The History of Miami County, Ohio, Part 85

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

USA > Ohio > Miami County > The History of Miami County, Ohio > Part 85

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ENOS SHELLABARGER, farmer ; P. O. Piqua; born in Montgomery Co., Ohio, in 1845 ; is the son of Samuel and Elizabeth (Ward) Shellabarger, he being born in Pennsylvania and she in Ohio ; Samuel, the father, came from Pennsylvania, and located at New Carlisle, Clark Co., Ohio, where he followed the tanning business for about six years ; thence to Covington, Miami Co., where he engaged in the mer- cantile trade for about six years ; thence to Montgomery Co., where he bought & farm, which he cultivated, residing there up to the present time ; they are parents of twelve children, six of whom are now living ; those deceased are John, James, Ira, Thomas, Joseph and Amanda ; the living-Margaret, William Newton, Mary, Enos, Harriet and Mahlon. Enos, the subject of our sketch, remained with his parents until after his majority, when, on the 13th of June, 1867, he was united in marriage with Rebecca Weybright, daughter of Daniel and Nancy (Kinsey) Wey- bright, who were both born in Ohio ; by this union they have had eight children, viz., Elizabeth, Ada (now deceased), Elmer G., Ira W. (deceased), Alice, Gertrude, Hattie Bell, Maggie May, Almira and Leroy ; Mr. Shellabarger, after his marriage, moved from Montgomery Co. to Miami Co., and located upon the farm on which he now resides ; he has 109 acres of good land, mostly in cultivation ; has made many improvements, remodeled his barn, and now has very good buildings, comfortable and convenient, making him a nice and pleasant home; he is a member of the German Baptist Church.

RICHARD W. SHIPLEY, butcher, Piqua ; born in Maryland Dec. 7, 1811; is a son of Vachel and Mary (Leeke) Shipley, who were born in Maryland ; they had twelve children, of whom three are now living-Columbus I. (living on Agri- cultural farm, near Washington, Md.), Rebecca (married to John Thompson, living thirty-five miles from Baltimore), and Mr. Shipley, our subject, who lived with his father till 18 years of age, when he went to learn the butcher trade with Isaiah Mercer, at Ellicott's Mills, Md. ; there he remained two years. Aug. 1, 1833, he was united in marriage with Mary, daughter of William and Ellen (Botomly) Westerman, by whom he has had twelve children, six of whom are now living-Francis M. (born June 2, 1835), Richard W., Vachel R., Mary E., Joshua W. and Lucy M., all married and settled in life, and all living in and near Piqua, except Francis and Lucy, the former living in Xenia, and the latter in Jamestown, Ohio ; Mr. Shipley, after his marriage, or in 1834, came to Ohio, and located in Springfield, where he followed his trade till 1842, when he moved to Piqua, and there opened out in his trade, where he has remained ever since in the same business, thus making the almost or quite unprecedented record of one who has followed the butcher business continuously for half a century. Mr. Shipley is

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an active member of the M. E. Church, dating his membership back to 1828, thus showing a Christian life of over half a century ; has been class-leader and steward for thirty-two years, and was trustee for several years ; Mr. Shipley is a strong advocate of temperance ; has raised all his children to manhood, and to this time has never known one of them to go into a saloon and take a drink of liquor in their lives. In this sketch of Mr. Shipley we have manifested a continuity of mind, fixedness of purpose and an integrity of character rarely witnessed, and perhaps more rarely among those of his trade and line of business.

JOHN SHRODES, retired, Piqua; was born in Jefferson Co., Va., in 1817, where he procured his education in the common schools; in 1833, he emigrated to Fairfield Co., Ohio, where he engaged in farming until 1850, at which time he came to Greene Co. His marriage was celebrated in Fairfield Co., Ohio, in 1834, with Barbara Dessells, whose death occurred in her native county (Fairfield) ; the issue of this union were two children-John W. and Emanuel, deceased. On March 15, 1877, he married, for his second wife, Hannah I., widow of the late Col. Foster, of Piqua ; he was born in Lebanon, Warren Co., Ohio, Feb. 10, 1821; his early edu- cation was acquired in the common schools ; the prime part of his manhood days was devoted to the blacksmith's trade, from which he retired, after several toil- some years, and began the study of law; this he pursued, perusing the pages of the best authors; through industry and intellect, he rose to the eminence of a lead- ing attorney. About 1845, he came to Miami Co., locating in Piqua ; after becom- ing a citizen of the same, he held the most prominent offices of this county ; in the fall of 1861, he entered the United States service as Lieutenant Colonel, where he soon rose to Colonel, which position ill health necessitated him to resign, at the end of eighteen months, and return home ; his illness, contracted while in service, gradually wore him down to the last days of his life, which ended, Feb. 28, 1873, the earthly career of a loyal and noble man. Mrs. Shrodes was born in Warren Co., Ohio, Aug. 11, 1823, and is a daughter of Samuel and Hannah I. (Clevenger) Chamberlin, both natives of New Jersey, and died in Lebanon-she in 1851, and he in 1863.

CHARLES W. SIMON, proprietor of Border City Hotel, Piqua, which is one of the needed enterprises of every town and city ; in this business he has been favor- ably known since 1875. Our subject, born in Piqua in April, 1847, is a son of J. C. and Barbara A. Simons; there he grew to manhood, and, during his minority, he enjoyed the schools of Piqua to a medium degree; at the age of 19 years, he opened a restaurant in the Pan Handle depot, in which he met with fair success, and followed until the opening of his present business. In November, 1871, he married-Mary L. Kohler, who was born and raised in this city, being five years the junior of C. W .; they have one daughter-Caroline D., born Dec. 25, 1879.

RICHARD SLAUSON, grain merchant and capitalist, Piqua. Among the business men of Piqua, who deserve more than a passing notice, is Mr. Slauson ; he is a native of Connecticut, born in 1825 ; his parents removed to New York State when he was a lad; his father was a farmer, but he was schooled to busi- ness from the age of 14 years ; he married, in 1846, Miss Maria H. Rexford, and, in 1847, they came to Piqua, where he engaged in the dry-goods trade until 1851, when, on account of his health, he retired from that business, and operated in different ways until 1857, when he became a member of the firm of Farrington & Slauson, grain dealers ; the firm is now also interested in, the oil-mill of Wood, Farrington & Co .; their business is perhaps the most extensive of any firm in Piqua ; Mr. Slauson has been one of the important business men of Piqua for more than thirty years, and is a respected, useful Christian citizen ; his residence, on the southwest corner of High and Downing streets, is surrounded by a spa- cious yard, and is one of the handsomest residence properties in the city. Mrs. Slauson died in 1818, leaving one child-a son.

HENRY SMITHMAN, farmer; P. O. Piqua ; is a son of Henry, Sr., and Charlotte Smithman, both natives of Germany, where both passed away, he, in 1826, and she about 1843. Our subject was born in Germany in 1816, and raised

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to village life ; there he procured a good German education; in 1834, he emi- grated to the United States, first locating in Pennsylvania, where he engaged in the iron furnace four years ; at the expiration of this period, he commenced farm- ing, buying and selling land; this he continued until 1865, when he came to Miami Co., locating in Spring Creek Township; a few changes have since been made, and he now owns 36 acres in Miami Co., of which the part on which he resides lies in Fourth Ward of Piqua. Nov. 5, 1840 (in Pennsylvania), he mar- ried Agnes Wagner, of Germany, born, March 7, 1819; eleven children have been born to them, of whom seven are now living, viz. : William, John, Edward, Mary, Lydia, Agnes and Henry.

J. H. H. SPIKER, livery, Piqua ; was born in Alleghany Co., Md., August, 1830, where he grew to the age of 18 years, of which a part was town life; having access to good schools, he acquired a fair education ; in 1848, he went to Vir- ginia, where he was variously engaged for seven years ; in 1855, he came to Piqua, where he opened a carriage factory, buying and selling horses ; four years later, he sold a part of his interest, and opened the stable he now is operating ; in 1860, sold the last interest in the carriage works, which are now known as the "Spiker Wagon Works ;" his attention has since been devoted to every part of a first- class livery-stable, and he continues to buy and sell horses; his ability for his present occupation has awarded him fair success. In July, 1850, in Virginia, he married Eliza McCarthy, a native of the same State (Virginia) ; her death occurred about 1873 ; the fruits of this union are Ella, Elizabeth, Callie, Annetta and John ; Mr. Spiker married for his second wife Elizabeth Painter, of Miami Co., a native of New York.

W. S. and S. K. STATLER, farmers ; P. O. Piqua ; are the sons of George and Elizabeth (Knoop) Statler ; their father was born in Dauphin Co., Penn., in 1798, and came to Miami Co., Ohio, with his parents about 1804 ; their mother was born in Miami Co. in 1806, and was married in 1829 ; they had four children, all now living, viz .: James W., who is married, and settled in Van Buren, Ark. ; Will Sabin, who is single and lives on the home farm ; Harriet also lives at home with her brother Sabin and is unmarried ; and Samuel K., married to Clara E. Kinsman, and lives also on the home farm, and are parents of one child, viz., Lizzie K .; George and Elizabeth, the parents, were among the very early settlers of the county; opening out right in the wilderness ; living in the old log cabin for years, and by dint of hard labor, industry and economy, clearing up the farm, and making im- provements as time and means would permit ; before their death they were in the possession of three good farms of 160 acres each, with good buildings and every- thing needed for comfort and convenience; she died in 1871, and he in 1873, having fulfilled their mission well and leaving a goodly portion of this world's goods for their children to enjoy, without the hardships and deprivations which their parents had to endure. Elizabeth's brother, Jacob Knoop, was the first white child born in the county, Nov. 30, 1798; Samuel K., is the Land Appraiser for Washington Township, having been elected to fill that office last October; William S., and Harriet his sister, are members of the Presbyterian Church, in Piqua, his membership dating back about five years, and hers about eighteen years.

D. C. STATLER, farmer and stone merchant ; P. O. Piqua ; is the son of Christopher and Frances Statler, and grandson of Christopher Statler, who was one of the early pioneers of Miami Co., settling here in about 1801, and died in 1824. Christopher, the father, was born in Pennsylvania probably about 1787, and emigrated with his father to Ohio when he was quite young ; the grandfather was a native of Switzerland. The father, Christopher, was united in marriage with Frances Winans, May 27, 1810; she was born in 1791 ; they had thirteen children, of whom four are now living ; in this early day there were but few settlers scat- tered here and there through the county ; Piqua at that time was all in the " bush," there being then only two houses in the town with shingle roofs ; one, a store kept by Armstrong Brandon, the other a tavern kept by a man by the name of Ewing ; the Indians were very numerous at that time, but were generally friendly, still they

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gave the people much anxiety, and caused them to keep heavy locks and bolts upon their doors ; during the war of 1812, some of the Indians joined with the British, and committed several murders; a man by the name of Dilbone and his wife were killed by them, living about four miles east of Statler's farm ; and another man by the name of Gerard, about four miles south ; Mother Statler remembers distinctly all these events ; they endured all the hardships and deprivations of such pioneer life ; there were then no churches, but occasionally the Methodist circutit preachers would come around and hold services in some of the settlers' houses ; they carded and spun their own wool, made their own clothes, etc .; were happy and contented, much more so than those of the present day, surrounded with all the comforts and even luxuries that heart need desire ; thus, as time and improve- ments advance, the ways and modes of living, and desires of the people are con- stantly changing ; what is now so fine and superb to us, may 100 years hence be far excelled by the people of future age; Mother Statler joined the Methodist Episcopal Church in New Jersey, in 1808, having been a faithful and firm adherent to the faith for seventy-two years, thus showing a duration of active Christian life almost or quite unprecedented in the annals of the church ; most certainly in the last great day, she will have a crown of rejoicing. D. C. Statler, the subject of our sketch, was united in marriage with Jerusha Smith in 1849; daughter of Oliver and Ruth Smith, of Dayton, Ohio ; they had seven children, of whom five are now living ; Mr. Statler resides on the old home farm, with whom his aged mother, now 89 years old, lives ; they have all the comforts and conveniencies of life, on the same place where the mother endured so many hardships in early life, but now she can pass the remainder of her days in quiet, peace and happiness, in the care of her loved and devoted children.

JAMES STARRETT, retired, Piqua ; Mr. Starrett, one of the old residents of Piqua, was born in Clark Co., in 1813; came, when a boy, with his parents to Shelby Co., where his father died in 1829 ; in 1831, he came to Piqua to learn the cabinet-maker's trade, at which he afterward worked in different places ; while in New York he went on a whaling expedition, which occupied about two years, and during which he witnessed some exciting scenes and was conscious of some narrow escapes ; in 1839, he engaged in the dry-goods trade in Piqua, but, being unfor- tunate in the choice of a partner, soon sold out; in 1845, he engaged in the drug trade, Judge Mitchell being his partner ; he continued in the business about fifteen years, then became a partner with Wm. W. Wood in the grocery trade, and also conducted a cooper establishment ; in 1863, he sold out here and removed to Indi- anapolis, where he was a member of the firm of Sawyer & Co., wholesale grocers, until 1866, when he returned to Piqua, and has resided here since, living a quiet, retired life. Mr. Starrett has been identified with the history of Piqua for a half- century, and is now one of its substantial citizens ; his residence, situated on the southwest corner of Caldwell and Ash streets, is a substantial, commodious build- ing, which, by its surroundings and furnishings, indicates culture and comfort. He married, in 1840, Elizabeth J., daughter of John K. McFarland, who was a pioneer of Lost Creek Township, and owned carding and fulling mills, also a saw-mill on Lost Creek ; afterward, became a resident of Troy, and was a leading and influen- tial man in his day ; Mrs. Starrett is a native of Miami Co., one of a large family reared in the early days of our county history, and remembers well when her father's carding machine took the place of the old-fashioned hand cards, and now views with pleasure the comforts of modern improvements.

JOSEPH C. TEMPLETON, retired, Piqua ; born in Newberry Township, Miami Co., Dec. 25, 1811 ; is a son of Lemuel and Elizabeth Templeton, both natives of Franklin Co., Penn., where they married ; in the same year that Joseph was born they emigrated to Ohio, locating in the unbroken forest of Newberry Township, where they took their farm to a good state of improvement and cultiva- tion ; Lemuel died Oct. 6, 1836, and Elizabeth July 9, 1842 ; their children were eight in number-Sarah, deceased ; Joseph C., Mary A., Eliza J., Maria, James, deceased ; Beulah and Malinda. Our subject was raised to farm life and obtained

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his education in the common schools of Miami Co .; he remained at home assisting his father until 1839, when he started in life for himself ; twelve years later, he purchased his present farm of 172 acres, in Newberry Township, which he culti- vated until 1865, when he removed from the farm to his present dwelling on Chest- nut street, Piqua ; there he is comfortably situated, where he and his younger sister are enjoying a quiet and undisturbed home.

A. J. TEMPLETON, farmer ; P. O. Piqua; born in Newberry Township, Miami Co., Ohio, in 1833 ; is the son of David and Eliza (Davis) Templeton, who were both born in Pennsylvania; came to this county and located in Newberry Township, in 1814, about the close of the war of 1812, where they lived and died, he dying in 1858, and she in 1857. The grandparents on the father's side, came from Ireland, and on the mother's side from Scotland. Mr. Templeton remained with his parents till their death, when the home place was sold, and he bought the farm upon which he now resides, which was in the spring of 1862. He was married in the fall of 1856 to Nancy J. Darner, daughter of Jacob Darner, who was a native of Maryland ; by this union they had four children, viz., William L., Charles D., Sallie (deceased) and Harry Edgar. William, the eldest, is now in Covington, this county, studying the profession of medicine, the others are living at home. Mr. Templeton has a good farm of 80 acres, which he has greatly improved since he purchased it, and has erected all the buildings except the house, now having a very pleasant and comfortable home ; he has given great attention to the education of his children, the oldest, as stated above, taking the profession of a physician. He is a member of the Christian Church.

AUGUSTUS THOMA, jeweler, Piqua. Mr. Thoma, a native of Germany, was born in Baden in 1819 ; came to the United States in 1832 ; learned his trade in New York, and worked there several years. In 1838, his health not being very good, he took a trip West for recreation, and was so well pleased with the pros- pects of this Western country, that he concluded to make it his home, and has been a resident of Piqua ever since. He worked as "jour" for Reimund Wilman a short time, then bought him out, and, following the Franklin maxim, "The shop keep him who keeps a shop," he has attended closely to his trade and business in con- nection, and has been successful, and is now one of the substantial and respected citizens of Piqua, connected with some of the important industrial enterprises lately inaugurated here. His store is located at 197 Main street, where he keeps a fine stock of jewelry and silver-ware, and, being a practical workman of long experi- ence, he does a large business in repairs, and also manufactures jewelers' tools. His residence is a part of the store-building, and has been his place of residence since 1845. He married, in 1840, Wilhelmina Sauerman, a native of Hanover, Germany, and, at the time of her marriage, a resident of Piqua; both she and her husband were orphans from carly youth ; they have two sons and one daughter living-A. F., who is traveling and selling jewelers' tools and materials ; Albin, who is also engaged in the business with his father and brother, and Caroline, a young lady at home.

JAMES P. . TURK, farmer; P. O. Piqua; born in the State of New York, in 1810, is the son of James and Rachel Turk, both of whom were born in New Jersey ; the great-grandfather came from Holland; the mother's ancestry were among the Huguenots who were driven out from Rochelle, France, on account of their relig- ious belief; the parents lived and died in the State of New York ; they were the parents of seven children, viz., James P., Mary, William, now deceased, Ann, Eliza- beth, Ellen and Oscar. Mr. Turk, the subject of our sketch, was united in mar- riage with Hester Merritt, daughter of Nathaniel and Elizabeth Merritt; by this union they have had eleven children viz., Mary, Joseph, deceased, William, Nathaniel, deceased, James, Margaret, Charles, deceased, and four others dying in infancy ; Hester, the mother, died Aug. 2, 1879, aged 71 years. Mr. Turk moved from New York State to Ft. Wayne, Ind., November, 1842, where he lived till September, 1849, when he came to this county and located on the farm where he now resides ; he has a farm consisting of 166 acres, mostly in cultivation. His son James works the

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farm, and Mr. Turk gives the most of his attention to dealing in stock. He is, and always has been, a great advocate in the cause of education, and has taken a great interest in the schools by his own support and advocacy of good teachers and good schools.

F. W. WALTON, physician, Piqua ; was born Nov. 3, 1813, in Connecticut, and when but a child was left motherless ; thereafter, he was under the jurisdic- tion of his uncle, in Madison Co., N. Y., where he acquired his primary education ; early in life, he had access to his uncle's medical library, but his preceptor was the well-known Dr. S. H. Potter, of Syracuse, N. Y., now in Hamilton, Ohio. In 1855, Dr. Walton graduated from the Syracuse Medical College, of New York, and the same year passed an examination, and holds a diploma from the Eclectic Medi- cal Institute of Cincinnati ; two years later, he located in Piqua, where he has been favorably known since ; he is among the older physicians of the city. His nuptials with Clarinda Hall were celebrated in Lenox, Madison Co., N. Y., Dec. 11, 1834; they trod the path of life for nearly twoscore years, when she passed away ; the issue of their union was two sons, Samuel W. and Frederick L., who both became druggists, which they followed during life ; in 1874, the Doctor married for his second wife Ada Peterson, born in Staunton Township, Miami Co., Ohio; she is a daughter of Ralph Peterson, in honor of whom the station (Peterson) on the D. & M. R. R. took its name.

A. WENDEL, jeweler, Piqua. Among the business men of Piqua who deserve mention, is Mr. Wendel ; he is a native of Rhenish-Prussia, born in 1821; came to the United States in 1850 ; spent a little more than a year in Dayton, whence he came to Piqua and commenced business as a traveling jeweler ; in 1856, he estab- lished himself in business here ; has conducted it ever since, and built up a repu- tation and business which have placed him among the leading business men of Piqua ; he has been a property-holder here since 1853, and is now one of the sub- stantial. citizens; his residence is located on Sycamore street. He married, in 1851, Miss Fanny Friedlich, sister of A. Friedlich, whose biography appears in this work ; they have had seven children, six of whom are living-Jacob (who is now assisting in the store), Samuel, Helen (now Mrs. A. Simon, of Greenville), Bertha (now Mrs: Sol. Rosenfeld, of Portland, Oregon), Rosa and Sadie. Mr. Wendel has always taken an active interest in the. public welfare, and his children are all graduates of the high school ; Bertha was elected teacher after her graduation, and taught about three years with great acceptance. Mr. Wendel was one of the constitutional members of the Ansheemeth congregation, and has acted as Rabbi since its organization.

I. J. WHITLOCK, Piqua. Mr. Whitlock is a native of Ohio, born in Butler Co. in 1828 ; his youth was spent on a farm until 18 years of age; he then com- menced working at the carpenter's trade, which he has followed ever since ; he came to Piqua in 1853, and was employed at carpentering exclusively until 1860, when he purchased of Willis Buckles the sash, door and blind factory at the cor- ner of Broadway and Boone streets, which he rebuilt and enlarged in 1869, and is now, in addition to his regular factory work, engaged in contracting and building, and also deals in builders' material ; Mr. Whitlock is both an architect and draughtsman, executes his own plans, and, understanding the details of his work, is enabled to secure a high degree of efficiency, being, indeed, the leading con- tractor and builder of the city. He married, in 1853, Miss Mary McGuire, also of Butler Co .; she having died in 1854; in 1856 he married Miss Margaret, daughter of Zachariah Flomerfelt, of Shelby Co., formerly a resident of the vicinity of Piqua. Mr. Whitlock's residence is at the corner of Boone street and Broad- way, opposite his factory. He has a family of four children-Wilbur F., Mary E., John E. and Harry E.

STEPHEN WIDNEY, retired farmer and stock-raiser ; P. O. Piqua; born in Franklin Co., Penn., April 9, 1806 ; is the son of John and Mary (Johnston) Wid- ney, who, in 1810, sold their farm and a mill property and removed to Ohio, then known as the "backwoods; " they settled in Miami Co., three miles northwest of

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The History of Miami County, Ohio, Part 85

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