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ANDREW
ROBESON CALDERWOOD, attorney-at-law of Greenville, and
one of the old settlers of Darke county, was born in Montgomery
county, Ohio, September 14, 1818, and died at Greenville several
years ago. He was a son of George and Margaret (Robeson)
Calderwood, natives of Huntingdon county, Pennsylvania.
They Were married September 14, 1811, and in the fall of 1817 moved
to near Dayton, Ohio, going thence in 1832 to Darke county, where
George Calderwood died September 7, 1849. His wife survived him
until August 12, 1873, when her death occurred. George Calderwood
was of Scotch parents and though uneducated was a man of sound
judgment, great firmness and courage, of large stature and possessed
of an iron constitution. He was kind and generous to a fault.
Margaret Robeson descended from Scotch, Welsh and Irish
ancestry, and was a woman of remarkable good sense, fine natural
talent and great kindness. Our subject was employed in early life
upon a farm, digging ditches, mauling rails, etc. His education was
meager, but being called upon to serve as juror, he was so inspired
by the eloquence of some of the attorneys in the case that he
resolved to become a lawyer and at once commenced the study of law,
being admitted to the bar and beginning practice in 1851. He was
elected probate judge in 1854 and after serving three years he
entered the Union army as second lieutenant; was promoted to captain
of Company I, Fortieth Ohio Volunteer Infantry; resigned his
commission on account of injuries received from being thrown from a
horse, and on regaining his health he was re-commissioned by
Governor Tod, and by Colonel Cranor was assigned to the
command of his old company. After six months' service in the above
position, by loss of his voice and previous injuries, he was again
compelled, to leave the active service of the army and acted in the
capacity of recruiting officer until the close of the war, after
which he resumed the practice of law. On December 3, 1876, he
assumed the editorial control of the Sunday Courier, a leading organ
of the Republican party of Darke county. He was three times elected
mayor of Greenville, and .in 1868 the Republicans of Darke county
presented his name in the fourth congressional district of Ohio for
congress, his competitor, Mr. McClung, being nominated by a
small majority over him. Hg always had a liberal share of the law
practice in this county and enjoyed more than a local reputation as
a criminal lawyer; at the forum his abilities were best known; he
had an original faculty of developing a subject by a single glance
of the mind, detecting as quickly the point upon» which every
controversy depended. There was a deep self-conviction and emphatic
earnestness in his manner, and a close logical connection in his
thoughts. He wove no garlands of flowers to hang in festoons around
a favorite argument, yet for impromptu appeals and eloquence he
stood among the first of his profession, and, by his great knowledge
of human nature he was acknowledged to be one of the best judges of
a jury at the bar. |
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DANIEL CAUPP
who owns and operates a valuable farm on section 23, Mississinawa
township, was born in Ross county, Ohio, on the 10th of August 1844,
and is of German lineage. His father, Frederick Caupp,
was a native of Stuttgart, Germany, born in 1808, and about 1824,
when sixteen years of age, he crossed the Atlantic to the new world.
He wedded Barbara Zimmerman, also a native of Germany, and
they took up their abode on a farm of forty acres in Ross county,
Ohio, where most of their children were born. There were six
children by the first marriage: John, who enlisted for
the service in the Fortieth Ohio Infantry during the civil war and
died of typhoid fever while in service, his remains being interred
at Plain City, Ohio; Susan, the wife of Andrew Horlocker;
Daniel, of this review; David, who died at the age of
twenty years, of typhoid fever; Frederick, who died of the
same disease and about the same time; and Gottleib, a farmer
residing near the old homestead. The parents of this family
started out in life in limited circumstances, but their united
efforts enabled them to work their way steadily upward until they
became the owners of a valuable farm of ninety acres. The
father died about 1880, at the age of sixty-five years, and was laid
to rest in Pleasant Ridge cemetery, but the mother still survives
him. Mr. Caupp, of this review, pursued his education
in the district schools and remained upon the home farm through the
period of his boyhood and youth. No event of special
importance occurred during that time, yet his was a busy existence,
his time being devoted to the labors of the fields through the
summer months and the mastery of the common English branches of
learning during the winter season. He was married Oct. 12,
1873, to Louis Beal, of this county, a daughter of Isaac
and Mary (Miller) Beal. Their union has been blessed with
thirteen children, of whom ten are living, as follows: Lemuel S.,
who assists in the operation of the farm; David, who is
married and lives on a far in the locality; William; Myrtle,
the wife of George Thomas, of Mississinawa township, by whom
she has one son; Daniel N. Earl, Florence, Iva, Ira and
Mabel.
Mr. Caupp, votes with the Democracy and keeps
well informed on the issues of the day, but has never sought or
desired office. He carries on general farming and recently has
devoted eight or ten acres to the cultivation of tobacco. His
sixty-acre farm was a part of his father's homestead and his rich
and fertile tract is under the high state of cultivation. He
believes it is best to keep his land in good condition and to follow
progressive methods of farming. He has upon his place a large,
fine, frame residence, which he erected in 1858, and near by stand a
commodious barn and other outbuildings, providing ample shelter for
the grain and stock. He has planted many fruit and shade trees
around his place which add much to the comfort and beauty of his
rural home. His work has been carried on so systematically and
carefully that he is today the possessor of a comfortable competence
and is regarded as one of the representative citizens of his
community - which fact entitles him to mention in the history of
Darke county.
(Source: A Biographical History of Darke County, Ohio - publ.
1900) |
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FRED CLINE.
Whenever a new firm is organized, the people of a community in which
it proposes to do business, are interested, but this is intensified
when the members of the new association are well known men in that
locality. Fred Cline and his partner,
O. S. Simpson, members of the drug and jewelry firm of
Simpson & Cine of Arcanum, Ohio, are native sons of
Arcanum, where the major portions of their lives have been spent,
and their success is a matter of gratulation to those who have
watched these young men develop from boyhood into responsible
business activities. Fred Cline was born at
Arcanum, Ohio, January 22, 1884, a son of Charles and Isola
(Harris) Cline, natives of Ohio. Michael
Cline, the paternal grandfather of Fred Cline,
married a Miss Miller, and both were natives of
Virginia. They became early settlers of Salem, Ohio, where he
became a trader of cattle, although a cooper by trade. They
died at Arcanum, he after passing into the seventies, and she when
sixty-eight years old. They had six children, namely:
Granville, who died when a child; Mary, Henry,
Charles, Edward and William. The
maternal grandfather married Martha Conner, both of
them being natives of Tennessee, who moved to Hamilton, Ohio, at an
early day. By profession the grandfather was a lawyer
who practiced at Cincinnati, and was killed in a railroad accident
when thirty-four years old. His widow survives and has been
married twice. The only child by her first marriage was
Isola. The second husband of Mrs.
Harris was a Mr. Brown and they had one
child, G. L. Brown. By her third husband, a Mr. Ludlum, she
had a daughter, Myrtle. Charles
Cline was a tobacco merchant, who operated at Arcanum when
the tobacco business was in its infancy. He first started as a
commission man, handling tobacco for a New York house, and remained
in this line for twenty years. His death occurred at Arcanum
in August, 1900, when he was forty-six years old. His widow
survives him. In fraternal matters, he was an Odd Fellow.
Charles Cline and wife had two children, namely:
Fred and Charles, the latter being
a resident of Dayton, Ohio. Fred
Cline grew to manhood's estate at Arcanum, where he
attended both the grammar and high schools. When he attended
both the grammar and high schools. When his father died he was
forced to earn his own living, and his first father died he was
forced to earn his own living, and his first employment was with a
tobacco House. Later he was on the road was a commercial
salesman for two years, but returning to Arcanum, he began his
connection with the jewelry business in the store of L. T.
Grubbs, and within two years, or in 1907, purchased the
business from his employer, and has continued it ever since.
Mr. Cline learned the watchmaking and jewelry trade
partly under the tuition of Mr. Grubbs, but took a
practical course in it at Detroit, Michigan, so that he is an expert
in his line. When he associated himself with Mr.
Simpson in 1912, he felt that he was broadening his field
of operation, and gaining from the experience of Mr. Simpson, as the
latter would profit from his own knowledge.
Fraternally, Mr. Cline belongs to Ithaca Lodge No.
295, F. & A. M., and he is a thirty-second degree Mason, according
to the Scottish Rite. He also belongs to International
Archaeological Association, and the American Indian Association.
These connections have been formed as the outcome of a taste he
formed in boyhood for collecting Indian relics to which he has added
until he now has one of the finest collections in the State, if not
in this country. Keeping in close touch with the authorities
at Washington, he receives the literature along the lines in which
he is interested, that is issued by the government, and is much
thought of by those who appreciate the value of his research work.
As is only natural, Mr. Cline is a great reader,
finding his enjoyment among his books, of which he has an excellent
library. He and his mother live on East George street,
Arcanum, where they have a pleasant home. Source: History of
Darke Co., Ohio - Vols. II -
Milford, Ohio - The Hobart Publ. Co. - 1914. - Page 206 |
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FRANK
T. CONKLING, book-keeper, Greenville; born in Hamilton Co.,
Ohio, Feb. 27, 1858; his early education was obtained in the common
schools of his native place, and completed by a study of eight yeas
in Cincinnati; in 1875, he came to Greenville, and in July, 1876,
accepted a position as book-keeper of the Greenville Bank, which
situation he has since filled with credit to himself, and
satisfaction to his employers. |
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ADAM S.
COPPESS, a prominent representative of the agricultural
interests of Jackson, township, belongs to one of the oldest and
most highly respected families of Darke county, his grandfather,
Adam Coppess, having taken up his abode here in 1819, only two
years after Jacob Hartle, the first white settler, located
within its borders. He was of Dutch extraction and a blacksmith by
trade, being the first to follow that occupation in this county. On
first coming to Ohio from North Carolina he located in Greene
county, and it is said that he had to hide to keep from being
murdered by the Indians. In Darke county he entered land for himself
and sons, made a clearing and built a log house, which stood for a
number of years. He took an active part in laying out the roads in
his locality, cleared many acres of land and in connection with work
at his trade manufactured cowbells by hand. In politics he was a
Democrat and in religious belief a Lutheran. He died at the age of
seventy-four years and his wife survived him several years. Before
leaving North Carolina he married a Miss Mock, whom our
subject well remembers, and to them were born the following
children: John, David, Peter, Adam, Alfred and Daniel,
all farmers; Mrs. Phoebe Horning, Mrs. Mary Frampton, Mrs.
Elizabeth Brewer, Mrs. Catherine Harney and Mrs. Sarah
Robison. John Coppess, the father of our subject, was
born in North Carolina and was only six years old when brought by
his parents. to this state. The family had owned a negro slave, who
was set free on their arrival here. John Coppess attended the
subscription schools to a limited extent, but was mainly self
educated, and being fond of reading he became a well informed man.
He was very ingenious and able to engage in almost any occupation,
including blacksmithing, carpentering and farming. He also followed
the trade of a fuller for some time, and later operated a water
power saw mill until steam came into general use, when he turned his
attention to general farming, owning three-hundred and fifty acres
of land, including a part of the old homestead. Returning to Greene
county, he married Mrs. Susanna (Stevenson) McFarland, a
native either of Kentucky or Virginia. Her father was a scout in the
war of 1812 and saw much active service under General Wayne.
He afterward received a land grant in recognition of his services.
Our subject's paternal grandfather also took part in the same war.
Mrs. Coppess was fairly well educated and was a great bible
student. Her children were Andrew, a farmer and stock raiser
of Iowa; Adam S., our subject; Jacob P., a farmer of
Ansonia, this county; and B. F., now a resident of
Greenville. For his second wife the father married Rhoda Horny,
who died leaving three children: John, a justice of the
peace; and Pyrus and Peter, both school teachers. Most
of the family held membership in the Presbyterian church and the
father was a Democrat in political sentiment.
In an old cabin on the homestead in Richland township
Adam S. Coppess was born October 2, 1833. He began his
education in a subscription school, but after attending fifteen days
he broke his arm and was forced to remain at. home for some time. At
the age of eleven he entered the public schools, where he pursued
his studies three months during the year until he was fifteen, and
though his advantages were limited he acquired a fair education. He
aided his father in the labors of the farm until seventeen years of
age and then began earning his own livelihood, though he remained at
home until he attained his majority. During the following three
years he managed his father's business, and in 1857 purchased eighty
acres of his present farm on section 24, Jackson township, which at
that time was practically new land and had to be drained before it
was ready for cultivation. He now has a fine farm of one hundred and
ninety acres, though he at onetime owned four hundred and forty
acres. He is successfully engaged in. general farming and stock
raising and also devotes some attention to the dairy business.
On the 4th of June, 1854, Mr. Coppess married
Miss Sarah A. Davison, who was born in Richland township, this
county, April 6, 1834, a daughter of Robert and Mary (Stratton)
Davison. They have five children, all of whom were provided with
good educational advantages James Madison, the eldest,
follows farming; Robert F. is a druggist and physician of
Alger, Ohio, and was educated in Cincinnati; Andrew J. is
engaged in farming on the old homestead; Stephen A. attended
school in Toronto and Cincinnati, and is now a veterinary surgeon:
and horse dealer of Ridgeville, Ohio; and Mary E. is the wife
of George Russ, and they have one child, Adam Paul.
In religious faith Mr. Coppess is a Universalist,
and in political sentiment is a Democrat. He has efficiently served
as road supervisor, was school director twenty-seven years and clerk
of the board when every brick school house was built. Socially he is
a member of Ansonia Lodge, No. 488, F. & A. M. He is a very
entertaining man, possesses a good fund of general information and
is very hospitable. |
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WILLIAM COX.
In the year 1816 the Cox family was founded in the Darke
county, and through the intervening years the name has been
inseparably interwoven with the history of this locality on account
of the prominent part of its representatives have borne in the
development and progress of this section of the state. It is
therefore with pleasure that we present to our readers the record of
William Cox, who is known as a successful and highly esteemed
agriculturist of Washington township. His grandparents,
Jacob and Eve Cox, were the first of the name of whom we have
authentic record. They had eight children and in 1816 the
entire family emigrated westward to Darke county, Ohio, from Fayette
county, Pennsylvania. A settlement was, first made in the northeast
portion of German township, and they were among the first to take up
their abode in what was then an almost unbroken wilderness. The trip
from Pennsylvania had been made with teams and wagons, and often
they had to mark out a road for themselves or follow an old Indian
trail. . There in the midst of the woods Mr. Cox,
assisted by his children, made a small clearing and erected a rude
log cabin, in which they began life on the frontier in true pioneer
style. Of sturdy and courageous spirit, they were well prepared to
meet the hardships of such a life and in a short time they had a
portion of their land under cultivation. Year by year the cleared
tracts were enlarged and improved, and when Mr. Cox
passed to his final rest the home farm presented every appearance of
thrift and prosperity and was regarded as one of the valuable
properties of this section of the state. The land was inherited by
his son, Henry Cox, who shortly afterward disposed of
it and removed to Missouri, but when a few years had passed he
returned to Ohio, taking up his abode in Miami county, near Pleasant
Hill, where he spent his remaining days. The other two sons of the
family, Jacob and Martin, came to Washington township, Darke county,
after the death of their father, and were the first white men to
enter claims in his locality. Jacob Cox, Jr., the father of
our subject, was born in Fayette county, Pennsylvania, on the 14th
of July, 1887, and, as before stated, came west with his people,
living with them in German township until 1817, when he and his
brother removed to Washington township. They took up adjoining
claims, and the first cabin was erected where the home of Samuel
Cole now stands.
In that little home both brothers with their families
lived for some time, or until a cabin could be erected on the land
owned by Jacob Cox, now the property of his son,
William. The little pioneer home stood on the site of the present
handsome residence, and in this rude domicile, the second one to be
erected in Washington township, the sturdy pioneer family began life
in the midst of the forest. With characteristic energy- the father
continued to clear away the trees and transformed the tract into
rich and fertile fields. He was a man of undaunted energy and
perseverance, and soon a valuable farm indicated what may be
accomplished by people of determined purpose. who are not afraid to
meet the obstacles and difficulties in their path. At the time of
his death Jacob Cox owned four hundred and eighteen
acres of valuable land, and was considered one of the most prominent
and successful farmers and influential citizens of Darke county. In
the early days the Indians often camped in a small ravine near his
home, but they were friendly and occasioned no trouble to the
settlers. Jacob Cox married Elizabeth Wise,
who was a native of Hardy county, Virginia, and removed to Ohio with
her parents, who afterward went to Indiana, where they spent their
last days. Twelve children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Cox: Jesse,
who was born April 24, 1817, and died September 28, 1873; Job,
who was born February 8, 1819, and died September 28, 1834;
Hannah, who was born May 20, 1821, and became the wife of
Lorenzo Dixon, their home being now in Greenville
township, Darke county; Samuel, who was born October 7, 1823
and died April 16, 1849; Martin, who was born June 20, 1826,
and died December 14, 1876; Jacob, who was born January 2,
1829, and died on the 22d of October of the same year; Mary,
who was born August 17, 1830, and is the wife of Philip
Rodgers, of Washington township; John, born March 17,
1833; Eliza Jane, who was born February 26, 1835, and
is the wife of Samuel Van Fleet, of Washington
township; a daughter who was born in 1836 and died before being
named; Israel, who was born June 22, 1838, and died in 1889;
and William, the immediate subject of this review.
Jacob Cox, the father of
these children, was a stanch supporter of the Baptist church and 'a
consistent Christian gentleman. He exercised his right of franchise
in support of the men and measures of the Democracy and earnestly
advocated its principles, but was' never an aspirant for political
honors. He died April 3, 1842, and his estimable wife, surviving him
many years, passed away in 1877. Both were honored and respected by
all who knew them, and when they were called to the home beyond
their loss was mourned not only by many relatives but throughout the
entire neighborhood, for all who knew them were their friends. Upon
the farm on which he settled in 1816 Martin Cox, the
brother of Jacob, lived up to the time of his death, in 1856.
In taking up the personal, history of William Cox we
present to our readers the life record of one who is widely and
favorably known in Darke county. He was the youngest child in his
father's family, and was born in the hewed log house which is still
standing on the farm that is yet his home, his natal day being
January 27, 1841. The old log cabin is now used for storage
purposes, and stands as a mute reminder of pioneer days, and the
habits of life at that time. His school advantages were somewhat
limited, but he mastered the elementary branches of the English
language in the district schools of the neighborhood, and by
experience and observation has added greatly to his knowledge. His
training at farm labor was not meager, for as soon as old enough to
handle the plow he began work in the fields, and was thus largely
engaged from the time of spring planting until crops were garnered
in the autumn. Upon attaining his majority he came into possession
of a portion of his father's estate. He has always carried on
general farming, and for years has made it a practice to manufacture
maple syrup and sugar .on an extensive scale, disposing of this
product to regular customers in Greenville. He has a large sugar
camp and the excellence of the product enables him to secure a ready
market therefor. In 1892 he erected upon his farm a fine, modern
residence, and near by stands good outbuildings. The place is neat
and thrifty in appearance, and the owner is recognized as one of the
practical and progressive agriculturists of his community.
On the 22d of August, 1872, was celebrated the marriage
of Mr. Cox and Miss Margaret A. Van
Fleet, daughter of John D. and Mary (Fradmore) Van Fleet.
This family came from New Jersey to Ohio at an early day, locating
in Washington township, Darke county. Mrs. Cox is now
the only representative of the family living in the county. By her
marriage she has become the mother of four children: Ory
Newton, who was born January 22, 1873, was married December 20,
1898, to Miss Jennie, daughter of William
Young, of Greenville, and they reside upon the old home farm;
Harriet A., born November 5, 1874, is with her parents; a son,
born in 1876, died the same year unnamed; and John Jacob,
born December 18, 1877, also resides at home. In his political views
Mr. Cox was a supporter of Democratic principles for
some time, but now votes the Socialist ticket. He holds membership
in the Christian church. He has neither time nor inclination for
political office, but finds ample time to faithfully discharge every
duty of citizenship. He is a man of determined character, of
sterling worth and. of inflexible integrity, and among the residents
of Darke county he has a host of warm friends. He resides upon one
of the oldest developed farms in Washington township, and is a
worthy representative of an honored pioneer family, whose connection
with the history of Darke county has ever been creditable. |
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GEORGE F.
CRAWFORD was reared on his father's farm in Twin
township, to the cultivation of which he gave his assistance as soon
as old enough. After attending the district schools, and the
Arcanum high school, he became a student in the National Normal
University, at Lebanon, Ohio, where he prepared himself for a
pedagogical career. For a number of years he was successfully
engaged in teaching school two years of the time in Texas, and he
won an enviable reputation as a educator. He then took up the
study of law and in 1901 he was admitted to the bar, and immediately
afterwards entered upon the practice at Greenville. He met
with a favorable reception on the part of both the legal fraternity
and the public and from the beginning of his professional career to
the present time he has had no reason to regret his choice of a life
work. He owns and lives on a cozy little farm, just outside of
the corporation, where his most enjoyable hours are spent.
Thorough training, natural aptitude and a love for his profession
have combined to give Mr. Crawford a standing in professional
circles in Greenville, which could not have been purchased by other
means. He has been connected with some of the most important
litigation tried in the local courts and has uniformly met with a
gratifying measure of success.
On Dec. 25, 1894, George F. Crawford was united
in marriage with Jane McClain, the daughter of Andrew and
Martha (Wieland) McClain, and to that union was born a son,
Leo C. Mrs. Crawford was born near Gordon, Monroe
township, this county. Her father, who was one of the early
settlers in that locality, died on Jan. 6, 1913, aged sixty-nine
years and nine months, and is survived by his widow. They were
the parents of three children, namely: Nelson, who died in
infancy; Jane, wife of the subject, and Myrta, who is
the wife of Orie O. Weisenbarger, a druggist in Greenville.
Mrs. Jane Crawford was a woman of excellent qualities of
character, beloved by all who knew her, and was an earnest member of
the Baptist Church. Her death occurred on April 11, 1910, at
the age of Thirty-six years and eleven months. Her paternal
and maternal grandparents were, respectively, Nelson and Amanda
(Gordon) McClain and Jacob and Olive Wieland.
Politically, Mr. Crawford has always given
his support to the Democratic party, in the success of which he is
deeply interested, though he is not in any sense a seeker after
public office. Fraternally, he is a member of the Greenville
Lodge, No. 161, Knights of Pythias, in the work of which he takes an
appreciative interest. Mr. Crawford is a man of high
intellectual attainments, being a close and critical reader, and
holds broad views of men and things. In him there are combined
to an unusual degree those qualities which inspire personal
friendships of uncommon strength, and all who know him have the
highest admiration for the excellent qualities of his head and
heart. |
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