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OHIO GENEALOGY EXPRESS

A Part of Genealogy Express
 
Welcome to
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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  GEORGE PARSON WAGNER.   Taught in his youth to have system in his work, to lay his plans well and carry them to a finish with all promptness and carefulness possible, the success of George Parson Wagner, farmer of Middlebury township, is not to he wondered at, for he has ever done his own planning and his own work, never depending upon others to do what he could accomplish for himself, and, being a man who observes things as they are and who reads extensively, especially along lines pertaining to his work, he tries to farm according to twentieth-century methods.  He is the scion of a well known family, members of which have sought to do their full share in the work of pushing forward the car of civilization in this locality, their examples being ever wholesome and praiseworthy.
     Mr. Wagner was horn in Middlebury township, this county, on Jan. 1, 1851.  He is the son of Henry and Sarah Anna (Jeffries) Wagner, the father horn in Pennsylvania in 1822, and the mother in Wayne township, Knox county, Ohio, in 1825, and the latter died on Apr. 25, 1911.  The father came to Ohio in his youth with his parents and here was married and devoted his life to farming.  His family consisted of six children, four of whom are living, namely: George P., of this review; Mrs. Sarah E. Martin; William Henry, farmer of Middlebury township; John L.  The father of these children died on May 16, 1903.  For a full history of the Wagner family the reader is referred to the sketch of William Henry Wagner, appearing on another page of this work.
     George P. Wagner was reared on the home farm and he received his education in the common schools.  Early in life he took up farming and threshing.  In 1889 he bought a farm of eighty-five acres in Middlebury township, which he still owns and which he has brought up to a fine state of cultivation and improvement and on which he carries on general farming and stock raising.  Politically, he is a Republican, and fraternally he is a member of the Knights of Pythias.
     Mr. Wagner was married on Nov. 24, 1872, to Susan V. Lyon, a native of Knox county and the daughter of Isaac and Harriet (Craven) Lyon, a highly respected family who settled here in an early day from Maryland, and here Mrs. Wagner grew to womanhood and was educated in the common schools. Four children were born to the subject and wife, namely: Lewis B., Corliss H., Jennie May and Earl J.
     The wife and mother was called to her rest in November, 1890, and on Jan. 7, 1892, Mr. Wagner was married to Elizabeth Ellen Pancost, a native of this county and the daughter of David S. and Jane (Fenk) Pancost, an excellent old family of this county, in which the father was horn and where Mrs. Wagner grew up and attended school.  This union has been without issue.
Source: Past and Present of Knox County, Ohio - Vol. II - Publ. by B. F. Bowen & Company, Indianapolis, Indiana - 1912
- Page 738
  HENRY WAGNER

Source: Past and Present of Knox County, Ohio - Vol. II - Publ. by B. F. Bowen & Company, Indianapolis, Indiana - 1912 - Page 799

  WILLIAM HENRY WAGNER.   It would indeed be hard to find in northern Knox county a more up-to-date, painstaking, progressive agriculturist than William Henry Wagner, whose well-kept landed estate lies in Middlebury township, in which he has been pleased to spend his life, wisely deciding, it would seem, that it were useless to follow the wanderlust spirit to other fields and new arenas of endeavor, for right here at home existed for such willing bands as his an unlimited field for advancement.  He is the scion of one of the sterling old families of the county whose excellent record he has done nothing to depreciate in the eyes of the people of Middlebury and adjoining townships, for he has ever been an advocate of progress along not only material lines, but civic and moral as well, and he is therefore well deserving of the esteem in which he is universally held.
     Mr. Wagner was born in the township in which he still resides on Nov. 8, 1856. and is the son of Henry and Sarah Anne (Jeffries) Wagner.  The paternal grandparents.  George and Mary Wagner, were natives of Germany, the father having come to America as a “bound boy" and had to pay for his passage after reaching our shores.  These parents located in Pennsylvania and there they were married, and in 1824 moved to Middlebury township, Knox county, Ohio, and secured a farm where Robert Martin now lives, and there they spent the balance of their lives, both being now deceased.  The maternal grandparents, Parson and Sarah (Dickerson) Jeffries, were natives of New Jersey.  He was a canal boatman a while and later in life came to Knox county, Ohio, and located in Wayne township, later moving to Middlebury township, where he bought land and there spent the balance of his days.
     HENRY WAGNER, father of the subject, was born in Pennsylvania in 1822 and the mother, Sarah Anne Jeffries, was born in Wayne township, Knox county, in 1825.  Her death occurred on Apr. 25, 1911. The father came to Ohio with his parents and here he was married and devoted his life to farming, becoming the owner of one hundred and thirty-two acres in one farm and seventy-five in another, and was a very successful farmer.  Politically, he was a Republican and very active in party affairs.  He served for some time as trustee of his township.   His wife was a member of the Protestant Methodist church.
     Six children, four of whom are living, were born to Mr. and Mrs. Henry Wagner, namely: George P., Mrs. Sarah E. Martin, William Henry, of this sketch; John L.  The death of the father of these children occurred on May 16, 1903.
     William H. Wagner was reared on the home farm, where he assisted with the general work when a boy and he received his education in the home public schools, and early in life he turned his attention to husbandry, which has continued to be his occupation.  He and his brother George farmed the home place for two years, then the subject worked it on the shares for three years, then rented his present farm several years, buying half of it about 1883, the place then consisting of one hundred fifty-two and one-half acres, and, having prospered by hard work and good management, he purchased the balance of the place in 1900.  In 1912 he bought more land, his father’s home place of one hundred and thirty acres, well improved.  In connection with general farming he raises live stock, being a breeder of Poland-China hogs.  He has a modern, cozy and attractive dwelling and large, substantial outbuildings; in fact, everything about his place denotes thrift and good management.  He has been very successful in a business way, and he is interested in the local telephone company.
     Politically, Mr. Wagner is a Republican and has always taken an abiding interest in public affairs.  He has been township trustee for six years.  He and his wife are members of the Grange and also are members of the Baptist church, of Fredericktown.
     Mr. Wagner was married on Apr. 20, 1878, to Sarah E. McDonald, a native of Middlebury, Knox county, and the daughter of John and Hannah McDonald, a well known old family of this locality.  To the subject and wife one daughter has been born, Anna Grace, who finished her education at Denison University, Granville, Ohio, and is now the wife of Herbert E. Leedy, who farms on Mr. Wagner's place; was music supervisor for several years; they have two children, Russell Wagner Leedy, born June 27, 1910, and Ruth Elizabeth Leedy, born Feb. 9, 1912.
Source: Past and Present of Knox County, Ohio - Vol. II - Publ. by B. F. Bowen & Company, Indianapolis, Indiana - 1912
- Page 798
  JOHN B. WAIGHT was born on May 14, 1854, at Scio, Harrison county, Ohio.  He is the son of George A. and Biddy (Gordon) Waight, the father born near Frankfort, Germany, adn from there he emigrated to America when nine years of age with his mother, his father having died in Germany.  They came direct to Tuscarawas county, Ohio.  The mother of the subject was born in Ohio, and the father as a merchant in the town of Scio for many years and there his death occurred in 1891, his wife having preceded him to the grave in 1887.  The Gordons were of Revolutionary stock and were prominent in their communities from the early history of the country.
     John B. Waight was reared in Scio, Ohio, and was educated in the public schools there and in Scio College, from which he was graduated in the class of 1871.  His father was one of its financial hackers and its popularity was due in no small degree to his efforts for many years.  He was a member of the board of trustees during his life, from the founding of the college in 1866 until his death.  He was a successful business man and was influential in all circles in which he moved.
     John B. Waight took up the study of law immediately after his graduation with Hon. Lewis Lenton, a prominent attorney of Cadiz, Ohio, and having made rapid progress, he was admitted to the bar in the winter of 1874 and in 1875 he came to Mt. Vernon and opened an office and here he has been engaged in practice ever since, having met with success from the first and his clientele has continued to increase until today he is one of the busiest attorneys in this section of the state.  He practices in all the courts of the state and in the United States court.
     Mr. Waight was married on Apr. 13, 1882, to Kate M. Ready, a lady of culture and refinement, the daughter of A. T. and Jennie (McBane) Ready, of New Philadelphia, Ohio, a prominent and influential family of that city.  This union has been graced by the birth of two children: Armisted T., who was graduated from Cornell University in 1908, is in business in Chicago where he has made a successful start in the world of affairs; Jennie M. married Carl Rickets, of Columbus, Ohio.
     Politically, Mr. Waight is a Republican and has long been prominent in the affairs of his party.  He has been city solicitor of Mt. Vernon and he was common pleas judge for one term.  As judge he has an enviable and commendable record, his decisions having been characterized by fairness and a knowledge of the law in all its ramifications.  He has never been an office seeker, though he has been frequently urged to run for various offices or to become a candidate for high official positions.
     Mr. Waight is interested in the gas development of this section and he has been successful in a business way and is one of the substantial men of affairs at Mt. Vernon.
     Fraternally, Mr. Waight belongs to the Masonic order and all degrees up to Knight Templar.  He is also a member of the Knights of Pythias lodge.  Religiously, he belongs to the Presbyterian church, being a regular attendant, and he is a high-minded Christian gentleman, advocating clean politics and wholesome living and honesty in all the relations of life, having had these principles inculcated in him by his sterling father, who was a man in whom honesty and integrity were cardinal principles.  The Waights have always been prominent in the social life of the community and their pleasant, modern home is known to a wide circle of friends as a place of hospitality of an old-time genuine sincerity and of good cheer, and is one of the social meccas of the city.
Source: Past and Present of Knox County, Ohio - Vol. II - Publ. by B. F. Bowen & Company, Indianapolis, Indiana - 1912
- Page 438
  JOE M. WARD

Source: Past and Present of Knox County, Ohio - Vol. II - Publ. by B. F. Bowen & Company, Indianapolis, Indiana - 1912 - Page 595

  JOHN F. WARD

Source: Past and Present of Knox County, Ohio - Vol. II - Publ. by B. F. Bowen & Company, Indianapolis, Indiana - 1912 - Page 879

  RUFUS WARD

Source: Past and Present of Knox County, Ohio - Vol. II - Publ. by B. F. Bowen & Company, Indianapolis, Indiana - 1912 - Page 879

  WILLIAM L. WARD

Source: Past and Present of Knox County, Ohio - Vol. II - Publ. by B. F. Bowen & Company, Indianapolis, Indiana - 1912 - Page 594

  ANDREW D. WELKER

Source: Past and Present of Knox County, Ohio - Vol. II - Publ. by B. F. Bowen & Company, Indianapolis, Indiana - 1912 - Page 550

  WILLIAM E .WELKER

Source: Past and Present of Knox County, Ohio - Vol. II - Publ. by B. F. Bowen & Company, Indianapolis, Indiana - 1912 - Page 551

  WILLIAM J. WELSH

Source: Past and Present of Knox County, Ohio - Vol. II - Publ. by B. F. Bowen & Company, Indianapolis, Indiana - 1912 - Page 791

  JOSEPH WENGER

Source: Past and Present of Knox County, Ohio - Vol. II - Publ. by B. F. Bowen & Company, Indianapolis, Indiana - 1912 - Page 611

  AVERY WHEATON

Source: Past and Present of Knox County, Ohio - Vol. II - Publ. by B. F. Bowen & Company, Indianapolis, Indiana - 1912 - Page 899


Rev. Albert B. Williams
REV. ALBERT B. WILLIAMS.     Most men have numerous friends, but generally men are so constituted and environed that they also make some enemies, but one of the exceptions to this general rule was he for whom the following memoir is written - the late, lamented Elder Albert B. Williams, of the Christian church.  Indeed, his was a noble manhood, made almost perfect by the Christian religion that he had professed and practiced since a lad of twelve summers.
     The subject was a native of Holmes county, Ohio, born Apr. 4, 1847, and passed from earth’s shining circle on the afternoon of Friday, Sept. 8, 1911, just as the autumn leaves were beginning to put on their tints of yellow and all nature seemed at rest.  From these dates it will be observed that Mr. Williams was in his sixty-fifth year at the time of his death.  He was one of a family of nine children born to Stephen R. and Jane (Hague) Williams, both of Holmes county, Ohio.  Three brothers passed on before him, but the father, aged ninety-five, the saintly mother, ninety years of age, with three sisters, Mrs. Nancy Everhard, of Wooster, Ohio; Mrs. Mary Burkett, of Bethany, Nebraska; Mrs. J. T. H. Steward, of Kilbuck, Ohio, two brothers, M. V. Williams, of Winfield, Kansas, and Olus C. Williams, of Wooster, Ohio, and his own immediate family all survive him.
     At the age of twelve years Albert B. Williams was converted to the Christian religion and united with the Disciples or Church of Christ, which church he lived to adorn and honor throughout a useful ministry.  In 1875 he graduated from Bethany College, West Virginia, and was soon ordained to preach, becoming pastor of the church at Wadsworth, Ohio.  In 1893 he became pastor of the Church of Christ at Mt. Vernon, Ohio, serving until April, 1900, when on account of failing health he was compelled to resign.  During those seven years of faithful work as pastor of this church, known as the Vine Street church, he accomplished much good as a true-hearted worker in his Master’s vineyard.  He was a practical man - a practical church worker.  He ever sought to make men better and, by his daily walk and conversation, set an example worthy of emulation.  During that period Elder Williams added two hundred and eighty persons to this church, besides one hundred and thirty to outside churches in Knox county.  He also paid off a heavy indebtedness for the church, and united fifty-three couples in marriage; also attended sixty funerals of which he had charge and preached the sermons for.  During the last ten years of his life he preached for various churches, within Knox county mostly.  He was also interested in a local insurance agency, having his office in Mt. Vernon and which was occupying his attention when he was taken ill for the last time.
     Mr. Williams was twice married.  First, on Dec. 26, 1876, he was united to Sarah Margaret Harper, a teacher in the public schools of Millersburg, Ohio, who preceded him to their future home May 12, 1890.  On Aug. 4, 1892, he was married to his second companion, Camilla Marsh.  To Mr. Williams were born three children: Ila B. Williams, now a teacher in the public schools, in Mt. Vernon, Ohio; Olus V. Williams and Mrs. W. P. Whittington.
     Mr. Williams died at his residence on McKinzie street, and his funeral was held at the Church of Christ, the following Sabbath.  The services were conducted by the pastor, Doctor Francis, assisted by Rev. W. E. Hull of the Episcopal church.  The large assemblage of people and the remarks made by the ministers all bespoke the greatness of the deceased as a faithful Christian worker, as a true citizen and as a loving father and husband.  His death was mourned throughout the entire county, and more than once has the writer of this notice heard the remark, “Elder Williams had no enemies.”   Universally respected, his work finished, the summons came to enter a higher sphere and his remains are now at rest in beautiful Mound View cemetery in Mt. Vernon.  Of such pure, even tempered lives the world has none too many to point to as examples.

Source: Past and Present of Knox County, Ohio - Vol. II - Publ. by B. F. Bowen & Company, Indianapolis, Indiana - 1912
- Page 566
  LESTER L. WILLIAMS.     The comity of Knox numbers among its citizens many skillful physicians, lawyers of state repute, well known manufacturers and business men of much more than local reputation, and she is not lacking in men who have achieved distinction in almost all callings requiring intellectual abilities of a high order, and she is proud of them, as she should be.  Among the first class mentioned Dr. Lester L. Williams, of Mt. Vernon, occupies a conspicuous place.
     Doctor Williams was born on Jan. 15, 1858, near Croton, Licking county, Ohio, on a farm, and he is the son of John W. and Sarah (Scott) Williams, both parents being of Scotch descent, the father having been born in Ohio and the mother in Pennsylvania.  About 1869 the family moved to Milford township, Knox county, where the father engaged in farming and also followed threshing grain for many years; he became well established there and was a man whom everybody respected; his death occurred in 1882, after which the widow and family moved to Mt. Vernon, where the widow and mother passed to her rest in 1905.
     Doctor Williams spent his youth on the home farm, where he assisted with the general work when not attending the district schools.  After coming to Mt. Vernon he attended the city schools and the high school for a time, but did not graduate.  Having long cherished a strong desire to study medicine, he entered the office of Doctor Robinson, a prominent physician of Mt. Vernon.  In 1879 he took the course at the Jefferson Medical College at Philadelphia, where he made a splendid record and from which he was graduated in 1882.  Soon afterwards he located at Reedtown, a village in Seneca county, Ohio, for the practice of his profession, and he remained about eight years, building up a very satisfactory and lucrative practice, when, seeking a broader field for the exercise of his talents and desiring to return home, he came back to Mt. Vernon upon the death of his old preceptor.  Doctor Robinson, and here established himself in the practice with his residence and office at the corner of Gay and Gambier streets, at which location he has remained to the present time, having built up a very large general practice and few men in the profession in this section of Ohio stand higher than he, in the estimation and confidence of the people.  He keeps well advised on the newest discoveries in the medical world and he is frequently called in consultation with other physicians on important cases throughout this locality.
     Politically, the Doctor is a Republican, but, while active and interested in public matters, he has never been an office seeker, preferring to devote his undivided attention to his profession.  Being deeply interested in educational matters, he served nine years as a member of the board of education at Mt. Vernon.  He is a member of the Masonic order and active in lodge work, being a member of the Knights Templar and the Ancient Arabic Order of. Nobles of the Mystic Shrine.

Source: Past and Present of Knox County, Ohio - Vol. II - Publ. by B. F. Bowen & Company, Indianapolis, Indiana - 1912
- Page 637
  HODGSON WILSON.   We are much indebted to England for what she has done toward our civilization, the influence she has had on our institutions, literature and material progress.  Most of us are descended from English people, our progenitors having left that country and taken up their abode in the New World some time during the past four hundred years.  They have proved to be good citizens in whatever locality they have settled, for they are, as a rule, people of clean habits, industrious and ambitious, and they are also loyal to our flag, while of course never failing to revere the Union Jack, and large numbers of them have fought in our wars.
     One of the worthy representatives of this great people is Hodgson Wilson, a farmer of Butler township, Knox county.  He was horn in England, Mar. 10, 1847.  He is the son of Walker and Jane (Hodgson) Wilson, both natives of England, where they grew up and were married, and from there they came to America in 1851, locating in Knox county, Ohio.  The elder Wilson was a farmer and he came to own about one hundred acres of land in Ohio and one hundred and sixty acres in Illinois. They reared a family of eight children, of whom three are living, Hodgson, of this sketch, Chapman and Mrs. Margaret Lipley.
     Politically, Walker Wilson was a Republican and was active in party affairs. He was born in December, 1823, and his death occurred on May 18, 1871, his widow surviving until 1878.
     Hodgson Wilson received his education in the common schools of Newcastle, Ohio, and in the school at Fostoria, Missouri.  Early in life he devoted his attention to teaching in Knox and Coshocton counties and was very successful as an educator for a number of years, but finally, tiring of the school room, he turned his attention to farming and was very successful in this vocation here and in Effingham county, Illinois.  About 1881 he bought thirty-two and one-half acres in Butler township, Knox county, though prior to this he had inherited eighty acres in Illinois.  He is now the owner of one hundred and sixty-two and one-half acres in Knox county and eighty acres in Oklahoma.  He has been very successful as a general farmer and stock man, and is well known as a breeder of Jersey cattle.
     Politically, Mr. Wilson is an independent voter, believing in progress in public affairs as well as material and social.  He has been a member of the school board and for two years has been justice of the peace, filling this office in a manner that has reflected much credit upon himself and to the satisfaction of all concerned, his decisions being characterized by a profound knowledge of the law and by fairness to all concerned. He is a member of the Grange and the Patrons of Industry.  Mr. Wilson has never married.
     On Feb. 29, 1864, Mr. Wilson proved his loyalty to his adopted country by enlisting in Company G, One Hundred and Twenty-first Ohio Volunteer Infantry, in which he served gallantly until the 30th of June, 1865.  He did a great deal of guard duty and special detail work, and was in the battle of Nashville.
Source: Past and Present of Knox County, Ohio - Vol. II - Publ. by B. F. Bowen & Company, Indianapolis, Indiana - 1912
- Page 864
  JOHN MILTON WILSON.   One of the honored native sons of Knox county is John Milton Wilson, of Wayne township, where he carries on all departments of agriculture on his excellent farm with that discretion and energy which are sure to result in a large measure of success.  While laboringc for his own well-being he has ever had the interests of his county at heart, lending such assistance as
becomes a good citizen in promulgating the civic, industrial and moral tone of the county.  His career has been one of hard work and integrity, consequently he is deserving of the respect in which he is held by everyone.
     Mr. Wilson was born on Dec. 1, 1865, on a farm near where he now resides, five miles southwest of Fredericktown.  He is the son of William and Sarah Ann (Hayes) Wilson, both natives of Wayne county, Ohio, and there they grew up, were educated and married, after which they moved to Michigan, where they remained about five years, when they moved to Wayne township, Knox county, Ohio, where they spent the remainder of their lives.  The death of the father occurred on Jan. 3,
1898, and his widow died a year later and both are buried in the cemetery at Fredericktown.  The father was a large land owner and extensive farmer and he raised great numbers of live stock which he prepared for the markets, especially sheep.  Politically, he was a Republican, but was never an office
seeker.  He was. a busy man of affairs and was influential in his community.
     Seven sons and six daughters constituted the large family of William Wilson and wife, and they are all still living except the oldest daughter, Elizabeth J., who became the wife of Alex White; Anna M. married Lewis McCurdy, of Bloomfield; Joseph R. lives in Fredericktown; Wesley Hayes, of Wayne township; William E. lives in Sparta; John Milton, of this sketch; Emma Alice, wife of William Brown, of Centerburg; Oliver D., of Centerburg; Richard B., of Wayne township; Clara M. married Samuel Myers, of Barberton, Ohio; Bertha married Clint Braydon, of Akron, Ohio; Hattie married Ray Carnes, of Newark.
     John M. Wilson was reared on the home farm and there helped with the general work when a boy, attending the district schools in the winter time, in fact, he remained at home until his marriage, on June 3, 1899, to Maud Lyon, daughter of Stephen B. and Mary (Gloyd) Lyon, of Morrow county, Ohio.  To this union one son has been born, Harold Newton.
     Since his marriage the subject has lived on the farm five miles southwest of Fredericktown, which place consists of two hundred acres of fine land, well improved and under a fine state of cultivation, and in connection with general farming he has for eighteen years been a breeder of thoroughbred Delaine sheep, raising the best for breeding purposes.  He has achieved a wide reputation as a result of his fine stock, having from time to time sent his sheep all over the country, and, owing to the superior quality of his animals, they find a very ready sale, and many of them are exported to foreign countries.  He took second prize among sixteen exhibitors of Delaine sheep at the Louisiana Purchase Exposition at St. Louis in 1904—in fact, he won second prize in all exhibits.  His flocks will average three hundred from which to draw his sales to breeders.
      Mr. Wilson is a member and one of the directors of the Delaine Merino Record Association, a national organization of breeders, and he has always taken an active interest in its deliberations.  He has exhibited at the Ohio state fair every year for twenty-five years, and in former years he has been an exhibitor at various state fairs, and has always been a prize winner from his first exhibits. He is universally regarded as one of the foremost breeders of his breeds in this section of the state.  In addition to his large sheep business, he farms on an extensive scale and in a scientific manner and he is regarded as one of the most desirable farmers in Knox county.  The picturesque family home stands on an elevation, commanding a fine view of Mile Run valley.
     Politically, Mr. Wilson is a Republican and he is always interested in public matters, but he is not an office seeker.  He is now one of the members of the Wayne township board of education.  He and his family belong to the Methodist Episcopal church.  He belongs to Wayne Grange, Patrons of Husbandry.  He stands high in the various circles of the county and is a man whom everybody likes and respects, for his integrity, industry and obliging nature.
Source: Past and Present of Knox County, Ohio - Vol. II - Publ. by B. F. Bowen & Company, Indianapolis, Indiana - 1912
- Page 710
  JESSE B. WINTERRINGER

Source: Past and Present of Knox County, Ohio - Vol. II - Publ. by B. F. Bowen & Company, Indianapolis, Indiana - 1912 - Page 835

  JOHN C. WINTERRINGER

Source: Past and Present of Knox County, Ohio - Vol. II - Publ. by B. F. Bowen & Company, Indianapolis, Indiana - 1912 - Page 835

  JOHN WOLFE

Source: Past and Present of Knox County, Ohio - Vol. II - Publ. by B. F. Bowen & Company, Indianapolis, Indiana - 1912 - Page 845

  JOHN F. WOODRUFF

Source: Past and Present of Knox County, Ohio - Vol. II - Publ. by B. F. Bowen & Company, Indianapolis, Indiana - 1912 - Page 809

  HIRAM W. WORKMAN.     Agriculture has been an honored vocation from the earliest ages and as a usual thing men of honorable and humane impulses, as well as those of energy and thrift, have been patrons of husbandry.  The free outdoor life of the farm has a decided tendency to foster and develop that independence of mind and self-reliance which characterizes true manhood, and no greater blessing can befall a boy than to be reared in close touch with nature in the healthful, life-inspiring labor of the fields.  It has always been the fruitful soil from which have sprung the moral bone and sinew of the country and the majority of our nation's great statesmen, famous warriors, renowned scholars and distinguished men of letters were born on the farm and are indebted to its early influence for the distinction which they have attained.
    
Hiram W. Workman, of Union township, Knox county, is a farmer and he comes of a family of tillers of the soil, who have been thus engaged for a livelihood for generations.  He was born on Feb. 26, 1861, in Tiverton township, Coshocton county, Ohio, the son of STEPHEN and Mary (Johnson) WORKMAN, both natives of the same vicinity in which the subject was born and there they were reared, grew to maturity and married, the father spending his entire life on the old homestead on which his birth occurred.  He farmed all his life and was a substantial and influential citizen.  Politically, he was a Democrat and adhered to the Baptist belief religiously.  His death occurred in December, 1907, having survived his wife thirty years, she having preceded him to the grave on Feb. 12, 1877, and they are both buried in the Baptist cemetery, near Tiverton Center, Coshocton county.
     Sixteen children were born to
Mr. and Mrs. STEPHEN WORKMAN, six of whom are living at this writing, four having died in infancy, and twelve grew to manhood and womanhood, namely: Hiram W., of this sketch; Robert W. lives in Holmes county, Ohio; Elizabeth married William R. Parsons, of Holmes county; Emma married Charles Englehart, of Howard township; Allen Thurman lives in Holmes county, and Asa is a resident of Orville, Wayne county.
     Hiram W. Workman was reared on the home farm and there worked in the summer months as soon as he was old enough, attending the public schools in the winter time.  He remained under his parental roof-tree until he was married, on Nov. 17, 1881, to Alice Singer, daughter of John and Ellen (Prost) Singer, the mother having died when Mrs. Workman was an infant.  The father is now a resident of the state of Idaho.
     Three children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Workman, named as follows: Sadie, who married Earl Ackert, of Tiverton township, Coshocton county; Grover C. is at home assisting with the work on the place; Walter is deceased.
     Hiram W. Workman began farming on the home place in Tiverton township, Coshocton county, and in 1886 he came to Union township, Knox county, locating one mile west of Cavilla, where he is the owner of eighty acres of good land which he farms and on which he raises live stock and feeds considerable stock each year.
     Politically, Mr. Workman is a Democrat and he has always been an active party man.  He was assessor of Union township for two years.  His popularity in his home community is shown by the fact that this is a strong Republican district and that he was elected on the Democratic ticket.  He has also served as a member of the township board of education for several years, and he has been a frequent delegate to party conventions where he has always made his influence felt for the good of the community which he represents and the party in general.

Source: Past and Present of Knox County, Ohio - Vol. II - Publ. by B. F. Bowen & Company, Indianapolis, Indiana - 1912
- Page 590
  JOSEPH WORKMAN - See Lyman Workman
Source: Past and Present of Knox County, Ohio - Vol. II - Publ. by B. F. Bowen & Company, Indianapolis, Indiana - 1912
- Page 572
  LYMAN WORKMAN.     Among those who first braved the wilds of Knox county when the Indians were still here and wild animals were everyday sights in the dense woods, was the progenitor of Lyman Workman, well known carpenter and builder of Brown township.  At the time all of southern Ohio was an almost unbroken wilderness, with a general covering of heavy timber, but here and there interspersed with small open tracts or prairies.  When the first Workman arrived here the wigwams of different tribes of red men dotted the banks of every stream in the country.  They fished and hunted and always brought in many kinds of game they killed.  JOSEPH WORKMAN, the subject’s paternal grandfather, came from Maryland with his family in 1812, leaving his home in company with other emigrants for Ohio, but while enroute he was drafted for service in the war of 1812, thus, leaving his family and teams, he returned to Maryland, secured a substitute, later rejoining his family and proceeded to Ohio.  He first settled in Union township, south of Danville, Knox county, there entering one hundred and sixty acres of land from the government.  This was wholly in the deep woods and the trees and brush had to be cleared off before a crop could be raised.  Here he erected a log cabin and began to experience the hard work and privations of the life of a first settler.  But there were many pleasures in the woods for all that,  pleasure of rearing his large family being not the least, for in such environment a happy household may be established easier than in the midst of populous surroundings, for reasons too evident to recite here.  There were eight sons and six daughters in Joseph Workman’s family, a remarkable thing about this large family being that they all grew to manhood and womanhood and lived useful lives.  Here the parents, Joseph and Sarah Workman, spent the balance of their lives, becoming leaders in Union and adjoining townships, known for their integrity and hospitality, Joseph Workman dying at the age of sixty-six years, his widow surviving to quite an old age.
     Joseph Workman, Jr., father of Lyman Workman, the immediate subject of this sketch, was the first child of this large family to be born after coming to Knox county.  He grew up amid pioneer conditions and worked hard on the home place, in fact, he devoted his life to farming, married Christine Ross, who was born in Beaver county, Pennsylvania, from which the Ross family came to Knox county, Ohio, about 1835.
     To Joseph, Jr., and Christine (Ross) Workman four sons and two daughters were born to grow to maturity, others dying in infancy; those who survived were Elizabeth, now Mrs. Irvin Armstrong; Solomon R., of Brown township, this county; Lyman, of this review; Marilla married Jobe Grant, of Pike township; Channing lives in Seattle, Washington.  The parents of these children are both deceased, the father having died in August, 1881, and the mother at an earlier date, in October, 1864.
     Lyman Workman, of this sketch, was born in Brown township, Knox county, Ohio, on July 16, 1845, on the home farm four miles north of Danville, and there he grew to manhood, assisting with the general work about the place, and he received his education in the common schools during the time that he was not assisting with the crops on the farm.  He was married on Nov. 15, 1874, to Victoria Vincent, daughter of S. M. and Rosanna (Lybarger) Vincent, a highly respected family of Brown township, this county, and this union has resulted in the birth of four children, namely: William V. is married and lives on the home farm; Myrtle is now Mrs. Albert J. Young, of Akron, Ohio; Samuel J. lives in Brown township, this county; Charles is single and is living at home.
     Early in life Lyman Workman learned the carpenter's trade and this he has followed to the present time, being one of the most efficient and popular carpenters and builders of this part of the county.  Most of the best farm residences and large barns, also many public buildings in this locality, stand as monuments to his skill as a builder.  He is one of the busiest contractors in the county.  He also has a farm four miles north of Danville, where he has always resided, overseeing the operation of the same, which is a valuable, productive and well improved place, and here he has a substantial and pleas ant home.
     Politically, Mr. Workman is a Democrat and he has long manifested an interest in public affairs.  Something of the confidence in which he is held by the people of his community may be seen from the fact that he served as trustee of Brown township for a period of twenty years.  He was also a member of the township school board for many years.  His friends have frequently urged his candidacy for county commissioner, but he has persistently refused.  He is a progressive citizen, favoring all legitimate public improvements in so far as they are consistent to the public good.
Source: Past and Present of Knox County, Ohio - Vol. II - Publ. by B. F. Bowen & Company, Indianapolis, Indiana - 1912 - Page 671
  STEPHEN WORKMAN - See Hiram W. Workman
Source: Past and Present of Knox County, Ohio - Vol. II - Publ. by B. F. Bowen & Company, Indianapolis, Indiana - 1912
- Page 590
  BURR A. WYANT

Source: Past and Present of Knox County, Ohio - Vol. II - Publ. by B. F. Bowen & Company, Indianapolis, Indiana - 1912 - Page 885

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