The History of Union County, Ohio, containing a history of the county; its townships, towns military record;, Part 161

Author: Durant, Pliny A. [from old catalog]; Beers, W. H., & co., Chicago, pub. [from old catalog]
Publication date: 1883
Publisher: Chicago, W. H. Beers & co.
Number of Pages: 1254

USA > Ohio > Union County > The History of Union County, Ohio, containing a history of the county; its townships, towns military record; > Part 161

Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).

ADAM DILSAVER, farmer and brickmason, P. O. Richwood, was born in Fairfield County, Ohio, January 3, 1817 ; his parents were George and Elizabeth (North) Dilsaver, natives of Virginia, and of English descent, who came to Ohio in 1810 and settled in Delaware County. His father was a soldier of the war of 1812, and a life-long farmer of Delaware County. Our subject spent his youth on the farm, and in early life learned bricklaying, which he has since followed in connection with farming. In 1841, he married Mary Ann Thrasher, by whom he had three children, John E., George T. and Mattie. His wife died in 1859, and in the same year he married Margaret Kyle, by whom has had one child-Frank. In 1872, he sold his farm in Marion County and moved to Delaware County, then to Marion, and, finally, to Union County, where he now owns ninety-seven acres of land. He has been a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church for thirty years, and has oc- cupied the offices of steward, class-leader and trustee in the church. His wife has been a member of the same church over forty years. He is a Republican in politics, and has retired from active life.

DR. WILLIAM B. DUKE, physician and surgeon, Richwood, Ohio, was born in Licking Connty, Ohio, February 21, 1843; he is a son of David and Sarah (Conrad) Duke, natives of Virginia, of English descent. Our subject was reared on his father's farm, where he remained until eighteen years of age, when he went to lowa and began clerking in a grocery. In 1863, he went to Arkansas, where he farmed for one year and also clerked in a store. At the age of twenty-four years he began reading medicine with Dr. C. H. Stimpson, of Licking County, and subsequently attended lectures in Cincinnati, receiving his diploma in 1871. He has since been entirely devoted to his practice, and in 1875 came to Richwood, where he is meeting with well- merited success. In 1869, he married Laverna V. Trevitt, a daughter of John Trevitt, and a native of Ohio. By this marriage one child has been born, viz., Herman Clyde. Mrs. Duke is a member of the Baptist Church.

J. EDELMAN, farmer, P. O. Richwood, was born in Niagara County, N. Y., January 15, 1830; his parents were George and Elizabeth (Gaumer) Edelman, natives of Pennsylvania, of German descent. They came to Ohio in 1835, and settled in Wood County, where our sub- ject was raised and educated. He chose the occupation of a farmer, and followed it during the most of his life. In 1865, he married Anna Fowler, a native of Wood County, Ohio, by

617

CLAIBOURNE TOWNSHIP.

whom he had four children, viz., Florence A., Harry B., Willie J. and Katie. Mrs. Edelman was a consistent member of the Presbyterian Church, and died in 1872. In 1874, Mr. Edelman married Sarah Gast, a native of Pennsylvania, of German descent. Mr. and Mrs. Edelman are members of the Presbyterian Church, and he is a Trustee of the church at Richwood. He is & member of Phoenix Lodge, No. 123, F. & A. M., a Democrat in politics, and since 1874, Super- intendent of gravel roads. He served as Trustee of Perrysburg Township, Wood Co., and has also been Trustee of Claibourne Township. He owns twenty-two acres of land adjoining Rich wood.

JOSEPH EMBREY, jeweler, Richwood, is a son of Lewis and Margaret (Bell) Embrey, the former a native of Virginia, of English descent, and the latter a native of Scotland ; he was born in Logan County, Ohio, July 1, 1855, and received his education in the graded schools of Mor- row, Warren Co., Ohio, in which his father was engaged in plying his trade of watch-maker .. He learned the trade of a jeweler, serving a regular apprenticeship, and in 1878 came to Rich - wood and established himself in business on the corner of Main and Ottawa streets. He keeps a full line of watches, clocks and silverware, and does all kinds of repairing in a manner that speaks for itself. He is a Republican in politics, a Master Mason of Mt. Carmel Lodge, No. 303, and a member of the Knights of Pythias. He has made his own start in life and is meet- ing with flattering successes in business.

GEORGE W. FINLEY, deceased, was born in Virginia, and was educated in the graded schools of Washington, D. C .; of his early life and his ancestry but little is now known. He was a coach-maker by trade and in early life taught school. He was married in Delaware County, Ohio, in 1851, to Angeline Williams. a daughter of Rev. John Williams and Anna Smart, his wife, who came to Ohio at an early day and settled in Fairfield County, where Mrs. Finley was born in 1828. Her father was a minister of the Methodist denomination. Mr. and Mrs Finley had five children, viz .: Ellen D., now the wife of T. T. Jones : Olive A., wife of Chauncey Hill ; Otho Ray, deceased ; Carrie Bell, deceased ; and Mary V., wife of E. R. Finley. Mr. and Mrs. Finley were members of the Methodist Episcopal Church ; he was a Whig in poli- tics until the formation of the Republican party, when he became a Democrat. He was a suc- cessful business man, a good farmer and an extensive stock dealer, and at his death owned 265 acres of land. Mrs. Finley is a grand-daughter of Joshua Scritchfield, a Revolutionary soldier, who lived until the year 1842.

C. E. FISH, farmer, P. O. Richwood, was born in Maryland February 24, 1824 ; he is a son of James H. and Catherine (Easterday) Fish, natives of Maryland, the former of English and the latter of German discent. His father, who was one of the early settlers of Ohio, was a miller by trade, but after settling in this State devoted his time to farming. Our subject was raised as a farmer and since eighteen years of age has followed that occupation successfully in this town- ship. At one time he owned 445 acres of land, but having given some to his children he now only owns 200 acres. He is a Democrat in politics. In 1848, he married Elizabeth Rench, who- was born in Mi.mi County, Ohio, March 9, 1826 ; she is a daughter of Daniel and Mary (Will- iams) Rench, natives of Ohio, of German descent. Her father was a farmer who settled in Claibourne Township in 1844. By this union fourteen children were born, of whom seven how survive, viz .: J. L., a farmer of Jackson Township ; Margaret, wife of Cyrus Stamats; William, a farmer; Joanna, wife of Penrose Wiley ; Orlando, a farmer ; David F., a farmer and Susan Ella, the two latter living at home unmarried. Mrs. Fish is a member of the Disciples Church, and the owner of 245 acres of land in her own right, on which she resides. Mr. Fish also owns a good farm which he now cultivates.

BENJAMIN S. FISHER, retired farmer, P. O. Richwood, was born in Fayette County, Penn., October 4, 1808, and was a son of Enoch and Elizabeth (Stevens) Fisher, the former a native of Maryland and the latter of Pennsylvania. His father was a farmer and teamster by occupation and came to the Northwest Territory in 1800, settling at Mount Vernon. He was under Gen. Anthony Wayne three years in the Indian war, and lived to the remarkable old age of one hun- dred and one years. Our subject was raised on the farm in the wilderness of early Ohio and never had an opportunity of receiving any education. His father being in poor circumstances, he started out in life with nothing and entirely dependent on his own exertion for his success in life. He has been a life-long farmer and has cleared three farms in Claibourne Township where he has resided since 1836, and where he accumulated a handsome fortune, the greater part of which he has already placed in the hands of his posterity. He began farming for himself at the age of twenty and retired at the age of sixty, having spent forty years to a day in tilling the soil. In 1829, he married Catharine Cramer, by whom he had eleven children, viz .: Larkins D., a farmer in this township ; Sarah J., deceased wife of J. J. Thompson ; Elizabeth Ellen, wife of R. Farrier ; Sisson S., wife of James Merriott ; William ; Margaret, wife of Morris Hill, of Rich- wood ; Michael, deceased ; Mary, wife of John S. Phillips ; George O .; Malissa, wife of Frank Gill; and Viola, wife of W. W. Brokaw. Mr. Fisher has given his children $18,000 to start them in life. He and his wife are members of the Methodist Episcopal Church, and he has filled the office of trustee in the Church at Richwood. He is a Democrat in politics. Mrs Fisher was born April 30, 1812 ; she had two brothers in the war of that year.

618

HISTORY OF UNION COUNTY

WILLIAM FISHER, farmer, P. O. Richwood, was born in 1827, and is a son of Enoch and Elizabeth (Stevens) Fisher, the former a life-long farmer, and one of the early settlers of Ohio. Our subject was raised on a farm, and received a common school education. When of suitable age, he learned the carpenter's trade, which he followed until fifty years of age. He came to this county in 1837, and settled in Richwood, where he married Margaret Graham, by whom he has had eight children, viz .: Sarah L., Harriet M., wife of Elijah Lester : Martha C., wife of H. C. Moffitt ; Margaret A., wite of Charles N. Biddle ; Thomas B., Samuel P., Benjamin and John. Mrs. Fisher died January 23, 1880 ; she was a member of the M. E Church, and a consistant Christian woman. Mr. Fisher is also a member of the Methodist Church. He is a Republican in politics, and now owns eighty-nine acres of choice land, on which he resides.

W. M. FISHER, farmer, P. O. Richwood, was born March 27, 1838, he is the son of Ben- jamin S. and Catherine (Cramer) Fisher, who came to this county in 1836, and now resides in Rich wood. The grandfather of our subject came to Ohio in 1800, and settled in Knox County. He was a soldier under Gen. Anthony Wayne, and lived to be one hundred and one years of age. Our subject received a common school education, and has been a farmer most of his life, with the exception of two years spent in the clothing business at Richwood. He is the owner ot a good farm in this township on which he resides. lle was married, in 1866, to Mary Miller, by whom he has four children, viz., Frederick, Winfred, Gertrude and Albert E. Mrs. Fisher is a member of the M. E. Church in Richwood. Mr. Fisher is a Democrat, in politics.

GEORGE O. FISHER, farmer and stock-raiser, P. O. Richwood, was born in Claibourne Township Union Co., May 25, 1847, and is a son of Benjamin S. Fisher, whose sketch ap- pears in this work. He was educated in his native township, and brought up to farming, which he has followed through life. He was married in 1870, to Mary E. Kinney, daughter of Israel Kinney, whose sketch also appears in this volume. This union has been blessed with two children, viz .: Charles F. and Herbert J. Mr. and Mrs. Fisher are members of the Meth- odist Church, and he is steward in the church at Richwood. In politics, he is an unflinching Prohibitionist. He owns a farm of fifty-two acres of land with good improvements, on which stands a neat and substantial residence.

JOHN FLESHER, farmer, P. O. Richwood, was born in Muskingum County, Ohio, Febru- ary 20, 1820, and is a son of Ilenry and Frances (Burgess) Flesher, the former a native of Vir- ginia and the latter of Ohio. Our subject was raised on a farm, and received a common school education. He followed farming with his father until 1865, when he came to Union County and settled in Claibourne Township, on the farm he now occupies. He owns 1643 acres of land, fifty of it in Jackson Township, all of which he has made by his personal labor. On August 15, 1844, he married Lainey Haines, a native of Ohio, ot Dutch descent, by whom he has had eight chil- dren, viz .: George W., deceased; Mary F., wife of S. H. Snowden; Landora S., deceased ; Emma J., wife of James W. Shultz ; Susannah, deceased ; A. A., deceased ; Walter L. and Arthur S. Mr. and Mrs. Flesher are members of the Methodist Episcopal Church, in which he has been a class leader forty years. Ile has also been a trustee and superintendent of the Sabbath school. S. S. GARDINER, attorney at law and dealer in real estate, office next door to the post office, Richwood, Ohio.

JAMES W. GASTON, of the firm of Farris & Son, proprietors of the Beem House, Richwood, Ohio, was born in Delaware County, Ohio. January 1, 1852, and is a son of John and Lucretia (Crawford) Gaston, natives of Ohio. His father was a teacher by profession, and followed that ( cupation with more than ordinary success most of his life. He taught principally in Delaware ( cunty, where he died in 1876, an honored and highly respected citizen. He was a Republican i.l politics, and a member of the Presbyterian Church. Our subject, who was the only child of lis parents, received a common school education, and when quite young began working on a rm. By his frugality and the means obtained from his father's estate, he was enabled, in 1876, purchase the Beem House, which he is now conducting. He is a genial and accommodating .. dlord, well known by the traveling public, and provides for his patrons' comfort in a manner that insures for him a liberal share of the trade. Ilis mother, now the wife of Mr. Farris, super- intends the culinary department of his house. She has had four children by her second mar- riage, viz .: Florence, wife of L. D. Herr, Lizzie May, Maggie E. and Eddie R. Mr. and Mrs. Farris are members of the Methodist Protestant Church, and he is a member of the choir. He is a Republican in politics.

HENRY D. GILL, grain dealer, Richwood, was born in Richwood, Ohio, December 22, 1848, and is a son of Joshua Gill. His father came to Richwood in 1840, and became an extensive landholder, owning what was known as the "Cramer farm," all of which is now in the corpora- tion of Richwood. From 1842 to 1861, he was engaged in the manufacture of wooden bowls, an enterprise in which he was very successful. In 1845, he married Eliza A. C. Haynes, who was born in 1825, and who now resides with her son, Charles F. Mr. Gill was an honored and respected citizen, and for a number of years held the office of Justice of the Peace. He died in the spring of 1880, at an advanced age. His parents were Selmon and Margaret (Dorrett ) Gill, both of English descent. Our subject's maternal grandfather, James B. W. Haynes, a Colonel in the war of 1812, was born in Virginia, March 9, 1793, and was of Welsh and French descent. He married Susan Floyd, who was born in Virginia May 10, 1801;

621

CLAIBOURNE TOWNSHIP.

she was a relative of the late Confederate Gen. Floyd. Col. Haynes was a lawyer by profes- sion ; he came to Richwood in 1840, and remained here until his death in 1869. During most of thetime of his residence here,'he was a Justice of the Peace. Our subject received his education in his native village, and worked at farming until 1873, when he began the business of buying grain on commission, which he continued until 1879, when he commenced the business for him- self. He was married, in 1877, to Anne Francis, a native of England, whose parents resided at Woodstock, Ontario. This union has been blessed with two children, Walter L. and Clarence D. Mrs. Gill is a member of tho Church of England. Mr. Gill is a Republican in politics, a member of the Knights of Pythias, and a member of Mount Carmel Lodge, No. 303, F. & A. M. In 1882, he captured a thief who had broken into a neighbor's house. The thief was a large and power- ful man, but Mr. Gill refused to release him until he was safely locked up, and marched him along to prison. We narrate this to illustrate a marked trait in the man's character-bravery.

JOSHUA S. GILL, JR., of the firm of Gill & Bro., Richwood, Ohio, was born in Richwood September 11, 1850, and is a son of Joshua S. Gill, Sr. He received his education in the graded schools of Rich wood, and, being a natural mechanic, he chose the occupation of a machinist, and served a three years' apprenticeship at his trade at Mansfield. After mastering his trade, he traveled as a journeyman for some time, and spent three years in the manufacture of wooden bowls in Indiana. He has also been employed at gunsmithing. 1n 1875, he engaged with his brother in opening a machine shop at Richwood, where he is still engaged. He is a Republican in politics, and a member of Mount Carmel Lodge, No. 303, F. & A. M. On December 27, 1871, he married Maggie McMullen, a native of New Hampshire, by whom he has one child-Floyd A., born September 9, 1876. Mrs. Gill is a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church at Richwood.

THOMAS J. GILL, of the firm of Gill & Brother, blacksmiths, Richwood, was born in Richwood, Ohio, June 22, 1853, and received his education in the Richwood graded schools. He learned the trade of blacksmithing, and is now considered a thorough master of his trade in all its branches. He is an active member of the above firm, and lends his aid in making it one of the most successful and enterprising firms of the village. He is a Republican in politics, and a prominent member of the Prudential Order of America. On December 18, 1879, he married Christiana Cheney, a native of Union County, of English descent, and a daughter of Thomas Cheney. This union has been blessed with one child-Abbie Alva, born March 23, 1881. Mrs. Gill is a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church.

JOIIN GRAHAM. According to the family records kept by his parents, John Graham son of Samuel and Sarah Graham, was born in White-eyes Township, Coshocton County, Ohio, October 13, A. D. 1822. He was the first of a family of twelve children. His parents were in- telligent, honest, industrious people, and taught their children to be useful, virtuous, self-reliant and industrious. John commenced work on the farm, under the direction of his father, at a very early age, and continued in this employment until he was about twenty years old. When he was in his fourteenth year, his father sold his farm in Coshocton County, and in September, 1836, moved his family to Union County, Ohio, settling them on a new farm one mile northwest from the village of Richwood, in Claibourne Township. There the family home has continued till the present time-December, 1882. There was nothing peculiar in the boyhood of John to distinguish him from other boys of his own age. He was healthy, of a vigorous growth, loved · fun and enjoyed life well. He, with the other youths of the neighborhood, had the privilege of attending school in the district schoolhouse, for some two or three months a year. The balance of their time was needed in work to keep the farm prospering. In the autumn of 1838, an event occurred in the history of young Graham which changed the whole current of his life and af- fected the whole of his after career. His mother had a blind sister-Maria Butterfield-who was visiting in the home of his father, and wished to attend the Methodist prayer-meeting, which was to be held Sunday at 4 o'clock, in the home of Philip Plummer, in Richwood. He went with this aunt as company to that prayer-meeting, because she could not see to go alone. There were some seven church members present in the meeting-no minister was present. The people who were present were plain, honest, devout. They sang with the spirit and with the under- standing. They prayed with fervor and in faith. The result was, God's blessing came down upon them, and His Spirit pervaded the assembly. Some of them praised God aloud, and all felt the in- . fluence of the Divine presence. The immediate effect upon the subject of this sketch was that he was seized with an agitating trembling, which, for the time, he could not control. He went from that meeting thoughtful, serious, convicted for sin. He commenced soon after to pray, daily, for the pardoning mercy of God. He kept this up till, on the 11th of November, 1838, he attended a Methodist quarterly meeting in Summersville, and after the evening sermon of that day he, with others, knelt for prayers, at what was called the mourner's "bench." There, while he prayed and the church prayed for him, God, for Christ's sake, gave him a sense of relief from the guilt of sin. Such peace, holy joy and restful trust in God through Christ as he then experienced was a new delight to him. Five weeks after his conversion, on the 17th day of December, 1838, in the old log church in Richwood, he offered his name as a candidate for membership in the Methodist Episcopal Church, and was received by the pastor, Rev. R. S. Kimber. He took this step after very careful consideration, and now, after forty-four years

622

HISTORY OF UNION COUNTY.

of experience, under the relations thus entered into, he fully approves the choice then made. This conversion, which was very clear and left no doubt in his mind of the Divine reality of ex- perimental religiou, awakened a new class of desires, hopes and aspirations in him. He soon found himself thirsting for knowledge as he had never done before. He had no books, and his father's library was very small, and the neighborhond had in it a very meager supply of books, but what there were the owners were willing to lend, and he was desirous to borrow and read. But one question with him was how to find time and opportunity for reading. His days were necessarily to be spent in labor on the farm, and the nights could not be used for this purpose. without lights .. There were no such lamps and supply of coal oil then as are now available. Candles were scarce and made a poor light. In this emergency he adopted this expedient: When his day's work was done, he would go to the woods, find a hickory tree with a good supply of shell-barks on it, gather an armful, carry them to the house and when supper was over he would get his book, stick a shell-bark in the fire and read by the light thus furnished. In this way many of his first books were read. While he was thus seeking knowledge, his father, who was willing to help him what he could, gave him a wagon-load of wheat. This he hauled to Sandusky City, eighty miles distant, the nearest market then accessible, sold it for money, and with that money bought himself a small supply of books. These he read with great interest. About this time-1839-40-he began to feel a strong sense of duty resting upon him to prepare himself for the work of the Christian ministry. He was fully convinced that God called him to this work. He therefore devoted all his thoughts and energies to getting ready for so great a work. His school privileges were very unsatisfactory. He felt it to be necessary, therefore, to make the greater personal and private efforts to acquire the necessary knowledge. How well he succeeded the church and the world have since had opportunity to judge.

In the spring of 1840, the proper authorities gave him license to exhort in the Methodist Episcopal Church. This authority was regularly continued until June 24, 1843, when, after proper examination by the constituted authorities of the church, he was formally licensed to preach the Gospel. This was done in Richwood, by the Quarterly Conference of Richwood ('ir- cuit, under the presiding eldership of Rev. W. S. Morrow. He used this license one year as a local preacher, and then, on June 15, 1844, he was recommended by the same Quarterly Con- ference as a suitable person to be received by the Annual Conference into the itinerant minis ry of the Methodist Episcopal Church. In August of the same year, his recommendation was in. - sented to the North Ohio Conference at its session in Canal Dover, and he was received accord- ing to the rules of the church, and appointed as junior preacher on Port Jefferson Circuit, with Rev. C. B. Brandeberry as his senior, and Rev. S. P. Shaw as his Presiding Elder. He spen one year in this work, he trusts with some profit to the people, and much satisfaction to himself. At the next conference, which met in Marion, Ohio, August, 1845, he was appointed in charge of Van Wert Circuit. This work was composed of eight appointments, to be filled once in two weeks. This people had for their places in which to meet for worship four private houses in which families lived, one small court house in Van Wert, two log schoolhouses and one small frame building, which was erected in Delphos for a board kiln. At this time the country was new, the houses all log cabins but a very few, the roads not improved, the people just beginning to clear up their farms, and, of course, the fare was coarse, but the welcome was hearty and cordial. And when the time for week day preaching came round, the people could leave their work-even the harvest field-to go to meeting, and their young minister never spent a happier year in his life than the one on this (then) wilderness circuit. After his year closed at Van Wert, he was appointed in charge of Kalida Mission, in Putnam County, with Jacob S. Albright for his col-

league in labors. This field was very much like the last one described, only there was one partly finished church in it, and the roads were worse, the rides longer, and the fare no better. The people, however, were kind, cordial, hospitable and loved the means of grace. There was considerable interest manifested in this work ; a number of persons were converted and added

Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.

The History of Union County, Ohio, containing a history of the county; its townships, towns military record;, Part 161

Author: Durant, Pliny A. [from old catalog]; Beers, W. H., & co., Chicago, pub. [from old catalog] Publication date: 1883 Publisher: Chicago, W. H. Beers & co. Number of Pages: 1254

Author: Durant, Pliny A. [from old catalog]; Beers, W. H., & co., Chicago, pub. [from old catalog]
Publication date: 1883
Publisher: Chicago, W. H. Beers & co.
Number of Pages: 1254