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 88

Author: Ogden, J. W. (John W.); Beers (W.H.) & Co., pub
Publication date: 1881
Publisher: Chicago : W.H. Beers & co.
Number of Pages: 926

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 88

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MARTIN NITCHMAN, retired; P. O. Terre Haute ; the parents of our sub- ject were natives of Pennsylvania, and emigrated from that State to Ohio in 1835, and settled near West Liberty. The marriage of Philip Nitchman and Rachel Titsworth was solemnized probably in 1803. They were parents of Martin, our subject, Ann, John T., Maria, David, Catharine, Charlotta, Sarah, Eliza, Louisa, Christina, Benjamin, J. Lei- bert and Philip. They were all born in Pennsylvania, and five of the number are deceased. The father, Philip, was a tailor by occupation, but they lived on a farm, and

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the children all learned trades. Martin worked with his father at the tailoring business until his marriage to Miss Catharine Carson, of Adams County, Penn., in 1831. After coming to Ohio, he again engaged in this business, which was followed for twelve years. He then purchased a farm, and, for a number of years, engaged in the agricultural busi- ness. He was very prosperous, and made money easily. He commenced without any money, $2,000 in debt, and, at the end of seven years, had paid his debts, paid for his farm, reared his family, and had money ahead. His children were six in number- Hannah, Ann, William, Magdalena, Rachel and Clarissa. The absence of sons caused the girls to act as substitutes, and, therefore, they grew up active, healthy women, and they are all living, and were all married. Mr. Nitchman has now retired from an active business life, and lives at his ease in the pleasant village of Terre Haute. He and his wife are a worthy couple, and are highly respected by every one. Their lives have been such that their descendants may ever look with pride upon their ancestry, who have always been faithful to their trust.

ADAM PENCE, retired farmer ; P. O. Westville. Among the many pioneers of this county we find Adam Pence living in an old-time cottage under the beautiful hills that overlook the Mad River Valley. He is one of our comfortable men, retired from active business, and with his wife, three sons and two daughters, lives a happy, contented life, surrounded by domestic comforts, and free from care. Adam was born in Shenandoah Co., Va., probably in 1802; his parents, Lewis and Barbara Pence, emi- grated to Ohio in 1820; they are both of German descent, and Mrs. Pence came from Germany. Their children (eleven in number) were born in Virginia, the youngest being 21 years of age ; four of them were married. Lewis had considerable money when he came here, and purchased a section of land, afterward buying 300 acres more ; this he divided among his children at once, and they set to work and soon those who were married had a comfortable log house erected. Adam, our subject, is now living in the house first built, in 1821, and which has been occupied by his family for fifty-nine years. He was married to his present wife, Mary Prince, a native of Kentucky, in 1824; they were both hard workers, saved their money, and soon had gained enough to purchase 240 acres of land ; this was in turn divided among their children, of whom they had nine, seven sons and two daughters. Three sons are married; Wesley married Emily Strickler ; Adam, Jr., wedded Nancy McCarty, and William married Mary Miller. The two daughters are named Sarah and Elizabeth. There are also three sons living at home-Henry, John and David. Adam Pence has also raised an- other man, who might properly be reckoned a son, named Charley M. Overhulse. The sons living at home have lately added to their possessions 200 acres more land, purchased in partnership, lying west of the home farm. Their father still owns his original tract of 100 acres given him by his father, with an income sufficient to furnish every comfort while they live. We have been to many farmhouses, but the culinary skill of the mother and her daughters cannot be excelled by any housewives in the county. Their habits are of the quiet sort, for which the pioneers are noted, and the family are members of the Lutheran Church, to which Mr. and Mrs. Pence have be- longed for nearly three-quarters of a century. They are noted for their honesty, and as neighbors, enjoy the confidence of all with whom they are acquainted. This sketch will ever be a source of pride to their descendants as indicating the character of their an- cestry, and the high esteem in which they are held in the community.

DAVID PENCE, retired farmer ; P. O. Westville. This gentleman is one of the oldest men and represents the first families of this county. His father, Abram Pence, came to this county fromShenandoah Co., Va., in 1811, and settled on the farm now owned by our subject ; he built a log cabin in the woods that had never been defaced by an ax, save when the Indian in his hunt for wild honey would fell a tree in which bees were discovered. He was married in Virginia, before his emigration, to Miss Elizabeth Mauck. The chil- dren are Mary, Abram, Elizabeth and David, who is the gentleman furnishing the facts for this sketch ; Mary, the eldest, is also living and will be 89 years of age in Novem-

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ber ; she is the mother of Allen Loudenback, whose sketch appears in this work. During the boyhood of David, there were Indians still living in the neighborhood, and frequently played with Indian boys, shooting the bow and .arrow, etc .; there were frequent Indian scares previous to this, and one of his uncles, Joseph Mauck, left the settlement on account of it; the Indians, however, always treated the settlers kindly ; families were on the most friendly terms, and all the neighbors were obliged to. help each other in their log-rollings and in the erection of their log cabins. Henry and Mary Pence-the grandparents of David settled in this township about 1805. The members of the Pence family who settled in Mad River Township were Benjamin, Isaac, Henry, Abram, the father of our subject, John, Samuel and Reuben. In Urbana Township, Jacob and Joseph settled. In Fairfield County, David Pence was the only male representative. The daughters were all settled in Mad River Town- ship-Susannah, Annie, Elizabeth, Mary and John Stewart's wife, Magdaline and Bar- bara. The parents of all these children were among the first families that settled here. Henry was born in 1740, and Mary Blimly, his wife, in 1746. They emigrated from Germany to America in their youth; two of their children died in infancy and were not named, consequently they were the parents of nineteen children. David, our subject,. was married to Priscilla Frazee in 1831, and has five children living; one child who died in infancy. Moses F. married Kate McFarland; Wilson T. wedded Angeline Stienbarger ; Abram M. married Mary J. Wheeler; Maggie is the wife of W. S. Gar- rett, and Amanda wedded U. G. Burke. Mr. Pence and his wife live entirely at their ease on the home farm, surrounded by their children and blessed with plenty of this world's goods. They are both members of the Baptist Church, and, as they are descend- ing the hillside of life hand in hand, they feel happy in the thought that they are still spared to each other.

ADAM PRINCE, deceased. Adam Prince and his wife, Eve Buroker, were natives of Virginia, and emigrated to Kentucky in 1805, and from there to this county in 1809. Having found a spring (which was so attractive to those reared in a mount- ainous country), Mr. Prince entered the quarter-section upon which it was located. The land office was in Cincinnati, and it seems that another man also wanted the same tract, and had started to make his entry the day before Mr. Prince expected to go. Mr. P., hearing of him on the way, rode all night, determined to have the land he wanted, and reached Cincinnati before his rival, entered the land, and started on his return .. Meeting the other man, Mr. Prince informed him that the tract in question was not on the market at that time. Mr. Prince passed six months on the frontier in the north- western part of the State, during the war of 1812, leaving his family in charge of a neighbor. His land was covered with a magnificent growth of walnut and poplar, which were gradually removed and the land brought under cultivation. He was quite a noted mechanic, and manufactured barrels, wooden clocks, and all needed farm imple- ments, with equal facility. His wife died in 1828; he survived her twenty-one years, having been all his life a devoted member of the Lutheran Church. He was a prosper- ous man, and left to each of his children a tract of land. Adam and Eve Prince were parents of four children-Elizabeth, Mary, William and Nancy. William died in 1848 -the three daughters still survive. The first husband of Elizabeth was Isaac Smith, a son of one of the excellent families of the county, and after his death she was mar- ried to James Crabill, who also died many years ago. She reared a large family, some of whom live in the neighborhood, and others are scattered over the West. Mary wedded Adam Pence ; their children are noble men and women, and their names are given in connection with their family history. William Prince was born in 1807; his education was such as the schools of his day afforded ; he was a good penman and an, excellent arithmetician, as can be seen by looking over his old copy-book, wherein his problems were solved, which is now in possession of his children. In 1828, he was married to Miss Sarah, a daughter of Christian Norman, who also had emigrated from the Shenandoah Valley in 1805. His death occurred in 1848. Mr. Prince came into possession of the land entered by his father in 1833, to which other purchases were

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added. He also owned a lot of Western lands. He received a commission as Captain of a militia company in 1841, or 1842, which was held until the company was dis- banded. He was a man of considerable influence in his neighborhood, and was always firm in the support of all moral and religious work, living and dying in the faith of his fathers. Nancy, his youngest daughter, was married to David Vance, a relative of Ex-Gov. Vance, of this State. They reared five children, two of whom-John and David -are ministers in the Methodist Church. To William and Sarah Prince were born nine children, six of whom grew to maturity-Mary, David N., Peter W., Elizabeth, Benjamin F. and Lydia. Mary was married to Rhinehart Snapp, with whom she lived until his death, six years later. She is now a resident of Jackson Township. David N. married Mary Jones, of this county. He volunteered, in 1861, in Co. I, 42d O. V. I. From a private, he became Captain of his company, and, after many engage- ments in the war, from which he escaped unharmed, was honorably discharged, after a service to his country of more than three years. His residence is in Shelby County. Peter W. is the owner of the old home farm, which he has greatly improved, and is, in all respects, a prosperous farmer. His wife was Miss Mary Browning. Elizabeth mar- ried John Wantz, and died in 1873. Benjamin F., after passing his boyhood on the farm, attended Wittenberg College, at Springfield, Ohio, from which institution he graduated in 1865. He also studied theology, and is now Professor of Greek in that institution. He was married to Ellen Sanderson, daughter of Col. Sanderson, of the regular army. Lydia is the wife of Emanuel Largent, a resident of this county.

B. F. PRINCE, A. M., Professor of Greek and History in Wittenberg College, Springfield, Ohio. Benjamin F. Prince, A. M., was born Dec. 12, 1840, in Cham- paign Co., Ohio; his ancestors came to this country about the middle of the last cent- ury, and were settlers in Eastern Pennsylvania ; his grandfathers, Christian Norman and Adam Prince, with their wives, settled in the forests of Champaign Co., the one in 1805, the other in 1809; both were prosperous farmers, and succeeded in gaining a competency for themselves and their children. William Prince, the father of the sub- ject of this sketch, was born in Kentucky in 1807, and the mother, Sarah Norman, in Ohio in 1808 ; they were married in 1828. William Prince became a successful farmer and a man of influence in the community in which he lived; he died in 1848. Benja- min F. Prince is the fifth of six children who grew to maturity ; he was brought up to the labors of the farm, and received his early education in the district school; in 1860, he entered the Preparatory Department of Wittenberg College; he graduated from this institution in 1865, and, at the opening of the next session, he proceeded to the study of theology ; in the spring of 1866, he was appointed Tutor in said institution; in 1869, Principal of the Preparatory Department, and Assistant Professor of Greek; in 1873, Professor of Natural History ; and in 1878, Professor of Greek and History, which position he now holds. In 1869, he was married to Ella Sanderson, of Spring- field, Ohio ; Miss Sanderson was the daughter of J. Sanderson, a lawyer of Philadelphia, editor of the Daily News of that city ; in 1861, Chief Clerk to Simon Cameron, Sec- retary of War; and afterward Colonel in the regular army. Miss Sanderson received her education in the schools of Philadelphia and in the Springfield Seminary, from which she graduated in 1866.

JOSEPH RHODES, mechanic, Terre Haute. Among the many good men rep- resented in the Champaign County History, Joseph and Noah Rhodes may be classed. Joseph came from Shenandoah Co., Va., in 1835. He had for an objective point Har- rison Co., Ind., but, after passing one winter there, and being much dissatisfied, started on his return to Virginia ; he was out of money when he reached this county, and en- gaged with John Reynolds for a year; in the fall of 1836, he visited his old home, and, in the spring of 1837, he returned, accompanied by his brother Noah and two other men ; they commenced working by the month, and Joseph worked five years in this way, when he commenced the manufacture of boots and shoes in Judge Runkle's store; Noah worked four years and went back to Virginia, living there until 1856,

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when he returned to Champaign Co., bringing with him a wife and three children ; Jo- seph had, in the meantime, saved money enough to enter a quarter-section of land in Indiana; in 1845, he traded this for a tract west of John Bryan's farm, and again traded this for 160 acres on Mad River ; on this he built a mill, and afterward sold it to Abram Powell and purchased the farm upon which he now resides ; Noah purchased 75 acres of his brother Joseph, and another tract adjoining; they farmed in partnership for fourteen years, dividing the profits ; during this time, Noah purchased 60 acres more land, and his oldest son, Jacob, lives on the tract ; one son was born after coming to this county, and the death of one of the others occurred. They are ranked among our best men, and are a credit to the township; they are both Greenback men, and think their party should triumph. Joseph makes his home with his brother Noah, and is one of our confirmed bachelors. They are both exemplary men, and enjoy a high degree of prosperity.

JOHN RICHARDSON, general dealer in groceries, etc., Westville. The gen- tleman whose name heads this sketch keeps the only general store in Westville. He has a substantial business, and his store is a great accommodation to the people in this neighborhood. He is also Postmaster, and has the office located in his place of busi- ness. This adds something to his trade. Mr. Richardson was born in Crawford Co., Ohio, in 1845, and his parents, George and Eve (Slifer) Richardson, came to this county in 1846. They were parents of Amos and John, our subject. Mr. R. died in the fall of 1846, and Mrs. Richardson was married to Daniel Parrott in 1849. They had six children, three sons and three daughters-Aaron, Mary, Franklin C., Reuben W., Ruth E. and Eve Lettie. All the children of the second marriage are living, except Ruth E. and Amos. The eldest son of the first marriage was killed at the battle of Petersburg July 30, 1864. He was First Lieutenant of Co. - , 27th U. S. Colored Troops. John Richardson acquired a good education during his boyhood, being a graduate of Miami Commercial College, Class of 1865. He commenced teaching Sept. 14, 1863, and taught fourteen years in Champaign County, and two years in Johnson Co., Mo. His marriage to Miss Alice Smith, a daughter of the last wife of David Loudenback, was celebrated Oct. 8, 1874. They have had two children-Annie was born Aug. 26, 1875, and is still living; and Mima, born Sept. 7, 1879, who died March 9, 1880. Both Mr. and Mrs. Richardson are members of the Nettle Creek Baptist Church. He is an enterprising business man, and has the confidence of the community in which he does business.

A. P. ROHRER, farmer; P. O. Urbana. Is one of the popular men of the township, and represents an honorable name in this county. His father, Daniel Rohrer, was a native of Pennsylvania, and came to this State a comparatively poor man. He walked from his home in Pennsylvania to this county, then back to Pennsylvania, and again returned on foot to keep from spending his money. He invested his money in a mill and stillhouse that is located on the Westville Pike, on Mad River. His capital of $2,000 was all gone before his work was completed, and he would have utterly failed, but a loan was effected which completed his mill, and in the short space of fifteen years he had paid all indebtedness and had amassed the snug sum of $45,000. He was a hard worker, and a man whom every one trusted, and their faith was never betrayed. He married Sarah Loudenback April 5, 1834, and reared four children ; one son died in infancy; Martin is the eldest; A. P. Rohrer, Mary A. and Christian F. These are all married, and, with the exception of our subject, have been twice married. Mrs. Rohrer died April 1, 1874, and she lies by the side of her husband, in Nettle Creek graveyard. An elegant monument marks their resting-place. Abram P. Rohrer, of whom we now write, was married to Miss Francis A. Logan, of this county, in 1858. He has since this time made agriculture and rearing of fine stock his business. He has some young horses as highly bred as any in the State of Ohio. His farm is one of the splendid ones in the Mad River Valley, and very productive. He is a good finan- cier, and is a wealthy man, and intends soon to have a nice residence of the modern

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style. As his father was one of the prominent men of this township, his memory, as well as the family history, should be perpetuated. Abram has been for a number of years connected with the public schools, and is Democratic in politics.

JOHN A. SHAFFER, SR., farmer; P. O. St. Paris. Was married to Miss Mary Wood, in Shenandoah Co., Va., in 1838; she was a daughter of Benja- min and Sally Wood; she was born in 1810, and John in 1811. They emigrated to Champaign Co. in 1846, and purchased the farm upon which he resides, in 1852. Previous to this time, he rented the farm lying south of his purchase. They came to this county poor but industrious people, and their energy and industry have brought their reward, as he now owns a splendid farm of 82 acres, which makes him a comfortable home and brings him a nice income. Three of their children-Sarah J., Ann R. and Mary C .- were born in Virginia ; Abram, Allen and Philip in this county ; all of whom are married and live near their father ; Rebecca, who married James Lodgon, resides in Kansas. Mr. Shaffer has made all the improvements now visible on his farm, which will remain a monument to his memory long after he is gone. During all his life he has been a model man, doing unto others as he would have them do unto him. He was well acquainted with the pioneers of the township, among whom were Joseph Loudenback, Jacob Baker, Andy Blue, Martin Idle, and Simon Baker (who is now the oldest man in the county), John W. Grafton, Thomas Grafton, Ambrose Grafton, and quite a number others. Mrs. Shaffer has been a member of the Baptist Church for thirty years, and her husband of the Lutheran Church for forty-six years. Their descendants may look back with pride on their ancestry, as being people respected by all, and well worthy the confidence reposed in them.

SAMUEL K. SOWERS, farmer; P. O. Westville. The parents of our subject were early settlers of Pennsylvania, coming to Perry Co. in 1804. Their names were Henry Sowers and Elizabeth Koser. They were married probably in 1832; they had five children-Isabella, Samuel (our subject), Jacob, Elmanda and Mary A. The parents are still living in Pennsylvania, and all the children are living and are doing well. The grandparents of Samuel were natives of Maryland on his father's side, and of Pennsylvania on his mother's. In 1859, Mr. Sowers arrived in Westville and formed a partnership with Jacob Aulabaugh, which was continued eighteen months. Jan. 8, 1861, he was wedded to Miss Eunice E. Blose, daughter of Daniel and Susan Blose. They were among the wealthiest, and Daniel was one of the most energetic and successful men of this township. He left his children a large patrimony. In De- cember, Mr. Sowers, having previously sold his interest in the store, came to the farm which is now his home. He purchased the land of his father-in-law, Mr. Blose, in 1871, paying for the same $100 per acre ; this land is one of the landmarks of this county, and was entered by Thomas Kenton, one of the first settlers ; the block-house mentioned in the history of Mad River Township, was built where Mr. Sowers' garden is now. Mr. and Mrs. Sowers are the parents of five children-Lilly V., Daniel H., Mary L., John J. and Emery. They may feel proud of being born on the land of which we have spoken, that has since been so splendidly improved by their father, who is a man noted for his splendid business qualifications and his honorable character.

DAVID STEINBERGER, farmer ; P. O. Urbana. Mr. Steinberger is one of our oldest men, and is now in his 81st year ; his grandparents came from Germany and settled in Shenandoah Co., Va. David's parents-John and Elizabeth Steinberger- were married in Virginia, and came to this county in 1804, and settled on Nettle Creek, near where Millerstown is now. This was at that time an Indian village, and was occu- pied by the Miami tribe. Indians were plenty at that day but were peaceable. The heavy timber was almost unbroken at that time, and wild game was plenty ; raccoons destroyed much corn, and they had to watch their fields at night to save it; squirrels were almost as destructive during the day as the coons were at night. Everybody helped their neighbors raise their log houses, roll and burn their logs, and a general feeling of good-fellowship prevailed. John Steinberger was a prominent man in his

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day, and was an enterprising one, having no money when he came here. When he left the county for Indiana, in 1819 or 1820, he owned 240 acres of land. His children were named George, John, Henry, Frederick, David and Gideon. Elizabeth and Cath- arine were the daughters. Only our subject and Gideon, who lives in Iowa, are living. David was born in Virginia Sept. 9, 1800, and was married, in 1821, to Elizabeth Pence. Their name figures extensively in this history. David and his wife were parents of seven children, only three-Louisa M., Mary A. and George S .- are living. Mrs. S. died in 1833, and in 1835 David married Lucy Gaines, of Virginia, where she was born, Feb. 22, 1813. By her he had eight children, five of whom are living- Caroline, Elizabeth, Amanda, John and Gideon. David started in life with $50, which was spent in trying to regain his health, which was very poor in his younger days. He went bravely to work, married a wife, and commenced life in earnest. This reminds us of a story which Mr. Steinberger relates : " A man (name forgotten) with whom David stayed all night, on Little Flat Rock, Indiana, married his wife when she was only 15 years of age. They had been married fifteen years and had fifteen children, whose mother was only 30 years of age. When they were married, they had not a dol- lar, and after rearing this large family they had bought and paid for 400 acres of land, and were then engaged in building a mill." After sixty years of toil, commencing with- out any capital, except a pair of willing hands, Mr. Steinberger is now the owner of 952 acres of land, worth $75,000, not counting personal property, etc., and also a residence in Urbana. All this was gained by honest toil and economy. Both himself and wife are of the Baptist faith, and are now living at their ease on the farm, near the mills that bear his name. Politically, he is Democratic, one of the substantial kind, and is honored and respected by the best citizens of Champaign County.

SIMEON TAYLOR, farmer and Justice of the Peace; P. O. Westville. The subject of this sketch is one of the prominent men of Mad River Township; he is a son of Benjamin S. and Sarah (Miller) Taylor. Benjamin was a native of Tennessee, coming to this county probably in 1810; he was born July 24, 1805. Sarah Miller, his wife, was born July 31, 1796, in Loudoun Co., Va .; her parents emigrated to this county in 1818. Benjamin Taylor and Sarah Miller were married July 28, 1830 ; they were parents of three children-Sarah A., Darius, and Simeon, our subject; all the children are married and living in this county. Simeon was born June 7, 1838, and his boyhood was spent on the farm; he attended high school in Urbana in 1859 and 1860, and afterward attended mercantile college at Cleveland, Ohio ; he commenced teaching school in the winter of 1860, and was, for eight consecutive terms, teacher in his own district ; he engaged afterward in teaching for several terms, and acquired a good record, as may be known by his long continuance in the same district. During this time, he became engaged to and married Miss Susan Ward, Oct. 1, 1863, since which time he has devoted his attention almost exclusively to agricultural pursuits ; they have four children-Alonzo W., Laura O., David E. and Bertha R .; Alonzo was born April 5, 1866; Laura, Feb. 22, 1868; David, July 24, 1870; and Bertha, Sept. 2, 1872. Mr. Taylor was Township Treasurer in 1871, and, in the fall of 1878, was elected Justice of the Peace of Mad River Township ; his judgment as a Justice is good, having as yet no decisions reversed ; he takes the place of Squire David Louden- back, universally acknowledged one of the best Justices ever serving in this township. Mr. Taylor has lately purchased the farm upon which he now resides, and is fitting it up nicely ; he has recently built a fine barn, and otherwise added much to the beauty and convenience of the farm. His parents were among the pioneers of this county, and did their share toward its development; his mother was one of ten children, of whom Mary, the eldest (now 92 years of age), is still living ; also one brother, Na- than, aged 76, who resides in Sangamon Co., Ill .; many of the old veterans have passed away since their time, and they, too, will soon take their departure. Mr. Taylor's par- ents died-the father, in 1854, and the wife and mother in 1880; they were estimable people, and their children do honor to their name. Mr. Taylor owns 224 acres of fine land, which brings him a nice revenue; he lives at his ease, one mile west of the village

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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 88

Author: Ogden, J. W. (John W.); Beers (W.H.) & Co., pub Publication date: 1881 Publisher: Chicago : W.H. Beers & co. Number of Pages: 926

Author: Ogden, J. W. (John W.); Beers (W.H.) & Co., pub
Publication date: 1881
Publisher: Chicago : W.H. Beers & co.
Number of Pages: 926