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BIOGRAPHIES
Goshen Twp. -
J. K. WARE, retired farmer; P.
O. Mechanicsburg; one of the early settlers and prominent citizens of the
county; was born near Salem, N. J., Oct. 8, 1806;
he comes of Quaker parentage, his ancestry emigrating from England
in an early day. His father,
Jacob, was a farmer by occupation,
and was married three times. His third
marriage was with Sarah Reed, of
New Jersey; by this union he had a son and
daughter, having two sons and two daughters by the previous marriages. His demise occurred in 1806, a few months
before the birth of our subject, caused, it is supposed, from fright, occasioned
by the burning of his house. Our subject
was taken to Delaware when about 3 years old, where he remained till 1818, when
he came with his mother to this county, locating first about two miles west of
Urbana, and the following year near King’s Creek.
In 1823, he went to Urbana and entered the store of
Thomas Gwynne as clerk; here he
remained a short time and then went to Springfield, Ohio, where his step-father
had just opened a store, and clerked for him there until Jan. 20, 1825 when they
came to Mechanicsburg, where he has since resided. He acted as clerk in the store till 1834,
when he embarked in Mechanicsburg on his own account, purchasing nearly all his
first stock on credit; this he continued till 1846 with eminent success, due to
him careful business habits, honesty and economy.
He then went to land dealing and raising sheep and wool. In this his usual energy and business
sagacity won him signal success. He now
owns nearly 2,000 acres of land lying in Champaign,
Madison and Union Cos., mainly in
this county.
Mr. Ware
is self-made man; beginning with nothing
but an indomitable will, he has by the assistance of his devoted wife and his
own perseverance and economy, surrounded himself with a neat competency. He has been identified with the Whig,
Liberty, Free-Soil and Republican parties,
and now, recognizing the enormity of the evil of intemperance, is a strong
Prohibitionist. He has led a life
strictly of temperance, having never used intoxicating drinks or tobacco in any
form; he has always been active and earnest in the temperance work. He is a public-spirited man and always
found interested in matters pertaining to the welfare of the community. He was an early and earnest advocate of
the free-school system, and was mainly instrumental in establishing the union
schools of this place. He is a man of
principle and firm in his convictions of right.
He with his wife has been a member of the M. E. Church for over one-half
century, and during nearly all this time has occupied important positions in the
church. He married
Amisa Wallace, who was born Feb. 6,
1804, near Brownsville,
Penn. Aug.
20, 1829, and sine his marriage has lived on the same identical spot. Of the four sons and two daughters born to
this union, two sons, the oldest, died in infancy.
Source: History of Champaign County, Ohio
- Publ. Chicago: W. H. Beers & Co. – 1881 |
Jackson Twp. -
WILLIAM WEST, farmer; P. O. St. Paris.
To the gentleman whose name heads this sketch we are pleased
to yield a space in this work; he is a son of Stocket,
and a grandson of Basil West. Basil was a
slaveholder, and lived successively in South Carolina,
Georgia, North Carolina, Kentucky, and, finally Ohio.
They located in Mad River Township, Champaign Co., about
1808, but soon entered land in Jackson Township, and settled
on it. Strocket was born in South Carolina
about 1790; he was raised a farmer, but was a good
blacksmith and carpenter, and could spin and weave. In
April, 1816, he married Elizabeth Merritt. She
was born in Virginia July 13, 1792, a daughter of John
and Margaret Merritt, who came to Ohio about 1818, and
settled in Jackson Township. Strocket and Elizabeth
West were the parents of nine children - John,
William, David, Sarah, James, Henry, Jerry, Mary and Jane.
William, Henry, Jerry and Jane are the only
survivors; the others died of lung disease. Stocket
was identified with the principal offices of the township -
Trustee, Treasurer, etc. - for a number of years; he owned
210 acres of land, which he and his family cleared up and
improved, except about 10 acres. His death occurred in
July, 1852; his wife survived till October, 1876. Both
had been members of the Honey Creek Baptist Church, for a
number of years. William, the subject of this
sketch, was born in Jackson Township, July 13, 1818; he
formerly dealt in stock considerably, and made a stat in the
world by dealing in horses. He now devotes his time to
farming almost entirely. He owns 160 acres of land in
a high state of cultivation, with excellent buildings and
other improvements. On the 3d of February, 1848, he
married Hester B. Grafton, a native of this township,
born Nov. 18, 1822. Three children have been born to
them - John, born Jan. 18, 1849, and died at the age
of four years; George W., born Jan. 16, 1855; and
Henry C., born July 17, 1857. Mrs. West is
a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church. On the
17th of October, 1878, George W. was united in
marriage with Ellen A. Breslin; she was born in St.
Paris, Mar. 21, 1856.
Source: History of Champaign County, Ohio
- Publ. Chicago: W. H. Beers & Co. – 1881 |
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Goshen Twp. -
OLIVER C. WHEELER, Mechanicsburg; publisher of the Mechanicsburg Herald, an eight-page quarto
weekly, devoted to local interests, and neutral in politics, established in
1879. HE was also the founder of the
Central Ohio News, another weekly paper
published in the same place, established in 1873, severing his connection in
1878.
Mr. Wheeler is a practical printer,
and has been identified with the newspaper interests and the “art preservative”
in Ohio for twenty-five years. He is a native of
Maryland, and emigrated with his parents to Ohio when a lad.
Source: History of Champaign County, Ohio
- Publ. Chicago: W. H. Beers & Co. – 1881
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Goshen Twp. -
R. D. WILLIAMS, banker, Mechanicsburg; is one of the oldest business men of
Mechanicsburg, and has been for a number of years prominently identified it to
its present enterprising condition.
He was born in Maryland June 27, 1815, and is of English descent on his paternal,
and of French on his maternal, side.
His parents, John W. and Eleanor (Du Val) Williams, were both of Maryland.
John W. was a farmer by
occupation, and immigrated to Ohio in 1831, locating in the vicinity of Mechanicsburg. Here he purchased a large tract of
land, and passed the few remaining years of life, his death occurring in 1838. His wife,
Eleanor Du Val, was born of French Huguenot parentage, and comes from an ancient and
honorable family. After the
revocation of the “edict of Nantes” by
Louis XIV, two Huguenot brothers
escaped from France to America, one locating in Maryland, and
the other in Virginia. These have left a numerous progeny
scattered throughout the North and West, and of those
Mrs. W. was a lineal descendant. Of this same
family was William Pope Du Val, of
historic fame, and one of the Territorial Governors of Florida, a sketch of
whose life is given by Irving
in “Wolfert’s Roost,” under the title
of “Adventures of Ralph Ringwood.” Gen. John Pope Du Val was his
brother, and obtained a large tract of land in the Virginia military district of Ohio, and many of his heirs now
reside on it. The family has been
prominently identified in military and official positions for many generations.
John Williams left at his death four sons and four daughters. All were located in the vicinity of
Mechanicsburg but one daughter, who was married to
Dr. William Hammond, of Annapolis,
Md., who is the only member of the family deceased. One brother lives in Chicago, one in
Mechanicsburg, and another has been for a number of years prominently connected
with the offices of the State, serving two terms of Auditor. Our subject is the third of the
family, and was in his early manhood when he came to this place with his
parents. His early education was
received in the district school in his native State, and, till he attained
majority, he lived on a farm. In
1836, he embarked in the mercantile business in Mechanicsburg, which he
continued with success for thirty years, the business now being carried on by
his sons. He then engaged in the
banking business with Thomas Davis,
the bank being styled the “Farmers’ Bank,” and was organized subsequently into
the “Farmers’ National Bank.” He has
held the position of President of this bank since its organization. Thus, nearly one-half a century has
elapsed since Mr. Williams identified
himself with the business interests in Mechanicsburg, and we still find him
enrolled with the foremost business men of the place. He is a man of many sterling
qualities, and his life has been marked with industry, integrity and beneficent
acts. He is a Republican in politics
and a Methodist in religion. He
married Jane, daughter of
Samuel W. Claggett, of Annapolis,
Md., in 1836.
Two sons and three daughters are the issue of this union, all of whom
reside in their native place but one daughter, who resides in
Toledo.
Source: History of Champaign County, Ohio
- Publ. Chicago: W. H. Beers & Co. – 1881
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DAVID WILSON was born in
Pennsylvania in 1803. He came to Wayne Township in 1832.
By his first wife (Owens) he had no children. By
his second wife, whom he married in 1844, he had seven daughters
- Sarah, married William Corbet; Rebecca, married
Marion Corbet; Nancy J., married Amassa Corbet;
Christina married Aaron W. Devore; Margaret,,
unmarried; Nettie, married Coleman Spain; Emma,
married Oliver Haines; Laura Alice, died
aged eleven. These two brothers, Thomas and
David, were for nearly half a century the substantial
citizens of their neighborhood, and their influence for good did
much to mold the society about them David died in
March, 1876, aged seventy-three years.
Source: History of Champaign County, Ohio - Publ. Chicago: W. H. Beers & Co.
- 1881 |
THOMAS WILSON was born in the State of New York.
He came to this township from Clark County, in the year 1832,
and settled on the farm on which he lived and died, nearly a
mile southeast of Middletown. He bought the land of
Gallaway, the original proprietor, for $1.25 per acre.
He married Lockie Pemberton, in the year 1827. She
was born in Clark County. His children were James,
Hiram, William, Isaac, David K., Margaret, Catherine, Hannah
and Cinderella. Three daughters and two sons
survive the father. Mr. Wilson died about 1875.
Source: History of Champaign County, Ohio - Publ. Chicago: W. H. Beers & Co.
- 1881 |
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Goshen Twp. -
NATHAN WOLF, farmer; P. O. Mechanicsburg; was born in Logan Co., Ohio, in 1845, and is the son of
George and Olive (Hendricks) Wolf,
the former a native of Virginia, born near Harper’s Ferry in 1803, and the
latter a native of Clark Co., Ohio.
George emigrated to Clark Co. with
his parents when quite young; thence to Logan Co., where he lived till about
thirty years ago, engaged at the life occupation, farming. At the above time he sold out with
the intention of going West but the death of his wife,
Olive, defeated this plan. He soon married
Miss Laferty, and located in this county, Union Township, where
he still resides. About twelve years
ago, he was called to mourn the loss of his second wife, and has sine been
married to Rebecca J. Minturn. He has two sons by his first and
three by his second marriage. Our
subject is the oldest living, and has had his residence in the county since 6
years old. He made his first
location from home on his present place in about 1870. In his use of the elective franchise,
he uses his own judgment, and votes for the man he thinks best fitted for
office, regardless of party. He is a
member of A., F. & A. M. fraternity and the M. E. Church. He married, in 1870,
Mrs. Louisa M. Smith, nee Hull, by whom he has two sons – Alfred C., born Feb.
17, 1874; Milton B., born July 28,
1876.
Mrs. Wolf has one son by her first marriage – Claude F. Smith, born June 11, 1866.
Source: History of Champaign County, Ohio
- Publ. Chicago: W. H. Beers & Co. – 1881
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Adams Twp. -
CHARLES C. WOOLLEY, retired farmer; P. O. Tawawa, Shelby Co.; born Dec. 12, 1812, in New
Jersey; is a son of Elihu Woolley, a
native of that State, who came to Ohio with his parents in 1814, locating in
Butler Co.; lived there twenty-two years; sold his property there and moved to
Shelby Co., purchasing a farm south of Palestine, where he lived until his
death; he was a weaver by trade.
Charles C. was raised principally as
a farmer, but worked some at the carpenter’s trade. June 30, 1839, he married
Miss Barbara, daughter of
Nicholas Speece, a native of
Virginia; they have five children, of whom two
are living – William E. and
Josie.
Mr. Woolley has served as
Township Trustee for eighteen years.
He lives retired from hard labor.
His farm is located in the west part of Adams Township,
this county. He is one of Champaign
Co’s best and most highly respected citizens.
Source: History of Champaign County,
Ohio
- Publ. Chicago: W. H. Beers & Co. – 1881
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Goshen Twp. -
THOMAS WREN, farmer; P. O. Mechanicsburg; one of the early settlers of Goshen Township; was born in Clark
Co., Ohio, Dec. 1808, and is the son of
David Wren, of Berkeley Co., Va.
David was married to
Elizabeth Bishop, of Loudoun Co.,
Va., and moved to Fleming Co.,
Ky., where they remained five years, and then pioneered their way into
Ohio, in 1801
or 1802, locating in Pleasant Township, Clark Co., thru making one of the first
families of Clark Co. In June, 1832,
he moved with his family to Goshen Township, Champaign Co., locating about one
mile south of Mechanicsburg. Here he
lived till in August, 1847, when his death occurred; his wife died in 1852. They had six sons and four daughters;
all grew up and were married; two sons only survive. Our subject was the seventh child; he
was reared on a farm, and early became inured to farm labor; his life has been
devoted to farming and stock-raising, and at this he has been signally
successful. At his advent into Goshen Township,
he was 22 years old, and has since resided here, a period of nearly half a
century. He lived with his parents
till he moved to his present place, forty years ago. Then he began in the woods and log
cabin; now he has a farm of nearly 400 acres under good improvement, and a fine,
large, brick residence, the result of his industry and economy. He married, in 1837,
Mary Jones, who was born in Logan
Co., Ohio, and
raised in this, Champaign Co.; she died in June, 1871. One son and five daughters were born
to this union.
Mr. Wren, formerly an “Old-Line Whig,” now embraces the principles of the Republican
party.
Source: History of
Champaign County,
Ohio - Publ. Chicago: W. H. Beers & Co. – 1881
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