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OHIO GENEALOGY EXPRESS
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BIOGRAPHIES
Each Book has it's own separate biographical index.
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BIOGRAPHICAL INDEX FOR SOURCE #1:
The History of Clark County, Ohio :
containing a
history of the county, its cities, towns, etc., general and local
statistics, portraits of early settlers and prominent men, history
of the Northwest Territory, history of Ohio, map of Clark County,
Constitution of the United States, miscellaneous matters, etc., etc.
Chicago: W.H. Beers & Co., 1881,
†
BIOGRAPHICAL
INDEX FOR SOURCE #2:
A Standard History of Springfield and Clark County,
Ohio: an
Volume 2 - Publ. 1922
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EBEN
SKILLINGS, farmer; P. O.
Springfield. He lives in a fine, large house in the
southeastern corner of Springfield Township. He is engaged
quite extensively in farming, and pays some attention to the
raising of fine stock. He is the son of Lewis and
Anna (Craig) Skillings, and was born
June 16, 1833, on the farm where he now lives. He was
married on New Year's Day, 1857, to Susan Runyan,
daughter of Isaac and Rebecca Runyan. They had
one child-Laura A., who was joined in wedlock, Jan.
14, 1875, to Rev. J. H. Hollingsworth. Susan departed this
life in April, 1860 Mr. Skillings was again
married, April 30, 1863, this time to Phoebe A., daughter of
David and Susan (Smith) Paullin. Of this union five
children have been born - Otis G., Susan L., Wesley, Sara
E. and Frank. Mr. and Mrs.
Skillings are members of the Free Will Baptist Church,
which is located near where they live. Mr. S has been
one of the Trustees of said church over twenty years, and is
still serving in said office. Mr. Skillings' father
came to Ohio in 1810, and settled in Cincinnati, and moved
from there to this county the same year, where he remained
until death.
SOURCE: The History of Clark County, Ohio : Publ.
Chicago: W.H. Beers & Co., 1881 - Page 920 - Transcribed for
Ohio Genealogy Express by Cathy Portz |
LEWIS
SKILLINGS, deceased. The
father of this deceased pioneer was born near Berlin,
Prussia, in the year 1750, and was a soldier in the Hessian
army, which the English Government purchased of the German
States to aid in crushing American liberty, but, in 1776,
he, with three others, deserted, rather than fight against a
people struggling for freedom, narrowly escaping detection.
Mr. Skillings moved farther away from the
scene of conflict, settling in Maine, where he was married
to Mary Blagdon, to whom were born the
following children: Louis, John, Charles,
Hannah, Mary and two whose names are unknown.
While working in the forest of his adopted state, he was
killed by a limb of a tree falling upon his head, leaving a
family of small children to the care of his widow and his
eldest son Lewis, who was then but a small lad, yet
faithfully did he discharged the trust; and by constant toil
he cared and provided for the family until his 22d year,
when he started for the Far West in search of his fortune,
his mother surviving for many years, dying in 1857, aged 94.
Lewis Skillings was born in Maine and in 1789,
and, in 1810, we find him at Cincinnati, Ohio, where he was
engaged in carrying produce, on flat-boats, down the Ohio
and Mississippi Rivers. Then afterward, he came to Clark
County, and settled in the northeastern part of Green
Township, moving thence across the line to Springfield
Township, where his son Eben now resides. He was
married to Ann Craig, daughter of John
Craig, who was born near Onion River, Conn., March
29, 1792; came with her parents to Ohio in 1807, and the
following spring settled in Harmony Township. Of this union
seven children were born, viz., Mary, the deceased
wife of James Laybourn, deceased; Hannah,
the wife of Jonathan Mason, of Green Township;
Sarah, the wife of Abel Laybourn, of
Harmony Township; John, deceased; Lewis; Eben;
and Wesley, deceased. It is unnecessary to speak of
the privations and hardships undergone by Mr.
Skillings and wife in their early married life; suffice
to say, that theirs was the lot of every pioneer of the Mad
River country, and nothing but the patience, pluck and
energy, which it was their good fortune to possess, could
have converted the country from a dense forest into one of
the finest improved counties in the State. He and his wife
were life-long members of the Methodist Episcopal Church,
and he was the Class leader in Fletcher Chapel for twenty
years; his wife died June 15, 1866, and, in December, 1869,
he also died, leaving to their children a handsome property,
the result of industrious, economical habits, owing at the
time of his death 300 acres of first-class land. In his will
he left $20 per year for twenty years to Fletcher Chapel,
and there in that same graveyard this honest, upright old
couple, found their last resting-place on earth, leaving to
their posterity a name and character above reproach.
SOURCE: The History of Clark County, Ohio : Publ.
Chicago: W.H. Beers & Co., 1881 - Page 919 - Transcribed for
Ohio Genealogy Express by Cathy Portz |
JOHN
W. SOWERS. The self-made
man deserves more than passing mention, for his success
proves that he possessed more than ordinary attributes in
order to rise, through his own efforts, to a position
somewhat above that attained by the rank and file. John
W. Sowers is one of the men of this character in
Clark County who, working hard and saving thriftily, become
independent and takes a constructive part in the work of
their community. His finely improved truck farm on Hillside
Avenue, Springfield, shows the results of his hard work and
good management, and he has every reason to be proud of what
he has accomplished. John W. Sowers was born in
Greene County, Ohio, February 12, 1849, a son of John
Hanson and Elizabeth (Coines) Sowers, natives of
Maryland and of Greene County, Ohio. Early in life he was a
carpenter, but later was engaged in farming. His death
occurred at Springfield, October 2, 1862, his widow
surviving him until February 15, 1892, when she passed away
at Springfield. As he was the eldest of six children, after
his father's death John W. Sowers had to go to work
and he had no further opportunity of attending school. For
two years he did farm work on the homestead, and then worked
out by the month for neighboring farmers. Following his
marriage in 1870 Mr. Sowers was engaged in
farming, operating a threshing machine and doing sawmill
work until 1886, when he located at Springfield, and for the
next three years he was engaged in hauling stone. Going then
into the employ of P. P. Mast, of the Buckeye Drill Company,
he continued with him until 1902, when he secured a piece of
land in the eastern part of Springfield and farmed it until
1908. He then bought five and one-half acres on Hillside
Avenue. The subsequent year he erected a residence, barn and
other outbuildings, which are excellent for their several
purposes, and here he maintains a comfortable home and
raises vegetables, which he sells at his stand in the city
market. In August, 1870, Mr. Sowers married
Lydia Jane Shrock, who was born at Springfield, and died
there June 28, 1889. They became the parents of the
following children: Jennie Ann, who is the
wife of Ernest Bennett, of Pueblo, Colorado;
Edward and William, who live at Springfield;
Ottie L., who died in infancy; Harry,
who lives at Springfield; Ollie, who is Mrs. Harry
Webb, of Kalamazoo, Michigan; Frank, who died
in infancy; Roy, who lives with his father; and
Floyd, who died in infancy. Mr. Sowers has
always been a republican, and is active in party matters.
For three years he served on the School Board and for two
years represented Fairfield on the Board of Supervisors.
Fraternally he belongs to Fairfield Lodge, I.O.O.F., and
Springfield Lodge No. 240, J.O.U.A.M. Hard working, thrifty
and careful, Mr. Sowers has made his way in life, and not
only is successful in material things, but stands very well
with his neighbors, who appreciate his excellent qualities.
SOURCE: A Standard History of Springfield and Clark
County, Ohio by Benjamin F. Prince, 1922 - Page 322 -
Transcribed for Ohio Genealogy Express by Cathy Portz |
Green Twp. -
OSCAR
F. STEWART, farmer and stock-raiser; P. O.
Springfield; one of a numerous and prominent family of that
name in this locality; was born in this township, Feb. 5,
1833. He was the son of John T. Stewart; was
brought up upon the farm, and received a common-school
education. At the age of 23 he commenced farming for
himself upon a part of his father's farm, where he now
resides, and where he has surrounded and provided himself
with all the comforts and conveniences of farm life.
In January, 1862, he married Miss Rachel Nichelson,
daughter of Andrew Nichelson, now deceased, an early
settler and much esteemed citizen of Harmony Township.
Of this marriage, three children survive - Herbert
P., Ralph N. and Frank C., all living with their
parents, by whom neither pains or means are spared to
educate and fit them for the duties of life. To the
140 acres originally owned by Mr. Stewart, he has
added from time to time, until his acreage in the vicinity
reaches 513, besides 150 acres in another locality, all
valuable lands in an excellent state of cultivation.
He combines stock-growing with farming, and thus turns the
products of the farm to great account, and thereby enhances
his profits.
SOURCE: The History of Clark County, Ohio : Publ.
Chicago: W.H. Beers & Co., 1881 - Page 1056 |
OMAR
W. STOLL when he retired
from the road as a traveling salesman established a
permanent business connection in the village of South
Vienna, where he was born, and is now one of the prosperous
general merchants in that section of Clark County. He was
born at South Vienna August 25, 1887, son of Jacob and
Edith (Perkins) Stoll, also natives of Harmony Township.
His father was reared on the farm, learned the carpenter's
trade and for many years has been a carpenter contractor,
living at South Vienna. They have lived in South Vienna
since their marriage. The mother is an active member of the
Christian Church. Jacob Stoll is a democrat,
has filled the chairs in the Lodges of Independent Order of
Odd Fellows and Knights of Pythias and is a member of the
Elks. He and his wife had five children: Omar W.; Chester
W., a graduate of Springfield High School, now living at
St. Louis, Missouri; Marie, wife of Paul E.
Troxell; Border, a graduate of high school; and
Foster, still attending the Harmony Township High
School. Omar W. Stoll as a boy at South Vienna
attended the public schools and business college, and in
April, 1909, went west to California, where he had an
experience of six years as clerk in a wholesale hardware
house. After returning to Clark County he went on the road
as a traveling salesman for a Dayton house and traveled for
four years and then engaged in business as a general
merchant at South Vienna. November 25, 1916, at Denver,
Colorado, he married Mona Weldon. She was born
at Denver, and was educated in the graded schools of that
city. They have two children, Weldon, born in 1918,
and William, born in 1921. Mrs. Stoll
is a member of the Presbyterian Church. He is affiliated
with Fielding Lodge No. 192, Free and Accepted Masons.
SOURCE: A Standard History of Springfield and Clark
County, Ohio by Benjamin F. Prince, 1922 - Page 226 -
Transcribed for Ohio Genealogy Express by Cathy Portz |
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