The History of Miami County, Ohio, Part 112

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

USA > Ohio > Miami County > The History of Miami County, Ohio > Part 112

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1846, of Saxe-Coburg, Germany. She immigrated to this country in 1844, and located in Cincinnati. Of their family of two sons and six daughters, one died in infancy.

HARVEY HUNT, farmer; P. O. Laura ; was born in Union Township in 1846, on the farm now owned by Thomas Hunt ; he is the son of Ralph Hunt, also a native of this county, who has made farming his life occupation. He was first married to Sophia Walker, by whom he had six children ; he has since been twice married, and four children were given to him in the second marriage. He pur- chased a farm of 80 acres in Darke Co. in 1847, and has since lived there. Our subject was about one year old when he was taken to Darke Co. by his parents ; here he passed his youth as a farmer, devoting his winter months to the acquisi- tion of knowledge in the common school. He was married in 1865 to Miss Eliza- beth Hayworth, a daughter of Samuel Hayworth. After making several moves from Darke into Miami Co., and back again, he finally located four years ago on his present farm ; eight children have been born to this union, all living but one, who died in infancy. Mr. and Mrs. H. are members of the Westgrove Christian Church, of Darke Co.

BENJAMIN IDDINGS, farmer ; P. O. West Milton ; one of the prominent farmers of Newton Township; is a descendant of early pioneers, and is of Scotch- Irish stock ; he is the son of Joseph Iddings, one of the pioneers of the Northwest Territory ; our subject was born on the place where he now lives, and which has been his residence for sixty-five years ; his life has been that of a farmer, and he early acquired habits of industry and economy, which have served him well throughout his life ; by his unflagging perseverance and good management, he has put himself in possession of a large farm under the best of modern improvements. He has been twice married, first to Miss Barbara Hill, March 29, 1838, who is & descendant of early pioneers, and sister to Nathan and John Hill ; nine children were born to this union ; all are living and married ; his second marriage was cele- brated with Sarah A. McDowell, June 18, 1863 ; she was born in Dayton, Ohio, and is the daughter of Samuel and Hannah (Baker) McDowell, he a native of Pennsyl- vania, and she of Tennessee ; two children have been born to this union, one of whom is dead, the other, Myron E., is at home with his parents. Mr. Iddings is a . member of the Shiloh Christian Church.

WILLIAM IDDINGS, farmer; P. O. Pleasant Hill; is the son of James Iddings, who was born in Bedford Co., Penn., June 27, 1783 ; emigrated from his place of nativity to Greene Co., Tenn., with his parents, when only a child, and when quite young, again emigrated to the Northwest Territory, his parents settling in what is now Union Township, in Miami Co. He married Miss Mary Davis, who was born May 9, 1789, on the banks of the Savannah River, about forty miles above Augusta, Ga. ; she emigrated to this county with her parents and located in Union Township; she was the daughter of Abiathar and Lydia Davis; Lydia Davis was & native of South Carolina, and died in Georgia. Mr. Davis again married, and came to this county with a family of three sons- John, Samuel and Benjamin ; and four daughters-Rhoda, Mary, Sarah and Lydia, leaving one daughter, Rachel, in Georgia, and one son, Amos. Mr. Davis' death occurred at an advanced age. James Iddings was the son of Benjamin, a pioneer and prominent citizen of this county ; he was born in Pennsylvania, and united in marriage to Phebe Wilkinson ; he reared a family of three sons-Talbot, Joseph and Benjamin, and six daughters -Rachel, Mary, Ruth, Emilia, Hannah and Phebe ; all of these emigrated to this State, and a numerous line of descendants have sprung from them. Benjamin was a man with a fine education, spending several years of his life in college at Phila- delphia. He was reared in the Friends' Church, and for many years before his death, held an eldership in the same. For a long period, his usual seat at the Friends' meetings, at Union Chapel, was regularly filled by him, but finally death made his place vacant ; his brother James was also a finely educated man and was the author of a rhyming geography. Our subject was born Sept. 26, 1809, in Newton Township, in the log cabin of pioneer days. The wilderness surrounded him, and

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his early training, both mentally and physically, was obtained from its solitudes. He early became inured to the privations and hardships of frontier life ; his early educational opportunities were very meager. The first 25 cents he ever owned was invested in a book, showing the early bent of his mind. This literary inclina- tion he has been assiduous in cultivating, as his fine and large selection of books indicates. He married Miss Margaret Coppock April 2, 1829; she was a daughter of Thomas Coppock, and died 30th of March, 1869. After his marriage, Mr .. Iddings moved to the place where he now resides ; he has a farm of 140 acres under the best of improvement; he has taken a great interest in the cause of religion since his membership with the church in November, 1842 ; he has donated considerable sums to the Antioch College, of Yellow Springs, Ohio, and the Merom College, of Indiana. He is an ordained minister in the Christian denomination ; con- tributed largely to the building of the Shiloh Church on his own farm, an organization of 164 members. Five children were born to Mr. Iddings by his first union, all of whom died in early life. His second marriage was celebrated, July 14, 1870, with Miss Mary Cuthbert, a native of Ireland. They have four children ; three sons and one daughter.

A. J. IDDINGS, farmer ; P. O. West Milton. We herewith present a sketch of the Coppock family, as descended from the pioneer Thomas Coppock, together with the sketch of the gentleman whose name heads this biography. Thomas Cop- pock was the second of a family of nine children, as follows : John, Thomas, Ben- jamin, William, Samuel, Jesse, Margaret, Betty and Jane ; all were born in South Carolina, and had grown up to maturity before their emigration to this State; they came here in the beginning of the present century ; Thomas settled on the south- west quarter of Sec. 33, in 1804, and his family constituted one among the first of New- ton Township ; he was a blacksmith, and immediately after his location here, started a shop, which was the first in that section of the country ; Thomas Coppock lived to an advanced age, and reared a family of five daughters and three sons, to wit : Edna, Jane, Mary A., Margaret, Sallie, John, Moses and Joseph ; John and Moses died in early manhood, leaving only Joseph bearing the family name ; blacksmith- ing was his chief vocation throughout life ; he was born Oct. 20, 1805, his death occurring Sept. 30, 1839. He was united in marriage to Miss Barbara Waggoner Dec. 3, 1829 ; she was born Sept. 20, 1805 ; her father was a native of Newberry District, S. C., born Jan. 29, 1775. He celebrated his marriage with Mrs. Mary Davenport, formerly Miss Mary Mast, in 1801 ; she was born March 21, 1772; her first husband lost his life on the Ohio River ; she had two sons by this union-Noah and Martin ; immediately after the marriage of Mr. Waggoner, he emigrated to this State, locating in the extreme south part of Union Township ; here they toiled till death, Mr. Waggoner dying June 3, 1857, aged 82 years, and Mrs. Waggoner, Nov. 27, 1850 ; Mr. and Mrs. Coppock raised a family of four children, one son and three daughters ; Thomas and Mary died leaving each a family ; Charlie, the son of Thomas, being the only child bearing the name of Coppock. A. J. Iddings is the son of Ben- jamin Iddings ; he was born Aug. 29, 1842. He was united in marriage to Miss Jane Coppock Nov. 23, 1865 ; one child, a son, Esty, was born of this union in August, 1866.

BENJAMIN G. INMAN, farmer; P. O. Pleasant Hill ; was born Aug. 11, 1836; he received a liberal common-school education, and has been a close stu- dent of medicine for twenty-three years ; at present he operates a woolen-mill at West Milton, Ohio ; he is the son of the elder George Inman, a pioneer of New- ton Township, and one of its prominent and valuable citizens ; George was born in Newberry District, S. C., June 24, 1798, and was the son of Benjamin and Eliza- beth Inman, who were born in England, near the! city of London ; Benjamin was a man of small means, and, being zealous in his religion, he met with a great deal of persecution, which caused him to emigrate to the United States ; he located in South Carolina, where he erected a flouring-mill, which proved a great source of profit to him ; this he was not long permitted to enjoy, death calling him from works to rewards when George, the youngest of a family of three sons and one

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daughter, was only 3 years old ; his wife, Elizabeth, moved with the family to Burke Co., Ga., where she had some relatives ; here, in this remarkably poor, sandy coun- try, she found it a great struggle to sustain herself and family, and received but little sympathy from friends ; she remained here in destitute circumstances for eight years ; while here, in the heart of slavery, George daily witnessed the cruelties and atrocities of the system ; many horrible scenes were indelibly impressed upon his youthful mind ; one, the burning of three slaves at the stake, of which he was an eye-witness, he used to relate with much feeling; these scenes firmly biased his mind against the system of slavery ; at the age of 14, he suffered the loss of his mother by death, and then realized what it was to be left an orphan among strangers ; he now moved back to South Carolina, were he received his education, which consisted of nine months' schooling ; in this time he learned to read and write, and laid the foundation of his future life; he then began to study the Bible, and was, the remainder of his life, a close student of the Word of God; he could repeat from memory at least one-eighth of the Bible; he emigrated to Ohio in 1818, and, in 1820, married Julia Ann Burns, who emigrated from Pennsylvania in 1813, and located on the present site of Pleasant Hill; she died May 9, 1872, esteemed by all who knew her, a Christian woman, true and noble-hearted; they had four sons and six daughters, one daughter, Polly, dying when a small child, in 1823, and one son and two daughters within a month, in 1850 ; the rest still sur- vive, useful members of society. Mr. and Mrs. Inman became members of the Hopewell Christian Church of Pleasant Hill in 1820, and remained faithful mem. bers and exemplary Christians till their death ; George was ordained an Elder in the church in 1822, and earnestly and faithfully discharged its duties till 1859, when he was ordained a minister, which position he filled till death ; during his ministry he preached over 6,000 sermons ; as a minister, he possessed many nat- ural gifts ; eloquent in his address, gifted with a musical voice, pungent and bold in his remarks, forcible in his arguments, and winning in delivery, he was eminently efficient in his ministerial work; in 1822, he purchased a farm, consisting of 102} acres in Sec. 24, Newton Township, where he passed the remainder of his life, his death occurring Jan. 15, 1880, in his 82d year ; as an early and earnest sup- porter of the Abolition cause, an advocate of the free-school system, an ardent temperance worker, and a man of benevolence, he will long be remembered.

HARVEY JONES, farmer ; P. O. Laura ; one of the early settlers ; born in 1823 in Union Township ; is a son of Jesse Jones, one of the pioneers, who was born in Georgia April 15, 1794 ; he is the son of Samuel and grandson of Francis Jones, of North Carolina. Samuel raised eleven children, all of whom became heads of families, Jesse being the only surviving member. In 1805, Samuel, with his fam- ily, came to Ohio, locating north of West Milton, where he died at 84 years of age; his wife died at the age of 88 years. Jesse came to Ohio when 11 years old; his early life was that of a pioneer, and he has always been a farmer ; married three times; his first wife, Jane Cothran was from South Carolina ; his second, Naomi (Tucker) Jones, was a native of Tennessee ; his third wife, Betsy (Hay- worth) Davis, was born June 13, 1800, in South Carolina ; her parents came to this county in 1806, and located in this township. Harvey remained with his father until 21 years of age, after which he farmed the homestead one year, then purchased his present place, and erected a log house, which is now supplanted by a fine residence upon his well-cultivated farm, brought to this condition by his own hard labor. His first wife, Rachel Hunt, was a daughter of Elijah Hunt, an early pioneer. She was a consistent Christian, and died in October, 1869. Of their nine children, six survive. His second wife, Mrs. Mary (Thompson) Richardson, was a native of Darke Co., and the widow of Josiah Richardson, who enlisted in the 69th O. V. I., was fatally wounded near Georgia, taken to the hospital at Nash- ville, Tenn., where he died. Mr. and Mrs. Jones take a deep. interest in the cause of religion, both being members of the Christian Church at Laura.

GEORGE KAUFFMAN, deceased ; was born in York Co., Penn., Nov. 13, 1821. His father, Peter Kauffman, and Elizabeth Hefflebauer, his mother, were

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both natives of Pennsylvania. Peter Kauffman followed the pursuit of agricul- ture ; in 1830, he immigrated with his family to Ohio, and located on a farm in Montgomery Co., four miles north of Dayton, where he passed the remainder of his life, his death occurring September, 1872. He had a family of eight chil- dren, only three of whom survive. Mrs. Kauffman died some thirteen or fourteen years ago. The subject of this sketch was the sixth child of the family, and was reared a farmer ; he remained at home with his father till about twelve years ago, when he purchased three farms in this township, and on one of them moved ; this is located in Sec. 3, Range 4. His death was caused by an accident. He was occupied in hauling his sugar cane to the factory ; the barrel upon which he was sitting tilted, throwing him between the horses, frightening them so that they ran, dragging him with them, and injuring him so severely that he died the next day. Mr. Kauffman was a man of many sterling qualities; he was industrious and enterprising, and in business transactions was strictly honest. His death removed from the community a good citizen and a Christian gentleman. He was a member of the Christian Church. He was married in 1872 to Rebecca M. Brown, of Frederick Co., Md., who was born in 1847, and came to this county in 1868, locat- ing near Troy. They had a family of one son and three daughters.

S. W. KIESTER, physician, Pleasant Hill ; one of the prominent physicians of Miami Co .; was born in Newton Township in 1842 ; he is of English and Ger- man descent. Peter K., his father, was born in Pennsylvania, and emigrated to Ohio in the fall of 1840, locating near Pleasant Hill, in the vicinity of which he passed the rest of his days. He was united in marriage, in Pennsylvania, to Miss Mary Bashore, a native of Pennsylvania. Mr. Kiester's death occurred Aug. 24, 1876, aged 59 years 9 months and 7 days ; he is buried in the Pleasant Hill Ceme- tery, and over his grave has been reared a large, beautiful and imposing monument of marble, commemorative of his life and death. Dr. Kiester's early life was that of a farmer boy ; at the age of 17, he entered the National Normal Institute of Lebanon, and spent several subsequent summers as a student there, his winter months being devoted to teaching ; at the age of 21, he turned his attention to the study of medicine, and entered the Jefferson Medical College of Philadelphia, graduating at the age of 25; he located at Laura, in this county, and began the practice ; after seven years of successful work, he sold out, and purchased the large farm on which he now resides, thinking to retire from the profession ; but by request of his brother, he went with him to Arcanum, where he spent two years in practice, and then removed to his large farm in 1877 ; since then he has been engaged in managing and discharging the duties of his profession ; his life is a fair illustration of what energy and correct business habits can accomplish. His nuptials were cele- brated with Miss Sophia Williams Oct. 6, 1867 ; she is a great-granddaughter of Michael Williams, the first settler on the banks of the Stillwater, and granddaughter of the Rev. John Williams, the pioneer preacher of the Upper Stillwater. One child, Pearl, was given to them Sept. 14, 1874.

JOSEPH KINZIE, farmer ; P. O. Pleasant Hill ; was born in Union Town- ship, in this county, in 1841 ; he is the third child of Zaccheus and Elizabeth .(Albaugh) Kinzie. Zaccheus was born in Maryland, his ancestry coming from Germany. He came to this country with his parents when about 21 years old, and located in Montgomery Co. The subject of this sketch was brought up on a farm, and his early training was that of a farmer, which has served him well through life ; his early education was limited to the common school ; he made his first move from the homestead in Union Township ; in the spring of 1868, he took a trip West, and was gone till the spring of 1870, when he returned to his native township ; here he remained till the spring of 1873, when he went to Indiana ; from there, in the following spring, to Missouri, returning in the fall to his native place again ; in the spring of 1876, he came to his present place, which he purchased and has since suc- cessfully operated. Mr. Kinzie is a young man of enterprise and industry, and a useful member of society. He identifies himself with the Republican party. He was married in 1864 to Lavinia Bowlin, of Pennsylvania ; she came to this county

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in the spring of 1863. A son and daughter, Emma C. and Theodore, have been the issue of this union.

CONRAD KRIEGBAUM, farmer and blacksmith, Laura ; he was born in Hesse-Darmstadt, Germany, in December, 1834 ; he is the son of George P. Krieg- baum, who was born in 1800. He married Margaret Geotz in 1823 ; she was born in 1801, and died about four years ago ; Mr. K. is still living at the advanced age of 80 years ; he reared a family of ten children, five sons and five daughters, all living but one, and eight immigrated to this country and located in Ohio; our sub- ject was the youngest son and was reared on a farm ; he remained at home until he attained the age of 17, when he concluded to try his fortune in America ; he em- barked at Havre, France, and after a pleasant voyage of forty-six days, landed in New York City ; from here he came direct to Springfield, Ohio, near where he located and be- gan farming ; the following spring he came to West Milton, this county, and entered an apprenticeship at the blacksmith trade ; after serving three years, he worked as a journeyman until 1862, when he set up shop in Covington ; he operated this until 1871, when he traded his residence for a farm on Panther Creek, in this township ; this he sold in October, 1877, and purchased where he now resides ; he combines with his farming blacksmithing. In the spring of 1862, he was married to Miss Susanna Smith, who was born in Pennsylvania and raised in Ohio; they have two children-Anna R. and Martha E .; Mr. K. is a member of the Evangelical Lutheran Church, and Mrs. K. of the Shiloh Christian Church of this township.

MORGAN LEONARD, farmer ; P. O. Pleasant Hill ; was born in Juniata Co., Penn., in 1848. He is the son of Reuben and Elizabeth (Ayergood) Leonard, both of Pennsylvania ; Reuben is a farmer by occupation, and still lives in his native State. He had a family of eight sons and two daughters, one daughter died. The subject of this memoir was raised on a farm and educated in the com- mon school ; he remained at home occupied with farm duties till he immigrated to this State in the fall of 1863 ; he located in Covington, and shortly found his way into the U. S. service, as a member of the 8th O. V. C .; he went first to Camp Dennison, and from there to West Charleston, W. Va, where he had his first expe- rience in war ; he next engaged in the battle of Louisburg, Gen. Averill com- manding ; was at Staunton, Liberty, Lynchburg, at Hunter's defeat, again at Liberty and at Beverly, at which place he was severely wounded in the left thigh, which disabled him from further active duty ; he was then placed in the hospital for a time at Beverly, and then at Grafton ; he was discharged June 3, 1865, having served over one year ; he returned to this county in the fall of 1868, and moved to his present place, where he has since engaged in farming. In politics, he is a Repub- lican. He was married in 1864 to Matilda Varner, daughter of Daniel G. and Elizabeth (Lecington) Varner. She was born Jan. 12, 1847, and came to this county with her father in 1858 ; he is a silversmith, and carries on business at Covington; her mother died when she was only about 1 year old. Mr. and Mrs. Leonard have had six sons and three daughters-two sons and one daughter are dead.

DAVID LONG, farmer ; P. O. Pleasant Hill ; born in this township in 1845; is the son of James and Esther (Eller) Long, the former of Newton, and the latter of Newberry Township. James was born in 1815, and is the son of William Long, of Kentucky. His father, William, Sr., settled one-half section of land, near the present site of Pleasant Hill, in 1807 or 1808. Of his family of four sons and three daughters, whom he brought to this county with him, William was the second child; he located on Sec. 17, where his death occurred in April, 1862, at the age of 81 years. He married Catherine Freeman, and had four sons and seven daughters-two sons now survive. James married in the fall of 1839, and moved at once to his present place. He had four sons and seven daughters-one son, Henry, was a member of the 110th O. V. I., and was mortally wounded in the bat- tle of Winchester. David, our subject, was reared and schooled in this township, being brought up on the farm; he remained at home till majority. In 1869, he located on Sec. 7, and subsequently on Greenville Creek, and in 1872, moved to

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his present place. He and wife are members of the German Baptist Church. He married November, 1868, Sarah, daughter of John S. Deeter, who was born within sight of her present home. Of the two sons and one daughter born to this union, the two sons have died.

GEORGE LOUDENSLAYER, farmer ; P. O. Pleasant Hill ; born in Penn- sylvania in 1833 ; is the son of John L. and Susan (Dishon) Loudenslayer, both of Pennsylvania ; his grandfathers were natives of Germany ; John L. was a shoe- maker by trade; he died in 1835, leaving two daughters and one son; Mrs. L. afterward emigrated to Ohio, where her death occurred in 1861. The subject of this sketch was not 3 years old when his father died, and at the age of 7 years was bound out for his board and clothes; at the age of 15 he began working for wages during the summer, and attending school during the winter months; at 18, he apprenticed himself to the carpenter trade, which he followed two years; he then immigrated to this county, locating in Monroe Township ; he remained here till 1864, when he removed to Moses Doner's farm, two and a half miles southwest of Milton ; at the end of four years, he purchased his present place of 80 acres, now under the best of improvements. As a farmer, he is a success ; as a member of society, he is pleasant and affable. His religious views find expression in the Brethren in Christ Church, of which he and his wife are members. Married in June, 1857, to Elizabeth Hullacher, of Montgomery Co., born March, 1837, her father coming originally from Pennsylvania; of their nine children, three are deceased.

SAMPSON A. MARSHALL, farmer ; P. O. Laura; born in this county in 1834, of English descent; his father, William, and mother, Charity Wright, were from South Carolina, the latter born June 11, 1801; they made the journey of 700 miles, to Ohio, in a wagon, with four sons ; he first located on the Stillwater, but died at his home in Darke Co., Nov. 10, 1837, leaving ten chil- dren-John, born March 25, 1818, died Jan. 9, 1854 ; William, born Sept. 5, 1819; Thomas, born Feb. 25, 1822, died in 1871 ; Ahab, born Oct. 7, 1825, died June 18, 1851; Sarah, born June 15, 1828; Jane, born July 6, 1830; Mary and Rachel, twins, born Nov. 15, 1832-the former died Sept. 20, 1854, the latter, June 20, 1853; Sampson, born Oct. 7, 1834, and Charity, born Aug. 14, 1836, died Dec. 18, 1857. Sampson A. learned the carpenter trade, and continued the business until 1857, since which time he has followed farming ; he cleared a farm of 32 acres in Darke Co., and in 1878 came to his present place. Aug. 19, 1857, married Mary, daughter of Samuel and Amelia (Hall) Rhodehamel ; Samuel was born in Penn- sylvania May 3, 1803 ; his father, John R., was born in Saxony, and his mother, Maria Miller, in Breisen ; they came to the United States in 1800, locating in Penn- sylvania ; in 1804, to Montgomery Co., Ohio, and in 1820 to Union Township, where John R. died, aged 76, and Maria at 90 years. Of twelve children, two survive; Sam- uel was raised to farm labor, obtaining a limited education ; except a short interval, he has lived upon his present place since 1826. May 11, 1822, he married Amelia Hall, her father, Amos, being an early settler ; she died July 15, 1878; their chil- dren were-Orel, born June 13, 1858 ; Sarah E., born April 14, 1861 ; John H., born Sept. 25, 1863; Jane, born Dec. 23, 1865; William, born May 4, 1868; Frank A., born Feb. 25, 1875, and Omer, born Oct. 8, 1877. Samuel R. has been a mem- ber of the Christian Church for forty years; of his ten children, three now survive. WILLIAM MILES, farmer ; P. O. Pleasant Hill ; was born Nov. 7, 1807, in this township ; he is the son of Jonathan Miles, who was born in South Carolina, and married Miss Mary Pearson ; early in the beginning of the present century, he fell in with the tide of immigration which was flowing into Ohio, from the Southern States. Accompanied by his family and parents, Mr. Miles traveled until he reached the present township of Newton, where he located, on Sec. 31 ; his father, William, settled in the same township, where his death occurred soon after. Jonathan reared a family of nine children ; he lived to the advanced age of 90 years, when he was gathered to his fathers ; his wife preceded him some fifteen years ; for fif- teen years before her death, she was an invalid, caused by a paralytic stroke. Our

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The History of Miami County, Ohio, Part 112

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