, born in South Carolina, May 29, 1775. Married Rachel Nesby, of that State. Emigrated to Miami Co. in October, 1806. Like most youths of early days, Joseph Furnas' education was neglected, but he was early taught the use of hands and brains. Sept. 15, 1834, he married Marga- ret Spencer of South Carolina, a lady of Scotch parentage. The fruits of this union were seven children, four of whom are living, three daughters and one son. Mr. F. is now in his 71st year, and is probably the only man in the county who, starting from early manhood with no pecuniary aid, has purchased and maintained the old homestead intact for that period of years. Of a retiring, unassuming disposition, he never sought preferment of any kind. He early learned that the man who dis- tances his competitors is he who masters his business, who preserves his integrity, who pays his debts, who lives within his income, and who gains friends by deserv- ing them.

"Go search it there, where to be born and die, Of rich or poor make all the history."

CARY FURNAS, (deceased); was born in Newberry District, S. C. June 19, 1803. His father, William Furnas, located on northeast quarter of Sec. 28, in Newton Township, in October, 1806. Here Cary was reared. He made his first location just south of the homestead, and, at the end of six years, in 1832, he located on Sec. 2, where his death occurred, at the age of 69. He married Matilda Leavell in 1825. Of the six children born to this union, two died in infancy, and one lives, at the age of 33. Matilda is the daughter of Robert and Sarah (Perry) Leavell. Robert was born Oct. 22, 1780, in South Carolina, and, in 1805, came to this State; in 1807 or 1808, he located on Panther Creek, in Newton Township, where he established the first home in that part of the township; in 1812, he moved, with his family, south of West Milton ; during the war of 1812, he served as a teamster, and at close of war returned to his farm on Panther Creek, where

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his death occurred at the age of 87. He took a great interest in the welfare of his country, and voted at every Presidential election from his majority till his death. His wife, Sarah, died March 31, 1864, aged 82 years. He had a family of four sons and four daughters ; the daughters still survive.

DAVID GUMP, farmer; P. O. Pleasant Hill ; was born in Bethel Township, this county, in March, 1834 ; his father, Daniel Gump, was born in Maryland, and his mother, Margaret Studabaker, in Pennsylvania ; Daniel came to this State when a young man, and his death occurred in Bethel Township about ten years ago ; his wife survived him till Feb. 18, 1879 ; Daniel had a family of seven sons and two daughters, all of whom grew up, married, and still survive, with the exception of one daughter. The subject of this sketch, who is the seventh child of the family, was educated in the common schools ; farming has always been his occupation, and his farm, with its neat and thrifty appearance, indicates that he understands his business ; his life, to maturity, was passed under the parental roof, performing his share of the duties of the farm; he made his first location in Montgomery Co., near Harrisburg; afterward he returned to his native township, and April 14, 1865 (the day Lincoln was killed), he moved to his present place, first renting, and, after a year or so, purchasing it. He was married, in November, 1858, to Catherine Huffer, of Montgomery Co., born six miles west of Dayton ; her death occurred May 18, 1878, aged 39 years ; she was a faithful member of the German Baptist Church ; she left a son and daughter-Edward, born Dec. 19, 1862, Minna Belle, born Nov. 22, 1868 ; three children died-William, born Nov: 5, 1859, Clara, born in 1870, and another in infancy; Mr. Gump is a connected with the German Baptist Church, of which he is a consistent member ; he is sociable, affable and upright in all his business transactions.

JOHN HALE, farmer; P. O. Toy ; was born in Jefferson Co., Ohio, May 3, 1819; he is of English extraction, his ancestry emigrating from England at an early day ; he is the son of John Hale, Sr., a native of Maryland, who was born about 1775, and was married to Miss Martha Mays ; he emigrated to Ohio in 1812, and settled in Jefferson Co .; just previous to emigrating, and when he had every- thing ready for the journey, he was conscripted for the war of 1812; he was placed on duty at Baltimore for a short time, when he was released; he immedi- ately came to this State; his occupation was farming ; in the spring of 1837, he came to this county, locating on the farm where our subject now resides ; eight acres con- stituted the cleared land on his farm, and almost an unbroken wilderness surrounded him ; the whole was in a swampy condition, and much hard labor was demanded to fit it for agriculture ; here Mr. Hale toiled till 1852, when death released him from the bonds of this life ; his devoted wife survived him about seven years ; he reared a family of seven children-five daughters and two sons. Our subject is the young- est of this family, and was reared on the farm ; to his lot fell the filial duty of car- ing for his parents in their decline of life; this duty he discharged faithfully till their death, when he fell heir to the homestead, then consisting of 80 acres; he has since added 100 acres more. His nuptials were celebrated with Miss Susan Need- ham Dec. 7, 1862; she was born April 19, 1839, in Preble Co., Ohio; Mr. and Mrs. Hale are the parents of six children, three of whom are deceased; the living are Blanche, Louis and Della ; Mr. and Mrs. H. are faithful members of the Prot- estant Episcopal Church, of Concord Township, and are living exemplary lives.

ISAAC HALL, farmer ; P. O. Pleasant Hill ; one of the few early settlers of Miami Co. ; was born in Newberry District, S. C., near Newberry Court House in 1806, Jan. 19 ; his father was Amos Hall, of South Carolina, and his mother, Sarah, daughter of Marmaduke Coate; he landed in Ohio the 1st of March, 1807, having been six weeks on the journey ; he located in Union Township, on land now owned by David Ellenman ; here he died at the advanced age of 84 years, at his son-in- law's, Millen North. Sarah, his wife, died previously, at the same place; they reared a family of nine sons and five daughters. The subject of this sketch is the fifth child of the family, and the oldest surviving member ; his education was acquired when the imperfect subscription system was in vogue, and consequently

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his early advantages were limited ; he helped his father on the farm till majority, when he moved to his present farm in November, 1827 ; it was then all in the woods, and required much hard labor, with many sacrifices, to make out of it a home ; but this Mr. Hall accomplished by bis unflagging industry ; he lived on the land seven years before he could raise sufficient money to enter it; it then consisted of 80 acres, but he now has in his possession nearly 250 acres; he comes from a vigor- ous and industrious stock, and has nobly contended with the difficulties and hard- ships incident to frontier life ; he is a self-made man, his present competence being wholly the result of his own industry and skill, assisted by his noble wife; his life has been an exemplary one, inoffensive, upright and generous ; in religion, he is with the Christian denomination ; in politics, he is Republican; he was origi- nally a Whig, and cast his first vote for Henry Clay. He has been married three times, first to Anna Hayworth, daughter of James Hayworth, an early pioneer; she was born in 1809, and died in 1849 ; five sons and five daughters were the issue of this union. His second marriage was with Catherine Lowry, nee Rodehamel, of this Township, who was born in 1804, and died in 1863. For his third wife he married Maria Clem in 1864, a native of Maryland, born near Harper's Ferry.

JOSEPH C. HAYWORTH, farmer ; P. O. Laura ; was born July 18, 1817, in this township ; he is the son of James and Ann (Coppock) Hayworth, who had a family of sixteen children, fourteen of whom grew up and reared families. James emigrated to Ohio in 1806, and located on Sec 29 ; after residing here for a time, he purchased a farm on Sec. 34 ; here he died in 1828, at the age of 54 years ; his wife died September, 1870, at the age of 90 years. The subject of this sketch has followed farming as a life occupation, with success, as his present possessions at- test ; his father dying when he was yet a small boy, he was bound out for a short time, and then was thrown upon his own resources ; after working some four or five years he went to Clay Co., Ind., remained four years, and returned to his na- tive place ; in 1845, he purchased his present place. Mr. H. was one of the expert hunters of Newton Township in the pioneer period of its existence, and much wild game has been brought down by the well-directed aim of his rifle ; he killed & bear near his present place as late as 1839. He has been married twice; first to Elizabeth Coate, by whom he had a family of twelve children, four of whom are now dead. His second marriage was with Victoria Gall, Aug. 29, 1874; she was born in Germany in 1845; they have one child. Mr. H. was reared in the Friends' Church, and is now identified with it.

BENJAMIN HELLMAN, farmer; P. O. Pleasant Hill ; was born in Rock- ingham Co., Va., in 1812, and is the son of Jacob and Fannie (Stickela) Hellman, the former of Pittsburgh, Penn., and the latter a native of Virginia. Fannie Stick- ela's father emigrated from Germany, and located in Rockingham Co., Va., at an early day. Jacob Hellman emigrated to this State in 1835, and located with his family on the northwest part of Sec. 2, Newton Township ; here he and his devoted wife passed the remainder of their lives, he dying at the advanced age of 96 or 97 years, and she dying the same year, at the remarkable age of 103 or 104 years. They reared a family of five sons and three daughters, of which the subject of this sketch is the fourth child. He was brought up on a farm, and has devoted his life to agriculture ; not having the advantages of common schools, he adopted & method of self-culture, and thus acquired a fair education ; he came to this State with his parents, and, in connection with one of his brothers, purchased the land on which the family settled ; soon after this, he purchased his present place, and on these two farms he has resided since coming into the county. He finds his political creed in the Democratic party. He was married to Mary Casper, and has a family of six sons, all living, and located near the homestead.

JOHN HELMICK, farming ; P. O. Pleasant Hill ; was born in Miami Co., Monroe Township, in 1840, and comes of the early settlers of this county ; he is the son of Jacob and Catherine (Younce) Helmick ; Jacob Helmick was born in Montgomery Co., near Salem, July 30, 1817 ; his parents were John Helmick and Susannah Knife, both of Fayette Co., Penn .; his father was a tanner by trade, and

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an early settler of this county. He had a family of five sons and two daughters. Jacob Helmick was raised a farmer and has made farming his life occupation, which he followed till 1858, in Monroe and Concord Townships ; at this latter date, he moved to Newton Township, where he still resides. His marriage with Catherine Younce was in 1837. By this union they have had fourteen children, eight sons and six daughters ; one son and three daughters have died. Catherine Younce is the daughter of Philip Younce, one of the pioneer ministers in the German Baptist Church ; he was born in South Carolina in 1793, and died in Miami Co. in 1865 ; he came to this county when about 25 years old, and located in the woods in Union Township. He had a family of ten children, two sons and two daughters still sur- vive ; four of his sons became ministers; three of the German Baptist Church, and one of the Disciples. The subject of this sketch is the oldest son of the family ; reared a farmer, he has made the pursuit of agriculture his life vocation, and by his industry and good management has been successful; he received only a limited common-school education, as he was the oldest of the family, and was much detained at home on the farm ; he made his first start on his own resources and responsibilities, in the vicinity of his nativity ; he rented for about five years, when he purchased 75 acres east of Pleasant Hill, in Newton Township ; nine years ago he purchased his present place, consisting of 80 acres, where he has since lived, with the exception of eighteen months, when he was engaged in tanning. He finds expression for his religious creed in the German Baptist Church, of which he and wife are faithful members. He was married in 1861 to Mary Seighman, of this township ; her ancestors were from Pennsylvania. Three children, one son and two daughters, have been the issue of this union.

JOHN HILDEBRAN, farmer ; P. O. Laura ; was born in Hamilton Co., Ohio, in 1825, and is the son of John Hildebran, of this State ; his parents were early settlers, and lived to remarkable ages-he to the age of 102, and she to the age of 101. John H., Sr., was married to Esther Long, of Pennsylvania. After the marriage of John H., Sr., he moved to Missouri ; in 1828, he came to this county, and remained several years, when he emigrated to Indiana, where he passed the remnant of his life. He had a family of six sons and six daughters, nine of whom are still living. One of them lost his life in the late civil war, during the siege of Richmond. The subject of this sketch was 3 years old when he came to this

county with his parents. He was married in 1847 to Rachel Tucker, of Indiana ; she is the daughter of Nicholas Tucker. Mr. H., soon after his marriage, purchased the farm in southeast part of Sec. 35, consisting of 80 acres, and at once located on it. He removed to Iowa in 1862, and remained one year, then returned and purchased a farm in Sec. 26, consisting of 86 acres, on which he resided till about one year ago, when he removed to Laura, and from there, recently, to Pattysville. Mr. H. is an ardent supporter of the temperance cause, and is identified with a temperance organization. He has endured much suffering since his boyhood with a diseased leg. It was first afflicted with white swelling, and during the last twenty- nine years he has had the leg broken several times, and during those years the swell- ing has gathered and discharged thirteen times. A son and daughter have been born to him. Mrs. Esther Hildebran was reared in the Friends' Church, and is a faithful member of the same.

NATHAN HILL, farmer and railroad agent ; P. O. Pleasant Hill; comes of early pioneers of Miami, and was born near his present place, in 1829, being the youngest of a family of nine children ; he is the son of Nathan Hill, Sr., who was born in Maryland, near Ellicott's Mills, March 15, 1788; he emigrated to this State, with his parents, in 1804; his father, Thomas, was of Frederick Co., Md., and his grandfather, Joseph, was of English birth, and came to this country in an early day ; his will, executed in 1798, is after the old English style, and is still in the possession of our subject ; Thomas located near present site of Pleasant Hill, where he passed the remainder of his life; Nathan, the father of our subject, was married June 29, 1809, to Frances, daughter of Michael Williams, who settled here in 1800; they immediately erected a hewed-log cabin, which still stands, a

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relic of pioneer days ; here they passed the remainder of their lives, he dying Jan. 15, 1862, and she Nov. 10, 1870, 80 years old; they were both faithful and earnest workers in the Christian Church almost their entire life. Our subject was reared on the farm, and has always lived on the homestead ; he has given considerable attention to the raising of fruit, and has now on his place the largest apple orchard in the township ; he is a public-spirited and enterprising man, and was espe- cially active in securing the narrow-gauge road which passes through the town- ship ; he is now agent for the road in the township ; he is a member of the I. O. O. F. of Pleasant Hill. He has been married twice ; first, in October, 1846, to Priscilla, daughter of William Furnas, a pioneer of the township; she died Dec. 7, 1847 ; two daughters (twins)-Sarah F. and Priscilla-were the issue of this union. His second marriage was on Dec. 31, 1848, to Martha J. Jones, of this county ; William C., Clarissa, Margaret B., Emma C., Maria E. and Edward are the issue of this union.

ISAAC HILL, farmer ; P. O. Pleasant Hill ; is a descendant of early settlers of Newton Township ; he is the son of William Hill, and was born in 1848, on Sec. 20, in this township; his education was limited to the common school; he remained at home, assisting on the farm-work till maturity ; he made his first per- manent location on the northeast quarter of Sec. 30; at the end of eight years he moved to the place where he now resides. He was married, in 1867, to Mary E. Stichter, daughter of Jacob Stichter; three children have been born to this union, to wit : Cynthia, Charlie and Isaac.

JOHN W. HILL, farmer; P. O. Pleasant Hill; born in 1824 on the same farm he now resides on ; is a son of Nathan Hill, Sr., a native of Maryland and an immigrant to this place with his parents when a mere boy ; his grandfather was among the first settlers of Newton Township. Our subject's early life was that of a farmer boy ; he remained at home assisting in the farm duties till his marriage, which occurred at the age of 19, with Miss Susan Weddle ; Mr. Hill, after this event of his life, began farming on his present place; here he has continued the pursuit of agriculture, with eminent success, for over a third of a century ; he has a most beautiful farm, under the best modern improvements, and has erected on it one of the finest brick residences in the township. His wife, Susan, died Jan. 4, 1874; she was a faithful member of the Christian Church of Pleasant Hill, and her death was a loss to the whole community ; she is buried in the beautiful Pleas- ant Hill Cemetery ; eight children were born, seven of whom are still living, and six of whom are married ; all are settled in the community but one; their names are as follows : Henry H., Sarah J. (married to Dr. Kiester, of Arcanum), Isaac N., John C., Eunice E. (Longanecker), James M., Mary E. (Billows). Mr. Hill's sec- ond marriage was celebrated Oct. 15, 1874, with Mrs. Josephine Conway, formerly Miss Josephine Banta, a native of Preble Co., Ohio; she has one daughter, a teacher in the public school of Pleasant Hill; Mr. and Mrs. Hill are both members of the Christian Church of Pleasant Hill, and Mr. Hill holds a deaconship in the same; he is President of the Temperance Association of this place, which be- speaks him an ardent supporter of the Temperance cause; he is a member of A., F. & A. M. fraternity of Pleasant Hill.

JOHN K. HITTLE, farmer ; P. O. Pleasant Hill ; was born on the farm on which he now lives in 1840, and is a descendant of early settlers. John Hittle, his father, entered the land on which the subject of this sketch now lives, in about 1825. He was born in Bucks Co., Penn., in 1803, and came of German parentage, his father being born in Germany. He was raised a farmer, and adopted farming as his vocation through life, and shoemaking as an accessory. He came to Ohio, when about 10 years old, with his parents. His father was Nicholas Hittle, one of those who pioneered their way into the wilds of Newton Township. He located on Sec. 8, just above Pleasant Hill. He was a man possessed of powerful physical strength. John Hittle, Sr., was the third child of a family of ten children. He was married to Mary Kessler, of this county, a descendant of early pioneers ; they had two sons and five daughters-one son died in infancy, and one daughter at the age of 5.

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John H., Sr., was married the second time, to Mary Divens, and had one child, a daughter. He moved on a farm in Sec. 9, after his first marriage, and passed the remainder of his life there, his death occurring in 1861. The subject of this sketch was raised and has always lived on his present farm. He received his early edu- cation in the common school, which was necessarily much limited. At the death of his father, he took charge of the homestead, then consisting of 160 acres, and soon after purchased half of it, which he still owns and operates. He is a young man of energy and industry, which secures success to him in his vocation. He has been a member of the I. O. O. F. since 1866 ; is a member of the Encampment at West Milton, and also a member of the Patrons of Husbandry. He finds expression for his political sentiments in the Democratic party ; and, in religion, is a Protestant in faith, but not circumscribed by any particular creed. In all of his transactions, integrity is his ruling principle. He was married in 1867 to Mary F. Thompson, of this county, a daughter of John Thompson, an early settler.

T. & O. HOOVER, saw-mill; P. O. West Milton. Of the business men of Newton Township, none are more deserving of notice than the gentlemen whose names head this sketch ; they are descended from pioneers of Ohio ; their paternal grandpar- ents were among the first to leave the beautiful "land of summer" for the primeval forests of the Northwest Territory ; in the fall of 1801, David E. Hoover left North Carolina for the purpose of making Ohio his future home; he located in the extreme northern part of the present limits of Montgomery Co .; in this place he passed the remainder of his days, serving one year as a member of the Ohio Legislature from Montgomery Co., and fifteen years as Justice of the Peace of Randolph Township ; from this it will be inferred that his life was a success and full of usefulness ; he reared a family of fourteen children, of whom the father of our subject was next to the youngest; he was born in Montgomery Co., and his life has been given to the milling business on the Stillwater, in his native county ; his wife was a Canadian by birth, and emigrated to Montgomery Co. when only 10 years old, with her parents; six children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Hoover, all of whom are living. T. Hoover was born in 1844, and O. Hoover in 1846; about seven years ago, they purchased the saw-mill which they are now operating ; it is located in the southern part of Newton Township, and is supplied with ample water-power the year round ; besides lumber, they manufacture all kinds of turned chair stock. Oscar Hoover was united in marriage with Miss Elizabeth Bartmass, April 19, 1873; they have one child.

JACOB HORTHER, farmer ; P. O. Troy ; was born in Bavaria, Germany, in 1823; is a son of Wolfgang Horther. At the age of 16, while following the plow, Wolfgang was conscripted for the Bavarian army, and was taken direct from the field, not having permission to go to the house to bid adieu to his parents ; his term of conscription was six years, of which he served three, procuring a sub- stitute for the remainder of the time. He had five sons and three daughters, of whom Jacob, the fourth child, was reared a farmer and educated in the common schools of Germany. In his early manhood, he traveled considerably over Europe, depending upon his own resources for subsistence. In 1845, his name was drawn to serve in the Bavarian army, but before the day of examination, he made his escape clandestinely and in disguise as the servant of a teamster to Bremen, then secreted himself in a vessel, where he remained till the same set sail for America ; he reached New York on the 3d of July in safety ; from here he found his way to Brookville, Ind., where he learned the cooper trade ; after one year in Cincin- nati, he moved to Hamilton, Butler Co., where he remained sixteen years engaged at coopering; he then moved to Preble Co., and was soon after drafted in the Union army, but secured a substitute ; after engaging in the hotel business for three years, he moved to his present place. Mr. Horther is a self-made man, and has established for himself and family a neat home. In religion, he holds liberal views, and in politics is a Democrat. He is a member of the following orders : The I. O. O. F., of which he has been Noble Grand ; Patrons of Husbandry, of which he was Treasurer, and D. O. H .. of Miamisburg. He married Margaret Herzog, in

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The History of Miami County, Ohio, Part 111

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