USA > Ohio > Logan County > The historical review of Logan County, Ohio > Part 59
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At the usual age David M. Stevenson entered the district schools but received only a very limited education and from boyhood has been an active factor in agri- cultural circles. He was trained to the work of field and meadow upon his father's farm and when he left school he began farming on the place where he now lives. In his business affairs he is systematic and methodical and carries on his work in a manner that enables him to secure good harvests as a reward of his labors.
As a companion and helpmate for the journey of life Mr. Stevenson chose Miss Amanda Kerr, their marriage being cele- brated on the 25th of April, 1876. The lady was born October 28, 1845, in Logan
Mr. and Mrs. Stevenson began their domestic life upon the farm where they are now living, and their home has been blessed with the presence of five children. namely: Jessie, who was born November I, 1877, and has learned the millinery trade, in which business she is now em- ployed: Anna Mabel. born August 29. 1882; Frank M .. born March 17. 1884; Addie B., born July 14. 1889; and Chester K., born May 13, 1890. The children are all under the parental roof and the family circle yet remains unbroken by the hand of death.
Mr. Stevenson and his family attend the services of the Presbyterian church, of which he is a devoted member, and to the support of which he contributes liberally.
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He votes with the Republican party. be- the worthy pioneer citizens who did much lieving firmly in its principles, and he has for the improvement and development of the county. and his memory is still en- shrined in the hearts of many with whom he came in contact. held the office of school director and su- pervisor. discharging his duties with promptness and fidelity. Ile has always lived in Logan county and has a wide ac- quaintance here, while many entertain for him warm friendship because of his social qualities and his sterling worth.
JOHN GRIMES.
John Grimes is living a retired life in Bellefontaine after many years of connec- tion with agricultural pursuits. He was born in Fayette county, Pennsylvania, on the 22nd of November, 1828, and when only about three years of age was brought to Logan county, Ohio, in 1832, the family settling three miles northwest of Belle- fontaine. His father. George Grimes, was a native of Maryland and for his first wife chose Helen Hutson, who died in 1840, leaving three children : Mrs. Mary Anstine, of Logan county; Jemima, the widow of John S. Horn, of Bellefontaine : and John, of this review, who is the eldest. After the death of his first wife Mr. Grimes was again married, his second union being with Mrs. Margaret (Laney) Smith, who died in 1880. There was one child by that mar- riage. Helen, who died at the age of twenty-five years. The father remained upon the old homestead farm on which he settled on coming to Logan county, until January, 1888, when his life's labors were ended in death. He passed away at the advanced age of nearly ninety years, leav- ing behind the record of an upright and honorable life. He was numbered among
The educational advantages which John Grimes enjoyed were very limited. For three months each winter he was a student in a little log schoolhouse, which was supplied with benches. a puncheon floor and other primitive furnishings. The methods of instruction, too, were not equal to those of the present day and the knowledge which Mr. Grimes now pos- sesses has largely been acquired through reading, observation and experience. rath- er than from instruction in the school room. Upon the home farm he was reared and his training at farm labor was not meager for at a very young age he began work in field and meadow.
On the foth of November. 1858. he was united in marriage to Miss Ruth Tay- lor, who was born in Loudoun county, Vir- ginia, January 28, 1839, and with her par- ents she came to Logan county in Octo- ber, 1847. They lived upon a farm in Lake township, where her father passed away. They were Mahlon K. and Amanda (Gore) Taylor and both were born in Virginia. In their family were seven children who are yet living. namely : Mrs. Sarah J. Case- bolt : Mrs. Grimes; Thomas O .; William S. : Mrs. Anna B. Keller, of Bellefontaine : Frank G .; and Alice. The mother died in Bellefontaine in 1898. having survived her husband thirty years. .
Mr. Grimes took his bride to the old homestead farm and thereon he continued to engage in agricultural pursuits until 1888. when he removed to Bellefontaine. He still, however, owns one hundred and
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sixty acres of valuable farming land in for a number of years he served as trustee Harrison township and while upon the of Harrison township and was also road supervisor and school director. His life has been a very busy and useful one and while he has carried on extensive business operations he has always been reliable and honor- able. so that his worth is widely acknowl- edged by those with whom he has come in contact. His life history proves the force of industry and integrity as a power in gaining success and his example should serve to encourage others. He has now passed the seventy-fourth mile-stone on life's journey and is one of the respected and valued citizens of Logan county. where he has resided through more than seven decades. farm he engaged in buying. shipping and feeding cattle for over thirty-five years. This business was carried on very ex- tensively and amounted to thousands of dollars each year. his stock being sent to Buffalo and Cleveland. Although he put aside farm work in 1888 he still continued to buy and ship stock until 1901. since which time he has lived practically retired from business cares, merely superintend- ing his invested interests. He built a new home at No. 107 North Park street in 1902. and he owns two good houses on Elm street, which he rents. He is also a stock- holder in the Commercial and Savings Bank of Bellefontaine and is regarded as one of the substantial citizens of his com- munity, having acquired a handsome com- petence through earnest labor and unfail- JOHN LAYTON LONGFELLOW. ing perseverance.
Unto Mr. and Mrs. Grimes have been born three children: Georgiana, the wife of J. A. Turner, of Bellefontaine, by whom she has one child. Lena : Helen, the wife of W. E. MeMillin. of Bellefontaine. and the mother of two living children, George D. and John Edgar: and Franklin S. at home. The family are members of the First Presbyterian church. Mr. Grimes was in early life connected with the Eng- lish Lutheran church, in which he served as a deacon. but later he joined the Pres- byterian church and has always been a generous contributor to its support and an active worker in its interests. His wife holds membership in the Missionary So- ciety and the Ladies' Aid Society of the church. Politically he is a Democrat, ex- ercis-g his right of franchise in support of the men and measures of the party. and
This well-known resident of Harrison township, whose home is conveniently lo- cated two miles west of the courthouse at Bellefontaine, has spent his entire life in Lo- gan county, and is a worthy representative of an old and honored family. He was born in Union township on the 9th of April. 1848, and is a son of Joseph and Mary ( Pol- lock ) Longfellow and a grandson of Joseph and Rebecca (Crowe) Longfellow. His grandfather was a second cousin of the fath- er of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, one of America's most distinguished poets. The family is of English origin and the name was originally Longfield. it being derived from the peculiarity of the long fields the first of the name possessed.
The father of our subject was born in Delaware, April 24, 1804, but was only four years old when brought by his parents to
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J. L. LONGFELLOW.
MRS. J. L. LONGFELLOW.
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this state, the family locating in Champaign lives near Bellevue, Ohio. Elizabetli is county, where he grew to manhood and now the wife of Hugh Barr, and resides at DeGraff. John L. is the next in order of birth. George A., who was a conductor on the Illinois Central Railroad, married Ellen Shofstall and died in Illinois, leaving one child. James married Flora Ross and makes his home in DeGraff. Ohio.
where he married Anna Sullivan. By that union six children were born. but only one of the number is now living. Rev. Joshua Milton Longfellow. One year after his mar- riage Joseph Longfellow came to Logan county and settled on the farm where our subject's birth occurred. it being the home of the father until his death, when John L. purchased the interests of the other heirs and owned the place until November, 14. 1902, at which time it passed out of the family. The father was a self-made man and a great reader, being especially well in- formed on biblical subjects. For many years he was an active and faithful mem- ber of the Methodist Episcopal church, in which he served as class-leader and super - intendent of Sunday-school for a long time. At his death he was the oldest Odd Fellow in Logan county, and was laid to rest by that order in Philadelphia cemetery. Union township. He died at the age of sev- enty-five years. while his father was one hundred years, two months and two days old at the time of his death. Politically he was a staunch abolitionist and was commissioned to furnish supplies to the Union army dur- ing the Civil war. The mother of our sub- ject is still living at the age of eighty-eight years, having been born May 10, 1814. and now makes her home in DeGraff.
Of the eight children born to Joseph and .Mary ( Pollock) Longfellow. six reached years of maturity and four are still living. Oliver P., who was a soldier of the Civil war, being a member of Company I. Forty- second Ohio Volunteer Infantry, married Bridget Muzzy and died leaving one child. Mrs. Bertha Taylor, of Champaign county. Nancy A. married James P. Roush, and
Upon the home farm in Union township. John L. Longfellow grew to manhood and received a good education. graduating at the schools of DeGraff, and the high school of Bellefontaine as a member of the class of 1868. At three different times during the Civil war, he attempted to enlist, but as his two oller brothers were in the service and he was needed at home, his father refused to let him go to the front. He did, how- ever, become a member of the state militia and when John Morgan made his raid into Ohio, his father gave his consent to our subject assisting in driving out the invader and protecting Cincinnati. At the age of nineteen he commenced teaching in the pub- lic school district of Harrison township and later taught in Union and Miami townships. following that profession for eight years. He was thus employed for four terms after his marriage.
On the 6th of June, 1872. in the house where he now lives, Mr. Longfellow wedded Miss Eliza Ann Neer. a daughter of Wil- liam H. and Elizabeth ( Carnes) Neer, the name being originally spelled Nehr. Dur- ing her girlhood she was a student in the common schools. Unto our subject and his wife were born the following children : Ottie Mary, born in Union township, is now the wife of H. B. Osborne, professor in the Pataskala public schools. Licking county, Ohio. William Orra, born in Union town- ship, married Ottie M. Smart, but as his
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wife and only child are now deceased. he of Pythias at Bellefontaine and the Patrons makes his home with her parents. Joseph of Husbandry. Formerly he was a member of the Odd Fellow's lodge, at Spring Hill. and attained to the highest degree in that order. and represented his lodge in the grand lodge, but is not connected with that fra- ternity at the present time. Upright and honorable in all the relations of life, he has gained the confidence and respect of those with whom he has come in contact, and is justly regarded as one of the prominent and representative men of his community. Clarence, born in Union township, was grad- uated in the high school of Bellefontaine and later took honors in the Ohio Dental College at Cincinnati, being a member of the class of 1902. He married Florence Edith Curl and is now engaged in the practice of den- tistry in Bellefontaine. Lawrence Layton is a graduate of the Commercial School, of Lima, and is now at home. The two older children are graduates of the Ohio State Normal University at Ada, Ohio.
After his marriage Mr. Longfellow lived on his father's farm until 1889. having pur- chased the interest of the other heirs, but in that year bought his present farm of one hundred and fifteen acres in Harrison town- ship, which he has greatly improved by re- modeling the house and other buildings until he now has one of the best arranged and most desirable farms of its size in the county or perhaps in the state.
Politically Mr. Longfellow is a staunch Republican, as are also his sons. For four years he acceptably served as justice of the peace in Union township. resigning the of- fice when he moved away, and during that time none of his decisions were reversed. His first official position was that of town- ship clerk, to which he was elected at the age of twenty-one for a term of two years. Subsequently he served as township trustee nine years, and in April. 1902, was appointed trustee of the Children's Home. He is an active and faithful member of the Methodist Episcopal church, in which he is now serving as steward, and is also a teacher of the Wo- men's Bible class of forty-two members. At other times he has been superintendent of the Sunday-school and class-leader. Fra- ternally he is connected with the Knights
WILLIAM MONROE STRAYER.
Through the years of his identification with Logan county. William Monroe Strayer enjoyed the highest respect of his fellow citizens by reason of his strict integ- rity and true manhood and in his death the community realized that it had lost a valued memler. He was born in this county. April 21, 1831, and was a son of Daniel and Eliza- beth ( Small) Strayer, both natives of Berke- ley county. Virginia, where they were rear- ed and married. Soon after that event they came to Ohio and settled on a farm in Lo- gan county. The father was a minister of the Methodist Episcopal church for many years and later of the United Brethren church. He was born January 23, 1890, and died March 27. 1869. while his wife was born February 8. 1788, and died May 17, 1864. The death of both occurred in De Graff.
William M. Strayer, of this review, was the youngest child in the family of four children, and the only son. He not only attended the country schools near his boy- hood home, but was also a student at the
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Ohio Wesleyan University for a number of the business over many a hard place. At terms, though he did not graduate as he con- first only a stock of dry goods was put in, cluded to get married about that time. On but the firm now has a large general store. the 14th of February, 1854. in Pleasant carrying everything found in a first-class establishment of the kind. Being a man of very conscientious scruples, Mr. Strayer at first refused to sell tobacco. He embarked in business where the Doane hardware store is now located and later removed to the present location, being able to buy an inter- est in the building a few years later. township. he wedded Miss Mary J. Hender- son ,who was born in Loudoun county, Vir- ginia, March 21, 1828, a daughter of Sam- uel and Ann ( Connard) Henderson. Her mother died in that state and there her fa- ther married again, coming to Ohio when she was about four years old.
For ten years after his marriage MIr. Strayer engaged in farming in Allen coul- ty, Ohio, and then removed to DeGraff. where he embarked in the tanning business. but as he was entirely unfamiliar with that occupation, he did not meet with success in the venture. At that time the country was engaged in civil war, and in 1864. he joined the one-hundred day service, be- coming a member of the One Hundred and Thirty-second Ohio Volunteer Infantry. With his command he was ordered to Ber- muda Hundred. where many of his com- rades died and he was stricken with malaria, being a mere skeleton on his return home. He never fully recovered from the effects of his army life, but never applied for a pension.
Unto Mr. and Mrs. Strayer were born five children, namely : Emma, born at West Liberty, assisted in the millinery store for several years, but is now keeping house for the family, preferring that pursuit : Charles, born on the farm in Allen county, October 21, 1856, is interested in the store and re- sides at home; \lice. Elizabeth, born June 5. 1858, died August 4. 1865; Sue Ella. born September 10, 1858, is the wife of R. O. Bigley, of Lima, Ohio, and has one child. Nell Henderson; Daniel Evans. born Feb- ruary 1. 1861. is also at home and is buyer for the company. In 1901 the business was re-organized as a joint stock company. all of the children being stockholders, while the officers are Mrs. Strayer, president : Charles, secretary and treasurer ; and Daniel, busi- ness manager. All of the children have had good educational advantages, and Emma and Sue are both graduates of the DeGraff high school, and Charles of the Ohio Wes- leyan University. Besides their own chil- dren Mr. and Mrs. Strayer reared a girl who now goes by the name of Bessie Strayer. She was born int 1876 and was leit mother- less at the age of one year, her parents being Richard and Martha ( Macauley) Runyon.
Before entering the army Mr. Strayer had purchased a stock of merchandise, going in debt for the same, and on his return home he engaged in mercantile pursuits. . As the goods were old it took him some time to build up a trade, and it was about fifteen years before the business became profitable. In her younger days his wife had learned the milliner's trade, and as times were hard, and things looked particularly dark, she re- solved to aid him and opened a millinery de- On attaining his majority Mr. Strayer became identified with the Whig party, but partment in the store, which she has since successfully carried on, thus helping to tide afterward joined the Republican party and
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still later became a Prohibitionist, being a city, serving an apprenticeship of three strong temperance man. Although he was never an office-seeker he became an active worker in the ranks of the Prohibition party. At one time he was connected with the Masonic fraternity, but believing it was not right he withdrew. His son, Daniel E .. is still a member of that order. Mr. Strayer was quite a prominent and influential mem- ber of the Methodist Episcopal church, in which he served as local preacher. class- leader and superintendent of the Sunday school for many years. He was a devout and carnest Christian and brought all his troubles to the Lord, having unfaltering faith in His ability to make all things right. After a useful and well-spent life he was called to his final rest on the 13th of Feb- . ruary, 1885. In citizenship he was loyal, in friendship faithful, and in his family he was known as a devoted husband and fa- ther. Truly such a life is worth having been lived. and such lives deserve perma- nent record on the ages of their country's history, that others, seeing their good works may follow in their footsteps.
ALFRED J. MILLER.
Alfred J. Miller. well known as a repre- sentative of industrial interests of Belleton- taine, was born August 8, 1858. in this city. his parents being Amos and Margaret (Miller ) Miller. Both his father and mother are natives of Ohio, the former born in Stark county, and the latter in Logan county. The son received his education in the public schools of Bellefontaine and then learned the trade of carriage body making with the Miller Carriage Company, of this
years. After mastering the trade he went to Piqua, Ohio, where as a member of the firm of Keys & Miller, he engaged in the hotel business, being one of the proprietors of the City Hotel, then the leading hotel of that place. He carried on that business quite successfully until 1882, when he sold his interest in the house and returned to Bellefontaine, establishing business here under the firm style of .\. J. Miller & Com- pany, manufacturers of carriage wood work. Business was begun on a small scale, but Mr. Miller being a practical wood-worker and a man of good business and executive ability, the enterprise has prospered and has had a steady and continuous growth. On the 19th of April. 1900, the company suf- fered a complete loss by fire, having up to that time occupied the Foos tannery build- ing. Following this they made immediate preparaton to erect the main part of their present factory, which was completed about the ist of November, that year, and to it they have since made several additions, so that they now have forty thousand feet of floor space. The factory is equipped with the latest machinery, good power, electric light and all modern improvements, and here employment is furnished to fifty men, mostly skilled workmen. Their output, which is of a high grade, is sold throughout the United States and Canada. Mr. Miller gives his exclusive attention to the business and has the satisfaction of having built up one of the leading industries of the city.
On the 28th of December. 1878, occurred the marriage of Mr. Miller and Miss Mary E. Keys, a daughter of William and Rachel Keys, of Bellefontaine, and a na- tive of this county. Unto them have been born the following children : Clara Lee. Bes-
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sie May. Harry Frank, Hazel Inez, Mar- this tract he engaged in general farming. garet Rachel and Elizabeth Keys.
Mr. Miller is identified with the An- cient Order of United Workmen, the Tribe of Ben Hur, the Path Finders, the Royal Arcanum and the Commercial Club of Belle- fontaine, and is a prominent member of Wil- ford Lodge. No. 67, K. P., in which he has filled the different chairs and is now the past chancellor. He also served as district dep- uty for two terms, and is a member of the Uniformed Rank. Religiously he is con- nected with the Methodist Episcopal church. He possesses a genial disposition. which makes him a valued representative of the various organizations to which he belongs, and he has many stanch and admiring friends among all classes of men. As an en- ergetic, upright and conscientious business man and a gentleman of attractive social qualities he stands high in the estimation of the entire community.
JOSEPH G. WALLACE.
Josephi G. Wallace. a retired farmer, liv- ing at Huntsville, and one of the respected and leading citizens of Logan county, was born in MeArthur township on the 7th of May, 1835. his parents being David and Ann (Gemmill ) Wallace. The father was a native of York county, Pennsylvania. where he lived until after he had attained his majority and was married. About 1833 he made his way to Ohio, making his loca- tion at Twin Springs, near Richland. Logan county. He purchased the Twin Springs farm, consisting of three hundred and fifty acres of rich and valuable land, which he owned up to the time of his death. Upon
and was also engaged quite extensively in the raising of cattle, furnishing the meat used by the men who were working on the construction of the railroad through this part of the state. He was one of the found- ers of the Logan County Agricultural So- ciety, and its first meeting was held in his home, where the matter was discussed and the organization effected. Mr. Wallace belonged to the Associate church in early life, and afterward joined the United Pres- byterian church, in which he served as an elder for many years. He had the highest esteem of all who knew him, made many friends and no enemies, and his death was a matter of deep regret through the com- munity. His friends and neighbors often sought his advice concerning matters of dis- pute, and his wise counsel saved many a law suit. He was ever impartial and just in his judgment, and was so strictly honorable and fair that his decisions were never called into question: He passed away March 13. 1883. at the age of seventy-six years, his birth having occurred in the year 1807. His re- mains were interred in the cemetery of Huntsville, and though twenty years have since passed, his memory is yet enshrined in the hearts of many who knew him. In York county, Pennsylvania, he had married Miss Ann Gemmill. a native of that state and a most estimable lady. She, too, was a member of the United Presbyterian church and a devoted Christian, whose religious faith and belief were manifest in her kind- ness and consideration for others and in her devotion to her husband and children. She died on the home farm in MeArthur township in 1866. at the age of sixty-one years and was laid to rest in Huntsville cemetery.
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In the Wallace family were seven chil- dren. four of whom are still living. Robert G., the eldest, was born in Pennsylvania in 1832, and was brought by his parents to Ohio in his early youth. He entered the college at Northwood, and also continued his studies in Franklin College of Harrison county, Ohio, in which institution he was graduated with the class of 1854. He then began the study of theology in Cannons- burg. Pennsylvania. continued his prepara- tion for the ministry in Xenia. Ohio, and in 1858 was licensed to preach. He per- formed his first ministerial lahors at Provi- dence, Rhode Island, and in the year 1861 settled at Burlington, where he filled a pas- torate for six years. He then removed to Wisconsin, where he remained for seven years, and on the expiration of that period he removed to Bellaire. Ohio, where he re- sided until 1887. In that year he went to San Diego, California, where he was en- gaged in ministerial work for twelve years. and since that time he has lived retired. He was a well known divine, whose influence was widely felt. his labors being far-reach- ing and beneficial. He married Charlotte Gorham, who died February 19. 1899, leav- ing one surviving child, while six chldren of that marriage had passed away prior to her death. Joseph G. Wallace is the second of his father's family. Mary, the third, died in 1848, at the age of eleven years. James S. died in 1862, at the age of twenty- one years, while studying for the ministry. David B. is a farmer residing in Missouri. Margaret died at the age of eleven years. Andrew M. resides on the home place in McArthur township, where he follows farm- ing. He wedded Susan B. Manifold. of York county, Pennsylvania, and they have two children. Ann and John, the latter a physician of Indianapolis, Indiana.
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