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 83
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Politically, he is an earnest Republican, believing that the interests of the country demand the continuation of that party in power. He has taken a deep and active inter- est in the growth and progress of the New Church college of Urbana, and is one of the Trustees and Treasurer of that institution. He is also connected with several other institutions, in which he exerts his influence for good. He has now the leading manu- facturing establishment in Urbana, and his position among the business men of this city is one in which he and his descendants may feel a just pride.
DAVID W. SOWLES, capitalist and proprietor Exchange Hotel, Urbana. Mr. Sowles is a native of New York State, born in Schoharie Co. in 1811. He started West in 1833, and arrived in Urbana in December, when, by reason of sickness, he was com- pelled to remain until May, 1834, at which time, out of funds and indebted $50 for the expenses of his sickness, he went to Springfield and engaged as clerk in a hotel. The following September he returned to Urbana. and became clerk in charge of the Exchange Hotel. While so engaged, he began a career which proved a financial success. Gen. Jackson having ordered that all lands should be paid for in specie, and the Urbana Bank not being compelled to exchange for other than their own issue, refused specie on all other bills. Mr. Sowles conceived the idea of picking up bills on the Urbana Bank and
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selling them at a premium to those who had not provided themselves with specie. In this way he got his debts paid and something ahead. He married Polly Ann Hite in 1835 ; she died in 1839, leaving one son, Royal J., now a business man of Delhi, Texas. During the financial pressure of 1840 to 1843, Mr. Sowles operated extensively in the money market, clearing a handsome profit on his transactions, forming the foundation of a fortune, which he has managed so successfully that he now ranks as one of the solid men of Urbana. In 1845 he married Miss Sallie Hunter, daughter of George Hunter, deceased, whose widow was proprietor of the hotel when he was a clerk, in 1835. He purchased the interests of the respective heirs, and, in 1860, took charge of the house. He afterward purchased the property adjoining on the east, and united the two build- ings, and added thereto until the present Exchange Hotel is the result. The success of Mr. and Mrs. Sowles, as host and hostess, is attested in strongest terms of compliment by a grateful traveling community. They have had five children, viz .: George H., now in Texas ; Della, wife of John R. DeCamp, banker of Cincinnati ; Frank B., a graduate of the law school at Ann Arbor, lately engaged in the lumber business in Cincinnati ; Charles W., proprietor of the Urbana Soap Factory; and Willie, a promising lad of 16, and an adept on the piano-forte. Mrs. Hunter was a Fitch, descended from the Ran- dolph family of Virginia, and related to Maj. Oliver, of Ft. Meigs fame.
STONE BROS., hardware merchants, Urbana. S. L. P. Stone, the senior mem- ber of the firm, was born July 24, 1838, in Virginia, where he was raised in his father's grist-mill and received instructions in the business from his father. In 1858, he came to Champaign Co. and took charge of the Vance & Crane Mill, on Buck Creek. There he remained four years with good success. He then engaged in the grocery trade in Urbana, with D. O'Connor, in the Glen Building. Some time after, he purchased his partner's interest and became sole proprietor. Eight years later he sold it and formed the partnership indicated at the opening of this sketch. F. F. Stone, the junior member of the firm, was born April 2, 1841, in Hampshire Co., Va., where he grew to the age of 17. In the meantime, he acquired a fair education in Emmetsburg College, Md., and engaged as clerk in a store. In 1858, he came to this city, and soon after became employed in the hardware store of William M. Young, a prominent merchant of Urbana at that period. From 1863 to 1868 he was engaged in the hardware trade in Colorado and Montana. In the fall of 1869, he married Miss Agnes Lee, of Urbana, who came from New York State in 1858. Soon after, he moved to Mansfield and carried on the hardware trade until the association with his brother was formed, in May, 1872. They bought the stock of J. H. Patrick, on N. Main street, in the building they now occupy, and have added to their stock and now carry, in connection with it, all articles found in a first-class hardware store, pumps and bent work. Since in business here, S. L. P. has been identified with nearly all the public interests of the city. Stone Bros. are thorough- going business and sociable men. S. L. P. married, Sept. 23, 1871, Miss Julia, daughter of Levi Geiger, whose biography appears in this history. She was born in 1843. The issue of this union are Ida Maude and (twin sons) F. F., Jr., and L. G. The children of F. F., the junior member of the firm, are Montana and F. L., a son.
W. J. SULLIVAN, physician, Urbana; born July 7, 1824, in Greene Co., Ohio, and when but a child his parents brought him to Logan Co., Ohio, where he matured and received his primary education. He read medicine in East Liberty under Dr. J. W. Hamilton, and graduated from the Starling Medical College of Columbus, Ohio, in the spring of 1853. He immediately located in West Middlebury, Logan Co., and com- menced practice, but ten years later removed to Bellefontaine, where he remained until 1866, since which time he has been a resident of Champaign Co., and two years ago located in this city, corner of Main and Court streets. He has passed through twenty-seven years' practice, enjoyed a favorable patronage, and has been very success- ful. As a military man, he was Assistant Surgeon of the 96th O. V. I. for eight months, when ill health caused him to resign and return home, where he remained until 1864, when he enlisted as Surgeon of the 132d O. N. G. for one hundred days, serving
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until the close of the term. He married Sarah J. Allen April 17, 1859. One son- Edward N .- was born to them March 4, 1862. Mrs. Sullivan is a native of Logan Co., Ohio, born in West Middlebury Nov. 21, 1837.
JOSIAH G. TALBOT, hats and caps. Mr. Talbot belongs to one of the old families of Urbana. He is the son of Josiah G. Talbot, who was a native of Maryland, and served as a Lieutenant in the war of 1812. He was a hatter and furrier, and re- moved from Xenia to Urbana, in 1823, for the purpose of getting nearer the fur supply, and continued in business here until his decease, in 1854. His wife was a daughter of Capt. Forsythe, of Canada. She could speak the French, English and Indian tongues. She once dined with Tecumseh and Little Turtle at Ft. Wayne, and was present at Hull's surrender, the Captain who was then in command having married her only sis- ter. She afterward came to Dayton, where she met Lieut. Talbot. The subject of this sketch was born April 26, 1828, while his mother, with other members of the family, was visiting her people at Thames, Canada. He has been occupied in merchandising since 1851, with the exception of six years spent in farming. He engaged in the hat and cap business in 1877, which business descended from his father through the hands of several members of the family. The store is located at No. 35 Monument Square, and is the only exclusively hat and cap establishment in the city. He married, in 1860, Mrs. Lavina Lapham, by whom he has three children, one son and two daughters. Ha is a member of the Grace Methodist Episcopal Church, and was the organizer of the Howard-Weaver Mission in 1866, and has had charge of it since. Mr. Talbot is an earnest Christian worker and an estimable and worthy citizen.
C. W. L. TAYLOR, deceased. The stroke of the mallet chisels the firm marble into a shaft of beauty, and artistic skill fashions the letters that tell of the birth, years and death, but time covers the monument with mosses and defaces the inscription. _ As we well know, change is constant and general. Generations are rising and passing un- marked away. As it is a duty to the child and a present gratification to the parent, we here place on record a true sketch of C. W. L. Taylor and a brief outline of his parents. His father, William S., was born in Jefferson Co., Va., where he was raised, and mar- ried Mary Hickman, of Shepherdstown, Va., in the spring of 1831, and immediately emigrated West, locating in Union Township, Champaign Co., Ohio, where he soon be- came prominently identified in the interests of the county, and was known as a Christian and a true and honest man. About 1854, he sold his farm and located in Urbana, and in the fall of the same year was elected as County Surveyor, which office he filled until within a short time of his death, in the fall of 1856. His wife, too, passed away, in October, 1871. She was of noble talent and good spirit. C. W. L., the sub- ject of this sketch, was born in Union Township, Champaign Co., Ohio, Dec. 9, 1831. He was raised and mostly educated in his native county, though he enjoyed a course of engineering and surveying at the Wittenberg College, Springfield, Ohio. In the sum- mer of 1856, he was his father's deputy, and after the death of his father he was ap- pointed to fill the vacancy, the same fall being elected to the office, which he filled by re-elections until his death, except a short period, during which time he was his suc- cessor's deputy. In the midst of the term, the successor enlisted in the late war, and he filled the unexpired term. Thus has he been identified as a county official for nearly a quarter of a century, and at his death, April 19, 1880, his only son, W. H. L., who is of competent ability, was chosen to fill the vacancy. He is a bright and promising young man. Thus has the office passed down through three generations. C. W. L. Taylor married, Dec. 11, 1856, Elizabeth C. Detwiler, a native of Champaign Co., Ohio.
JAMES TAYLOR, attorney, Urbana. Mr. Taylor is another of the life resi- dents of Champaign County ; he is a son of John Taylor, who was a son of John Taylor, Sr., who emigrated from Virginia and settled in Mad River Township, in 1806, where John, Jr. grew up, married and resided a long time. Subsequently he resided in Concord Township, where his family was mostly raised. He was an active, intelligent
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citizen, and at one time edited the Western Dominion, the first Democratic paper issued in this county. In 1848, he received the appointment of Register of the Land Office, and removed to Defiance, where his wife, daughter of Ezekiel McAllister (also a pio- neer of Mad River), died, in 1873. The father still resides in Defiance, being in his 84th year. The subject of this sketch was born in Mad River Township, in 1823, and has always resided in this county; when his father removed to Defiance, he was Postmaster, which prevented him from accompanying the family. He remained on the farm during his youth, and also taught school. When he became of age he had saved money enough to attend the Springfield High School, under the tutorship of Chandler Robbins. He read law with Gen. J. H. Young, and was admitted to practice in 1854 ; subsequently he was elected Sheriff. He was again Postmaster during the administra- tions of Pierce and Buchanan, and did not commence the practice of his profession until 1862. In 1863, he was a candidate for Probate Judge, and was also a candidate for Presidential Elector from this district in 1876. In January, 1863, Mr. John S. Leedom became a partner with him in the practice of law, a relation which has since continued. He, as were his ancestors, is a Democrat, and has always taken a prom- inent part in public affairs. Since 1863, he has been Chairman of the Democratic Cen- tral Committee, and was at one time a candidate for State Senator from this district, but being opposed by a popular candidate and a standing Republican majority, was defeated. He married, in 1855, Miss Frances G. Ralston, who resided near Philadelphia, Penn. She is a member of the First Presbyterian Church, and he is a member of the Masonic fraternity.
REV. H. H. THOMPSON, D. D., Urbana. Rev. H. H. Thompson, D. D., minister of the United Presbyterian Church, was born October 13, 1819, in Belmont Co., Ohio. He was reared on a farm, and in early life only enjoyed the advantages common to such a lot, and the country schools of that day. In the Fall of 1837, he entered Franklin College, Ohio, where he spent two and a half years. The remainder of his collegiate training was received at Madison College, Guernsey Co., Ohio. Having completed his collegiate course in the fall of 1842, he entered the Associate Reformed Theological Seminary of Allegheny, Penn. After passing through the usual course of instruction, he was licensed to preach the Gospel, on the 23d day of April, 1845. During the following summer he was engaged as a missionary among the hills of North- western Virginia. The succeeding winter was again spent at the seminary. His second summer was spent in preaching to the vacancies in Southeastern Ohio; he was then transferred to Northwestern Pennsylvania; here was called to take charge of a congregation at Cochranton, Crawford Co., Penn. He was ordained and installed as Pastor of this congregation Sept. 9, 1847. Here he spent the prime and vigor of his days, laboring with zeal and earnestness till the 11th of February, 1865, at which time he was released from the pastoral care of the congregation. During the period of his pastorate at this place he also served the congregation of Sandy Creek, in Venango County, for one-third of his time, during a period of eight years. He was then re- leased from this congregation, and the same portion of his time given to the congrega- tion at Meadville, for a period of four years. The remaining years spent in Pennsylvania his labors were given to the congregation of Cochranton. On the 1st of April, 1865, he removed to Urbana, Ohio, and took charge of the United Presbyterian congregation of that place, where he continued to labor as their Pastor till April, 1878, a period of thirteen years. At this time his health became so impaired that he was compelled to surrender his pastoral charge, and cease for a time the active service of the ministry. He still continues to reside in Urbana, and, his health being restored, is again actively engaged in his Master's service.
D. W. TODD, Probate Judge, Urbana. Mr. Todd is a native of Pennsylvania, and was born in Dauphin County Dec. 31, 1835. His father, David Todd, came with his family, consisting of wife and ten children, to Ohio, in 1846. Leaving his family with a brother, in Warren County. he prospected, and in the following year settled in
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Pretty Prairie, near Urbana, where his decease occurred, in 1868, and where his widow, who was Miss Sarah McCormick, still resides, being in the 84th year of her age. The subject of this sketch remained on the farm until about 19 years of age, receiving such rudimentary training as the district schools afforded; he then entered the Miami University, at Oxford, from which he graduated in 1860, after which he read law in the office of Shellabarger & Goode, of Springfield ; served about one year in the army, and was admitted to the bar in January, 1863, and in the following month opened an office in Urbana. In the fall of the same year he was elected Prosecutor, and re-elected in 1865. From 1873 to 1875, he was Superintendent of the Urbana Machine Works -a losing venture. In October, 1878, he was elected Probate Judge, which office he now administers creditably and satisfactorily. His residence is situated on Scioto street. He married, in 1863, Virginia H. Hamilton. He was again married, in 1870, to Ellen W., daughter of David H. Hovey. By his first wife he had two sons-Lee H. and Robert M. By his second wife he has three children-Nanny H., Frank W. and William McC.
JOHN E. TODD, farmer ; P. O. Urbana. Among the many beautiful farms skirting the Pretty Prairie is the elegant one of Mr. Todd. There is perhaps no finer landscape presented to the view from any residence in the township, and the taste dis- played in the grounds and buildings are of that exquisite kind seldom seen outside of the larger cities. The parents of Mr. Todd were natives of Pennsylvania and emigrated from that State to Warren Co., Ohio, in the spring of 1846. Their children, ten in number, came with them, and eight are still living. Their names are given in the biog- raphy of T. M. Todd, of this township. David Todd was one of those quiet, unassum- ing men who loved his home, his wife and his children more than anything else on earth. He was an ardent temperance men and taught his children the beauties of truth and honor by a life-long example that has shown its fruits in those who now represent him. The date of his death is named in the sketch of Thomas M. Todd. He died as he had lived, trusting in that promise made to those who live humbly and walk uprightly. John E. Todd and Miss Jennie M. Mumper were married in 1859. They have eight children -Winfield Scott, Clarence M., Sadie, John H., Annie, Marion R., Percy C. and Jen- nie. They were all born on the beautiful homestead of their grandfather, that is now rendered dear to their parents by the associations surrounding them. Mr. Todd was one of the Ohio National Guards, 134th Regiment, but saw no active service. He is rather an active local politician, and is an acknowledged leader of the Republican party in his neighborhood. His life thus far has been a quiet one, lie having no desire for official honors. His farm was the drill-ground and his house the armory of the com- pany of National Guards during their organization.
THOMAS M. TODD, farmer; P. O. Urbana. Mr. Todd takes a place in his- tory among the prominent men of this township, as his family is one that has been fore- most in advancing the business interests of the county, and noted alike for energy and honor. The parents of Thomas M., David and Sarah Todd came to Urbana Township in 1847. They were natives of Pennsylvania, and their children, twelve in number, were born there. Two died in Pennsylvania, and ten came with them to Ohio-Jane, Mary, Eliza, Henry M., Thomas M., John E., Sarah M., David W., Rebecca N. and James S. The old gentleman was a soldier during the war of 1812, and his brother, James, was Captain of the company. The death of David Todd occurred in 1867. His wife still survives and makes her home with her son John. Three children still remain in this county-Thomas M., John and David W., who is Probate Judge of this county. The sons have all the energetic characteristics of their sire, and three of them engage in agriculture ; John lives on the old homestead ; James S. is a Presbyterian minister and resides in California. Thomas M. Todd was married in 1857, to Miss Mary M. Raw- lings, a daughter of one of our pioneers. Their children are named David S., James R., Alma, William H., Thomas R. and Pearl. Mr. Todd has been Infirmary Direct- or for the past eight years, and has been Clerk of the school board several terms.
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All his official duties have been discharged with credit, and his reputation as a busi- ness man is of that high order that engages the confidence of every one.
S. S. TWICHELL, Superintendent of Infirmary, Urbana. The gentleman whose name heads this sketch occupies a very important position in this county, having in charge its paupers and the management of the large farm and business interests of the establish- ment. In this he has shown an aptitude for the business that has never been equaled perhaps in the history of the Infirmary. He is now filling the second term as Superin- tendent, and his re-engagement is sufficient evidence of his appreciation by the Board of Directors. This farm comprises 173 acres of choice land, situated two miles from Ur- bana, and is admirably adapted to the purpose for which it is employed. At present, there are forty-four inmates-twenty-three males and twenty-one females. The build- ing is large and admirably arranged, and has a capacity for accommodating one hundred patients. Under the skillful supervision of Mr. and Mrs. Twichell, it presents an air of neatness and comfort rarely seen in institutions of like character. The capacity for in- sane persons amounts to thirty beds, but since the new asylum was built at Columbus, more of that class are admitted. Everything is raised on the farm that is necessary to supply the table, and in this respect the farm is self supporting. Clothing, groceries, etc., are supplied by the county, there not being surplus enough to sell to supply this need. The baking is done in a large oven that contains ninety loaves at one time. The sleeping-rooms are neat, and the dining-rooms are divided into two compartments, in which the sexes are separated. The women occupy the rooms over the main building ; the men the hall attached to a building termed Gents' Sitting-room. The family his- tory of Mr. Twichell will be given, as he is especially deserving of mention. He is a native of New Jersey, coming to Ohio in 1871. He married Miss Virginia Hedges in 1868. They are parents of two sons-Clayton and Foster. Mr. Twichell resided four- teen years in Minnesota, with the exception of three years, which he spent as a soldier in Co. K, 8th Minn. V. I. The first two years was spent on the frontier, where he parti- cipated in two of the hardest-fought Indian battles of the war. He engaged in the bat- tles of Murfreesboro and The Pines, and was with Sherman's army when Johnston surrendered. He was also under Gen. Sully when his army crossed the plains in 1864, and was in every engagement, escaping without a wound. He took charge of the Champaign Co. Infirmary in 1879, and has filled the position with great credit.
M. J. & J. E. VALENTINE, farmers ; P. O. Urbana. These gentlemen are numbered among the prominent farmers of Champaign Co., and, although not long resi- dents, are, without doubt, permanently settled, and are a valuable acquisition to the so- ciety in which they live. Being natives of Pennsylvania, they came to this county in 1861, and purchased their present farm in the fall of 1863. One of the most command- ing brick residences in the township adorns this fine farm, which has been put under a high state of cultivation under their ownership. Morris Valentine was married in Penn- sylvania, in 1850, to Miss Elizabeth Climenson, of that State. Her parents, John and Ann Climenson, were natives of England, and came to America about 1820. There were four children (three sons and one daughter), in the family of George Valentine- Alice A., Morris J. and John E., our subjects, and Joseph T., who still lives in Penn- sylvania. The daughter, Alice, and her mother reside in Urbana. Morris and his wife have five living children-Joseph D., Frank E., Charles W., Gustavus L. and William M. Those deceased were named Annie C., John and George S. John E. Valentine was a volunteer in Co. A, 134th O. V. I., during the war of the rebellion, and was .. honorably discharged at the expiration of his term of service. Those of the children who are old enough have acquired a good education. Frank is engaged in the drug business in Urbana. John E. makes his home with his brother Morris. They farm together. They are very prosperous, social gentlemen, and have the entire confidence of their acquaintances as being men of undoubted integrity and correct business habits.
A. F. VANCE, JR., Assistant Cashier Third National Bank of Urbana, Ohio, was born in Salem Township, Champaign Co., January 26, 1840 ; he was raised on his
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father's farm and enjoyed the benefit of the common schools. During the greater part of the late war he was clerk of Maj. George Pomeroy, Paymaster, U. S. A., and later he was promoted to the position himself, which he held until the close of the great struggle; then he engaged in the boot and shoe trade in New York City, where he remained until the fall of 1869, when he settled on his farm, a short distance south of Urbana ; this he has since cultivated and superintended. In June, 1875, he was elected to his present position, which he has filled with respect and honor. His father, Judge Alexander F. Vance, Sr., is a son of Gov. Vance. His grandfather, Joseph C. Vance, was one of the first two men who became residents of what is now Urbana, and sur- veyed the town in 1804. They afterward became " Directors." and were intimately connected with the early settlement and formation of the town. He had a family of nine children-two daughters and seven sons, of whom George Vance was the third son. His decease occurred in 1809. At that date Governor Vance was a young mar- ried man, with the advantages of being brought up in one of the first families of Urbana ; he had married Mary Lemon, a native of Virginia. During the war of 1812, he was Captain of a company of riflemen, and built a block-house at Quincy, on the Miami, and connected with the Quartermaster's department. He several times drove hogs and cattle to Fort Meigs (Perrysburg) for the supplies of the army. He became a member of the State Legislature in 1815, and a member of Congress from 1820 to 1836 ; afterward was called to the Governor's chair, and in 1845 and 1846 was again in Congress, and a member of the Constitutional Convention in 1851. On his way home from Cincinnati he suffered a severe stroke of paralysis, at Springfield, from which he never recovered. His death occurred in 1852, in the 67th year of his age. He had a family of twelve children-three daughters and nine sons-of whom the Judge is now the only survivor. He was born in 1811, and the second son grew to manhood in the early days of log-rollings, husking bees and quiltings, attended with horse races, and ending with an evening frolic. He was a pupil in a high school at Columbus, in 1822, under the tutorship of Rev. Russell Bigelow, a pioneer Methodist minister of con- siderable ability. From 1827 to 1830, he was in attendance at the Miami University, henceforward was on a farm until 1859, when he located in Urbana. Two years later, he was elected Probate Judge, and re-elections have since followed, to 1878. During all his proceedings he had but one decision overruled. He married, Aug. 6, 1835, Mary R. Ward, grand-daughter of the original proprietor of Urbana ; six sons and seven daughters have been born to them, of whom A. F., Jr., the subject of this sketch, on Feb. 18, 1868, married Mary G. Jamison, a native of this city, born Sept. 5, 1848, and daughter of William Jamison, a deceased merchant of Urbana. They have one daughter-Louisa J., born in July, 1872.
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