The History of Miami County, Ohio, Part 69

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

USA > Ohio > Miami County > The History of Miami County, Ohio > Part 69

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JOHN W. DYE, farmer ; P. O. Casstown ; born in 1837 on the farm where he now resides ; is a son of Andrew and Ann (Hatsel) Dye. His ancestors were natives of Pennsylvania ; they had seven children, viz., John, dying in infancy ; Thomas, Elizabeth, now Mrs. R. Wray, living in Shelby Co .; Isaac, deceased ; John W., Mathias and William. The father, Andrew, located upon the farm upon which John now lives, in an early day, and cleared the most of it. The grand- father was also an carly settler in Elizabeth Township, having built one of the first grist-mills in this section of the country ; they hauled a great deal of flour to Cincinnati with teams, there being no railroads, in that day. Andrew, the father, departed this life in 1844. John being only 7 years of age when his father died, was, with his brothers and sisters, kept together by their mother till grown to man- hood. John always remained upon the home farm. In 1869, he was united in marriage with Sarah, daughter of Jesse and Mary Wray, who were natives of Pennsylvania. By this union they have had one child, viz., Eva E. Mr. Dye has a beautiful home ; the energy he has exhibited in his business life and the connection his ancestors have with the early settlement of this county gives their history a significance worthy of being recorded for the benefit of future generations.

JOSEPH W. GRAY, farmer ; P. O. Lena ; born in Miami Co., on the farm upon which he now lives, Jan. 22, 1846 ; is a son of Frederick and Ann (Chamber- lin) Gray, who were both born in New Jersey. The grandparents, Samuel and

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Hannah Chamberlin, were also born in New Jersey, their ancestry coming from Ger- many. The grandfather, Frederick Gray, was also from Germany, but the grand- mother Gray came from England. The parents, Frederick and Ann, came to Ohio in a very early day and located in Warren Co., where they lived several years, and while there their marriage occurred ; thence came to Miami Co. and located upon the farm where Joseph now lives, which was nearly half a century ago; he came upon the place with very little cleared, merely a log cabin on it, and here he com- menced to make a farm and a home ; by his labor and industry, he was permitted to see the forests disappear, and waving fields of grain to appear in their stead, good houses and barns to take the place of the log cabins; in his later years he has been enabled to enjoy some of the benefits of his hard toils, and feel a satisfac- tion in leaving to his children comforts which he in his younger days did not have. They were parents of eight children, of whom five are living, viz., Samuel C., living in Indiana; Hannah Jane, now Mrs. Charles McGuire, living in New Carlisle, Ohio; Sarah; Henry C., living in Indiana, and Joseph W. Joseph W., our subject, was united in marriage Nov. 12, 1873, with Viola Roberts, daughter of William and Louisa Roberts, natives of Pennsylvania. They were the parents of three children, viz., Viola, Ida and Daisy. Mr. Gray and wife by their union have had two children viz., Jessie and Edith Ann. After their marriage, Mr. Gray located upon the home farm where they still reside. He is politically a Republican.

WILLIS N. HANCE, farmer ; P. O. Casstown ; born on the farm where he now resides, Sept. 27, 1836 ; is a son of Benjamin and Nancy (Frazell) Hance ; Mr. Hance was born in Kentucky Sept. 22, 1791, and Mrs. Hance Oct. 17, 1790; the grandfather, William, was a native of England, and emigrated to this country about the time of the Revolutionary war, settling in Kentucky, and subse- quently in Miami Co., where he lived and died ; Benjamin removed from Ken- tucky to this county in 1810; was in the war of 1812, under Gen. Hull ; after the war, he bought 160 acres of land for his father, which has since been known as the Uncle Joe Hance Farm, and is now owned by Soloman McKee ; about the same time, he bought the farm for himself, upon which our subject now lives, since known as the Uncle Ben Hance Farm ; in 1814, he visited his native State, Ken- tucky, and on Feb. 15 of that year, was married, and, with his wife, returned to his farm on March 15 of the same year ; here they commenced to make a farm and a home right out of the dense forests, in the roughest pioneer style, being very poor, and having to endure all, and perhaps more, hardships than almost any one of the first settlers ; his first large iron kettle was bought in Urbana, and carried on his shoulder twenty-four miles to his home ; his first bushel of salt was bought at the same place and carried home in the same manner ; very few would or could endure such hardships now ; but those days are past ; their labors and industry won for them good farms and homes, and their children's children may enjoy the fruits of their many labors ; he died May 5, 1877, aged 86 years ; they were parents of ten children ; five are living, viz., William, Alfred, Joseph, Mary (now Mrs. Hetzler), and Willis. Our subject was married March 15, 1859, to Miss Sarah S., daughter of John and Elizabeth Lefevre ; by this union they have had five children, of whom three are now living-Dora L., Charles C. and John Benjamin ; Mr. Hance has a fine farm of 158 acres, with good buildings and improvements ; this farm has been in the ownership of the Hance family for sixty-seven years.

M. M. HARBAUGH. This gentleman is a resident of Casstown ; he is a native of Virginia, having been born at Harper's Ferry in 1808 ; his ancestors came from Switzerland in 1736 ; his grandfather, Leonard Harbaugh, was a noted architect, and superintended the erection of the War and Navy Department buildings in Washington, prior to their destruction by the British in 1814. In 1835, the sub- ject of our sketch married Caroline Routzahn, of Frederick Co., Maryland, who still lives ; in 1850, Mr. Harlaugh and his family removed to Ohio, making the journey across the Alleghanies and Blue Ridge in the primitive stage coach; he settled

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at Piqua, where he engaged in merchandising till 1856, when he removed to Cass- town, the present home ; Mr. Harbaugh has four children living, all sons, Samuel, Theodore, Charles and Thomas ; the last-named is well known as a poet and jour- nalist; his poems have gained for him the title of "The Poet of the Miami ;" Theodore is engaged in merchandising in .Williamsport, Ind., and Samuel has served as Clerk of Lost Creek Township for near twenty consecutive years; Mr. Harbaugh is one of the oldest citizens of the township.

CHARLES A. HARTLEY, M. D., physician, Casstown. Of the medical profession of Casstown, we mention Dr. C. A. Hartley, who was born in Columbi- ana Co., Ohio, Sept. 8, 1847 ; he is a son of W. L. and Esther A. Hartley, who were born in Bucks Co., Penn .; the grandparents and their ancestors being of the denom- ination of William Penn, Quakers, and of English descent ; the parents removed from Pennsylvania to Ohio, in about 1845, and located in Columbiana Co., remain- ing only a few years ; thence to Warren Co., Ohio, again to Miami Co., and finally located in Casstown in August, 1877, where he resided till his death, which occurred March 24, 1878 ; the mother is still living, and with her son, Dr. Hartley. They were parents of eight children, three of whom are now living, viz., Alonzo, Sarah, now Mrs. Tannehill, of Delphos, Ohio, and Charles A. Dr. Hartley's father being a physician, our subject had his attention early called to the profession and the study of medicine. Receiving a liberal common-school education, at the age of nineteen years he attended a course of lectures at the Western Reserve College, Cleveland, Ohio, after which he attended the Eclectic Institute of Cincinnati ; Feb: 7, 1871, he graduated, and with his father, entered upon the practice of his pro- fession in Warren Co., Ohio. In the fall of 1871, they removed to Casstown, where he has since remained in practice, having from the first done a good busi- ness, which from year to year has steadily increased. From his ample qualifica- tions, his mild and affable manners toward his patrons, we can safely predict for him a growing practice and a successful future. His marriage with Miss Sarah M., daughter of Joseph and Catharine Allen, was duly celebrated Jan. 27, 1875 ; they have two children, viz., Charles Allen and Clara Esther.

MATTHEW HEARST, farmer ; P. O. Casstown ; was born upon the farm where he resides, April 13, 1840, and is a son of William and Deborah F. (Mayes) Hearst, who were born in Pennsylvania ; came to this county, locating at Piqua, May, 1832, where he remained about seven years, thence to the farm upon which he and Matthew now reside ; here he commenced to make a home, with four or five acres cleared and a log cabin upon it; in this cabin they lived, till in 1850, he erected a good frame house ; two years previous, had built a good barn, and now began to live in comfort and enjoy the fruits of their many years of labors and deprivations. They were the parents of nine children, viz., James, Rebecca, (deceased), Mary Elizabeth, dying in infancy ; Jane, John, Matthew, Sarah M., Deborah Isabella, dying in infancy, and Kate M. They have 160 acres of excel- lent land, 115 acres in good cultivation, with all the conveniences of a nice home and farmer's residence. Matthew has always remained on the place with his father, who is now nearly 80 years of age, and the mother 75 years ; they are mem- bers of the Presbyterian Church for over sixty years ; the children all became members while young. This is the record of another family of early settlers of Lost Creek Township, whose labors, enterprises and lives are fully identifled with the early improvements and interests of this township, and whose record here deserves a prominent place in its history.

WILLIAM KNICK, stock-dealer, Casstown; born in Miami Co. Dec. 10, 1822 ; is a son of William and Rachel (Armstrong) Knick (see sketch of Samuel Knick); he lived with his parents till about 25 years of age. On April 4, 1850, he was united in marriage with Martha Dye, daughter of John and Eliza (Green) Dye. Mr. Dye was born in Pennsylvania, and was one of the pioneer settlers of Miami Co. By this union they had three children, of whom two are living, viz., Albert D. and Jennie E., now Mrs. J. Shibbitts ; after Mr. Knick's marriage, he located in Casstown, but shortly afterward located on a farm about two miles

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south, where he resided three years, then sold out and went to California in Febru- ary, 1854, remaining there till January, 1856, when he returned home, where he arrived Feb. 4, 1856, and located in Cass Township, where he has since resided, engaged in the butchering business and a dealer in stock; he lost his wife by death July 8, 1877, since which time his daughter and her husband have lived with him. Mr. Knick has been School Director, was Constable for some three years, also Township Clerk and Township Trustee one term. Politically, he is a Democrat.

PAUL F. KNIGHT, farmer ; P. O. Casstown ; born in Hamilton Co., Ohio, Oct. 3, 1814 ; is a son of Jonathan and Catharine (James) Knight. The grandfather, William Knight, was among the early pioneers of Miami Co., and first located on the farm where the Orphans' Home is now situated ; here he endured all the hardships of the early settlers ; his first crop of corn was raised by keeping his gun within a few feet of him, and, as he came up to it, he would carry it a few feet in advance again, and so on through the field, so as to be ready for defense against the Indians ; these were days of trials and dangers, of which the present generation know nothing ; the father, Jonathan, located in Hamilton Co., lived and died there ; after the father's death, the son Paul, and elder brother William, were brought to this county ; Paul was raised and cared for principally by his uncle, John E. Cory ; Paul remained with his uncle for several years, after which he made his home with his mother, and worked out by the month for from $7 to $10 per month, a day's wages being one bushel of corn. April 6, 1837, was cele- brated his marriage with Charlotte Ensminger, daughter of Philip and Mary Ens- minger, who were born in Pennsylvania and removed to Greene Co., Ohio, thence to Miami Co., and finally to Jay Co., Ind., where they lived and died; by this union, Paul and Charlotte became parents of nine children, viz., Catharine (now Mrs. R. Winters, living in Indiana), Stephen (dying in infancy), Benjamin F., Caro- line (now Mrs. W. H. Cavault), Joseph, Mary (now Mrs. J. Fuller), Charles L., William and Lorenzo. After Mr. Knight's marriage, he located on the farm where they now reside, and here have made a continued residence of forty-two years. Mr. Knight, politically, is a stanch Republican ; religiously, he and his wife are Baptists, having been members of that church for about twenty years.

HENRY C. KNOOP, farmer ; P. O. Casstown; Henry C. Knoop was born in this county Dec. 4, 1842, and is a son of Daniel H. Knoop, whose sketch and fam- ily history appear in full in this work. Henry C. Knoop, our subject, lived with his father till his marriage, which was duly celebrated Feb. 24, 1869, in which he was united with Almeda Odaffer, who was born Dec. 7, 1848, and is a daughter of John and Mary (Sword) Odaffer, who were born in Pennsylvania, and came to this county at quite an early day ; they were parents of nine children, of whom six are now living, viz., Elizabeth, now Mrs John Price, living in Clark Co., Ohio; Catharine, now Mrs. M. Bennett, living in Springfield, Ohio; David, deceased ; Harriet, now Mrs. J. Routzahn ; Eleanor, deceased ; Sarah, now Mrs. Alexander Long; Emi- line, now Mrs. William Beamer, living in Iowa ; Mary, married to D. J. Whitmore, but now deceased ; and Almeda J. Henry C. and wife have had two children, viz., Charles V., born June 8, 1871 ; and Mary C., born Nov. 11, 1872; after Mr. Knoop's marriage, he located upon the farm, where he now resides, of 118 acres, with good buildings, constituting a pleasant farmer's residence ; Mr. Knopp is Township Treasurer, and has held the office of Township Trustee for two terms. He and his wife are members of the Lutheran Church, their membership extending over a period of nine years.

JOSIAH KNOOP, farmer ; P. O. Casstown. He was born in Lost Creek Township, Miami Co., and is a son of Daniel H. and Cassie (Jackson) Knoop, whose history and biography are fully written in the sketch of Daniel H. Knoop, contained in this work ; Mr. Knoop resided with his father till about thirty-three years of age. Nov. 28, 1878, he was united in marriage with Martha Fuller, daughter of James C. Fuller, who was born and raised in Clark Co., Ohio ; after his marriage, Mr. Knoop settled on the farm where he now resides ; here he has a beautiful location, being only a short distance from Casstown, convenient to church,

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school, post office, etc. Mr. Knoop has served in the office of Township Trustee ; he is a member of the Lutheran Church, having been connected with it sixteen years.

SAMUEL KNOOP, general store, Casstown. As one of the representative business men of Casstown, whose family history is connected with the early settlement of this section of the county, we mention Samuel Knoop, who was born in Casstown Jan. 27, 1840 ; he is a son of Daniel and Lucy Knoop ; Mr. Knoop was born in Miami Co. Sept. 19, 1806 ; and Mrs. Knoop in Pennsylvania June 30, 1809 ; the grandfather, Benjamin Knoop, who was born in Pennsylvania, with his brother, John, were among the first pioneers of Miami Co .; they located in Staun- ton, building the block-house, and in the spring of 1798, placed their families in it for protection from the hostile Indians, Benjamin being the father of the first white female child born in the county, of which mention is made in sketch of William Burton ; their ancestry were from Germany ; Daniel and Lucy were parents of nine children, of whom eight are living-William, now in Missouri ; George ; Eliza- beth, now Mrs. A. Martin ; Samuel; Mary C., now Mrs. McPherson ; John C., now in Shelby Co .; David B. and Horace ; Daniel, the father, was a carpenter by trade, and many of the barns and other buildings were erected by him in this section in that early day ; soon after his marriage, which occurred May 12, 1831, he com- menced the mercantile trade in Casstown, and as an illustration that " small begin- nings " are not to be despised, we would say that he commenced business by the pur- chase of one kit of mackerel, which he sold ; from this, step by step he increased his stock and sales both in quality and variety of goods, until he became one of the largest merchants in the section at that day ; in connection with his mercantile trade, he became an extensive stock dealer and trader ; he was energetic, industri- ons and patriotic, the latter quality of which was exemplified during the war of the rebellion ; when, having five sons of an age suitable for military duties, he told them all to go and defend their country ; he would have entered the service him- self had not his advanced age forbade it ; the five sons all entered the service, return- ing safely to home and friends with honorable discharges ; Mr. Knoop continued his active business life until after the war broke out, when he sold out ; Oct. 1, 1872, he passed away from works to rewards. Samuel Knoop, our subject, re- mained with his father till the breaking-out of the war, when he enlisted in the 11th O. V. I., being the first man who enrolled his name from this part of the county ; after the three months' service, he re-enlisted in the 44th O. V. I., serving altogether three and one-half years, when he received his discharge and returned to his home and friends ; he entered as a private, was promoted to Cor- poral, then to Sergeant ; in 1862, when sick and in the hospital at Lewisburg, Va., Gen. Heath, of the rebel army, opened fire upon the Union forces just at break of . day ; the cannonading awoke Mr. Knoop, who, grasping his arms, rushed into battle, which proved a quick victory to the Union forces ; Mr. Knoop, sick and pale, fought with the energy of a robust soldier, and had the honor to capture one officer and three privates ; for this meritorious conduct, was offered promotion to Lieutenancy, but refused it, as his brother was already holding such office in the same company, and Mr. Knoop declined to have too much honor bestowed upon one family. After Mr. Knoop's return from the army, he engaged as a dealer in nursery stock, which business he followed some ten years ; finally located in Cass- town at his present place of business, and carried on a general merchandise trade, which he has successfully conducted for six years ; here with pleasure we have recorded the history of another branch of the Knoop family, whose lives were full of labor and usefulness in the early settlements of this county, and their patriot- ism exhibited in the defense of their country in its time of danger deserves to be held sacred and worthy of praise from future generations.

DANIEL H. KNOOP, farmer ; P. O. Casstown ; born in York Co., Penn., Nov. 6, 1806 ; is son of Jacob and Frances (Hursh) Knoop, who were also born in Pennsylvania; the grandparents were American born, but the great-grandparents came from Germany. The father, Jacob, lived and died in Pennsylvania, but the

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mother came to Ohio with her son Daniel and died here. They were the parents of six children, of whom our subject, Daniel, is the only one now living; be removed to Miami Co. in the spring of 1832 and located upon the farm where he still resides, having made a continued residence of nearly half a century ; he bought, when he located, 160 acres, of which about one-half was partly cleared ; at the time he arrived there were but two houses, and they were log cabins, in what is now called Casstown. Mr. Knoop was united in marriage Feb. 2, 1843, with Cas- sandra Jackson, daughter of William and Elizabeth (Criddlebaugh) Jackson, who were both natives of Pennsylvania, and came to Ohio at quite an early day ; they were parents of eight children, of whom four are living, viz., Elizabeth, now Mrs. Bousman ; Cassandra, Henry, and Maria, now Widow Havens. Daniel and wife are parents of five children, viz., Henry C., Josiah, George B. (deceased), William M. and Albert. Mr. Knoop has borne his share of the hardships and deprivations of those early days-raising corn and selling at 15 cents per bushel, hauling to market over the mud roads, taking flour to Cincinnati and selling it at $2.50 per barrel; these were times which required labor, industry and economy. Most man- fully did they fight their battles through, enduring all trials and dangers. But now they see things existing quite differently ; where once the forest stood, now waving fields of grain are seen, fine houses and barns have replaced the old log cab- ins, comfort and pleasure reigning unalloyed with the trials and dangers of those early days. Mr. Knoop's labors have been crowned with success ; he now owns 635 acres of fine land, mostly surrounding the village of Casstown; in fact, the south part of the town is built upon his land ; he also owns 360 acres of land in Indiana ; this has nearly all been accumulated by his own labors and industry ; in this respect, his life will stand as a shining example to all future generations. Mr. Knoop has been one who has had the confidence of the people, having been Director in the National Bank of Troy for nine years, also of the Hydraulic Works, Turnpikes, etc., holding at one time five Directorships, and has also been Township Trustee for several terms. Mr. Knoop and wife are members of the Lutheran Church, their membership covering a period of thirty-five years or more, they being among the constituent members of the organization of the church in Cass- town. This is a record of another of the early settlers, one of the Knoop family, who are classed among the fathers of Miami Co., whose history and record of labors, success, honest dealings and life of Christian work, add to the laurels of the Knoop family.

CHRISTIAN LE FEVRE, farmer; P. O. Troy ; born in Miami Co. Oct. 12, 1826; is son of Christian and Jely (Meloy) Lefevre. Mr. Lefevre was born in Maryland June 7, 1786, and Mrs. Lefevre in Pennsylvania May 17, 1789; the father Patrick Meloy, was born in Ireland May 25, 1762, her mother Elizabeth, born June 16, 1762, and married March 17, 1808. Christian and Jely Lefevre were parents of thirteen children, viz., Sarah, born March 15, 1809, deceased; John, born Oct. 12, 1810; Elizabeth, born Jan. 20, 1812, deceased ; William C. M., born Jan. 11, 1814, deceased ; Naomi, born April 29, 1815, deceased ; Amy H., born March 1, 1817, deceased; Rezon M., born Aug. 16, 1818, and James V., born April 24, 1820, both deceased ; Alfred, born April 23, 1822, now a physician in Tippecanoe ; Cyrus, whose sketch appears in this work ; Christian ; Solomon G., born Aug. 23, 1828, deceased, and Mary, born July 12, 1830, deceased. Christian lived with his father till 27 years of age. Oct. 13, 1853, was celebrated his marriage with Nancy E. Cecil, daughter of John and Rebecca Cecil, who were natives of Virginia and came to this county at an early day. They were the parents of thirteen children, of whom three only are living, viz., Mary, now Mrs. A. J. Ryne, living in Kansas ; Letitia, now Mrs. Hart, living in Dayton, Ohio, and Rebecca, now Mrs. Gardner, living in Illinois. Christian and Nancy, by this union, have had six children, viz., Charles B., born Sept. 13, 1854, deceased ; Cory S., born Dec. 24, 1855 ; Cordelia Edna, born April 27, 1858, now Mrs. Deweese ; John C., born Dec. 26, 1860; Nellie May, born Feb. 18, 1868, and Mary C., born Feb. 27, 1872. After their marriage, they lived two years on his father's place, and

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in February, 1856, located upon the farm where he now lives, having made a con- tinued residence here of over twenty-four years. He has 162 acres of excellent land, all in cultivation, with comfortable brick house, good barns and everything required for comfort and convenience. They are members of the Presbyterian Church, his membership extending over a period of thirty-six years, and is now an Elder in the church. The father, Christian, being one of the pioneers of this county, enduring the many hardships and dangers of that day, we take pleasure in placing the names of their family upon the pages of history. The Christian character and works of this family are worthy of being followed by the generations of the future; the father having been an Elder in the church most of his life, five of his sons fol- lowing his footsteps, in active Christian work, and Elders in the church.

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The History of Miami County, Ohio, Part 69

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