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 85
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JAMES H. BAKER, manufacturer of wagons and job-work, Westville. This gentleman stands foremost among the mechanics of Westville, having the most ex- tensive manufactory in the township, and makes a large number of road wagons. The shop'employs six skilled workmen, and their goods find a ready sale. Mr. Baker has been engaged in business in Westville ten years. When he came here in 1870, from Shenandoah Co., Va., he had no capital, and Allen Loudenback, Thomas Chance and Elias Stover purchased a lot and built a small shop, in which was one fire. Mr. Baker at once commenced blacksmithing and succeeded well. By honesty, energy and perse- verance he gained a large trade, and, his reputation as a workman being second to none, he soon found his quarters too small, and purchased the lot on which his manufactory now stands. Soon a commodious building was erected and suitable machinery procured for the purpose of doing the woodwork for wagons. The experiment is proving a decided success, and the capacity for doing business will be a source of profit to the pro- prietor. All the planing, sawing and turning is done by steam ; the engine is a six- teen horse-power. Mr. Baker has a large local trade in axes and steel-work, and now manufactures them at his establishment. His reputation for this class of goods is excel- ent. He enlisted in the Confederate army soon after the commencement of the war, and served faithfully for the cause he espoused ; his Southern blood was fired with the enthusiasm that seemed to pervade the first families of Virginia as well as the extreme South, and they did battle for the cause they loved. He was in the battles of Win -* chester, Brandy Station, Culpeper Court House, Gettysburg, and Hagerstown, besides many other hot skirmishes, the names of which places have been forgotten. He en- listed in the 7th Va. V. C., under Col. Ashby, and was wounded with a saber twice during the war; he was also twice taken prisoner and confined at Camp Chase and at Fort Delaware, from which place he was discharged at the close of the war. He was married to Miss Eliza F. Little, of Virginia, in 1867. They have been parents of eight children, of whom five survive-Lura V., Bertha M., Eliza C., Josephine, and Essie, the survivor of twins. Mr. Baker is President of the township School Board and Clerk of
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the Local Board of Directors. He is a member of the Masonic Fraternity, and both himself, wife and eldest daughter are members of the Universalist Church. The family are a great acquisition to the society of Westville, and the enterprise and integrity of Mr. Baker will do much to further the business interests of the place.
SIMON BEERY, manufacturer and farmer ; P. O. Urbana. Should we fail to mention Mr. Beery in connection with the prominent men of this township, great injus- tice would be done. Many who are not pioneers, furnish the intellect and capital to fur- ther the enterprises that have been conceived and put into successful operation since the country was first settled by those energetic pioneers, whose names we revere, and who will have ample justice done them in the perpetuation of their names in the history of this county. The father of Simon, George Beery, came to Fairfield Co., Ohio, in 1801. He was a native of Rockingham Co., Va., and his marriage to Miss Catharine Cradle- baugh was celebrated in 1809. She was a woman of more than ordinary force of char- acter, positive in her opinions, and free to express them ; loving right and hating wrong, prompt and active in every duty, a mother of the old type in every sense of the word. Simon Beery (our subject) is of Revolutionary stock on his mother's side. Her father, John Cradelbaugh, was born in Germany, belonging to one of the aristocratic and highly educated families of that country. He was educated by an uncle, and was to have been his heir, but, hearing of the struggle made by the American people to gain their independence, and fired by the enthusiasm of youth, and imbued with feelings of sympathy for the oppressed, he left his home and all that could be desired by way of position, and came to America and enlisted under the American flag. He was in several hard-fought battles, in one of which he was taken prisoner by the British troops, and confined in a prison near Baltimore. Of forty-three men taken prisoner at the same time, only himself and one other escaped. After independence was declared and the war at an end, he settled in Fayette Co., Penn., and there married a Miss Moons- chauer, and afterward emigrated to Fairfield Co. Being so highly educated (speaking five languages fluently), and conceiving it to be his duty, he entered the ministry, in which he remained until his death. His daughter, Catharine, the mother of our subject, was born in Pennsylvania in 1785, and her parents emigrated to Fairfield Co. in 1806 or 1807. Her marriage to George Beery is previously spoken of, and they were parents of twelve children-Samuel, John, Dinah, Joseph, Mary, Anthony and Isaac (twins), George, Simon, Noah, Solomon and Thomas Ewing; nine survive. Mrs. Beery died in 1870, her husband in 1856. He was pressed into service during the war of 1812, and did duty as a teamster, which was a very hazardous business. In 1834, he laid out the town of Bremen, in which Simon Beery did business for many years, being the suc- cessor of his father and brothers who had carried on the mercantile business so long at that place. Our subject came to this county in 1867, and located upon the farm which is now one of the most productive and upon which more taste is displayed than pre- sented by any farn residence in the county. Neither is there a residence equaling this in any town in the county. The barns and outbuildings are in harmony with the sub- stantial character of everything belonging to the farm. Mr. Beery prides himself upon his practical farming, having reclaimed what was considered a worn-out farm, until the products averaged one-fourth more than any in the neighborhood. He has made the improvements excepting the house since arriving, and this suburban residence is the abode of a family among whom harmony and prosperity reign. Mr. Beery was wedded to Mary M. Grove, March 5, 1846. Their children are six in number-Samuel E., Angeline, Ann C., George, Marietta and Perry G. The eldest and youngest sons are engaged in the mercantile business at Dayton, Ohio. Mr. Beery makes no assumption of being anything but what he really is, a plain, practical man, loving right and hating wrong, and ever sympathizing with the poor and oppressed.
LEROY L. BLOSE, farmer ; P. O. Westville. The grandfather of our subject, John Blose, was a native of Virginia, and emigrated to this township in 1815, when the heavy timber covered what are now our beautiful fields. He was married previous to
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his coming, to Amelia Pence, and they were afterward parents of seven children-Daniel, Lewis, Susan, John, Louisa, Henry and Margaret. He settled three miles south of Westville, where he continued to reside until his death. He cleared off and otherwise improved this land, and made it one of the most desirable farms in the Mad River Valley. Three of his children still survive-John, Louisa and Margaret. John is the husband of Delilah Strickler, Louisa is the wife of Isaac Funkhouser, and Margaret is the widow of Charley Brown. Daniel, the father of Leroy, was married to Miss Louisa Colbert, and by her has had eight children, four of whom are not living-Leroy, the eldest, James I., Emily T. and Daniel W. all reside in the county. Mr. Blose was married previously to Eva Pence; they had four children, two, John H. and Enos are living. Daniel was a very energetic man, and from a capital of $50, amassed by his own energy a large fortune. He owned and operated two distilleries, had an interest in an elevator at Urbana, and raised a large amount of stock. He also owned a large num- ber of shares in an oil well in Pennsylvania, but this was a non-paying investment. When his death occurred May 25, 1871, he was owner of 1,200 acres of valuable land, which left his children amply provided for. Leroy married Miss Marietta Beery, a daughter of one of our most substantial men. Leroy and his wife are parents of one child-Nellie H. He has the old home farm, and is considered one of our most pros- perous young farmers, endowed with the good business characteristics of his father, and in every way worthy of representing him in this work.
JOSEPH BROWN, farmer ; P. O. Terre Haute. This gentleman is one of the pioneers of this county. The older men have to represent their ancestors who are gone, but who have left their record behind in this beautiful land, which is the pride of Ohio. Their work has been well done, and their graves are hallowed by the memory of both old and young. The father of Joseph (John Brown) was born in Virginia ; his wife (Margaret Davis) was one of the girls that helped decorate Trenton bridge, over which Washington and his army passed after the surrender of Lord Corn- wallis, at Yorktown. She remembered Gen. Washington well, and the scenes of the Revolutionary war. Her father was a Revolutionary soldier, and fought bravely through the struggle for liberty, never receiving a wound. She was born in New Jer- sey in 1777. Her parents came to this county in 1806, and settled near where Mr. Brown now lives, where the timber was so thick that the sun's rays could hardly reach the ground. Mr. Davis felled enough timber to build him a cabin, after which they felt pretty well "fixed up." The Browns were neighbors to them, and John settled on the land, and built the first cabin, almost on the spot where Joseph now lives. Two of the Davis boys went into the woods one day, and took the gun along, thinking to get some game while they looked for the horses. They were both small, and as they walked along a bear and two cubs were seen. Fearing to shoot, lest the old one should only be wounded, and afterward pursue them, the eldest boy (Andrew) waited, but finally took aim and fired. Taking his younger brother by the hand, they ran to the house, and told their father that they had shot at a bear. The party set out to look after the success of the shot, and, sure enough, the bear lay dead, and the cubs had gone away . Many reminiscences might be given illustrating the wild character of the country, but this will suffice. Deer were plenty, and furnished many a savory meal to the pioneers. Joseph did his share of work when a lad. He was born in 1824, and has lived all his life within thirty feet of his birthplace. He was married, in 1845, to Miss Mary Bridgeman, and they were parents of one child-Alcia Isabel. She was born in 1850, and was married to John H. Stevens in 1870. She was the mother of one child, and they now lie side by side in the quiet cemetery, where the gentle winds sing their sad requiems over the loved ones who were the joy of their parents' home. Mr. Brown is one of our prosperous farmers, and enjoys the confidence of his neighbors, and is well worthy to bear the name of his father. For twenty-five consecutive years Mr. Brown has run a thresher. At one time he worked continuously, day and night, for 150 hours, never sleeping during the time. This was done in a saw-mill, and well shows the pluck and endurance of our pioneers.
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NATHAN BROWN, farmer ; P. O. Terre Haute. The parents of Nathan came to this county from Virginia in 1807; their names were John and Margaret Brown. She was a daughter of Andrew and Sarah Davis, who came to this county about the same time the Browns did, and settled where Eli Allen now lives. The Brown family settled on the farm now owned by Nathan and Joseph Brown. The first cabin built in this part of the township was erected where William Kessler now lives,. and is still standing. This house was headquarters for seven families who had come to this county seeking a home in the new Northwest. The nearest cabin was five miles distant, and the woods were still the home of the Indians and wild animals. There was- no trace of a settlement when they came, and the first pioneers in this part of the town- ship were the Brown, Davis, Blue, Kelly, Kane and Grafton families. They all came to this neighborhood about the same time. Many were the pranks the youngsters used to play on each other, but all was taken in good humor, and the "apple cuttings," corn huskings, and other festivities were made the scene of much merriment. When the girls went to church, they all went barefoot until near the church, when the shoes were put on and worn until after services, when they again took them off and carried them home. Economy was the order of the day, and, in those days of wooden chim- neys and puncheon floors, they left pride entirely out of the question. The parents of Nathan had eight children, of whom only four are living-Joseph, Nathan (our sub- ject), Andrew and Loruhama. She was born in 1811, and was never married. Nathan was married to Hannah Nitchman in 1854; they have had twelve children, six of whom are living-Charles, Margaret, John, Rachel, Emmett and Ida. All the sons are engaged in farming and are doing well. Their father is one of our prosperous men, and his wife is one of the most genial ladies that we have met. His sister, Loruhama, makes her home with them, and the family are well cared for. Nathan is a conscien- tious Republican. The table of the pioneers was a puncheon slab, laid upon two stumps. One time Mrs. Brown had baked a lot of peach pies, for a "raising," to be done that day. While her back was turned an old mulley cow came up and finished the pies, and the boys who were working were rather short on their rations. So many inconveniences were they subject to that we cannot name them all, but their labors. were not in vain, and the country that was cleared by them, and their noble lives, shall ever be a matter of history.
PARKER BRYAN, farmer and miller ; P. O. Urbana. We take pleasure in: writing the biography of this gentleman, who has so long been a resident of Champaign County, and reminiscences gleaned from him are reliable. He is at this time 59 years of age, having been born April 21, 1821, and has lived in this county since his birth. His father, Levi Bryan, was a native of Virginia, and came here in 1812. He purchased the southeast quarter of Section 35, in Urbana Township, of a Mr. Olivar, who had previously entered it. He had no means at his disposal when he first came to this county, but worked by the day, and, although wages were small, contrived to save money enough to buy the tract above named, which was largely added to until he was, at the time of his death, the owner of 670 acres. He married Rachel Powell, and they had eight children, four dying in infancy. The survivors all live in this county-Mary A., the wife of Gabriel Kenton ; Parker (our subject), John H. wedded Elizabeth Grove, and Rachel E., who married T. I. Oroark. Levi Bryan devoted his time to improving I:is land, and dealing in stock, and of course did much in this way to help develop the. country, which was almost a wilderness. His death occurred in 1852, and his wife's in 1859. When Parker, our subject, was 15 years of age, he commenced dealing in stock on a small scale; as he grew in years he engaged in other business, and when he was. 21 years of age, by his own efforts, he was possessor of $1,750. In 1852, he was mar- ried to Rachel A. Grove; subsequently, in connection with his brother John and others, a tannery in Urbana, and a distillery and mill in Clark County was carried on. In 1856, Parker purchased his present farm, upon which was built the first distillery in the county, owned by David Kite. It was a small structure built of logs, the product. of which hardly sufficed for home consumption. Farmers carried in their jugs, to which
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was attached a card bearing their name and the number of their order. Frequently they would have to wait a week to have it filled. Mr. Bryan now carries on the mill- ing business in connection with his farm, and does custom work. This is of great con- venience to farmers. Since his earliest recollection, a mill has occupied the present site, the first being built of logs. Mr. and Mrs. Bryan have five children living-Levi, Mary E., Emma V., John H. and Frank G. ; the three eldest are married. The farm now owned by Mr. Bryan is one of the finest tracts in the Mad River Valley ; it is especially well adapted for grazing, and is very desirable. He has cheerfully aided in the giving of facts connected with the early history of the township, and is withal one of the most cordial gentlemen we have met. His grandfather, John Bryan, came from England as a British soldier during the Revolutionary war. His native country was Ireland, and his wife was a native of Wales, whose maiden name was Parker.
ISAAC BULL, farmer; P. O. Urbana. Mr. Bull has lived in this township during the last quarter of a century, and of course, in his acquaintanceship with the old settlers, can relate many personal reminiscences of events happening during the early settlement of this county. Many of the people living here are natives of Virginia, in. which State Mr. Bull was born, in Rockingham County, July 14, 1818. His father was a soldier in the war of 1812. He left Virginia in 1855 and moved to Franklin Co., Ind .; here both himself and wife died. Isaac came to Urbana in 1853, and in 1859 he was married to Miss Mary Hess, by whom he had two sons and one daughter -Benjamin F., Elmore H. and Elizabeth A. Benjamin went to Virginia City, Idaho, in 1864, in company with twenty-four men from Springfield, Ohio ; all returned except three, and all are living except Benjamin, who died in Helena City, Sept. 11, 1878. He had accumulated quite a fortune. Elmore is now in Denver, Col., and Elizabeth married E. F. Fleming ; they reside in Chicago. Mrs. Bull died Jan. 19, 1855, and Mr. Bull was married to Miss Jane, daughter of Joseph Pence, Oct. 1, 1868. They have two children-Joseph T. and Charles E. L. They reside on a part of the estate of Joseph Pence, six miles southwest of Urbana. Mr. Bull is a practical farmer and an energetic business man. Joseph is attending Buchtel College, and intends graduat- ing at that institution. Isaac is a stanch Democrat and never misses an election ; he has been for nine consecutive years Assessor of this township, and has for many years been a prominent auctioneer in the county, and is a dealer in stock. There are 236 acres all under fence, which brings in a nice income. The farm is a splendid one in the Mad River Valley, and is managed entirely by Mr. Bull. He is a genial gentle- man, and we are under obligations to him for favors. Since his coming, there have been changes in every family between Fremont and Westville, by reason of death, change of residence or other causes.
UHLICH G. BURKE, farmer; P. O. Westville. Mr. Burke, although not a native of Ohio, is entitled to a representation in the biographical department of this history, as his wife is the daughter of one of our oldest and most influential families. From her father, David Pence, much information has been obtained that forms a part of this history, and a sketch of his family, together with personal reminiscences of early times, will appear in another part of the work. Mr. Burke is a native of Indiana, and was born in 1844. He was principally engaged in farming in that State, and also in Ohio. His marriage to Miss Amanda, daughter of David and Priscilla Pence, was celebrated at the home of the bride's parents, Dec. 23, 1868. The parents of Mrs. Burke, wishing their children to' be near them, prevailed upon Mr. Burke to settle upon the " Pence homestead." The residence now occupied by Mr. Burke is a neat two- story frame, erected in 1879. The farm is comprised of 1232 acres, one mile from Westville, and is highly improved. Mr. and Mrs. Burke were parents of three children -Viola, dying in infancy ; Clement P. and Orin T. are living. Mr. Burke is a quiet, unassuming man, whose opinions are not given hastily, but are in the main correct. Both himself and wife are members of the Nettle Creek Baptist Church, as were their parents before them. He is one of our practical farmers, and the neatness of his farm betokens
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industry and economy. Mrs. Burke was born Oct. 6, 1847 ; Clement Burke Sept. 28, 1869 ; Orin T. July 24, 1872.
JOHN BUSHONG, farmer ; P. O. Terre Haute. We are pleased to notice such men as the one whose name heads this sketch, as he is every way worthy to be repre- sented in the history of the county in which he has resided during the past thirty years. As a man of correct habits, he is without a peer, and, as a gentleman, suffice it to say that Old Virginia blood flows in his veins, and his reputation among those that know him is of the highest order. His parents, Peter and Elizabeth (Fatick ) Bushong, were married, probably, in 1814. Peter was born in Virginia, and Elizabeth in Penn- sylvania. Peter was engaged in farming in Virginia, coming West and settling in Indiana in 1859. His death occurred in 1867. He was a prosperous man, making a good living, but accumulating slowly. His wife, Elizabeth, died in Virginia, in 1855. Their children were eight in number-Lydia, John, Catharine, Philip, Mary, Andrew, Hannah and Elizabeth ; all are living in Indiana except John, our subject. He came to Ohio in 1847. He was married in Virginia to Miss Sarah Dingledine ; their two eldest children-Mary and Catharine-were born in Virginia ; Hannah, Martha, James and John were born in this county ; Mary is the wife of John Davis; Hannah married William Michael, and Martha wedded Josiah Smiley. The children all live near or with them, and the family circle is unbroken. The first settlement of Mr. Bushong was on the farm now owned by Samuel Dibert, but was previously owned by his wife's father Philip Dingledine. Mr. Bushong has made the most of his money by hard labor and good management. His present home is an elegant farm of 248 acres in one tract, and is one of the most home-like places we have seen ; a comfortable, neatly furnished house, splendid barns and outbuildings, a happy family and well-stocked larder serve to make life enjoyable in the highest degree. His record is such that his children may point to it with pride, and they may well profit by his experience. Himself and wife have been members of the Lutheran Church for more than a quarter of a century.
CAPT. TANDY S. COLLINS, farmer ; P. O. Tremont City, Clark Co .; is the son of Jerome B. and Jane S. (Burruss) Collins, of Orange Co., Va .; Jerome B. Col- lins was the son of Francis and Margaret (De Horner) Collins ; Francis Collins was the son of James and Mary (Kirtley) Collins; Jane S. Burruss was the daughter of Capt. William Tandy and Martha (Slaughter) Burruss, of Revolutionary fame; William T. Burruss was the son of William and Frances Tandy Burruss, they being of Huguenot origin ; the Slaughters are of English origin, and were among the first settlers of Jamestown, Virginia. The subject of this sketch was born on Cherry Grove Farm, Orange Co., Va., Oct. 12, 1832, remaining at home with his parents until his 18th year, working upon the farm and at the carpenter's trade, and attending school during the winter. In 1850, he went to the Shenandoah Valley, where he lived three years, at which time he came to Ohio; Jan. 1, 1854, he landed in Urbana, with good health, and $6 in his pocket, at which place he continued carpentering and running an engine, until Dec. 13, 1855, when he was united in marriage with Mary Catharine, daughter of David and Mary (Evers) Hawes, natives of Rockingham Co., Va., who emigrated to this county in October, 1853. Feb. 22, 1856, he moved upon a farm in Concord Township, where he lived until March 4, 1860, when he moved upon Sec. 7, where he has lived since that time, working upon his farm. By this union they were blessed with four children, two sons and two daughters, two now living, viz .: James F., born Jan. 15, 1860; Ida C., born Oct. 5, 1861. Mary C. Hawes was born in Rock- ingham Co., Va., Oct. 27, 1838; Mary C. (Hawes) Collins died Oct. 27, 1861, he remaining a widower until Sept. 2, 1862, when he was united in marriage with Sarah Jane, daughter of John and Elizabeth (Yarnal) Kizer, whose biography appears in this book; by this union they were blessed with five sons, four now living, viz .: Charles Kizer Collins, born Feb. 6, 1864 ; John Price Collins, born March 29, 1866; Wilbur Tandy Collins, born Dec. 28, 1867; Irvin Slater Collins, born Sept. 13, 1870; Eddie Milton Collins, born March 16, 1873, died March 18, 1873; Sarah J. (Kizer) Collins
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was born March 28, 1843. They are both acceptable members of the Regular Baptist Church. He has held a number of positions of honor, with credit to himself and his fellow-men. Mr. and Mrs. Collins have, through their indomitable perseverance, strict and honorable business habits, secured for themselves and their children a beautiful home, where they enjoy the highest respect and esteem of their neighbors and many friends.
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