The History of Miami County, Ohio, Part 81

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

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WILLIAM HIGGINS, M. D., retired physician and capitalist, Piqua. Dr. Higgins, a native of Pennsylvania, was born in Westmoreland Co. in 1818; his youth was spent on a farm, attending school during winter, and later received the benefit of an academic course; he graduated from the National Medical College at Washington, D. C., in 1840, and commenced practice the same year at Carlisle, Coshocton Co., Ohio, where he continued until 1848, when he removed to Zimmer- man, Greene Co .; here he remained, enjoying an extensive practice, until 1871, when he removed to Piqua, and retired from practice, having accumulated a respectable fortune; his time is now occupied in brokerage and looking after his real estate interests, which are quite extensive; besides owning a number of valua- ble tracts in this vicinity, he has a fine farm of 500 acres in the Wabash Valley, near Terre Haute, and another near Marion, Ind. Dr. Higgins is emphatically a self-made man, having started in life with nothing, and worked his way up through many difficulties and embarrassing circumstances. He married Aug. 3, 1848, Miss Belle Williamson, of Fairfield, Greene Co., Ohio; the fruits of this union have been three children-Julius, now a resident of Richmond, Ind., James, who died at the age of 24, and Willie, also deceased.

STEPHEN HILL, farmer ; P. O. Covington ; born in Northampton Co., Penn., July 9, 1817 ; is the son of Isaac and Susan (Barton) Hill ; they moved to New Jersey when Stephen was a child, where they lived and died. Mr. Hill, when only 9 years of age, was thrown upon the world, and went to live with a family by the name of Deusenberry, where he lived till he was 18 years of age, when he struck out for himself; he worked at various places in the State, mostly at farm- ing, till he was 30 years of age ; in December, 1847, he emigrated to Ohio, and located in Warren Co .; about one mile from Lebanon, where he remained between two and three years, then went to Centreville, Montgomery Co., where he remained about two years, and from there came to Miami Co., worked by the month for a time, when he bought a farm adjoining the one he now owns. Dec. 31, 1855, he united in marriage with Sarah J. Lukemeyer, daughter of John and Alice (Barn- grover) Lukemeyer, who were both born and raised in Southern Ohio ; Sarah was born in Clermont Co., Ohio, Oct. 10, 1837 ; by this union, they have had four children, viz., Charles F., born Feb. 14, 1857 ; Frank S., born Nov. 22, 1858; George M., born Feb. 2, 1861, and Alice A., born Feb. 8, 1867; all single and living at home. Mr. Hill has a farm of 85 acres, which he took right in the woods, and has cleared the farm from year to year, now having 65 acres cleared and in cultivation ; has built his barn and other buildings, and is now comfortably fixed to live ; he has accomplished this by his own industry and economy ; being thrown upon the world when a mere child, with no means, nor advantages of even a com- mon-school education, has worked his way through to a fair competency.

MICHAEL HITTLE, farmer ; P. O. Covington, born in Darke Co., Ohio, May 30, 1842, is the son of Adam and Catharine (Fockler) Hittle, who were born and raised in Miami Co .; the grandfather, Nicholas Hittle, was probably born in Ger- many, and came to this country in an early day; the grandmother, Eve Anna (Boyer) Hittle, was probably born in Pennsylvania. Adam and Catharine were

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parents of two children, viz., Michael and Eve ; Eve was born Nov. 25, 1843; she was married Nov. 27, 1866, to George Nill, by whom she had five children; all are living, viz., Catharine, born Feb. 12, 1868 ; Mary, born March 13, 1870; Michael, born May 20, 1871 ; Christiana, Jan. 6, 1873 ; Margaret, Nov. 11, 1874. She lost her husband by death, June 1, 1874, since which, she has remained with her mother and brother Michael. Adam, the father, died about four years ago. Mr. Hittle, the subject of our sketch, has always followed farming ; he has never married, but seems to enjoy single blessedness. He lives at home with his mother and sister, and takes charge of the farm; nearly his whole life, some thirty-eight years, has been spent in Miami Co., which should give him a right and title among the old settlers of this county.

J. D. & J. L. HOLTZEMANN, wholesale liquor dealers in foreign and domestic spirits, Piqua. Piqua, like most cities of its size, is represented by almost every branch of business. J. D. Holtzemann has been engaged in his present business for nearly half a century, during which time he transacted busi- ness with several different partners, until his son, J. L., formed the present part- nership. During this time, they have been favorably known as rectifiers, com- pounders of liquor, etc .; they, in connection with their business, manufacture Holtzemann's reliable and well-known stomach bitters ; J. D., the senior member of the firm, was born in Hanover, Germany, Oct. 22, 1808, where he grew to manhood on the farm ; when but a young man, he engaged in merchandising in Bremen ; this was conducted four years, when his thoughts 'were directed to the American continent ; and in 1831, he embarked from Bremen, landing in Baltimore in No- vember of that fall; there he engaged in handling foreign dry goods until one year later, when he came to Germantown, Ohio, making a few changes up to 1836, when he settled in Piqua. In 1838, he erected a part of his present wholesale house, which has since been enlarged to ninety-five feet deep, front on the corner of Main and Water streets. Sept. 18, 1836, he married Johannah L. Dettmer, born in Han- over, Germany, September, 1808 ; their children by this union are ten in number, six are now living-J. Lewis, Eliza, Gagg, Louisa, Minnie and Helen.

J. F. HUMMEL, proprietor steam granite works, Piqua. Mr. Hummel, & native of Prussia, was born in 1841, and came to the United States in 1852 ; his parents located here in Piqua and died here, after which J. F., being a boy, floated about. When the first call for troops was made, he enlisted in the three months' service, in the 1st Ohio V. I .; afterward enlisted for three years in the 79th O. V. I., in which he served until the close of the war. In 1869, he came to Piqua, and worked at mar- ble cutting as journeyman for Daniel Young, whom, in 1871, he bought out, con- tinuing the business here ever since. Mr. Hummel is emphatically a self-made man ; left fatherless at 16, he drifted wherever employment could be got ; learned his trade ; served the Government nearly four years ; commenced without capital in Piqua, in 1869, and from his savings, in two years, bought out the little shop in which he was employed ; has kept steadily on, enlarged his shop, and now has it filled with Scotch polishing machinery operated by steam. He is a thorough mechanic, an excellent designer, a skillful draughtsman, and the extent of his busi- ness is second to none in the State. He has a branch office in Cincinnati, C. G. Hummel, agent. He married in 1865, Miss Hannah Baumgarten, of Shelby Co. They have seven children, six sons and one daughter.

JAMES W. HUNTER, farmer ; P. O. Piqua ; born in Miami Co., June 18, 1817 ; is the son of Joseph and Jane (Eaton) Hunter; his father was born in Penn- sylvania, and his mother in Ireland ; the grandfather was also a native of Penn- sylvania, but the great-grandfather was a native of Ireland. Joseph and Jane, the parents, had born to them eleven children, one dying in infancy, and ten grow- ing up to maturity, viz., William, Martha and Margaret, all now deceased ; John G., living in Nebraska ; Mary Ann, now Mrs. John Patterson ; James W., Jane Eliza, Joseph Baxter and Eleanor, all three now deceased ; and David Eaton, liv- ing in Illinois. Joseph, the father, died in March, 1849, ; Jane, the mother, died in November, 1839. They came to this county in 1811, being among the early

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pioneers ; arriving in company with James Johnston, who is further mentioned in the sketch of William Johnston in this work. They were here during the war of 1812, and took part, more or less, in scouting after the Indians. Theirs was a life of hardships and danger, coming and opening out right in the wilderness in the midst of war ; but they endured it all faithfully, and lived to see the country cleared up, and the comforts of civilized life brought to their doors. Mr. Hunter, the subject of whom we write, lived with his father till of age. He was united in marriage, Oct. 25, 1843, with Maria Irwin, daughter of John and Fanny (Nelson) Irwin, who were both natives of Ireland. By this union they had eight children, of whom six are now living, viz., Joseph Irwin, dying in infancy ; William Emer- son, now deceased ; John Irwin, Joseph Allen, married and living in Zanesville, Ohio ; Frank E., married and living in Piqua ; and Fanny J., Maggie E. and Thomas Leigh, single and living at home. Mr. Hunter, after his marriage, located in Shelby Co., where they lived till 1849, when he bought the farm upon which he still resides ; he now owns 140 acres of land, of which about 100 acres are in good cultivation, and cleared it all himself but about 20 acres, erecting all the buildings on the place. Mr. Hunter has been a very active, industrious man, and one who has encouraged advancement in all improvements ; being the first in this part of the township to use the reaper, the field roller, the sewing machine, the piano, etc. He was formerly a Democrat, politically, but was always an Anti-slavery man, which of a necessity brought him into the Republican party, where he has since remained. He is a member of the Presbyterian Church, his membership reaching over a period of forty years.

EDWARD HUNTZINGER, druggist, Piqua. Another of the enterprises of the city of Piqua is the pharmacy of Edward Huntzinger, to which we give more than a passing notice ; his " All Right " drug store is located in the Leland Hotel building, where he has been favorably known since November, 1879; he keeps a complete line of drugs and druggists' sundries, and makes prescriptions a specialty. He is a son of Edward, Sr., and Elizabeth Huntzinger, both natives of Pennsyl- vania, where their marriage occurred. Edward, Sr., devoted his entire life to gen- eral merchandising ; his death occurred in 1848, and the widow now resides in the city of Philadelphia ; the issue of this union was two daughters and one son (our subject), who was born in Pennsylvania in 1846; his elementary education was acquired in the Schuylkill Haven Village School; he afterward improved the same at the Military Academy at West Chester, Penn. ; at the age of 20, he took up the study of medicine, under Dr. J. G. Koehler, as a preceptor, three years; March 3, 1868, he graduated from the Medical University of Pennsylvania, after which he practiced in the county hospital a period of six years, thereby amply qualify- ing himself for his present occupation. His marriage with Fannie V. French was celebrated in January, 1873 ; they have one child-Anne E. ; Mrs. Huntzinger is a native of Maine, a descendant of the Puritan stock, and a daughter of Charles and Ann French, natives of Maine, where they now reside.

GEORGE S. HYDE, M. D., physician, Piqua. Dr. Hyde is a native of Vir- ginia ; was born in the Shenandoah Valley in 1831, and received a liberal educa- tion at the academics of Virginia; he first studied with a view to becoming an engineer, but, after some experience, concluded to turn his attention to medicine ; in 1856, he commenced practice in Preston Co., Va .; his diploma, from the Mary- land State University, bears the signature of James Buchanan, he being a mem- ber of the board, and was signed by him while occupying the " White House ;" on the breaking-out of the rebellion, Dr. Hyde went to Maryland, where he remained until the spring of 1865, when he removed to Ohio and located at Lockington, Shelby Co., where he practiced several years, during which he was the chief mem- ber of the school board there ; in 1870, he came to Piqua, and has been in prac- tice here since, having enjoyed a very satisfactory and growing practice ; his resi- dence is a new brick, on Ash street, near the southeast corner of Broadway. He married, in 1853, Miss Mary A. Newland; they have had four children, two of

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whom are living-Mrs. Joseph D. Sawyer and R. L., a young but promising den- tist of Piqua.

WILLIAM JOHNSTON, contractor and County Commissioner, Piqua ; was born in Franklin Co., Penn, May 2, 1804 ; he and four sisters are still living, of s family of six children of James and Mary (Adams) Johnston ; his father came from Pennsylvania to Ohio, and located one mile and a half from Piqua, in 1811, where he farmed till 1821, when he bought a farm on what is now called Upper Piqua, where he lived till he died, in December, 1847, aged 77 years. William Johnston received his early education in the old log schoolhouse, which was the best facility afforded in those days, having about three months' schooling each year, the balance of the time was applied to hard labor in clearing up the farm and making a home ; Mr. Johnston remained with his father till he was 31 years of age, when he was united in marriage, April 28, 1835, with Mary Bercaw, and, May 1, 1840, she was snatched from him by the remorseless messenger Death ; in 1842, April 25, he was again married, to Mary Ann Brown, danghter of Aaron and Han- nah (Kirk) Brown, who came to Ohio at quite an early day, coming from Fayette Co., Penn .; about the time of his first marriage, he entered upon the milling busi -. ness, about three miles from Piqua, in which he continued till 1850, when he rented his mill, and started West across the plains for California, having under his conductorship eighty-nine men ; they left Kansas City on the 8th of May, 1850, arriving at Sacramento City on the 20th of September, following, where he remained till the 1st day of June, 1853 ; while there he was engaged in the grocery trade, doing a very flourishing business, but suffered much loss, being burnt out by the great fire in November, 1852; and, in January, 1853, his goods were destroyed by water from the great freshet ; on the 1st day of June, 1853, he em- barked on board a steamer for New York City, where, after a twenty-three days' trip, he arrived safely, and from there came direct to Piqua; from his return to Piqua up to the present time he has been engaged on the public works of the county as builder and contractor on the railroads, canal and turnpikes, and dur- ing some five years on the hydraulic works of Piqua ; he is now County Commis- sioner, having been elected to that office last October ; he was also superintendent on the canal for some four years, and filled various other offices of trust. Mr. Johnston is now about 76 years of age, and is quite hearty and robust, having never experienced any severe sickness during his life, which he claims to be partly the result of his active out-door exercise, having been all his life in very active business ; he has accumulated a great deal of property, has been very lib- eral to all public and charitable purposes, and still has a goodly portion of this world's goods, sufficient to enable him to pass the remainder of his life in comfort and plenty. He holds his faith with the Episcopal Church of Piqua, to which his father belonged for many years.

JOHN H. D. JOHNSTON, deceased. Mr. Johnston was a native of Miami Co., a son of Col. John Johnston, and was born on the old homestead at Upper Piqua in 1820 ; he was reared on the farm, and when grown up remained on the old homestead, it being understood that it should descend to him. He married, in 1845, Miss Mary J., daughter of Stephen and Elizabeth (Mccullough) Dye; her father was an early resident of Miami Co .; after his marriage, Mr. Johnston received a deed for the old homestead, and continued to reside there until 1857 ; failing health compelled him to relinquish immediate supervision of the place, and he removed to Piqua, having purchased a residence on Caldwell street, where, after a long struggle with that dread disease consumption, he passed away February, 1863 ; he was a modest, unassuming man, and highly esteemed ; was a member of the Protestant Episcopal Church, and a Vestryman in that organization from early manhood to the time of his decease ; his wife and two daughters-Rachel E. and Margaret C., survived him ; Rachel E. married W. J. Vance, but lived only a few years after her marriage ; she left four children-Henry Caldwell, Mary B., Wilson J. and Rachel E. J. The two former are now with their father in Washington, D. C., and the two latter are with their grandmother, Mrs. Johnston, who, with Mar-

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garet C., resides at the old residence on Caldwell street, between Green and North streets ; Mrs. Johnston is an unassuming but intelligent woman, a member of the Protestant Episcopal Church, and highly esteemed for her stability of character and consistent life.

STEPHEN JOHNSTON, lawyer, Piqua. Mr. Johnston's ancestors .were from the North of Ireland ; his father, Stephen Johnston, and his uncle, Col. John Johnston, came to Ohio in 1808 ; the former was Government store-keeper, at Ft. Wayne, in the war of 1812, and on the 28th day of August in that year was 'killed by the Indians near that place. Mary Caldwell, of Kentucky, the mother of the subject of this sketch, was justly regarded as one of the remarkable women of her day ; she was cotemporary with Daniel Boone, Little Turtle and Tecumseh- was well acquainted with them, and of great service to the white population of the community. She was married in 1810, in Miami Co., Ohio, and died in September, 1861, aged 73 years. Stephen, her son, was born at Piqua, Ohio, on the 29th day of September, 1812 ; learned the saddler's trade, and worked at it fourteen years ; in 1841, he was elected Sheriff of Miami Co., and served four years, during which time he began reading law ; in 1845, he was elected to the State Legislature, and subsequently engaged in farming and lumbering for five years ; in 1850, he was admitted to the bar, and opened a law office in Piqua, where he has been in the practice ever since ; April 18, 1861, he entered the army as Captain in the 11th O. V. I., but resigned his commission in September of that year ; he was early identi- fied with the railroad interests of this section, and in 1849, drafted on a saddler's® bench, the charter of the Columbus, Piqua & Indiana Railroad Company, of which he was the attorney for twenty years or more afterward ; in 1868, he was elected President of the Piqua Hydraulic Company; under Mr. Johnston's energetic super- vision ; the enterprise, which had been deemed impracticable on account of its magnitude, was successfully accomplished, and the water works, in connection therewith, are unsurpassed for excellence and economy by any in the State ; the enterprise was first presented to the public in an intelligible form, through specifi- cations made by Mr. Johnston, in 1870 ; his name has been prominently associated with every principal public improvement, and he has been the friend of laudable private enterprises as well ; as the agent for an association formed for the purpose of resisting legislation hostile to the canal, he secured the adoption by the Legis- lature, of a written report which ended the efforts of its enemies for the time being, and will be a formidable barrier to future unfriendly legislation ; he is an agree- able and courteous gentleman as well as energetic, determined and persevering ; as indicative of the latter qualities, it may be stated that for thirty years he fought the Government single-handed, in relation to a claim by reason of a stipulation made by the Pottawatomie Indians in a treaty intended to secure to the heirs of his father, a certain tract of land as a partial atonement for his death as above stated ; finally, in 1863, Mr. Johnston accepted a compromise. In April, 1837, Mr. Johnston married Uretta, daughter of Chester Garnsey, of Piqua, formerly of Rochester, N. Y .; they have had seven children, four of whom are living ; his eldest son, Stephen C. Johnston, has been for several years engaged in the development of a gold mine near Charlotte, N. C., and his son, William C. Johnston, is at present a prominent attorney of this county, and Probate Judge of the same ; many points of great historic interest cluster around this family in its earlier days, which will be found in the text of this work. Politically, Mr. Johnston is a member of the Green- back party, and in 1877 was a candidate for Governor on that ticket ; originally a Whig, he was one of the first to join the Republican party, and in 1864 was Presidential Elector for the Fourth District on the Lincoln ticket ; in 1870, in consequence of the passage of the bill to strengthen the public credit, he voted with the Democrats, but in the canvass of 1876 he voted for Peter Cooper, and is still a persistent advocate of currency reform, and the payment of the public debt according to the laws under which it was contracted ; he is now connected with the Ohio State University, at Columbus, Ohio, as President of the Board of Trus- tees, and is an earnest friend of the agricultural interests of the State.

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CHRISTOPHER JOHNSTON, retired farmer ; P. O. Piqua ; is a son of Ste- phen Johnston, a native of Ireland and Scotch descent ; he grew to manhood in his native country, where he formed the acquaintance of Anna Armstrong, who after- ward became his wife ; in 1803, he emigrated to the United States, where he fol- lowed his trade of wheelwright until 1810, when he returned to his native country and married his previous acquaintance, with whom he corresponded while in America ; she was of Irish birth and of Scotch descent ; they settled in their native country, from which they and five children departed, in 1821, for the Western con- tinent, landing in New Brunswick, where the sixth child was born ; they remained until 1832 ; on July 4, of the same year, they arrived in Piqua, where Stephen purchased land near the city ; five years later, he sold out and all moved to Mercer Co., Ohio, buying land, taking it from its wilds, and remaining until the death of Anna, which occurred in 1856 ; soon after he returned to Shelby Co., with one of his sons, who had previously located there ; his death occurred in that county in 1874, at the ripe old age of 90 years ; our subject was born in Ireland in 1814 and lived with his father until 1836, when he married Mary Peck, born in Shelby Co., Ohio, in 1818 ; soon after their marriage they located in Mercer Co .; there they remained until 1862, when he removed to Miami Co., locating on Sec. 27, Spring Creek Township ; this was his place of residence until the spring of 1880, when he moved in the Second Ward of the incorporated city of Piqua; he now owns in Shelby and Miami Cos. nearly 200 acres of land ; the issue of this union is eight children-seven are now living-John P., Henry P., Stephen J., who are farmers ; Thomas L. and William A., jewelers in Columbus, Ohio ; Julia A. and Mary E.

JOHN JONES, farmer ; P. O. Piqua ; born in Dauphin Co., Penn., Sept. 28, 1830 ; is the son of Josiah and Catharine (Oliman) Jones; his father was born in the State of Delaware, his mother in Pennsylvania, where they lived and died ; they were parents of eight children, of whom three only are now living, viz., John, our subject ; Louisa, now Mrs. Chatham, living in Philadelphia; and Elizabeth, now Mrs. Keohler, living at Union Deposit, Penn .; Mr. Jones, the subject of this sketch, lived with his father till about 21 years of age, at which time, Jan. 16, 1851, he was united in marriage with Louisa Wagoner, daughter of Henry and Eliza- beth (Dick) Wagoner, who was born March 5, 1832, in Dauphin Co., Penn .; born by this union they had born to them ten children, viz., Elizabeth, Oct. 16, 1851, she is now Mrs. Wilkinson, living on the home place ; Henry, born March 20, 1854, now married to Anna Bell Mckinney, also living on part of the home farm ; Josiah, born Jan. 17, 1857, married to Anna Elizabeth Booher, and living on the home farm ; Catharine, born Aug. 18, 1859, and died Nov. 17, 1860 ; John, born Nov. 30, 1861 ; Emma, born June 24, 1864, died Dec. 30, 1869; Mary, born April 12, 1867 ; Willie, born Feb. 12, 1871 ; Laura, born Jan. 15, 1875 ; and Louisa, born Feb. 19, 1877, dying in 1878; Mr. Jones after his marriage lived in Pennsylvania about seven years, when he emigrated to Ohio and located in Mi- ami Co., April 8, 1858, on the farm where he still resides ; he first bought 90 acres of land, since which he has added to it by purchase from time to time, till now he owns 314 acres, of which about 250 acres are in cultivation ; he has made great improvements, has a fine house and a very large brick barn and numerous com- forts and conveniences ; this has mostly been accomplished by his own industry and economy ; Mr. Jones and wife are members of the Methodist Episcopal Church in Lockport ; they have a large family of children, all living with and near him, with a good competency for all.

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The History of Miami County, Ohio, Part 81

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