USA > Ohio > Darke County > The history of Darke County, Ohio, containing a history of the county; its cities, towns, etc.; general and local statistics; portraits of early settlers and prominent men; > Part 82
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I. Q. SINKS, farmer; P. O. German. The subject of this memoir was born in April, 1829, about twelve miles northwest of Dayton, in Montgomery Co .; he is the son of Andrew Sinks, a native of North Carolina, who emigrated to Ohio with his parents previous to the beginning of the present century, and settled north of Dayton, on the Stillwater ; this was then on the frontier of civilization, and his family constituted one of the first in the neighborhood ; he was about two years old when he arrived there ; he was raised on a farm and accustomed to its duties ; this occupation he followed all his life, living upon the same farm where he first located until his death, which occurred at the ripe old age of 87 years. He was married to Miss Yount, who was also a native of North Carolina, and emi- grated to Ohio in about 1800 ; she survived her husband about three years, when her death occurred at the ripe old age of 84 years. Mr. and Mrs. Sinks were the
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parents of twelve children, ten sons and two daughters, nine of whom are still living. Our subject is next to the youngest of the family ; he was brought up on a farm, and remained at home until he attained his majority ; at this period he celebrated his marriage with Miss Williamson, who was also born in Montgomery Co .; her father was a native of Virginia, and her mother a native of Warren Co., Ohio. Soon after the marriage of Mr. and Mrs. Sinks, they moved to their present place, and have resided here ever since, a period of twenty-seven years ; they are the parents of seven children-Sarah S., born Dec. 1, 1851 ; Oliver P., born April 29, 1853 ; Noah W., born April 3, 1855 ; Emma J., born Jan. 28, 1857, deceased Nov. 11, 1858 ; Leora, born March 20, 1858, deceased Oct. 6, 1879 ; Clarrissa, born May 13, 1860 ; Loretta, born April 16, 1862.
WILLIAM H. SETTLE, farmer, P. O. German. Mr. Settle is a native of North Carolina, was born in Rockingham Co., Feb. 5, 1840; he is the son of Josiah and Nancy Settle, both natives of North Carolina ; Mr. Settle was princi- pally raised upon a farm ; at the age of 6 he was taken to Mississippi by his parents ; in 1855, he emigrated to Ohio with his parents, settling first in Hamilton, Butler Co. During the late civil war, he was engaged most of the time on a boat on the rivers Mississippi, Missouri and White, principally as a Government em- ploye ; in 1866, he returned to Butler Co., and engaged in farming, which occu- pation he has followed with marked success ever since. He was united in mar- riage, in Cincinnati, March 15, 1869, to Miss Josie Triplet ; she was born and raised in that city. Immediately after his marriage, he moved to his present place, having previously purchased the farm, which consists of 160 acres. He is a self-made man ; beginning with almost nothing, he has, by his own exertions, put himself in possession of a large fertile and well-improved farm, They are the parents of six children, two of whom have been removed from the family circle by death.
WILLIAM SPENCER, farmer ; P. O. Hollandsburg. Mr. Spencer is another of the early pioneers of this county ; he was born in Greene Co., Ohio, Oct. 12, 1812 ; he is of English descent, and is the son of Francis Spencer, who was a native of Kentucky ; he emigrated to Ohio when quite young, and located in Greene Co., previous to the war of 1812 ; he served in this struggle for a short period as a soldier ; his father was a soldier in the Revolutionary war, and was severely wounded by a shot fired by an Indian ; Francis Spencer emigrated to this county in the spring of 1817, and located in the southwest quarter of Sec. 3, in Harrison Township. But few civilized men had then penetrated the untrodden wilds of our country, and Mr. Spencer constituted one of the van couriers of civili- zation ; he moved with his family, first into a log cabin, mother earth constituting the floor ; here he began carving for himself a home in the dense forests, which was soon accomplished by his unflagging industry. He celebrated his marriage with Miss Sarah Spencer, about the beginning of the present century ; she was also a native of Kentucky ; they were the parents of eleven children, to wit : Eliza- beth, born Nov. 23, 1802, now deceased ; Delilah, born Feb. 26, 1804, now deceased ; Anderson, born Jan. 28, 1806 ; Ludlow, born Dec. 3, 1808, now deceased ; Eliza, Dec. 3, 1810 ; William, born Oct. 12, 1812 ; Clark, born May 31, 1814, now deceased ; Anna, born Ang. 14, 1816 ; Jackson, born Nov. 22, 1818 ; Sarah, born April 17, 1822; Mark T., Dee. 31, 1827, now deceased. Mrs. Spencer departed her life at the age of 72 years ; Mr. Spencer lived to the ripe old age of 90 years, his death occurring Aug. 14, 1874 ; thus departed from their privations below, two more of the pio- neers of this county. Our subject was only 5 years old when he came with his parents to this county ; his early days were devoted to such work as the frontiers- man usually finds to do ; he thus became early inured to pioneer life ; he remained at home on the farm till he grew up to mature years. He was united in marriage with Miss Margaret Irwin, in 1831 ; she was born in Pennsylvania, and emigrated to this State with her parents when quite small, locating first in Greene Co .; after the marriage of Mr. Spencer, he moved to the place where he now lives, and
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engaged in agricultural pursuits ; Mr. and Mrs. Spencer are the parents of eleven children, four of whom have deceased ; his son, Irwin, engages during the winter months in the profession of teaching.
BARNEY TEAFORD, farmer ; P. O. German. The subject of this sketch was born February 3, 1825, near the place where he now resides. He is the son of George Teaford, a history of whose life appears in Jonathan Teaford's sketch. He remained on the homestead with his parents until he was 33 years of age. He was engaged in agricultural pursuits up to this time, and after he arrived at maturity with his twin brother Jonathan. Beginning when the country was comparatively new, he knows what hard work is. He celebrated his marriage March 20, 1859, with Miss Margaret Stapleton. She is a native of Indiana, born in Wayne Co., November 13, 1838. At the age of abont 6 years, she came to this county with her parents. Her paternal grandfather was an carly pioneer of the county. He settled four miles below Hollandsburg, in Harrison Township, in an early day. Mr. Teaford, after his marriage, moved to the place where he now resides, and where he has ever since lived. We see, in his large, well-improved farms and fine residence, industry and frugality richly rewarded. Mr. and Mrs. Teaford are the parents of seven children, four of whom death's messenger has visited and consigned to the silent tomb. Their names are as follows : Jonathan, born March 8, 1860; departed this life October 29, 1862. Norman, born March 24, 1861. Infant son, born April 15, 1862, died the same day. Oscar, born June 30, 1864, departed this life, Sept. 25, 1866; Samuel, born July 20, 1867 ; Charles born Nov. 18, 1870, departed this life June 25, 1871 ; Flora, Alice, born May 10, 1874.
JONATHAN TEAFORD, farmer; P. O. German. The gentleman whose name heads this sketch is one of the large farmers of German Township; he was born Feb. 3, 1825, near the place where he now resides ; is the son of George Tea- ford, one of the early pioneers of this township. Mr. Teaford, Sr., was born in Angusta Co., Va., and when quite young emigrated to Fairfield Co., Ohio ; here he remained several years, engaged as a laborer upon a farm ; he emigrated to Ger- man Township with the Ketrings, who constituted one of the first families in the township; he found this country then almost untouched by the hand of civiliza- tion ; the " sons of the bow and arrow " still lingered around, and wild game was abundant. April 6, 1820, he celebrated his marriage with Miss Magdalena Ket- ring ; she was also one of the early pioneers of the township, and a native of Penn- sylvania. Shortly after his marriage, he moved to the place where the subject of this sketch now resides, his father-in-law having previously bequeathed him the land, then all in the woods ; here he erected a cabin and resided till a few years before his death, when he took up his abode with his son Barney. Mr. and Mrs. George Teaford were the parents of twelve children, as follows : Jacob, born Feb. 10, 1821, deceased September, 1826 ; Rebecca, born Feb. 1, 1822, deceased, Octo- ber, 1825; George, born Sept. 24, 1823; Jonathan and Barney, twins, Feb. 3, 1825; Hester, July 26, 1827 ; Elizabeth, Oct. 23, 1828; Amelia, March 28, 1830 ; Sarah, Feb. 18, 1832 ; Susannah, born March 12, 1835, deceased, December, 1838 ; David, born Sept. 28, 1836, deceased Aug. 5, 1838; Aaron, born June 16, 1838, deceased June 24, 1839. Mrs. Teaford departed this life Feb. 13, 1861 ; her hus- band survived her till Jan. 29, 1874, when his death occurred. Thus we record the death of two more of the early pioneers of German Township, who passed away leaving a large circle of acquaintances and a large family to mourn their loss. Mr. Jonathan Teaford was raised a farmer, and early became accustomed to its arduous duties ; he remained at home assisting on the farm till he grew up to years of maturity ; he then, with his twin brother, engaged in farming on rented land ; they formed a partnership thus early in life, which existed till a few years ago, when the property, consisting of several large farms, which were jointly held and managed by them, was divided. Our subject was united in marriage with Miss Sophia Smelker March 8, 1848; she was born in Preble Co., Ohio, and at the
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age of about 6 years she came to this county with her parents. (Her parents receive notice under the sketch of A. B. Rush.) After the marriage of Mr. Tea- ford, he rented a farm about one mile east of where he now lives, and farmed it about six years. He then, in connection with his brother, purchased 80 acres of land just west of his present place; by their habits of industry, they added farm after farm to their possessions, till they owned a half-section of land in one body ; they then made a division, each taking a quarter-section; since then, he has added other farms to his possessions, and has them all well improved; he has one of the finest brick residences in the township. Mr. and Mrs. Teaford are the parents of ten children, seven of whom are living.
J. B. TENNELL, physician, German ; was born near the city of Lexington, Ky., Nov. 20, 1833 ; his paternal and maternal grandparents came from Scotland in an early day and settled in Virginia ; remaining there a few years, they removed to Jessamine County, Ky., where Joseph Tennell, the Doctor's father, was born in the year 1796. Our subject, Buford, as he was called when a boy, was the youngest of a family of ten children. His mother died when he was 2 years old, and a step-mother died some eight years later. From that time on, he lived among strangers, strugged with poverty and fought the battle of life on his own hook- working on a farm for 25 cents a day during the summer and fall, and at- tending school through the winter. When 15 years of age, he came to Frank- lin, Ind., and attended a select school for one year ; then entered the Franklin College, and continued his studies there for about four years, teaching a district school three terms to secure means to pay his board and expenses. He then com- menced and read medicine for three years as a pupil under old Dr. Mackey. At- tended medical lectures in the Allopathic Department of Ann Arbor, Mich., in 1855-56. After practicing some three years, he was persuaded to abandon medi- cine and enter the ministry, which he did, and spent three years as a traveling minister in the U. B. Church. Not being fully satisfied, he decided to return to the business which he had spent so much of his time in order to qualify himself to follow. Before resuming practice, he attended another course of medical lectures at Cincinnati, Ohio, receiving therefrom the degree of M. D. Since then he has been actively engaged in his profession in the counties of Union, Randolph and Howard, Ind. Five years ago, on account of good roads, he located at Palestine, in this county, where he has a nice residence, and has a large and lucrative practice. The Doctor is a large, portly man, weighing two hundred pounds, is well preserved, and has never used tobacco in any form, nor ardent spirits as a bever- age. His life is a practical demonstration that any young man of mind and energy can succeed, if they determine to do so.
S. S. THOMAS, farmer ; P. O. Hollandsburg, Ohio. The subject of this memoir is an early settler and prominent citizen of this township ; he was born July 30, 1828, near the place where he now resides ; he is of Welsh descent, and the son of Charles W. Thomas, one of the pioneers of this township ; he was born in Maryland, and emigrated to Ohio when quite young (notice last of sketch) ; he settled first in Greene Co., where he celebrated his marriage with Miss Mercy Sackett ; she was born in North Carolina and emigrated to Greene Co. with her parents about the beginning of the present century ; her father, Cyrus Sackett, was a soldier in the great struggle for American independence ; he celebrated his marriage with Mrs. Sackett in 1792. Mr. Charles Thomas came to this county about 1826 and located on land previously entered by his father, Daniel Thomas, Sec. 31, in German Township ; he found it then covered with the mantle of nature, and the country a vast wilderness ; at that time it required nerve and courage to begin life there ; this, however, was not wanting with Mr. Thomas, and the wilder- ness was soon made to " blossom as the rose; " he lived on this place till 1864, when he disposed of it and moved into Hollandsburg ; while on a visit to Greene Co., he was taken sick with fever from which he never recovered ; his death occurred Sept. 1, 1872, at the age of 74 years 8 months and 4 days ; his devoted
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wife preceded him to her final rest several years, her death occurring June 29, 1859. Mr. and Mrs. T. were faithful members of the M. E. Church, and their lives were examples of Christian piety and virtue ; nine children. four sons and five daughters were born to them, all of whom are still living. Our subject's youthful days were passed upon the farm ; at the age of 18, he was apprenticed to the " cabinet trade," and served a term of two years ; he then engaged at journey-work in Richmond, Ind., for a period of five years ; at the end of this time, he purchased a cabinet-shop in Palestine, which he controlled about one year and disposed of it, moving to the place where he now resides. He was united in marriage with Miss Caroline Berry April 29, 1855 ; she was born in Hamilton, Butler Co., Jan. 15, 1837, and came to this county with her parents in 1838, locating where she now lives, in Sec. 32 ; her father, Thomas Berry, was a native of Virginia, and emi- grated to this State when a young man ; he was married to Betsey Randolph, a native of Butler Co., Ohio ; his death occurred Sept. 8, 1839 ; his wife survived lim till Ang. 4, 1851, when her death occurred ; she had previously united in marriage with Mr. William Freeman ; Mr. and Mrs. Berry were both zealous mem- bers of the M. E. Church, and passed peacefully to rest when their life's work was ended, lamented by all who knew them. Mr. Thomas is one of those who left the comforts of home and endured the perils of the battle-field for the preservation of the Union ; he enlisted in the Eighth Ohio Battery early in the spring of 1864, and participated in the battles of Black River Bridge and Yazoo City ; he was honorably discharged with the regiment at Camp Dennison, Aug. 5, 1865; in politics, Mr. Thomas is a Republican. Mr. and Mrs. Thomas are the parents of ten children, three of whom died when quite young ; two sons and five daughters are still living ; one daughter, Ellen, was united in marriage, Nov. 8, 1877, with G. W. Hill, son of H. L. Hill. Mr. and Mrs. Thomas are consistent members of the M. E. Church. Charles W. Thomas was a soldier in the war of 1812, and was stationed at Fort Meigs most of the time during the period of his service.
WILLIAM WADE, farmer ; P. O. German, Ohio. William Wade, one of the few remaining early pioneers of this county, was born Nov. 9, 1818, on the south- east quarter of See. 13, in Harrison Township, where the south part of New Mad- ison now stands ; he is of English descent, and the son of William Wade, Sr., who was born in Maryland ; he emigrated to Ohio previous to the war of 1812, and located first in Preble Co., and from there he went to Harrison Township in 1818, settling on the place on which our subject was born ; he then constituted one of the first settlers in that township ; he departed this life at the age of 61 years, his wife surviving him several years, when her death occurred in Wayne Co., Ind. Both were buried in the cemetery at New Madison. Our subject's boy- hood days did not differ much from those of most of the pioneer boys ; he shared in the trials and difficulties incident to frontier life ; his father being an invalid, the management of the farm early fell to his charge ; this duty he discharged suc- cessfully until he reached the age of 24. The meagerness of educational advanta- ges at that day, together with the duties of the farm, which early devolved upon him, rendered his education, so far as books were concerned, much limited ; just previous to leaving the homestead, July 23, 1842, he celebrated his marriage with Miss Susannah Ross ; she is the daughter of Nathaniel Ross, one of the early pio- neers of the township ; he settled here February, 1819, and in the following August, Mrs. Wade was born ; she has witnessed all the changes in this section of country, from the thickets of the forest to the waving grain-fields of to-day. Soon after Mr. Ward's marriage, he moved to Neave Township, locating on a farm which he had previously purchased of Reuben Lowry ; at the end of four years. he dis- posed of this farm aud purchased and moved on the one on which he now resides ; he has resided here ever since, a period of thirty years. Mr. Wade has risen by his own exertions to a place among the foremost farmers of his section of country. Mr. and Mrs. Wade are the parents of one child, a daughter, Mary, born Oct. 15, 1843 ; she was united in marriage to Charles W. Sentmen July 19, 1867 ; she
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departed her life Nov. 18, 1874 ; her life was short, though complete ; her work was finished and she passed peacefully away, leaving a large circle of acquaint- ances, a kind father and mother, a husband and two loving daughters, to mourn her departure and revere her memory ; she was a consistent member of the Meth- odist Episcopal Church until death, and lived in the discharge of her Christian duties ; in her death, society lost a useful member. Mr. and Mrs. Wade take a great interest in the cause of religion, both being consistent members of the United Brethren Church, and living exemplary lives.
JACOB F. WARE, farmer ; P. O. German. Mr. Ware is another of the early set- tlers and prominent citizens of German Township ; he is paternally of German and maternally of English descent, and comes of Revolutionary stock ; he was born Dec. 13, 1819, in Preble Co., Ohio, and is the son of John Ware, who was a native of Ten- nessee, being born there Feb. 11, 1785 ; he emigrated to Ohio in 1810 and located in Montgomery County, on Stillwater ; from there he shortly moved to Preble County, locating near West Alexandria, in the vicinity of which he remained till his death, a period of sixty-two years ; he was a soldier of the war of 1812, and shared in the privations and hardships of that struggle ; he was under Gen. Harrison's com- mand, and was present at the celebrated treaty of Ft. Greenville, in 1814; his father was a soldier in the Revolutionary war, and served for seven years in that great struggle for freedom. John Ware. by his services in the war of 1812, was entitled to a land-warrant of 160 acres, which he located where our subject now resides ; this warrant was given under James Monroe. Mr. Ware, the subject of this sketch, was reared a farmer boy, and remained at home assisting in duties of the farm till he was 21 years of age; at this time, he engaged at the carpenter trade, which he followed about six years, when he moved to the place where he now resides and turned his attention to farming; he celebrated his marriage in 1844, with Miss M. Catherine Rittenour ; she was born in Virginia, and emigrated to Ohio with her parents when only 7 years old, settling near New Madison, Har- rison Township; on the 16th of February, 1879, the messenger of death entered Mr. Ware's home and took from it his devoted wife; her life's work ended, her duties done, she passed peacefully away, leaving a kind and affectionate husband and four loving children to mourn her departure and revere her memory ; Mrs. Ware was a faithful member of the church for twenty-two years before she died, and in her death the church lost a useful member and the community a valuable citizen. Mr. Ware is one of the self-made men of this county ; when he moved to the place where he now resides, in 1848, he found it all in the woods, the under- brush so thick that he had to grub a place for the horses to lie down the first night; here he began in a log cabin, surrounded on every side by dense forests, on a small piece of land bequeathed him by his father; the outlook was by no means flattering, but with that indomitable energy which served him well then, and has been his guiding genius ever since, being ably assisted by his noble wife, he soon carved for himself a farm and beautiful home out of the wilderness ; by habits of industry and economy he has added to the first possession till he now has a fine fertile farm of 244 acres under excellent improvement ; he made and used perhaps the first jumping-shovel plow anywhere in that vicinity ; with this plow he has prepared ground in the green upon which he has raised sixty bushels of corn per acre. Mr. and Mrs. Ware are the parents of five children, one of whom has died ; three of the others are married, and one, a son, still remains at home. Mr. Ware is no aspirant for office ; having been repeatedly tendered important offices of trust, he has always refused to accept ; he lives an exemplary life, and formerly held his connections with the United Brethren denomination.
WILLIAM H. WARNER, farmer ; P. O. German. The subject of this memoir was born in Neave Township March 8, 1849 ; he is of English descent, and the son of Henry W., who was born in Montgomery Co., November 1819; he was a farmer by occupation from his boyhood days till his death : he was united in marriage to Miss Lotta Williamson, in 1846 ; she was also a native of Montgomery
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County ; after their marriage, Mr. W. engaged in farming in above county till 1857, with the exception of one year, when they lived in Neave township, in this county ; at above date he came to German Township and located on land in Sec. 13; here he lived until his death, which occurred in April, 1874; his wife preceded him to her final rest about six years, her decease occurring in February, 1868; they had seven children born to them, to wit: Amanda, deceased in infancy ; Almira, William H., George ( deceased ), Lorenzo, Franklin and Emma. Our subject was brought up on a farm, and remained at home till he grew to maturity. He celebrated his nuptials with Miss Sarah Flory in October 1873; she was the daughter of Emanuel Flory, whose biography we subtend to this ; after the marriage of Mr. Warner he moved on his father-in-law's place, which he has since been farming. April 8, 1878, he was called upon to mourn the loss of his devoted wife. Her life was short, but full of usefulness, and her death was lamented by all who knew her. Two children, sons, were born to them, Andrew J. and Horatio. Mr. Warner is in politics a Democrat. Emanuel Flory was an early settler of this township ; he was born in Montgomery County, Jan. 12, 1810, and is the son of Emanuel F., Sr., a native of Pennsylvania, born in 1776 ; he emigrated to Ohio in July, 1806, locating on Wolf Creek, Montgomery County; he was a farmer by occupation. He was married to Miss Sarah Kaga some years before coming to Ohio; the 17th of March, 1834, he came with his family to Darke County, locating on Sec. 12, where Emanuel F., Jr., now resides ; some three or four years previous to this he came out and erected a water-power saw-mill, on West Branch, the first in that locality. Mrs. Flory died in 1822. Nine children were born to this union, only three of whom are yet living. Mr. F. consummated his second marriage with Mrs. Royer, who died in September, 1853, she having survived her husband about four years, his death occurring March 9, 1849. Emannel F., Jr., was reared on a farm, after coming to this county with his parents, he engaged on his father's saw-mill for a period of about five years ; since then he has lived on and farmed, till a few years ago, the homestead which he purchased ; he was married to Miss Waggerman in 1852, who was born near Brookville, Montgomery County, in 1816 ; she departed this life Jan. 15, 1872 ; during life she was a faithful member of the German Baptist Church. Mr. Flory has been a consistent member of the same church for nearly half a century, and is living an exemplary life.
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