..
|
|
OHIO GENEALOGY EXPRESS
 |
CLERMONT COUNTY, OHIO
BIOGRAPHIES
SOURCE: HISTORY OF
CLERMONT AND BROWN COUNTIES, OHIO
— VOLUME II —
1913 |
|
|
EDWIN
C ELY, one of the most prominent attorneys of
Clermont county, Ohio, whose intense and well directed
efforts have brought him into connection with many lines
of activity of so far-reaching effect that it is almost
impossible to determine the most important chapter of his
life history, was born at Savannah, Mo., October 1, 1864,
a son of Rev. William R. and Lavina (Weaver) Ely.
Rev. William R. Ely was born at Batavia, Ohio,
May 9, 1827, and died September 13, 1903, at the home of
his birth. He was a minister of the Methodist church and
for over twenty years was active in the conference. He
lived at Batavia until 1852, when he removed to Acton,
Ind., remaining there until 1863. At this place, Rev.
Ely buried four of his children in three days, of a
malignant epidemic of flux. Mrs. Ely
was also taken with the same affliction and it was thought
best to change climate, which they did, returning to
Batavia until she should have recovered her health. While
they were away from their home, it and all the contents
were burned. This was a great loss to them and they
remained at Batavia for a time, and then went to Savannah,
Mo., in 1864, where he was in active service in the
Methodist Episcopal conference until 1884, when he was
retired, returning again to Batavia, where he spent the
remainder of his life.
Rev. William R. Ely was known all over the
states of Missouri and Ohio as a horticulturist, knowing
every tree, flower, grass and bird, their habits and
nature. He was a great lover of Nature, and taught his son
the love of all things beautiful. He did much to beautify
his home and city.
Mrs. Lavina (Weaver) Ely was also a native of
Clermont county, Ohio, being born in 1827, and died in
1907. She was buried by the side of her husband in the
Batavia cemetery. They had five children born to them, all
of whom, with the exception of our subject, Edwin
C., died in childhood.
William Mount Ely, the
father of the Rev. William, and the
grandfather of Edwin C., was born in New Jersey, in
1802, and came with his parents to Clermont county in
1804. He was a son of George Ely, who was a
native of New Jersey, and two years after he came to the
county, 1806, purchased a tract of land under the James
Johnson Survey, number 1,776. He had other lands
also, and in 1814 he, with D. C. Bryan, laid out
the town of Batavia, which comprised sixty-two and
one-half acres. He was probably the first sheriff in the
county, and was a Democrat. He had four children:
Matilda, Rebecca, William Mount
and George.
William Mount Ely, who was a farmer and stock
raiser, also kept a hotel in Batavia, where he acquired
the name of "Laughing Bill," on account of
his hearty, whole-souled laugh. He was a big man, with
great broad shoulders and fine physique. He was a great
lover of horses and dogs, and it was considered a treat to
ride one of his fine horses. He was generous to a fault
and although, at one time he was the owner of six hundred
and forty acres of land, he owned but forty acres at the
time of his death, by reason of his liberality. He was the
father of seven children, all of whom were born in
Clermont county:
Harriet, married D. C. Everhart, of
Batavia and Newtown. She died in 1852.
William, the father of our subject.
George, who lives in Chicago, is past eighty
years of age.
Mary, who was the wife of
William H. Hardin, died near Savannah, Mo., in 1871.
John, died in Chicago in
1899.
Daniel J., whose death
occurred at Savannah, Mo., in 1890.
Achsah, married William
T. Eddy, a grandnephew of the husband of the noted
Christian Science leader, Mrs. Baker Grover Eddy.
Their home is at Templeton, Cal.
All four of these sons were in the Civil war, enlisting
from Indiana. William Mount Ely passed from this
life in 1881, at Maitland, Mo. His wife's death occurred
in 1870, and she is buried in Savannah.
Mr. Edwin C. Ely received
his education in the public schools of Batavia, and
graduated from the high school of Chillicothe, Mo., then
studied law under C. H. Mansur, of Chillicothe, who
was then general counsel for the Wabash & Pacific Railway
Company, also second comptroller of currency, under
President Cleveland.
At the age of nineteen years, Edwin Ely
passed the competitive examinations at West Point, ranking
first in them. He also passed examinations for admission
to the bar the following year, but on account of his age
was compelled to wait until his majority.
In 1887, Mr. E. C. Ely returned to Batavia,
where he taught school for nine years, still reading law
under E. Q. Crane and Mr. J. R. Woodlief. He
was admitted to the bar at Columbus, Ohio, in 1896, and
ranked third in a class of fifty-two students. He began
the practice of law at Batavia at once, where for nearly
seventeen years he has carried on a general law business,
with offices in the Clermont Hotel Building.
From 1900 to 1909, Mr. Ely served the
community in which he lives as mayor, demonstrating with
characteristic energy a spirit of devotion to the public
good. With the co-operation of such gentlemen as Mr.
Nichols, Mr. Speidel, Mr.
Parrot and others, he was enabled to make many
improvements in the town, such as the putting down of good
cement walks all over the town, the installation of
electricity, city water, and telephone, in fact advocating
any and all measures that were for the good of the people
and the beautifying of the town in which they live.
Although not now in office, Mr. Ely still
displays an interest in the welfare of his towns-people.
Mr. Edwin C. Ely was married, November 6, 1887,
to Miss Patience Brown, also a native of Batavia,
and was a daughter of Thomas and Sarah (Brown) Brown,
farmers of the county. She was one of a large family, but
all have passed from this life but Mr. Frank Brown,
of Batavia. To this union one child was born:
Miss Daisy, who was born at Batavia, July
17, 1894. She is in the senior class of the Batavia High
School. Mrs. Ely died in 1898, and was
buried in the Batavia cemetery. She was a devoted member
of the Methodist church.
Mr. Ely's second marriage took place in
1899, to Miss Lou Medaris, who was born in
Owensville, Ohio, in 1872, and is a daughter of Charles
and Phoebe (Hill) Medaris, both of whom were natives
of Ohio. Mr. Medaris was a prosperous farmer
and stock raiser. There are two children: C. E. Medaris,
who lives at Harveyville, Kan., and the wife of Mr. E.
C. Ely. Mr. Ely is the father of two children by his
second marriage:
Forrest Edwin, born at Batavia, April 1,
1901. He is an extremely bright boy and has made a fine
record in school for one of his years. He does all of his
father's banking business, and drafts mortgages, being an
all round help to his parents. He won a pony, cart and
harness as a prize for selling the largest number of
Saturday Evening Posts in ten weeks, for the Curtis
Publishing Company, of Philadelphia. He also owns the
agency of the White Star Laundry, and has a bank account
of over two hundred dollars.
Louise, who was born June
20, 1907.
Mr. and Mrs. Ely are members of the Methodist church,
of which they are active workers, the former being on the
official board and a teacher in the Sunday school,
teaching the men's class of thirty-five members. Mr.
Ely started this class some years ago, with a few
members, and has devoted much thought and time to the
enlarging of the class roll. He has been connected with
the Sunday school for years as superintendent and teacher.
Fraternally, Mr. Ely is a Mason, and has
filled all of the offices of the Blue lodge. Mrs.
Ely is a member of the Eastern Star, and both are
very popular both fraternally and socially.
Mr. Edwin C. Ely has been local counsel for the
Bell Telephone Company for nine years, and is a Republican
in politics. He still owns the farm of one hundred and
four acres that belonged to his mother, and is what is
considered a self-made man. Mr. Ely is a
great reader of history and fiction, and is in possession
of several poems of which his father, William R. Ely,
was the author. Among them are "The Land of Somewhere,"
"The Reveries of Spring," which have been printed.
Mr. Ely is a man of deep feeling and
sympathy, a man of pleasing address, who always has a good
word for every one, and stands for all that is good, noble
and true. He usually delivers the annual address at the
Weaver Reunion, which is most interesting and
entertaining. |
HON.
EARL E. ERTEL. One of the leading
young business men of Clermont county, Ohio, who has
attained more than local prominence in both commercial and
political circles, is Mr. Earl E. Ertel, a man of
versatile talent, whose business activity and enerty
combined with great intellectual ability, have been the
salient features of his successful career. Mr.
Ertel is a member of the mercantile firm of Flinn
& Ertel, of Loveland, this association having
existed for the past ten years. He is also connected
with the Reading Iron Company, of Reading, Pa., as
salesman, with offices in the Pickering Building, at
Cincinnati. Mr. Ertel has, in addition to his
many other business interests, done some journalistic work
for the local papers and for the "Commercial Tribune."
Mr. Ertel is a native of Clermont county, his birth
having occurred at Loveland, June 13, 1883, and is a son
of Benjamin F. and Erma (Prather) Ertel.
Mr. Earl E. Ertel is a descendant of German
ancestors, his paternal great-great-grandfather, who was a
noted physician, was born in Germany, and came to America
when a young man, locating in Pennsylvania, where, after a
useful and successful professional career, passed to his
eternal reward, some years before the beginning of the
Nineteenth century.
Daniel Ertel, a son of the founder of the family
in America, was born in Pennsylvania, and there grew to
young manhood, and after reaching man's estate, married
Catherine Myers, who came with him to Ohio,
June 25, 1795, settling at Columbia, near Cincinnati.
Daniel Ertel was a farmer by occupation and
became the owner of the first farm on record in what is
now Warren county, Ohio, purchasing this land from
Colonel Paxton, who secured it by a land
warrant for services in the War of the Revolution. The
first orchard established in Warren county was probably
planted by Mr. Daniel Ertel, from
seed, and is remembered by the older residents of that
locality.
Jacob Ertel, a son of Daniel and
Catherine (Myers) Ertel, was born in Warren county,
August 29, 1810, and was a progressive farmer, making a
specialty of sweet potatoes and plants, being extensively
engaged in this line of work. He was also an expert stone
mason, which occupation he followed in connection with his
farming interests. He was united in marriage with Miss
Malinda Borum.
Benjamin F. Ertel, a son of Jacob and Malinda
(Borum) Ertel, was born in Warren county, Ohio,
October 4, 1846, and from his father learned the trade of
stone mason. For a period of thirty-six years Mr. Ertel
followed this trade and worked in twenty-seven states. In
1868, Mr. Ertel traveled through the states
of Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska and Colorado, finally
returning to Illinois, where he located at Lincoln for
four and one-half years, engaging in the grocery business.
Mr. Ertel returned to Ohio in 1874, and in
Newport, Ky., August 29, 1876, was united in marriage to
Miss Emma G. Prather, who was born in Covington,
Ky., June 23, 1856, her parents being Joshua Pigman
Prather, born at Chilo, Clermont county, Ohio, and
Mary Frances Crupper, born at Maysville, Ky.
By this union three children were born:
One child died in infancy.
Earl E., the subject of this mention.
Elma M., who is Mrs. O. D. Walker, of
Loveland, Ohio, has one child, Maxine.
For a few years, Mr. Benjamin F. Ertel made a
specialty of raising sweet potatoes and plants, after
which he engaged in the contracting business. Benjamin
F. Ertel cast his first presidential ballot for S.
J. Tilden, in 1876, and has always been a Democrat. He
has served his party, satisfactorily, in the capacity of
justice of the peace and clerk of the council of Loveland.
Mr. Earl E. Ertel acquired his education in
Loveland, graduating from the high school, at the head of
the class of 1901, and the following year entered upon his
business career in the employ of the Reading Iron Company,
of Reading, Pa., and the next year became a member of the
firm of Flinn & Ertel.
On June 21, 1911, Mr. Earl E. Ertel was united
in marriage to Miss Mabel N. Blair, of
Madisonville, Ohio, a daughter of William H. Blair,
formerly county commissioner of Hamilton county, Ohio.
Mr. Ertel, as an intelligent citizen, has always
taken an active interest in politics, giving his support
to the Democratic party. It-is almost impossible for a man
of the character and ability of Mr. Ertel to avoid
prominence in politics, and in 1913 he was elected by his
party to the office of State representative in the Ohio
General Assembly.
Fraternally, Mr. Ertel has membership with the
Masonic order, of Loveland, and the Modern Woodmen of
America, of Loveland. He is also a member of the Loveland
Board of Education, and takes an active interest in school
affairs.
Mr. Ertel is a regular attendant of the
Methodist church, and gives liberally to the support of
that denomination and to all worthy enterprises.
Mr. Ertel has made
steady progress toward his objective point, his career
being characterized by unremitting industry, laudable
ambition and successful accomplishment. Moreover, the
principles of his manhood have been such as to command the
respect and confidence and Loveland numbers him among the
representative citizens who are worthy of the trust and
good will of their fellow men. |
|
| NOTES: |
CLICK HERE to
Return to
CLERMONT COUNTY, OHIO |
CLICK HERE to
Return to
OHIO GENEALOGY EXPRESS |
This Webpage has been created by Sharon Wick exclusively for Ohio Genealogy Express
©2008
Submitters retain all copyrights |
|
|
. |