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 18
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twice married, first to Hannah Marquis, (daughter of John Marquis, an early settler of Noble county, who died in Missouri), the mother of eight children: Caroline, wife of Sampson Harris; Sarah Jane, now Mrs. Margrove, of Oklahoma; Edward C., of Jefferson town- ship; John D., deceased; James W., deceased; Mary E., now Mrs. Kay, of Missouri; McClellan, of Caldwell; and Mahala, deceased. The second marriage was to Mrs. Mary (Porter) Mills, daughter of Arthur Porter, an old resident of Noble county, and to this union has been born one son, Samuel G. He was born May 16, 1877, was. well educated and began teaching school at the age of seventeen, fol- lowing that during the winter, and working on the farm in the sum- mer. He is unmarried. Mr. Brown is a member of the Grand Army of the Republic, and with his wife and son, belong to the Free Methodist church.
HUGH Cox, an early resident of Noble county, now deceased, was a native of Ireland, born in County Kildare, in 1813. He was edu- cated in his native country, and at the age of nineteen came to America, locating in Marion township, where he remained about two years, removing then to Center township, where he purchased a farm, upon which his son now lives. He was married in 1834 to Alice Fay, also a native of county Kildare, Ireland, who came to America at the same time and with the same family as Mr. Cox. They were the parents of eight children : Edward, William Thomas, Mary Ann, Emily J., Caroline, Hugh, John Wesley, and an infant son. All are now deceased except Hugh and Caroline, the latter being the wife of Richard Cleary. Mr. Cox died in 1875, and his wife in 1900. Hugh Cox, Jr., was born on the farm where he now resides, May 22, 1844, was educated in his native county, and has been a tiller of the soil all his life. He is interested in the affairs of his township, and though not an office seeker, has served his township as trustee for a number of years. Mr. Cox was married in 1880 to Angeline Ball. a daughter of James Ball, an early settler of Center township. Mrs. Cox died in 1890, the mother of six children: James Wesley, Charles Edward, Anna Alice, Hugh, Harry J., and Mary Caroline, the two last twins, and both deceased. He was married a second time to Laura Archer, daughter of Peter Archer, one of the old family of that name. Mr. Cox affiliates with the Methodist church.
JOSEPH G. GARRETT, one of the substantial farmers of Noble county, was born in Millwood, now Quaker City, Guernsey county. Ohio, January 2, 1846. He is a son of Christian Garrett. a native of Maryland, and Mary J. (Connelly) Garrett, a native of Ohio, and a grandson of Chris Garrett, who died in the War of 1812. After coming to Ohio, the father learned the shoemaker's trade in Summer-
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field, and followed that occupation for sixteen years ; he then took up farming for six years in Ohio, and then moved to Missouri, where he was engaged in farming until his death in 1885; he was the father of thirteen children: John W. and James G .; the former enlisting in Company I, Twentieth Ohio regiment, and falling at Pittsburg Landing in 1862; James G. enlisting in Company K, Sixtieth Ohio regiment, who fell at Cross Keys, Va., June 8, 1862 ; the others were Joseph G., Eleanor L., now Mrs. Mommell; William T., Benja- min L., Julia I., Elijah and Harvey F. (twins), and Samuel G., the last six deceased ; Melvina L., now Mrs. Coffield, of Seattle, Wash .; Lydia A., now Mrs. Gamble of Kansas; and Clifton C., also of Kansas. Mr. Garrett died in 1885 and his wife in 1901. Joseph G. Garrett attended the public schools until the breaking out of the war, when he enlisted in Company I, Twenty-Fifth Ohio regiment, and served until the close of the war; he was in the following engage- ments: Gettysburg, Honey Hill, Fort Wagner, Camden, S. C., Lexington, Georgetown, and in many skirmishes; he was never wounded or captured. Mr. Garrett was married December 10, 1868, to Sarah J. Cater, and to them have been born six children : Clyde D., deceased ; William A., Emery W., James G., Benjamin F., and Mildred May. The oldest son, Clyde, served in Troup A, Sixth cavalry, for five years ; he was on duty at the Chicago riots in 1894; served in the Spanish-American war as a private in Company A, Eighteenth Pennsylvania regiment; at the conclusion of the war he returned to his position as baggageman at the union depot in Pitts- burg, but was compelled to give it up soon after, being taken ill, and on December 24, 1898, less than three months from the time of his discharge from service in the army, he died, at his home. Will- iam A., the second son, is a conductor on the Pennsylvania railway, running out of Pittsburg. Emery is employed in the Carnegie Steel Works at Homestead, Pa. James G. is with a furniture house in Homestead. The two youngest are at home. Mr. Garrett is a member of the Grand Army of the Republic at Caldwell, and he and his wife are members of the Methodist church.
DAVID LEE DOWNEY, one of the prominent farmers of Noble county, was born near Greencastle, Indiana, March 8, 1862. He is a son of Edward and Sarah (Thompson) Downey, both natives of Noble county, where the father has been a farmer all his life but for a few years spent in Indiana, and five in Missouri. . He was twice married, by the first marriage being the father of seven children: Merriman, a dairyman in Pennsylvania; Robert V., deceased ; John E., a dairyman in Pennsylvania ; Leah Jane, now Mrs. Lepage : Minerva, deceased; David Lee ; and Salathiel P., of Pennsylvania. The second marriage was to Jane C. Morrison, who is still living in
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Buffalo township, Mr. Downey having died in 1899. The grand- father, Merriman Downey, was the third son of Thomas Downey, whose sketch appears elsewhere in this history. He was a native of Maryland, but long a resident of Noble county, a farmer by occupa- tion. Merriman and Jemima (Van Horn) Downey were the par- ents of twelve children: Martha Lewis, of Muskingum county ; Edward V .; Tracey, of Missouri ; Thomas, of Kansas; Margaret and Ann, deceased; Merriman ; Florella and Harlan, deceased ; Ophelia Johnson, of Nebraska ; Clarinda, of Nebraska; and Jemima Hineline of Pleasant City. David Lee Downey was two years of age when his parents returned to Noble county, and it was in that county that he grew to manhood and received his education. At the age of twenty he went to Nebraska and Kansas where he engaged in farming for twelve years, returning to Noble county in 1893, where he has been engaged in the same occupation since. Mr. Downey was mar- ried August 11, 1888, to Mattie Powelson, a daughter of John W. Powelson, an old resident of Noble county, and one son has been born to this union, Arden Lee. Mr. and Mrs. Downey are members of the Methodist church.
JAMES W. GIBSON, one of the substantial farmers of Seneca town- ship, was born in Chester county, Pa., in 1832. He is a son of Samuel and Elizabeth (Hoffman) Gibson, both natives of Pennsyl- vania, where tht father was a farmer until his removal to Ohio in 1837. Mr. Gibson rode on horse back from his old home in Pennsyl- vania to Seneca township, bought his farm, and then returned for his family, moving them in two wagons. He engaged in his old occu- pation and in the saw mill business on coming to Noble county, and was very successful in his chosen work. He was the father of eight children: Sarah Jane Barber, of North Carolina; James W .; Charles Wesley, of Cumberland ; Mary Elizabeth Turnbull, of Cam- bridge; Hannah Frances Anderson, of Oklahoma; Martha A. Lang- heed, of Columbus ; Martha, deceased ; and Samuel Benson, a veteran of the Civil war, now of Kansas. He died in his eighty-second year. James W. Gibson was five years old when his parents came to Ohio, and it was in this county that he grew to manhood and received his education. Mr. Gibson has served his township as assessor for two terms, and as school director for a number of years. In 1902 he was appointed by the board of Infirmary directors as superintendent of the county infirmary, which position he still holds, giving the best of satisfaction. Mr. Gibson, was married in April 1862, to Susan Finley, a daughter of William Finley, an early resident of Noble county, and they are the parents of six children: George B. and John, of Seneca township ; Franklin and Hopey, deceased ; Alice Kate Kellar; and Mary Jane Hancher, both of Marion township. Mr.
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Gibson is a highly respected citizen of Seneca township, and a man who is unselfishly interested in the welfare of his fellow men.
JOHN WESLEY RUBY, one of the prominent farmers of Noble county, was born in Wayne township, December 1, 1851. He is a son of Johnson and Elizabeth Ann (Tucker) Ruby, the father a native of Ohio, and the mother a native of Pennsylvania. The father was early thrown upon his own resources, by the death of his father, and with a limited education, came to Noble county, at the age of eighteen where he became a farmer, removing in 1875 to Coshocton county, where he now resides. In 1861 he enlisted in the Company G of the Seventy-Eighth Ohio volunteers, serving in that company three years and participating in all the arduous campaigns of his regiment. Mr. and Mrs. Ruby are the parents of eleven children : James Lewis, Mary Jane, Sarah Ellen, Urbana, all deceased ; John. Wesley, Isaac N., Ella, Thomas, Savannah Cochran, Albert Johnson, and Samuel Oscar, all of Coshocton county. John Wesley Ruby has always lived in his native township but for one year in Illinois, and has been a most successful farmer. He is a staunch Republican and has served his township in various capacities ; as trustee for six years, and as a director of the Noble county Infirmary, in which capacity he is serving his second term. At his first election, he had a majority of 326, and at the second, a majority of 418. During his incumbency, the most noticeable feature has been the decrease in the running expenses of the county institution and an improvement in its management. Mr. Ruby was married in 1875 to Nancy Allen Ostler, daughter of Henry and Margaret (Donnelly) Ostler, of Bel- mont county, and to this union have been born twelve children : Joanna Nicholson, of Beyesville; Albert J., of Center township; Margaret J., John Gilbert, Isaac Newton, Glenn C., James Murphy, Hiley, Zoe and Rce (twins), Frank W .. and Simon. Mr. Ruby is a member of the Masonic fraternity at Sarahsville, and the Knights of Pythias at Summerfield. Mr. and Mrs. Ruby are members of the Methodist church at Mt. Ephraim.
MILEY FAMILY .- The Miley family of Noble county, are of German, Scotch and Irish descent. George Miley, the progenitor of the Miley family, in this country, came from Germany with his father and three brothers and settled in Monongalia county, Va., which is now a part of West Virginia, on the border line between Pennsylvania and West Virginia. George Miley and one of his brother remained with their father, and one brother settled in the western part of Ohio. George Miley married Miss Jane Moore ; their children were: Abraham and John. Mr. Miley was killed at a raising about the year 1803. The sons were small at the time,
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one being five and the other but two years old. After six years of widowhood, the mother married George Rich, a native of Pennsyl- vania; two of their children, Sally and Ann, were born in Virginia, Ann being but three weeks old when the family moved to Ohio; three more children were born in Ohio: Jeremiah, Rolly, and Jane. John Miley was born in Monongalia county, Va., on the 6th day of December, 1801, and moved to the state of Ohio in the year 1811, accompanied by his brother Abraham, and Abraham Rich, they settling on the east fork of Buffalo Water, which is now Buffalo town- ship; they came in the spring of 1811, built a camp, and heard the wolves prowling about the door at night ; bear, deer and wild turkeys were also numerous ; they made a small clearing, raised a few pota- toes, and lived there through the winter, subsisting on potatoes, chiefly ; in the following year they were joined by John and George Rich, brothers of Abraham Rich, one the step-father of Abraham and John Miley; Abraham Miley afterwards settled in Wayne township, near Wills Creek, Ohio, and married Rachel Millhon in the year 1823; their children were Jane and Elizabeth (twins), John, Mar- garet, Norman, Mary and George. This family were probably the first white people to reside within the present limits of Buffalo town- ship. John Miley was married to Elizabeth Kackley, daughter of Isaac Kackley, February 23, 1828 ; she was born in Frederick county, Va., May 7, 1807, and moved to Ohio in 1817. In 1829 they moved to Seneca township on Opossum Run; to them eleven children were born : Sarah A. (Keller), of Seneca township; George; Jane (Larrick) ; Isaac, all of Buffalo township; Emily (Vorhies), of Seneca township; Hannah Graham, deceased ; Jeremiah, of Guernsey county, Valley township; William K., of Seneca township; Eliza (Craft), of Noble county ; Mary E., deceased ; John F., of Seneca township; Mr. Miley died May 27, 1883 ; he was a consistent Chris- tian, a member of the Buffalo Lutheran church, and a most excellent man ; in politics he was an unswerving democrat ; he served as In- firmary director several terms ; he was a prominent man in his day. Mrs Miley passed away December 24, 1894; she was also a member of the Buffalo Lutheran church, a consistent Christian and a most excellent mother. The government land which Mr. Miley entered upon reaching manhood, is still in the family, owned and occupied by his son, William Kiel, who was born November 23, 1843; in 1876 he married Mary I. Rich ; they have one child, Lettie. John Fordyce Miley, one of the most prominent farmers of Noble county, was born in Seneca township, March 9, 1851 ; he is the youngest son of John and Elizabeth ( Kackley) Miley ; he was reared and educated in his native township and has spent most of his life as a tiller of the soil ; though not an office seeker, he has served the township as assessor cne term, as trustee two terms, and in the spring of 1903 was elected
12
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a third time without opposition; this is the more remarkable when it is known that Mr. Miley is a democrat and that Seneca is a strong republican township. At the democratic county convention of 1903 he was nominated for the office of county commissioner. He was married October 27, 1887, to Eliza Sibilla Ulrich, daughter of Her- man Ulrich, a native of Germany; they are the parents of one son, Forrest Raymond, born August 2, 1888. Mr. Miley is very prominent in his township, standing for good, clean government, and, above all, for progress. Mr. Herman Ulrich was a sailor for seven years and crossed the ocean nineteen times ; he was born in Gottingen, Kingdom of Hanover, Germany, October 18, 1818; his early education was obtained in the schools of his native city, and at the age of ten years he was sent to a higher school at Goslar in the Hartz mountains. He remained until 17 years old, when he went to Bremen as clerk in a counting house ; remaining eighteen months, he shipped as a sailor on the "Augusta," a sailing vessel bound for the West Indies ; from there he again sailed for Bremen, thence to New York, Havana, Matanzas, Plymouth (England), back to Bremen, thence to Richmond, Phila- delphia, New York, and finally to Lisbon (Portugal), and Rio de Janeiro, South America, remaining at the latter place a year ; he then went to New Orleans, back to Bremen, then home to Gottingen where he remained until 1842; he then sailed for Baltimore, reaching that city July 4, 1842 ; the same month he went to New Gottingen, Guern- sey county, Ohio, where he entered the employ of Charles and Wash- ington Heidelbach, merchants, with whom he remained five years. He visited Germany in 1847, returning in 1848 and settling at Mt. Ephraim, in which locality he spent the remainder of his life ; mar- rying Susan Hill in November, 1849; eight children were born to them, of whom five survive: Henry, Herman, George, Sibilla and Frank. Of him a local paper said: "It would certainly be no dis- paragement to others to say that a more polished gentleman never lived among us; and few, if any, among us have come in close and sympathetic touch with a larger circle of admiring friends than Herman Ulrich."
JAMES M. MURPHY, a prominent merchant of Mt. Ephraim, was born in Buffalo township, February 21, 1854, and is one of a very prominent family of the county. His grandfather, Andrew Murphy, who settled in Noble county in 1833, was a native of County Derry, Ireland, and one of the few free holders of that island. His occupa- tion was that of a farmer though he was also engaged in the manu- facture of linen ; in 1830 he sailed for America, landing at Quebec, and three years later located in Ohio, where he again took up farming. He had a family of eight children, only two of whom are living, Andrew, of Kansas, and James. The father of the subject of this
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sketch is James Murphy, also a native of Ireland; he was born in 1809, and early showed great ability in music, becoming later very proficient as a violinist and fifer. He came to America at the age of 21, and was variously engaged in different places, and on coming to Noble county began the life of a carpenter, which he followed for some years, giving it up to engage in agricultural pursuits. James and Eliza (Secrest) Murphy, are the parents of eight children, four of whom are living: Hercules, of Pleasant City; Henry, of Seneca ; Mansel, of Senecaville ; Ann, Andrew, John L. and William are deceased ; and James M .; Mr. and Mrs. Murphy are still living, the former at the advanced age of ninety-four, and the latter at the age of seventy-nine. James M. Murphy received a good common school education, attending three terms at the Normal School, and two years at Mt. Union College. Thus prepared, he began teaching, and for twenty-one years was engaged in that vocation, interspersing it with carpenter and farm work, during the summer. He has served nine years as Justice of the Peace in Seneca township, one year as assessor in Noble, and in the fall of 1893 was elected by the Repub- lican party as their candidate for sheriff, and that by the largest majority ever given a candidate in Noble county. He was re-elected two years later by an increased majority, serving in all four years. After retiring from the sheriff's office, he went to Mt. Ephraim, where he engaged in the mercantile business. Mr. Murphy has been twice married, first in 1877, to Rachel Kackley, who died in 1883, the mother of three children ; Cythera Saltgaver, of Iowa; Ira W., at home, and Bertha, deceased. The second marriage was to Jane A. Watson, in 1884, a daughter of John V. Watson, and to them has been born but one child, Anna L., who is at home. Mr. Murphy is a member of the Masonic Lodge at Sarahsville, being now the Wor- shipful Master of Olive Lodge No. 210. He is also a member of the Odd Fellows, Olive Lodge No. 259, at Caldwell, and Caldwell En- campment No. 260, and Noble Rebecca, No. 376. He is a member of the Methodist church.
WILLIAM HENDERSON RICH .- The Rich family is a very old and a very highly respected one in southeastern Ohio. The first to come to this state was Abraham Rich, a native of Fayette county, Pa., who came with his brother, Thomas Rich, to Miami county, thence to Noble county in 1811. Upon reaching manhood, he entered govern- ment land, and became a farmer of Noble county. He was in Capt. William Lowrey's Company in the War of 1812, serving his term of enlistment. By the first marriage with Aun Thompson, he was the father of the following children: James, Jacob, William, Ann, Mary, Alvira, and Rebecca, all deceased: Thomas, of Guernsey county ; Abraham of the same; and Mehitabel Stephens, of Illinois.
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By the second marriage with Mrs. Catharine Johnson (Stevens), he was the father of four children: Johnson, John, Lewis W., all of Seneca township, and Catherine Barry, of Caldwell. Abraham Rich died in 1873, and his wife in 1893. John Rich, second son of the second marriage of Abraham Rich, was born at the old homestead in Seneca township in 1851, and has always lived in his native county following the occupation of a farmer. He was married to Rachel Laughlin, daughter of W. J. Laughlin, a native of Ireland, and to them have been born four children, Thurman L., Orpha C., Chaun- cey, and Katie. Mr. Rich is a member of the Patrons of Industry. Lewis Whetsel Rich, youngest son of A. Rich, was born in Seneca township in 1859, has always been a farmer, and was married in 1888 to Alice Robinson, who became the mother of two children, both of whom died in infancy. Jacob Rich was the second son by the first marriage, was born in Noble county in 1824, and at the age of twenty-four, in company with some other young men, took a drove of hogs over the mountains to Maryland, walking back. In 1862, he started for the gold mines of Oregon and California, going as far as Des Moines, Iowa, on the train, that being as far west as the cars ran at that time, and then making the rest of the distance in wagons. They had many adventures common to travelers of those days but escaped without any serious injury. Mr. Rich returned home in about twenty months, walking seven hundred miles before he could get a conveyance of any kind. He has lived in Noble county ever since, a farmer by occupation. Mr. Rich was married in 1850 to Jane Miley, of Noble county, and to this union were born four chil- dren : Mary, wife of William K. Miley ; Lettie, wife of L. C. Tal- bott; William H., and Abraham M. Mr. Rich died in 1900; his wife is still living at the old homestead at the advanced age of seventy- nine. William Henderson Rich, the subject of this sketch, is the oldest son of Jacob Rich, and was born on the farm near where he now lives on October 17, 1852. He was well educated, fitted himself for a teacher but never followed it as a vocation, preferring farming and stock raising as a means of livelihood. He was elected in the spring of 1898 to the office of Justice of the Peace, was re-elected in 1901, and still holds that position. Mr. Rich was married in 1884 to Carrie Richey, who died in 1890, the mother of two daughters, Laura and Carrie. He was married a second time to Mary M. Guiler, in 1893. and to them have been born two children, Emma Fay, and Jacob Wallace. Mr. Rich is one of the prominent and substantial citizens of the county, and is progressive in every way. He and wife are members of the Methodist church, he filling the office of class leader made vacant by the death of his father who had been leader for fifty- one years.
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HOMER F. DUDLEY .- Henry Dudley, an early pioneer of Noble county, was the progenitor of the well and favorably known Dudley family, in southeastern Ohio. He was a native of Virginia, and in early manhood, about the year 1800, came to Ohio, locating in Bel- mont county, and coming to Noble county a year later. He was the father of John, Henry, Samuel, Elias, Elijah, Joseph, and Margaret, by his first wife. The second marriage was to Madaline Spillman, who became the mother of Jacob and Isaac, all the children now dead. Samuel Dudley, son of Henry Dudley, was born in Virginia in 1802, came to Noble county when fifteen years of age, and has spent his life there. Samuel and Delilah (Secrest) Dudley were the parents of thirteen children : Margaret Jane Gregg; Abraham, Jacob, William, Eliza Ann, Nancy, Caroline, all deceased ; Rachel R. La Follette ; Sarah Isabella Matheny; Catherine M. Millhon; Samuel Ezra; Martha A. Dye; and Druzella Torgler. Abraham, the oldest son of Samuel Dudley, was born on the old homestead in Buffalo township March 17, 1837, where he grew to manhood, was educated, worked a few years at the carpenter's trade, and finally adopted farming as his occupation. He spent six years at various occupations in the west. Mr. Dudley, though not an office seeker, served his township as treas- urer for two terms. He was married to Ophelia A. Trott, a native of Maryland, and to them were born three children: a baby, deceased ; Luella Cale, and Homer F. Mr. Dudley died in 1898, and Mrs. Dudley still lives at the old homestead in Buffalo township. Homer F. Dudley was born in Pleasant City where his parents resided, on April 4, 1871, and at the age of 4 years removed with his parents to the farm in Buffalo township where he now lives and was there reared and educated, preparing himself for teaching but did not consider a life in the school room conducive to his best interests. In 1903 he was elected treasurer of his township for a two-year term. Mr. Dudley was married in 1901 to Emma Dye, of Noble county. Mr. Dudley is a member of the Patrons of Industry, and the Inde- pendent Order of Odd Fellows No. 816. He is a member and officer of the Evangelical Lutheran church at Mt. Zion.
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