The History of Warren County, Ohio, Part 121

Author: W. H. Beers & Co.
Publication date: 1882
Publisher:
Number of Pages: 1081

USA > Ohio > Warren County > The History of Warren County, Ohio > Part 121

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).

W. M. BURCH, proprietor of Burch House, Mason, Ohio, was born in Deerfield Township in the year 1825. He is a son of Ebeneezer and Clarisa (Little) Burch, who were born in Pennsylvania, where they were reared; they came to Ohio with their respective families, he in the year 1808 or 1809; after his arrival, he was married to Clarisa Little. During the greater portion of his life, he was a citizen of Warren County, only moving to Butler County just previous to his death. They were parents of twelve children, five of whom are living, viz., Mary J., Noah, Jacob, Ebeneezer and William M. The boy- hood days of our subject were spent on the farm; he remained with his parents until of age. He was twice married-first, with Mary Bone, who bore him five children, viz., Thomas J., Jane, John, Ebeneezer and Sallie. His second marriage was celebrated with Julia Waldron, by whom he has had three chil- dren, viz., Charles, Starrora and Harry. He followed the farm until about 1857, when he came to Mason and began keeping hotel, and since catered to the hungry; in that most particular of all business, " landlording," he is a success, and a genuine expert, knowing well how to look after the comfort and pleasure of his guests. He is a member of the I. O. O. F., Mason Lodge, No. 209, to which he has belonged for a score of years.

JACOB BURSK, blacksmith, Mason, was born in Lancaster Co., Penn., Feb. 13, 1825. He is a son of Joseph and Catherine (Mowery) Bursk, who were born in Lancaster Co., Penn., he in the year 1797, she in 1798; they were married in Lancaster Co., Penn., in 1824; he was a blacksmith by occupation, which he followed till 1830, when he came to Cincinnati, and, six weeks after, came to Mason, which was in the spring of 1831; here he followed his trade as long as he was able to perform the hard work of the shop; he died in 1878; she departed this life on her birthday, in 1855; they were parents of nine chil- dren, six of whom are living, viz., Jacob, Daniel, David, Joseph, Elizabeth and Susan; the deceased are Henry, George and Robert. Mr. Bursk was a member of the I. O. O. F., Mason Lodge, No. 209. He was a soldier in the war of 1812, having been drafted in Philadelphia. Our subject was reared in Pennsylvania until his 6th year; he learned his trade in Mason under his father, and, with the exception of three years he lived in Kansas, has resided in Mason since his settlement here; his Kansas trip was an unfortunate one, as he lost

Digitized by Google

970

BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES :

about $3,000 in the operation. Jan. 1, 1856, he was married to Amanda, daughter of William Miller, by whom he has had six children, four living, viz., Anna K .. Mollie G., Joseph W. and Bertha; the deceased are Halleck E. and Frank.

WILLIAM W. CASSEDAY. farmer; P. O. Mason. The subject of this memoir was born in the place where he lives. Oct. 31, 1817; he is a son of John Casseday, of whom a mention is made in this volume; his early life was passed on the farm and in a manner common with pioneer boys; school advan- tages were poor, and he only received such education as could be gotten in the subscription schools; he remained at home with his parents till his marriage, which was celebrated Sept. 12, 1845, with Judith, a daughter of Bernard and Rebecca (Hall) Ver Bryck, old settlers of this county. After his marriage, he continued on the old home farm as before, and, up to the present time (1882), his entire life's work has been done on the land that was his father's and grandfather's before him. The children of Mr. and Mrs. Casseday were six in number, of whom five are living, viz., Alonzo, Frank P., William W., Martha (now Mrs. Slade) and Hattie O .; Rebecca J., deceased. Mr. Casseday owns 160 acres of land, which is in a high state of cultivation and well im- proved; he is a modest and unassuming gentleman, with no desire whatever for notoriety, and has never been an aspirant for the empty bauble of local office. To the Mason Horse Rangers he has belonged since the organization of the society, and is a Republican in politics.

SAMUEL M. CASSEDAY, farmer; P. O. Mason; was born in Deerfield Township in the year 1819; he is a son of John and Martha (Wallace) Casse- day; he was born in Rockbridge Co., Va., and she in the State of Kentucky. James Casseday, father of John, came with his family to Ohio in 1806, and located on land in Sec. 26, in this township, where William Casseday now lives; here he died in 1822; he was thrice married, and left a large number of descendants, of whom a number live in Warren County; he was a member of the Presbyterian Church, and a soldier in the war of 1812, and participated in the battle of Guilford. John Casseday was married to Martha Wallace in 1810; her parents came from Kentucky and settled in Turtle Creek Township in 1800, where they lived for some years, and then moved to Whitewater, Md., where they died. Jolin, after his marriage, settled on the old home farm; he died in 1860, aged 76 years; she departed this life in 1862, aged 76 years; to them were born nine children, three living, viz., William, Samuel and Mary Ammons; the deceased are Elizabeth, Nancy, James, and three who died in infancy. Our subject remained with his parents on the farm until 23 years of age. In 1843, he was married to Eliza, daughter of Patrick and Abigail Mehan. After his mar- riage, he lived four years on the home farm, then went to Butler County, where he resided three years, having in the meantime bought 61 acres of land, which he im- proved; with the exception of two years he passed in Mason, his time since has been passed on the land he first bought; he now owns 132 acres of choice farm land, which is nicely improved. To them have been born three children, viz., John, America and Sonora. He has served as Trustee of his township thirteen years. He was one of the founders of the new cemetery in Mason, and Treasurer of the fund. Mrs. Casseday was born in Butler Co., Ohio, in 1824.

ALONZO CASSEDAY, farmer; P. O. Mason; is a sun of William Casse- day; he was born on the old farm April 2, 1848; he was reared to farm pursuits, and received only a common education in the district school. March 2, 1871, he was married to Catherine Duffy, whose parents died in Ireland, where they were born. After his marriage, he lived on the old home farm until 1876, at which time he came to the place where he now lives. He is a member of the well-known Horse Ranger Company of Mason, with which he has been

Digitized by Google

971

DEERFIELD TOWNSHIP.

connected since 1869. Politically, he is Democratic, having always voted with that party upon all questions at issue. To Mr. and Mrs. Casseday have been born two children, viz., Grace, born Dec. 7, 1874, and Edna M., born March 11, 1879.

FREDERICK CLINE, retired farmer, Foster's Crossing. This well- known gentleman represents another of the old and first families of this town- ship. He was born in Lancaster Co .. Penn .. April 14, 1796; his parents, Fred- erick and Hannah (Espy) Cline, were born in Pennsylvania, and were each born from German parentage. In 1800, Frederick Cline, Sr., with his wife and children, descended the Ohio River on a flat-boat as far as Columbia, where they disembarked, and came to Deerfield Township and settled on land in Sec. 23. They were parents of thirteen children, eleven of whom grew to manhood and womanhood, and at present but four survive, viz., Hannah, Ann, Elizabeth and our subject; they who died after arriving at maturity were John, George, Jacob. William, Mary, Peggy, Sallie, Jacob and an infant. Frederick Cline died April 13, 1843, aged 77 years; his wife departed this life Sept. 30, 1849, aged 88 years and 4 months. John and George, sons of Frederick Cline, Sr., were in the war of 1812. Jacob and John Cline, uncles to our subject, served through the war of the Revolution. Mr. Cline, Sr., was a man of herculean strength, and, having a frame of iron, was incapable of fatigue. Our subject was only 4 years old at the time his parents came to Ohio; consequently, has a vivid recollection of the scenes of those pioneer days; to say that he has seen the full change and helped to perform his share of the tremendous labor is in the least not to say too much. April 13, 1820, he was married to Maria Mon- fort, by whom he had eight children, two living, viz., George W., now a prom- inent lawyer in St. Louis; and Ellen (now Mrs. Richey); the deceased are Jacob, McKendry, Hannah, Peter M., Mary and Frederick. Mrs. Cline died Sept. 6, 1840, aged 39 years. His second marriage was celebrated with Elizabeth Richey in July, 1842. For eighty years, Mr. Cline has lived within a stone's-throw of where his father built his first cabin; he owns 190 acres of land, and is comfortably situated. Though his frame is bending under the weight of four score and four years, his mind is yet unimpaired, and he is yet able to vividly portray the exciting scenes of pioneer days.

AZA COLEMAN, retired farmer, Lebanon, Ohio. He was born in Fayette Co., Penn., March 26, 1811. His father, John Coleman, was a descendant of a German family that came quite early to Pennsylvania; his mother, Margaret Savage, was the daughter of a family from Wales. In 1821, the parents and the children, Joseph, Nancy, John, Aza (our subject) and Josiah, came down the Ohio on a raft to Cincinnati; from there they went to Lebanon, where they lived one year, then going to the country north of that town, renting land here and there, as they were too poor to make any purchase for a home. In 1832, our subject married Anna Scott, daughter of Thomas Scott, quite a prominent man at that time. In 1833. he moved to a place north of Mason, Ohio, where he began to work for himself, from the low state of poverty; he was a man of great energy, strength and pluck, ambitious and attentive to his business; commencing with a colt and $140 at the time of his marriage, he persevered diligently, labored daily and yearly unceasingly, in the swamps and wilder- ness, until, by the effect of tiling, log-rolling, grubbing and stump-pulling, he possesses a farm of 320 acres in one tract, one of the best cared for and pro- ductive in the county; he saved his means, bought land by small tracts, looked to the welfare of his children by being able to provide each with a farm. The issue of the first marriage were five children-an infant, Caroline, Mary, Gran- ville and Maggie A .; only two of these grew to womanhood- - Caroline (now deceased), who married George Guntle, and Mary, who married her cousin,

Digitized by Google

972

BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES :

John Coleman; the families of these two are located on two fine farms, each of 200 acres, near Indianapolis, Ind., given them by our subject. In 1843, our subject was married to Sarah Coulson, daughter of William Coulson, an early settler in the county; to this union eight children have been born-Sylvester, Sarah M., Louisa, Fletcher, Louis F., William T., Charles F. and Eva B .; only four of these arrived to the state of maturity-Sarah M., L F., W. T. and C. F. Sarah M. was married to William Benedict, now deceased, who lived, dur- ing his life, on her place of 100 acres, near Mason; after his death, she mar- ried M. A. Jameson, now Treasurer of Warren County; the family now live in Lebanon; L. F. is a teacher by profession; W. T. is a farmer living on the homestead place; C. F. is Deputy Treasurer of the county. Our subject has spent an active life in the church, and was a man eager for public improve- ments; the fine roads and pikes of Deerfield Township are attributed in a great degree to his influence and energy. The misfortune of losing a limb by a thrashing machine in 1856 made him only the more energetic. Now, at his fine home in Lebanon, where he has lived for six years, great is the satisfac- tion to him that his life has been one of health, pleasure, success and prosper- ity; a Christian in life, always a Republican in politics, true and generous to his fellow-men, charitable to the needy, and has a record of honesty and up- rightness in all his dealings.

WILLIAM F. COULSON, deceased. William F. Coulson was born July 20, 1782, and on June 3, 1806, married Mary McFarland, who was born Nov. 25, 1787. In 1813, they came from Washington Co., Penn., where they were raised, and settled in Warren County, a mile north of Mason; they were healthy and strong. but poor, and were ready to endure the hardships of a new country. which were before them; they were both saving, hard-working, moral, and hap- pily raised their family of children that lived, to see them rear families with the teachings that were handed down from father to son. To this union were born six children-Milton, Samuel, Abigail, Narcissa, Sarah, John, William F. and Mary; two of these died when quite young-John and Abigail, she having choked to death by a peach-stone getting into her wind-pipe; the remaining lived to be men and women, and all became heads of large families. Our sub- ject was an honest and upright man, and labored hard for the welfare of the community; he won the confidence of the people and served them in various ways; a Justice of the Peace from 1816 till 1828; a Road Viewer and Com- missioner of Public Highways in laying them out at that early time; a Tax Gatherer, County Assessor, Infirmary Director, Township Trustee, and admin- istrator of several estates; he dealt with all fairly, rendered justice impartially, gave satisfaction in all his bearings, and gained the highest respect of all that knew him; he died in 1866, 84 years of age; his wife survived him nine years, being 87 at her death. Milton Coulson was the eldest of the children-tall, not strongly built, a man of good judgment, sound sense and possessed of good business traits; at an early age, he began teaching, spending many years at it, and made a complete success at his profession, not only in his discipline, but also in a systematic method of teaching; also he spent much of his time at sur- veying; eighteen years Clerk of the township, a Justice of the Peace a few years, Assessor of the county, and handled many estates; all this time, he was farming and attending to his home duties. He married, in 1844, Sarah Le Fevre, who is still living, and died in 1860, an esteemed and honored man, leaving a family of six children-Mary, Melissa, Milton, Messina, Frank and Corena, who have all grown to be useful men and women. Samuel Coulson, the second son, was inclined in a different direction. He married Sallie Ber- caw in 1834, and then settled on a farm, where he spent his best years indus- triously and successfully, attending to none other business except farming, at

Digitized by Google

973

DEERFIELD TOWNSHIP.

which he made a success. He was left a widower at an early date, and had the care of five children-Cornelius, John, Maggie, William and Alphous; these soon arrived at maturity, but two, Cornelius and William, sacrificed their lives in defending the flag during the civil war. Narcissa Coulson was the third child; she married John Bercaw in 1841; died in 1873. Sarah Coulson was the next; she married Aza Coleman in 1844, and is still living. William F. Coulson was the next; he grew to manhood and possessed many good traits; a man of excellent habits, well read and well fitted for the duties of life. He remained single till his 50th year, when he married Laura Le Fevre, in 1869; he lived with and cared for his aged parents till their death; his life was short after marriage, his wife dying in 1877 and he in 1879, leaving two children, Bennie and Nettie, to wage the battle of life alone. During his early life, farming was his chief pursuit, but later he engaged in banking, being Presi- dent, then Cashier of the First National Bank at Lima, Ohio; his life was one of success, and at his death left a large estate. Mary Coulson, the youngest child, married David Bunnell in 1845; they left Ohio, being the only ones of the family that left our noble State, and settled in Missouri; she died in 1876. Only two of these six children are living-Samuel and Sarah; but the family is widely represented by a great many descendants, all seemingly to bear the stamp of the pair who first came here, as success and prosperity seem to be with all the family, which so characterized the first couple of the family in their pioneer life.

JOSHUA COX, retired farmer, Mason. The gentleman whose name heads this sketch is one of the old, well-known citizens of Warren County. He was born in New Jersey in the year 1800, and is a son of William and Margaret Cox, who were born in New Jersey, where he died. Mrs. Cox, with her family of eight children, removed to Ohio and settled in Deerfield Township in the year 1810; the settlement was made in the woods, and her elder sons and hired men carried on the work of improvement. She lived to the ripe old age of 77, when she was called to her last resting-place; to her were born eight children, of whom two are living, viz., William and Joshua. Our subject was reared on the farm in his native State, and, upon the arrival of the family in Ohio, young Joshua was early buckled into the harness; he re- mained till he was 26 years, being her main dependence. In 1827, he was married to Jane Ayres, who bore him four children, one living, viz., Lydia. Mrs. Cox died in 1855. His second marriage was celebrated with Sarah Demick, by

whom he had one child, viz., Lee R. Mrs. Cox died in 1875. Mr. Cox left his farm in 1865 and came to Mason; he is now spending his declining years with his son-in-law and daughter. His son was a soldier in the late civil war, and, at the expiration of his time, re-enlisted, and thus served throughout the great struggle. For thirty years, Mr. Cox was a member of the well-known Mason Horse Ranger Company. Though he is bowed down by the weight of more than eighty years, he is yet hale, and is now enjoying life, surrounded by all the comforts of life.

WILLIAM COX. JR., farmer; P. O. Mason. The gentleman whose name heads this sketch is another of the old and prominent citizens of Warren County. He was born on a farm adjoining the one on which he now lives, in the year 1818; he is a son of Richard and Nancy (Irwin) Cox. Our subject's boyhood was passed in a manner common to pioneer boys, receiving only a meager education in the subscription schools. In 1839, he was married to Susan, daughter of John and Debby Eddy. After this event, they located where they now live, and the only move he ever made was in removing from the old log cabin into his present comfortable house. He presents another proof in favor of stability, and argues that a "rolling stone gathers no moss."

Digitized by Google

974

BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES :

Mr. Cox is an unassuming gentleman, and never had aspirations for official honors, yet has been Trustee of his township for a number of years. He and his estimable wife belong to the Presbyterian Church, in which they have held membership nearly a score of years; they are much interested in religious matters, and as Elder he has presided for twelve years; formerly, he was one of the Trustees of the church. To them have been born eight children, five living, viz., John E., Martha J., Clara, Flora and Lillie; the deceased are Mary A., Richard C. and Elizabeth. Richard C. enlisted, in the winter of 1863-64, in Co. A, 69th O. V. I., in which he served till the close of the war. Richard Cox, father of our subject, was twice married; by his first marriage, he had two children, Nancy M. Schenck and the subject of this memoir. His second marriage was consummated with Mary A. Huston, who bore him six children. two living, viz., Martha (now Mrs. Bowyer) and Lydia (now Mrs. Cunningham); the deceased are Mary J., James, and two who died in childhood. He (Richard) died in June, 1860, aged upward of 66 years; his second wife died in 1878, aged upward of four score years; his first wife died in 1821. He was a soldier in the war of 1812, serving for several months, and was with the army in a campaign through Canada. He was also one of the Trustees in his township for many years.

RICHARD M. COX, Mason, Ohio. The subject of this sketch is a native of Warren Co., Ohio, born Aug. 21, 1822. On the 6th of December, 1849, he was married to Miss Charlotte Bowyer, the eldest daughter and third child of Levi Bowyer; she was also a native of Warren County, and was born Nov. 7, 1824; she died in 1877, being the mother of nine children -- Levi T., born Oct. 27, 1850. died May 4, 1864; Laura J .. born Feb. 23, 1852; May E., born July 14, 1854; R. M., Jr., born June 21, 1856; Stephen A. Douglas, born May 5. 1858; William H., born March 25, 1860; Nettie B., born March 23, 1862: Weller B. and Wallace W., twins, born April 19, 1865; Weller died in Au- gust, 1865, and Wallace in March, 1866. Two of these are married-May E., to Frank Coulson, the son of Milton Coulson; and R. M., Jr., to Miss Lucy Perrine, daughter of James Perrine. Mr. Cox, after being a widower two years, was married to Mrs. Maggie Tod in 1879; by this union, they have been blessed with two little girls-Maud and Eva. Mr. Cox is one of the most en- ergetic, enterprising men in the community, and is a highly esteemed citizen: he is eager for anything that tends to the advancement of public good, being one of the charter members of the Grange at this place, also a Director of the M. V. N. G. R. R. when it was under that name. Among the positions of re- sponsibility held by Mr. Cox in the community was that of Township Trustee, which office he held for some thirteen years; in 1874, he was elected Township Treasurer, which position he still occupies. His chief employment has been that of agriculture, but in January, 1871, he opened a store of general mer- chandise in Mason, and has dealt principally in hardware and farm imple- ments. Jake Bursk, M. Scull, Frank Coulson and Lee Randall have been partners with him at different times, but now he possesses the entire interest of the stock. Much is due to Mr. Cox, in this line, in the advancement of the farming community, by providing the farmers with the implements more for their good, rather than profit to himself. The active part he has taken in the introduction of the self-binder will long be remembered by the farm toilers. Mr. Cox has also a large tile factory; this, with the many buildings erected by him in East Mason, has given an air of business activity to that part of the town. For a short period after the failure of the Boak & Hunt Bank at Lebanon, Ohio, Mr. Cox was an active man in an individual bank at that place. Mr. Cox's energetic spirit has proved a success to himself in gaining for himself a farm of some 350 acres by his arduous toil. The father of this gentleman was

· Digitized by Google

975

DEERFIELD TOWNSHIP.

Thomas Cox, born in New Jersey April 25. 1797: he came to Ohio with his mother's family, his father having previously died; his wife was Hannah Johns, horn Nov. 27, 1802. to whom he was married in 1821; the family com- prised seven children-two sons and five daughters; all are now dead but one son and one daughter -- the subject of this sketch, and Mrs. Nancy, the wife of J. W. Whitaker, of Columbia, Ohio. Mr. Cox died Aug. 29, 1870. He was a man of unimpeachable integrity and sterling worth. His widow still sur- vives him. Already has she passed her three score and ten, yet she possesses that unusually kind and benevolent disposition which has marked her life. Besides caring for her own family, she has been a mother to several of her grandchildren, who were left orphans early in life. She has been an earnest Christian worker all her life, and feels well rewarded in this life's work as she sees her descendants worthy the esteem of all.

ERASTUS COX, farmer; P. O. Mason; is a son of William and Elizabeth Cox; he was born on the old home farm in the year 1837; his marriage was celebrated in 1859 with Hannah, daughter of Henry Hageman, who has borne him three children, viz., Willie H., John W. and Emma B. Mr. C. owns 64 acres of land, which is in cultivation and well improved. He is a member of the Mason Horse Rangers, to which he has belonged for about sixteen years. His father, William Cox, was born in New Jersey in the year 1807. He (Will- iam Cox) has been twice married -- first, in 1831. to Elizabeth Carter, who bore him one child, viz., Livingston. Mrs. Cox died in 1833. His second mar- riage was consummated April 4, 1834, with Elizabeth Wise, who bore him eight children, six living, viz., Louisa, Erastus, Richard, Lydia, Dallas, Mar- garet; Thomas and William, deceased. Mrs. Cox died April 1, 1876, aged about 68 years. Thomas J., son of William Cox, enlisted in 1861 in Com- pany A, 69th O. V. I., and died in the hospital at Murfreesboro in 1862, aged about 23 years. Hisremains were brought home and are interred in the Mason Cemetery, where a monument marks his last resting-place.

JOHN E. COX, retired farmer; P. O. Mason; was born in Deerfield Township in the year 1840; he is a son of William Cox, Jr., whose sketch ap- pears in this work. Sept. 12, 1861, he enlisted in Company A, 69th O. V. L He was with the regiment during the period in which he served, and partici- pated in all the battles in which it was engaged. In February, 1864, at Chat- tanooga, he re-enlisted and continued with the regiment till the close of the war. Was mustered out at Louisville, Ky., July 25, 1865. He was in all the battles of the regiment, from the Stone River fight to the close of the war. After his return, he lived on his farm till 1877, when he came to Mason, where he has since lived. In 1866, he was married to Sarah, daughter of Jonas Mc- Curdy, by whom he has had two children, viz., Willie J. and Bessie V. His farm consists of 110 acres of excellent land near Mason.

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 Warren County, Ohio, Part 121

Author: W. H. Beers & Co. Publication date: 1882 Publisher: Number of Pages: 1081

Author: W. H. Beers & Co.
Publication date: 1882
Publisher:
Number of Pages: 1081