|
|
OHIO GENEALOGY EXPRESS
|
Welcome to
Brown County,
Ohio
BIOGRAPHIES |
|
Source: History of Clermont & Brown Counties, Ohio
Volume II
By Byron Williams - 1913 <
CLICK HERE TO RETURN TO BIOGRAPHICAL INDEX
>
|
CHAMBERS BAIRD.
One of the prominent citizens of Ripley, Ohio, and members of the bar of
Brown county is Mr. Chambers Baird. He was born in Ripley in
1860, in the family home in which he now resides. He is the only son
of Major Chambers Baird, who was born in Adams county, in 1811 and
located in Ripley in 1834, where he died in 1887, and who during his
lifetime was a leading lawyer and prominently identified with the banking
and business interests of the town and county.
Mr. Baird is a graduate of the Ripley High
School, 1876, of Harvard College, 1882, and of the Cincinnati Law School,
1884. He served as mayor of Ripley two terms, 1902-1906, and was also
United States Referee in Bankruptcy for four years, 1898 -1902. He is
a able lawyer and man of business, who has taken an active part in public
affairs and has connected with various financial interests and enterprises.
He is a man of fine character, good ability and wide scholarship, who has
found pleasure in books and literary work and has written much for
publication in papers and magazines. He has also delivered many
addresses on literary, historical and political subjects.
In politics he is a Progressive Republican and has been
active in party work and councils.
Mr. Baird is a member of the Masonic order of
other societies and clubs.
Mr. Baird married Miss Jeanette Gilliland
in 1889, and they have three children, two sons and a daughter. Mr.
Baird enjoys a large general practice, and the confidence of all who
know him. ~ |
MAJOR CHAMBERS
BAIRD. Of the men have passed from this life, whose record for
good citizenship entitles them to honorable mention in these volumes, is
numbered Major Chambers Baird, of Ripley, Ohio. He was a man of
affairs and one who wielded a wide influence, his opinions doing much to
mold public thought and action. In all his public work Major Baird
was actuated by a spirit of direct and immediate serviceableness and his
labors in behalf of his town and county were far-reaching and beneficial.
The birth of Chambers Baird occurred at Sandy Springs, Adams county,
Ohio, July 25, 1811, and his death at Ripley, Brown county, Ohio, Mar. 20,
1887. He was a son of Judge Moses Baird, an Ohio pioneer of
Scotch-Irish Presbyterian stock who came from Washington county,
Pennsylvania, and settled at Sandy Springs in 1790.
Chambers Baird was reared on the home farm on
the Ohio river, opposite Vanceburg, Ky., his home until he reached the age
of nineteen years, when, in 1830, he became a student in the Ripley
College, with his cousin, Stephen R. Riggs, afterward a noted
minister and missionary among the Dakota Indians, as classmate. This
college closing in 1832, they entered Jefferson College, in Pennsylvania,
and graduated from that institution of learning in the year of 1834.
After his graduation, Mr. Baird read law at
Ripley with the Hon. Archibald Leggett and Col. Francis Taylor,
formerly of Kentucky, and was admitted to the bar in November, 1836.
He became widely known as a general practitioner, as a keen business man,
and prominent citizen.
In 1837 Major Baird was united in marriage to
Miss Mary Ann Campbell, of Ripley, who passed from this life in 1844.
On May 6, 1845, Maj. Chambers Baird was united in marriage to Miss
Judith Anne Leggett, only daughter of Mr. A. Leggett, who had
married two daughters of Col. Taylor. Mr. Baird still resides
(1913) at Ripley and is the other of five children who were born to her
union with Major Baird. Of the five children, three died in
infancy, and those living are: Florence C., now Mrs. J. J. McCardy
of Los Angeles, Cal., and Chambers Baird, a prominent lawyer of
Ripley.
It is almost impossible for a man of Major Baird's
character and ability to avoid prominence in politics and he took an active
part in political life, first as a Whig, and later as a strong Republican
and anti-slavery man. In 1855 he was elected State Senator from Brown
and Clermont counties; in 1856 he was a delegate to the first National
Republican convention which nominated Fremont. Later, he was
delegate to many other conventions, and was a trusted leader of the
Republican party in his State and county.
In 1860 he took a prominent part in the election of
President Lincoln and at the out break of the Civil War was among the
foremost speakers for the Union. He was an intimate friend of
Senator Sherman, Secretary Chase, Governor Dennison and other
prominent men. His age, fifty years, prevented him from entering
active military service, but he was appointed provost marshal by the
Governor and was intrusted with the responsible duty of
organizing a defense of the Ohio border. With his accustomed energy
Major Baird at once set about organizing minute men and military
companies, and later, in 1863, accepted an appointment as paymaster in the
United States army, with the rank of major, being first assigned to the Army
of the Cumberland, with headquarters at Louisville, Ky. He was later
removed to Washington, where he was a resident with Lincoln was
assassinated. He paid the Union troops returned from southern prisons,
at Annapolis, and was mustered out July 1, 1866, after three years of
service. During the period in which he was paymaster, Major Baird
handled many millions of money without the loss of one cent.
Community affairs were ever of deep interest to
Major Baird and his services could always be secured to further any
movement for the public good. He was a director of the First National
bank of Ripley and later was president of Citizens' National Bank. He
was president of the Ripley Gas Company from its organization in 1860 until
his death. For years he was an active member of the Ripley Fair
Company and also of the Ripley Saw Mill and Lumber Company. He was an
investor in various other local and outside enterprises. He declined a
number of nominations and appointments to honorable offices, among them a
judgeship in the Supreme Court of Ohio, not wishing to leave his home and
profession.
Major Baird possessed one of the largest
libraries of law books and miscellaneous works in southern Ohio. His
home was one of culture and refinement and beauty. In religious
matters he was an active member, trustee and elder of the Presbyterian
church, and for many years was a teacher of the Bible class and a delegate
to the Presbytery and Synod. He always give liberally to all branches
of church work, contributing not only financially, but taking a personal
interest and rendering active, faithful service.
While Maj. Chambers Baird was of the highest
type of professional man and enterprising man of business, he was first of
all a good citizen. His championship of the right and his settled
convictions, from which he could not be swerved, made him a leader of no
little power. In his professional life as a lawyer and in business he
was conscientious, kind hearted and generous, careful and accurate; in
public life he possessed the sterling qualities which command respect, while
in the seclusion of home and in the social circle he displayed those winning
traits which make human affection little less than divine. ~ Page 157 |
JUDGE G. BAMBACH,
a man of remarkable personality and of signal achievement in both business
and political life, is one of the citizens of Brown county, Ohio, whose
useful and eventful career has been of such character as to bring this
section into prominence. Judge G. Bambach has filled the office
of judge of common pleas court of the first subdivision of the Fifth
judicial district, composed of the counties of Brown and Clermont,
since 1907, the term expiring in February, 1913. The birth of Judge
G. Bambach occurred Dec. 21, 1840, in the capital of Hesse-Darmstadt,
Germany, then an independent State, but now a part of the German empire.
His parents were G. and Barbara (Bortzmeyer) Bambach.
G. Bambach, Senior, was born in 1812, in Gross
Gerau, Germany, near the city of Darmstadt, in which city he located later
in life. He was in the Revolution of 1849, which caused him to become
a refugee and to fly, with his family, to America in August of that same
year. He located at Levanna, Brown county, Ohio, where he engaged in
the vineyard business. His demise occurred at the home of his son,
Judge G. Bambach, near Ripley, Ohio, in May 1890. His business
career was one of honesty and integrity and successful endeavor. His
burial took place at Ripley, Ohio.
Barbara (Bortzmeyer) Bambach was born in 1807,
in Alsace, one of the French provinces, and passed away in February, 1871.
She became the mother of two children:
G. Bambach, the future judge and the subject of
this mention.
Barbara, who was born in 1844, became the wife
of George Hanstein and died at Levanna, Ohio, in 1869.
The future judge attended the schools in the land of
his nativity until his parents immigrated to America, when he became a
student of the public schools in Brown county. Later he entered a
private school at Cincinnati and, following his graduation from this
institution, began the study of medicine, graduating from the Ohio Medical
College in 1860. Pursuing his education further and along different
lines, our subject entered upon the study of law, graduating from the
Cincinnati Law School in the class of 1862, being immediately admitted to
the bar.
The marriage of Mr. Bambach to Miss Margaret
Hanstein occurred Sept. 18, 1862. She was born in 1839 at Hesse
Darmstadt, Germany, a daughter of Frederick and Margaret Hanstein,
both natives of Hesse-Darmstadt. They came to America in 1856,
locating at Cincinnati. Mr. Hanstein was in the civil service
of the State of Darmstadt and after coming to America he retired because of
being afflicted with rheumatism. In the family of Frederick
Hanstein and wife were five children, two of whom are living:
Margaret, the wife of Judge Bambach.
George, who married Barbara Bambach, sister
of Judge Bambach.
Judge G. and Mrs. Bambach are the parents of the
following children:
Anna M., who became the wife of Dr. George B.
Twitchell, of Cincinnati, is interested in woman suffrage and has
lectured in Wisconsin on the subject.
G. G., cashier of the First National Bank of
Bethel, Ohio.
Olga is the wife of Alber H. Caine, of
Cincinnati.
Ida is a resident of Cincinnati.
Elizabeth B. is Mrs. Louis Reniert, of
Columbus, Ohio.
Ernest E., of Cincinnati, Ohio, is associated
with the E. D. Woodard Company. He married Inez Thompson.
Julia, a teacher of music, is at home with her
parents.
Mr. and Mrs. Bambach raised the little daughter
of their sister and brother, Mr. and Mrs. Hanstein, the latter having
passed from this life when the little girl, Helen, was very small.
She is now the wife of C. H. Twitchell and resides in Cincinnati.
All of the children are graduates of Ripley High
School, including the niece.
In the fall of 1862 Mr. Bambach was appointed
assistant surgeon of the Eightieth Ohio Volunteer infantry and served in
that regiment until the fall of Vicksburg, after which he returned to his
home in Brown county, Ohio. He entered at once upon the practice of
his profession and, with the exception of one year spent at work on account
of his health, he has practiced continuously in Ohio. He rapidly made
friends and gained clients and successfully followed his profession for so
many years that he gained the confidence and good will of his fellow
citizens, which resulted in his election to the bench. Well versed in
the law, he has given as complete satisfaction on the bench as at the bar,
and was his party's choice for re-election as judge of the common pleas
court, but he declined the candidacy because of the time necessary to be
away from home in filling the office and as he has passed the seventy-second
milestone on life's journey, he desires to live a more quiet life. The
Republican party, whose principles he advocates, has once nominated Judge
Bambach for State Senator and once as Representative, and also nominated
him judge of the probate court. He has served his party in the local
office of township trustee and, being interested in all educational affairs,
has served on the board of directors. The first vote cast for
President of the United States, by our subject, was for President Lincoln
in his second term.
Judge G. Bambach has been financially interested
in many business enterprises of Brown county, one of these being the Ripley
National Bank, of which he has filled the office of vice president. He
also assisted in the organization the piano factory of Ripley, being its
president during its existence, and of the shoe factory, of which he was
also president.
In fraternal circles Judge Bambach is a member
of the Masonic lodge and of the Grand Army of the Republic.
Since the year of 1881 Judge Bambach has resided
on his farm near Ripley, and his home has ever been a place of social
gathering for the friends and acquaintances of the family. He is
considered a gentleman among gentlemen and is recognized as one of the
southern Ohio's best citizens. He is broad in his views and liberal to
all with whom he is associated. He will inconvenience himself to do a
kindly act to one deserving of his consideration. Such citizens as
Judge Bambach and his family are a great credit and blessing to any
community.
~ Page 172 |
MRS. HELEN
BEASLEY, widow of the late John Beasley, resides three miles
from Ripley, Ohio, on a beautiful farm on the Ripley and Hillsboro pike,
Union township, Brown county, Ohio. Mrs. Beasley is held in
high esteem in and about Ripley, and in this section she has spent her life
thus far. She is a daughter of John M. and Mary (Baird) West.
John M. West was born Byrd township, Brown county,
Ohio, April 10, 1832, and resided on the home farm where his birth occurred
until his death, July 15, 1873. He was a son of John M. West,
who was a native of Virginia and came to Brown county in pioneer days,
locating in Byrd township, and there remained until his demise at the age of
eighty-five years.
Mary (Baird) West was born in Jefferson
township, Brown county, Ohio, in 1844, and died in 1898, and was a daughter
of John Baird, who was an early settler of the county. To her
union with John M. West, five children were born:
George B., who was born July 14, 1852, has
resided at the old home farm in Boyd township and followed the occupation of
farming. In later years, he has resided with his sister, Mrs.
Beasley.
Levina became the wife of Samuel Edinfield,
a father of Jefferson township.
Joseph E., has been a resident farmer of
Nebraska for the past twenty-five years. He has reared a nice family.
Helen, our subject, married John Beasley,
who died in 1903, at the age of forty-nine years. They were the
parents of two children: Grace, a graduate of the Ripley High
School, class of 1913; and Nellie J., who died in 1905 at the age of
eight years.
William Rufus, operates the old home place in
Byrd township.
The politics of the family is mainly Democratic.
Mrs. Beasley and her brother, Mr. West,
reside on the farm in Union township, and are progressive farmers along
general lines.
In religious belief, Mrs. Beasley and the family
are members of the Christian church, as were also her parents. Mrs.
Beasley is well known in Brown county and her home is always open for
the entertainment of her friends and neighbors.
~ Page 494 |
|
...
This Webpage has been created
by Sharon Wick exclusively for Ohio Genealogy Express
©2008
Submitters retain all copyrights
|