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OHIO GENEALOGY EXPRESS

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Knox County, Ohio
History & Genealogy


 

Biographies

Source:
Past and Present of Knox County, Ohio

Albert B. Williams, Editor-in-Chief
Illustrated
Vol. II
Publ. by B. F. Bowen & Company, Indianapolis, Indiana
1912
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A B C D E F G H IJ K L M N O PQ R S T UV W XYZ

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  LOUIS B. ACKERMAN.  The gentleman to a review of whose life and characteristics the reader's attention is herewith directed is among the favorably known and representative citizens of Knox county.  He has by his indomitable enterprise and progressive methods contributed in a material way to the advancement of his locality during the course of a long and honorable career and has been fairly successful in his business enterprises, having been a man of energy, sound judgment and honesty of purpose, and is thus well deserving of mention in this volume.
     Louis B. Ackerman, well known business man of Fredericktown and a worthy representative of one of our sterling pioneer families, was born on Aug. 17, 1839, in Middlebury township, this county.  He is the son of John and Ida (Cook) Ackerman, the father born in Bedford county, Pennsylvania, from which he came to Knox county, Ohio, in 1811, with his parents, John and Amy (Barton) Ackerman, the father having come with his relatives to this county, first in 1810, looked over the country and returned to Bedford county, Pennsylvania, then came back to Knox county with his family in 1811, making the overland trip in wagons.  They settled in the dense woods and there erected a cabin and began clearing the ground.  This country was then the abiding place of Indians and numerous species of wild game.  The elder Ackerman entered one hundred and sixty acres from the government, later acquiring more land, all of which he improved and became one of the well-to-do pioneers and was prominent in the affairs of the community, and here the grandfather, John Ackerman, spent the remainder of his life.  His son, John, father of the subject, spent his entire life on the same farm.  He is remembered as a hard-working, honest, retiring man, who was satisfied with home life.  He was a Democrat and a member of the Baptist church.  He lived an upright life and was highly regarded.  He was born on Nov. 15, 1805, and his death occurred on Sept. 3, 1873.  His wife, Ida Cook, was born on Mar. 8, 1807, and died Dec. 23, 1862, and they are both buried in the Baptist cemetery, near Waterford, Knox county.
     The son, Louis B. Ackerman, of this review, spent his childhood and youth on the farm and attended the district schools.  When fifteen years old he went to Chesterville Academy in Morrow county, Ohio, for two years. Later he attended the high school at Fredericktown for two years.  After this he taught in the district and village schools of Knox county for twenty years, with intervals between, in which he worked on the home farm.  He was very successful in his school work and became one of the most popular educators in this section of the country.  In 1878 he located in Fredericktown with the intention of making it his permanent home and here engaged in the general insurance business.  He became a notary public and met with much success in his new field from the first.  This was the first general insurance office established in Fredericktown.  Mr. Ackerman has occupied his present office in the Struble block for the past twenty-seven years, during which time he has built up a large and ever-growing business, also in real estate, deeds and mortgages.  He has also drawn wills and settled estates.  His two sons, William A., now cashier of the New Knox National Bank at Mt. Vernon, and Charles E. cashier of the bank of Daniel Struble & Son at Fredericktown, where for years and are yet associated with their father in this business.
     Mr. Ackerman was married on Sept. 20, 1871, to Sarah E. Cook, daughter of Asa C. and Margaret (Forsythe) Cook, of Wayne county, Ohio, and to this union six children were born, those resides two sons mentioned above being: Ida C., who married John W. McKinney, a farmer of Middlebury township; Ernest V. is a practicing physician of Fredericktown; Edith E., married Ralph Heskett, a farmer of Morrow county, Ohio; Louis H. is teller in the New Knox National Bank of Mt. Vernon.
     Politically, Mr. Ackerman is a Democrat and has long been more or less active in public matters.  In earlier life he was a frequent delegate to county, district and state conventions.  He has served as mayor of Fredericktown and on the local board of education matters.  He is a member of Thrall Lodge No. 170, Free and Accepted Masons, at Fredericktown, and the chapter and the commandery at Mt. Vernon.  He has served in all the chairs of these orders.  He is also a member of the Knights of Pythias and the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, having filled all the chairs in these also.  He has always been active and prominent in fraternal circles.  He and his family are members of the Presbyterian church, Mr. Ackerman being an elder in the same, occupying this position for many years and he has long been active in churches and Sunday school work.  He has been superintendent and a teacher for many years in the Sunday school.
     The family home is on West Sandusky street, believed by many to be the most desirable residence district of the city.  Mr. Ackerman finds recreation in his garden, among his chickens, cows and horse.  He is an honorable, neighborly and pleasant gentleman whose friends are limited only by the bounds of his acquaintance.
Source: Past and Present of Knox County, Ohio - Vol. II - Publ. by B. F. Bowen & Company, Indianapolis, Indiana - 1912
- Page 715
NOTE:  1920 Census lists his address as 216 W. Sandusky Street, Wayne Twp., Fredericktown Village, Knox Co., Ohio on Jan. 8th & 9th, 1920 census page.
  SOLON B. ACKLEY

 

Source: Past and Present of Knox County, Ohio - Vol. II - Publ. by B. F. Bowen & Company, Indianapolis, Indiana - 1912 - Page 621

  JOHN S. ALAN.     The men most influential in promoting the advancement of society and in giving character to the times in which they live are two classes, the men who study and the men of action.  Whether we are more indebted for the improvement of the age of the one class or the other is a question of honest difference of opinion; neither class can be spared and both should be encouraged to occupy their several spheres of labor and influence, zealously and without mutual distrust.  In the following paragraphs are briefly outlined the leading facts and characteristics in the career of a gentleman who combines in his makeup the elements of the scholar and the energy of the public-spirited man of affairs.  Devoted to the noble and humane work of teaching, he has made his influence felt in the school life of the city of Mt. Vernon and Knox county and he is not unknown to the wider educational circles of the state, occupying as he does a prominent place in his profession and standing high in the esteem of educators in other than his own particular field of endeavor.
     Mr. Alan is a descendant of sterling ancestors of the old Keystone state, of which he is a native, his birth having occurred in Greenville, Mercer county, Pennsylvania, Oct. 28, 1872.  He is the son of Walter T. and Laura (Sill) Alan, the father a Presbyterian minister of Greenville and still active, being prominent in that denomination in his section of the state.  The mother of the subject passed to her rest in the spring of 1904.
     John S. Alan was reared in a wholesome Christian atmosphere and the ethics inculcated there have had much to do in shaping his subsequent career.   He was educated in the public schools of Greenville, later entering Thiel College at that place, where he made an excellent record for scholarship and from which institution he was graduated in 1893, with the degree of Bachelor of Arts, and in 1900 he received the degree of Master of Arts from the same institution.  He has long entertained a laudable ambition to devote his life to teaching and, thus well equipped for his chosen vocation, he began teaching in the public schools of Greenville, where he continued for a period of four years, giving success from the first, his record auguring greater things in coming years.  Then, for three years he was superintendent of the schools at Lowellville, Ohio.  The next four years were spent as superintendent of public schools at Fredericktown, Knox county, and following this, in 1905, he came to Mt. Vernon as principal of the high school and a year later he was promoted to the superintendency, which position he still holds in a manner that reflects much credit upon himself and to the eminent satisfaction of all concerned.
     Professor Alan’s years of service as a superintendent have been characterized by a series of advancements in educational methods which demonstrate his ability as a man of progressive ideas, besides winning for him an honorable place among the leading superintendents of the state.  Possessing great force of character and executive ability of a high order, he has brought the schools under his care to a high standard of efficiency, insisting that only teachers of recognized scholarship and professional experience be employed, and strengthening the courses of study.  As an educator he is widely known and his suggestions pertaining to matters educational command respect in all the institutes, associations and conventions of superintendents which he attends, his well known success as a school manager and wide practical experience in general educational matters having long been of special value to his fellow associates, among whom he is held in the highest personal esteem.  He is still a young man, in the very prime of vigorous physical and mental powers and in possessing genial manners, superior scholarship, which, with his years of close application from common school to high school principalship, and membership with some of the highest educational bodies of the land, it is eminently proper to bespeak for him a future of still greater efficiency and distinguished service in his chosen field of endeavor.
     The domestic life of Superintendent Alan began on June 15, 1900, when he was united in marriage with Edna L. Jackson, daughter of John and Sisson E. Jackson, a highly esteemed family of Greenville, Pennsylvania.  This union has been without issue.
     In his fraternal relations Mr. Alan belongs to the Masonic order, the chapter and commandery, being a past master of the Mt. Vernon lodge.  Politically, he is a Republican and while he is always interested in the general progress of his community, supporting such measures as make for the general good, he is not a biased partisan or a seeker of political honors, prefer ring to devote his exclusive attention to his chosen calling and keep abreast of the times in all phases of the same.  He and his wife are members of the Presbyterian church and he has long been active in church affairs and Sunday school work.
Source: Past and Present of Knox County, Ohio - Vol. II - Publ. by B. F. Bowen & Company, Indianapolis, Indiana - 1912
- Page 448
  GEORGE ALLEN.     In all that constitutes true manhood and good citizenship George Allen, a venerable tiller of the soil in Jackson township, Knox county, is a notable example and none stands higher than he in the esteem and confidence of the community.  His career has been characterized by duty faithfully performed and by industry, thrift and wisely directed efforts he has acquired a comfort able share of this world’s goods, besides earning a reputation which has never been clouded by the commission of a single unworthy act.  His experiences through his long life have indeed been varied, not infrequently interesting and sometimes exciting.  He grew up amid pioneer conditions, where weaklings could not well thrive, where it took courage and perseverance, and he was one of the sturdy band that crossed the great plains of the West during the California gold fever days.  He is a man of many commendable virtues.
     Mr. Allen was born in Monroe county, Ohio, Mar. 24, 1831.  He is the son of Elias and Mary (McClarnan) Allen, the father a native of Virginia.  The paternal grandfather moved to Monroe county, Ohio, in a very early day.  He was a farmer and he entered school land there, which he developed and on which he raised his eleven children.  His family consisted of twelve children, one of whom died in early life.  The Allen family moved to Knox county in 1832 and settled in Butler township and there became well established on a farm.
     George Allen, of this sketch, grew up on the home farm and when but a lad he went to work in the fields, clearing timber, breaking new ground and helping with the general work.  He received such education as he could in the old-time log school house near his boyhood home, and in early life he took up farming for a livelihood.  In 1852 he joined the tide of fortune hunters and drove overland to California, the trip requiring ninety days, and he met with a fair measure of success in the gold fields, returning to Ohio four years later with about fourteen hundred dollars.  He talks very interestingly of his experiences in the Pacific coast country.  A few years after his return to his native state he bought the original homestead of his father, one hundred and sixty acres in Butler township, and this he has kept well improved and under a fine state of cultivation, carrying on general farming and stock raising.  During the Civil war he went to Illinois, where he bought and sold live stock.  After his marriage he bought out his father-in-law, one hundred and sixty acres, also in Butler township, Knox county.  Then he bought land in Jackson township, and has been buying and adding to it from time to time until he is now the owner of about seven hundred acres of valuable land, all of which he keeps well improved, and he has long carried on general farming and stock raising on an extensive scale, and is one of the substantial and progressive agriculturists of the southeastern part of the county.  He raises and prepares for market cattle, sheep and hogs.  He leaves the active management of his place to his sons, merely overseeing his affairs in a general way.  He has accumulated a competency through his industry and good management.
     Politically, Mr. Allen is independent, preferring to vote for the candidate best qualified for the office sought rather than for the party.  He has always supported any measure looking to the general upbuilding of his community and his influence has been salutary.
     Mr. Allen was married about 1868 to Julia Ann Ashcraft, a native of Butler township, Knox county, where she was reared and educated.  She was the daughter of Jesse Ashcraft, an old settler, having come to Butler township from Coshocton county.  There Mrs. Allen grew to womanhood and attended the public schools.
     To the subject and wife three children have been born, namely: Mary Ann, wife of Manuel Rine, who lives in Butler township and is the mother of two children: Philip and James Allen are both single and living at home, operating the farm and they are young men of much promise in a business way.
Source: Past and Present of Knox County, Ohio - Vol. II - Publ. by B. F. Bowen & Company, Indianapolis, Indiana - 1912
- Page 857
  HENRY A. ALLEN.     Henry A. Allen was born on Apr. 30, 1855, on the farm, one mile southwest of Mt. Vernon, where he has always lived.  He is the son of Asahel and Content (Wing) Allen, the father born in East Bridgewater, Massachusetts, Nov. 18, 1803.  Soon after his birth the family moved to Benson, Vermont, and in the fall of 1833 they came to Knox county, Ohio, and lived a year in Mt. Vernon, then purchased the farm where the subject of this sketch was born and which has ever since remained in possession of the family and on which the father spent the remaining years of his life, having become very well established and a highly esteemed citizen.  His death occurred on Apr. 13, 1887.  His wife was born in Glens Falls, New York, Nov. 10, 1812.  The Wing family came to Knox county in 1817 when this country was heavily timbered and sparsely settled.  The death of Mrs. Allen occurred on Dec. 29, 1898.  They are both buried in Mound View cemetery, Mt. Vernon.  To these parents five children were born, one dying in infancy; the four that grew to maturity were: Belinda E., who married John B. Steinmetz, of Clinton township; Alice A. is single and lives with the subject of this sketch; Charles R. is also living with Mr. Allen of this review.
     Henry A. Allen has spent his entire life on the home farm, as above indicated, and he was educated in the country district schools.  He was married on Dec. 19, 1900, to Clara B. Myers, daughter of Harry and Melinda (Shinnaberry) Myers; the father is still living, the mother having died in 1904.  The union of the subject and wife has been without issue.
     Mr. Allen has kept the home place of one hundred and sixty-three acres well improved and well cultivated, so that he has kept the land strong and productive, and his crops from year to year bounteously attest to his skill as a husbandman.  In connection with general farming he carries on stock raising.  His sister, Alice A., is one-fourth owner of the home place.  He has in addition to that, one hundred acres in a nearby neighborhood.
     Politically, Mr. Allen is a Republican, but he has never been an office seeker, but always interested in public affairs and a voter for the best men and measures.  He is an advocate of public improvements, good roads, better schools and public buildings, in short, everything that added to the beauty and benefit of the community.  The Allen family has long been conspicuous in the social life of the community, and all its members from the early pioneer times have borne good reputations.  The grandfather, Asahel Allen, who came here with his family in 1833, built on his farm one of the first brick dwellings in this section of the state, at present used as a tenant house, and here he resided until his death, on Apr. 22, 1850.  His wife, who was known in her maidenhood as Rhoda Tillson, died on Dec. 1, 1857.  The elder Allen possessed a strong and vigorous intellect and his advice and opinion were frequently sought in all matters pertaining to the welfare of the community.  The residence of the family at the present time is in the commodious frame structure erected by Asahel Allen, Jr., in 1843.
Source: Past and Present of Knox County, Ohio - Vol. II - Publ. by B. F. Bowen & Company, Indianapolis, Indiana - 1912
- Page 576
  FREDERICK AMOS

 

Source: Past and Present of Knox County, Ohio - Vol. II - Publ. by B. F. Bowen & Company, Indianapolis, Indiana - 1912 - Page 867

  JOHN F. AMOS

 

Source: Past and Present of Knox County, Ohio - Vol. II - Publ. by B. F. Bowen & Company, Indianapolis, Indiana - 1912 - Page 766

  ROBERT C. ANDERSON

 

Source: Past and Present of Knox County, Ohio - Vol. II - Publ. by B. F. Bowen & Company, Indianapolis, Indiana - 1912 - Page 830


 
JOHN L. ARNDT

 

Source: Past and Present of Knox County, Ohio - Vol. II - Publ. by B. F. Bowen & Company, Indianapolis, Indiana - 1912 - Page 454

NOTES:



 

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