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Findley Twp. -
JONATHAN PARKER.
From an address delivered before Pioneer Association by Mr.
Parker, we learn that he was born in Louden County,
Virginia, and that his grandfather was a soldier in the
Revolutionary war. His father, with a wife and six small
children, emigrated to Ohio in 1813, and settled in what Mr.
Parker says he thinks is the poorest county in Ohio -
Morgan. At the age of fifteen years, Mr. Parker was
apprenticed to the trade of carpenter and joiner, at which he
served for six years.
At the age of twenty-one, with one suit of clothes and
seventy-five cents in money, Mr. P. says he started out
on a tramp to hunt work. After two years time, and having
saved $200, he became acquainted with the late Frederich
Henderson, who had been to Findley, and
purchased property, and intended to removed there in the
fall. Mr. P. at once made arrangements to accompany
him.
On the 18th of October, 1831, they started from Blue
Rock township, Muskingum County, Ohio. Mr. Parker
says: "We had four horses, and an old wagon, which latter broke
down before we had gone ten miles. We then, after
procuring another wagon, got along very well until we arrived at
Upper Sandusky. There having been rain for several days
the roads were in a terrible condition. When not far from
where Carey now stands, the bottom fell out of the roads, and we
were fast. Mr. Henderson made his way to Capt.
Brown's for help, and I made my way to a cornfield to
purchase some corn for our horses, which I did of a man by the
name of Ogg. Mr. Henderson returned with a
yoke of cattle, by the aid of which we were soon placed on
firmer ground, and that night we lodged with Judge Smith.
"The next day a young Mr. Smith
was hired to accompany them with a yoke of cattle, by the help
of which they reached the residence of Peter George, at
what was known as the old Ashery. The rains having so
swollen the river that it could not be crossed with teams, the
party hired a canoe from a Mr. Gipson, and Mr. George,
and a Mr. Hewitt, piloted them down the Blanchard.
There were in the canoe four men, one woman and one child.
In this manner we made the voyage to Findley, where we arrived
on the 28th of October, 1831.
"On our arrival in Findley, Mr. Henderson took
lodgings in a log cabin near where the old jail on the Park
stands. At that time there were but twelve families in the
town, these were Wilson Vance, Allen Wisely, Squire Carlin,
Parlee Carlin, William Taylor, Thomas F. Johnston, Barnabus
DeWitt, Bass Rawson, Laquina Rawson, George Flenner, John
Basehore, William L. Henderson, being about fifty persons in
all."
Mr. Parker says that when he
came to the town, "the water" - for it had rained nearly all the
season - "covered the ground from Main Cross street to
Chamberlain's Hill." That when they landed, "they wanted
to go to the residence of William L. Henderson, which
stood on the ground now occupied by the store of Kurz &
Morrison, and could only get there by cooning it on logs
across the public square, and on through that part of town."
Mr. Parker did much, very much, during his long residence
here, to make Findley what it is today. Public spirited,
industrious, honest and trusted, he helped to give tone and
character to the place. In his death, which occurred but a
few years ago, the town lost one of its most enterprising
citizens, and the community a most valuable member. The
close of his long Christian life was peaceful and serene. |
Orange
Twp. - Page 818
WILLIAM PEPPELL,
farmer, P. O. Bluffton, Allen County, was born in Pennsylvania
in 1817; is a son of Lewis and Rachel (Jones) Peppell,
latter of whom died when our subject was quite young.
Lewis Peppell then came to Ohio with the children, only two
of whom are now living - William and Catharine - and
settled in Columbiana County, where the father died a few years
later. William Peppell married, in New Lisbon,
Columbiana county, Ohio, in 1840, Mrs. Isabelle
(Hamilton) Warren, and they came to this county the
same year. Mrs. Peppell is a native of Ireland,
born Mar. 5, 1812, the former wife of William Warren, a
native of County Down, Ireland, where they were married in
December, 1827. In the spring of 1828 they came to America
and settled in Erie County, Penn., and about two years later
removed to Columbiana County, Ohio, where Mr. Warren
died, and where his widow met and married her present husband.
By Mr. Warren she was the mother of five children:
Jane (deceased, Isabelle, William S., Mary A.
(deceased) and Hamilton. By her present husband
Mrs. Peppell is the mother of six children: Warrick, Mary
c., Harriet, Stelta, Lewis and Matilda, all living
except Warrick and Mary C. Mr. Peppell's
first purchase of land in Orange Township, this county, was
eighty acres, and by his industry and economy he has made
several additions to the same, now owning 320 acres, most of
which, by the help of his family, he has cleared and improved in
various ways.
Source 3: History of Hancock County, Ohio - Publ: Chicago - Warner, Beers & Co., 1886 |
ELI W. PEPPLE. The above
named reprehensive agriculturist resides in Cass township on a
well cultivated farm which lies in the oil belt of Hancock
county, and therefore adds that element of material worth to its
general value. He is the son of John and Mary (Groner)
Pepple, natives of Pennsylvania, who settled in Hancock
county in 1847, after previously residing for sometime in
Columbiana County. The father of Mrs. Pepple had
entered two hundred acres of unimproved land, and of this he
gave his daughter sixty-six and two thirds acres.
Afterwards John Pepple bought the same amount of land
adjoining that of his wife on the east, which was also a part of
her father's entry. Improvements were made on these farms,
and in 1865 John Pepple bought forty acres additional, on
which there were also some improvements. These forty acres
lie along the public highway, north of Mrs. Pepple's
land, and t this place the family moved in the spring of 185,
where Mr. and Mrs. Pepple continued to reside until their
deaths. John Pepple was a practical and industrious
farmer. He had considerable influence in the township
among his fellow citizens, who by a popular vote elected him to
the office of township trustee. He also served fourteen
terms as township treasurer and a number of years as school
director. He was a devout member of the Methodist
Episcopal church, in which he served as a class leader and
steward. He stood well in the church, in society and in
the political field, always true to his faith and to his
convictions. He had eight children, seven of whom grew to
maturity, and six of the number still survive. He was born
Mar. 18, 1819, and died Mar. 1, 1897. His wife was born
May 17, 1825, and died May 7, 1871.
Eli W. Pepple was born in Morrow, formerly
Delaware County, Ohio, Apr. 2, 1847. He was an infant when
brought to this county by his parents. He passed the days
of his boyhood and youth in the pleasures and pastimes peculiar
to this day, doing his share of the farm labor, and there
laying the foundation of that excellent health which has
attended him through life. Besides the ordinary branches
taught in the district school, he further added to his literary
education by a course in the Findlay high school where he fitted
himself for teaching. Mr. Pepple followed this
profession with much success for fifteen years, teaching in the
winter and helping to conduct the farm in the summer. In
1872 he concluded that "the best part of valor is discretion,"
so to speak, and he surrendered to the graces of Miss Sarah
A. Draper, the marriage occurring Dec. 17, 1872.
Mrs. Pepple was a daughter of W. L. and Louisa (Supply)
Draper, and she died Jan. 28, 1888, after becoming the
mother of three children: Mary L.; Carl, deceased;
and Dodie W. Dec. 25, 1889, Mr. Pepple was
married to Miss Sarah J., daughter of Robert and
Elizabeth A. McKee. Mrs. Pepple's family are
natives of the Keystone state, she having been born in Allegheny
county in October, 1842. She is an accomplished lady who
in former years was a successful and popular school teacher in
Hancock county, and has a half interest in a nice farm property
of eighty acres in her own right in the northeastern part of
Cass township. Mr. Pepple moved to his present farm
in 1879, where he has since resided. He is as popular with
the people as was his father before him, and is fully as stanch
in upholding Republican principles. He has held the office
of township clerk for a continuous period of twenty years, and
was re-elected in 1902 for two years more, besides holding the
office of supervisor and school director. He and his good
wife and honored members of the Methodist Episcopal church, and
are leaders of thought and movement in their part of Hancock
county.
Source 4: Centennial
Biographical History of Hancock Co., Ohio - Pub: New York &
Chicago by The Lewis Publishing Company - 1903 - Page 554 |
JACOB PEPPLE. In his
capacity of member of the board of commissioners of Hancock
county, which important office he held for a number of years,
the gentleman whose names heads this sketch had an opportunity
to render valuable service to the people, while displaying sound
judgment as a business man. Though his life's occupation
had been that of a farmer, he was observant of other lines of
work and accumulated a valuable fund of practical, everyday
knowledge which can only come from actual experience.
Farming, however, is a great educator and generally when a man
has managed all the details of a farm for years he is a good
person to entrust with the management of offices and other
agencies which deal with the welfare of the plain people, of
whom the tillers of the soil constitute the largest and most
important portion in every community.
Jacob Pepple was born in Fairfield county, Ohio,
Mar. 9, 1839. He was the son of Jesse and Mary Ann
(Tipple) Pepple, and when nine years of age was brought to
Hancock county by his parents, who took up their residence there
in 1848. He was reared on a farm and Mar. 24, 1861,
married Amelia, daughter of Levi M. S. and Sarah (Alspach)
Miller, a native of Hancock county. The children of
this union, in order of birth appear in the following summary:
Elmer J., Franklin S., Josiah, Jacob C., all residents of
Hancock county and engaged in farming and stock raising;
Ellsworth remains with his parents; Sarah E. is the
wife of H. Yanning; and Emma J. married S. P.
Altman.
In 1890 the many friends of Mr. Pepple urged
him to become a candidate for county commissioner, which he did
and in the fall of that year was elected to that position by a
majority of five hundred. Satisfactory service was
followed by re-election, when his majority was seven hundred,
and in all he discharged the duties of commissioner of Hancock
county for a period of six consecutive years. The fellow
members of the board during Mr. Pepple's incumbency
included some of the best known and most popular citizens of the
county, as will be recognized by a perusal of this list:
Isaac M. Watkins, C. W. Brooks, Christian Garbeer, H. B.
Rader, J. D. Anderson and Benjamin Wineland.
They disposed of much important business, requiring painstaking
care and good judgment to avoid mistakes, inasmuch as the
expenditure of large amounts of public money was involved in
numerous contracts. The most important of this work was
the construction of iron bridges in various parts of the county,
the macadamizing of public roads and location of ditches, all
matters of vital interest to the people and involving large
expense. Another contract of much importance let by the
board during Mr. Pepple's term, was that for putting
steam heating and electric light equipment in the county court
house. Heavy appropriations of the kind alluded to always
elicit more or less criticism, but it is to the credit of Mr.
Pepple to say that none ever aspersed either his good
judgment or integrity, in connection with any matters involving
the public expenditures. He was regarded as an unusually
"level-headed" commissioner and his constituents were all
pleased with the manner in which he had discharged his duties.
Mr. Pepple resides on a neatly kept and pleasant farm
five miles south of Findlay, and the many visitors to the
cheerful household are always cordially welcomed. Mr.
Pepple has always been a farmer, and stock raiser, is much
wedded to agriculture and regards that as the main business of
his life, other pursuits being only temporary and in the nature
of diversions. He as well as his sons are regarded as
representative farmers of the kind which have given Hancock
county such high standing among the agricultural counties of the
state.
Source 4: Centennial
Biographical History of Hancock Co., Ohio - Pub: New York &
Chicago by The Lewis Publishing Company - 1903 - Page 173 |
WILLIAM H. PEPPLE. The
carpenter, always one of the most important characters in any
community, was especially so before the custom of using stone
and metals came so much in vogue. In fact during the
pioneer period the carpenter was indispensable - there could be
no industrial growth without him. One of the oldest, it is
also one of the most useful of all mechanical callings, and
usually this trade is regarded in rural neighborhoods as the
very embodiment of industry and good citizenship. Mr.
Pepple, whose memoir it is now a pleasant duty to set before
the readers of this volume is a typical mechanic of the kind
above alluded to. He has been following carpentering in
Jackson township for nearly thirty years, and during that time
has done a large amount of work in the line of his trade.
In fact monuments to his sill are scattered around abundantly in
the shape of scores of barns, all of which owe their erection to
Mr. Pepple, and it is only necessary to examine them
cursorily to find that they were put up by a first-class
workman.
William H. Pepple was born in Fairfield County, Ohio,
in 1849, but only three years of his life were passed in the
place of his nativity. In 1852 his parents, Jesse and
Mary (Tipple) Pepple, removed to Hancock county, located on
a farm in Jackson township and lived there until 1870. In
that year they went to Michigan and purchase a farm of one
hundred and sixty acres of valuable land, which they occupied
and cultivated until both were claimed by death.
William H. Pepple remained with his parents to Michigan
until 1875, meantime beginning to learn his trade as carpenter
and completed his apprenticeship after returning to Hancock
County. He gradually developed into a mechanic of the best
class, and as he got plenty of business to do was rewarded with
a fair measure of this world's goods as proof of his industry
and saving disposition. At the present time one may count
in Jackson and surrounding townships one hundred and eighty-two
barns, all of which were constructed by Mr. Pepple, to
say nothing of many minor jobs turned out by him at different
times. While doing well for himself he has done well for
his community, of which he has long been considered a leading
carpenter.
In 1871 Mr. Pepple, was united in marriage with
Miss Mary J., daughter of James and Elizabeth Jacobs
of Marion township, and they have had six children, Martha,
Mary, Jesse, Gertrude, Flora and James. At the
present time, Mr. People owns and resides upon a farm of
fifty acres, which makes a comfortable home for himself and
family and a pleasant visiting place for his many friends.
Source 4: Centennial
Biographical History of Hancock Co., Ohio - Pub: New York &
Chicago by The Lewis Publishing Company - 1903 - Page 15 |
NELSON POE came to this township
when he was but three months old, having been born in Ross Co.,
O., Sept. 4th, 1822. He was the third son of Jacob Poe.
His mother was a daughter of Judge McKinnis.
His paternal ancestors were of German extraction, whilst his
mother's people were Scotch Irish. The father of Mr.
Poe settled on the farm now owned and occupied by the
subject of this sketch. At the time of his coming here
there were but a very few families in the county, but the Poe
family was possessed of that kind of pluck which never gave
way before difficulties, or became discouraged at privations.
On his father's side, Mr. Poe is distantly
related to the celebrated historical fighting brothers, Adam
and Andrew Poe, and also to the eminent divine, Rev.
Adam Poe. Farming has always been the leading
occupation of Mr. Poe, although during the winter seasons
of thirty years, he taught a country school. He is a man
of fair education, and has always been regarded as a successful
educator. He may well be termed a self-educated man, for
his school privileges were very limited. He is a member of
the Presbyterian Church at present, and has been a church member
for the past sixteen years.
In 1846 he was married to Mary Lytle, who still
lives to add to his enjoyment. They are the parents of
three children. The eldest son was killed during the late
war. The second son - Luther - resides in Fostoria,
and the youngest, a daughter, is at home with her parents.
Mr. P's school days were passed in the old log school
house, under the instruction of such primitive teachers as
Richard Wade, Benj. Cummins and others.
Mr. Poe has resided in the county longer than
any other person, with the single exception of Job
Chamberlain of Findley. He has witnessed the steady
but great transformation of a wilderness into fruitful fields;
has seen the dense forests disappear, and in their places spring
to life, beautiful fertile fields; has lived to see an
uninhabited country settled by an industrious, thrifty, wealthy,
happy people, with school houses and churches in every
neighborhood; to see railroads built, traversed by the iron
horse drawing the trains well laden with the products of this
rich county; to see telegraph wires stretched all over the land.
And in this great work he has been no idle spectator.
This township contains some of the finest farm
buildings in the county. Amongst them is the fine brick
residences of W. C. Watson, R. W. Boyd, Elijah Gowdy,
Cornelius Ewing, John Hart and Samuel Mosier, and the
very substantial frame dwellings of Joseph Wilson, Jacob
Grubb, Wm. Renninger, C. C. Harris, all on the north side of
the river, whilst on the south side, Crondall Watson, Henry
Sherrick, Henry Rudisill, John Radabaugh, Joseph Barnhill, David
Bish, J. M. Moorehead and others living on the south side
have equally tasteful dwelling places. The farms are well
improved, and supplied with the best of out-buildings. |
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NAPOLEON B.
PRESLER. The above named is the only one of a
large family of children who resides in Hancock county, though he has brothers
and sisters in other parts of the country.
His father was Willim B. Presler,
a Pennsylvanian, who emigrated to Ohio
as early as 1835 and located on one hundred and twenty acres of land in Seneca
county. Before leaving his native
state he had married a widow named Elmina
(Boden) Crabill, with whom he resided in Seneca county until 1876, and then
removed to Kansas. There he purchased one hundred and
seventy acres of land and busied himself in its cultivation until the spring of
1897, when he lost his wife by death, and has since lived alone on his farm. When he married
Mrs. Crabill she had five children by her first husband, and subsequently became the mother
of six additional.
Napoleon B. Presler, one of the sons
of his father’s second marriage, was born in Big Spring township, Seneca county, Ohio, Feb. 9, 1857, and remained there until he reached his majority. Aug. 18,1878, he was married, in his
native county, to Miss Phebe Ellen Hile,
whose parents had settled in Seneca county shortly before his own father’s
arrival from the east.
Adam Hite, father of
Mrs. Presler, was born in Germany, in
1804, emigrated to Pennsylvania in early life, married a native of that state
and removed to Ohio in 1834. He
spent the remainder of his days in Seneca county, his death occurring there in
1885, followed by that of his wife in November of the subsequent year. The
Hiles were members of the Lutheran
church and had a family of nine children, of whom six are now living, including
Mrs. Presler. After his marriage
Mr. Presler remained in Seneca county
about four years, and in 1882 removed to Putnam county, where he purchased forty
acres of land and spent the three following years in its cultivation. In 1885 he came to Hancock county and
bought seventy-nine acres of land in Portage township, upon which he settled, and was engaged in farming
for the four following years. In
1889 he made his final move to the farm of one hundred and five acres in Amanda
township which constitutes his present homestead.
This land is fertile, and under
Mr. Presler’s good management has been made productive and profitable. He raises all the cereal crops
adapted to the climate, and the usual amount and variety of stock customary in
that locality.
Mr. Presler has greatly improved his
place since taking possession, and among the substantial additions made by him
was a fine barn erected in 1892. As
a citizen and neighbor Mr. Presler
stands well, and has several times been called upon to fill township offices. His political affiliations are
with the Republican party, of which he has been a stanch supporter from earliest
manhood.
Mr. and Mrs. Pressler have six children:
Schuyler C., Orpha K., Olivia O.,
Florence
B., Edna G. and James L.
Source: Centennial Biographical
History of Hancock County, Publ. 1903 - Page 251
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