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OHIO GENEALOGY EXPRESS
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ROSS COUNTY, OHIO |
BIOGRAPHIES
The following biographies are extracted from:
Source #1 - The County of Ross: a history of Ross County, Ohio
By Henry Holcomb Bennett
Published by S. A. Brant, Madison, Wis., 1902
Source #2 - A Standard History of Ross County, Ohio
Vol. II.
Published by The Lewis Publishing Company, Chicago & New York 1917
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ADAM HAMM is a native of
Seneca county, Ohio, where he was born March 1, 1855.
His father, Valentine Hamm, was born in Germany and
emigrated with his wife to Ohio about 1845. He
settled at first in Seneca county, where he had taken a
lease, and there he lived for some twelve years. In
1857 he removed to Ross county and located in Huntington
township, where he purchased a farm of 300 acres.
The children born of the first marriage were Hartman
J., of Chillicothe; Sophia, wife of R.
Shiller; Adam, Frederick and Martin, the
two last living in Fayette county. Frederick
is one of the stockholders in the M. Hamm Company
of Washington C. H., one of the large acid phosphate
manufacturing concerns of Ohio. He also owns a fine
farm near Washington C. H., which he superintendents, and
he has entire charge of the sales department of the above
named firm. Martin is the originator of
M. Hamm company, starting in several years ago with
nothing, and it is to his industry, intelligence and wise
management that the success of the concern is due.
The mother of these five children died and the father in
1866 took Catherine Ringwalt for his second wife.
By this union there were two children, of whom John
died and William lives in Chillicothe.
Although Valentine Hamm's principal occupation was
that of farming, he also did work as a carpenter, besides
following the business of threshing and sawmilling.
His death occurred in 1896. His son Adam
remained at home until he was about twenty-seven years of
age, assisting his father in the business of the farm.
In November, 1882, he was married to Sarah P. Smith,
whose people were early settlers of Ross county.
They went to housekeeping in Chillicothe and Mr. Hamm
engaged in the sawmill and threshing business. After
following this exclusively for four or five years, he
rented what is known as the Augusta farm, where he spent
one year. He then became a land owner on his own
account, buying the 175 acres acres where he now lives, to
which he has since added two farms of 65 and 125 acres
respectively. This property he acquired principally
by his own exertions and he placed upon the farms all the
improvements they contain. HE owns and operates a
threshing machine, corn shredder and clover huller, being
the employer of more help than any man in the
neighborhood. Mr. Hamm is an extensive fruit
raiser and has a young peach orchard containing 6,000
trees. He is completing one of the finest dwelling
houses in the neighborhood and all his surroundings give
evidence of thrift and prosperity. Mr. Hamm
is a member of the Odd Fellows lodge at Bourneville and of
the Methodist Episcopal church. He and wife have
been the parents of nine children, of whom Charles
and one other died in infancy. Those living, and all
still at home, are Sophia, Frederick, Louis, Ada,
Ethel, Martin and Clarence.
Source #1 - The County of Ross: a history of Ross County, Ohio
by Henry Holcomb Bennett -
Published by S. A. Brant, Madison, Wis., 1902 |
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WILLIAM G. HAMM, D. D. S.,
of Chillicothe, was born in Huntington township, Ross
county, Ohio, on November 7, 1875. His parents were
Valentine and Catherine (Ringwald) Hamm, who came
from Germany to Ross county in youth, the father being but
twenty-one years old. The latter was twice married,
Dr. Hamm's mother being his second wife. The
first marriage resulted in five children, whose names are
as follows: Hartman, employed in the
mechanical department of the Baltimore & Ohio shops at
Chillicothe; Mrs. Sophia Schiller, a widow residing
in Bourneville, Ross county; Adam, a well-to-do
lumberman and stock dealer at Bourneville; Frederick
a farmer near Washington C. H., Ohio; Martin,
engaged in manufacturing commercial fertilizer at
Washington C. H. Dr. Hamm has a full
brother, named John, who died in youth, and there
were no other children by his father's second marriage.
Dr. Hamm was educated in the schools of Ross county
and Chillicothe, after which he entered the university of
Cincinnati. In this institution he took an academic
course and also studied chemistry. Subsequently he
matriculated in the Ohio College of Dental Surgery, a
department of the university, where he completed a course
in dentistry. He received from his alma mater a
certificate of honorable mention, the next prize to the
gold medal. June 1, 1899, he opened up for practice
at Chillicothe and already ahs established a good
patronage. The doctor is a member of the Ohio State
Dental society, and an alumnus of the Ohio State Dental
college as well as the University of Cincinnati. He
belongs to the Masonic fraternity, the Modern Woodmen and
the Improved Order of Red Men, of which he is secretary.
April 25, 1899, Dr. Hamm was married to Anna
Margaret, daughter of the late Philip Uhrig, a
manufacturer and prominent citizen of Chillicothe.
Mrs. Hamm was educated in the public schools, the
high school and the Business college of Chillicothe.
The Doctor's politics are strongly republican, an
inheritance from his father, who was with the party from
its very organization. The religious affiliations of
himself and wife are with the Salem Evangelic Lutheran
church, of which they are attentive members.
Source #1 - The County of Ross: a history of Ross County, Ohio
by Henry Holcomb Bennett -
Published by S. A. Brant, Madison, Wis., 1902 |
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THE HANAWALT FAMILY
-This name, since so well known, first became familiar in
Ross county during the second decade of the nineteenth
century. The stock originated in Germany but the American
branch was derived from settlers in Mifflin county, Pa.,
who reared a family of children including one by the name
of George Hanawalt The latter had three
sons, Henry, George and John, all of whom came to Ross
county, but at different times. When Henry reached manhood
he married a Pennsylvania lady named Mary Chah,
with whom he set out for the West and eventually located
in Union township, Ross county. After a short, sojourn
there he settled permanently in Concord township, three
and a half miles south of Frankfort, where he resided
until the time of his tragic death. It seems that on
returning one day from the village of Frankfort he
attempted to ford the north fork of Paint creek while it
was swollen by freshets, and was washed from his horse and
drowned, the body being found a week later near
Musselman's. Henry Hanawalt had four
sons and two daughters, all dead except Hester,
youngest daughter, who is now Mrs. James
McColly, of Illinois. There are now no direct
descendants of Henry living in Ross county. George
Hanawait, his brother, married Margaret
Parchel and made his migration from Pennsylvania to
Ross county in 1823. For a year or two he lived near what
is now Anderson's Station in Union township, afterward
spent many years in labor at Slate Mill and finally
located in Concord township where he worked on farms until
his death in 1882. George had six children,
two of whom died in infancy, those growing to maturity
being Caleb, Christopher, Elizabeth
and Sarah. Caleb grew to manhood in Ross
county, married here and subsequently removed to Indiana
where he now resides. Elizabeth married James
Baber, with whom she located in Madison county,
Ohio, where she spent the remainder of her life and where
her descendants now Reside.
Sarah became the wife of
Jacob Strayer, removed to Franklin county,
Ohio, and there her descendants are still found.
Christopher, who was born in Mifflin county, Pa., August
20, 1821, was only two years old when his parents came to
Ross county. He is now a venerable and much respected
citizen of Frankfort, of which he is the oldest living
resident, having been there continuously since 1836.
October 28, 1840, he was married to Elizabeth,
daughter of Frank and Mary (Goldsberry)
Speaks, who were early settlers from Virginia. By
this union there were ten children, seven sons and three
daughters: Joseph, Mary, George, Benton, Ollie, Samuel,
Francis, Elizabeth, Pearly and Raymond. All of
the foregoing are living with the exception of Mary,
the eldest daughter. Christopher Hanawalt,
father of this family has led a long, industrious and in
every way exemplary life. He is now eighty-one years old
and during all that time has never used tobacco in any
form or indulged in intoxicants. He learned the
blacksmiths trade in early life and followed that useful
calling until five or six years ago, when he retired from
active business. John Hanawalt, third of the
brothers who came from Pennsylvania, settled at
Bourneville in Twin township where he worked during life
at the tailor's trade. He first married a Miss
Acton, member of an old Ross county family, by whom he
had four children: Mary, Jane, Betty
and Sally. By his second marriage with Mary,
daughter of Christian Hill, he had seven
children: Millie, Joseph, Christian,
John, George, William and James,
the latter residing in Chillicothe. George
Hanawalt, son of Christopher Hanawalt,
mentioned above, was born in Frankfort, Ohio, in 1849.
After reaching manhood he began farming, which he followed
until 1882, when he embarked in the business of handling
imported horses and continued the same for five years.
Since that time he has been dealing extensively in cattle,
of which he sells thousands of head every year. These
cattle he imports from the neighboring state of West
Virginia and sells principally in the Ohio markets. In
1870 Mr. Hanawalt was married to Martha A.,
daughter, of David and Sarah (Mallow) Coyner,
member of one of the substantial and long established
families of Ross. county. Of the four children resulting
from this union, David C. is a government meat
inspector at Salt Lake City, Utah; Sarah M. died in
infancy; Ollie Lee is the wife of Harry
Green, of Washington Court House, .Ohio, and
Carl E. is at borne.
Source #1 - The County of Ross: a history of Ross County, Ohio
by Henry Holcomb Bennett -
Published by S. A. Brant, Madison, Wis., 1902 |
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JAMES M. HANEY, deceased,
was born in Buckskin township, Ross county, November 11,
1872. His father, Henry Haney, was a
Canadian, born in 1830, who emigrated to Chillicothe. and
followed railroading for a business. He commenced as a
section band and when he left the company's employment he
had risen to the position of superintendent of
construction. Having accumulated some funds by his
industry and saving, he bought a tract of 108 acres of
land in Buckskin township as an investment. In 1858 he
married Elizabeth Duey and took charge of
the Steve Wilson farm which he managed for a couple of
years and then removed to the Hardin place.
After a residence there of three years he occupied the
place which he had purchased and farmed it for eight years
or more. After a subsequent residence of six years on the
McClain farm in Concord township, Henry
Haney bought the place of 406 acres, where he lived
until the time of his death in 1885. His six children were
Mary A., Sarah J., Henry, John (deceased),
Edward and James M. The last mentioned, the
subject of this sketch, remained at home until his
marriage to Olive Baum, which took place
December 30, 1896. They kept house for three years, when
removal was made to the old home place where Mr. Haney
had charge of the farm. He had two children, John B.
and Plessa M. Mr. Haney was a member of
the lodge of Modern Woodmen, "No. 4,065, and of the Red
Men's lodge, at Frankfort.
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Source #1 - The County of Ross: a history of Ross County, Ohio
by Henry Holcomb Bennett -
Published by S. A. Brant, Madison, Wis., 1902 |
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ROBERT HANNA,
of Gillespieville, was born January 5, 1829, in Harrison
county, Ohio. His parents were Matthew and Mary (Orr)
Hanna, the former a native of Pennsylvania and the
latter of Ohio, both born in 1805. Matthew was the
son of James and Ann (McCullow) Hanna, the latter
of whom came to Harrison county after her husband's death,
and died there. Matthew came to the State at an
early day and lived in various counties, finally reaching
Jackson county where he died in 1857 at the age of
fifty-two. His wife survived him until 1891, when she died
at the age of eighty-six. The latter's father, Robert
Orr, was a native of Ireland who came to America
about the year 1780. Ann Huston, whom he
subsequently married, came over in the same vessel, though
at the time they were not acquainted with each other.
Robert Orr came to Harrison county, Ohio, at an
early age and remained there until his death in 1858, at
the age of ninety-one. He had a family of nine daughters,
whose ages averaged eighty years at time of death.
Matthew and Mary (Orr) Hanna
had twelve children, of whom six are still living. These
are Robert, Zipporah, James,
William T., Matthew and Watson. Robert Hanna,
who is the subject of this sketch, was reared on a farm
and came to Ross county in 1846. Since then with the
exception of four years, he has always voted in Liberty
township of that county. He has always followed farming as
an occupation and owns about 200 acres of land. Though a
charter member of the Republican party, he has never been
an office-seeker, but for some years has held the position
of school director. In 1855, Mr. Hanna was
married to Eliza J. Corken, daughter of
Thomas and Bebecca (Jones) Corken, and granddaughter
of Robert Corken, a native of Ireland, who
came to Ross county about the year 1798.
Robert Corken married Grace
Mason, a native of Maryland, and both of them died in
Ross county. Thomas Corken lived until the
age of ninety-four years, and his wife was about seventy
when she died.
His sister Rachael lived ninety-seven years, and
another sister named Jane reached the age of
eighty. Robert and Eliza Hanna have a
family of eight children. Of these Orr C. is a
traveling salesman; Mary H. is married to
William A. Jones; Thomas Mason is an
extensive farmer and stockdealer; Samuel E. is a
farmer of Fayette county; Rebecca is the wife of
Morris Jones, of Ross county; Candace is the
wife of Elting S. Du Bois, of Jefferson township;
Ethel is the wife of J. Walter Dixon, a
dentist of Cedarville, Ohio. Matthew Elting Hanna
was educated at West Point and is now in Cuba. He is
school commissioner of the island and author of the Cuban
school law, serving in General Wood's staff.
He is a man of fine talents, excellent education and has
been of great service in Cuba, both to the people of the
island and the government of the United States.
Source #1 - The County of Ross: a history of Ross County, Ohio
by Henry Holcomb Bennett -
Published by S. A. Brant, Madison, Wis., 1902 |
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THADDEUS S.
HANSON, of Harrison township, was born in Ross
county, Ohio, September 30, 1874. His father, Greenbury
Hanson, was a son of Samuel and Rebecca (Waterman)
Hanson, the former a native of Wales and the latter of
Virginia. They went to Kentucky in 1798 and in 1800
located in Harrison township, Ross county, on a farm
which, has ever since been in the family. Samuel Hanson
died there at the age of eighty-three and his wife's,
death took place in her eighty-fourth year. They had a
family of twelve children, their son Greenbury
obtaining the homestead and spending his whole life there.
He owned 300 acres of land in Ross county and 520 in
Kansas; held nearly all the township offices and was also
an infirmary director. May 9, 1860, he was married to
Margaret, daughter of George and Margaret (Snyder)
Hough, the former of Pennsylvania and the latter of
Ohio, who spent their lives in Ross county, the father
dying at the age of fifty-seven and the mother when
sixty-eight years old. Greenbury Hanson and
wife had a family of nine children, including: Florence,
wife of D. W. Clymer; Jessie E., married to
John W. McGee; Lillian E., now Mrs. Floyd McNeal;
Nellie E., wife of Charles Rothe;
Thaddeus S. and Grace B. Thaddeus S. Hanson
grew up on the old home place and was educated in the
common schools of his district. He now has charge of the
homestead, consisting of 300 acres of land, and is a
breeder of Jersey red swine and Shorthorn Durham cattle.
He has been assessor and treasurer of his township and is
a member of the Improved Order of Red Men. On May 17,
1899, he was married to Alice, daughter of
William Yaple, who is mentioned elsewhere in this
work.
Source #1 - The County of Ross: a history of Ross County, Ohio
by Henry Holcomb Bennett -
Published by S. A. Brant, Madison, Wis., 1902 |
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MRS. SARAH
ELIZABETH HARMOUNT. On account of the
splendid character of the people who have lived there
one of the most interesting homesteads in Ross County is
that occupied by Mrs. Sarah E. Harmount in
Deerfield Township. Mrs. Harmount is a
granddaughter of the original settler there, and she and
her family reside in a commodious two story house,
surrounded by a large lawn shaded with beautiful trees.
It was on this farm that Mrs. Harmount was born
April 24, 1841. She is a daughter of the late
JOHN WESLEY TIMMONS, who was born on part of the
same farm Mar. 4, 1806, a son of Stephen and Milla
(Brown) Timmons.
The founder of the family here was Rev. Stephen
Timmons, who was born in Worcester County, Maryland,
Aug. 6, 1769. His father, Thomas Timmons,
was born in Maryland of English ancestry.
Thomas Timmons was a member of the Episcopal Church,
and was one of the very early opponents of the
institution of slavery. The maiden name of his
wife is thought to have been Mary Clarkson.
Rev. Stephen Timmons was reared in the Episcopal
faith, but in 1791 joined the Methodist Episcopal Church
and was soon appointed leader of two classes. Not
long afterwards he was licensed to preach, joined the
Methodist Conference, and was assigned in 1795 to the
Northumberland Circuit. In 1798 he came to the
Northwest Territory, arriving in Chillicothe in October
of that year. Chillicothe then had one hewed log
house occupied by Dr. Edward Tiffin, who
afterwards became the first governor of the state.
All the other buildings in the town, few in number, were
cabins built of round logs. Rev. Stephen
Timmons as the pioneer circuit rider visited all the
few white settlements then to be found north of the Ohio
River, and even carried his missionary efforts into
Kentucky. Some of the civilized Indians would go
before him and others followed behind to cover up his
tracks. This was in 1803. Meeting an object
of charity on one of his trips he gave her his last
twenty-five cents, and when he alighted from his horse
waiting to cross the river there lay at his feet
fifty-cents. HE made the second trip West in 1799
bringing White Brown with him to prove his
statement about the new country. Rev. Enoch
George came as far as where Lancaster now stands on
his first trip. He returned east. There he
recited in glowing terms the wonderful charms of the
Scioto Valley. Among others who were influenced by
his words of praise of this western country was White
Brown. It is largely on the strength of this
missionary's work that White Brown came to Ross
County with his family. No history of Ross County
has ever been written without honorable mention of
White Brown, since he did much in the early days to
make Ross County what it is. Rev. Stephen
Timmons married a daughter of this pioneer Ross
County settler. On his return east Mr. Timmons
joined the Maryland Conference and preached at different
places until December, 1801. In that year he
returned to Ross County, accompanying a part of White
Brown's family. While he himself rode a horse
other members of the party were in a wagon drown by four
horses driven by a trusted slave. The minister's
belongings were in a wooden chest carried on the wagon.
This chest is now preserved at the home of his
granddaughter Mrs. Harmount. Mr. Timmons'
father had given him $200 and with this he purchased a
tract of land in what is now Deerfield Township.
This land is now a part of the Harmount farm.
In those early days about the only demand for corn was
from the settlers who had not yet had time to raise a
crop. Rev. Stephen Timmons erected as his
first home a cabin 16 by 16 feet of hickory logs.
In that he and his bride commenced housekeeping.
In the year 1804 there arrived in Ross County a colony
of people from Maryland. There were seventy of
them, the poorest of the poor, oppressed Marylanders.
They drew up at the door of Rev. Mr. Timmons.
These Marylanders had brought all their possessions
in a cart drawn by a pony. Mr. Timmons took
it upon himself to assist each of these families to
secure homes in the wilderness. The land had not
yet been surveyed, and much of it was owned by the State
of Virginia. Under his own direction and by his
assistance four cabins were built for the new settlers,
and with his gun he supplied the newcomers with large
quantities of wild meat, and took other steps to assist
them until they could raise a crop. In the
meantime the improvements were continuing on his own
farm, and in a few years he had a large tract under
cultivation. The early settlers of Ross County owe
a great debt of gratitude to this sterling man of
Christ. In spite of the fact that he constantly
gave away great quantities of his yearly produce, he
prospered. What he did not give away outright he
sold on easy terms to the poor. When a stranger
came to him to buy corn he first inquired whether the
purchaser had money to pay. If the man said yes,
Mr. Timmons would then tell him of some one who
had corn to sell. He kept his own corn for such as
did not have the money. Thus he confined his
dealings almost entirely to the poor. While his
own health was not good, and that prevented him from
holding regular pastorates, he found much opportunity to
preach the Gospel. He was unable to endure the
heavy hardships placed upon the circuit rider of the
time. Those early preachers made journeys on
horseback lasting for days and months, encountered all
kinds of bad weather, swam swollen streams, and in his
time he saw much of that very kind of service.
From time to time Rev. Mr.
Timmons added other tracts of land until he was
owner of upwards of 800 acres in Ross County and as much
more in Pickaway County.
His death occurred in 1849, at the age of eighty years.
Thus came to a close one of the most fruitful lives ever
passed in Ross County. In March, 1802, he married
Milla Brown, daughter of White Brown.
She died in 1832. He afterwards married Mrs.
(Cartwright) Comberford, a relative of the famous
pioneer missionary and evangelist, Peter
Cartwright.
John Wesley Timmons, son of Rev. Stephen
Timmons, inherited a part of the old home farm, and
spent his active years engaged in general farming and
stock raising. He owned land in Pickaway County
and 900 acres in Henry County. He died at the age
of seventy-three. He was first married to Sarah
Brown by the Rev. Reuben Rowe on Jan. 13,
1831. She was removed by death about six years
later and he then married Ann Elizabeth Prior.
This marriage was performed by Rev. William S. Morrow
on May 1, 1838. Miss Prior was a student in
the old seminary at Chillicothe about 1834, and while
there she had united with the Methodist Episcopal
Church. At the death of her parents she came into
possession of 500 acres of land. For his third
wife John W. Timmons was married Apr. 30, 1865,
to Margaret Clifford, the ceremony being
performed by Rev. T. J. Phillips.
The three children of his first wife died in their
youth, one of them living to the age of twelve years.
By the second marriage there were nine children.
The three now living are Sarah Elizabeth, Thomas
Jefferson and James Madison. One son,
Samuel Prior died in Andersonville Prison and
something more than passing mention should be made of
him. When eighteen years of age he enlisted in
Company A of the First Ohio Regiment. He was born
Oct. 2, 1842, in Deerfield Township of Ross County, and
enlisted Sept. 1, 1861, at Clarksburg, Ohio. Soon
afterward he was promoted to first sergeant. At
the Battle of Stone River he received a flesh wound on
his arm. Sept. 19, 1863, while in the Battle of
Chickamauga, he was shot through the left leg just above
the knee joint, and subsequently captured. He was
removed to Atlanta, then to Richmond, then to
Andersonville, where he perished of starvation Sept. 16,
1864. He united with the Methodist Episcopal
Church when sixteen years of age, and left home with a
strong faith in God, believing that He would care and
provide for him. As to his life and character as a
man and soldier his colonel wrote of him as follows:
"I recollect your brother very well and his quiet
gentlemanly manner early attracted my notice, and each
day of his two years' service with the regiment gave
perfect satisfaction and fresh proof of his worth as a
man and a soldier. I never knew him to be guilty
of an immoral word or action. As first sergeant of
Company A his books were neat and well kept, and his
reports and accounts prompt and accurate. He was
strict and reliable in the performance of every duty.
In few words, he was a good soldier and good man, brave,
prompt, conscientious, obedient. It affords me
pleasure to bear testimony of his merits." His
remains lie in grave No. 8914 at Andersonville.
His letters home while in prison were always cheery and
hopeful, still trusting the Lord to guide and protect.
He said in one: "I am trying to make the best of my
condition possible and to keep up my spirit," and of
comrades and self he also said: "We are doing as well as
could be expected, yet are longing, looking and praying
for the day of our release."
Another of the sons of John W. Timmons was also
a soldier. He was John Wesley Timmons, Jr.,
who served his country in the One Hundred and
Forty-ninth Ohio Volunteer Infantry, enlisting when but
nineteen years of age. He was also a Christian boy
- and man. He was an excellent soldier, performed
all his duties as a mature man with promptness and
fidelity. He died at Circleville, Ohio, Aug. 26,
1881.
John Wesley Timmons, Sr., was a man of great
influence and excellent judgment, and many people came
to him for help and advice when in trouble. His
house was noted as a home for the afflicted and needy.
He was a firm and active supporter of the church, held
different offices such as class leader, circuit steward,
etc., and gave liberally of his own means to church
causes. At quarterly meetings he was in the habit
of giving a public invitation for entertainment at his
home. As many as fifty guests were entertained
around his dinner table, and usually from twelve to
fifteen spent the night in that hospitable household.
It was said of him while living that "he was a man among
men and esteemed as a man among men." At his
funeral Rev. Zachariah Wharton among other things
said that "his word was as good as the dollar."
John Wesley Timmons lived on a part of the farm
where he was reared until September, 1849, and then
moved to the vicinity of Clarksburg, where he spent the
rest of his days. During a part of his life he
filled the office of justice of the peace. His
second wife Ann was a perfect helpmate. Her
last work was one of unselfish devotion. She went
to the Gettysburg battlefield in order to nurse a half
brother of her husband who had been wounded and who died
on the battlefield, and she brought his body home.
While at Gettysburg she cared for many other wounded
soldiers, and one of them wrote home to his friends that
"no one knew the good she had done while there."
In three short weeks after returning from his mission of
love she was laid away in the family burying ground.
The remains of herself and husband have since been
removed to the township cemetery at Brown's Chapel.
Ann Elizabeth Prior was born near Clarksburg,
though across the line in Pickaway County Mar. 9, 1817.
Her parents were Samuel T. and Emily (Nickols) Pryor.
A daughter of these worthy parents, Mrs.
Sarah Elizabeth Harmount grew up in the old home at
Clarksburg, attended the public schools there and was
also a student in the Female College at Springfield.
In 1861 she married Robert Simpson Harmount, son
of George B. and Anna Mary (Baughman) Harmount.
On May 2, 1864, three years after their marriage,
Mr. Harmount enlisted in the One Hundred and
Forty-ninth Ohio Volunteer Infantry, being in the 100
days services. His father, George Harmount,
was a carriage builder by trade and a pioneer in that
occupation in the City of Chillicothe. It is said
that the first body for a stage coach ever made in that
city was his handiwork. From Chillicothe he
removed to Williamsport, where he spent his last days.
Robert S. Harmount learned the trade of carriage
and wagon builder from his father and as a young man
located at Clarksburg where he conducted a carriage
factory a number of years. After his marriage he
removed to the Harmount homestead in Deerfield
Township, eleven miles from Chillicothe, and was
actively occupied with farming until his death at the
age of sixty-nine.
Mr. and Mrs. Harmount reared six children:
Louetta May, George P., Anna E., Timmons, Robert S.
and Ralph. Louetta by her marriage to
George C. Blue has two children, Samuel Francis
and Charles. George married Martha
Briggs. Anna, now deceased, married Wade J.
Byerly. Timmons married Ida L. Wilkins,
and their six children are Nellie, Harry, Arthur,
Annie, Pryor and Mary. Robert married
Addie Goodbar, and the four children that bless
their union are Marie, Robert, Joseph and
Catherine. Ralph married Rebecca Layton,
and has three children, Gilbert, Harold and
Forrest. Mrs. Harmount has seven
great-grandchildren.
Thus the declining years of Mrs. Harmount are
spent with the solace and comforts supplied by her
children and her many grandchildren. She has
always been a reader, keeps up with current history, and
has many things to occupy her mind at the delightful
home where she lives.
Source #1 - The County of Ross: a history of Ross County, Ohio
by Henry Holcomb Bennett -
Published by S. A. Brant, Madison, Wis., 1902 |
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JAMES VANSE
HARNESS, one of Ross county's most substantial
farmers, comes of ancient and honorable lineage on both
sides of the house. His paternal great-grandfather was the
first white man who settled on the south branch of the
Potomac river in Hardy county, W. Va. The descendants of
this pioneer, who was of German origin, became numerous
and influential in that portion of the mountain state.
Among them was John G. Harness and his son,
Charles E., the latter born in Hardy county, October
8, 1814, and the eldest of his father's family. In 1842,
he came to Ross county and settled in Liberty township,
where in due course he became very prosperous as a farmer
and landowner. In addition to the usual agricultural
feature, he embarked in cattle-raising on a large scale,
making a specially of the famous Shorthorns at the time
they were coming into prominence and were most valuable.
He was successful in his ventures and accumulated some
1,400 acres of land in Ross county besides considerable
holdings in West Virginia. He married Mary Vanse,
who was born in Jefferson township, Ross county, in 1824.
Her parents, James and Eliza (Harness) Vanse, came
to Ross county in an early period of its history and here
spent the remainder of their days. Mr. Vanse
was one of the most extensive and prosperous farmers of
his day, conducting operations on an unusually bold plan
and owning a great deal of land. Charles E. and Mary
(Vanse) Harness had nine children, including:
Lillie, Ella, Mary, Kate,
Charles E., John M. and James Vanse.
Mrs. Harness died July 11, 1895; her husband
still resides in Liberty township where he settled so many
years ago. Their son, James Vanse Harness,
was born on the old home place September 13, 1864,
receiving his education principally in a private school
taught by Professor Poe in Chillicothe. Prom
his earliest boyhood he has been connected with farm work
and management, a love for which he had inherited from a
long line of ancestors. He has charge of the 250 acres now
constituting the home farm and an equal amount of land
owned by himself, which was formerly part, of the old
homestead.. He has shown judgment and good management in
the operation of these large landed interests and few
farmers of his age are better informed in the practical
affairs of agriculture. In political doctrines Mr.
Harness is of the Democratic persuasion, but he is
in no sense an office-seeker and never allows politics to
interfere with business. Neither is Mr. Harness
a club man in a general way, his fraternal connection
being confined to membership in the order of Elks in
Chillicothe.
Source #1 - The County of Ross: a history of Ross County, Ohio
by Henry Holcomb Bennett -
Published by S. A. Brant, Madison, Wis., 1902 |
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JACOB HARPER
was born in Concord township, Ross county, February 9,
1849. His father, Elon Harper, was born in
Pendleton county, W. Va., about 1819, being a son of
Jacob Harper, whose birth occurred in Virginia
about the year 1832. The latter removed with his family to
Ohio, first settling in Fayette county where he remained a
few years and then went to Missouri. He spent the rest of
his days in that state, his death occurring while hack on
a visit to relatives in Fayette county, Ohio. His son
Elon received hut a limited education and grew to
manhood in the counties of Fayette and Ross. He learned
the blacksmith trade, but followed it only irregularly as
he made farming his principal occupation. His wife was
Barbara, daughter of David and
Elizabeth (Michael) Ross, who were among
the first settlers of Ross county, coming here form
Maryland. Elon Harper died in 1881, his wife
surviving him but a short time and passing away in 1882.
They had a family of ten children, of whom seven are
living and all in Ross county. Among them is Jacob
Harper, the subject of this sketch. He received the
ordinary education in the common schools of Concord
township, and upon his arrival at full age became a
farmer, like his ancestors before him. In 1875, he was
married to Lydia, daughter of Thomas Ware,
of Frankfort, and the union resulted- in the birth of two
children, whose names are Edna and Corda.
Mr. Harper is a, member of the Masonic order,
being connected with the Frankfort lodge, No. 326.
Source #1 - The County of Ross: a history of Ross County, Ohio
by Henry Holcomb Bennett -
Published by S. A. Brant, Madison, Wis., 1902 |
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WILBUR P.
HARPER was born in Buckskin township, Ross county,
in 1855. His father, Caleb Harper, was a native of
Delaware who in 1829 settled in Ross county on the farm
where his son now resides. The family was one of the
oldest in the East and took part in all the stirring
events during the settlement of the coast states. Caleb
Harper is still living near where he first located
in Buckskin township so many years ago and has followed
farming and stock-raising all his life. He raised a family
of seven children. His son Edward joined Company D,
Eighty-ninth Ohio regiment, during the civil war and died
of fever in Tennessee while serving his country, October
1, 1863. Wilbur P. Harper, the subject of this
sketch, was educated in the schools of Buckskin township
and the- business of his life has been farming and
stock-raising. His specialty has been the feeding and
fattening of stock for the market In 1879, he was married
to Alice, daughter of Daniel Kline, of
Buckskin township, who died in 1883. Mr.
and Mrs. Harper have eight children,
whose names are Denbur, Louie (wife of William
Harper), Dwight, Mary, Valley, Ethel,
Millie and Teddy. Mr. Harper has
been trustee of Buckskin township for six years and was
candidate for county commissioner in 1900. He is a member
of the order of the Modern Woodmen of the World.
Source #1 - The County of Ross: a history of Ross County, Ohio
by Henry Holcomb Bennett -
Published by S. A. Brant, Madison, Wis., 1902 |
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CHARLES C.
HATFIELD, M. D., of
Kingston, Ohio, is a native of Pickaway county born
October 21, 1867. His parents were Arthur A. and
Elizabeth (Bazler) Hatfield, natives of Ohio, the former
of Pickaway and the latter of Ross county, both born in
the year 1843, and married in the county of Pickaway.
In 1861-65 the father was a soldier in the Forth-fifth
Ohio regiment, afterward re-enlisting in the Forty-third,
serving three years and a half in the western army under
General Sherman. He was wounded in the battle of
Missionary Ridge, which resulted in his honorable
discharge from the army. Both parents are still
living, he being a well-to-do farmer in Pickaway county.
Source #1 - The County of Ross: a history of Ross County, Ohio
by Henry Holcomb Bennett -
Published by S. A. Brant, Madison, Wis., 1902 |
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WILLIAM J.
HAYNES, a merchant engaged in business at Richmond
Dale, and one of the enterprising citizens of that
community, is a native of Pike county, Ohio. He
comes of pioneer stock, the founder of the family in Ross
county having settled at Chillicothe in 1798 about the
time the county was officially organized. This early
comer left a son named George Haynes, who like his
father, was a blacksmith by trade and ironed the first
bridge built across the Scioto river in Ross county.
He owned a large farm in the vicinity of Hopetown, now in
the possession of George Smith, of Chillicothe, and
there he spent his last days. He married Isabelle
Nicholls, who became the mother of five sons and six
daughters, seven of whom are still living, and the
youngest reached the age of forty years before there was a
death in the family. One of these five sons was
John Haynes, born in Chillicothe in 1843, who adopted
farming as his occupation and settled in Pike county,
Ohio, being at present a resident of Omega. He
married Rose Ann Cissna, a native of Piketown,
Ohio, by whom he had seven children: Isabelle,
William J., C. E., Jennetta, Cornelius, O. C. Dell and
John, Jr. William J. Haynes second of
the children in order of birth, grew up on his farm, and,
in addition to the usual course in the common schools,
attended the Normal university, at Lebanon, Ohio.
After finishing his education he was engaged in farming
until 1892, when he embarked in the mercantile business
with William A. Maxwell. This partnership
continued for one year and a half, after which Mr.
Haynes was in business alone for two years. He
then purchased the business of Stultz & Snyder and
organized the new firm of Stultz & Haynes, which
was dissolved by mutual consent after one year's
continuance. when he entered into partnership with
Roscoe Dixon, of Richmond Dale, which firm still
continues. They do an extensive business in the
handling of posts, ties, tanbark and other merchandise.
Mr. Haynes served as township treasurer five years
and has been postmaster of his home town since 1897.
He is a member of Garfield lodge, No. 710, of the order of
Odd Fellows. In 1885, he was married to Jennie M.
Davis, of Richmond Dale, by whom he had four children,
J. Scott, W. Ward, Clifford C. (deceased),
and Clarence P. Mrs. Haynes to Ella M.
Drummond, of Ross county. The family are
connected with the Methodist Episcopal church.
Source #1 - The County of Ross: a history of Ross County, Ohio
by Henry Holcomb Bennett -
Published by S. A. Brant, Madison, Wis., 1902 |
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JOSEPH A. HEAD,
who resides near Fruitdale, Ohio, and is one of the
enterprising business men of that locality, comes of a
family which was among the earliest settlers of Highland
county. Both himself and his father, John Head,
are natives of that county, and there he grew up to
manhood. His education was mainly obtained in his native
county, though he also attended school in Pike county.
After reaching man's estate, Mr. Head went
over into Ross county in search of an opportunity to
procure a livelihood. He selected Bainbridge as a location
and was engaged in the mercantile business there for a
number of years. He met with success in his financial
undertakings and became both prominent and popular as a
citizen of Paxton township. In 1885, he removed to his
place near Fruitdale, in Paint township, which has since
been his residence. In March, 1868, Mr. Head
was married to Sarah C., daughter of
William Ogle, member of a family long and
favorably known in Paxton township. The fruits of this
union were two children, of whom Effie B. is the
wife of C. S. Iseman, a farmer of Paint
township, and Alice H. married Rev. J. W. Blair,
minister of the Methodist Episcopal church at Richmond
Dale. Mr. Head is quite prominent in
politics on the Democratic side and made the race for
county commissioner as the nominee of his party. He has
served as trustee and justice of the peace of Paint
township and is regarded as a safe adviser by his
political associates. Mr. Head is a Knight
Templar in the Masonic order and a communicant of the
Methodist Episcopal church.
Source #1 - The County of Ross: a history of Ross County, Ohio
by Henry Holcomb Bennett -
Published by S. A. Brant, Madison, Wis., 1902 |
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EUGENE
HEMMEGER, M. D., a popular young physician of
Adelphi„ Ross county, whose success both personally and
professionally gives promise of a bright future, was born
in Washington county, Ohio, September 10, 1874. He is a
son of Alfred and Abbie (Warren) Hemmeger, the
former a successful farmer in Washington county, who died
in 1883. His widow still resides in Washington county.
Dr. Hemmeger was reared on the farm, attended the
district schools and finished his literary education at
the Marietta township high school, where he was graduated
in 1891. He had early made up his mind to become a
physician and had already done some reading in that line,
and thus was fitted for entrance into the Starling Medical
college, at Columbus, Ohio. He devoted himself assiduously
to study in that popular institution, and received his
degree with the class which was graduated in 1895. When
Dr. Hemmeger obtained his diploma he was in his
twenty-first year, and he lost no time in getting to work
in the profession which he had chosen for the employment
of his life. He selected Laurelville, in Hocking county,
as his location and there "hung out his shingle," to use
the vernacular of young professionals. After one year's
trial there, he decided to make a transfer to Adelphi as a
more inviting field for his professional activities. He
came to that place in 1896 and since then the scene of his
operations has been in and around the pretty little
capital of Colerain township. The doctor is a gentleman of
pleasing address and popular manners which, added to his
professional acquirements, have enabled him to become
firmly established in his adopted home. He is also social
in his disposition and gratifies his longings for
fraternal fellowship by membership in the local lodges of
Odd Fellows and Knights of Pythias at Adelphi. Dr.
Hemmeger was married in 1896 to Clara
Miller, of Washington county, and they have two
children, Mary and Francis.
Source #1 - The County of Ross: a history of Ross County, Ohio
by Henry Holcomb Bennett -
Published by S. A. Brant, Madison, Wis., 1902 |
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JOHN MCCOY
HENNESS, a retired farmer residing at Frankfort,
and Union veteran with an unusually creditable military
record, has been long and favorably known in that part of
Ross county. The founder of the family in Ohio was
William Henness, who married Nancy
Bernard in Virginia, subsequently came to Ross county,
settled in Union township and there began the cultivation
of a leased farm. They were but little behind the vanguard
of the earliest settlers, as the time of their arrival is
placed in the year 1800. To this couple were born eight
children, all long since dead, named as follows: Mary,
wife of Scott Finley; Martha, wife of
Joseph Beard; a daughter who married
Aaron Mowbray; William, Stephen,
Zachariah, James and Levi, the latter
killed at Kenesaw Mountain. The parents, who lived to
unusually advanced age, found a final resting place in the
Baptist cemetery near Frankfort. Zachariah, sixth
of this family, was horn in Ross county in 1816, and in
early youth learned the cooper's trade, which he worked at
during much of his subsequent life. He married Sally
Ann McCoy, a native of Ross county and
daughter of John McCoy, took possession of
the McClintick farm in Union township and lived
there for the next twenty-seven years. Besides farming and
cooperage he did considerable work with a threshing
machine, of which he had charge a number of years. In
1867, he went to Seymour, Champaign county, 111., where
both himself and wife ended their days, he when eighty-two
and she when eighty years old. Their children, nine in
number, were named as follows: John M.; William B.,
of Piatt county, Ill.; James A., of Champaign
county, Ill.; Margaret, wife of W. D. Earl,
of Illinois;. Jane, wife of Thomas Cain, of
same state; Ann (deceased), wife of Benjamin
Miller, same state; Edmund, of Champaign,
Ill.; David, of Ross county, and Charles, of
Illinois. John McCoy Henness, eldest
of the family, .was born in Union township, Ross county,
March 22, 1842. When nineteen years old he enlisted in
Company C, Eighty-first Ohio infantry, and went to
Missouri by way of Cincinnati and St Louis for the purpose
of joining his command, which was located in that state.
The regiment underwent the necessary drilling, did some
marching back and forth to different Missouri points and
in 1862 was placed aboard steamer at St Charles for
shipment to Pittsburg Landing, arriving in time to take
part in the bloody battle at that place. While in
Missouri, Mr. Henness had been accidentally
wounded and after the Tennessee battle was in the hospital
for a few days, received a furlough, and came home. After
reporting for duty at Camp Dennison, he was assigned to a
local corps in Cincinnati and remained there until August,
during which time the corps was sent to Cynthiana, Ky.,
where it engaged General Morgan. He was then
sent to his regiment at Corinth, Miss., in time to take
part in the noted battle at that place. His regiment
remained in that locality until the spring of 1863, when
they were sent to Pulaski, Tenn., where they remained
doing guard duty until the spring of 1864. Mr.
Henness had re-enlisted January 1, 1864, in his old
company in Tennessee, which was ordered to Chattanooga in
May. During the following summer, he participated with his
command in the famous Atlanta campaign, during which he
took part in twenty-two fights, large and small, among the
battles being Kenesaw Mountain and Oostenaula river. In
the latter, Mr. Henness and one of his
companions, while making a charge, succeeded in capturing
all the officers and eight men of one company. He was in
the battle of Atlanta, July 22d, and later, while
occupying the trenches, made a capture of two more of the
enemy's soldiers. During a sharp engagement on August 28,
Mr. Henness received two bullet shots
through his hat, grazing his head, and though a close call
no damage was done. After the surrender of Atlanta, Mr.
Henness went with his command in Sherman's
world-famous "march to the sea," which commenced about the
middle of November and ended on December 21, by arrival at
Savannah, Ga. After a long rest at this place, the veteran
army again took up its line of march in February, 1865,
through the Carolinas. In the battle of Bentonville, N. C,
Mr. Henness received a gunshot wound in the
muscle of the right arm, which disabled him for duty, but
he marched right along with his regiment. At Goldsboro,
the first news was received of those two momentous events,
the surrender of Lee and the assassination of Lincoln.
From that point, the march was continued on to Washington,
where Mr. Henness took part in that event,
never to be forgotten by a Union soldier, the grand review
of the great armies before their final retirement to
private life. The "muster out" and honorable discharge
took place at Louisville, Ky., July 13, 1865, after which
Mr. Henness came directly home. He enlisted
as a private, filled all the intermediate positions, and
quit the service with a commission as lieutenant. He
married Sarah E., daughter of Levi and
Nancy Cory, and located in Twin township,
where Mr. Henness had charge of a toll gate
and did teaming. After various removals to different
places in the neighborhood, the family finally settled
down on a place bought by Mr. Henness in
Concord township. Mrs. Henness died in 1889
and the family, after remaining on the farm until November
1, 1900, removed to Frankfort. Mr. Henness
was the first rural mail carrier in Ross county and is at
present in charge of Route No. 1. His children, six in
number, are, Charles M., died in infancy; Cora,
wife of Lott Acton, of Concord township;
Lulu (deceased) ; Edna, at home; Alpha
McCoy and Anna, died in infancy. On May 18,
1902, Mr. Henness was married to Mrs.
Frank Roberts, of East Liverpool, Columbia
county. Quite a little romance is connected with this
wedding. Mr. Henness became acquainted with
his bride in 1865, after he came home from the war, having
served in the same company with her father, W. W.
Merrill, who at that time lived at East Monroe, and
at whose home Mr. Henness visited for a
short time. A strong friendship was formed at that
time, but they drifted apart, married, and never saw each
other again for thirty-six years, until 1901. In the
meantime, however, their helpmates had died, and the
friendship formed in early life was renewed and culminated
in their marriage.
Source #1 - The County of Ross: a history of Ross County, Ohio
by Henry Holcomb Bennett -
Published by S. A. Brant, Madison, Wis., 1902 |
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JAMES HENRY
is a native of Union township, Ross county, born January
15, 1858. His parents were Robert and Julia (Merriman)
Henry, the former of whom emigrated from Ireland when
seventeen years old to come to Ross county, and settled on
Big Walnut creek. Soon afterward he bought a small farm in
Union township, where he lived while he worked at his
trade of millwright. In 1859, he removed to Yellow Bud, in
Ross county, where he died at the age of forty-eight For
about eight years during the latter part of his life he
held the office of justice of the peace. It was about the
year 1840 that he married Julia Merriman, whose parents
were among the first settlers of Ross county. They had ten
children, of whom Nancy, Silas, Laura,
Catherine and Mattie are numbered with the dead.
Mary J. is the wife of Milton O. Watts, of Circleville;
Emaline is married to
Silas Watts, of. Union township; Robert is living in
Hebron, Ohio; Lizzie is the survivor of twins, her sister
Mattie having died. The mother died on April 3, 1890.
James Henry, who was the fifth in birth of the children,
has remained at home all his life. He was educated in the
school at Yellow Bud and learned the carpenter's trade. On
January 31, 1878, he was married at Chillicothe to Miss
Kate Ebenhack, of Union township. This union resulted in
the birth of four children, Charles, Silas, Elizabeth and
Arthur. Mrs. Henry died on August 29, 1895.
Source #1 - The County of Ross: a history of Ross County, Ohio
by Henry Holcomb Bennett -
Published by S. A. Brant, Madison, Wis., 1902 |
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THOMAS HENSON,
stock-dealer and meat merchant at Clarksburg, has divided
his life and business between Ross and Pickaway and is
well known in both counties. His ancestors were
Virginians, the first of them to become Ohio settlers
being Charles Henson and wife, who came down the great
river in the early part of the nineteenth century and
found a home in Pickaway county. Their eldest son, James,
whom they brought from Virginia, grew to manhood in
Pickaway county and worked on farms for monthly wages as a
means of livelihood. While thus engaged he married one of
the neighborhood girls, named Julia McKinney, with whom he
located on a farm near Williamsport and there spent the
next twenty years. At the end of that time he took charge
of a hotel in Williamsport, which he conducted until the
time of his death, his wife then purchasing a small farm
near town to which she removed and spent the remainder of
her days. Of their twelve children, George P., Lettie,
Henry, Clinton and Charles have passed away. Those living
are Nancy and John, of Columbus; Thomas, subject of this
sketch; Frank, of Williamsport; Millard and
Oliver (twins)
of Pickaway county; and William, of Columbus. Thomas
Henson, third of the children, was born in Pickaway
county, Ohio, near Williamsport, November 5, 1844. In
early manhood he married Mary Wiley and
conducted the hotel in Williamsport for two years, after
which he was engaged for twenty years in general
merchandising. By his .first marriage he had five children, of whom only
Frederick and Thomas C. are living. Mr.
Henson's second
wife was Missouri Ater, and after this
marriage he located on a farm where he spent five years, then removed to
Clarksburg, in Deerfield township. Since then his business
has been buying and selling stock, conducting a meat
market at Clarksburg in Ross and New Holland in Pickaway
county and managing his farm. Mr. Henson is a member of
the Christian church and of Clarksburg lodge, No. 721,
Independent Order of Odd Fellows. Missouri Ater,
Mr. Henson's present wife, belongs to a famous family well
deserving of more than a passing notice. The progenitors
came from Germany and settled in various eastern states
during the eighteenth century. George Ater, founder of the
Ohio branch of the family, married Mary Boyer,
located in Virginia near the Potomac river, and reared a
family of seven sons and two daughters. About 1799 he
left Virginia with his nine children, crossing the
mountains to the Ohio river and descending that stream
to the mouth of the Scioto. Going up to Chillicothe,
these immigrants later found their way up Deer creek and
took possession of an Indian village near what is
described in the legend as a "round prairie." There George
Ater reared his family and
eventually a considerable settlement of pioneers grew up
around the place. The names of his sons were Abraham,
Isaac, Jacob, Samuel, Thomas, Jones and William, all of
whom subsequently served in the war of 1812 and received
from the government land warrants which they located in
Deerfield township of Ross county. Abraham, eldest of
these sons, was born January 22, 1776, and married Charity
Eveland April 3, 1799, the same year he came to Ross
county. Among their children was a son named David, who
married Mary A. Harrington, and these were the parents of
Missouri Ater Henson.
Source #1 - The County of Ross: a history of Ross County, Ohio
by Henry Holcomb Bennett -
Published by S. A. Brant, Madison, Wis., 1902 |
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CHAUNCEY
A. HERTENSTEIN, lumber merchant, of Chillicothe,
was born near that city on a farm in Green township, on
January 15, 1874. His parents, both of whom are still
living, are George and Matilda (Stauffer)
Hertenstein, the former a native of Germany, while the
mother was born in Ohio. They were married in Ross county,
which has been the scene of all the events of their lives,
the father being a well-to-do farmer and possessor of
extensive properly interests; while their two sons,
Wesley and Chauncey A., are partners in the
lumber business. Chauncey A. Hertenstein was reared
to manhood on the parental farm in Green township and
educated in the public schools, supplemented by a course
in the Chillicothe business college. In March, 1900, he
and his brother Wesley started in business
together, handling all kinds of building material, and
they have already established a fine trade. March 14,
1896, Mr. Hertenstein was married to
Margaret Herrnstein, daughter of George J.
Herrnstein, formerly a lumber merchant in
Chillicothe, now retired from active business. Her mother
was Catherine Brehm, who, like her husband,
was of Ohio birth and is still living. Mr.
Hertenstein is a member of the recently organized
fraternity called the Knights of the Ancient Essenic
Order, and he and wife are members of the Methodist
Episcopal church.
Source #1 - The County of Ross: a history of Ross County, Ohio
by Henry Holcomb Bennett -
Published by S. A. Brant, Madison, Wis., 1902 |
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EDWARD LANDOLIN HESS,
for twenty-two consecutive years the efficient and popular
manager of the telephone company at Chillicothe, is a
native Ohioan of German parentage. His father, Landolin
Hess, was born in Germany, June 28, 1819, and in
early manhood joined the tide of emigration to America- On
arriving in the United States he selected Chillicothe as
his abode and there spent the remainder of his days
engaged in working at his trade as cabinetmaker. In
September, 1846, he was married to Mary Anna,
daughter of Christian and Elizabeth Lind,
natives of Germany who came over in 1836 and two years
later settled at Chillicothe. Mr. Hess died in
1864, but his widow and seven children survive. Of the
latter, Mary Ann, the widow of Joseph
Brosemer, resides in Columbus, Ohio; Elizabeth,
wife of John Schroth, and Christian live in
Chillicothe; Jacob F. is a citizen of
Cincinnati, while Margaret S. and Peter G.
reside in Brooklyn, New York. Edward Landolin Hess,
fourth in age of the living children, was born in
Chillicothe June 8, 1858. He obtained a common school
education and in 1880 entered the employment of the
Central Ohio Telephone company as acting manager of their
interests at Chillicothe. From that day to this Mr.
Hess has held this position regardless of changes in
ownership which have converted the old organization into
the Central Union Telephone company. Nor is it too much to
say that during all these years he has so discharged his
duties as to retain the full confidence of his different
employers and gain the good will of the company's numerous
patrons. He has so thoroughly mastered all the details of
the telephone business and become so well known to the
public who patronize the instruments that he has become a
valuable man in his position. Mr. Hess has
his nation's fondness for fraternal fellowship and
gratifies it by membership in various associations,
including the Modern Woodmen of America, Catholic Order of
Foresters and Benevolent Order of Ignatius. January 9,
1883, he was married to Josephine, daughter of
Charles Rudmann, who came to Ross county in
1852. This union resulted in the birth of three children:
Olandolin Ernest, Petronella Mary
and Paul Edward.
Source #1 - The County of Ross: a history of Ross County, Ohio
by Henry Holcomb Bennett -
Published by S. A. Brant, Madison, Wis., 1902 |
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JACKSON HESTER
was born in Buckskin township, Ross county, January 28,
1844, son of Charles M. and Mary (Christian)
Hester, the former a native of Buckskin township in
1810. The father and mother of Charles M. Hester were
Pennsylvanians, who came to Ohio at a very early period,
first settling at Chillicothe and then removing to
Buckskin township. The father, Henry Hester,
served through the war of 1812 and bore his share of all
the pioneer hardships in the West. Charles M.
helped on the farm during summers and attended
subscription school in the winter time. After marrying, he
went to housekeeping on his own place, where he remained
until 1850, when he sold out and bought the place where
his son Jackson now resides. He was a farmer, but worked
some at the carpenter's trade. Both himself and wife are
now numbered among the dead. They had seven children in
all, of whom three died in infancy, and Sarah
Ann's death occurred after her marriage to James
Grieves. The living children are Washington,
Jackson and Lucinda, who is the wife of William
Grieves. Jackson Hester received his
education in the schools of the district, and was in his
seventeenth year when the civil war broke out. On May 1,
1864, he enlisted at Chillicothe in Company I, One Hundred
and Forty-ninth Ohio infantry, under command of Captain
Rhodes. They were mustered in at Camp Dennison and
sent from there to Baltimore, at which place and other
points they did guard duty. They participated in the
battles of Monocacy, near. Frederick, Md., on July 9,
1864, and in several smaller engagements. The command
returned to Baltimore, went from there to Washington and
back to Camp Dennison in September, 1864, where they were
mustered out. Immediately thereafter, Mr. Hester
went to his home and resumed his duties on the farm. In
1877, he married May Hixon, a native of Ross
county of German descent. He continued to live and do
business on the old home place of 250 acres which he
inherited from his father. Besides general farming, Mr.
Hester operates a sawmill and thresher. He is a
member of Prater post, G. A. R., at Bourneville, and his
political affiliations are Democratic. To Mr. and Mrs.
Hester were born four children, whose names are
Allen, Mary, Harley and Daisy,
all at home and unmarried.
Source #1 - The County of Ross: a history of Ross County, Ohio
by Henry Holcomb Bennett -
Published by S. A. Brant, Madison, Wis., 1902 |
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TAYLOR HESTER,
long connected with agricultural affairs in the township
of Buckskin and Concord, is a descendant of early settlers
in Ross county. As far back as 1804, Capt. Henry
Hester migrated with his family from Pennsylvania
to Ohio and located on land in Buckskin township. He was a
millwright by trade and some time after arriving in Ross
county concluded to remove to Chillicothe as a better
point for obtaining business in his line. While resident
there he was swept off by the cholera plague which
devastated southern Ohio cities in 1832-33. Captain
Hester was the father of three sons and one
daughter, the latter of whom married and went to Indiana,
while the others remained in Ross county and reared
families. Zaccheus Hester, the oldest child,
was born in Pennsylvania December 15. 1803, and hence was
less than a year old when his parents reached Ross county.
After arriving at maturity he was engaged mostly in
farming, but also devoted considerable time to the
management of a grist mill. May 26, 1826, he was married
to Margaret Hixon, born July 19, 1808, and
daughter of Timothy Hixon, a Virginian who
was among the earliest arrivals in the county. Zaccheus
Hester died July 19, 1878, and his wife September
24 of the same year. They were the parents of six sons and
three daughters: Daniel, born October 4, 1827, and
died March 23, 1883; Sarah, born April 25, 1830,
and died December 2, 1893; Rebecca, born June 2,
1833, now the wife of Michael McGough of
Ross county; Rose Ann, born August 25, 1835,
now living in the West; Timothy, born August 21,
1840, and died March 11, 1866; John W., born July
1, 1844, lives in Jackson county, Ohio; William J.
and Taylor (twins), born March 28, 1847, the
former died June 11, 1870; Joseph A., born November
23, 1849, now living in Ross county. Taylor
Hester, who with his twin brother, was the seventh
born of the children, was born in Buckskin township, Ross
county, Ohio, March 28, 1847. His adult life has been
spent as a farmer in Buckskin township, where he lived
until 1897, and after that in Concord township, which is
the place of his present residence. He was sixteen years
old when John Morgan made his famous raid
through Ohio, but took his gun like the older men and
volunteered to help repulse the invader. November 25,
1869, Mr. Hester was married to Margaret,
daughter of John and Lydia (Ross) Cadwallader, the
former a native of Wales and the latter a Virginian, who
came to Ross county with the first rush of settlers. Of
the two children resulting from this union, Lucy
Bell became the wife of M. T. Devine of
Frankfort, and Charles Hester, the eldest,
who is a farmer by occupation, was married January 1,
1902, to Ada Andrew of Greene county, Ohio.
The father is a member of the Methodist Episcopal church
and also connected with the Masonic fraternity.
Source #1 - The County of Ross: a history of Ross County, Ohio
by Henry Holcomb Bennett -
Published by S. A. Brant, Madison, Wis., 1902 |
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JOHN W. HICKEL,
one of the younger generation of Ross county farms, is a
worthy citizen of Concord township. The founder of the
Ross county branch of the family was an old Virginian by
the name of George Hickel, who early learned
and all his life pursued the honorable and useful trade of
shoemaking. He married in his native state and soon after
joined the great tide which was moving westward in
search of new homes. He located in Colerain township and
there resumed his trade as shoemaker, from the proceeds of
which he supported his family in comfortable style for
those days until his death. Of his six children, the only
ones living are Martin, who resides in Concord
township, and Catherine, the wife of H.
Goldsberry of Deerfield township; the names of the
dead are Jacob, Betsey, Christopher
and Devault. The last mentioned remained at home until he
reached manhood when, in connection with one of the
brothers, he rented a farm in Concord township which they
cultivated together and shared equally in the proceeds. In
due time his thoughts turned to matrimony and as a
helpmeet he selected Lucinda Goldsberry, of
Ohio, taking his bride home to the farm where he had been
living and which he had recently purchased. Devault
Hickel was an industrious and progressive farmer,
while his wife was a prudent and saving housekeeper, so
between them they established a comfortable home and
obtained a fair measure of success on their farm. They
reared and provided well for ten children, all of whom are
living except Etta M., the latest born. The names
and locations of the others are as follows: Mary,
wife of Leopold Dinkier of Deerfield
township; Margaret, at the old home place; Laura,
now Mrs. Preston Via of Virginia;
John W.; Anna, married to William
Seitz of Concord township; Alice, wife of
Allison Hyer of Concord; Jennie, married
to Samuel Gregory of Union township;
William and Amanda at the old homestead. The
father died in 1893 and the mother in 1894. John W.
Hickel, fourth in the list of children, was born near
Frankfort, Ross county, October 11, 1857. He grew up on
his father's farm and was trained to habits of industry
while acquiring a knowledge of all the details of farming,
under the excellent supervision of his paternal
instructor. Mr. Hickel remained at the old
homestead until the time of his marriage to Minnie M.
Keller, of Chillicothe, which occurred July 29, 18.97.
Immediately after this event, the newly wedded couple went
to live at the place which has since been their residence,
and where Mr. Hickel carries on general
farming and stockraising.
Source #1 - The County of Ross: a history of Ross County, Ohio
by Henry Holcomb Bennett -
Published by S. A. Brant, Madison, Wis., 1902 |
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CHARLES D.
HIGBY was born in Richmond Dale, Ross county, in
1843, son of the late Sylvester N. Higby,
one of the most prosperous and influential farmers of
Franklin township. The latter was a native of Jefferson
county, Ohio, born on September 19, 1819. Being left an
orphan in extreme youth, he spent most of his boyhood with
his sisters in Cleveland. After reaching maturity he
embarked in the mercantile business at Richmond Dale and
so continued for several years. Eventually he sold this
business and located on a farm in Franklin township, which
he managed until his death on December 31, 1885. He held
various official positions, including school director,
justice of the peace and treasurer of his township,
fulfilling all their duties with scrupulous fidelity.
November 10, 1842, he was married to Hannah,
daughter of Charles and Elizabeth (Hayes) Davis,
and by this union had seven children: Charles,
subject of this sketch; Mary, the wife of Marcus
Boggs; Julia, who died at the age of three years;
Rose, wife of Ira Harris; Kizzie;
Joseph, who married Jennie Foster;
and Laura, wife of H. C. Downs. The mother
of these children died on December 29, 1893, at her home
in Higby, aged sixty-nine years and six months.
Charles D. Higby, the first born of his
parents, received his education in the common schools of
Franklin township. He was approaching his eighteenth year,
when tie great civil war commenced, and on November 20,
1861, he became a soldier of the Union. He cast his lot
with Company F, of the Fifty-third Ohio infantry, going in
as a private, soon being made a corporal, then sergeant
and eventually becoming quartermaster sergeant, which
position he held when mustered out on August 25, 1865.
Mr. Higby participated in all the fighting and
marching of his regiment from Shiloh to Bentonville, N. C,
where the great drama practically closed. Among the more
notable of the battles in which he took part with his
command may be mentioned Pittsburg Landing, Corinth, La
Grange and Moscow (Term.), Holly Springs and
Wallace Mills (Miss.), besides many minor skirmishes and
severe engagements. On June 17, 1864, he was wounded at
Kenesaw mountain by a gunshot in the ankle, which injury
kept him out of the service about sixty days. After his
return from the war, he engaged in farming in Franklin
township, which business has absorbed most of his
attention ever since. From 1882 to 1885 he served as
traveling deputy collector of internal revenue. He has
occupied several small township offices, including that of
treasurer, which he has held «for the past sixteen years.
He has also been postmaster at Higby since 1886, a
position which his father held for several years prior to
that time. Since 1880, in addition to his other
business affairs, he has conducted a general store at
Higby. In 1872, Mr. Higby was married to
Mary L. Crow, of Jefferson township, and they have
five living children: Hattie D., now Mrs.
Hiram A. Smith of Waverly, Ohio; Mamie B., Hannah
D., Charles D. and James O. Mr. Higby has
extensive fraternal connections, including the Mystic
Circle, Odd Fellows and Free Masons, being a member of the
Commandery in the last order. He belongs also to the
patriotic organization of the Grand Army of the Republic
and to the Methodist Episcopal church.
Source #1 - The County of Ross: a history of Ross County, Ohio
by Henry Holcomb Bennett -
Published by S. A. Brant, Madison, Wis., 1902 |
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EDGAR A. HIGBY,
a progressive and prosperous farmer of Franklin township,
is a member of a family connection long and favorably
known in Ross county. They were represented in the pioneer
settlement of the county and through all the stages of its
history have been identified with its social, commercial
and business development. Their talents and industry have
been mostly felt in agriculture, nearly all of them being
farmers and landowners. John W. and Sarah M. (Norton)
Higby were the parents of Edgar A., whose birth
occurred in Bourneville, Ohio, February 14, 1862. Unusual
care was bestowed upon his early, education. Besides the
ordinary course in the common schools, he was sent to a
private and select school at Richmond Dale, which was
followed by a term in the academy at Gambier, Knox county.
In addition to all this, Mr. Higby entered
the commercial college of A. D. Wilt at Dayton, O.,
where he was graduated in 1883. Since leaving school he
has devoted his attention entirely to farming and has met
with gratifying success in all of his operations. He has
charge of 284 acres of land, which he cultivates by
up-to-date methods, the general farming being supplemented
by profitable stock-raising. Mr. Higby is
well informed in agricultural matters and aims to keep
thoroughly posted concerning the latest improvements and
discoveries in that great industry. He is a Republican in
politics but contents himself with voting and wastes no
time running after office. January 23, 1895, he was
married to Luella J. Davis, of Richmond
Dale, daughter of Ambrose Davis, a well-to-do
farmer of Jefferson township. They have one son, Earl
Norton, born February 14, 1896.
Source #1 - The County of Ross: a history of Ross County, Ohio
by Henry Holcomb Bennett -
Published by S. A. Brant, Madison, Wis., 1902 |
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JOSEPH H. HIGBY
is a native of Franklin township, Ross county, born
December 14, 1857. His parents were Sylvester N. and
Hannah (Davis) Higby, the former born in Jefferson
county, Ohio, September 19, 1819. Mrs. Higby,
born in 1824, was the daughter of Charles and Elizabeth
(Hayes) Davis, who settled in Franklin township at an
early period and there spent the most of their married
life. The father died in 1837, and the mother subsequently
married Horace Crookham, with whom she lived
until her death in 1865. Sylvester Higby and
wife had seven children, of whom Joseph H. was
sixth in order of birth. The father died on December 31,
1885, leaving a fine estate comprising several hundred
acres of land. His life was one of useful activity and his
success the result of unwearied industry directed by sound
judgment. He held the offices of township treasurer,
school director and justice of the peace. He was an Odd
Fellow and Mason of the 32d degree. His wife survived him
about eight years, dying on December 29, 1893, at her home
in Higby, aged over 69 years. Their son Joseph
H. was educated in the common schools of his native
county and spent four years at the Wesleyan university at
Delaware, Ohio. After leaving school he worked as civil
engineer on various, railroads for about three years. In
1882, he settled down to farming near the old homestead
and has ever since followed this pursuit. August 3, 1892,
Mr. Higby was married to Jennie E.,
daughter of John C. Foster, of Franklin township.
Mrs. Higby's father is descended from one of
the earliest of Ross county's settlers, has always lived
in Franklin township and became one of its most prosperous
farmers, owning between 500 and 600 acres of land. He
married Mary E. Foster, of Pike county, by whom he
had seven children.
Source #1 - The County of Ross: a history of Ross County, Ohio
by Henry Holcomb Bennett -
Published by S. A. Brant, Madison, Wis., 1902 |
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APOLLO HILL
of Ross county was born in Mason county, W. Va., on August
17, 1857. He is the son of Jonathan Hill, a
West Virginia farmer, who married Maria Stephens
about the year 1852, and by her had ten children, of whom
three died in infancy. The others are Rankin J.,
Apollo, Linza, Byrd, Laura M., David and Oma.
The fourth child, Byrd Hill, lives at Point
Pleasant and is now a state senator of West Virginia. The
father died on March 19, 1881, but the mother still fives
on the old home place. Apollo was educated in the common
schools of his native state and remained at home until
mature manhood. While visiting in Ross county, Ohio, he
met Miss Kate Baum, and their acquaintance resulted
in marriage on March 22, 1883. This lady is a daughter of
George Baum, who came from Pickaway to Ross
county some time in the 1840's. After marriage, Mr.
Hill took his bride to the West Virginia home and
settled down to housekeeping in Mason county. After six
years spent in this place, a removal was made to Meigs
county, Ohio, and this, at the end of two years' sojourn,
was followed by another change which took them to Ross
county. There they found a permanent abode, where Mr.
Hill has ever since been engaged in general farming
and stock-raising. They have a family of three children,
Howard, Davie and Laura C, all of whom are
at home.
Source #1 - The County of Ross: a history of Ross County, Ohio
by Henry Holcomb Bennett -
Published by S. A. Brant, Madison, Wis., 1902 |
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JOHN C. HINTON,
one of Ross county's substantial farmers, is the son and
grandson of pioneers and may be considered one himself, as
Ohio was still quite a young state at the time of his
birth. His grandfather, Thomas Hinton,
supposed to have been from Maryland, came into Ohio by way
of Kentucky and settled in Colerain township with his wife
Deborah and children. The family records do not
give exact dates, but these pioneers came during the last
quarter of the eighteenth century, when the country was
still full of wild animals and wilder Indians. Thomas
Hinton entered a half section of land for a company
and kept 109 acres for himself, which have ever since,
been retained by his descendants. He cleared a patch built
a cabin and subsisted for several years after the manner
of those days, gradually improving his land until he had a
fairly good farm on which he spent the remainder of his
days. The youngest member of the family was named Elias,
and was only two years old when his parents arrived in
Colerain township. He grew up like other pioneer children
amid scenes of wild splendor, learning habits of hardihood
and endurance, became a great hunter, served for a while
as a teamster during the war of 1812, and in after life
held various offices, including those of justice of the
peace and township trustee. He was a good business man and
accumulated considerable property during his long life,
being supposed to be about eighty-three years old at the
time of his death. In early manhood he married Susanna
Cox, member of one. of the neighboring pioneer
families, and by her had a family of eight children, of
whom the only ones now living are Andrew and
John C. Hinton. The latter was born in Colerain
township June 10, 1824, and was reared in the log cabin
built by his grandfather. He grew up on the farm, was
trained to hard work, remained at home until he was
twenty-one years of age and then decided to take a wife.
The lady of his choice was Hannah Leasure
and to her he was united in matrimony in the year 1845.
Mr. Hinton is fond of telling that he only had
one dollar at the time of his marriage and this he gave to
the preacher for performing the ceremony. But he settled
down to hard work and soon had, not only a good home, but
a surplus property which he has continued to add to during
life until he finds himself in very comfortable
circumstances, owning.257 acres of land well stocked and
improved. Mr. Hinton has lived at his
present place since 1846, during which time he has been
steadily engaged in general farming and stock-raising,
meeting with unusual success in his operations. Though
Democratic in his politics, he leaves the office-seeking
business to others, contenting himself with the discharge
of his duties as a voter, and the only official position
he has held is that of township trustee, which he filled
about ten years. Like the Hebrew patriarchs of old, Mr.
Hinton has been blessed with a large family of
children, his first marriage resulting in twelve:
Lucretia, Andrew, Mary, Elias,
Jesse, Susanna, Lewis, Mergeline, Cyrus J., Edward,
Willard and George. Three of this number,
Lucretia, Mary and Susan are dead. The
mother died in March, 1879, and in April, 1881, Mr.
Hinton married Mahala Wilson, a Ross
county lady, by whom he has five children: Mazie,
Carrie, Ira, Myrtie and Alma. Both himself
and wife are devout members of the United Brethren church,
in which he has long been a prominent and
enthusiastic worker. In fact, Mr. Hinton has
belonged to this church for sixty years, during which time
he has worthily filled its official positions of various
kinds, such as class leader, steward and trustee.
Source #1 - The County of Ross: a history of Ross County, Ohio
by Henry Holcomb Bennett -
Published by S. A. Brant, Madison, Wis., 1902 |
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JOHN HIRE was
born in Concord township, Ross county, in 1835. Both his
father and his grandfather were named Michael and
both were Virginians by birth. The grandsire and wife
joined the procession which was wending its way to the
west in search of homes; arrived in Ross county early in
the nineteenth century, and selected Concord township as
the place of their future abode. He secured land, the
clearing and cultivating of which was the arduous
occupation of all his working days. With him from Virginia
came his son Michael, a small boy at that time, and
after the arrival in Ohio other children were born,
including nine altogether. The junior Michael grew
to manhood in Ross county and followed in the footsteps of
his father as a life-long farmer. He selected as his wife
Mary, daughter of Abraham Roseboom,
an old resident of Ross county. From this union came seven
children, of whom only three are now living. These are John,
Mary (wife of James Lockard of
Concord township), and Abraham. John, the
oldest of these children, became a farmer as soon as he
had finished his schooling, and his operations have been
confined to Ross county, with the exception of three years
spent in the neighboring county of Pickaway. During the
year 1864 he helped to fight off Morgan during the raid of
that famous guerrilla chieftain into Ohio. He was married
in 1858 to Mary Catherine, daughter of
Henry Arnold, of Pickaway county. They have
four children, of whom Eva Ann and
Charles Alva, the oldest and youngest, are
dead; Luella is the wife of Charles
Sturgeon, of Concord township; and Benjamin is
a resident of Pickaway county. Mr. Hire is a
member of the Methodist Episcopal church.
Source #1 - The County of Ross: a history of Ross County, Ohio
by Henry Holcomb Bennett -
Published by S. A. Brant, Madison, Wis., 1902 |
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ALEXANDER L.
HODSDEN is a native of Delaware county, Ohio, born
October 9, 1826. His father, Stephen Hodsden,
of New York state, came to Ohio at an early period and
settled in Ross county; taught school for a while, and,
after his marriage to Mary Junk, was
presented by the latter's father with about 100 acres of
land in Delaware county, to which he removed with his
wife. The latter being ill with consumption, it was deemed
best to bring her back to Ross county in order that she
might have the care of her parents, but she died at the
old home in April, 1831. She left two children, of whom
James M. was killed at the battle of Stone River and
Alexander is the subject of this sketch. By a
second marriage of the father, there were four children,
of whom Emeline is dead, Steven and
Josephine live in Porter county, Ind., and Clinton
was killed at Kenesaw Mountain. Meantime the father
had removed to the state of Indiana and was residing there
at the time of his death. Alexander was taken by
his grandparents after his mother's death, and continued
to live with them until he was twenty-six years old. On
February 1, 1853, he was married to Maria
Augustus and settled with his bride on a farm which he
had purchased during the previous year. This place,
consisting of 201 acres, contained at the time an old log
house with two rooms and a slab floor, into which the
newly married couple moved and commenced housekeeping.
Later on, as prosperity visited them, the shabby cabin
gave place to a comfortable frame house and the farm was
from time to time supplied with all necessary
improvements. In those days it was not so easy to obtain a
good education as it is now, and Mr. Hodsden
had few advantages of this kind in early life. Later on,
at his own expense, he paid. tuition to obtain the benefit
of special lessons. During the civil war he had a rather
interesting military experience. In 1863, a company was
organized in Union township which was called the Home
Guards, and of this Mr. Hodsden became a
member. This company was later attached to the Ohio
National Guards, including the Twenty-seventh regiment
from Ross county and the Fifty-fifth battalion from
Clinton county. These troops were levied for what was
called the hundred days' service and were intended for
guards at various important points on the railroads and as
reliefs for the regulars in the field. After the Ohio
command was mobilized at Camp Dennison, in May, 1864, they
were ordered to Maryland, where they were assigned to
guard duty at different places. The "hundred day men," as
they were called, had rather spirited expediences during
the campaigns of 1864 in the valley of Virginia, Maryland
and along the line of the Baltimore & Ohio railroad. It
was in June of that year that General " Jube"
Early commenced his famous march "on to
Washington." The "hundred day men" were posted at various
points on the railroad north of Martinsburg, and when
Early's vanguard approached, consisting of
McCausland's cavalry, there were numerous brushes
between these forces at the block-houses. Finally, when
Early's army reached Frederick, Md., a force of 4,500
Union troops confronted him at what is known as Monocacy
Junction hard by the city. Among these troops was the
command to which Mr. Hodsden belonged, and
on the 9th of July, 1864, they took part in the severe
battle fought between the forces of Early and General
Lew Wallace. . Later, the "hundred day men"
were in Virginia, where they had a brush with Guerrilla
Mosby at Berryville on the 14th of August. Mr.
Hodsden's regiment returned to Ohio and was mustered
out on August 30, 1864, their term of enlistment having
expired. They did valuable service for the Union cause
during their brief but adventurous experiences in the
East. After the war, Mr. Hodsden resumed his work
of farming and stock-raising. On April 20, 1901, he lost
his wife by death. This estimable lady was the mother of
ten children, of whom James M., Elizabeth and
Missouri have passed away. Mary is the wife of
Benjamin F. Willis, of Kansas; Josephine and Thomas
J. are at home; Augustus lives in Columbus, William F.
in Nebraska, John A. and Stephen in Chillicothe.
Mr. Hodsden has been a member of the school
board, road supervisor, and was for some time an active
member of the Grand Army of the Republic. He has been a
member of the Presbyterian church for about fifty years.
Though now seventy-five years old, he has the appearance
and vigor of a much younger man.
Source #1 - The County of Ross: a history of Ross County, Ohio
by Henry Holcomb Bennett -
Published by S. A. Brant, Madison, Wis., 1902 |
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CHARLES
HOYT, M. D., of
Chillicothe, is a native of the Dominion of Canada, born
January 20, 1854. Both father and grandfather were
named Nason and they were New Englanders by birth, the
earlier ancestors of the family having emigrated from
England to this country in 1635. Nason Hoyt, the
Doctor's father, was a farmer by occupation, who removed
from N. Y., where he passed the remainder of his days and
died at the age of sixty-eight. He married Susan
Webster, of New Hampshire, and during the many subsequent
years they lived together they were always highly esteemed
as devout church members and worthy citizens in all
respects. Dr. Charles Hoyt was the youngest of their
eleven children. He finished the course prescribed
in the schools of Chautauqua county, N. Y.., and then
engaged in teaching, occupying his leisure hours in the
study of medicine. Subsequently, he went to
Cincinnati and entered the Pulte Medical college, where he
pursued the regular course. In due time he was
graduated from this institution and formed a partnership
with his brother, Dr. William Hoyt, for the practice of
medicine at Hillsboro, Ohio. In the spring of 1880,
he removed to Chillicothe, where he has since resided and
practiced alone. Dr. Hoyt has collected a choice
library of standard works embracing the greatest of the
medical writers at all periods, and he is a diligent
student of the learning therein contained. He allows
nothing to pass which promises improvement in his
professional knowledge or is calculated to keep him
abreast of the times in modern discoveries. He is a
member of the American Institute of Homeopathy, of the
International Hahnemannian association and the Ohio State
Medical society. He has been president of the
Chillicothe Board of Trade and prominently identified with
the business interests of the city, and is now president
of the Merchants' association in Chillicothe, and
president of the Chillicothe & Hillsboro Traction company,
a scheme for the union of two towns by an electric railway
system. Dr. Hoyt is a member of and active worker in
the various divisions of the Masonic order in Chillicothe.
September 6, 1883, he was married to Helen E. Will, a
native of McArthur, Ohio. The results of this union
have been two children, whose names are Loy and Donald.
Source #1 - The County of Ross: a history of Ross County, Ohio
by Henry Holcomb Bennett -
Published by S. A. Brant, Madison, Wis., 1902 |
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JOHN M. HOUSER,
of Ross county, Ohio, is a native of Loudoun county, Va.,
where he was born about thirty miles from Washington City,
on January 18, 1816. He was the son of Michael
Houser, born in 1760, and grandson of Abraham
Houser, who came from Germany and settled in
Virginia in 1758. There was a legend that Abraham
had been king of a small province in the old country, but
however this may be, he devoted himself to farming after
reaching the soil of the Old Dominion. He married a
Miss Minear, by whom he had eleven children,
and died in Virginia in 1806. All of these children are
long since dead and even the names of some are now
forgotten by the family. Michael, the oldest of the
children, was married in Virginia in January, 1788, to
Amy Tenant, by whom he had twelve children. In
1817, accompanied by a brother, he came to Ohio and
settled near Bourneville. Six of his children died in
infancy, others reached maturity, but the only one now
surviving is John M., the subject of this sketch.
The father farmed after he reached Ross county and died in
March, 1818, his wife passing away in the same year. After
the death of his parents, John M. Houser, then an
infant two years old, was taken in charge by his sister,
who cared, for him until he reached the age of sixteen. He
learned the blacksmith trade which he made a means of
livelihood for many years afterward. In connection with
this, however, he carried on farming in a limited way and
between the two met with a reasonable share of success.
August 26, 1841, Mr. Houser was married to
Alethe Henry, and they settled down in
Lattasville, which was their home for forty-eight years.
Of their four children, William R. and Hugh H.
are dead; Carrie is the wife of Capt.
Caleb Core and John L. is a resident of
Illinois. Mr. Houser is a Republican in
politics and a member of the Presbyterian church. His wife
died on March 25, 1889, since which time he has been
living with his son and daughter.
Source #1 - The County of Ross: a history of Ross County, Ohio
by Henry Holcomb Bennett -
Published by S. A. Brant, Madison, Wis., 1902 |
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HARRY
G. HOWARD, a popular and promising young attorney
of Chillicothe, comes of old English stock long located in
Ross county. James Howard, founder of the
Ohio branch of the family, was an Englishman by birth who
emigrated to Virginia, and after some years spent in that
state became a settler of Ohio in 1808. He established
himself in Ross county as a manufacturer of
spinning-wheels, an article of prime necessity in those
pioneer days, and made a good living out of this useful
occupation. He became a man of some prominence in his
community, held the position of township trustee, and died
in 1863, leaving several children. Among the latter was a
son named John, born at Chillicothe, in December,
1821. He grew up in his native city, learned the saddler's
trade, followed the same until some time during the civil
war, then went into the undertaking business and continued
that until 1892. In that year he retired permanently from
business, and with his wife, who was a Miss Liet of
New York state, is leading a quiet life in Chillicothe. He
has four children: Charles H.; Horace, of Tucson,
Ari.; John, of Chillicothe, and James W.,
of Cleveland. Charles H. Howard was born in
Chillicothe, May 18, 1848. When a young man he became a
railroad employee and rose to the position of division
superintendent on the Baltimore & Ohio railroad. In 1897,
he removed to Cincinnati, where he has since resided. In
1871 he was married to Elizabeth, daughter of
Charles Aid, an old resident of Chillicothe.
She died in 1900,. leaving two children, Harry G.,
and Edna, wife of William T. Tibbits, of
Chicago. Harry G. Howard was born in
Chillicothe, January 11, 1875, grew up to manhood in his
native city and was graduated in the city high school with
the class of 1893. Shortly thereafter he became a student
in the office of Hon. Albert Douglass
of Chillicothe for the purpose of familiarizing himself
with the law. Subsequently he matriculated at the
Cincinnati Law school and after a two years' course in
that institution received his diploma with the class of
1896. Without delay he entered upon the practice of his
profession in Chillicothe and has continued the same to
the present time with fine promise of future success and a
brilliant career. Mr. Howard is a member of
the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks and secretary
of the lodge in Chillicothe.
Source #1 - The County of Ross: a history of Ross County, Ohio
by Henry Holcomb Bennett -
Published by S. A. Brant, Madison, Wis., 1902 |
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O. M. HOWSER,
principal promoter of the Chillicothe, Mt. Sterling &
Columbus electric line, and long prominent in business
circles of Ross county, comes of strong and sturdy
ancestral stock. There is no better blood in the world
than that known as Holland Dutch, and it was a pair of
these liberty-loving people who originated the Howser
family in Virginia, through which offshoots' have come to
other states of the Union. William Howser, son of
these immigrants, was born in Loudoun county, Va., in
1809. His father dying when he was quite young, he was
taken in charge by his uncle Christopher Howser,
who reared him with affectionate care and looked after his
early education. William attended school at Leesburg,
the principal town in Loudoun county, and one of his
classmates was Robert E. Lee, who afterward
became so celebrated as the commander of the army of
Northern Virginia. After leaving school, William
made himself master of the shoemaker's trade and thus
equipped joined the army of "movers" who were then seeking
homes in the West. He settled at Lancaster, O., and soon
thereafter married Naomi Warfield, Ohio born of
Irish descent, with whom he went to housekeeping and
prosecuted his trade as a means of support. After several
years at this place a removal was made to Concord township
in Ross county, where the head of the family continued his
calling as a shoemaker. In 1857, still another move was
made, this time to Pickaway county, where shoemaking was
temporarily abandoned for management of a farm, which
continued for two years, when the father permanently
located at Clarksburg, Ross county. He lived to the
advanced age of eighty-six years, but up to some eight or
ten years before his death he continued to work at his
shoemaker's trade, showing his old industrious habits to
the last. Though considerably younger than he, his wife
died eighteen years before him. This worthy couple became
the parents of nine children. Christie A., wife of
Josiah Henness, of Greenfield; Margaret J.,
married to Charles Brown of Clarksburg;
Elizabeth E., wife of George W. Farlow,
Clarksburg; Rosa (deceased) ; William R.,
died in the Andersonville prison in 1863; O. M.,
subject of this sketch; Jennie, wife of J. M.
Boven of Clarksburg; Mary A., of Greenfield.
O. M. Howser was born in Ross county, Ohio, near
Frankfort, June 3, 1847, finished the school course at
Clarksburg and afterward studied law with Judge Safford
in Chillicothe. Deciding, however, not to follow a
professional life, he turned his attention to commercial
pursuits as more congenial to his tastes. For seventeen
years he was engaged in the boot and shoe business, after
which he traveled two years for the Hocking Valley
manufacturing company, of Lancaster. Mr. Howser is
one of the principal promoters of the Chillicothe, Mt.
Sterling and Columbus Electric railway line, being
vice-president and director of the company. He has held
the office of justice of the peace for thirteen years
continuously and does considerable real estate business.
He is quite prominent in Freemasonry, holding membership
in Heber lodge, No. 501, at Williamsport, and Chapter No.
4 and Commandery No. 8, of Chillicothe. He also belongs to
Odd Fellows lodge, No. 721, at Clarksburg, and in all the
affairs of his fraternities is attentive and active. He
was married October 18, 1876, to Hannah Wilkins,
born and bred in Deerfield township, with whom he has
since lived most happily at Clarksburg. They have
five children: William M., Ellen T., Jeanette, Delia
and Ward. The family attend the Christian
church.
Source #1 - The County of Ross: a history of Ross County, Ohio
by Henry Holcomb Bennett -
Published by S. A. Brant, Madison, Wis., 1902 |
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JOHN J. HUGHES,
who farms a handsome body of land in the eastern part of
Scioto township, is one of the representatives farmers
of Ross county. He is of Virginia parentage
immediately, but farther back owes his origin to
England. From that country, some time during the
eighteenth century, came John Hughes and two
brothers, who purchased large tracts of land in Virginia
and became men of importance in their day. John
married Mary Jeans and reared a family of
seen children: John, James, Livingston,
William, Betsy, Mary and Eliza. John,
the eldest of these, was born in Albermarle county, Va.,
in 1812. He remained at home until his eighteenth
year, after which he resided some time with an uncle and
then went to Alabama, where he was employed as an
overseer. This continued for three years, followed
by his return to Virginia and marriage to Elizabeth
Proffit, with whom he settled on a farm in Nelson
county and there spent the remainder of his days.
He had ten children, one of whom died in infancy, the
others being John J., William, Alex, Robert, Jack,
Henry, Anna, Lucy and Louisa, all of whom
live in Nelson county with the exception of Henry,
who is a resident of Augusta county. John J.
Hughes, eldest of these children, was born in Nelson
county, Va., Dec. 25, 1847. He remained with his
parents until his twenty-first year, after which he
spent a year in Kentucky doing day labor on a farm.
Returning to Virginia, he was married to Susan Sauls,
July 25, 1872, began farming in his native county, and
lived there until 1888. In that year he came to
Ross county and located on the farm in Scioto township
which he has since managed with success. The real
estate which Mr. Hughes manages amounts to 300
acres of excellent land, which is cultivated by the most
approved methods and kept in first class condition.
Mr. and Mrs. Hughes have ten children: Emma
(living in Madison county), Betty, Nannie, Susie,
Lucy, John, Wirt, Mack, Isaac and Dick.
Source #1 - The County of Ross: a history of Ross County, Ohio
by Henry Holcomb Bennett -
Published by S. A. Brant, Madison, Wis., 1902 |
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LUTHER B. HURST,
treasurer of Ross county, is a native of the same, born
on his father's farm May 28, 1869. His parents
were Gen. Samuel H. and Mary (Trimble) Hurst, the
former being well known as a business man of Chillicothe
and the present postmaster of that city, a soldier
during the civil war, an ex-department commander to Ohio
Grand Army of the Republic, and one of the leading
politicians of his section. Luther B. Hurst
was educated in the public schools of Chillicothe, and
remained with his father on the farm until he was twenty
years old, when he entered the employment of the
Baltimore & Ohio Southwestern railway company. He
retained this position until November, 1894, when he
resigned to accept the appointment as deputy treasurer.
Within three years after entering the office, he was
himself elected treasurer of Ross county by a majority
of 769, leading the entire Republican ticket in that
county. He was a member of the Ohio National Guard
from July 3, 1892, until the company was mustered into
National service, at the beginning of the war with
Spain, when Mr. Hurst became a member of the
Seventh Ohio volunteer infantry and was commissioned
first lieutenant of Company H. His experience as a
business man led to his appointment, and the ability for
the service which he displayed resulted in his promotion
to the post of ordnance officer of the regiment.
He was mustered out with his regiment at Columbus in
November, 1898. In 1899, Lieutenant Hurst
was again elected treasurer of Ross county and he is now
serving his second term. He is popular and
successful in business affairs as he is in war and
politics. He is one of the principal stockholders
of the National Wagon company of Chillicothe, of which
he is secretary and a director. In April, 1889, he
was married to Caroline R. Wolf, a native of
Chillicothe and daughter of George L. Wolf,
deceased a prominent citizen who filled various
responsible positions in the county. Mr and
Mrs. Hurst have two children, Ruth Mildred
adn Arthur Trimble. Mr. Hurst is prominent
in Masonry, being a Knight Templar, and is a member of
Chillicothe lodge, No 52, of the Order of Elks. He
and wife are members of the Walnut Street church of
Chillicothe.
Source #1 - The County of Ross: a history of Ross County, Ohio
by Henry Holcomb Bennett -
Published by S. A. Brant, Madison, Wis., 1902 |
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GENERAL SAMUEL H. HURST,
a distinguished Union soldier and holder of many civic
positions of high responsibility, is descended from one of
the pioneer families of Ross county.
Among the army of immigrants westward bound during
the early years of the nineteenth century was a young
Marylander by the name of Levi Hurst.
He was born about 1770, learned the brick-mason’s
trade in his youth, and about 1790 was married to
Sophia Bradley, also a native of Maryland.
In 1800 he came to Ross county and settled in
Chillicothe, and about a year after his arrival
he purchased land in Union
township to which he removed in 1801.
From that time on he followed farming as an
occupation until his death, which occurred in 1857, his
wife surviving until 1860.
They were the parents of ten children, all of whom
grew to maturity: James, Maria, Hooper, William,
Levi, Samuel, Thomas, Matilda, John N. and
Sanford.
The latter died in early manhood but the others
married and reared families.
James and Thomas
went to Missouri,
Samuel and William
settled in
Indiana, and Maria,
who married William Fennimore, also
became a resident of the last mentioned state.
The others remained in Ross county and bore their
full share in its subsequent development.
Hooper
Hurst, third of the children
in consecutive order, was born in Maryland in 1794, came with his parents to
Ross county, there grew to manhood, and received such
education as was afforded by the country schools of those
days. Being of
frail constitution, he was unequal to the arduous farm
work then in vogue and contributed his share towards the
incipient civilization by performing the teacher’s task.
In early manhood he went to Scioto Salt Works, now
Jackson,
Ohio, and there met with and
married Elizabeth James, a daughter of
Maj. John James, proprietor of the Salt Works and
a leading man in that vicinity, being a member of the Ohio
legislature for several terms.
It was in 1818 that his marriage took place and six
years later he returned to Ross county with his wife,
settled on a Union township farm and there remained until
his death in 1848.
His wife survived him many years, her death not
occurring until 1873.
Hooper and Elizabeth Hurst reared
a family of five sons and five daughters, all of whom
reached manhood and womanhood respectively.
Their names, in order of birth, were Julia,
Nancy, James, John R., Dennison, Samuel H., William F.,
Louise, Emily and Elizabeth.
Of these children four are still living in Ross
county, including Mrs. Nancy Betts, John R.,
Samuel H. and Louise Abernathy.
Samuel
H. Hurst was born in Union township, Ross county,
September 22, 1831.
After the usual educational routine in youth, he
taught school a year or two and then entered the Ohio
Wesleyan university, where he was graduated with the class
of 1854, working his own way through college.
After his graduation he resumed and continued for
three years the occupation of teaching school.
At the same time he devoted all his leisure hours
to reading elementary works on the subject of law with a
view to preparing himself for practice of that profession.
During the winter of 1854-55 he was superintendent
of schools at
Jackson,
Ohio, but continued his legal
studies intermittently until his admission to the bar in
1858. He
entered earnestly into this new work, devoted himself
assiduously to the practice, and was speedily rewarded
with public recognition.
In 1859 he was elected city solicitor and this was
followed in 1860 by election to the probate judgeship of
Ross county.
This career, so auspiciously begun, was interrupted by the
startling events of 1861.
A few months after the opening guns of the war were
fired, Judge Hurst resigned his position
on the bench and became captain of Company A,
Seventy-third regiment Ohio volunteer infantry.
In June, 1862, he was promoted to the rank of major
of this regiment; served as such until the spring of 1864,
was then promoted to the lieutenant-colonelcy, and in June
of the same year received a commission as colonel.
With this rank he commanded his regiment throughout
the Atlanta
campaign and
Sherman’s immortal “march to the
sea,” a military achievement which no soldier who
participated in it will ever forget.
In March, 1865, Colonel Hurst was
brevetted brigadier-general and he was mustered out in the
latter part of July, lacking forty days of having served
four years. At
the battle of New Hope Church Colonel Hurst
was severely, and at first reported mortally, wounded by a
gunshot in the head.
At the conclusion of hostilities, he returned to
his farm in Union township and engaged in fruit-growing, a
business for which he developed both taste and
adaptability.
In 1869 he was appointed internal collector for his
congressional district and served six years, still
continuing his attention to fruit-growing, while residing
at Chillicothe.
General Hurst has been especially
prominent and efficient in all matters relating to
agriculture, especially the horticultural branch of that
great industry.
As a recognition of this fact, he was in 1886
appointed the first state dairy and food commissioner of Ohio and served eighteen months in that capacity,
eventually resigning to accept the director-generalship of
the Ohio Centennial exposition held at
Columbus
in 1888. For
six years he was a valuable member of the State board of
agriculture, acting as the special representative of the
horticultural industry, though proving in every way a
potential friend of the farmer.
He was mayor of Chillicothe in 1861-2, and
in January, 1900, was appointed postmaster of that city
entering upon the duties of his office March 1, in the
same year.
Jan. 1, 1867, General Hurst was married
to Mary C. Trimble, a native of Kentucky, who died in
1875 leaving four children, three of whom are living:
Luther B.,
county treasurer of Ross county, Madge and Mary.
In 1876, General Hurst married
Mrs. Frederika Hanby, of
Chillicothe, by whom he has two
children, Edith and Carl W.,
the latter a clerk in the postoffice.
General Hurst
is a member of the Chillicothe post, Grand Army of the Republic, and a past
department commander of the department of Ohio.
As a public speaker he is well known throughout the
entire State.
Source #1 - The County of Ross: a history of Ross County, Ohio
by Henry Holcomb Bennett -
Published by S. A. Brant, Madison, Wis., 1902 - Page 529
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JAMES R. HURTT,
deceased, was born in Deerfield township, Ross county,
Nov. 3, 1825. His father, Thomas Hurtt, was
a native of Maryland who came to Ross county in 1806 and
settled in Deerfield township. Those were the
pioneer days and most of the State of Ohio was then
either but sparsely inhabited or still a wilderness.
Thomas Hurtt purchased 120 acres of land, on
which he constructed a rude log house so common in those
days, and there he and his family spent many years of
their lives. He married Tamsey Noble, who
became the mother of one son, named Thomas, and
died in giving him birth on Jan. 13, 1813.
Afterward he took a second wife, Anna Hood, which
union resulted in five children, whose names are
Nelson, John W., Louisa, James R., and Margaret.
Their mother having died on Dec. 6, 1828,
Mr. Hurtt was again married, to a Miss Whitton,
to whom were born Jane, George and
Willis. The father spent his life, up to the
time of his death, in the same neighborhood where he had
made his beginnings at his first entrance into the
county. James R. Hurtt, the subject of this
sketch, was the fourth of his father's second family of
children. He attended school a while, but at the
early age of ten was sent to Williamsport to learn the
trade of a saddler. He was so occupied until the
age of eighteen, when he peddled clocks for a while and
later was in the mercantile business at Clarksburg and
Bier. Jan. 30, 1849, he married Lavina D. Junk,
a native of Ross county and member of one of the old
families. The result of this union was one child,
who was born July 11, 1852, and died May 23, 1890.
After marrying, Mr. Hurtt bought 79 acres of
land, to which he removed and later added various
improvements. About 1871 he sold that place and
purchased the 120 acres on which he spent the remainder
of his days. An additional 100 acres was bought
later, which was improved in various ways, including the
erection of a substantial frame house. Mr.
Hurtt held the office of justice of the peace for
about 15 years, also served as constable and held many
minor positions of trust. He was a republican in
politics a member of the Pleasant Valley grange, and
belonged to the Methodist Episcopal church. He
died May 29, 1897, since which time his widow, Mrs.
Lavina Hurtt, has continued to manage the estate.
She is assisted in this work by her grandson, Emory
Hurtt, who resides with her and looks after much of
the outdoor business.
Source #1 - The County of Ross: a history of Ross County, Ohio
by Henry Holcomb Bennett -
Published by S. A. Brant, Madison, Wis., 1902
- Page 531 |
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