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BIOGRAPHIES
(Source: History of Northwestern Ohio & Auglaize County
- by C. W. Williamson - Columbus, Ohio - Press of W. M. Linn &
Sons - 1905)
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DAVID SIMPSON was born in Allegheny county,
Pennsylvania, May 20th, 1810, and died at his home in St. Mary's
January 27th, 1884.
Mr.
Simpson moved with his parents from the place of his
birth to Xenia, Ohio, when he was four years of age, where he
resided until he grew to manhood. In 1835, April 28th, he
married Miss Caroline Mitchell; of this union
eight children were born, of whom Miss Henrietta
is the only survivor. In 1839 the family moved to St.
Mary's, where Mr. Simpson engaged in business.
He was a tanner by trade and did a lucrative business. He
was a tanner trade by trade, and did a lucrative business for over
forty years.
Mr. Simpson
was a social, genial gentleman, qualities that were also
characteristic of his family. His home was a place of "good
cheer," where friends and neighbors delighted to visit.
Mr. Simpson served in civic offices in the
municipality and county for many years. He was elected
Associate Judge of Auglaize county in 1848, and served in that
capacity until the adoption of the new Constitution in 1852.
In 1869 he was appointed United States Revenue Collector, and
served in that position for several years. He was elected
Mayor of St. Mary's in 1860, and was re-elected in 1876. "Mr.
Simpson was a man of stern motives, and had the
qualifications for serving in high public trusts of honor."
Source 1: History of Western Ohio & Auglaize County - by C.
W. Williamson - Columbus, Ohio - Press of W. M. Linn & Sons - 1905
- Page 676 - St. Mary's Twp. |
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ROBERT
J. SKINNER, one of the early and most respected citizens
of Wapakoneta, was born in Virginia in 1788. He
established the first Democratic paper published in Dayton,
Ohio, the first number of which was issued in December, 1816.
This paper was continued by him until 1830, in which year he
removed to Piqua, and established is that town the first
Democratic press. In 1832, having received the appointment
from President Jackson of Receiver of the United States
Land Office at Wapakoneta, he moved his family to that town, and
continued a resident of the place until June, 1849; when, being
on a visit with part of his family at the house of a married
daughter in Dayton, himself, with the cholera, which prevailed
in the city at the time, and in one week the four died of
disease. Mr. Skinner was a man of positive
character, of great enterprise, and a most useful citizen.
He represented Montgomery county, of which Allen county formed a
part, in the General Assembly, at the sessions of 1828-29.
Source 1: History of Western Ohio & Auglaize County -
by C. W. Williamson - Columbus, Ohio - Press of W. M. Linn &
Sons - 1905 - Page 641 |
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AARON
A. SMITH was born in St. Marys township, Dec. 14th, 1824.
His father Henry A. Smith was a native of Delaware who came to
Ohio with his mother when a boy, and lived near Cincinnati until
his marriage. In 1821, he came to Auglaize county and
settled among the Indians. He selected a farm in section
nine, now within the corporate limits of St. Marys. He
endured many hardships in teh development of his farm, but by
unremitting labor and skillvul enterprise he prospered
financially, until death terminated his career in 1843, at the age
of forty-four years.
The mother of
Aaron A. Smith bore the maiden name of
Elizabeth A. Hinkle, and was born at Mill Creek, near
Cincinnati. She was the daughter of Captain Asa
Hinkle who commanded a company of soldiers in the war of
1812. Captain Hinkle was so favorably
impressed with the quality of the land, and the lay of the country
around St. Marys that he returned and entered two hundred and
forty acres in section twenty-two. These lands he afterwards
distributed among his children.
Source 1: History of Western
Ohio & Auglaize County - by C. W. Williamson - Columbus,
Ohio - Press of W. M. Linn & Sons - 1905 - Page 668 - St.
Mary's Twp. |
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AARON A.
SMITH, JR., is the third child in a family of eleven
children, and his brother Asa H., and the first
white child born in the township.
Aaron A. grew to manhood on the paternal farm,
and is familiar with every phase of pioneer life. The
settlers of that period have been termed "home-livers," subsisting
on what they could raise from the land and on the game which was
so abundant. Even the clothes that they wore of homespun,
manufactured by the wives, mothers and daughters from the flax
grown at their door, and from wool from their sheep. In his
boyhood and manhood, Mr. Smith farmed with the
clumsy implements of a past age, turning the sod with wooden mould-board
plows, and stirring the soil with wooden teeth harrows. The
school house in which he received the rudiments of an education,
was a rude structure of logs, primitively furnished with slab
seats, and a slab placed against the wall served as a writing desk
for the pupils, while an old-fashioned fireplace, extending across
one end of the room, served for heating purposes.
Mr. Smith, who was born and raised in the same
neighbrohood, and was one of his
school mates. Their families, however, were not related,
although bearing the same name.
Mr. and Mrs. Smith are the parents of six
children, namely: Charles, who is married
and lives on an adjoining farm; Jane, wife of
Charles P. McKee, a farmer in the neighborhood;
Elza, who lives at home with his parents; Mary,
with of J. C. Doty, a resident of Middletown;
Loretta, at home with her parents; and Flora,
wife of L. J. Berry, who lives at Troy, Ohio.
Mr. and Mrs. Smith are members of the Methodist
Episcopal Church at St. Marys. Mr. Smith
has borne an active part in the administration of local affairs as
trustee of St. Marys township, and in whatever position in life he
has been placed has always fulfilled his duty manfully.
Source 1: History of Western Ohio & Auglaize County - by C.
W. Williamson - Columbus, Ohio - Press of W. M. Linn & Sons - 1905
- Page 669 - St. Mary's Twp. |
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PETER
SUNDERLAND, a soldier of the American Revolution was
born in 1737, and came to Ohio in 1817. He entered land near
Dayton, Ohio, on which he resided until 1822, when he and his wife
came to Logan township and lived with their son Dye Sunderland,
until his death, which occurred in 1827.
Mr. Sunderland joined the patriots of the
Revolution, early in the spring of 1775, and participated in the
memorable battle of Bunker Hill.
On the night of the 16th of June, 1775, the regiment to
which he belonged crossed the neck of the bay and intrenched
themselves on Breed's Hill. When the morning dawned there
was a great stir on board the British fleet that lay in the
harbor. Thousands of spectators who climbed to the
house-tops in Boston to watch the progress of events, could be
seen from the redoubt. About one o'clock the British made an
assault on the redoubt, and were repulsed with the loss of a great
number of men. A second assault was followed with a result
equally disastrous. Unfortunately for the Patriots, their
ammunition by this time was nearly exhausted. When the third
assault was made the patriots had but three rounds of powder and
ball, which were expended on the advancing enemy, and then there
was a lull. The Americans, now out of ammunition, clubbed
their guns and hurled stones at the assailants. After firing
the lat charge, Sunderland picked up three guns in
succession to find that each had been discharged. Upon
picking up a fourth gun he was attacked by a British soldier who
struck at him with a saber. A quick turn of the gun caused
the edge of the instrument to strike directly in his mouth,
cutting through each cheek. Again the British soldier
struck, and again the blow was partially parried, causing the
weapon to cut through the wall of the abdomen. At the state
in the encounter, Sunderland succeeded in discharging his
gun into the face of his assailant and thrust his bayonet through
the body. He then withdrew in haste from the intrenchment,
believing that he was the last man in the retreat. He
succeeded in reaching in swamp where he found a man accompanied by
his wife and an infant. Here Sunderland dressed his
wounds as best he could, binding a large handkerchief about his
abdomen. He then crossed the swamp; the water in a number of
places being so deep that they were compelled to swim. At
such places the infant was tossed from one to the other.
On reaching the opposite margin of the swamp, Mr.
Sumderland concealed himself in a thicket for three days.
On the third day he was found by a relief party and conveyed to a
place of safety. |
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