USA > Ohio > Noble County > The county of Noble; a history of Noble County, Ohio, from the earliest days, with special chapter on military affairs, and special attention given to resources. > Part 17
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body to engage in farming during the summer months, and in this way can lead a quiet life full of study and meditation. Mr. Bates was married May 30, 1882, to Elizabeth Devolld, daughter of Peter Devolld, of Olive township, and to them have been born four children : Linus, Levi, Bertha, and Earl.
BENJAMIN F. YOUNG .- William Young, Sr., grandfather of Ben- jamin F., was a very early resident of Noble county where he located in 1825. He was a native of Rhode Island, was reared and educated there, and for sixteen years before leaving his native state, he was superintendent of a cotton factory there, owned by a Mr. Sprague, father of Gen. Sprague of Civil war fame, and afterward Governor of Rhode Island. Mr. Young and his wife, Dorcas Smith, with sev- eral children, drove in a two-horse wagon across the Alleghenies to Ohio, where he took up land from the government, and became an extensive land holder, owning at one time, twelve hundred acres. Of the ten children born to them, only one, John Q. A., of Brooklyn, is living. The father, Henry J. Young, a son of William Young, was born in Rhode Island, in 1819, and was six years of age when his parents moved to Ohio. He has spent all his life at farming in Noble county. Henry J. and Mary A. (Davidson) Young were the parents of ten children : Sarah, Elizabeth, John W., William G. and Amy, are deceased ; Benjamin F .; Caroline, wife of M. Shaw ; Henry Clay, of Delaware county ; Mary A., wife of Frank Adduddle; and James F. Mr. Young died February 28, 1890; his wife is still living at the advanced age of eighty-four years. Benjamin F. Young, was born in Center township February 9, 1849, was reared and edu- cated there and has spent his life in farming in Noble county, except for eighteen months in the mercantile business at Sarahsville. Mr. Young was married April 26, 1871, to Susanna Rucker, daughter of an old resident, Wyatt Rucker. They are the parents of nine children : Mary J., now Mrs. Merry ; Sarah E., now Mrs. McGovern, of Dresden; Angie C .; Weltha Lillian, and Earnest Bradford, deceased ; Henry J., of Canton ; William J .; Benjamin F. Jr .; and Susan Winifred. Mr. Young is a prosperous farmer and one of the substantial men of the county.
RODERICK C. ARCHER .- John Wesley Archer, deceased, was the third son of "Preacher Jim," as James Archer was familiarly called, and was born in Stock township, where he grew to manhood, and was engaged in agricultural pursuits. After his marriage, he moved to Center township, making that his home the rest of his life. John Wesley and Frances (Deverel) Archer were the parents of nine chil- dren : Robert, Maggie, Frances, and Sophia, deceased ; Maria, Lionel, Susan, (now Mrs. Withington, of Kansas), Roderick C., and Hattie.
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Mr. Archer died in July, 1882, and his wife still lives at the old home- stead in Center township. Lionel married Anna Lincium, and has four children. Roderick C. married Georgia Settles, who died August 14, 1901, leaving no children.
JACOB FOGLE .- Jacob Fogle, a very early resident of what is now Noble county, and grandfather to the subject of this article, entered government land in Center township, and lived there, a tiller of the , soil, all his life. Of the seven children, all of whom are dead, Elijah was one, father of Mr. Fogle, of whom this is written. He was born in Center township, and lived there until his death in 1841. a farmer by occupation. Elijah and Sallie (Mayborn) Fogle were the parents of eight children, only one of whom, Jacob, is living; they were: Peter, Jonathan, Amy, Hannah, Rufus, Luther, Sallie, and Jacob. Jacob Fogle, was born in Noble county November 1, 1836, was there reared and educated, and on reaching manhood chose the time-honored occupation of an agriculturist, and has been interested only in that all his life. Mr. Fogle was twice married, first to Margaret Bryan, daughter of Garry Bryan, an old resident of the county, who became the mother of four children : Miles, a merchant in Zanesville ; Nancy Ellen, now Mrs. Vanfleet, of Wisconsin ; Sarah Catherine, deceased ; and Mary, now Mrs. Davis, of Zanesville. The second marriage was to Mrs. Sallie (Merry) Miller, daughter of Colton Merry, an old resident of Noble county, and to them have been born three children : Abigail, now Mrs. Oliver, of Zanesville ; Elizabeth, now Mrs. William Oliver, of Summerfield ; and Ambrose, a merchant of Summerfield. Mr. and Mrs. Fogle are members of the United Brethren church.
JOHN H. YOUNG, a farmer and dealer in live stock, was born in Noble county, December 25, 1851. He is a son of Robert J. Young and grandson of William Young, the father a native of Rhode Island, born in 1825, but long a resident of Noble county. The mother, Cath- erine Bovers, a native of Pennsylvania, is now living in Sarahsville. There were eight children : William, Thomas Edgar, John Wesley, all deceased : Eliza Ann, pow Mrs. MeLaughlin : John H. : Robert. of Monroe county ; George W .. of Wheeling, W. Va. : and Margaret D., wife of Herman Ulrich, of Chicago. The father died in 1868. Mr. Young has always taken an active interest in politics, but he has never aspired to office. A farmer by occupation, he is interested also in live stock, and is a dealer in leaf tobacco. Mr. Young was married Novem- ber 17, 1870, to Johanna Hedge, daughter of James Hedge, an old resident of Noble county, and to them have been born six children : Herman E., merchant and postmaster at Sarahsville; James E., coal operator at Sarahsville; John W., engaged in the same business; Celina Louise ; Hugh G., at home, and Hannah, deceased.
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JAMES BATES, a farmer of Noble county, was born in Seneca town- ship March 6, 1867. He is a son of Simeon Bates, and a grandson of Bethel Bates, whose sketch appears elsewhere in this history. The father was born in Seneca township in 1836, and always lived in Noble county, following the occupation of a farmer. Simeon and Mary (Kirkbride) Bates were the parents of fourteen children : Robert, of Guernsey county ; Sheridan, of Marion township; James, of Center township; Irvin, of Marion township; William, of Center; Frank, of Seneca ; Peter, of Seneca ; Garfield, of Guernsey ; Clyde, of Wayne; Ray, Daisy, Harley, Ella Pearl, and Dock, the two last ones deceased. Mr. Bates died in 1897, and his wife is still living in Wayne town- ship. James Bates was reared and educated in Noble county, and has been a farmer since growing to manhood. He was elected trustee of Center township in 1899, and re-elected in 1902, his second term hav- ing not yet expired. Mr. Bates was married April 20, 1894, to Eva Lou McCarty, daughter of John McCarty of Sarahsville, and they are the parents of three children : Mary Elizabeth, Ethel Marie, and John Sherman. Mr. Bates is one of the substantial farmers of the county, and a man deeply interested in the good of his fellowmen.
WILLIAM D. MERRY, a prominent educator of Noble county, was born on the place where he now lives in Center township, on August 1, 1867, and is a son of Colton Merry, an early settler of Noble county. He was educated at the district schools and at the summer sessions of the Caldwell Normal School, teaching in the meantime. By close application to his studies he secured a fine education, and holds a life certificate from the state board of examiners. He has been engaged in teaching for twenty years, having secured his first certificate in 1883. In 1894 Mr. Merry was appointed a member of the school board of examiners for Noble county, and filled that position for six years. At the Republican county convention, of 1904, he received the nomination for county auditor on the first ballot, receiving seventy- four out of a total of one hundred fourteen. Mr. Merry was married May 4, 1892, to Mary J. Young, a daughter of Benjamin F. Young, and to them have been born two daughters, Susan Isabella and Adah Marguerite. Mr. Merry is a member of the Knights of Pythias, Caldwell Lodge No. 280. -
WILLIAM C. ARCHER .- Bell Archer, a prominent educator of Noble county, was born June 4, 1845, and is a son of Simon and Elizabeth (DeLozier) Archer. He is a grandson of Nathan Archer, who is the youngest son of James Archer, Sr., and Rebecca ( Morris) Archer, a daughter of Isaac Morris, who was a nephew of Robert Morris, the Financier of the Revolution. Nathan and Rebecca Archer were the parents of ten children : Simon, Stephen, Henry, Thomas, James,
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Rose, Teener, Lucinda, Sophia, and Elizabeth. Simon and Elizabeth Archer were the parents of four children : Bell, Sylvenus, Marcellus, and Mary A. Mr. Archer, the subject of this sketch, was reared and educated in the public schools of his native county, which education he supplemented by diligent private study. He has been a teacher since 1865, holds a state certificate, and has served as examiner of Noble county for twenty years, being a member of the board at present. Mr. Bell Archer was married September 4, 1866, to Clara J. Thompson, and to them have been born three children, Effie C., William C., and Blanche R. Effie C. is now the wife of W. H. Smith, superin- tendent of the Newport, Ohio, schools, a graduate of Lebanon College, and a member of the bar since 1900; and the other daughter is still at home. William C., the only son, was born March 30, 1876; he has had a first class education, taught school for several years, studied law under Judge Follett of Marietta, and was admitted to the bar in 1899. He was connected with the Zanesville Herald for a short time, and in 1902 bought the Caldwell Press, the Democratic paper of the county, which he is now editing. He was married in 1898 to Monica Collins, and is the father of one child. Mr. Bell Archer is a man of broad culture, and one who has made his mark in the world entirely through his own efforts.
JOHN McWILLIAMS, a farmer of Noble county, is one of the old McWilliams family which came to Ohio in a very early day. The grandfather, Philip McWilliams, was the first of the family to settle in the county, having done so in 1808. He was born in Ireland, and came to America in 1794, settling first at Wheeling, Va., but on account of the destructive storms, moved to Guernsey county, Ohio, taking up land near Gibson's Station, later moving to Noble county, where his descendants now live. At the organization of Noble county, he served as its first treasurer, and filled many other positions of trust in the county. He was the father of ten children, only one of whom is living, Mary, widow of Charles Noble, now of Kansas. The father, William McWilliams, was the youngest son of Philip, and was born in Guernsey county, July 6, 1826. At an early age liis parents came to Noble county, and he became a farmer of that county, upon reaching manhood. He was a man of affairs, and served his county in various capacities, particularly as commis- sioner. He married Louisa McCollum, a native of Dayton, Ohio, and their union was blessed by the birth of six children : Frank, and Jennie, deceased ; Ella, now Mrs. Little, of Sarahsville ; John, of the same place; William, of Center township; and Arthur, a druggist of Urichsville. William McWilliams died in 1895; his wife still lives on the old homestead near Sarahsville. John McWilliams, the subject of this review, was reared and educated in Noble county, and
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took up farming as his principal occupation, although he is a man of varied interests. Aside from his farming he is an extensive dealer in live stock, and in wool. Although not an office seeker, he has always taken an active interest in political affairs, being at present the chairman of the Republican Executive Committee of Noble county. He was married to Rose L. Secrest, a daughter of Frederick Secrest, an old resident of Noble county, and to them have been born two children, Clara and Fred, both in school.
ISAAC HENRY BASS, a farmer of Center township, was born in Belmont county, near Barnesville, November 24, 1849. He is a son of Joseph Oxley and Ann (Hayes) Bass, the father a native of Eng- land. There were two children, Malinda Jane, now Mrs. Parker, of Lockwood, Missouri, and Isaac. The mother died in 1855, and the father in 1877. After the death of his mother, Isaac Bass went to live with his uncle, Job Johnson, of Belmont county, remaining with him until his twenty-second year. He received only a limited education and took up the occupation of farming, which he has fol- lowed all his life. In the spring of 1873, he moved to Noble county, going a short time afterward to Colorado, where he engaged for thirteen months in the tinker business, returning at that time to Noble county, where he has followed his old occupation since. Mr. Bass was married January 16, 1875, to Margaret Carter, daughter of Robert Carter, an old resident of Noble county, and to them have been born two children: Emma Dell, now Mrs. Stottsberry, of Byesville, and. Herbert Clyde, of Wheeling, W. Va. Mr. and Mrs. Bass are members of the United Brethren church at Fredericksdale.
LEVI D. MERRY, an educator and farmer of Noble county, was born in Center township on the same section of land on which he now lives, June 16, 1850. He is a member of the family so well known to the residents of the county, the grandfather, Ambrose Merry, being one of the earliest settlers of Center township, though a native of New York where he was born in 1770. He came to Ohio in 1817, making the journey by wagon, and in 1819 located in Noble county, where he is said to have had the first bearing orchard in the county. He was a typical pioneer, and followed farming all his active years. Mr. Merry's children were born in New York, all but Calton, and are: Rufus, Rouse, Benson, Calton, Samantha, Miranda, Amanda, Betsy and Hannah, most of whom have descendants in Noble county Ambrose Merry died in 1864, at the advanced age of ninety-four. The father of Levi D., was Calton Merry, who was born in Belmont county in 1817, being two years old when his father moved to Noble county. He entered land in Noble county, paying for it by working on the docks in the Muskingum River, walking to and from his work,
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twice a week, a distance of twenty-five miles. Mr. Merry was mar- ried in 1836, to Elizabeth Weekley, who became the mother of ten children : Mary, Margaret, Josephus, Andrew J., and Benjamin HI., now deceased ; Sally now Mrs. Fogle; Abby, wife of Rev. Headley, of Caldwell; Ada, now Mrs. Brown ; Maria, now Mrs. Cranston, and Jacob M., of Kansas. Mr. Merry was a Whig, later became a Repub- lican, casting his last vote for Hayes in 1876. He and his wife were members of the Christian church. By a second marriage, he was the father of two children, Rufus E., of Caldwell, and William D. Mr. Merry died in 1878, and his wife in 1894. Levi D. Merry, son of Calton Merry, received a common school education, and attended for one term the Normal School at Lebanon. He began teaching at the age of twenty, and has taught every winter since with the excep- tion of six when he was engaged as county surveyor. In addition to his school, he has carried on his farming, stock dealing and sur- veying, and has proved himself to be a man who can turn his hand to any honest labor and make a success of it. In the fall of 1888, he was appointed on the board of school examiners, serving a little over two years. Mr. Merry was married in 1882 to Sue L. Neyman, of Guernsey county, who died in 1887, the mother of three children : Charles Calton, Edward Livingstone, and Levi Delbert. Mr. Merry is' a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows Lodge at Caldwell.
NATHANIEL BATES .- Isaac Bates, son of Ephraim Bates, is the progenitor of a large family in and around Noble county, and was an early settler of that county. A native of New Jersey, he settled first in Pennsylvania, then removed to Ohio, locating near Sarahs- ville, where he was interested in farming and milling, in later life moving to Indiana, where he died. He was twice married, first to Kate Moore, who died in 1813, the mother of six children: Daniel, Jacob, Israel, Isaac, Samuel, and Phoebe. By a second marriage to Miss Powell, there were born: Catherine, Nathaniel, Abraham, George, Andrew, and Richard. Daniel Bates, a native of Pennsyl- vania, oldest son of Isaac Bates, a farmer of Noble county, and his wife, Jane Heddleison, a native of Scotland, were the parents of, John, Isaac, Joseph, Margaret, Robert, and William, of whom the first three are now deceased. Jacob Bates, the second son of Isaac Bates, was a native of Noble county, born in 1810, where he has followed the occupation of a farmer, and that of a cooper to some extent. He was prominent in the affairs of the county and one of the substantial citizens. Jacob and his wife, Jane Davidson, a native of Virginia, were the parents of Sarah J., Caroline, and Daniel W., deceased ; Phoebe ; Phelps ; Isaac; Catherine Province; Mary A .. the wife of the subject of this review ; and William T., nearly all of
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Center township. Mrs. Bates died in 1877, and Mr. Bates in 1883. John Bates, the oldest child of Daniel Bates, and grandson of Isaac Bates, was born in Center township, in 1825, and has since lived there following the occupation of a farmer. He was married in 1844 to Easter Christiana Lincicome, and they were the parents of Daniel, William (deceased), Nathaniel, Jane, now Mrs. Weekley of West Virginia ; Hannah, now Mrs. Moore, of West Virginia; Caro- line; Mrs. Sarah Ann, Archer, deceased; and Isaac, of Marion. Nathaniel Bates, the second son of John Bates, was born in Enoch township, November 4, 1847. He lived there until he was sixteen years of age, receiving a limited education, and in 1864, enlisted in Company I of the One Hundred Seventy-Sixth Ohio volunteers, serving one year. After his discharge he engaged in farming in which he has been extraordinarily successful. He was married July 1, 1868, to Mary A. Bates, and to them have been born eight children : William H., Christina C., both deceased ; Sarah J., now Mrs. Mansperger, of Center township; Charles M., a resident of Guthrie Center, Iowa ; Jacob B., also of Iowa; John W., Isaac T., and Olive E. Mr. Bates is a member of the Grand Army of the Republic.
DIGHTON M. BATES, a farmer and substantial citizen of Noble county, was born in Seneca township May 9, 1844. He is a son of Barna and Martha (McWilliams) Bates, a great grandson of Ephraim Bates, a veteran of the Revolutionary war, and a grandson of Timothy Bates, among the first settlers of Noble county ; the father a native of Noble county and the mother of Guernsey county; the father was born in Seneca township July 15, 1815 ; he grew to man- hood there, receiving a common school education and adopting farm- ing as an occupation, which he followed all his life. He enlisted in 1861 in Company D., Forty-Second Ohio volunteer infantry, Gar- field's regiment, as a private ; he served with that regiment two years and was transferred to the First Wisconsin battery with which he served as a veterinary surgeon for six months. He participated in the arduous campaigns of his regiments including the siege of Vicks- burg, at Champion Hills, and Cumberland Gap. He was the father of thirteen children: John S., Joseph, Julia Ann (Barnes), Aaron V. (deceased), Hannah W. (now Mrs. Patterson of Illinois), Susanna (now Mrs. Stevens), Dighton M., Eliza R. (now Mrs. Yoho of Illinois), Ruth (now Mrs. Scott of Pleasant City), Timothy (of Brookfield township), Kellar J. (of Oklahoma), Finley (of Missis- sippi), and Nancy H. Stevens, of Byesville, Ohio. Mr. Bates died in 1869 and his wife in 1886. Dighton M. Bates was reared in his native county and at the age of eighteen years enlisted in Company F, of the One Hundred Sixteenth Ohio volunteers, being transferred
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soon after to Company H, of the same regiment. In June, 1865, he was transferred to Company E, of the Sixty-Second regiment ; he was mustered out August 7, 1865, at Richmond, Va. He was in sixteen engagements, including Moorefield, W. Va .; Winchester, Halltown, Berryville, Fisher's Hill, Winchester the second time, Opequon, Newmarket, Cedar Creek, Hatcher's Run, in the charge of Ft. Greeg; in front of Petersburg; and at Piedmont, a minie ball hitting him in the mouth, but it did not prove a serious injury. Returning he took up farming, and in the fall of 1867 he moved to Illinois where he remained on a farm for a year; he returned to Noble county in the fall of 1868, and a year later went back to Illi- nois, remaining there three years ; in 1872 he moved to Reno county, Kansas, where he lived about seven years. Moving to Colorado, he worked in the mines for nearly three years. Ohio still held out her arms for him and in the fall of 1883 he returned to Noble county and resumed farming, in which he has been engaged ever since. Mr. Bates is a local preacher for the United Brethren church. He has been twice married; the first time on October 29, 1868, to Miss Eliza A. Brain, of Christian county, Illinois, and to them were born five children: Joanna, Elmer, both deceased; John E., of Okla- homa ; Maude, now Mrs. Henderson, living in Kansas; and Charles H., a teacher, also of Oklahoma. The second marriage was with Miss Anna Phelps, daughter of John H. Phelps, a veteran of the Civil war; this occurring April 23, 1884; the Phelps family being of Noble county; six children have been born to them: Phoebe J., now Mrs. Ball; Aaron D., Elvin G., William McKinley, Minnie Belle, and Mary Caroline. Mr. Bates is a member of the Grand army of the Republic; he has filled the position of assessor of Center township, in which he lives, for two years.
JACOB BATES, one of the substantial farmers of Noble county, was born on the farm where he now resides in Center township, Janu- ary 28, 1862. He is a son of Isaac and Rachel (Brothers) Bates, one of the old pioneers of Noble county. He was reared and edu- cated in the common schools of his time, and by application to study, became licensed to teach, but never used the license. He adopted the occupation of farming as best suited to his tastes, and has never had reason to depart from his choice. Mr. Bates was married in October 1899 'to Mary E. Kirkbride, a daughter of Burton Kirkbride, an old resident of Noble county, and to them have been born three children, Isaac Burton, Iva Bertha, and Rosa Belle. Mr. and Mrs. Bates are members of the Christian church.
MARTIN MATHENY, one of the prominent farmers of Noble county, was born on the farm where he now resides in Center township,
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November 2, 1845. He is the only living son of Cyrus and Jane Moore (Miller) Matheny. The father is descended from Joseph Matheny, who became a resident of Noble county in 1813. Mr. Cyrus Matheny was early left to look out for himself, received but a limited education, and through his own ambitions and efforts, became a well posted man. After reaching manhood, he entered eighty-three acres of land in Center township, and made that his home until his death in 1872. He was twice married, first to Lucinda Balis of Noble county, who left eight children : Andrew, Thomas, Samantha, Cyrus, and two others who are deceased, Nancy Ann, now Mrs. Lanam, of Zanesville ; Rachel, now Mrs. Archer. The second marriage was to Mrs. Jane Miller who became the mother of three children: Martin, Mary, now Mrs. Linsicum ; and Martha, deceased. Mrs. Matheny survived her husband several years. Martin Matheny has always been a farmer on the old homestead, and has been particularly suc- cessful in his calling. He was married April 28, 1864, to Mary A. Gorby, a daughter of Rev. David Gorby, an old resident of Noble county. Four children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Matheny : Martha Jane. now Mrs. Mansperger : Emma V., now Mrs. Willey of Cambridge ; Carrie A., now Mrs. Schwartzwalder; and Josiah Will- iam. Mr. and Mrs. Matheny are members of the Free Methodist church. Rev. David Gorby, father of Mrs. Matheny, and an old resident of Noble county, was a native of Virginia who came with his father, Job Gorby, to Ohio in an early dav. He was one of a large family of children, all of whom are now deceased. He was a farmer and carpenter most of his life, was ordained minister of the Protestant church, afterward joined the United Brethren and later the Free Methodists, preaching a great deal in connection with his other interests. He was twice married, first to Mary Mason, by whom he had six children: Henry, Levi, and David, deceased ; Martha Jane Davidson : Mason; Mary A. Matheny. The second marriage was to Eliza Hunter, who became the mother of twelve children, of whom only John and Clark are living. Rev. Gorby died in 1887, his wife surviving him several years.
JAMES D. BROWN, a prominent farmer of Noble county, was born in that county June 30, 1822, and is a son of Dexter Brown, referred to elsewhere in this history. He was reared and educated in his native county, and on reaching manhood adopted farming as his occupation, a calling which he has conducted intelligently and very successfully. He enlisted in Company H of the One Hundred . Sixty-First Ohio volunteers, in 1864, serving the term of his enlist- ment. A few years after his discharge, he went to Missouri, where he followed farming as his occupation for four years. returning then to Noble county, where he has since lived. Mr. Brown has been
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