USA > Ohio > Champaign County > The history of Champaign county, Ohio, containing a history of the county; its cities, towns, etc.; general and local statistics; portraits of early settlers and prominent men; history of the Northwest territory etc > Part 116
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WILLIAM HORR, retired farmer; P. O. Mechanisburg; a prominent citizen and early settler, was born in Lewis Co., N. Y., in 1812, and is the son of Jacob and Hannah (Pierce) Horr, both natives of Massachusetts and early emigrants to York State; Jacob was a farmer by occupation, and became a resident of this county in June, 1838, and, soon after, a resident of Wyandot Co., where his death occurred Dec. 26, 1847; the death of his wife occurred Nov. 24, 1839, in the State of Illinois, where she had gone on a visit; he had a family of eight sons and one daughter, only three of whom still survive. Our subject was the seventh child of the family, and was early taught the art and dignity of farming; he lived in his native State till 1838, when he immigrated to Ohio, locating within sight of his present place, to which he moved twenty-six years ago. The pursuit of agriculture has been his occupation, and in it he has been successful. He finds his political creed in the Republican party, and religious in the M. P. Church. He has at different times been prominently identified with the county and township offices, holding the positions of County Commissioner, Land Appraiser, and several times Township Assessor. The duties of these offices he has discharged with strict integrity and fidelity. He married Mary Coan, of New York, March 11, 1835 ; five sons and three daughters have been the issue of this union, two of whom have died, one in infancy, and the other, a son, died in the late civil war from the effects of a wound received in the battle at Port Republic, Va .; he lived just one month, dying at Washington City.
AMOS J. HOWARD, retired farmer ; P. O. Mechanicsburg. The subject of this sketch resides in Madison Co., within about a hundred yards of Goshen Township, Champaign Co., with the latter of which he has been prominently identified for over one-half a century. He was born in 1803, on Goose Island, in the Connecticut River, Grafton Co., N. H., and is the son of Amos and Miriam (Mills) Howard, both natives of New Hampshire, the former born April 9, 1775, and the latter March 18, 1774. Their nuptials were celebrated March 22, 1796. Mr. Howard, in his New Hampshire home, hearing flattering reports of the great Ohio country, resolved to move with his family thither, and, in the fall of 1808, set out on his long and tedious journey. He came to a halt in Mason Co., Va., thinking he had reached his destined place. The winter was passed there, during which time Mr. H. engaged in teaching. In the spring, he resumed his journey, passing some distance down the Ohio River by flat- boat ; he abandoned the river and pioneered his way through an almost unbroken for- est to the site where our subject now resides. A log cabin was soon erected and a pioneer home established. His family consisted of himself, wife, two daughters and our subject. In this locality, he and his companion toiled out the remainder of their days, his death occurring Jan. 15, 1843, and his wife's March 26, 1860. Mr. Howard was educated for the legal profession, but never practiced at the bar ; he engaged to some extent in teaching. Our subject was only 6 years old when his lot was cast in
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this county, then an almost unbroken wilderness. Amid the scenes and privations of frontier life he grew up to maturity, availing himself of all the educational opportuni- ties then offered, and so well did he improve the advantages in this direction that he qualified himself for the profession of teaching, and became a pioneer teacher. For seventy-one years he has watched the growth of this country as it has been brought by the unflagging industry of man from an unbroken wilderness to the present highly improved state, and, in this laborious but noble work, he has borne a most cred- itable part. His energy, enterprise and business sagacity are attested in his broad acres, the result of his own exertions. At one time, he had in his farm some two thou- sand acres of land, lying in Madison and Champaign Cos. He has been married twice ; first to Rachel Kirkley Dec. 22, 1825 ; she died Sept. 4, 1858; his second marriage was March 24, 1861, to Elizabeth A. Cowan, a native of Delaware Co., N. Y., and since 17 years of age a resident of Madison Co., Ohio, except a three years' residence in Mis- souri. Six sons and three daughters were born to the first union, to wit: Napoleon B., now a druggist in Lima, Ohio; Mary J., married to Lawrence Weldon, now a lawyer of position in Bloomington, Ill .; Miriam M .; John M .; Clinton, now in Pana, Ill .; Benton, Edwin ; Marion, now operating the homestead, and Elizabeth M. Miriam M., Benton, Edwin and Elizabeth are dead, the three last dying within a period of three months of each other.
JOHN M. HOWARD, farmer ; P. O. Mechanicsburg. John M. Howard was born in November, 1833, just across the line in Madison Co., within sight of his present residence. He is the son of Amos J. Howard. His early education was obtained in the district school, under the disadvantages of his day. His life occu- pation has been that of a farmer and stock-raiser. His advent into Goshen Township, Champaign Co., was in the spring of 1868, and, in 1876, he purchased his present beautiful home one and one-half miles southeast of Mechanicsburg, where he has since resided. His fine residence and surroundings indicate thrift and enterprise. He finds his political home in the Democratic party. He married, in 1861, Emma Tulley, a native of Ireland, and, since 10 or 12 years of age, a resident of this country.
CAPT. V. HUNTER, grain merchant, Mechanicsburg; one of the prominent citizens and well-established business men of Mechanicsburg; was born in Clark Co., Ohio, in 1819, coming from pioneer families of Ohio. The family was founded in America prior to the Revolution, and, for several generations previous to immigrating to Ohio, had their home in Virginia. His father, William Hunter, and mother, Blanche Hendrix, were natives of Virginia. His grandparents became early pioneers of Ohio, his paternal grandfather, Jonathan Hunter, locating within the present bounds of Clark Co. as early as 1803, and his maternal grandfather, Mr. Hendrix, in 1802. They were then on the extreme confines of civilization, and experienced all of the " stern real- ities" of frontier life. His grandparents, together with his father and mother, passed the remainder of their days in Clark Co., and found their last resting-place within her borders. William Hunter was a millwright and carpenter by trade, but his chief occu- pation, after immigrating to this State, was farming and milling. As early as 1820, he erected a flouring-mill on Buck Creek, in Clark Co., and operated it for a number of years. This was one of the pioneer mills of the county, and where our subject received his early lessons of industry. He has operated, either directly or indirectly, a flouring- mill almost his whole lifetime. In 1840, he rebuilt his father's mill and engaged in milling for himself. This he continued till 1852, when he purchased his present mill, near Mechanicsburg, which he now operates in connection with Mr. Johnson. At the same time, he removed to Mechanicsburg, where he has since resided. He has, since locating here, been engaged extensively in the grain trade, and now does a large busi- ness in this line, handling nearly all of the grain brought to the Mechanicsburg market." He is just now completing arrangements which will give him all the modern facilities for handling corn. He was, for twenty-three years, agent at this place for what was formerly the S. M. & P. R. R., but now the C., C., C. & I. R. R., and was express
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agent for the same time. He has held a directorship in the Farmers' National Bank of Mechanicsburg since its organization. He is a member of the Masonic Lodge of Mechanicsburg, and of Raper Commandery of Urbana. He finds his political senti- ments in the Republican party ; has been a member of the Town Council for a number of years. He is one of the wide-awake and enterprising citizens of Mechanicsburg, and not found lagging in whatever pertains to the welfare of the community. He is, in a true sense, the "architect of his own fortune." Inheriting little but integrity of charac- ter, habits of industry and a mind well disciplined to business, he has, by the proper use of these, surrounded himself with a neat competency. In 1851, he was married to Sabine W. Weaber, a native of Pennsylvania. A son and daughter are the issue of this union-Calvin R. and Laura B .- both now grown to maturity. The latter is a graduate of Vassar College, Poughkeepsie, N. Y.
LEWIS KINGSLEY, farmer and teacher; P. O. Mechanicsburg; was born in Scotland Society, Windham Co., Conn., June 21, 1829, and is of a distinguished En- glish family, which dates its origin to the time of King Henry I. Ranuelfh was the first who bore the name Kingsley. In 1183, he was created Hereditary Forester of the King's Forest of Delaware, in the county of Chester, by King Henry I; he was called Ranuelfh de Kingsley, or " Ralph of the King's Land," " ley " being Saxon for land, which accounts for the origin of the name ; his daughter Mabilla married the heir of the Mostyn family, which is now represented by Lord Mostyn. The Kingsley fam- ily were on the side of the commonwealth during the civil war in England ; of two brothers, the elder was an officer in Cromwell's army ; the younger, John K., came to America about 1635, from the county of Lancashire, or Flint, England; Charles Kingsley, the author, was the representative of the elder branch, and his eldest son now lives in Oswego, N. Y. John K. located in Massachusetts, and from him our subject descended ; he was one of the original seven of the church of Dorchester, near Boston, gathered in 1635 by Rev. Richard Mather ; he removed to Rehoboth, or Swansey. He was married in England, to Alice Kingsley, and was married the second time, dying at an old age, in 1679, and leaving several children ; one, Eldad, was a member of the first Baptist Church formed in Massachusetts ; he was born in 1638, and died in 1679, leaving, among other children, one John, who was born in 1665; in 1704, he moved to Scotland Society, Conn., where he died March 17, 1773; of his sons and daughters, one, Ezra, was in the line of descent of our subject; he died April 8, 1759, aged 61 years. Solomon, a son, was born Sept. 27, 1723. He married Lydia Burgess, of Can- terbury. From Scotland Society he moved to East Windsor, Conn., thence to Gran- ville, Mass., thence to Cazenovia, Madison Co., N. Y., where he died in 1812, 90 years of age; he had a family of eight sons and four daughters, of whom Jonathan was the grandfather of our subject ; he died in Scotland Society Sept. 12, 1832, 80 years old, and his wife, Zillah (Cary) Luce, in March, 1815, aged 72; three of his children grew up and were married, to wit: James L., born Aug. 28, 1778; Mary W., March 12, 1781 ; and Jonathan, father of our subject, July 22, 1786, in Scotland Society, Wind- ham Co., Conn .; he was a farmer by occupation, and was married to Eleanor Howard, who was born in Windham Co., Conn., Oct. 9, 1792 ; he emigrated to Ohio in 1835, locating in Union Township, Champaign Co .; thence to Madison Co. in 1840, and thence to Mechanicsburg in 1846, where he died March 25, 1852; his wife died in the same place Nov. 11, 1846; two sons and two daughters were born to them, of whom our subject is the youngest and only surviving member. He was but 6 years old when he came to Ohio, and has since lived in the vicinity of Mechanicsburg; he obtained his education in Mechanicsburg, principally under the instruction of Robert Wilson ; he early qualified himself for teaching, by close application and good use of his opportunities ; at the age of 19, he taught his first school, in Homer, Union Co., Ohio, and has since, with the exception of one winter, occupied the role of a teacher- a period of thirty-three years-which makes him probably the oldest teacher in the county ; his good reputation attests his proficiency and success in his profession. In politics, he is a stalwart Republican, and has been a member of the I. O. O. F. for NN
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thirty years. He was married, Sept. 30, 1855, to Catherine, daughter of J. W. Blue ; she was born in Goshen Township, where she has always lived ; her father came to the township when a boy, from Loudoun Co., Va., his native place, and had been, at the time of his death (in 1878), a resident of this township for three-quarters of a century. Three sons and four daughters have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Kingsley.
J. M. LAFFERTY, farmer ; P. O. Mechanicsburg ; one of the old residents and prominent citizens of Champaign Co. He was born near the border of Champaign Co. in Clark Co., in December, 1816, and is of English-Irish descent. His father, Samuel, was born near Shepherdstown, Va., and lived to the ripe age of 99 years, possessing till his death a remarkable mental and physical preservation, being able to walk about up to the time of his death. He was a teacher by profession, and emigrated to Champaign Co., Ohio in about 1812, and shortly moved to Clark Co., locating near Catawba ; here he lived till within two years of his death, which occurred in Illinois ; he was for forty- eight years Justice of the Peace of Pleasant Township. He was married twice ; his first wife was Mary Hendricks, of Virginia, where the marriage took place ; this union was honored with five sons and five daughters. The first death in this family being a son 18 years old. His second companion was Katie, widow of Enos Neer. Our subject was raised on the farm, and has devoted his entire life to farming and stock-raising, handling principally sheep ; he fed one winter in connection with a partner, 2,200 sheep, and for some years engaged in shipping stock East. At one time while taking hogs East, he was struck by a switch engine in Cleveland, and severely injured, having his hip badly broken, which has since made him a cripple. With this, however, his energy and industry does not allow him to be idle, and in most work he succeeds in making a full hand on the farm. He has resided in this county since about 12 years old. He has a well-improved and productive farm of 200 acres, the result of his industry and economy ; he has not always had smooth sailing, for, besides the above misfortune, he was robbed of $1,150 on the cars near New Albany, on his return after a sale of sheep, and altogether in his stock operations he has lost about $5,000, including a security debt of $300. He married, Sept. 7, 1840, Rebecca B. Lausdale, born in Mechanicsburg, Ohio. They had three sons and four daughters; one son died after reaching maturity ; he was at the time of his death a law student at Ann Arbor, Mich., and was ready to be admitted to the bar. Formerly a Whig, Mr. L. naturally became a Republican at the organization of the Republican party. He has been a member of the Methodist Episco- pal Church of Mechanicsburg for nearly forty-six years, and steward and class leader for nearly as long.
J. O. LEGGE, farmer; P. O. Mechanicsburg; was born in Goshen Township in August, 1830, and is the son of Elijah and Elizabeth (Corlis) Legge ; the former a native of Virginia, and the latter of Maryland. Elijah emigrated to Ohio with his parents in 1811, and located in Goshen Township. He was then 24 years old, and took part in the war of 1812 as a teamster. He lived the remainder of his life in this township, his death occurring in 1839. Richard Corlis, father of Elizabeth C., came from Mary- land with his family of five daughters, and pitched his cabin in the wilderness of Cham- paign Co., in the fall of 1805, and in 1807 came to Goshen Township, where his daugh- ter Elizabeth has since resided, a period of seventy-three years. Elijah Legge had a family of eleven children, four sons and one daughter of whom yet survive. Our sub- ject is the second of the family, and has passed the most of his life in Goshen Town- ship. He was raised on the farm and schooled in the district school. His life occupa- tion has been that of a farmer. He moved to his present place in March, 1866, where he has since resided. He was married in 1858 to Mary J. Patrick, a native of Madi- son Co., Ohio, born and raised three miles east of Mechanicsburg. Her parents were early settlers of Madison Co. One son, Clarence E., now nine years of age, is the issue of this union. Mr. Legge is a Republican in politics.
LEW LYONS, farmer ; P. O. Mechanicsburg ; a son of W. Lyons; was born in 1848, and has always resided on the homestead and engaged in farming; his education
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was obtained from the district school; he is a member of the I. O. O. F., and with his wife of the M. P. Church. He married in 1869, Sarah, daughter of Samuel Evans, and a native of this township. This union has been honored with one daughter. Walter Lyons, the father of our subject, is an early settler and prominent citizen of the county ; he was born in Union Co., in 1823, and is a son of Ben J. and Mary (Lock- wood) Lyons, the former a native of Vermont, and the latter of Canada. Ben J. emi- grated to Ohio in about 1819, locating temporarily near Marietta, and then pioneered his way to Union Co., where he married Mary Lockwood in about 1820; he was mar- ried before in his native State to Miss McCloud, who died before his emigration ; his decease occurred some ten or twelve years age at the advanced age of 84 or 85 years ; he was married the third time to Mary Morrow, and by his three marriages had respect- ively, four, three and two children. Walter is the second child by his second marriage, and the only surviving member by this marriage. Farming has been his life occupation. He located permanently in this county, and on his present place, in the spring of 1848, where he has since resided. He married Dec. 25, 1848, Lucinda Odell, of this county, and a descendant of pioneers. Our subject is the only child of this union. Mr. L. finds his political home in the Republican party, and his religious, with his wife, in the M. P. Church of Mechanicsburg.
J. L. MAGRUDER, saddler, and harness manufacturer, Mechanicsburg; one of the oldest business men of Mechanicsburg ; was born in Virginia near Winchester, in 1817, and is the son of Ninnian and Elizabeth (Lyons) Magruder, the former a native of Maryland, and the latter of Virginia. Ninnian was a farmer by occupation, and died when our subject was 12 years old ; his widow married again and emigrated to this State. Our subject passed the first 16 years of his life in his native State on a farm. At this age he embarked on his own resources, and cast his fortunes in Ohio. He located first in Springfield in the spring of 1834, and in the following fall went to West Liberty, Logan Co., where he began the harness trade under Riddle & Rutan ; remained there until the summer of 1838, when he came to Mechanicsburg, and, with the exception of one year-from the spring of 1840 till the spring of 1841-he has since resided here. In the spring of 1841, he purchased the harness shop of Rutan, and has since continued the business in the same room, a period of nearly forty years. The firm is now Magruder & Son, and they are located on the north side of Main street, where they keep on hand a full line of saddles, trunks, harness, etc. This establishment is too well known to the community of Mechanicsburg to need extensive notice in this sketch. Mr. M. enjoys the reputation of a first-class workman, and of being strictly honest in all his transactions, great and small. He was married, in 1841, to Anna E. Stafford, of West Liberty, Ohio. A son and daughter have been born to this union ; both married and located near the homestead. Mr. M. is a Republican and has frequently been honored with offices of trust of the township and town, filling the office of Township Treasurer, Mayor of the town, etc., and is now Treasurer of the town and his son is Clerk. He, with his entire family, is a member of the M. E. Church and takes an earnest and active interest in the cause of Christianity and temperance.
DAVID B. MAHAN, teacher and tile manufacturer; P. O. Mechanicsburg ; is a prominent teacher and business man of Goshen Township, born in Indiana Co., Penn., in 1838, of Irish extraction. His parents, Patrick and Nancy (Wilson) Mahan, were both natives of Ireland. Patrick came to this country with his parents when 2 years old, and his wife when 7. He located in Chester Co., Penn., but afterward went to In- diana, where his death occurred at the advanced age of 80 years, having lived upward of half a century in one place. His wife died in 1848. Patrick was a farmer by occu- pation, and was married twice, having three daughters by his first marriage, which was- with Elizabeth Ringle, and two sons and four daughters by the second marriage. David was the fifth child of the second marriage. Until 17 years old, his life was passed on a farm, and his common-school education was supplemented by an academic education obtained in the academies Dayton, Pine Flat and Glade Run, thus thoroughly qualifying himself
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for the profession of teaching. Since 17 years old, he has been engaged in the profes- sion of teaching, except for three years. By diligence and close attention to this occu- pation, he has made it eminently a success. He has filled prominent and responsible positions in the profession with commendable zeal and satisfaction. Was Principal of the Pine Flat Academy two terms, Livermore Institute one year, and Superintendent of union schools in Ebensburg, Penn., one year, whence he came to Mechanicsburg in the fall of 1865, and superintended public instruction in this place for two years with success and efficiency. Since then, he has been combining with the profession of teach- ing the manufacture of tile, under the firm style of Mahan & Morris. Their tile are unsurpassed in excellence, and consist of all kinds. Mr. M.'s political sentiments in- cline him toward the Republican party, but, recognizing the enormous evil of intemper- ance, he has lately given his sympathy and patronage to the Prohibition party, by which party he was recently nominated as candidate for the State Legislature, but, the party being in the minority, he was defeated. He is a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church. His only brother was killed in the late war, May 27, 1864, in the battle of Lost Mountain. He was shot through the head and almost instantly killed, his last words being, " Come ahead, boys; let's give it to them." Mr. M. married, in the fall of 1863, Caroline Huston, of Indiana Co., Penn. Two sons are the issue of this union. Her paternal grandfather was a soldier in the war of 1776, and one of the sufferers of Valley Forge. A brother represented Indiana Co., Penn., in the State Legislature dur- ing the late war, and another brother was in the war three years.
J. N. MILLICE, farmer; P. O. Mechanicsburg; one of the few early native citizens of Goshen Township, was born within sight of his present place in 1821, and is a son of Christopher and Magdalene Millice, whose biography occurs under the sketch of G. W. Millice. Our subject is the third of a family of four sons and three daughters. His life has been that of a farmer. His boyhood was devoted to the duties of the farm in the summer, and school in the winter, obtaining a limited education under difficulties in the characteristic pioneer schoolhouse. His early experiences were those of the sons of the early settlers of this country. He remained at home till he grew up to maturity, and his first location after starting out on his own responsibility was on the homestead. The farm he now owns was his first land purchase, which he improved and moved to in 1857. Here he has since resided. He married Susannah Coile, of Knox Co., Ohio, in 1849. Two daughters, Clara and Olive, have been born to this union. In politics, Mr. M. is a Republican, and has been identified with the party since its organization. He has held several offices of honor and trust.
G. W. MILLICE, grocer, Mechanicsburg; one of the well-established business men of Mechanicsburg, was born within one mile and a half of this place in 1827. He is the son of Christopher and Magdalene (Rhinehart) Millice, the latter a native of Vir- ginia, and the former of Pennsylvania, born May 12, 1785. When five years old he immigrated to Virginia, and, in 1813-14, immigrated to Ohio. Mrs. Millice came to the State about the same time. Christopher located in this township, where he passed the remainder of his life, his death occurring in 1855. His devoted wife still survives, living on the homestead, at the advanced age of 87. Henry Millice, father of Christopher, was among the first to locate his family in the wilds of Goshen Township, coming from Vir- ginia. Christopher had four sons and three daughters, one dying in infancy ; the others still reside in the county. Our subject is the sixth of the family, and was reared on the farm, early becoming accustomed to its duties ; was educated in the pioneer school house, under the disadvantages of his day. He followed solely the pursuit of agriculture till ten years ago, when he moved to Mechanicsburg and embarked in the grocery and queensware trade. Last winter he added a meat-shop, and now the firm style is Millice & Co. The firm is one of the most reliable in the place, and a full and well-assorted stock is always kept on hand. Mr. Millice is an energetic, wide-awake business man, taking an interest in all things pertaining to the welfare of the community. In politics, he is a Republican, and has filled many offices of honor and trust. Has been Treasurer
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