The History of Warren County, Ohio, Part 91

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

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REV. RICHARD SIMONTON, deceased, better known among his con- temporaries as Elder Simonton, was born on the 31st day of January, 1787, in Iredell Co., N. C .; his parents were natives of the North of Ireland, but were of Scotch descent. While the subject of this sketch was yet very young, the family moved to Ohio and settled in what is now Warren County, enduring all the hardships and privations incident to the lives of the early settlers. At the age of 21, he was married to Miss Mary Hatfield, belonging to a family who came to Ohio from New Jersey at a very early date; shortly after his marriage, he with his wife moved to Preble County, where he purchased a farm, near Eaton, of 147 acres of Francis Dunlevy, paying therefor $3.50 per acre; being dis- satisfied with the locality, however, he soon returned to Warren County and bought land southeast of Lebanon, on the road leading from Lebanon to Mor- row. In the war of 1812, he served as a private in Capt. Reeder's company of dragoons, and upon the expiration of his term of service returned to his occu- pation of farming. He professed the Christian religion when quite young, and at a time when there was a general revival of religion in Ohio; he very soon became zealous in the cause of Christ, and took an active part in social meet- ings; on the 18th of October, 1821, at Bethany Church, which he had been mainly instrumental in organizing, he was regularly ordained and set apart to the work of the ministry by fasting, praying and laying on of the hands of the Elders; he was soon chosen pastor of several churches, for in those days no one country church was able to support a minister, and hence services were held fortnightly and monthly, thus making the work of the pastor an arduous task. The church at Bethany was under his care; he also had charge of the Burlington Church, in Hamilton County, where he labored with great success, and for many years he was Pastor of the Fellowship Church. On the 31st of August, 1843, he lost his wife, whose death was caused by cancer in the face; she suffered long and severely, but her sufferings were borne with Christian patience; after remaining for some years a widower, he married Mrs. Ede Smith, a widow lady of Hamilton County, who still survives him. Elder Simon- ton's manner of preaching was peculiar to himself: he was careful to mature his sermons well; he generally had his proof texts marked in his book, and

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would turn to them, and read them; his manner was pleasant and impressive; his voice clear, energetic and powerful; he possessed great weight and decision of character, and was beloved and esteemed by all who knew him; he was admired for his punctuality; he scarcely ever failed to meet his appointments; he would not hesitate to ride many miles through incessant storms of rain and snow and piercing cold to fill his engagements. He was by no means fond of controversy and generally avoided it, yet, when duty seemed to call for it, he took hold of what he considered error in either doctrine or practice with forti- tude, and handled it without gloves; he was a member of the Miami Conference for many years, and was always in his place. After having been a minister of the Gospel for nearly thirty years, Elder Simonton died at his residence, one mile south of Lebanon, on the 22d day of September, 1849, of bilious fever. At the time of his death, he had seven living children, five sons, David, Hiram, Joseph, John and William, and two daughters, Elizabeth and Jane. One of his sons, Hiram, afterward became a prominent minister in the Christian Charch.

THOMAS SIMPSON, deceased, was born in Butler Co., Ohio, Aug. 22, 1832. He was the son of Abraham and Euphemia (Longstreet) Simpson, na- tives of New Jersey. He was reared on the farm and received his education in the common schools of his native county. On the 27th of January, 1858, Mr. Simpson was married to Eliza J., daughter of John and Elizabeth (Nye) Gallaher. pioneers of Warren County. Her father's sketch appears elsewhere in this work. The marriage of our subject with Miss Gallaher was blessed with one child, Anna, who was born in 1863. Mr. Simpson died April 20, 1863, since which time the widow has resided on the old homestead. She is a mem- ber of the Methodist Church, and a good, zealous, Christian woman. Mr. Simp- son was occupied as a farmer during the whole of his life, and at his death left a fine farm of 127 acres of land.

E. K. SNOOK, farmer; P. O. Lebanon; was born in Union Township, Warren Co., Ohio, Oct. 17, 1831, and was named after his grandfather, Maj. Ephraim Kibby, an officer in the Revolutionary war. His parents, John M. Snook, who was born in 1785, and Julia Ann (Kibby) Snook, born in 1791, were both of Welsh descent. Young E. K. was reared on a farm, and attended the schools of Union Township until seventeen years of age, when he com- menced learning the carpenter trade, in which he served a three years appren- ticeship. In 1852, after a two years' trial of carpentering, he returned to farm- ing and has from that time to the present continued, with much success in that occupation. In 1853. he married Miss Rebecca Ann Benham, who was born in 1831, and was a daughter of James Benham, an early settler of Warren County, a leading farmer and a very prominent man in the county, wealthy in this world's goods, and owner of several valuable farms. Four children were the issue of this union, viz .: Ella, the wife of Albert Keever; Horace M., a farmer on one of his father's farms; Alfred V. and Anna. Mr. Snook is the possessor of 216 acres of the best land in the county. He is a Republican of considera- ble prominence, a director in Lebanon National Bank, and one of the Board of County Commissioners. He took an active part in the enterprise which pro- cured a railroad, for his county seat, and became one of the incorporators and directors, as well as a heavy stockholder in the company. He has been a member of the Board of Education of Lebanon, and has held many other offices of minor importance. He is one of Warren County's energetic, enterprising, representative men.

ELLISON SNOOK, farmer; P. O. Lebanon; son of John M. and Julia Ann (Kibby) Snook, the latter of whom was the first female child born in Co- lumbia, Hamilton Co., Ohio; was born in Warren Co., Ohio, Oct. 17, 1820.

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The father, John M., was born in Monmouth Co., N. J., in 1781, and emigrated to Ohio in 1802; he served as a Captain in the war of 1812. Our subject was raised on a farm, and received instruction in the district schools of the vicinity. Early in life, he learned the carpenter trade, at which he worked from 1839 until 1864. On the 24th of August, 1848, Mr. Snook was united in marriage with Elizabeth, daughter of William and Nancy (Reed) Thompson, of English descent. The parents were born in 1807 and 1812 respectively. The wife of our subject was born in Warren Co., Ohio, Feb. 1, 1828. To this couple have been born the following children: William, born Oct. 21, 1849; Morris K., born June 19, 1852; Millard Fillmore, born Sept. 25, 1855; and Grant, born April 1, 1866. Mr. Snook has in his possession a broadax, used by his grandfather in the State of New Jersey; this, as an " heir-loom," is prized high- ly by him. He is a good citizen, and a gentleman in every respect. Is a Re- publican in politics, and a member of the Universalist Church. Mr. Snook has ever taken great interest in educational matters, and served a period of sixteen years as School Director.

REV. JESSE PORTER SPROWLS was born in Washington Co., Penn., March 11, 1845. His parents were Cyrus and Phoebe J. (Post) Sprowls. They were of Scotch-Irish descent; their ancestors having come from the North of Ireland in the early history of Western Pennsylvania. Mr. Cyrus Sprowls was a farmer, and a man of considerable influence, politically and socially, in the com- munity in which he dwelt. The subject of this sketch was raised on a farm, and passed through the incidents usual to a young farmer's life. From very early years, he had a strong desire for an education. All of the books and papers within reach were eagerly perused and partially mastered. Historical works and biographical sketches were especially prized. In 1863, at the age of 18, he was admitted into the Preparatory Department of Waynesburg College, located at Waynesburg, Greene Co., Penn. This institution of learning is under the con- trol of Pennsylvania Synod of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church, and is one of their best colleges. He graduated from this institution in 1868, and in Sep- tember of the same year entered Andover Theological Seminary, Andover, Mass., graduating from this institution in June, 1871. He was received under the care of Pennsylvania Presbytery of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church, as a candidate for the ministry in the autumn of 1868. This decision was reached only after several months of serious debatings and earnest prayer. His inclinations were in the direction of the legal profession, and he had taken several steps looking to this end, when a plain sense of his duty settled him once for all in the ministry. He was licensed to preach by the above-named Church Judicature in 1870. Shortly before his graduation at Andover, he received a call to the pastorate of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church at Lebanon, Ohio. After spending a vacation of three months among friends in Western Pennsylvania, he arrived in Lebanon, Sept. 30, and preached his first sermon to his people the next day, Oct. 1, from Luke, ii, 49, " Wist ye not that I must be about my Father's business?" He was ordained to the full work of the ministry by the Pennsylvania Presbytery, April 12, 1872, at Waynesburg, Penn., the Rev. A. W. White preaching the sermon and Rev. S. Winget pre- siding and delivering the charge. His ministry at Lebanon has been a pleas- ant one, and at this writing (1882), continues. At this time, when changes in pastorates occur so frequently, this lengthy relationship between pastor and people is to be commended most heartily. In Library, Allegheny Co., Penn., April 16, 1872, he was united in marriage with Miss Elizabeth Mariam Wid- ney, the only daughter of Dr. John Widney, of Baltimore, Md. Miss Widney graduated from the Female Department of Waynesburg College in the Summer of 1868. She was the Valedictorian of her class. Although not strong physi-

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cally, yet, by her sweetness of disposition and strength of character, she was enabled to accomplish an excellent work in Lebanon. Two children were given to them, viz., Carl Widney, born 1873, and Harold Leigh, in 1878. Mr. Sprowls has taken a deep interest in everything that has for its aim the advancement of the cause of Christ and humanity. Being naturally of a reserved disposition, he has not been as noisy in his advocacy or as demonstra- tive in his opposition as many other men, but his friends always know where to find him. They have manifested this confidence by calling him to positions of trust in the church and com nunity. Being still a young man, it is the hope of his friends that very much usefulness may yet be in store for him.

MOSES STEDDOM. farmer; P. O. Oregon; was born in Turtle Creek Township April 28, 1824. He is the son of John and Alice (Teague) Steddom, natives of South Carolina, of German descent. They emigrated to Ohio in 1804, and located on land, near where our subject now lives. During their first winter here, they lived in a tent, and in the spring following, planted corn on the land they had cleared in the winter. Mr. Staddom afterward teamed between Lebanon and Cincinnati, hauling produce and stores for the pioneers. He raised a family of eleven children, all of whom are now living, except one -Martha Smith -- the youngest being over 50 years of age. The family are all members of the Society of Friends. Our subject received his education in the early schools of Warren County, and was early installed in the work of the farm. He was married, August 26, 1852, to Miss Sarah Pyle, a native of Ohio and a daughter of William and Mary Pyle. She was born Nov. 9, 1827. They have had one child, Morris, who was born April 20, 1860. He has received a liberal education, having taken a course in the National Normal School of Lebanon, and in Earlham College, Richmond, Ind. He also attended and graduated at the Commercial College of Richmond. He was married, Oct. 5, 1881, to Miss Carrie Bone, daughter of William V. Bone, a prominent farmer of Warren County. Mr. Steddom, our subject, in addition to his large farm operations, devotes much of his time to the raising of fine stock. His Short-Horn Durham cattle, Southdown and Merino sheep, and Poland- China hogs are of the best breed and finest quality. He is successful as a stock raiser and disposes of his surplus stock at high prices. He has a beauti- ful place of 335 acres, thoroughly equipped with the most improved of modern farm implements. He is one of the most energetic, farsighted farmers of the county, and meets everybody with the kindly smile and warm handshake that characterize the sect to which he belongs.

ISAAC K. STEDDOM, farmer; P. O. Lebanon; was born in Turtle Creek Township, Warren Co., Ohio, Sept. 18, 1827; he is a son of Samuel and Susan- nah (Teague) Steddom, natives of South Carolina, and a grandson of Henry Steddom, who emigrated from South Carolina in 1804 and settled upon the place where the subject of this sketch now resides. Henry Steddom made extensive purchases of land on the hills of the Little Miami, five miles below Waynesville; he was one of the organizers of the Turtle Creek Friends' Church, one of the first Quaker churches in the county; he built, in 1808, the first two-story stone house with a shingle roof in the vicinity; it was long known as the Old Stone House. He died in 1822, leaving two sons and two daugh- ters. Henry Steddom was the ancestor of all the members of the Steddom family in the Miami country, so far as is known. Samuel, the youngest son, inherited the homestead; he was an honest Quaker, a keen sportsman and a trustworthy man, who became security for no man, and died owing no man any- thing in 1871, in the 78th year of his age. Isaac K. was educated at Earlham College, Richmond, Ind., and spent the early part of his life as a teacher; for thirteen terms he taught in the Red Oak School, Wayne Township, in which a

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son and daughter of his have since taught. He was married in 1851 to Nar- cissa Price, daughter of Rice Price, of Indiana, and by her has had nine chil- dren, viz .: Martha (deceased), Francis W., Laura, Alpheus (deceased), Charity E., Anna (deceased), Rice Price, Mira, Isaac Roy. Mr. and Mrs. Steddom are members of the Society of Friends, in which he is a minister, and has been an accepted preacher for twelve years. He is a Republican in politics, and for nineteen years was a School Director in his district. His portrait appears in this work.

AARON STEPHENS, deceased, was born in the State of New Jersey in 1810; he was the son of Ebenezer and Maria (Phoenix) Stephens; he came to Warren Co., Ohio, with his parents in 1820; his mother died when he was quite young; his father died in Knox Co., Ill., in 1849. Our subject was mar- ried Jan. 1, 1835, to Miss Sarah Hutchinson, daughter of Joseph and Elizabeth (Roosa) Hutchinson, natives of Kentucky, and of French-Irish descent. Mrs. Stephens was born in Clermont Co., Ohio, June 22, 1816; by her marriage she had two children, viz. : Harriet, the wife of Henry Satterwhite, of Martinsville, Ind., and Dr. Joseph L., the discoverer of the opium cure. Our subject com- menced life with but little means, and at his death had accumulated considera- ble property; he was a member of the Masonic fraternity and a stanch Repub- lican; he was prominent in the politics of Warren County, and for about twenty years was a member of the Board of Infirmary Directors of Warren County. An industrious and energetic citizen, he exerted much influence in the community in which he lived. He died May 12, 1874, and was buried in the Lebanon Cemetery. His portrait appears in this work.

J. L. STEPHENS, M. D., special opium cure, Lebanon, was born at Deerfield, Warren Co., Ohio, Aug. 20, 1838; he is the son of Aaron Stephens, deceased, whose biography appears elsewhere in this work. Our subject received his medical education at the Medical College of Ohio, at Cincinnati, from which he graduated in 1859, and for a year and a half thereafter he prac- ticed his profession in Dayton, Ohio. In 1861, after the breaking-out of the rebellion, he was appointed Brigade Surgeon in the Army of the Cumberland by Abraham Lincoln, and in that capacity continued three years. In 1863, he married Miss Medora Carter, of Nashville, Tenn., who died eighteen months after marriage, leaving one child, Medora, who is now living with her father. For ten years after leaving the army, Dr. Stephens practiced medicine in the South, principally in Louisiana, and during four years of his residence there he occupied a seat in the State Legislature. On the 27th of October, 1879, he was again married to Miss Hattie Poor, a native of Pennsylvania. While in the practice of his profession in New Orleans, Dr. Stephens discovered a mode of treatment for the opium habit, which was found to be more efficacious than any hitherto practiced. Having experimented with the cure in several cities, among which were New York, Philadelphia, Richmond, Va., and Cincinnati, and brought it to a state of perfection, he, in 1879, established a sanitarium one mile south of Lebanon for the cure of the opium and morphine habit. Since that time, more than one thousand persons have been patients of the estab- lishment, and several thousand persons in different parts of the country have received the benefit of his treatment. Among his patients have been persons distinguished as lawyers, physicians, clergymen, and men who have held high official positions. His place is visited by people from all parts of the con- tinent. With one or two exceptions, he has had patients from every State in the Union. Before this discovery, there was no cure known for the opium habit but that called " tapering off," and in this the suffering is so intense, and so terribly severe, that patients who bave gone through it say they would prefer death tenfold rather than to experience a repetition of the treatment. Under

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Dr. Stephens' treatment, the patient can go wherever he desires, and while the elimination of the drug from the system is being accomplished, he feels nearly as comfortable, although probably not quite so strong, as when he was a victim to the drug.

JOHN STEPHENSON, farmer; P. O. Lebanon; was born in Clear Creek Township, Warren Co., Dec. 19, 1804. His a son of John and Mary (Gustin) Stephenson, natives of Pennsylvania, who emigrated to Ohio in 1801, and set- tled in Clear Creek Township. Our subject has had but sixteen days schooling during the whole of his life, and what knowledge he now possesses was all self- taught. He is a farmer by birth and occupation, and now owns a well-improved farm in Turtle Creek Township. He was married in 1828 to Mary Hathaway, of Turtle Creek Township, by whom he has had five children, viz. : Samuel, Ebenezer, John, Mary, Ellen (deceased), and Levi (deceased). Mrs. Stephen- son died in 1838, and in 1841 Mr. S. again married Miss Mary Hatfield, by whom he had ten children, viz .: William, Clark, Seely, Louella (deceased), Howard Freeman, Frederick. Sarah and Lydia (twins), Emma and Hester.

DR. E. B. STEVENS, physician, Lebanon, was born Aug. 5, 1823, at Monroe, Butler Co., Ohio. His parents were Joshua Stevens, who emigrated to Ohio from Winthrop, Me., and Eliza (Blackleach) Stevens, a native of New York, who came to Ohio with her widowed mother about 1820. Our subject attended the common school of Monroe and a private high school which was under the auspices of the Associate Reformed Church until 1839, when he entered Miami University, Oxford, Ohio, from which he graduated in 1843. He then taught school one year in the Associate Reformed School, in which he had lately been a pupil, and at the same time read medicine with his father. In 1845-46 he attended lectures at the Ohio Medical College of Cincinnati, where he in the latter year graduated, and, returning to Monroe, practiced his profession until 1849, when he came to Lebanon. After remaining in Lebanon five years, he moved to Cincinnati, and while there (in 1865) he assisted in re- organizing the Miami Medical College, in which he became Professor of Materia Medica. In 1873, he was elected to the same chair in the University of Syra- cuse, N. Y., where a medical department had just been organized. In the spring of 1877, he returned to Lebanon, and has since been engaged here in the practice of his profession, having entered into a large and lucrative practice immediately on his arrival. He was married, July 11, 1848, to Miss Mary L. Stewart, of Carthage, Jefferson Co., N. Y., by whom he has had five children, viz. : Mary E., who is living with her parents; Carrie E., now the wife of C. C. Robinson, of Cincinnati; Edward S., a practicing physician of Clarksville, Ohio; Charles B., now engaged in business in Cincinnati, and Jennie C., who died at the age of nine years. Dr. Stevens has been largely connected with the pub- lication of several of the leading medical journals of the country. He became the editor of the Lancet and Observer, a journal devoted to the interests of the profession, in 1856, having Drs. Mendenhall and Murphy, of Cincinnati, asso. ciated with him a part of the time. He practices what is known among the profession as the "regular" system of medicine, but gives his especial atten- tion to obstetrics. He is a man of great ability and gentlemanly manners, and stands at the top of his profession. In 1878, he established the Obstetric Gazette, a monthly journal devoted to obstetrics and diseases of women-the only monthly of the sort in America. He has always been an active member of the State and other medical societies, and a frequent contributor to the medical literature of the day as found in the journals and society transactions. For many years he was Secretary of the Ohio State Medical Society, and, in 1867, was elected its President. He presided over the annual meeting at Delaware in 1868.

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ROBERT STEWART, farmer; P. O. Monroe; was born in Scotland, Ang. 31, 1831. He is the son of William and Agnes (Fowler) Stewart, natives of Scotland. His father emigrated to America in 1856; and our subject in 1854; the latter received a very liberal education in his native country, and since his arrival in this country, has made farming the principal occupation of his life. He was married Feb. 26, 1860, to Julia Klock, who was born in New York State, July 8, 1838. They have seven children, viz .: William, Nancy, Frank, Edward, Robert, Mary and Elizabeth. Mr. and Mrs. Stewart with their two eldest children are members of the Presbyterian Church. He is a Republican in politics. He received his start in life by working out by the day, and now owns a nice farm of 80 acres.

SETH ST. JOHN, farmer; P. O. Lebanon; was born in Turtle Creek Township, Warren Co., April 5, 1848. He is the son of Joseph and Rebecca (Jenning) St. John. His father settled in Turtle Creek Township in 1803, and lived there until his death. He commenced life in a round-log hut, and suffered all the hardships and privations incident to pioneer life. At the time of his death, he had succeeded in wresting from the wilderness 116 acres of land, which had been cleared and put under cultivation by his personal labor. Our subject grew up on the farm, receiving a common school education, and, when old enough, taking upon himself the care of the farm settled by his father. He was married in 1875, to Miss Smoot, of Warren County, by whom he has had three children. He is a Democrat in politics, and, though comparatively young in years, occupies a place of prominence in his township.

W. S. STOKES, farmer; P. O. Lebanon; was born in Waynesville, War- ren Co., Ohio, Jan. 14, 1835. His parents, Ellis and Hannah (Morgan) Stokes, were both natives of New Jersey, of English descent, and were both raised as Quakers. Our subject attended the schools of his native county and devoted his time to the work of the farm. He has always been an industrious and careful man, and has acquired during his useful life a large and valuable prop- erty and comfortable competency. His farm of 125 acres is of the best land in the county, and the improvements he is constantly making on it increases its value and beauty daily. Mr. Stokes has reared a family of six children, viz .: Alice, Lydia B., Hannah M., Frank, Lizzie and Arthur E .; all except Alice now at home. His wife, Martha, to whom he was married Jan. 17, 1855, was a daughter of James Benham, a wealthy and influential citizen of Warren County, whose parents were among the very early settlers of the county.

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The History of Warren County, Ohio, Part 91

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