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 95
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JOSEPH HITTLE, farmer ; P. O. New Madison ; another of the old residents of Darke Co .; is a son of Nicholas Hittle, who was a native of Pennsylvania, born in Schuylkill Co., and removed to Miami Co. soon after the close of the war of 1812, and removed to Darke Co. in 1837, settling in Sec. 3, Butler Township ; Joseph was born in Miami Co. Feb. 8, 1823 ; his mother's name was Eva (Boyer) Hittle ; her father and also Nicholas Hittle's father were natives of Germany, and both came to America before the Revolutionary war, and were both sold on their arrival here to pay for their passage, a common practice in those days; just about the time they had completed their term of service, the war began, and Adam Hittle
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served during the whole period of the Revolution, but Boyer. being crippled, was exempt from military service. The subject of this sketch lived on the farm with his father until his marriage with Christena Rieker, which occurred Sept. 14, 1843; she is the daughter of Michael and Catherine (Miller) Ricker, natives of Wurtem- burg, Germany, and are early settlers of Butler Township ; they settled in Sec. 9, in 1832 ; Christena was born in Germany, in 1825 ; immediately after their marriage they commenced domestic life on a farm in Sec. 10, just across the road from his father's place, which he had previously purchased and has since improved very nicely, and still owns, but now resides on a farm in Sec. 9, where his wife's parents lived, and which he purchased and removed to in 1870 ; he now has 240 acres of well-improved land, with two sets of good buildings, and is a substantial, respected citizen ; he is one of those self-made men, having started with nothing ; by hard, persevering labor, amid the difficulties of early life here, he has constantly increased his possessions, and is now independent, and will soon retire from the field of active farming, but it is hoped the community may have the benefit of his presence for many years to come. Mr. and Mrs. Hittle are both worthy members of the Lutheran Church, and respected, useful members of society ; they are the parents of nine children, Catherine, born Feb. 27, 1846, (now Mrs. John Johnson) ; Mary Elizabeth, born Jan. 9, 1848 (now Mrs. Ezra Bruss) ; George W., born Dec. 4, 1850 (now married and resides on one of his father's farms) ; Louisa, born Nov. 30, 1852 (now Mrs. James K. Noggle) ; William J., born Feb. 7, 1856 (now married and a resident of Butler Township) ; Jacob, born May 5, 1858 ; Caroline, born Nov. 30, 1860 ; Fredrick F., born Dec. 10, 1863 ; Charles B., born July 15, 1866 ; the latter four are members of the family household.
FREDRICK K. HOLSAPPLE, retired farmer; P. O. Castine ; an old resi- dent of Darke Co .; was born in Perry Co., Ind., Nov. 14, 1802. Was married to Sarah Morrison Aug. 23, 1827 ; she is an aunt to Silas Morrison, whose biography appears in this work. Mr. and Mrs. Holsapple removed to Ohio in 1831; settled first in Montgomery Co., near Salem ; came to Darke Co. in 1851 and purchased the southwest quarter of Sec. 14, Butler Township, where they have resided ever since. This neighborhood was then a swampy wilderness, with here and there a small "opening," but no road worthy of the name. Mr. and Mrs. Holsapple were, however, true pioneers, and bravely undertook the task of making a home of this then very uninviting looking place, and right well have they succeeded ; they now have 160 acres of rich, fertile land, under a good state of cultivation, with two sets of buildings. They are the parents of five children, four of whom are living, viz,. George and Elizabeth, both married, and both residents of Illinois ; Susan and David, now married, who resides on and has charge of his father's farm.
GEORGE T. HORINE, farmer ; P. O. Castine ; one of the old residents of Butler Township ; his father, Jacob Horine, came to Darke Co. from Maryland, in 1836, and settled in Sec. 27, Butler Township ; he is a descendant of Adam Horine, who came from Germany to the New World in the colonial days, and was the first white person to cross the mountains with his family, into the Middletown Valley, in Maryland ; he purchased land there, at that time, of King George, for 3 cents per acre ; he was the father of Tobias Horine, who was the father of Jacob Horine, the father of George Horine. The subject of this sketch remained with his parents until 23 years of age, receiving but little education. His marriage with Miss Eliza Stout was solemnized March 6, 1853 ; she is a daughter of Jacob and Catherine (Meckley) Stout, natives of Lehigh Co., Penn .; Eliza was born in Pickaway Co., Ohio, Jan. 29, 1836. After his marriage, Mr. Horine farmed his father's place for several years ; in 1866, he purchased the farm upon which they now reside; during the thirteen years that have followed, very material improvements have been made; the farm now consists of 220 acres, in Sec. 28, with a neat, commodious brick building, and other improvements to correspond, which makes a very desirable home. Mr. Horine is a substantial, respected citizen ; is a member of the Board of Trustees of the United Brethren Church ; both he and his estimable wife are worthy members
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of the church, and useful members of society; they are the parents of five sons, viz .: Jacob W .; born Dee. 30, 1853; Franklin E, born Jan. 27, 1859, died Feb. 26, 1859 ; Joseph N., born Dec. 18, 1859 ; William C., born April 11, 1864, and John W., born July 29, 1867 ; the last three are attending school ; Jacob W. is married and resides on his father's farm.
ADAM HORINE, farmer ; P. O. Castine. The subject of this sketch is the youngest son of Jacob and Elizabeth (Dutro) Horine, who came to Darke Co. in 1836, and settled on the farm upon which Adam now resides ; they were among the earliest settlers of Butler Township, which was then, with the exception of here and there an " opening," a howling wilderness, and a large part of it an almost , impenetrable swamp. To clear away the forest and drain and renovate the swamps, required an amount of energy, labor and endurance which the present generation may well be thankful has not been required of them. In the toils and privations of the early settlers, Jacob Horine and his excellent wife partook, doing their full share. They are worthy members of the United Brethren Church, and helped erect the first church building in Butler Township, thus contributing to the moral as well as physical development of the township. Future generations will never be able to fully appreciate the blessings coming to them through the influ- ence of such characters among the early pioneers, but the present generation may pay their tribute of gratitude by handing down a history of the noble deeds and sacrifices of their ancestors. The farm upon which Adam now lives presents a picture in great contrast to the farm as it was when his parents first came to it. Then there was a small cabin, and about 25 acres chopped off-18 or 20 of which were partly cleared-and a small orchard started ; the balance was dense forest and swamp, foul with miasma, causing sickness and death. Now there is a neat, substantial and commodious brick house, a large barn and other buildings for storage, etc., a fine orchard, and, in place of the forest and swamp, are fields pregnant with vegetation, and not excelled in Darke Co. for power of production. Adam was born in 1842, and has always lived on this same farm. Was married to Mary E. Hemp Feb 21, 1867 ; she is the daughter of John Hemp, whose biography appears in the Butler Township list ; in August following their marriage, he took charge of the old homestead ; the parents, however, keeping house separ- ately, in part of the house ; in 1870, his father died ; his mother still keeps house, occupying a part of the old home ; she is now in the 73d year of her age ; her mind and health remarkably well preserved. Adam was one of those brave and patriotic men, who answered to the call of their country. He enlisted in 1862, and became a Corporal of Co. H, 110th O. V. I., in which he served until the close of the war ; during this time he took part in fourteen separate engagements, among which were the notable Spottsylvania, Cold Harbor, Wilderness and Cedar Creek, which made Sheridan famous. Mr. and Mrs. Horine are both worthy members of the United Brethren Church, and useful members of society; they have three children --- Irvin O., Lola M. and Cora E.
SAMUEL HORINE, farmer ; P. O. New Madison. Is another of that pio- neer family of Jacob and Elizabeth Horine ; was born in the Middletown Valley, Md., Oct. 24, 1832, and was about 4 years of age when his parents came West ; he grew to manhood here in Butler Township before the days of good schools and graveled roads, and necessarily became experimentally acquainted with many of the hardships and privations of the early settlers. He was married June 19, 1859, to Sarah A. Detro, daughter of Elias Detro, an early resident of Darke Co .; she was born in the Middletown Valley, Md., April 26, 1840. and came with her parents to Darke Co., in the latter part of the same year ; after their marriage, they first lived near what is now Rossville; in the year 1867, he purchased, and they removed to, the farm where they now reside, where he has built a fine, com- modious house and otherwise improved the place; he now has 80 acres of fine land in a good state of cultivation, the last tax valuation being $5,000. Mr. and
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Mrs. Horine are both worthy members of the U. B. Church, and respected, sub- stantial people ; they are the parents of six children, all sons, three of whom are living.
LEWIS HOWELL, farmer ; P. O. Castine ; is an old resident of Butler Town- ship ; was born in Middlesex Co., N. J .. April 4, 1827 ; when he was 4 years of age, his parents removed to Washington Co., Ohio, and in 1840 they removed to Preble Co., where the subject of this sketch resided until 1859. He was married March 7, 1850 to Abigail Miller ; she is a daughter of Jacob F. and Dicey (Weaver, Price) Miller ; Jacob F. was a native of Virginia ; Abigail was born in Preble Co., Ohio, in 1830 ; Mr. and Mrs. Howell began domestic life in Preble Co .; in 1859, Mr. Howell and Mr. Giltillan, whose biography appears in this work, purchased the farm in the southeast quarter of Butler Township, known as the MeGriff place, and they removed there and remained about four years, when Mr. Howell disposed of his interest in that tract to Mr. Gilfillan and purchased and removed to the farm in Sec. 22, where they now reside ; in the twenty-one years past, they have seen and aided in making many improvements, both in the social and physical condition of Butler Township ; they now have 80 acres of land in Sec. 3, in a good state of ent- tivation, with good buildings, besides the home farm, which consists of 103 acres in a good state of cultivation. Mr. and Mrs. Howell are respected members of society and substantial citizens and agreeable people ; they have seven children- Milton, Oliver, Lurenna E., Robert, Leroy, Theodore and Oscar ; all are at home except Milton, who is married, and resides near Gettysburg, and Lurenna E., now Mrs. George Trump, whose biography appears in this work.
WILLIAM JOHNSON, farmer; P. O. New Madison ; a " Buckeye" by birth, and a 12-year resident of Darke County. was born in Butler County in 1816, and lived there till 1867, when he came to Darke County, purchased and settled on the farm in Sec. 4, where he now resides ; he was brought up a farmer, but worked about three years during his youth in a flouring-mill, and had but little opportunity for education. Was married to Sarah Littlejohn Dec. 22, 1844 ; she is the daughter of William and Hannah Littlejohn, and was born in Clark County, Ohio, Dec. 17, 1826 ; they first began life on a farm in Union Township. Butler Co. ; he was a renter, and, after raising one crop, hired in a flour-mill, where he remained about three years ; after this he resumed farming, renting from year to year, until the spring of 1867 ; having saved a little means, he came to Darke County, where land was comparatively very cheap, and purchased the southwest quarter of Sec. 4, npon which there were a pretty good brick house and other buildings, which have been sufficient for his purposes and enabled him to apply his proceeds to the back payments ; he now has 160 acres, less the church lot, on the southwest corner of his place, in a good state of cultivation ; thus it will be seen that Mr. Johnson is another of those men who began without means. and by persevering labor and wise management accumulated sufficient to keep him in his declining years and have something left for the coming generation ; he has been a quiet. industrious citizen, not seeking publie notoriety, but has quietly supported that which seemed right ; subscribing to no creed. he has always acted honestly according to the dic- tates of his conscience. Mr. and Mrs. Johnson are the parents of eleven children, four of whom died in youth, and seven are still living-John and Lot S., both married ; the former resides on his father's place, the latter is a resident of" Butler County ; Harriet M., Sarah N., Alice. Othilla and Elvira ; the latter five are members of the present houschokt.
JOHN KARN, retired farmer ; P. O. Arcanum ; is a native of Ohio, and an old resident of Darke Co., and is the son of Heury and Susan (Good) Karn ; Henry was a native of Pennsylvania. and came to Ohio when a youth ; Susan was a native of Virginia. They were married in Butler Co .. Ohio, and resided there several years ; they then came to Butler Township, Darke Co., in 1852. bringing a number of families with them. all of whom were connected, and among whom was the subject of this sketch ; they all settled in the neighborhood of where John
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now lives, which is known as " Beach Grove ;" John bought and removed to the place upon which he now lives in 1853 ; it then contained 80 acres, about 50 of which were under cultivation, and there was a small log house on it ; now Mr. Karn has 240 acres, less the school, church and cemetery lots, which are off one corner, nearly all under improved cultivation, with three good houses and two barns, and he is now preparing to build the fourth house, which will be a neat and commodious frame, designed for his residence ; Mr. Karn brought with him the religious principles which were implanted in his youth, and has been a leading man in sustaining organized Christianity in his neighborhood ; Rev. Voght, who was the first Pastor of Timothy's Reformed Church, was his brother-in-law, and, indeed, Henry Karn and his sons and sons-in-law, constituted the church in the beginning. Mr. Karn has not only been a useful man in the church but also in the community, and, while he and his wife are esteemed members of the church, they are greatly respected by the community. He was married to Susan Bobenmoyer in 1846 ; she is the daughter of Fredrick and Christena Ann Bobenmoyer, and sister to Charles Bobenmoyer, whose biography appears in this work. Mr. and Mrs. Karn are the parents of one child, William Henry, now married and residing with them ; they also raised Mary J., the youngest daughter of Titus and Sarah (Bobenmoyer) Shuler ; the latter is now Mrs. E. A. Clarke.
J. P. LOVE, retired merchant and doctor, Castine ; a native of Virginia, an early settler of Butler Township, and one of the oldest early residents now living ; was born Ang. 20. 1803 ; his parents designed educating him for the practice of medicine, but, after taking a regular course of instruction, he became satisfied he did not want to follow the profession, and consequently did not take degrees, but, after he came to the new settlement of Castine, his knowledge of medicine became known, and he was compelled, much against his taste and desire, to practice ; he came to Castine in the spring of 1833, and opened a store, keeping a general stock of merchandise, which he continued until 1838; from 1838 to 1841, he devoted his entire attention to the practice of medicine ; from 1841 to 1851, he was again engaged in merchandising ; from 1851 to 1855, he lived a retired life, doing some medical and some legal business for his former customers, which he could not well put off ; from 1855 to 1857, he again engaged in merchandising ; since 1857, he has not engaged in any regular business, except to look after his property, which consists of notes, etc., and valuable real estate property in Michigan. The Doctor is one of those enigmas who never married ; has always had a great fondness for books, and has spent much time and not a little money acquiring knowledge, in its broad sense ; has been acquainted with nearly all the prominent men of Darke County, and quite intimate with many of them ; he is still a student for the sake of knowledge, and a very kind-hearted man. R. M. Pomeroy, who was a prominent boot and shoe dealer of Cincinnati and Boston, and later, President of the Central Branch of the Union Pacific R. R., commenced his successful career in a building which he rented of Dr. Love, the Doctor boarding with his family, and assisting him both with advice and use of means; a firm friendship has always existed between them. The Doctor is widely read, and has a remarkably retentive mind ; he can give the name and history of nearly every man who entered land in the neighborhood of Castine.
DAVID R. MCCLURE, farmer ; P. O. El Dorado, Ohio ; an old resident of Darke Co .; was born in Rockbridge Co., Va., Dec. 7, 1827 ; he became an orphan at the age of 9, by reason of the decease of his father, his mother having died when he was quite young ; when he was about 11 years of age, he came to Fair- field Co., Ohio, with W. K. McCabe, who was a brother-in-law. Mr. McCabe came to Darke Co. in 1844, and David accompanied him, and continued to make their house his home until his marriage with Miss Martha, daughter of Thomas Kyle, whose biography appears in the Harrison Township list ; their marriage was cele- brated Nov. 2, 1854, and they immediately began the duties of domestic life where they now reside and have resided ever since, he having purchased 90 acres
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of his present homestead previous to his marriage ; he then had a small but com- fortable frame house and about 30 acres cleared ; he now has 170 acres, 120 of which are under cultivation ; in 1875, he built a fine frame residence, and had just moved into it when the old house took fire and was burned. Mr. MeClure has been a quiet, industrious man, an active Republican and a useful citizen ; was Lieutenant of Co. B, 156th Regiment O. N. G .; in his youth, he was an associate and schoolmate of Judge David Meeker and Hon. Wm. Allen. Mr. and Mrs. McClure are highly respected and useful members of society ; they have had nine children, seven are living-Ann Eliza, born Jan. 7, 1856 (now Mrs. Henry Brown, of Preble Co.); Cora B .; born Feb. 24, 1858 (now Mrs. Joseph Coppock, a resident of Butler Township; Luella M., born Feb. 16, 1861; William A., Oct. 24, 1863 ; Frank E., Nov. 23, 1869 ; Theodore A., Oct. 31, 1871, and Ambrose B., Sept. 7, 1876. The names of the deceased are Mary Alice, born April 24, 1866, died March 14, 1871 ; an infaut son, who was born March 22 and died March 24, 1860.
WM. McGRIFF, farmer, Sec. 14; P. O. Castine ; a son of John McGriff, who was one of the pioneers of Butler Township. William was born in Butler Township in 1814, and grew to manhood during the pioneer days of Darke Co .; before he became of age, he bought his time in order to go to school, and, although he had received almost no education during his youth. he soon became sufficiently learned to pass the necessary examination in "reading, writing and arithmetic," and began teaching, first in summer, and attending school in winter, then taught winters and farmed in summer ; this he continued several years, but when he had accumulated enough to get a good start at farming he turned his attention to that altogether, and has been quite successful. He was married in 1839 to Mary, daughter of Phillip Shank, a pioncer of Twin Township; after their marriage, they began domestic life in Twin Township after the usual primitive style, with scarcely any furniture or cooking utensils ; the first fall he killed one hog, which he had fattened, partly with corn and partly with acorns he had gathered for that purpose. It would seem impossible for a young couple to start in this way now, and, indeed, they would be the laughing stock of the community ; yet most young couples, in those days started with similar outfits, and many of them, like Mr. McGriff. became the substantial citizens of the county. He became a citizen of Butler Township about 1846, having at that time purchased a tract, partly in Twin and partly in Butler, the building being in Butler ; he has since erected a commodious brick house on the same tract in Twin Township, where he now resides ; he now has three 80-acre tracts and one 20-acre tract in Butler Township and three 80-acre tracts in Twin Township, most of which he has cleared, and all of which he has improved very materially. Thus it will be seen he has been an important factor in the improvement of both Butler and Twin Townships ; he has been an industrious, enterprising, energetic farmer and a good citlzen. His wife, who belonged to one of the early and respected families of Twin Township, was a devoted wife, a kind mother and an intelligent, useful woman ; her decease, which occurred Jan. 25, 1879, was a severe affliction, and all the more so on account of there never having been any serious sickness in his family previously, they having raised a family of five sons and two daughters without a single death, and all but the two youngest sons, who are at home, are married and respected citizens of Darke County.
SAMUEL B. MINNICH, merchant, P. O. and residence, Castine ; one of the firm of Minnich & Hamiel, dealers in general merchandise, Castine. This is the most important business firm of Butler Township. The subject of this sketch is a native of Pennsylvania, and an old resident of Darke Co .; was born Dec. 10, 1824 ; when about 7 years of age, he came with his parents to Montgomery Co., Ohio, where he remained till 1847, when he came to Castine and engaged in the lumber business ; operated a saw-mill here twelve years. In 1859, he engaged in merchandising in connection with Mr. Hamiel, who had become a partner in the lumber business in 1850 and they have continued to do business together for thirty
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years ; during this time, they have done a large business in the aggregate, and altogether quite successful. Mr. Minnich received only such education as the common schools of Montgomery Co. afforded during his youth ; lived on a farm until 19 years of age. then learned the trade of millwright, and worked at that until he came to Castine and engaged in the saw-mill and lumber trade ; he started the first merchant mill in Castine, and during the twelve years following the firm distributed many thousands of dollars among the farmers in this vicinity in exchange for their timber. which stimulated improvements and furnished the means. Mr. Minnich's marriage with Terressa Sinclair was celebrated in Castine Dec. 14, 1850 ; she is the daughter of John Sinclair, an early settler of Butler Township; her decease occurred Jan. 3, 1860 ; she had two sons-Joseph W .. now a teacher, and John W., now a traveling salesman with Anderson & Maxton. boot and shoe dealers. Mr. Minnich's marriage with Miss Evaline, daughter of Thomas Law. a resident of Butler Township, was celebrated Feb. 9, 1862. Mr. Minnich has been Postmaster at Castine continuously since 1861.
SILAS MORRISON, farmer ; P. O. Arcanum ; a Buckeye by birth, and an old resident of Darke Co .; he is the son of Nathaniel Morrison, who was a native of Virginia and came to Montgomery Co., Ohio, at an early day ; from there he came to Darke Co. in 1841. and settled on the farm where Silas now resides ; Nathaniel died in 1848. The subject of this sketch was born in Montgomery Co. in 1838. and grew to manhood here, when Butler Township was quite new, and much of the clearing was done during his boyhood, and early manhood days; also all the improvements for which Darke Co. is noted, and of which Butler Township has her full share, have been completed since his majority. In the fall of 1862, Mr. Morrison enlisted in the 110th O. V. I., and, although wounded and permanently disabled in the battle of Winchester in 1863, where he was taken prisoner, and recaptured by the United States forces seven weeks later, he served until after the close of the war. Mr. Morrison began teaching during the winter, when 17 years of age, and continued it for several years before and two years after the war ; after his marriage, he lived a short time at Ithaca, Twin Township, then removed to his father's homestead. in Sec. 14, Butler Township, and afterward purchased 80 of the 200 acres which then constituted the homestead, with the buildings, which are sub- stantial and commodious ; he has now become one of the old, substantial citizens ; is the present Township Clerk. His marriage with Nancy Ford, was celebrated Sept. 2, 1866 ; she is the daughter of Rev. Mordecai Ford, who was an early set- tler of Darke Co. Nancy was born in Van Buren Township, July 12, 1838, and is the mother of two children-Jacob W. and Frank M.
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