USA > Ohio > Clark County > The history of Clark County, Ohio, containing a history of the county; its cities, towns, etc.; general and local statistics; portraits of early settlers and prominent men, V. 2 > Part 69
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MADISON TOWNSHIP.
GEORGE R. ARMSTRONG, druggist; P. O. South Charleston; was born in the city of Pittsburgh, Penn., July 5, 1811. His education was obtained at the Fourth Ward School and Western University. In 1865, he was apprenticed to the drug trade, and was engaged in that business in his native city till 1874, with the exception of two winters, one spent in Philadelphia, Penn., and the other in New York. His marriage was celebrated Dec. 15, 1873, with Miss Margaret Langden, of Steubenville, Ohio. Ou the 1st of January of the following year, he moved to Cincinnati, and in February of the same year to Milford, Ohio, where he remained till September following. He then located at South Charleston, Clark Co., and served in the capacity of General Manager
of the store of Ira Athcarn, and then William Cheney until March of 1876, when the present firm of Armstrong & Co. purchased the business of William Cheney, and have since conducted it with success. Mr. Armstrong was elected Recorder of the village in the spring of 1878 by a small majority, and re-elected in the spring of 1880) by an almost unanimous vote. He became a member of the American Pharmaceutical Association in 1871, and on the 2d of September, 1872, assisted in organizing the Ohio State Pharmaceutical Association at Columbus.
DR. W. H. BARNWELL ; P. O. South Charleston; was born Sept. 10, 1832, in Ashtabula Village, Ashtabula Co., Ohio; has been a reside it of this county twenty- three years. His father and mother were natives of Northamptonshire, England. and came to this country in the early part of 1832. . The latter is still living in Har- mony Village, this county, in the 71th year of her age. April 23, 1861, he enlisted as a private soldier with Capt. Phil. Kershner, 16th O. V. I., and served four months ; assisted in organizing the 44th O. V. I. in the fall of 1861; sworn into the service as a private soldier; elected Second Lieutenant Co. E; served in that capacity until pro- moted to First Lieutenant and assigned to Co. B, where he served until the expiration of term of enlistment of the 44th, participating in every battle or skirmish the regimeut was ever engaged in, among which was the battle of Lewisburg, Va., May 23, 1862, that Gen. George Crook's said was " the neatest little stand-up fight of the war. April, 1865, he was appointed United States Detective, with headquarters at Nashville, Tenn., under orders of Gen. Thomas, and held that position until after the close of the war, and the office was abandoned March, 1866 ; read medicine with Dr. James S. R. Hazzard, of Springfield, and graduated at the Cincinnati College of Medicine and Surgery June, 1871 ; since which time has been constantly in the active practice of his profession ; is a member of Clark County Medical Society, and served one year as its President ; married to Lucina E. Sprague, daughter of Darius Sprague, of Harmony Towuship, this county, Nov. 14, 1867, by whom he has three children-Jessie H., born Aug. 27, 1868 ; Ollie L., born March 9, 1872, and William Hayes, born Nov. 6, 1876; present residence, South Charleston, Clark Co., O .; is and always has been a firm adherent to the regular practice of medicine.
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ALMON BRADFORD. dealer in groceries and provisions; P. O. South Charl .... ton ; was born in Chili, Monroe Co., N. Y., Dec. 13, 1830. His great grandfather :" a direct descendant of William Bradford, who came to America in the Mayflower ani who was the first Governor of the Plymouth colony in 1620. His father was born in Massachusetts in 1796, but when quite small removed to Vermont, where they remained till he was about 16 years of age. They then moved to near Rochester, N. Y., where in 1821 he married Mary Sybil Brace. She was born in Connecticut in 1802. 1838, they came to Ohio and settled near Springfield, Clark Co. Their son, Alyon, th . subject of this sketch, when 17 years of age, went to learn the blacksmith trade, which he followed till July, 1862, residing mostly at Lisbon, in the last-named county. On quitting his trade at the time just mentioned, he enlisted in Co. K, 45th O. V. I., and went forth to aid in suppressing the rebellion. He was First Sergeant at the organiza- tion ; afterward Second and First Lieutenant of the same regiment, and participated in fifty-eight battles, including the great John Morgan Raid. He returned home in the fall of 1864, but having received an injury while in the service, was unable to work at his trade, and has since been engaged at various kinds of business. On the 15th of July, 1853, he joined the Odd Fellows in Springfield, Ohio; and in 1863, while at home on recruiting service, was made a Master Mason of Fielding Lodge, No. 192. South Charleston. He was elected Justice of the Peace in Harmony Township, Clark County in 1868, and served till 1879, when he resigned, having moved to Madison Township, where, in South Charleston, he engaged in the grocery and provision trade. His marriage was celebrated Feb. 23. 1854, with Margaret Ann McBeth. Three sou- were the issue of this union, viz .: Albert, Rufus Orren and Orlando Rolla.
WASHINGTON BUFFENBARGER (deceased) ; was born in Madison Town- ship, Clark Co., Ohio, Jan. 17, 1809; a son of George and Hannah Buffenbarger. both natives of Virginia, who emigrated from their native State in 1807, and located on the Little Miami River, at the place above mentioned, where they purchased a very large tract of land, and where the residue of their lives was spent. They were the parents of ten children. The first born in Virginia, died in infancy. The others were born in Ohio and lived to adult age. Their names were as follows: Jesse, Washington. Samuel and Sampson (twins); Simington, Salmon, Eve, Mary and Angus. Sampson. the only survivor, resides in Anglaise Co., Ohio. Washington was raised to manual labor on his father's farm, and was always engaged in agricultural pursuits. On the 24th of February, 1831, he was united in marriage with Mary Goudy, by whom he had five children-Peter, Mary H., Mahala A., Priscilla and Francis M. Washington Buffenbarger departed this life in July, 1877. His wife survives and resides on the farm. She was born in Vance Township, Greene County (which is Green Township. Clark County since 1818) ; Oct. 22, 1808 is the date of her birth. John Goudy, but father, was of Irish descent, born in Redding Co., Penn. His first marriage was col. - brated in Kentucky, and, in 1803, they, with their two children, emigrated to Olife and settled in Hamilton County. Five years later they moved to the place previously mentioned. Ten children were born to them-Alexander, Nancy. Ann, John, Rebecca. Mary, Robert S., Elizabeth, Isabel and Hannah. His second marriage was consummated with Nancy Murphy. The children of this union were seven in number.
SAMUEL H. CARR, hotel and livery, South Charleston; was born near Jeffersonville, Fayette Co., Ohio, Dec. 23, 1842; was the son of Michael and Mary Carr. He was a native of Ohio, and his wife of Virginia; a farmer by occupation ; hi- death occurred June 19, 1871, aged 60 years. His wife still survives him, and remitas upon the home farm. They were the parents of nine children, all now living, and grandparents of thirty nine children, and great-grandparents to five children. The subject of this sketch stayed upon the farm with his father until the age of 18 yours. when he eulisted in Co. C, 90th O. V. I., and served two and a half years. and was engaged in many hard-fought battles, viz. : Perrysville, Ky. ; Cross Roads, Ky. ; Stone River, Tenn. ; Resaca, Ga., and many others of minor importance, and on June 20, 1864, was engaged in the battle of Kenesaw Mountain, where he received a wound in his left arm, and on the 13th of July following his arm was amputated three inches
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below the shoulder-joint. He received his discharge at Columbus Sept. 20, 1864. He now receives a pension of $24 per month. On the 28th of January, 1868, he united in marriage with Miss Ardilla A. McIntire, of Jeffersonville, Ohio (and daughter of Lucius and Elizabeth MeIntire, natives of Ohio) ; was born Sept. 13, 1845. They are the parents of three children, all now living, one son and two daughters. viz. : Charles L., born March 31, 1870; Mary M., April 27, 1874; Ada B., Nov. 5, 1878.
MILTON CLARK, Cashier of the Bank of South Charleston, South Charles- ton. 'To the gentleman whose name appears above we are pleased to allot & space in the biographical album of this work. Henry Clark, his grandfather, was born and raised in South Carolina. In 1804, he, with his wife and three children, emigrated to Ohio and settled in Warren Co., where he purchased 600 acres of land, half of which was to be the property of his brother Jonathan on arriving at his majority. He had made some considerable improvement in the way of clearing and erecting buildings, when one Walter Dun contested the title of his land. This put a stop to all improvement, and the barn which he had built, and which was the first frame barn on the Miami River in that county, stood incomplete till after the final decision in 1840, when our subject finished it. The struggle for the rights of his property lasted nearly thirty years, and ruined him financially. He was a Quaker, a man of decisive integrity and vivid intellect. Hard work and exposure broke him down in middle age ; these, together with the difficulty before mentioned, made him an early victim for the grave. He died about 1835, having been the father of five children-John, Jona- than, Henry, Cornelius and Elizabeth. Jonathan, the father of Milton Clark, was born in South Carolina in 1797: He was raised to agricultural pursuits, which was his principal occupation through life. For a number of years, however, he was unable to perform manual labor. Owing to an asthmatic affection, he did not sleep an entire night in bed for twenty years. He was identified with the principal offices of the town- ship, and did a great deal of business for other parties. His marriage was celebrated in 1818 with Henrietta, daughter of Daniel and Mary Stump, who emigrated from Fred- erick Co., Va., in 1817, and located in Warren Co., Ohio. Jonathan and Henrietta Clark were the parents of six children-Milton, Mary, Cornelius A., Daniel W., Eliza and Matilda. The last two died in youth. The survivors are the three sons. Jona- than Clark departed this life July 4, 1842. His wife survived till 1875, and died at the age of 75. Milton, the subject of this memoir, was born in Warren Co., Dec. 18, 1819. Being the oldest of the children, and his father an invalid, he was called upon to take charge of his father's affairs at a very carly period of his life. He and his good mother did most of the rearing of the family. He was engaged in farming prin- cipally till 28 years of age. In the meantime, he attempted to read medicine, but his health failed, and he went West to recruit. In 1849, he gave up farming entirely and went into the drug business, which he continued till 1857, when he engaged in the grain and grocery trade. For four years he was railroad and express agent. In De- cember, 1863, he was elected Cashier of the First National Bank of South Charleston, which position he retained after the bank became a private institution, and still holds it with credit to himself and satisfaction on the part of the people. On the 9th of November, 1852, he married Miss Sarah Tibbals. She was born in Montgomery Co. Aug. 5, 1827. To this union three children were given-Flora E., Mary and Bertha. The last two died in infancy. Mrs. Sarah Clark died in 1866,.a consistent member of the Presbyterian Church. In October of 1868 he married Mrs. C. A. Horney, widow of Lieut. Paris Horney, who died in a rebel prison at Columbia, S. C. She was born Dec. 6, 1836. Kearn was her maiden name. Mr. Clark, wife and daughter are mem- bers of the Presbyterian Church, and in the town of South Charleston and surround- ing country he is recognized as a man of straightforward business habits, whose charac- ter is above reproach.
E. T. COLLINS. physician and surgeon ; South Charleston. Of the pioneer medical men of Clark Co., but few are left to tell of the trials and hardships of the early days, nearly all having long since been laid beneath the sod; but in the gen- tlemin whose name heads this sketch, we have one of the few living physicians who
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practiced bis profession since the days when Clark Co. was a wilderness, and he is, with the exception of Dr. MeLaughlin, of Tremont, the only one in full practice who can rank as a pioneer. He is a native of Moorefield Township, Clark Co., Ohio, born Jan. 12, 1818, and the son of Dennis and Mary Collins. His father was born at Winches- ter, Va., March 4, 1771, of Irish parents, who had settled in that State shortly before his birth. His mother's maiden name was Mary Thomas, born in Princeton, N. J., June 12, 1774, and removing to Virginia with her parents when young, where she was married to Dennis Collins, of which union were born fifteen children, as follows : John, Matthias, Thomas, Catherine, Emily, James, Hannah, Job, Mary, Faris, Milton, Den- nis, Elijah T. and two died in infancy. All the balance grew to maturity with the ex- ception of Faris, who died at the age of 15. At the time of the Whisky Rebellion in Pennsylvania, Dennis Collins responded to a call from President Washington, and went out to help suppress the disturbance, which was accomplished without bloodshed. In 1796, he and family removed to Fleming Co., Ky., where they remained until 1811, when they came to Ohio and settled about two miles north of Urbana, Champaign Co., two years later removing south, to what is now Moorefield Township, Clark Co., but at that time a part of Champaign. Here he was engaged in opening up a farm and tilling the soil, until his death, Feb. 24, 1826, his wife surviving him many years, dying Oct. 30, 1843 ; both had been for years members of the Baptist Church. The subject of this sketch was the youngest in the family, and is to-day the only survivor ; his educa- tion was obtained in the common schools of his township, and during the winter of 1838-39 he taught school; then began the study of medicine in the office of Drs. Mosgrove and Carter, of Urbana. In the winter of 1840-41. he attended lectures at the Ohio Medical College, Cincinnati, and on the 16th of April, of the latter year, began the practice of medicine at South Charleston, in partnership with Dr. Robert Houston, who some years afterward moved to Champaign Co., Ill., where he died, but who is still kindly remembered by many citizens of this county. On the 16th of September, 1845, Dr. Collins was married to Miss Sarah L. Houston, daughter of Dr. Robert Houston. Mrs. Collins was born in South Charleston, Aug. 30, 1823, and has had eight children, viz., Elizabeth, Lizzie, Milton, Robert, Charles, Mary, Houston and Louie, only three of whom are living, viz., Milton, who, in March, 1881, graduated at the Ohio Medical College, Cincinnati ; Robert, a farmer in Ford Co., Ill., and Mary, who is a graduate of the Ohio Wesleyan University, of Delaware, Ohio. Dr. Collins and wife are members of the M. E. Church, and have contributed liberally to the support of religion and morals in their community. The Doctor became a member of the Ohio State Medical Society in 1853, and has been a member of the Clark Co. Medical Society for a num- ber of years. He took an active interest in the building of the Little Miami Railroad, and with the exception perhaps of one or two others, is the only subscriber of stock to that road who is living in this vicinity, and was also a large subscriber to the S. S. R. R. He has been identified with the School Board of the town for several years, and during the rebellion was a stanch Unionist ; and though a man of education and good executive ability, he has never sought or wanted office. Politically, a Republican, and a man of the most rigid economy in all his business affairs, he is. yet, strictly upright and honorable in carrying out bis promises or fulfilling his contracts ; extremely slow and cau- tious in arriving at a conclusion ; he is withal firm as a rock in npholding the result of' his deliberations, and those traits have so guided him through life that he has never been engaged in litigation. He is now a stockholder in the Lagonda Bank, of Springfield. owns 1,600 acres of land in Illinois and Iowa, and after forty years of successful prac- tice in his profession, is to-day considered one of the substantial, wealthy men of Clark Co.
DAVID T. COLVIN, farmer and stock-raiser ; P. O. South Charleston. Many who are not pioneers furnish the intellect and capital to further the enterprises that have been conceived and put into successful operation since the country was first settled by those energetic men, whose names we revere, and who will have ample justice done them in the pages of this history; therefore, should we fail to represent David T. Colvin among the leading farmers of Clark County, an injustice would be done him.
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His grandfather, Thomas Colvin, was born in Pennsylvania, of Scotch parents, and there married to Sarah McLaughan, a native of the Keystone State, also of Scotch descent ; they moved to Berkeley Co., Va., in 1800, where they remained until death. To them were born the following children : John, Robert, Thomas, James, Sarah, Eliza Ann, Miriam and one deceased. Thomas, the father of David T., was born in Penn- sylvania Oct. 16, 1798, grew to manhood in Virginia, and was there married in 1826 to Rachel Taylor, a native of Frederick Co., Va., born Sept. 15, 1805, and the daughter of David and Martha Taylor, natives of the " Old Dominion," of German extraction. To Thomas and Rachel Colvin were born five children, viz .: Martha A., David T., Sarah E., John T. and Mary V., the latter deceased. And in 1835 he came to Greene Co., Ohio, settling in the vicinity of Cedarville, where he died in 1844, his wife surviv- ing him many years, dying at Jamestown in 1878, both being life-long members of the M. E. Church. The subject of this sketch was born in Frederick Co., Va., Feb. 18, 1829, and has followed farming as his life occupation. He was married April 13, 1853, to Maria Larkin, daughter of David and Nancy (Harper) Larkin, a sketch of whom will be found in the biography of L. W. Haughey. Mrs. Colvin was born in Greene Co., Ohio, July 25, 1831, and has had born to her, six children, viz., Wilber, Estella V., Chase, Metta, George (deceased) and David L .; she is a member of the M. E. Church. During Mr. Colvin's residence in Greene County, he took a prominent part in every public movement ; was actively connected for several years with the agricultural boards of the county in two different societies; was Trustee of this township about ten years ; a member of the Board of Education in Cedarville ten years, and filled many minor positions, such as devolve on men of known ability and integrity in every com- munity. In 1867, Mr. Colvin came to Clark County, locating in Madison Township, south of South Charleston, where he owns 309 acres of land finely improved, besides 150 acres in a separate tract, ou the line between Clark and Greene Counties, being partly in both. Politically, a Republican, he was a stanch upholder of the Government in the rebellion, giving his money and labor in that cause, as well as, for the support of the soldier's families. Since coming to this county he has been Township Trustee four years, and although not seeking or desiring office, he has been frequently solicited to be a candidate for official preferment, but has always refused to allow his name to go before a convention, which is a rare and commendable virtue in this age of office-seekers. He devotes his attention to his farm, and the raising of sheep, hogs and cattle, in which he has been very successful; is a modest, retiring man of good education, and extensive general information. whom it is a pleasure to converse with; a man whose honesty and integrity, coupled with his social, whole-souled and generous character, has made him hosts of friends throughout this portion of Ohio.
WILLIAM COMRIE, farmer and stock-raiser ; P. O. South Charleston. This old and respected farmer was born in Perthshire, Scotland, June 1S, 1814, and is the son of Alexander and Christine Comrie, natives of that country, where his mother died in 1830, and his father in 1839. William was the fourth in a family of six children, as follows : Peter, Alexander. Catherine, William, John and Jessie, and his youth was spent in his native land, where he grew to manhood, following shepherding and farming as his occupation. On the 19th day of May, 1840, he, together with Catherine and Jessie, embarked at Glasgow for the United States, settling first in Logan Co., Ohio, where he purchased a farm and lived about two years, removing to Madison Township, Clark Co. in the fall of 1842. and, Dec. 1 of that year, was married to Miss Ann Murray, daughter of Mungo and Catherine ( MeEwen) Murry, natives of Scotland, who came to the United States in 1802, settling finally in Delaware Co., N. Y., where they remained until 1817, when they removed to Madison Township, Clark Co., Ohio, and here resided until death, their remains being interred in Lisbon Cemetery. Mrs. Comrie was born in Delaware Co .. N. Y., March 22, 1815, and has had the following children : Mungo M. (deceased ), Catherine ( the wife of James N. Hawk), Alexander, Peter, Lois A. and Margaret. Mr. Comrie had some means when he arrived in Ohio, and was not what is commonly known as a " poor man," but his money he put to good use, and by judicious management and constant industry, has accumulated a large estate, being now
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the owner of 9323 acres of first-class land, 4523 of which he made himself; the balance he received with his wife, took charge of and cleared up, this being almost as great a labor as if he had to buy it. The family name was originally " Montgomrie," but in the early Scottish persecutions the name was changed to " Comrie," to baffle detection. In 1850, his brothers Alexander and John came to this country, but Peter remained in his native land. Politically, Mr. Comrie was a Whig, but on the formation of the Re- publican party, he cast his lot with it, and has ever since adhered to its principles. He, with his wife and four of their children, are members of the Presbyterian Church, and he has ever been in favor of schools, churches and public benefits and institutions of every sort. His home is one of the best in Madison Township, and, surrounded by a. happy, contented family, he and his partner in life's joys and sorrows are now the pos- sessors of every comfort necessary for their enjoyment and happiness. In looking back over the past forty years, we cannot but acknowledge that Mr. Comrie has made a success of life, and his standing to-day, among the people of his township, is that of an honest, upright, straightforward and progressive man, who, by his own efforts, has won a fair place in the ranks of the leading farmers of his adopted county.
WILLIAM DAVISSON, retired farmer ; P. O. South Charleston ; one of the re- spected pioneers who are still living in Madison Township, is the man whose name heads this sketch. . He is so well-known throughout this vicinity that his name is familiar to all, and his life has been of that energetic sort that was characteristic of the first settlers who have contributed the best years of their lives to the development of this country. His parents, Isaac and Sarah Davisson, were natives of Virginia, he being born May 9, 1790, and his wife, Oct. 18 in the same year ; they came to Ohio at an early day, locating on ' Todd's Fork," in Warren Co., where they were married Oct. 4, 1808. About 1810, they came to what is now Madison Township, Clark Co., and entered a quarter-section of land north of the Little Miami River, on which they settled; and here they suffered the privations and hardships incident to pioneer life, Indians being numerous and trouble- some at that time. To Isaac and Sarah Davisson were born fourteen children, viz., William, Obediah, Lemuel, Mary, Elizabeth, Daniel, Nancy, Lucinda, Sarah I., Margaret, Juli- anna, Maria, James G. and Daniel D., all growing to maturity except Daniel and Sarah I., and seven of whom are still living. Isaac Davisson and wife were energetic, economical people, who, by dint of hard labor, coupled with frugality, converted the forest into well- cultivated fields, and added much to their possessions. He was a soldier in the war of 1812, and was identified with the principal township officers, although never seeking preferment. He was a prominent member of the M. E. Chure 1, and for many years his house was the regular place for preaching. He died full of honors, Aug. 29, 1851. His widow is still living, and although her 90th birthday was celebrated by her children and friends, on 18th of last October, she yet enjoys good health, and frequently walks a half-mile to church, from her son's home, with whom she resides, into South Charleston. "Aunt Sallie," as she is familiarly known, has been for many years an earnest worker in the M. E. Church, and her ardent zeal is yet unabated ; known far and wide for her simple, unaffected piety, her good offices have been constantly sought, and she is looked up to as " a mother in the house of Israel." May her life and character, as a striking example of motherly love, be imitated and followed by the budding womanhood of this and future generations. The subject of this sketch was the eldest in the family, and was born in Warren Co., Ohio, Sept. 15, 1809, and was reared a farmer. He was mar- ried March 8, 1832, to Emmerine Adams, daughter of Eli and Elizabeth ( Beaks) Adams, he a native of Maryland, and she of Virginia. Mrs. Davisson was born in Greene Co., Ohio, May 12, 1813; and three children are the fruits of this union, viz., James C., Sarah E. and Eli A., all of whom are living. . Mr. Davisson, although retired from active farm life, is yet in partnership with his son in the stock business, the latter having charge of the farm. Politically, a "dyed-in-the-wool " Republican, he was a firm upholder of the rebellion, and, for forty years, he and his wife have been members of the M. E. Church, and every public measure found in him a hearty supporter. He is one of the oldest settlers living to-day in his township, and is honest and upright in all his affairs, and is trusted and respected by all who know him.
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