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BIOGRAPHIES
The following biographies are extracted from:
Source:
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. LAMB,
a popular druggist at Kingston, Ohio, and one of the most
enterprising citizens of that place, has had a varied career
in different lines of business in two states and several
counties. His father, Isaac Lamb, was a North
Carolinian, reared in the strict moral atmosphere of the
Society of Friends and deeply impressed with the
peace-loving precepts of that famous religious body.
It is hardly necessary to add that a man so educated would
naturally hate the institution of slavery and everything
connected with it, and this was what caused Isaac Lamb
to leave the old North State and seek a home in the land
dedicated for freedom. He had married Catharine
White in his native place and with her came to Clinton
county, Ohio, in 1840, where she died ten years later.
Subsequently Isaac Lamb married Mary Starbuck,
of Clinton county, and went to northwestern Missouri,
where his death occurred in 1896 at the age of eighty-four
years. By his first marriage he left three children.
J. B. Lamb, the second of these in order of birth,
now a merchant in Forest City, Mo., was a soldier in the
civil war, and was captured at the battle of Monocacy and
held in Libby prison for eleven months. Maria,
only daughter of Isaac Lamb, is the wife of E. W.
King, a cattleman in western Wyoming. John W.
Lamb, eldest of the children, was born in Clinton
county, Ohio, farmed for two years in Fayette county and
later opened a drugstore at Milledgeville.
Subsequently a removal was made to Cedarville, in Greene
county, where the drug business was resumed and continued
for six years. In September, 1898, Mr. Lamb
came to Kingston where he re-opened his stock of drugs and
has since enjoyed an increasing and profitable trade.
Mr. Lamb inherited his political views from his good old
father, who was first a Whim, then an Abolitionist and later
one of the charter members of the Republican party. He
has never been an office-seeker but while a resident of
Fayette county was treasurer of Jasper township for ten
successive years and acted as road supervisor for four years
in Missouri. He has long been enthusiastic in
Oddfellowship, having been initiated into the order in 1878
at Washington Court House. In 1882, assisted by twelve
others, he instituted at Milledgeville, lodge No. 713, I. O.
O. F. Mrs. Lamb was equally ardent in the cause
as a member of the allied order known as Daughters of
Rebecca, in which she held a state office for many years.
This lady, whose maiden name was Alice Hall, was a
native of Kentucky but reared in Fayette county, Ohio.
She was married to Mr. Lamb March 4, 1868, and died
in 1895, leaving two children, the oldest of whom, M. H.
Lamb, was born in Missouri, Dec. 20, 1868. He
learned telegraphy and has worked as an operator since his
sixteenth year, his wife, formerly Marguerite Martindale,
being also an expert manipulator of the keys.
Lizzie, only daughter of John W. Lamb, married
T. S. Maddux, an attorney of Washington Court House.
Source: The County of Ross: a history of Ross County, Ohio
by Henry Holcomb Bennett - Published by S. A. Brant, Madison,
Wis., 1902 - Page 554 |
WILLIAM T. LANDRUM
was born at Richmond Dale, Ross county, Jan. 19, 1848.
His father was Smith Landrum, born in1820 in
Greenbrier county, W. Va., who came to Jackson county, Ohio,
with his parents, while a boy; married Miss Lydia Acord,
of Ross county, settled at Richmond Dale and conducted a
mill at that place for twenty-five years. He
subsequently removed to Pike county where he had charge of a
grist mill for sixteen yeas, and died in 1892. His
son, William T. was educated in the common schools
and after he reached manhood chose farming as his vocation.
To this honorable and independent business he has devoted
his entire working life. He has never sought office
but has served as township trustee and been a member of the
school board for a great number of years. Mr.
Landrum was married in 1870 to Priscilla McGuire,
a native of Pike county, Ohio, who died in 1878, leaving one
child, Harriet now the wife of Charles Allen,
of Franklin township. In 1879, Mr. Landrum took
a second wife in the person of Mary Borst, of
Chillicothe, Ohio. Four children are the fruits of
this union: William H., Charles H., Hannah D. and
Matilda. Mr. Landrum is a member of the Masonic
fraternity.
Source: The County of Ross: a history of Ross County, Ohio
by Henry Holcomb Bennett - Published by S. A. Brant, Madison,
Wis., 1902 - Page 555 |
ROBERT H. LANSING,
deputy recorder of Ross county, is a native of Chillicothe,
born July 14, 1875. His parents were Horace
C. and Angie (Somers) Lansing, both natives of Ross
county. The father of Horace C. was
Robert H. Lansing, in many ways a noted character and
remarkable man, who was born at Albany, N. Y., Mar. 8, 1818,
his father being Jacob Lansing of the same city.
Jacob was the son of Levinus Lansing, who
emigrated from Holland, bringing in his ship as ballast the
material from which his home in Albany was built.
Robert H. Lansing came to Chillicothe Feb. 22, 1838, and
opened the drug business, which continued without
interruption until his death, which covered a period of over
sixty years. In various ways he was so identified with
Chillicothe and her institutions as to be emphatically an
"old timer." He and his wife united with the
Episcopalian church in 1843 and continued active and zealous
members all the rest of their lives, which in the husband's
case was a period of nearly sixty years. He was a
charter member of the first Odd Fellows Lodge in Chillicothe
and at his death was the oldest Odd Fellow in the state of
Ohio. He was also high in Masonry and served eighteen
years as commander of the Knights Templar. Indeed, he
was universally known and as generously esteemed for his
many excellent traits of character. The older citizens
of the county will remember him as Dr. Lansing, he
being a graduate in medicine from the old college at Albany,
N. Y. When his long, useful and honorable career was
terminated by death on Sept. 19, 1901, there was a feeling
of universal bereavement and general sorrow throughout the
whole community. His son, Horace C., was also a
druggist, and spent his life in that business, mostly with
his father. He died in Chillicothe in 1885 and his
wife followed him to the grave in the succeeding year.
In fact there was a rather unusual rate of mortality in the
family about that time. The grandmother, as well as
the father and mother and aunt of the subject of this
sketch, all passed away within a few years of each other.
Horace C. Lansing and wife left five children: Ella
Somers, wife of Earle E. Shedd, a whole sale
grocer in Columbus; Bertha, who married Joseph D.
Wood, an employe of the government at Columbus; Marie,
unmarried, in Chillicothe; Robert H., fourth in order
of birth; Horace C., who has recently been employed
in Mexico but has his home at Los Angeles, Cal. At the
beginning of the Spanish-American war, Horace C. was
a member of Company H, Seventeenth Ohio infantry, and being
commissioned first lieutenant in the United States signal
corps, he served the greater part of his time in that branch
of the army, during his two years in Cuba. Robert
H. Lansing was educated in Chillicothe city schools, but
before graduation left to accept a position in the freight
office of the Baltimore & Ohio Southwestern railway at
Chillicothe. He held this place about three years,
when he resigned to become secretary of the board of
associated charities, since abandoned. Later, for
about three years, Mr. Lansing was with William A.
Wallace in the insurance business. While in this
employment Mr. Wallace was elected city clerk, and
when he afterward resigned, Mr. Lansing was appointed
to fill the vacancy. After one year's service he was
himself elected to the office in 1899 for a term of one
year. Soon after retiring from the clerk's office, he
was chosen deputy county recorder under J. E. Ratcliff,
which his grandfather and namesake was so long a pillar and
liberal contributor. Mr. Lansing is a vocalist
of more than ordinary local note, being a singer in the
church choir and prominent member of several musical
societies.
Source: The County of Ross: a history of Ross County, Ohio
by Henry Holcomb Bennett - Published by S. A. Brant, Madison,
Wis., 1902 - Page 556 |
CHARLES H. LARIMORE,
secretary of the Union Coal company and prominently
identified with the educational interests of Chillicothe,
has an honorable ancestry leading back through Virginia to
an origin in the "Emerald Isle." In 1760 three
brothers, named James William and Hugh Larimore,
started from the north of Ireland to seek their fortunes in
America. William located in Pennsylvania,
Hugh sought a home in North Carolina, and James
found an abiding place in that part of Virginia watered by
the south branch of the Potomac. Oct. 20, 1796, at
Romney, Hampshire county, W. Va., a son was born to James
Larimore, whom he christened Robert. When
the British burned the national capital in 1814, Robert
Larimore was one of a number of volunteers who were sent
to Washington as a relief expedition. What may have
been his adventures is not stated in the family records, but
it appears that he was back in Romney in time to marry
Mary Smith, Sept. 23, 1814. Ten years later he
went down the rivers to try his chances in the rapidly
developing state of Ohio, and on arrival found employment
with the salt works in Muskingum county, then owned by
Hon. Thomas Ewing. About 1826 the contracts for
building the Ohio canal were let, and Robert Larimore
secured one at Nashport and another at Westfall. While
at the last mentioned place, he frequently made trips to
Chillicothe and during one of these he secured the services
of Alfred Blake as tutor to his children.
Mr. Blake remained with the family several years,
afterward studied theology at Gambier and became assistant
rector of Christ church, Cincinnati, later returned to
Gambier to take charge of the Boys' school there, and
completed his useful life in that city. After the
death of his wife in 1831, Robert Larimore removed to
Circleville, Ohio, where he went into partnership with a
drygoods merchant named Finley, invested $5,000 in
the business, and also built a flour mill. When the
latter was ready for work, the store failed and the stock
was disposed of at sheriff's sale, but a debt still remained
for the liquidation of which the mill had to be sacrificed.
Aug. 23, 1832, Mr. Larimore married Mrs. Elizabeth
Tate Evans, of Martinsburg, W. Va. She was a
friend of the Rev. Alfred Blake, who, at the
solicitation of Mrs. Larimore, who like himself was a
stanch Episcopalian of Mrs. Larimore, who like
himself was a stanch Episcopalian, succeeded in raising
funds to build a church of that denomination in Circleville,
to which Mr. Larimore contributed $100. In
1837, he removed to Piqua, where he secured contracts to do
construction work on the Miami canal, but after several
years, when Mr. Larimore was in debt to his many
laborers and for supplies, the state suspended payment owing
to lack of funds. Bonds were issued in lieu of cash,
but they were unpopular and depreciated, Mr. Larimore
being compelled to discount those paid him at a loss of
$50,000. His second wife died in 1839. Two yeas
later he went to Columbus, Ohio, invested $5,000 in an
insurance and banking company of that city, and took $20,000
worth of stock in a bank at Circleville. Both these
institutions failed and left Mr. Larimore almost
penniless. Mar. 26, 1844, he was married to Mrs.
Susan Stoddard, a widow with one daughter named
Amelia. The latter was the daughter of Dr.
Joseph Stoddard, of Wellsburg, W. Va., the first
Episcopal clergyman west of the Alleghany mountains.
When the centennial of the first services conducted at
Steubenville, Ohio, by Dr. Doddridge, was held in
October, 1896, Mrs. Amelia Stoddard Larimore, his
granddaughter, was present as the nearest living relative.
In 1849, Mr. Larimore took charge of a forge owned by
John Woodbridge near Bainbridge, Ross county, and
conducted the same for six years. In 1855 he went to
Chillicothe and had only become fairly established in the
grain business when attacked by a severe cold from the
effects of which he died Feb. 27, 1856. He left a son
and namesake who was born in Romney, W. Va., June 20, 1823,
and accompanied his parents to Ohio in the following year.
Subsequently he became a student at Kenyon college, at
Gambier; accompanied his family to Columbus when eighteen
years old, and clerked in stores of that city until 1849.
At the age of twenty-six he went to Cincinnati to accept a
position as clerk in the postoffice and was married in 1851
to Amelia Stoddard, grand-daughter of Dr. Joseph
Doddridge. After five years' service in the
Cincinnati postoffice he moved to Delphos, Ohio, where he
clerked for a while in a store and in 1856 located at
Chillicothe where he engaged in the grain business.
Mr. Larimore served as township trustee several times
and in 1873 was a candidate for county recorder on the
Republican ticket but was defeated by his Democratic
opponent. Mr. Larrimore died in December, 1898,
leaving the following named children: Mrs. Daisy Shepard,
of San Antonio, Tex.; Mrs. Evan Rupel of Schooley's,
Ross county; Dudley T. Larimore, a druggist in New
York city; Frank C. Larimore, clerk in the treasury
department at Washington, D. C.; James D., clerk in
St. Louis, Mo.; Charles H., Chillicothe, Ohio; at
home, Mary and Reppa, the latter a teacher in the
public schools. Charles H. Larimore, sixth of
the living children, was born at Chillicothe, Sept. 3, 1856,
and when fifteen years old entered the employment of
William T. McClintick, at that time proprietor of the
coal company. This concern, although several changes
in ownership and management have taken place, still does
business at the corner of Bridge and East Water street,
being now known as the Union Coal company. Mr.
Larimore began with this corporation as office boy and
has remained uninterruptedly since, going through various
advancements until, in 1893, he became secretary and still
holds that position. IN the spring of 1895, Mr.
Larimore was elected member of the city school board
from the Fourth ward and, after an intermission of one term,
was elected to the same position in 1899 and re-elected in
1901. He is a member of the Knights of Pythias.
Nov. 6, 1877, he was married to Kate, daughter of
George Hahn, who came to Chillicothe from Germany.
Mr. and Mrs. Larimore have three children: Minnie,
Ada and Charles Howard, Jr.
Source: The County of Ross: a history of Ross County, Ohio
by Henry Holcomb Bennett - Published by S. A. Brant, Madison,
Wis., 1902 - Page 557 |
CYRUS JASPER LARRICK,
of Chillicothe, was born in Colerain township, Ross county,
Jan. 3, 852. His parents were Robert and Civilla
(May) Larrick, both natives of Ross county. The
father was born in Colerain township Nov. 25, 1827, spent
his entire life there, as a successful farmer, and died Mar.
15, 1899. The mother is still living with her youngest
son on the old home farm. They had a family of six
children, of whom three, Frank, Freeling and
Walter, died in childhood. Of the living, Cyrus
J. is the eldest; Rhoda is now Mrs. Jacob
Bowsher and resides on a farm in Colerain township;
Emor married Nora Boecher, and lives on the old
homestead. Cyrus J. Larrick was educated in his
native township and was engaged in farming during the larger
part of his life. Mar. 1, 1901, he embarked in the
hotel business in Chillicothe, as proprietor of the Colonial
hotel, still retaining his farm of 100 acres in Colerain
township. He conducted the hotel until Jan. 31, 1902,
upon which date he disposed of his hotel interests, but
still remains a resident of Chillicothe. Mr.
Larrick was married Feb. 25, 1875, to Isabel,
daughter of John and Louisa Withrow, of Colerain
township, both deceased. Her mother was a Miss
Binkley of Maryland, and her father a native of
Pennsylvania. Mr. and Mrs. Larrick are the
parents of six children, of whom Florence, the
eldest, is married to Floyd Luchart, a law student at
Columbus; Harry is the only son; Lennie, Rosa,
Christie and Helen are still at home.
Mr. Larrick is an active member of the Knights of
Pythias. Politically, he is an uncompromising
Republican but he has never been a seeker of public office.
He has been successful in a financial way and can say
truthfully that his possessions are largely the result of
his own unaided efforts.
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 559 |
JOSIAH WILSON LASH, A. M., M. D.,
of Chillicothe, is a native of Athens County, Ohio, born
Nov. 17, 1852. His grandfather, William Lash,
came from Pennsylvania to Ohio at the period sufficiently
early to entitle him to rank among the pioneers of Athens
county; served as a soldier in the war of 1812, and
afterward was stricken down in the prime of life by the
yellow fever then prevalent in epidemic form. The
ancestor next remote, Jacob Lash, the father of
William, emigrated from Germany to America about the
middle of the eighteenth century; became a soldier during
the Revolutionary war and according to family tradition
served, when well advanced in years, in the contest of 1812.
The family treasures as a precious heirloom a po9wder-horn,
bearing date of 1775, which was carried by one of the
ancestors during the trying seven years of the Revolutionary
struggle. Abraham Lash, son of William,
and father of Dr. Lash, was one of the children of
the pioneers and his early life was an initiation into the
hardships incident to the period. Academical
education, or "schooling," as it was called, was practically
out of reach or obtainable only in crude and unsatisfactory
form. the schools in Athens county were few and far
between, usually presided over by some Scotch master or New
England pedagogue of the type of Ichabod Crane, so
humorously drawn in Irving's "Sketch Book." Such as
the facilities were, however, Abraham Lash availed
himself of them when not called for urgent work on the farm.
He grew up thoroughly inured to frontier hardships of all
kinds and to understand as well as to appreciate what it
took to convert the Ohio wilderness into the blooming
civilization of the present age. He adhered to
husbandry as his life work and is one of the veteran farmers
of Athens county, where he still resides, with his wife,
Isabelle, daughter of John and Elizabeth (Brooks)
McKinstry. Her father, a well-known farmer of
Athens county, was of Scotch-Irish descent, his father,
Robert McKinstry, having emigrated to America from
Carrickfergus, Ulster county, Ireland, about 1785. The
maternal grandfather, John Price, was a native of
Maryland and actively participated in the war of 1812.
Mrs. Lash and her vulnerable husband furnish a
fine sample on the strong men and women whose early
struggles made possible the present advancement and
progress. Dr. J. W. Lash is the eldest of their
six children. He received his early education in the
district schools of his day, somewhat improved over those of
his immediate ancestors, but still leaving much to be
desired. At an early period he had made up his mind to
become a physician, but preparatory to professional studies,
entered the Ohio State university, from which he was
graduated in 1875 with the degree of Bachelor of Arts.
Three years later the same institution conferred upon him
the higher scholastic title of Master of Arts.
Immediately after leaving college, he began the study of
medicine at Columbus, Ohio, and in 1878 completed the course
prescribed by the medical college of that city. As a
valuable post-graduate experience, Dr. Lash practiced
for one year at the hospital for the insane at Athens, after
which he located in Chillicothe and has made that city ever
since the theater of his operations. From this central
point his practice radiates in all directions over a wide
area of territory adjacent to Chillicothe. The last
test of a physician's qualifications - success in the
treatment of diseases - may be applied to Doctor Lash
without hesitation, as his list of cures has been both
numerous and decisive. But the Doctor's activities are
not confined to his medical practice, but reach to all the
duties of citizenship. The list of professional
societies to which he belongs and in whose workings he takes
an active part, is extensive and important. He is a
member of hte Ross County Medical society, the Ohio State
Medical society, the American Medical association and the
American Academy of Medicine. For years he has been a
close student, an extensive reader and a close observer,
which qualities have made him one of the best posted men in
the medical profession. In July, 1893, he was
appointed pension examiner for Ross county, and upon the
meeting of the board he was elected president of that body,
which position he held for six years, commencing in the last
term of President Cleveland and continuing two years
under the administration of President McKinley.
He is a director of the Citizens National bank, a member of
the Masonic fraternity, belonging to the blue lodge, chapter
and commandery of Chillicothe; is also an Odd Fellow, Elk,
Knight of Pythias, Knight of the Ancient Essenic Order and
member of the Sunset club, a literary organization of high
standing. Politically the Doctor has been a Democrat
all his life and a Gold Democrat since 1896. By reason
of the patriotic services of his ancestors in the war for
independence, he is eligible to membership in the "Sons of
the Revolution."
Source: The County of Ross: a history of Ross County, Ohio
by Henry Holcomb Bennett - Published by S. A. Brant, Madison,
Wis., 1902 - Page 559 |
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WILLIAM F. LAVERTY,
deceased, was in his day one of the esteemed citizens and
well-to-do farmers of Ross county. He ws born in
Pennsylvania, but rin 1821, when only three years old, was
brought to Ohio by his father, John Lavery. The
latter, who was a native of Ireland, settled in Buckskin
township where he engaged in farming and so continued until
the end of his days. William F. Lavery followed
in the footsteps of his progenitor and devoted his life to
farming and stock-raising. In this peaceful pursuit he
enjoyed a happy, through uneventful, existence, until the
time of his death which occurred July 12, 1874. In
February, 1853, he had married Mary J., daughter of
James Murray, a native of Pennsylvania, who was one
of the earliest settlers of Buckskin township. Mr.
and Mrs. Lavery became the parents of eight children:
Ella M. married C. D. Chatman, of Highland
county, and died in October, 1889; Anna J. is the
wife of Will A. Arnott, of Highland county; Emma
is dead and Martha M. is at home with her
mother; William F. is in business at Kansas City,
Mo.; John T. and Fannie R. are at home and James
M. is dead. The mother and her daughters are
members of the Presbyterian church at South Salem.
Source: The County of Ross: a history of Ross County, Ohio
by Henry Holcomb Bennett - Published by S. A. Brant, Madison,
Wis., 1902 - Page 561 |
CAPTAIN WILLIAM VICKARS LAWRANCE,
of Chillicothe, is a native of Greene county, Ohio, born
Nov. 8, 1834. His parents were John B. and Amelia (Vickars)
Lawrence, the former of New York and the latter of
Maryland, who came to Ohio when young and met and married in
this State. John B. Lawrence was a delegate to
the first Republican convention that met at Buffalo,
N.Y. He died in Greene county in 1872, his wife
surviving him until January, 1880. Out of their family
of eleven children, four are still living. Capt. W.
V. Lawrance grew up on a farm and was educated at
Cedarville and Antioch college, Ohio. After leaving
college he studied law with Judge Barlow, at Xenia,
Ohio, and was admitted to the bar in 1860. He had
hardly time to get a foothold in the practice of his
profession before the war clouds, which had long been
hanging over the land, burst in all their fury. Early
in 1861, he enlisted in Company E, Twelfth Ohio volunteer
infantry, for the three months' service, and afterward he
re-enlisted in the Sixth independent company of Ohio
cavalry. This was attached to the Third New York
cavalry as Company L., and with it he served until May,
1863, when he resigned on account of ill health. He
again enlisted in Company M, of the Eighth Ohio cavalry,
with which he served until Jan. 11, 1865, when the regiment
was captured at Beverly, Va. He was a prisoner in
Libby prison until about the 20th of March and was
discharged from the army at the close of the war. He
took part in the battles of Kingston and Goldsboro, Liberty
and Beverly, Va., and others; was second lieutenant in rank,
and also served on General Foster's staff as provost
marshal. After the war he was assistant United States
assessor during Grant's administration, and in the Ohio
department of the Grand Army of the Republic he has been
honored with the office of assistant quartermaster-general.
Mar. 18, 1864, Captain Lawrance was married to
Annie C. Walker, daughter of Stephen Shelton Walker,
a native of Loudoun county, Va., whose mother, Lettia
Humphreys, was the daughter of Colonel Humphreys,
aide to General Washington during the Revolutionary
war. The family is related to the Lees of Virginia.
Mrs. Lawrance's grandfather Walker came to
Jackson county, Ohio, in 1825 with seven children, of whom
the only one now living is her father, Stephen Shelton,
who married in 1835 and lived with his wife sixty-one years,
she dying in 1896. They had one child besides Annie
C. Captain Lawrance and his wife have had two
children, one of whom died in infancy. The other is
Herbert Walker Lawrance, born May 22, 1888.
Captain Lawrance has resided at Chillicothe since 1868.
He is a man of literary tastes and has gained considerable
distinction as the author. Among his books that have
been published may be mentioned "Ellina," a book of
poems: "Story of Judeth" or "A Tale of Bethlehem;" a book of
sonnets entitled "The Loves of Laos;" a novel, "Defeated but
Victor Still," or "Heirs of Fonca Estate;" a
story of labor entitled "Under Which Master," or "The Story
of the Long Strike at Coverdale," and "Stonewalls and
Trenches." Captain Lawrance is an accomplished
scholar, well informed on current topics and a very
companionable gentleman.
Source: The County of Ross: a history of Ross County, Ohio
by Henry Holcomb Bennett - Published by S. A. Brant, Madison,
Wis., 1902 - Page 561 |
WILLIAM H.
LEEDOM, residing near Frankfort, is a native of Adams
county, born Aug. 25, 1856. He was educated in the
schools of his native county during his early youth, but was
prevented from reaching the higher courses. When he
was still quite young he met with the greatest of calamities
of childhood by the loss of his mother. After her
death, he was brought by his father to Ross county where,
however, they remained but a short time. The boy then
went to Pickaway county, where he remained a couple of
years, after which he accompanied his father to Illinois.
That state was his home for five years, at the end of which
time he came back to Ross county where he has ever since
resided. Farm work ahs been his only occupation
throughout life. Aug. 27, 1880, he was married to
Anna Ward, daughter of Nathan Ward, an old
citizen of Ross county. They have seven children,
whose names are Stella, Arthur, Lennie, Blanche, Hazel,
Ward and Clark. Mr. Leedom is a member of
the Methodist church.
Source: The County of Ross: a history of Ross County, Ohio
by Henry Holcomb Bennett - Published by S. A. Brant, Madison,
Wis., 1902 - Page 563 |
JOHN H. LEWIS,
an efficient and popular attaché
of the Chillicothe fire department, is a native of Pike
county, Ohio, the date of his birth being Jan. 16, 1862.
He grew up there, attended school a few terms, and when
still a youth found it necessary to work by the day as a
means of livelihood. Being ambitious and
industrious he worked willingly at any honest employment
that could be secured and continued this irregular kind
of occupation until 1887. In that year he removed
to Ross county and secured a position as blacksmith
finisher in the factory of the Chillicothe buggy and
wagon company. He remained thus employed until
February, 1900, when he was appointed driver of Engine
No. 2 by the board of fire commissioners of Chillicothe,
and since then he has discharged the duties of this
responsible place to the entire satisfaction of all
concerned. In September, 1885, Mr. Lewis
was married to Julia Cramblit, daughter of
John Cramblit, an old resident of Ross county.
Mr. and Mrs. Lewis have three bright children,
Floyd, Mabel and Ethel, and the family are
attendants at the Methodist Episcopal church.
Source: The County of Ross: a history of Ross County, Ohio
by Henry Holcomb Bennett - Published by S. A. Brant, Madison,
Wis., 1902 - Page 563 |
SAMUEL C. LIGHTNER,
a popular practitioner of Kingston and vicinity, made a
creditable addition to the medical corps of Ross county
after his settlement within its confines. The
family is immediately of Pennsylvania but more remotely
of German origin. The founder of the American
branch was George W. Lightner, who came from
Germany to Pennsylvania about 1765 and spent the
remainder of his days in that state. He left a son
and namesake who married Mary Wood and became the
father of Micajah C. Lightner, who was born and
still resides in Greene county, Pa. Micajah
married Mary J., daughter of Peter Ferrel,
and by her had four children, all of whom are living.
Dr. S. C. Lightner, one of the three sons, was
born in Pennsylvania, Apr. 10, 1861. He attended
the Waynesburg (Pa.) college, taught school for a short
time and then began the study of medicine with S. B.
Lightner, of Sabina, Ohio. In due course he
matriculated at the Ohio Medical college in Cincinnati,
where he received his degree of M. D. with the class of
1886. His first venture in the line of his
profession was at Keene, Ohio, where he remained three
years and then went to Frazeysburg, in Muskingum county.
Later, in 1891, he came to Hallsville, Ross county,
where he did well and built up a good practice in the
town and county districts contiguous to his headquarter;
but in the spring of 1902, desiring a location in a
larger place, he removed to Kingston, Ohio, where he
is meeting with gratifying success. The Doctor
belongs to the Ross County Medical society and is a
welcome member of the Knights of Pythias lodge at
Adelphi, and Hallsville camp, No. 9,543, of the Modern
Woodmen of America. Aug. 28, 1889, he was married
to Maggie E., daughter of William and
Catherine Beall, natives of Coshocton county
resident at Kingston, Ohio. They have one son
Russell E., born Aug. 28, 1890.
Source: The County of Ross: a history of Ross County, Ohio
by Henry Holcomb Bennett - Published by S. A. Brant, Madison,
Wis., 1902 - Page 563 |
JOHN C. LIGHTTLE
was born in Ross county, Ohio, Aug. 31, 1863. His
father, Samuel M. Lighttle, was born in Aug.,
1841, near Massieville; learned the cooper's trade from
his father, Jacob, which with farm work made up
the principal part of his life's occupation; attended
the district school in youth and when he reached
seventeen, engaged in work on the farm by the month.
In1862, Samuel M. Lighttle married Adelina
Gibson, but still continued farm work on wages until
about 1867, when he rented a place and began operations
on his own account. He was a member of the Ohio
National Guard in Huntington township and in 1864 was
called out in the hundred days' service; was mustered
into the Seventy-third Ohio infantry at Camp Dennison
and served his full time without accident. After
living on different rented farms for several years he
finally purchased the 141 acres where his son now
resides, and followed general farming until his death,
which occurred on May 21, 1888. He left four
children, John C., subject of this sketch;
Jacob A. (deceased), Mary E. (deceased), and
Edith. After her husband's death, Mrs.
Lighttle continued to conduct the farm with the
assistance of her sons, John and Jacob.
About twenty months after the latter died there was
a sale and the mother and daughter moved to Chillicothe
where they now reside. John C. Lighttle
remained at home until he was twenty-two, assisting on
the farm in summer and going to school in winter.
After reaching manhood he made trip to Harper, Kan.,
remaining about one year, and then returned to Ohio,
where he worked the farm for a while and then went back
west. His sojourn this time was cut short by news
of the death of his father, which necessitated a return
to Ohio. He remained in Ross county about a year,
went west again and a few months later returned home and
stayed but a short time, then returned to Kansas and
remained there until his brother's death. He then
returned home again and worked for the estate by the
month for about twenty months. Sept. 2, 1895, he
was married to Rhoda Chesnut, of Chillicothe, and
they went to housekeeping in Twin township where they
now reside. They have two children, Herbert A.
and Naomi E. The family are members of the
Methodist Episcopal church at Bourneville.
Source: The County of Ross: a history of Ross County, Ohio
by Henry Holcomb Bennett - Published by S. A. Brant, Madison,
Wis., 1902 - Page 563 |
GEORGE LITTER,
a prosperous contractor and builder of Chillicothe, has
been one of the factors in the industrial development of
that city. He is a son of Sebastian Litter,
born Jun. 23, 1816, in Germany, where he grew to
manhood, married Catherine Bauer and came with
her to America about 1846, locating at Chillicothe,
where he embarked in the business of contracting and
building, prosecuting that calling actively until 1860,
and then engaged in farming. After eight years
spent in agricultural pursuits he returned to the city
and his old calling as a contractor, to which he devoted
the six subsequent years and then abandoned it
permanently. Assisted by his sons he took charge
of 1,300 acres of land and devoted nine years to its
management and cultivation, retiring from business
entirely in 1884 and locating in Chillicothe.
There his life terminated in May, 1901, as the result of
the paralytic stroke received the year previous, his
wife's death having occurred in 1892. They were
the parents of sixteen children, of whom seven are
living: Jacob, foreman in a large
terra-cotta works at Pittsburg; Catherine wife of
John Sauer of Farmland, Ind.; Mary wife of
V. K. Kelley, of Bainbridge, O.; Charles,
resident of Solon, O.; William and Henry
of Chillicothe; and George Litter, the subject of
this sketch. The latter was born in Chillicothe,
Ohio, Dec. 6, 1860, was educated in the city schools,
and upon reaching manhood followed in his father's
footsteps as a contractor and builder. Until a
year or two ago he was also engaged in manufacturing
brick, which he used in his own business or supplied to
the trade, but latterly has confined himself to
contracting and structural work. Mr. Litter
is a member of the Modern Woodmen of America and holds
the office of councilman from the fifth ward of
Chillicothe, to which he was elected in April, 1901, for
a term of two years. In 1886 he was married to
Christina, daughter of Hartman Griesheimer, a
native of Germany who established himself in Chillicothe
when a young man. Of the three children born to
Mr. and Mrs. Litter two are living, Ada T.
and Helen Irene.
Source: The County of Ross: a history of Ross County, Ohio
by Henry Holcomb Bennett - Published by S. A. Brant, Madison,
Wis., 1902 - Page 565 |
THOMAS O. LITTLE,
a successful raiser of thorough-bred cattle and hogs, is
a native of Ross county and owns the farm in Green
township which as been the homestead of the family for
several generations. In the early part of
the nineteenth century High Little and his wife
Catharine (Rigby) Little, came to Green township,
then part of the wilds of Ross county, and set a work
after the pioneer fashion to make a home in the
wilderness. Everything of course had to be evolved
under the greatest difficulties, but they proved equal
to the emergencies. Hugh Little burn the
brick which was used in building the dwelling-house and
in the course of time, by dint of hard and continuous
work, had quite a comfortable residence for those days.
He set out what was perhaps the first orchard in the
township and in other ways showed himself to be a
strong-minded and progressive man. The place thus
carried out of the wilderness by these pioneers was
afterwards known as the Gregg farm. In 1818
he disposed of the Gregg property and purchased
eighty acres about one mile east of it, where he spent
the remainder of his life, dying Sept. 17, 1825.
His wife survived him many years, and passed away June
7, 1848. They had four children, among the number
being James, who was born in Green township, Mar.
2, 1817, and married Elizabeth, daughter of
Thomas and Mary (Jones) Orr, mentioned elsewhere in
this work. James Little was a farmer
by occupation and made a success of the business, being
at the time of his death owner of 318 acres of good
land. He was a man of prominence in his community,
Whig and Republican in politics, and captain of militia
at the time of the Mexican war. He died Mar. 23,
1882, and the death of his wife occurred Aug. 9, 1900.
There were five children born to them, Benjamin,
now living in Iowa; Mary, the widow of Jesse
L. Withgott, residing in Kingston; Kate S.,
wife of Joseph Hurst, of Williamsport, Ohio;
Fletcher and Thomas, the two latter residing
on the old home place. Thomas O. Little,
the youngest child, was born in Green township, Mar. 29,
1856, on the farm of which he subsequently became the
owner and where he now resides. Like his father
and grandfather before him he adhered to the soil as a
means of livelihood and has spent all of his adult life
in its cultivation. He has improved the homestead
place in various ways by the application of modern
methods and added considerably to the value of the
holdings by up-to-date and progressive management.
Realizing at an early period and advantage of improved
stock, Mr. Little soon had his farm supplied with
the best varieties. He made a specialty of the
Poll-Durham and Shorthorn cattle and the Poland-China
hog. Mr. Little has devoted much time and
care to the breeding and feeding of his fine cattle and
swine and has contributed his share towards enlarging
the volume as well as the celebrity of Ross county's
life stock industry.
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 565 |
EPHRIAM LOCKWOOD
and his good wife Cinderella are one of those
interesting couples who enjoy special esteem not only on
account of their personal worth but as links between the
present and the far distant past. They are thought
to be the oldest married people in Ohio, having lived
together as man and wife for sixty-two years and at
their present residence for fifty-nine years.
Their long lives cover almost the entire period of
Ohio's history as a State and embrace all of the
tremendous development of the United States which has
occurred since Missouri was admitted into the Union.
The father of the venerable subject of our sketch was
William Lockwood, born near Wheeling, W.
Va., in 1786. He married Sarah Hall, a
Maryland woman, with whom he came to Ohio about 1814,
leased a farm in Fairfield county and lived by its
cultivation until 1840. In that year he purchased
a small tract of land in Huntington township, Ross
county, on which he located and lived until the death of
his wife, and subsequently removed to Massieville, where
he died in 1861. His children were named in order
of birth: Elizabeth, Mary, Ephraim,
Robert, James, William and
Lucretia, who became the wife of James
Kelley, of Missouri. Lucretia, William
(of Indiana) and Ephraim are the only ones
living. Ephraim Lockwood was born
near Rushville, Fairfield county, Ohio, Jan. 24, 1818.
In his boyhood days the “old log schoolhouse” with its
stick chimney, puncheon floor and slab seats was the
only avenue to book learning and was justly regarded as
the advanced guard of civilization. The custom was
for the farmers’ boys to attend school during the bad
weather of winters and assist with the outdoor work at
other seasons. Little more than the rudiments of
learning could be obtained in this way but it proved a
sufficient equipment for many of the strongest and best
citizens of Ohio, included among the number being
Ephraim Lockwood. Among the neighbors
of the Lockwoods in Fairfield county was a family
named King, and one of the members of this
household was a bright-eyed girl called Cinderilla.
To her, Mar. 8, 1840, Ephraim Lockwood was
married and she has been to him a loving and devoted
companion during the more than sixty-two years which
have since supervened. After his marriage, Mr.
Lockwood located in Ross county, where he
followed his trade as a stone mason for some years until
he engaged in farming as a permanent occupation.
To this, the noblest and most independent of all
pursuits, Mr. Lockwood has devoted all the
energies of a long and laborious life, fifty-nine years
of which have been spent at the place where he now
resides in Scioto township. Now in his
eighty-fourth year he is in full possession of all his
faculties, a fine sample of the old-time pioneer
citizen, while his wife is as bright and active as most
women at half her age. Mr. Lockwood
was first a Whig in politics and afterward a Republican.
His first vote was cast for William Henry
Harrison after the famous “hard cider and log
cabin” campaign of 1840, and it is a boast of Mr.
Lockwood that from that time on he has never
missed a fall election. He has never sought
office, however, the only official position held by him
being that of school director. Mr. and Mrs.
Lockwood have had nine children: Sarah C.,
the first born, died in infancy; Theodore E.
resides in Delaware, Ohio; John W. died in the
civil war; Lyman G. lives at Clarksburg, West
Virginia; Lavina M. is the wife of John Keeton,
Blanchester, O.; Dewitt is a. resident of
Lattyville, O.; William F. is living at Upper
Sandusky, O.; Orin S. and Iona E. are
dead. The parents have been devoted members of the
Methodist Episcopal church from their early years, he
having joined when
fifteen and she when seventeen years old.
Source: The County of Ross: a history of Ross County, Ohio
by Henry Holcomb Bennett - Published by S. A. Brant, Madison,
Wis., 1902 - Page 566 |
FRANK
LONG,
farmer, stock-raiser and fruit-grower in Huntington
township, bears a name widely distributed from an early
period in Ross county. The progenitors of the family
were among the first arrivals from Pennsylvania and there
was little in the surroundings to attract a farmer when
John Long and his wife halted in the confines of the
then new and inchoate county. The soil, indeed, was
there, rich and fruitful as it has ever been, and the task
of clearing away the superincumbent forest was such as to
deter the stoutest heart. But in time all
difficulties were surmounted by this hardy breed of men,
among whom none were more resolute than the ancestors of
the Longs. The first of the name to arrive
left a son and namesake who married Mrs. Elizabeth
Thomas Streevey, by whom he had eleven children.
Of these, George W., Samuel P., John, Allen T., Delila,
Elizabeth, Martha and Catherine are dead; the
three survivors are Ethelinda, wife of William
Robinson, of Butler county, Ohio; Hester A.,
wife of N. Ward, and Henry F., who is now
eight-three years old and lives with the last mentioned
sister. The father was industrious and a good
manager, met with success in most of his dealings and
accumulated a considerable body of land in Huntington
township. Allen T. Long, fourth of the
children in order of birth, remained at home until his
marriage to Catherine Roush, a native of Adams
county, Ohio. They lived for a short time in one of
the rude log cabins then so common, but later moved to the
old home place, where they remained several years, after
which they made their home with their son. The
father was a man of many good qualities and was quite
popular in his community, being called on to fill various
township offices. He died August 10, 1892, when
sixty-two years old, and his widow now resides in
Chillicothe. They had five children: Angeline,
wife of George W. Miller, of Springfield township;
Henry C., deceased; Charlotte, wife of
Charles Miller, of Springfield Township; Clara,
wife of Fritz Seeling of Huntington township; and
Frank. The latter was born in Huntington
township, Ross county, Ohio, October 17, 1865, and
remained at home until August 20, 1900, when he was
married to Fannie E. Moore, born and bred in Pike
county, and daughter of William T. and Rachel
Moore. He located on a farm where he has since
resided and is extensively engaged in fruit-growing,
besides the business of stock-raising and general
agriculture. Mr. Long is one of the popular
men of his township and that he is trustworthy in a
business way is shown by the fact that he has been called
on to fill important public offices. He has served
as trustee of the township, is now a valued member of the
school board and in 1901 was elected county infirmary
director. He is a member of the Methodist Episcopal
church.
Source: The County of Ross: a history of Ross County, Ohio
by Henry Holcomb Bennett - Published by S. A. Brant, Madison,
Wis., 1902 - Page 568 |
|
|
JOHN L.
LONG,
of Huntington township, horticulturist and general farmer
and stockraiser, is descended from one of the early
settlers of Ross county. His great-grandfather was a
Pennsylvanian and, though the exact date of his arrival
has not been preserved in the family records, it is known
that he appeared on the scene in what is now called "an
early day." The first-comer brought with him a son
named John, who married Elizabeth Thomas, of Ross
county, settled with her on a small place in Huntington
township and eventually became a prosperous farmer.
Possessed of industry and being a good manager he steadily
accumulated property, until at the time of his death he
owned over 400 acres of land, now known as Bishop Hill.
Of his eleven children only three are living:
Ethelinda, wife of William Robinson of Butler
county, O.; Hester, wife of N. Ward, of
Huntington township; and Henry F., living with last
mentioned, aged 83 years. The list of the dead
includes George W., Samuel P., John W., Allen T.,
Catherine, Delila, Elizabeth and Martha.
Samuel P. Long, second of this large family of
children, was born in Huntington township, Ross county,
December 3, 1821, and remained at the parental home until
early manhood. October 11, 1849, he was married to
Elizabeth Ann Roush, a native of Adams county, and
they began housekeeping on the farm now owned by their
son. When this young couple "settled down," as the
phrase goes, it was in a rather unpretentious manner,
their house being one of those rude log structures of the
time, poorly furnished and with no outbuildings of
consequence. In the course of years, however,
industry and good management put an entirely different
face on affairs and improved this place with a fine new
dwelling, substantial barn, stables, fencing and all the
other adjuncts of an up-to-date country homestead.
Samuel P. Long and wife removed to Twin township about
1860, but after residing there two years returned to the
old home place in Huntington township. A year or two
later they went to Chillicothe and were engaged in the
hotel business for fifteen years, after which they
relocated on their Huntington township farm and there
spent the remainder of their days, the father dying at
sixty-five and the mother when sixty-nine years old.
Their five children, as named in order of birth,
were Moses R., John L., Charles F., Philip R. and
David S. John L. Long was born in Huntington
township, Ross county, Ohio, August 12, 1853, on the farm
where he at present resides. He remained with his
parents until they died, after which he lived with his
brother Charles F. until the latter's death, and
since then has purchased the other heir's interests
and now owns and manages the farm. There are 125
acres of land in this tract, which Mr. Long cultivates in
the usual way but devotes considerable time to growing the
various small fruits suitable to that latitude. Mr.
Long has remained single throughout life. His
younger brother, Charles F. Long, was married
September 15, 1887, to Ellen W., daughter of
Charles and Clarissa M. Caldwell, of Scioto township,
John L. Long has superintended affairs and
successfully carried on the farming operations.
Source: The County of Ross: a history of Ross County, Ohio
by Henry Holcomb Bennett - Published by S. A. Brant, Madison,
Wis., 1902 - Page 569 |
JOHN W.
LOUGH, A substantial
farmer and esteemed citizen of the Lyndon (Ohio) locality,
is a native of Pendleton county, W. Va. He was
reared and educated there, being a boy about seventeen
years of age when the civil war was begun by the memorable
events in Charleston harbor. In 1862, Mr. Lough
enlisted in Company A, Twenty-fifth regiment of Virginia
infantry, with which command he participated in some of
the most stirring campaigns and bloodiest battles of the
civil war. Notable among these were the engagements
at McDowell, Second Bull Run, Antietam, Gettysburg and
Fredericksburg. On the morning of May 5, 1864,
during the battle of the Wilderness, he was captured and
afterward was held as prisoner at Point Lookout and
Elmira, N. Y., not being exchanged until the close of the
war. Counting the time spent in prison, Mr.
Long's
military career extended over a period of three years.
Almost immediately after his release from prison, Mr.
Lough came to Ohio and settled in Ross county. In
1870, he was married to Mary E., daughter of Washington
Mains, born near South Salem. The Mains
family is
one of the oldest in Ross county, being founded in 1812 by
settlers from Loudoun county, Va. Mr. and
Mrs. Lough
have six children. Bert, the eldest son, holds a
position in the Commercial bank of Greenfield; George is a
farmer in Fayette county; Ada is the wife of Dr. Arthur
Parrett, of Anderson, Ind.; Washington, Charles and
Margaret are at home. Mr. Lough's life occupation
has been that of farming and stock-raising, in which he
has achieved a fair degree of success. His
affections are centered entirely upon his family and home
life and he has never sought connection with clubs or
societies of any kind. He holds membership in the
Presbyterian church at Pisgah and for about six years has
occupied the position of elder.
Source: The County of Ross: a history of Ross County, Ohio
by Henry Holcomb Bennett - Published by S. A. Brant, Madison,
Wis., 1902 - Page 570 |
JOHN C. LOWRY,
now one of Huntington township's quiet and unostentatious
farmers, bears a name which stands high up on Ross county's
roll of honor during the tremendous days of 1861-65. A
glance over the roster of privates in Company F, Sixty-third
regiment Ohio volunteer infantry will disclose the name of
Lowry five times repeated. They stand for five
brothers, sons of Washington Lowry, who
enlisted in 1861 when the eldest was under thirty and the
youngest only fourteen years old. Few families had so
many representatives at the front in those stirring times,
and none can boast a prouder record as the result of their
children's achievements in behalf of their country's cause.
John C. Lowry, one of these gallant brothers, was
born in Chillicothe, Ohio, Sept. 5, 1836, and the local
histories show that his grandfather was a member of the very
vanguard at the first appearance of the pioneers. He
grew up in his native city and was given a good business
education, but his life was uneventful until the great civil
war furnished him, as it did so many others, the opportunity
to show what metal he was made of. The Old Sixty-third
Ohio, which Mr. Lowry joined Oct. 23, 1861, was one
of the "crack" organizations of the western army. It
was formed by the consolidation of two battalions of
recruits, the Twenty-second and Sixty-third, the former
being recruited at Chillicothe and consisting of Companies
F, G, H. I and K. The organization was completed Jan.
23, 1862, a few weeks afterward moved to Paducah, Kentucky,
and from there joined the army of the Mississippi at
Commerce, Missouri, under Maj. -Gen. John Pope.
From that on it was a part of the Ohio brigade, with which
it was engaged in all its subsequent marches and
engagements. Along the prominent battles in which it
participated were those at Iuka, Corinth, Kenesaw Mountain,
Resaca, siege of Atlanta, besides skirmishes and minor
engagements innumerable. The Sixty-third, as a special
honor, was authorized by general orders to inscribe upon its
banners the names of the following battles: New
Madrid, Island No. 10, Iuka, Corinth (October 4), Atlanta
and Savannah. At the battle of Corinth, above
mentioned, Mr. Lowry was one of the only two of the
whole company who escaped being killed or wounded. In
1863 he was promoted to the rank of orderly sergeant and
this was followed later by a commission as first lieutenant.
At the grand review in Washington, after all was over and
the mighty armies of the Union from the East and West were
passing for the last time before their generals,
Lieutenant Lowry had the honor of commanding a platoon
of men. July 8, 1865, he received his honorable
discharge from the service and hastened to his Ohio farm
never again to leave it for any length of time. Like
the famous Roman dictator, Cincinnatus he know how to
lay down the sword and resume the plow, and since the war he
has peacefully cultivated his ninety-five acres of land,
enjoying the general respect of his neighbors. Dec. 2,
1860, Mr. Lowry was married to Mary Vanscoy
and they have had the following named children:
John, James, Washington D.; Laura, wife of John
Hoffner and Lizzie S., wife of Thomas Smith.
Mr. Lowry is a member of the Methodist Episcopal
church, ahs served as clerk of the township and belongs to
the Grand Army of the Republic.
Source: The County of Ross: a history of Ross County, Ohio
by Henry Holcomb Bennett - Published by S. A. Brant, Madison,
Wis., 1902 - Page 571 |
WILLIAM
BASIL LUCAS, a well known farmer of Concord township,
traces his lineage to a very early period in the
history of Ross county, being descended from the first white
child born in Chillicothe. In the spring of 1800 a
family by the name of Sturgeon came from Pennsylvania
to Ross county and located on Kinnickinnick creek.
Among their children was one named John, who was born
in Pennsylvania Nov. 1, 1796, and brought in infancy to the
Western home of his parents. When John Sturgeon
grew to manhood he married Margaret McCoy, whose name
is historic as the first white child born in the city of
Chillicothe. Her father was among the first to build a
log cabin in the infant village, and many think that his was
the first structure of the kind that appeared there.
After his marriage John Sturgeon settled down to farm
life and ever afterward made this his regular business until
the time of his death in 1886. By his wife,
Margaret (McCoy) Sturgeon, he had eight children, one of
whom was named Phoebe Ann When the latter grew
to maturity she married Noah Lucas, a native of Ohio
of Pennsylvania parentage, with whom she settled on a farm
in Highland county and became the mother of three children.
John S. Lucas, eldest of these, was reared in
Highland county, married and died there in 1887, leaving two
children. Margaret Ann, the only daughter, died
in her thirteenth year. William B. Lucas,
youngest of the family and only survivor, was born in
Highland county, Ohio, May 4, 1846, and when about one year
old was brought to Ross county to live with John Sturgeon
and wife, and the parents of his mother. The house in
which he was cared for by his grandparents and where he grew
to manhood is the same that constitutes his present
residence. Though a mere boy at the time of the civil
war he had a brief but spirited experience as a Union
soldier with the Ohio National guards, who served four
months in the spring and summer of 1864 with the troops who
were contesting Early's advance on Washington.
Mr. Lucas participated with his command in the bloody
battle at Monocacy Junction, near Frederick, Md., which was
fought July 9, 1864, between the forces under General Lew
Wallace and a part of Early's army. Though
his regular business has been that of farming, Mr. Lucas
has occasionally been called on to fill public positions and
received special commendation for the manner in which he
discharged the duties of land appraiser, an office to which
he was elected in 1899. In 1870, he was married to
Adia, daughter of Dr. Robert Galbraith, a native
of Ireland, who came to Ross county in boyhood. The
wife died Mar. 3, 1873, leaving two children, only one of
whom, Mattie, is living, and she is the wife of
Absalom Darby of Concord township. Mar. 5, 1874,
Mr. Lucas married Theresa, daughter of John
P. Junk, who died in 1883, her death resulting from
childbirth. She left no children. By a third
marriage to Miss Mary D., daughter of William D.
Mallow, Mr. Lucas had two children: Anna
Louise and Phoebe Alice. The family is
Presbyterian in religious affiliations and Mr. Lucas
is a member of the Grand Army of the Republic.
Source: The County of Ross: a history of Ross County, Ohio
by Henry Holcomb Bennett - Published by S. A. Brant, Madison,
Wis., 1902 - Page 572 |
ISAAC LYTEL,
a veteran of the civil war with a long and honorable record,
and a well known farmer of Ross county, has a lineage
traceable to a very early period of Ohio history.
There were but few white people in Ross county when John
and Elizabeth Lytel arrived on the banks of the Scioto.
They came from old Virginia, where they had been farmers in
a small way, purchased some land in Huntington township and
devoted the rest of their lives to clearing and cultivating
the same. When the wife died she was ninety years old
and her husband had reached the eightieth year at the time
of his death. This worthy pioneer pair reared a family
of seven children, all long since dead, whose names were
Malon, George, Peter, Samuel, Jacob, Barbara and
Elizabeth. Malon, Lytel, the head of this
list, was born in Virginia in 1798, about the time that Ross
county was officially organized. In youth he learned
the cooper's trade, which was a useful and valuable
accomplishment in pioneer days, and this, together with
farming, constituted his means of support throughout all of
his active life. About the time he reached legal age, he was
married to Nancy Knight, a native of Tennessee, then
resident in Ross County. He lived in Huntington
township until 1854 and, after two years spent in Twin
township, removed to Pike county, Ohio, where he died in
1858. About one year later his widow settled in Paxton
township, Ross county, where she resided until the time of
her death in 1871. Malon and Nancy and
Noah; Sarah, wife of Eli Sickles, of
Pike county, and Nancy J., deceased. Isaac
Lytle was born in Huntington township, Ross county,
Ohio, Oct. 18, 1841. He remained at home until the
death of his father, after which he sought employment on
neighboring farms and worked for several years by the month.
In 1862 he enlisted in Company I, Fifty-fourth regiment Ohio
volunteer infantry, under Captain Howser, with which
he subsequently saw much arduous service. Their first
experience was at Fort Donelson, whence they were sent to
Pittsburg Landing in time to take part in that desperate and
bloody battle. Afterward Mr. Lytle participated
with his regiment in the following named engagements and
campaigns: Yazoo Flats, Arkansas Post, Jackson, Black River,
siege of Vicksburg, Mission Ridge, Resaca, Kenesaw Mountain,
Peachtree Creek, siege of Atlanta and Fort McCallister.
An attack of measles held him in the hospital about four
weeks, and receiving his discharge at Savannah in 1865, he
returned home and resumed farm work. In 1867 Mr.
Lytel was married to Eliza Robinson, a native of
Ross county, and shortly thereafter settled on a farm in
Twin township. There and in Paxton township the net
thirteen years were spent in agricultural pursuits, after
which Mr. Lytel purchased the farm of 190 acres in
Huntington township, which has since been his place of
residence. He carries on general farming, raises
considerable stock, and has been successful in his
operations. He is a member of the Methodist Episcopal
church and connected with Bourneville post, No. 530, Grand
Army of the Republic. Mr. and Mrs. Lytel have
had seven children, of whom Sarah E., Minnie
and Nancy J. are dead. The living are John
W., Alice, Lucinda M. and Cora C.
Source: The County of Ross: a history of Ross County, Ohio
by Henry Holcomb Bennett - Published by S. A. Brant, Madison,
Wis., 1902 - Page 573 |
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