(RETURN TO THE TITLE PAGE) 300 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. lent itself to the feverish uncertainties of office-seeking and general politics. He was a Mason fraternally, and was connected with innumerable efforts for the general upbuilding of his native town. GEORGE W. PICKERING, M. D. The noble profession of the physician and surgeon affords to the students in these branches of science a never failing source of investigation and experiment. New remedial agents are constantly being discovered and practically applied in therapeutics; wonderful progress is being made in the domain of surgery; and new methods of treatment are being evolved. It is needless to say that the physician who would keep in touch with the advances made must be a close student of his profession, devoting much time and thought to specific reading and investigation, in addition to meeting the practical demands placed upon him by the work of his chosen vocation. In the noble army of workers in this humane field may be found Dr. Pickering, who is one of the representative members of the medical profession in Champaign county and whose success indicates his personal popularity and his ability in his profession, with which he is thoroughly en rapport, sparing no pains to keep abreast of the advanced thought and knowledge pertaining thereto. The Doctor is a sterling type of the self-made man, to whom our republic points with just satisfaction and pride, and his is the strength and prestige which is begotten only of definite personal effort. Dr. Pickering is .a native son of the Old Dominion state, that cradle of much of our national history, having been born in Rockingham county, Virginia, on the 1st of July, 1859, the seventh in order of birth of the CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 301 nine children of Richard and Jeanette (Smith) Pickering, both of whom were likewise born in Virginia, where the death of the former occurred soon after the close of the Civil war, while the latter passed away March 12, 1900. Richard Pickering was a farmer by occupation, and his son, the Doctor, grew up under the sturdy discipline of the homestead, receiving his preliminary education in the schools of his native state and early beginning to contribute his quota to the work of the farm. As his father died when he was a mere child, the Doctor early became dependent upon his own resources, and upon attaining the age of nineteen years left his native state and came to Urbana, Ohio, where he continued his studies in the high school until he became qualified for pedagogic work, being a successful teacher in the country' schools of this section for five terms, within a period of three years. In the meanwhile he had formulated decisive plans as to his vocation in life, having determined to prepare himself for the profession. of medicine. He began his technical reading in the office and under the preceptorship of Dr. William J. Sullivan, of Urbana, and in order to properly fortify himself for his chosen work then entered Starling Medical College, in the city of Columbus, where he was matriculated in the year 1883, completing the prescribed course in this celebrated institution, where he was graduated, with the coveted degree of Doctor of Medicine, as a member of the class of 1886. Dr. Pickering instituted the practical work of his profession by locating in the village of Eris, Champaign county, where he remained for a period of nine years, securing precedence as a devoted and capable physician and surgeon. In seeking a wider field of endeavor he then came to Urbana, where he has ever since been established in a practice of representative character and where he has gained still further precedence in his chosen life work. He is a member of the Champaign County Medical Society and takes a lively interest in its affairs, while 302 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. he is a close and receptive student of the best medical literature and thus keeps fully in touch with the advances made in the various branches of this most exacting of all professions. In April, 1901, the Doctor was appointed a member of the board of examining surgeons for pensions in his county, and is rendering efficient and faithful service in this capacity. In politics he exercises his franchise in support of the principles and policies of the Democratic party and fraternally he is identified with the local lodge of the Improved Order of Red Men, and Harvey Lodge, A. F. & A. M. On the 5th of March, 1886, Dr. Pickering was united in marriage to Miss Jennie Rinaker, who was born in Champaign county, the daughter of Simeon Rinaker, and they have two daughters,—Jeanette and Helen, aged fifteen and nine, respectively. PETER BLACK. In the best development of Champaign county Peter Black bore an important part. He was identified with the agricultural interests of this section of the state from pioneer days and while promoting the material welfare of the community also gave an active and liberal support to those measures which tended to advance its intellectual and moral status. His life was filled with good deeds and kindly thoughts, and all who knew him entertained for him the highest regard, by reason of his upright, honorable life. Mr. Black was horn in Wayne township, Champaign county, May 14, 1828. His father, Peter Black, Sr., was of German descent and was born in Pennsylvania, but he became one of the early pioneers of Champaign county, Ohio, taking up his abode in Wayne township. He fol- CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 305: lowed the tilling of the soil as a life occupation. His .wife, whose maiden name was Mary Hughes, was also a member of a prominent old family of this county, her father, Abram Hughes, having located here in a very early day. Of their seven children Mr. Black, of this review, was the sixth child in order of birth, and he was reared and educated in Wayne township, and when but a boy he began the active battle of life for himself alone and unaided. On the 9th of March, 1851, he was united in marriage to Catherine Felger, who was born in Westmoreland county, Pennsylvania, July 27, 1832. Her father, Samuel Felger, also claimed that locality as the place of his nativity, but as early as 1834 came to the Buckeye state, locating in Allen county, where he resided on a farm until 184o, and -in that year took up his abode in Henry county, Iowa, where he passed away in death in 1892. For his wife lie chose Lucretia Trout, and she, too, was a native of Pennsylvania of French descent, her parents having emigrated to the United States and located in the Keystone state. Of the nine children, five daughters and four sons, born unto Mr. and Mrs. Felger, Mrs. Black is the eldest. She was reared in Allen county, Ohio, and in Henry county, Iowa, and in the latter place, in 185o, gave her hand in marriage to Mr. Black. They began their married life on a farm in Wayne township, Champaign county, but five years later they removed to Henry county, Iowa, where they made their home for a year and a half. Returning thence to Champaign county, they located on the farm on which Mrs. Black now resides, consisting of one hundred and ninety-eight acres. Since her husbands death she has given a careful supervision to the property and is an excellent business woman. By their thrift and economy they succeeded in gaining a competence for old age, and at one time they owned as high as eight hundred and seventy acres of land. 'Together they worked very successfully. In any business transactions of importance he always consulted his wife and well he did, as her business ability has been well tried since he passed away. 306 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. Nine children came to brighten and bless the home of our subject and wife, but one died in infancy, the others being Samuel, Freemont, Henry E., Granville, M. Lucretia, the wife of William Berry ; Emma, deceased; Charles B.; and Cora, who died in 1896. The living children are all married and have good homes of their own. Mr. Black spent his last days at his pleasant home in Wayne township, and there closed his eyes- in death in 1899. A prominent representative of industrial interests, a popular factor in social life, a faithful friend, a kind husband and father and a consistent Christian, he left behind him an untarnished record. THOMAS DENTON CROW. That adverse conditions build up the strong and break down the weak is a truism emphasized in the life of Thomas Denton Crow, lawyer, educator, and erstwhile man of affairs of Urbana and Champaign county. Though at present retired from the strenuous activity which has characterized a well directed career, and a serene spectator of the prosperity of which he has been a developing force, no more convincing example is available for those who are discouraged and beset with limitations, of the possible preponderance of mind and determination over obstacles however great or deterring. A native son of Ohio, Mr. Crow was born in Harrison township,. Champaign county, October 21, 1821, and comes of paternal German and maternal New England descent. His father, Joseph Crow, was born in Virginia, October 1, 1790, while his mother, Marita (Hull) Crow, was born January 4, 1796. The parents were married in 1813, and thereafter settled on a farm in Harrison township, of which the paternal grandfather Crow had been a very early settler. Joseph Crow was a CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 307 man of more than ordinary intelligence and education, and a devoted member of the Methodist church, in which he was a class leader and exhorter. His death in 1825 left to the care of his widow one daughter and four sons, over whose irresponsible youth the shadows of loneliness and unhappiness were doomed to fall. A desire to further the interests of her children induced the mother to remarry the following year, and through a union with Joseph Longfellow, an old resident of Concord township, she hoped to relieve the financial and general depression under which they were laboring. This marriage proved something of a disappointment to one of the noblest of pioneer mothers, who lives in the memory of her children as one who possessed unusual faithfulness and piety, and whose death, August 2, 1864, closed an existence crowded with toil and deprivation. Six children were born of the second union, but the futility of her sacrifice must have embittered her heart at the beginning of her life with Joseph Longfellow, for one of her first husband's children was sent away at once, and two others soon followed them to exile from her care and tenderness. Thomas D. became a bound boy on the farm when eight years of age, and during the five years of hardship which followed, experienced little of the joy and expectancy of youth. The school privileges stipulated in the contract were ignored altogether, and it was with a sense of loosened chains that his release came at the end of the allotted time. Henceforth he was at least free, and the world lay before him full of chances to be seized by his strong arms and intellect and courageous young heart. Foremost in his thought was the desire for an education, and as the money left him by his father had disappeared under the management of his step-father, he was obliged to plan a combination of work and study in order to meet the expense of tuition. At the age of fourteen he began to learn the trade of tailoring at Urbana, and while thus employed for several years occupied his leisure in acquiring the desired knowledge. So studious 308 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. was he that at the age of eighteen he had qualified as a teacher, and at nineteen he entered the Ohio Conference High School, at Springfield, and met his current expenses by teaching during vacation, doing janitor work and performing such other tasks as yielded needed remuneration. By the practice of the most rigid economy, and a large portion of the time subsisting on brown bread and water, he was able; at the end of four years, to pass the preparatory examination required of students at. Augusta College. Here again his tact and resourcefulness were truly surprising, for though he entered the institution somewhat in debt, at the time of graduation in 1846 he was not only out of debt but had saved four hundred dollars out of his salary as principal of the preparatory department of his Alma Mater. On his return to Urbana Mr. Crow found the Ohio Conference of the Methodist Episcopal church in session at Piqua, and into this body of enthusiastic workers he was admitted as a member, and subsequently filled several important charges. For two years he was a member of the faculty of the Ohio Wesleyan University, at Delaware, Ohio, and by 186o had determined to devote his career to the practice of law. The following year he graduated in April from the Cincinnati Law School, and thereafter practiced for two years in Monticello, Indiana. In the meantime the pressing need of his stricken country had not fallen on unconscious ears, for he had been busily engaged in raising troops for the Union army, and would himself have enlisted had it not been for his three motherless children. The year 1864 found him again in Urbana working up a law practice, and the next year his enthusiastic advocacy of education found an outlet as superintendent of public schools of Urbana. For a number of years he served as county examiner, and from 1869 until 1872 he was chief clerk and acting state commissioner of schools, and temporarily resided at Columbus, Ohio. After the completion of this responsibility Mr. Crow returned to Urbana, and not until, CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 309 a few years ago did he terminate a vigorous and capable professional career, his retirement being actuated by a compelling need of rest. Thrice married, the union of Mr. Crow in 1847 with Henrietta Downs, who died in 'Cincinnati in 1858, resulted in four sons and one daughter. Of his second marriage there was one (laughter, and in 1868 he married Mrs. Eliza M. Crabill, nee Hedges. Since the organization of the party Mr. Crow has allied his political fortunes with Republican principles and issues, and has stanchly supported the same in city and county. Innumerable enterprises for the general upbuilding of the community have received his practical support and been benefited by his far-sighted council, for few can more fully realize the benefit of progressive measures when backed by wise conservatism. Out of a life containing much of success as well as grief and misfortune he has evolved philosophies optimistic and helpful in the extreme, and the city is fortunate in the possession of a citizen who has so deftly fashioned harmony out of discord and so unfalteringly based his actions upon the' principles of truth and humanity. ROBERT HENDERSON, M. D. Dr. Henderson is a most skillful and successful physician of Urbana and is a popular and highly respected citizen. He was born in Parkersburg, West Virginia, March 22, 1851, and is a son of Richard H. and Anna Maria (Shanklin) Henderson, both of whom were natives of the Old Dominion. The Doctor was reared in his native town (luring the greater parwith his youth, but for a time resided w:th his parents in Wheeling and in the schools of those two cities he acquired his literary education. one ofining to devote his attention to one.of the09 16 310 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. most important and valuable professions to which man can give his attention—the alleviation of human suffering—he began the study of medicine while clerking in Parkersburg and afterward matriculated in the College of Physicians and Surgeons, of Baltimore, Maryland, being graduated in that institution with the class of 1878. The Doctor then located in West Virginia, where he remained for only a brief period, and then took up his abode in New Moorefield, Clark county, Ohio, where he retained his residence until the fall of 1884, when he came to Urbana, having since remained continuously in this city. He is a member of the Champaign County Medical Society, the Ohio State Medical Society and the American Medical Association. The interchange of thought and knowledge and the importance of investigation and experiment, given in these organizations, have enabled him to keep in constant touch with the progress that is continually advancing the practice of medicine toward perfection. In 1875 the Doctor was united in marriage to Miss Elizabeth S. Thomas, of Point Pleasant, West Virginia. They have two children, Richard T. and Helen, the latter yet in school. The son was born in Parkersburg, West Virginia, in 1878, and after attending the public schools of Urbana, entered the Urbana University. He studied medicine under the direction of his father, was graduated in the Starling Medical College of Columbus in the spring of 'goo, and has since been associated with his father in practice, the firm having a large and lucrative patronage. Dr. Henderson of this review is an active Democrat, unfaltering in his Advocacy of the party principles and during President Cleveland's second administration he served as a member of the pension board. Fraternally he is a Master Mason, but he has never sought political or fraternal honors, preferring to give his attention in an undivided manner to his professional duties, which are steadily increasing. CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 311 JOHN H. YOUNG. During many years of his lifetime John H. Young was one of the conspicuous characters of Champaign county, prominent because of his activity in public affairs, and respected and esteemed for his many excellent traits of character. He was born in Franklin, Warren county, Ohio, September 15, 1813, a son of General Robert Young, a native of Dauphin county, Pennsylvania. General Young settled in Warren county. Ohio, in 1796, and won his rank as an officer in the war of 1812. He subsequently located in Piqua, Miami county, Ohio, of which town he was a pioneer, and prominent citizen and attorney. A masterful grasp of his profession, and an intelligent understanding of the needs and conditions by which he was surrounded resulted in his call to many positions of trust and responsibility, among them, being that of state senator. When fifteen years of age John H. Young began business life in a printing office, but soon after entered Oxford College, from which he was graduated in 1835. He soon after read law with General Israel. Hamilton, of Urbana, and was admitted to the bar in 1837, his rise in his profession being almost instantaneous. He married in 1838 with Elizabeth J., daughter of Joseph White, a pioneer of Ohio, and afterward a resident of Urbana. Of this union there were born three children, viz.: Frances, widow of the late Hon. Frank Chance, of Urbana; Carrie, wife of M. E. Barber; and Robert, a resident of Urbana. Mr. Young was admitted to practice at the bar of the United States courts of Ohio in 1844, and the same year was the unsuccessful Democratic candidate for congress, his opponent being ex-Governor Joseph Vance. Some years after he was again a candidate for congress, but though defeated by Moses B. Corwin, his popularity on both occasions may be inferred from the fact that he always ran far ahead of his party 312 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. ticket. He was a member of the Ohio constitutional convention of 1873, and took a prominent part in the debates and deliberations of that august body, being a member of three of the most important committees, and chairman of the committee on amendments. On several occasions he was presidential elector, and held many local offices devolving on men of known character and ability. During the war of the Rebellion he was an active supporter of the government, and favored all measures tending to the vigorous prosecution of the war. For many years he was president of the National Bank, and his ceaseless but conservative activity penetrated many grooves of business and professional interest. He was a member of the Presbyterian church, and his character was builded on the principles of truth and justice. SIMON W. WHITMORE. Of the pioneer families which have materially contributed to the prosperity of Champaign county, and particularly to that of Mad River township is the one represented by S. W. Whitmore. They have ever been peaceful, law-abiding citizens, industrious, just and conscientious in all their transactions, and their name and record is still untarnished. violin 'Whitmore, the grandfather of our subject, was born in Rockingham county, Virginia, March 4, 1776. In 1802. however, he left his southern home for the Buckeye state, locating on the farm on which our subject now resides, and here his death occurred on the 17th of September, 185e. He was a soldier in the war of 1812. His wife. Elizabeth Pencel Whitmore was also a native of the Old Dominion. her birth occurring; on the 8th of February, 1777, and she reached the age of inure than three score years and ten. CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 315 Jacob Whitmore, their son and the father of our subject, was born in the old family home in Virginia, but when only two years of age, in 1802, was brought by his parents to Champaign county, Ohio. He was here married to Catherine Zimmerman, who was born in this county 'December 20, 1807, and their wedding was celebrated on the 24th of March, 1826. Her father, George Zimmerman, came from Virginia, the state of his birth, to Champaign county, Ohio, when but a boy. He was one of the first to follow the blacksmith's trade in the county, and lie also erected and operated a sawmill, known as the Zimmerman mill. His death occurred about 1845. The Whitmore family is of German descent, the paternal great-grandfather of our subject having emigrated to America from that country, and on his arrival here he took tip his abode in Shenandoah county, Virginia. The maternal great-grandfather was also a native of the fatherland. The marriage of Jacob and Catherine (Zimmerman) Whitmore resulted in the birth of seven children, five daughters and two sons, as follows : Eliza Jane, deceased ; Barbara A., the wife of Charles Dagger, a prominent farmer of ConcJ township, Champaign county; Sarah jJ., the wife of Mathew Barger, a prominent business man of Concord township; Elizabeth, the wife of Leonard Barger, who is living retired in Johnson township, this county; Simon W., of this review; Joseph M., who died at the age of four years; and one, the twin of Barbara, who died in infancy. The father of this family passed away in death on his old home farm in Mad River township on the 17th of September, 185o, and his wife was called to her final rest when she had reached the age of eighty-four years. Simon W. Whitmore, whose name introduces this review, was born on the old homestead farm in this county on the 16th of May, 1835, and during his youth enjoyed the educational advantages afforded by the primitive log school house of the neighborhood, which he was permitted to attend about five months during the year, while for a time he was a- 315 316 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. a student in the subscription schools. Remaining with his parents until his marriage, he then located on a tract of sixty acres in Concord township, but two years later returned to this locality, and with the exception of the time there spent he has continually made his home in Mad River township. After his return here he located on his father's old homestead, and after the latter's death purchased the interests of the remaining heirs, thus becoming the owner of one hundred and sixty acres of land. About 1872 he disposed of this property and purchased the old homestead which his grandfather had located on first coming to the county, about 18o2, and here he now owns one hundred and ninety-seven acres of rich and productive land. His life has been well spent, and in business affairs he has been rewarded by a well merited competence. December 25, 1860, Mr. Whitmore was united in marriage to Elizabeth Wiant, who was born in Mad River township, Champaign county, November 7, 1840, a daughter of Brightbury and Jerusha (Ward) Wiant, prominent early settlers of the locality. Mrs. Whitmore's grandfather, John Wiant, was one of the first tanners in Champaign county. He was born in Virginia and died in Mad River township, this county, at about seventy-five years of age. Five children have been born unto the union of Simon and Elizabeth (Wiant) Whitmore, three daughters and two sons, as follows: Sylvia Ida, the wife of Ross Wiant, a prominent farmer of Champaign county, and they have three living children,—Warren, Brightbury and Simon Marley. Minnie Ulva is the wife of Daniel S. Sibert, of Newton county, Missouri, and they are the parents of three children,—Grace, Jenefer and Frank W. Samuel B. W. married Ora E. Neff and resides on the old homestead. They have one son, Simon Joe. Dottie M. is the wife of William Gumpert, of Concord township, and has two children,--Lillian E. and Harold Whitmore. Harry D. A. is still at home with his parents. CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 317 Since attaining to mature years Mr. Whitmore has given his political support to the Democracy, and although he is at all times a public-spirited and progressive citizen he has never sought or desired the emoluments of public office, preferring to give his undivided time to his business interests. He is one of the valued members of the Myrtle Tree Baptist church. His sterling worth commands the respect and confidence of all, and he is one of the valued members of his native county. JAMES B. JOHNSON. Labor, honorable and well directed, has long since been granted its proper place in the plans of the world, and it is the busy man who assumes leadership in all affairs. His fidelity to the duties by which his business is carried on is that by which he is judged by his fellow men, and the verdict is rendered in accordance with his accomplished purposes. In this sense Mr. Johnson has won the commendation and respect of all with whom he has come in contact. Dependent upon his own resources from an early age, he has led a busy and useful life and by his own efforts, has worked his way steadily upward, achieving a position of prominence and independence ere he had attained the prime of life. He has ever had the highest respect for the dignity of honest toil and endeavor, being mindful of the steps by which he has personally risen, and his executive ability has been quickened by his varied experiences, through which there has been no vacillation of purpose and through which he has shown that elemental strength and self-reliance which have made for worthy success and gained to him unqualified confidence and regard. He is now numbered among the representative citizens and business men of Urbana, whose people have manifested their appreciation of his eligi- 318 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. bility by twice electing him to the chief executive office of the municipal government, in which he is now serving his second term, having made a record as one of the most able and popular mayors the city has ever had and giving an economical and thoroughly btisiness-like administration. James B. Johnson was born in Kansas City, Missouri, on the 9th of April, 186o, being the son of Alfred and Anna M. (Thorn) Johnson, the former of whom was born in Warren county, Ohio, and the latter in Dutchess county, New York, of English lineage. They now maintain their home in the city of Richmond, Indiana, the father being a beloved and devoted minister of the Society of Friends, of which he is a. birthright member. Of his eight children three are deceased. The parents of our subject removed from Kansas City to Wilmington, Clinton county, Ohio, when he was an infant, and there he was reared to the age of sixteen years, having received such educational advantages as were afforded by the public schools. At the age noted Mr. Johnson gave inception to his independent career, securing a position as newsboy for the Union News Company and running on trains out of the city of Indianapolis, Indiana. Later he was employed in a dairy at Friends-wood, sixteen miles distant from that city, in Hendricks county, and his next occupation was as a conductor on the Indianapolis street car lines owned by Hon. Thomas Johnson, of Cleveland. From Indianapolis he made his way to St. Louis, where he was employed for a time as driver on street cars and later operated the passenger elevator in the Planters Hotel, in the meanwhile putting his leisure hours to good use by attending night school. Ever alert to improve his position, we next find the young man installed in charge of the livery and carriage agency in the Southern Hotel, the other leading caravansary of the Missouri metropolis. Finally, in 188o, when twenty years of age, Mr. Johnson secured the position as.messenger in that well known financial institu- CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 319 Lion, the Chase National Bank, of New York City, where he remained four years, being advanced to the position of clearing house clerk of the bank. He left this position to accept that of secretary to the treasurer of the Erie railroad and in 1886 went to western Kansas, where for two years he was identified with the real-estate and banking business, while in 1887 he was incumbent of the office of mayor of Scott City, that state. In 1888 he returned to New York City, where he remained two years in the employ of W. H. Fletcher & Company, importers and manufacturers of lace curtains. Thereafter he passed two years in the city of Philadelphia, and in 1890 came to Urbana, where he accepted a position as traveling salesman for the wholesale grocery house of the W. H. Marvin Company. He continued to represent this house through its trade territory until 1897, when he was elected mayor of Urbana and in addition to assuming his official duties also engaged in the retail furniture and house-furnishing business, utilizing the old Marvin headquarters, where he continued operations until October, 19o1, when he removed to his present finely equipped and eligibly located quarters, at 119 North Main street, where he has built up a large and flourishing business, receiving a representative patronage and commanding the confidence of the local public by his careful and honorable methods and unvarying courtesy. His administration of municipal affairs was such as to gain for him marked popular endorsement, leading to his re-election in 190o, and he is still incumbent of this office. Fraternally Mr. Johnson is prominently identified with the Masonic order, in which he has completed the round of the York Rite, being a membeD, of Raper Commandery, Knights Templar, and also holding prestige as a noble of Antioch Temple of the Mystic Shrine, at Dayton, while he is also identified with the Benevolent Protective Order of Elks, the Knights of Pythias, the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, and the United Commercial Travelers. In his political proclivities Mr. Johnson is an ardent 320 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. advocate of the principles and policies of the Republican party, and his religious faith is that of the Protestant Episcopal church, he and his wife being communicants of the Church of the Epiphany, while both take an active interest in the general and parochial work of the church. On the 3rd of September, 189o, Mr. Johnson was united in marriage to Miss Anna W. Marvin, daughter of William H. Marvin, president of the wholesale grocery company which bears his name and known as one of the representative citizens of Urbana and the state. Mr. and Mrs. Johnson have three children,—Loretta, Marvin and Elizabeth. FRANK CHANCE. The judicial history of Champaign county and of this portion of the state of Ohio would be incomplete without mention of the Hon. Frank Chance. If biography is the home aspect of history, as Wilmot has expressed it, it is certainly within the province of this volume to make record of the life and deeds of those whose work has helped to shape public policy and to mold the minds of men in lines leading to its substantial progress and improvement. Such a one was Frank Chance, a man of scholarly attainments, of keen discernment, of loyalty in citizenship and of untarnished honor. He was born in Champaign county, Ohio, and acquired his early education in the district schools near Westville, while later he became a student in the high school at Urbana and subsequently continued his studies in the Miami University at Oxford, Ohio. In the fall of 1860 he entered upon the study of law in the office of General John H. Young, of Urbana, but when the country became involved in Civil war he put aside all personal consideration that he might assist in preserving the CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 321 Union intact. Hardly had the smoke of Fort Sumter's guns cleared away' when on the uth of April, i86I, he became a private of Company D, Thirteenth Ohio Volunteer Infantry, being honorably discharged on the 22nd of August of the same year, on the expiration of his term. In May, 1862, however, he re-enlisted in response to the call for troops to serve for three years, and joined the boys in blue of the Eighty-sixth Ohio Volunteer Infantry. His comrades chose him as first lieutenant and he proved a loyal advocate of the old flag. When his military service was over, Mr. Chance took up the study of law in Cincinnati and on the 4th of May, 1863, was admitted to the bar by the district court of Hamilton county, but his country was still engaged in warfare and on the 23rd of November, 1863, he entered the naval service as acting master's mate and was in the memorable and disastrous Red River expedition. On the 25th of June, 1864, he resigned and in 'the fall of the same year became a member of the law firm of Young. Leedom & Chance. Subsequently he was appointed solicitor for the Pittsburg, Columbus, Chicago & St. Louis Railroad Company and acted in that capacity up to the time of his death. He was also a well known factor in financial circles and was one of the charter members of the Third National Bank, to the presidency of which he was chosen on the i2th of January, 1892. Upon the reorganization of the institution as the National Bank of Urbana, he was continued in the presidency and remained at the head until his life's labors ended. He was hardly more than a boy when he became connected with the Third National and soon afterward entered upon the presidency, but in the discharge of his duties displayed marked capability, keen foresight and financial power. He was also the president of the Urbana Electric Light & Power Company and was identified with several other business enterprises in this city. Perhaps Mr. Chance was best known, however, in connection with 322 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. the practice of law, and in the proceedings of a memorial meeting, held by the Champaign Bar Association to take action upon his death, is found the following: "As a lawyer he was studious, industrious and methodical; possessed of a logical mind, by his industry and studious habits he became a lawyer of more than ordinary ability. He believed in the dignity and the authority of the court, the supremacy of the law, and always conducted himself in accordance with his belief. It mattered not how bitter the contest, he always treated the opposing counsel with proper courtesy, and had a clue regard for the feelings and rights of all persons connected with the trial. Both in the trial and settlement of cases he was an example of fairness, dignity and courtesy, worthy of imitation. He was true to his client, but never played the part of pettifogger. He always labored for his clients according to his rights, the facts and the law as he understood them. "During the past few years of his life disease preyed upon him, and at times his suffering was great, and vet through it all he was a model of patience and gentleness. By reason of the foregoing and his many other estimable qualities of heart and mind not mentioned, we realize that in his death our loss is great, and we shall ever revere his memory. While our loss is great, yet deeper and greater is the loss to his beloved family, and we hereby extend to the widow and children our deepest sympathy." Mr. Chance was married October 14, 1865, to Frances Sarah Young, a daughter of General Young, a distinguished and honored resident of Champaign county. Her father died in November, 1895, while her mother passed away on the 3oth of January, 1892. Both were devoted Christian people, the former belonging to the Presbyterian churth and the latter to the MethodiSt Episcopal church. The marriage of Mr. and Mrs. Chance was blessed with three daughters : Carrie G., now CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 323 the wife of Clark Gregg, of Denver, Colorado; Blanche and Edith. Thq Chance homestead was a very happy home and the spirit of comradeship existed between father and daughters as well as between wife and husband. Mr. Chance gave his political support to the Democracy and strongly advocated its principles. His was an upright manhood, one that subordinated personal ambition to public good. In speaking of him, one of the local papers said: "Colonel Chance was an able lawyer—but more than this, he was one who brought to his splendid professional character a charm of polish and broad culture which commanded the admiration of friend and opponent alike. His career was an inspiration to the bar of which he was a member, and its record now adorns Champaign county history with that of those distingushed ones who have given. the legal profession of this state its high standing. In all his estates, in family, profession and community, his life was an example, the loss of which is sincerely and deeply felt." EVAN P. MIDDLETON. Evan P. Middleton., who is now serving as judge of the court of common pleas of Champaign county, has long occupied a position of distinction at the bar of Urbana. He was born on his father's farm in Wayne township, April 19, 1854, his parents being John and Mary (McCumber) Middleton. In tracing the lineage of the Middleton family it is ascertained that the ancestors of colonial times were of South Carolina. The family is of English origin, but because of long residence and frequent intermarriages with persons of other nationality, the stock may be said to have become a modern American composite. In colonial days the early ancestors of the family in America were prominent in the 324 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. agitation for liberty which led to the Revolutionary war. Arthur Middleton, one of the ancestors, was a member of congress from South Carolina and a signer of the Declaration of Independence. Members of the family went to Virginia from South Carolina and the paternal grandparents of our subject were natives of Fairfax county, Virginia. They came to Ohio in 1810 and setled in Brown county, near Georgetown. The grandfather served in the war of 1812. He was a civil engineer and surveyor and assisted in surveying and establishing the county lines of Pike, Brown, Adams and other counties in the southern part of Ohio. His occupation was that of a farmer and with his family he removed to Champaign county, settling upon a tract of land, which he continued to cultivate throughout the years of his active business career, and when he had put aside farm labors he still made his home upon that place, passing away there at the age of ninety-five years, while his wife reached the advanced age of ninety-three years. They had passed the seventieth anniversary of their wedded life before, either of them died. John Middleton, his son and the father of our subject, devoted his life to agricultural pursuits and died in 1881 of pneumonia, at the age of sixty years on his farm in Wayne township. His birth had occurred in Brown county, Ohio, and his entire life was passed in this state. He wedded Mary McCumber, who was born in the Empire state and died at the age of seventy-eight years, her death occurring in the village of Cable, near the old homestead in 1894. She was of Scotch and German parentage, her father having been of Scotch lineage, while her mother's ancestors came from. Germany. By her marriage Mrs. Middleton had seven sons and three daughters, of whom two sons died in infancy. William West served three years and more in the Civil wall, in Company E, Ninety-fifth Ohio Volunteer Infantry, and died in 1897 from trouble due to his army service. Lucinda J. is the wife of Charles CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 325 R. Sanders, of Springfield, Ohio. Cornelia A. married H. M. Durnell, of East Monroe, Ohio. John W. is a resident of Union county, Ohio. Staten E. is a resident farmer of Champaign county. Evan P. is the subject of this sketch. Arthur N., who died in 1889, was a lawyer of unusual ability, for ten years the law partner of his brother, Evan. P. lie served two terms as city solicitor for Urbana and won for himself a state reputation as a municipal corporation lawyer, and was an active Republican politician. Mary Elizabeth is the wife of C. N. Dodson, a farmer of Champaign county. Abner H. is engaged in the practice of medicine in Cable, Ohio; and Milton C. is an agriculturist residing in Union county, Ohio. Evan P. Middleton acquired his early education in the country schools of Wayne township, where he was reared upon his father's farm. At the age of seventeen he entered the high school of Urbana, there continuing his studies for about a year. When eighteen years of age he began teaching and followed that profession for eight years. During this period he and his brother, Arthur N., kept up a course of literary and classical studies under the direction of a private tutor, studying the higher branches of mathematics and Latin classics, as well as English literature. During the last two and one-half years of this course they devoted their time to the study of law also, under the preceptorship of the late General John H. Young. In 1878 they were admitted to the bar before the supreme court of Ohio at Columbus, and the following year the brothers opened a law office in Urbana, thus entering upon the practice of law together under the firm name of Middleton & Middleton. This relation was continued harmoniously until the death of Arthur N. Middleton in 1889. Evan P. Middleton was elected prosecuting attorney of Champaign county in 1883, and re-elected in 1886, serving in the office for six years with credit to himself and satisfaction. to his constituents. In 1891 he 326 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. was appointed by the supreme court and served for one year as a mem, ber of the board of examiners of the law school of Cincinnati. He became a candidate for nomination by the Republicans for congress in the eighth congressional district against the Hon. A. Lybrand, re-presentative from that district, at the end of his second term in 1898, and in that convention received the solid support of the delegates from Champaign and Hardin counties and from a majority of the delegates from Logan county, but the support was not sufficient to nominate hint. He has always been a Republican and has taken an active part as a campaign speaker in furthering the interests of his party for many years. He served one year on the Republican state central committee from his congressional district and four years as chairman of the Champaign county Republican executive committee. In 1900 he was unanimously nominated for state senator by the Republicans of the eleventh district, composed of the counties of Champaign, Clark and Madison, and was elected in November by an unusual majority. While in the senate he served as chairman of the committee on state buildings and was a mem ber of the committees on judiciary, county affairs, common schools and school lands, insurance, federal relations and privileges and elections.. On the 6th of September, 1901, Governor George K. Nash appointed him to fill the vacancy occasioned by the resignation of the Hon. C. B. Heiserman as judge of the court of common pleas for the second sub-division of the second judicial district, to accept which he resigned the office of state senator. In the Republican convention he was unanimously nominated for election to the office of judge of the court of common pleas and on the 5th of November, 1901, was chosen by popular suffrage for the office, so that he is the present incumbent. Judge Middleton was married on the 29th of December, 1875, to Miss Zeppa Rippetoe, daughter of William and Martha (Farmer) Rippetoe, the former a native of Virginia and the latter of Kentucky, for years highly respectable residents of Champaign county. Mrs. Mid- CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 327 dleton was born in Wayne township, this county, December 14, 1854, and died at her home, over which she so gracefully presided in Urbana, on the 3d of November, 1901, leaving three children: Lucy Edith, the wife of A. Jay Miller, an attorney of Bellefontaine, Ohio; William R. and George S. Mrs. Middleton was an active member of the First Presbyterian church of Urbana and a lady of many admirable accomplishments. As an attorney at law Judge Middleton has long ranked with the most successful. He secured his education unaided by friends or family and has always been a close and earnest student. As a speaker he is gifted and as an advocate he is strong and persuasive,—on. the bench is distinguished by the highest legal ability. To wear the ermine worthily it is not enough that one possess legal acumen, is learned in the principles of jurisprudence, familiar with precedents and thoroughly honest. Many men, even when acting uprightly, are wholly unable to divest themselves of prejudice and are unconsciously warped in their judgments by their .own mental characteristics or educational peculiarities. This unconscious and variable disturbing force enters more or less into the judgments of all men, but in the ideal jurist this factor becomes so small as not to be discernible in results and loses its potency as a disturbing force. Judge Middleton is exceptionally free from all judicial bias. His varied legal learning and wide experience in the courts, the patient care with which he ascertains all the facts bearing upon every case which comes before him, gives his decisions a solidity and an exhaustiveness to which no members of the bar could take exception. GEORGE M. EICHELBERGER. The above named gentleman is actively connected with a profession which has important bearing upon the progress and stable prosperity of any section or community, and one which has long been con- 17 328 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. sidered as conserving the public welfare by furthering the ends of justice and maintaining individual rights. His reputation as a lawyer has been won through earnest, honest labor, and his standing at the bar is a merited tribute to his ability. He now has a very large practice, and his careful preparation of cases is supplemented by a power of argument and a forceful presentation of his points in the court room, so that he never fails to impress court or jury, and seldom fails to gain the verdict desired. Mr. Eichelberger was born in Montgomery, Ohio, December 16, 1843, and is a son of Joseph E. and Mary (Maley) Eichelberger. His father was born in Washington county, Maryland, near Hagerstown, December 16, 1816, and was a son of John and Catherine (Zimmerman) Eichelberger, the former born in Martinsburg, Virginia, and the latter near Frederick City, in Frederick county, Maryland. The Eichelberger family is of German lineage and was established in America in colonial days. The great-grandfather of our subject served as a soldier in the Revolutionary war, rendering valiant aid in the struggle for independence. In the year 1824 John Eichelberger, the grandfather of our subject, became a resident of Ohio, settling on a farm a half mile from Germantown, in Montgomery county. He was a miller and followed his -.trade throughout the greater part of his life. He died in 1846 when about sixty-five years of age, and his wife passed away in 1868 at the age of ninety-three. In their family were eight children: Henrietta, Samuel, William and Daniel, all now deceased; Henry, of Dayton, Ohio; Joseph E.; John and Susanna have also passed away. Their son, Joseph E. Eichelberger, the father of our subject, in the year 1843, married Mary Eliza. Maley, who was born in Urbana and was a daughter of the Rev. George W. Maley, a leading Methodist minister, who engaged in preaching the gospel in southwestern Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana. They CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 329 were the parents of eight children: George M., of this review; Edwin S., deceased; Alonzo, who died at the age of three years; William A., who has passed away; Joseph F., also deceased; Isabella, of New York, the wife of Edgar M. Ward, an artist of wide reputation.; Katie, deceased; and Robert A., who also won distinction: as an artist, but who has now passed away, having died at the age of twenty-nine. In the year 1853, the father of this family became a resident of Miami county, Ohio, where he followed farming and also engaged in the grain business. In 1864 he came to Champaign county and built a warehouse, where he successfully conducted a grain trade for a long period, but is now living retired, having put aside business cares about twelve years ago. He still owns farm lands and this returns to him a good income. He is a member of the Methodist Episcopal church and is now eighty-five years of age. George M. Eichelberger, whose name introduces this review, acquired his rudimentary education in the common' schools and afterward attended the high school at Piqua, while later he pursued his studies in Cincinnati. In 186o he entered the Ohio Wesleyan University at Delaware and from the recitation room went to the army, joining Company C, Eighty-sixth Ohio Volunteer Infantry. He enlisted in May, 1862, was made corporal and served for three months, after which he returned to 'college and resumed his studies, receiving a diploma of graduation from the Ohio Wesleyan University in June, 1864. In May of the same year he again volunteered and re-enlisted in. Company F, One Hundred and Forty-seventh Ohio Volunteer Infantry, and at the close of his term of service he came to Urbana, to which place his parents had removed in the meantime. Here he and Mr. W. R. Warnock became fellow students of the law under Judge Ichabod Corwin. They were admitted to the bar in 1866, entering into partnership relations, and began the practice of law, which they continued together for ten years, when 330 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. Mr. Warnock was elected common pleas judge. In 1871 Mr. Eichelberger was elected county prosecuting attorney, in which position he served for four years with success. On the 17th of October, 1872, Mr. Eichelberger was united in marriage to Miss Emma Ring, a daughter of Hamilton Ring, of Urbana, and their living children are as follows : George H., the eldest, is a prominent and rising young attorney of Cleveland, Ohio, who served for two years as United States marshal of the consular court at Shanghai, China, but resigned the position to enter upon the practice of law ; Frederick Benteen, the second member of the family, is assistant chief in the agricultural division of the Census Bureau; Susie, who married Jerome P. Zerbe, of Cleveland, Ohio; and Frank and Robert, who are at home. Mr. Eichelberger is a charter member of the W. A. Brand Post, No. 107, G. A. R. In politics he has always been a stanch and active Republican and was a delegate to the Republican national convention of 1884, supporting James G. Blaine for the presidency. He was again a delegate to the national convention in 1896. He served as chairman of the executive county committee for many years and his oratorical ability has been greatly sought in campaign work, his addresses being eloquent, logical interesting and convincing. As a lawyer he has obtained a foremost position at the Urbana bar, his skill and ability placing him. among those who have long since left the ranks of the many to stand among the successful few. EDWARD B. GAUMER. It is with particular pleasure and satisfaction that we turn attention to the life history of the honored citizen of Urbana whose name initiates this paragraph, for not only has he been for many years prominently identified with the industrial activities of the city, being now the only CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 333 resident of the place who has been consecutively in business here from the time when he founded his enterprise—nearly a half century ago—so that his is the distinction of being the oldest business man in the city ; but in addition to this circumstance stands the record of an honorable and prolific life and a genealogical history which bespeaks long identification with the annals of the nation, the Gaumer family having been founded in Pennsylvania prior to the war of the Revolution. The original American ancestor in the agnatic line was Johannes Dietrich Gaumer, who was one of a company of about fifty emigrants who came from Wurtemberg, Germany, to the United States in the year 1720, locating in Pennsylvania, whither they had fled to escape religious persecution in their native land, all being of the Lutheran faith. Edward Benjamin Gaumer, the immediate subject of this sketch, was born in Macungie, Lehigh county, Pennsylvania, on the 3oth of August, 1827, the son of Charles and Lucy Ann (Snyder) Gaumer. Charles Gaumer was a son of Frederick and Sallie (Desch) Gaumer, the latter of whom was a daughter of Adam Desch, who carne from Wurtemberg, Germany, and located in Pennsylvania, where he purchased a tract of land, on the 23d of September, 1788. He and his wife, Gertrude, had two sons and four daughters, namely : Jacob, Philip, Catherine, Elizabeth, Mary and Sallie. Lucy Ann Snyder, the mother of our subject, was born in Pennsylvania, the daughter of Peter and Sophia (Friend) Snyder, the former of whom was a son of Peter and Dorothy Snyder, of Lehigh county, Pennsylvania. In the various generations the families have clung to the faith of the Lutheran church and have represented the most sterling manhood and womanhood. Charles and Lucy. Ann (Snyder) Gaumer became the parents of six children, namely: Edward B., the immediate subject of this sketch; Sarah Ann, James Aaron and Charles Madison, who are deceased; and Josephine Clarissa and Sophia. The father was a tailor by trade and 334 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. vocation, and both he and hiswife passed their entire lives in the Keystone state. Edward B. Gaumer was reared in his native town, where his educational advantages were somewhat limited in scope, and there he served an apprenticeship of three years at the trade of carriage-making, after. which, at the age of nineteen years, he left home and went to Reading, Pennsylvania, where he was employed as a journeyman at his trade for a period of about five years. Thereafter he was located about a year in Philadelphia, returning thence to Reading for a time and then coming to Marshallville, Wayne county, Ohio, the home of one of his aunts. Thence he went to Wooster, where he was employed for a time in making hoppers for threshing machines, after which he made his way on foot to Zanesville, the hardships encountered while en route being such that he was incapacitated for active work for six weeks after his arrival in the town mentioned. There he was employed at his trade for nearly a year and then passed an equal period in similar occupation in the city of Columbus. From the capital of the state he came to Urbana, arriving on the 1st of March, 1854. By industry and economy he had accumulated a small financial reserve, and this proved adequate to enable him to engage in business on his own responsibility. He associated himself with William Warren in the purchase of a carriage shop in Urbana, and the firm of Warren & Gaumer thereafter con-. tinued in business until the death of the senior member, in 189o, when the firm of E. B. Gaumer & Sons was organized and has since continued the enterprise, which has grown to one of no inconsiderable scope and importance, involving the manufacture of all varieties of light vehicles, sleighs, etc. The factory is well equipped and its products are of the highest degree of excellence, being built upon honor and invariably showing the best workmanship and finish. This is the oldest manufacturing concern in the city, and its history has been one CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 335 characterized by progressive methods and indubitable integrity on the part of the interested principals, while the venerable founder of the enterprise, still strong and vigorous, is well known throughout this section of the state and is honored and esteemed by all who know him. Mr. Gaumer has always been an uncompromising Republican in his political views, but has never consented to serve in any public office. He has been a lifelong member of the Lutheran church and upon his entire career rests no shadow of wrong or suspicion of equivocation in any of the relations of life, his sturdy honesty of purpose being a dominating characteristic. He has given close attention to his business and has not been denied a clue measure of success nor the reward of public respect and good will. On the 13th of March, 1856. Mr. Gaumer was united in marriage to Miss Hannah Hamman, who was born in Lehigh county, Pennsylvania, on the 28th of January; 1825, and who proved to him a devoted wife and true helpmeet, her gentle and noble character endearing her to all with whom she came in contact, while her memory remains as a benediction resting upon those who were nearest and dearest to her. She was summoned into eternal rest on the r7th of August, 1896, having been a devoted member of the Lutheran church. Mr. and Mrs. Gaumer became the parents of five children, all of whom are living except Mary Lucy, who died in childhood. The survivors are Augustus H., George E., Alice L. and C. Blanche. Augustus H. Gaumer was born in Urbana on the 18th of December, 1856, completed his education in the high school of his native city, where he was graduated as a member of the class of 1874, and during his business career has been identified with the enterprise established by his father nearly a half century ago. In 1884 he was united in marriage to Miss Cyrena Johnson, of Urbana, and they have two daughters,—Josephine A. and Keran J. 336 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. George E. Gaurner, who is likewise associated with his father in business, was boon in Urbana on the 25th of January, 1861, and was graduated in the local high school in 1879.. In 1897 was solemnized his marriage to Miss Martha Kunath, who was born in Neustadt, Germany. They have two children,--Edward K. and Agnes H. The two daughters of our subject still abide beneath the paternal roof, and the old home is a center of generous hospitality. THOMAS H. BERRY. Thomas H. Berry was born January 5, 1820, in Urbana, and was a son of Judge E. C. Berry, one of the most prominent and leading factors in the early history of Champaign county. Thomas H. Berry spent his entire life in the city of his nativity with the exception of three years passed in Chicago and in Danville, Illinois. Throughout his connection with the business interests here he was largely engaged in the grocery trade. It is said that his characteristics in childhood were obedience and a tractable spirit which could always be influenced by reasonable methods. As a man he was upright and honest in all business relations, was kind, loving and considerate as a father in the household and helpful as a friend and neighbor. In matters of citizenship he was loyal and trustworthy, and for nineteen years served as town. ship treasurer, proving a worthy custodian of the public finances. His death occurred November 9, 1879, and his many excellent qualities had so endeared him to his family, however, and made him such a worthy factor in business circles that his loss was deeply felt throughout the entire community. On the 1st of May, 1846, Thomas H. Berry was united in mar- CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 339 riage to Luxima Hughes, a daughter of James R. Hughes, of Oxford, Ohio, who was a son of the first Presbyterian minister of Champaign county and the first principal of Miami University, at Oxford, Ohio. The lady was born in that city, June 8, 1826, and now resides in Urbana. By her marriage she became the mother of seven children; One daughter, Mary Larnme ; Thomas C., who is connected with the grocery trade of this city; James H. and Harry M., both of Wichita, Kansas; William E., who is assistant cashier in the National Bank of Urbana ; Charles J., of California ; and Lou B., who is an insurance agent of Urbana. The father was a consistent member of the Presbyterian church for nearly thirty years and took an active interest in its work and in all that extended its influence. His life was capable; his honor unimpeached, and his integrity unquestioned. THOMAS C. BERRY. Thomas C. Berry was born in Urbana January 27, 1849, and in the schools of this city pursued his education, whereby he was fitted for life's practical and responsible duties. When quite a young man he entered his father's grocery store and thus became familiar with commercial methods. Later he was admitted to a partnership in the enterprise, becoming a member of the firm in 187o, when twenty-one years of age, under the name of T. H. Berry & Son. As the years passed more and more of the management and control of the business devolved upon him, and upon his father's death he succeeded to the enterprise as sole proprietor, but retains the firm name of T. H. Berry's Son, out of respect for his father, who established the business. He has a large grocery house in which he carries a full and complete line of staple and 340 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. fancy groceries and his business has assumed extensive proportions, so that his trade is now gratifying and profitable. In 1874 occurred the marriage of Mr. Berry and Miss Eudora Vance, granddaughter of Governor James C. Vance, and unto them have been born two children: Bertha, the wife of Frank McCracken, of Urbana; and Bessie, now Mrs. George McCracken, Both Mr. and Mrs. Berry hold membership in the Presbyterian church. He is an earnest adherent of Republican principles and for twenty years has been township treasurer, a fact which indicates unmistakably the confidence and trust reposed in him. Although he entered upon a business already established, many a man of less resolute principles would not have succeeded in carrying forward the undertaking. In all trade transactions, however, he has shown keen discernment, unfaltering energy and honesty which is beyond question, and his career proves that success is not a matter of genius, but the outcome of labor and experience. WILLIAM F. RING. The subject of this review, who is one of the representative members of the bar of Champaign county, is one whose ancestral history traces back to the colonial epoch of the nation and to that period which marked the inception of the greatest republic the world has ever known. The family is of stanch Swedish extraction, the original American ancestor having located in Maryland, where many of his descendants are still to he found and where the name has been one of no slight prominence in the public and private affairs of that commonwealth. Though William F. Ring has passed the greater portion of his life in Ohio, he is a native of the sunny southland, having been born in the CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 341 city of Natchez, Mississippi, on the 27th of June, 1858, the son of Dr.. Hamilton and Susan- (Whitelock) Ring, both of whom were born in Maryland, where they were reared and educated, their marriage being solemnized in the city of Baltimore. The paternal grandfather of our subject was David Ring, who bore the full patronymic of his father, David, Sr., and both were born in Maryland, thus giving assurance that the family there had its foundation in an early day. Prior to the war of the Rebellion the father of our subject removed from Maryland to Urbana, Ohio, where he was engaged in the practice of his profession for several years, after which he removed -to Mississippi, locating in the city of Natchez, whence he later removed to Port Gibson, where he was located during the war. He then returned to Urbana, where he was actively engaged in the practice of medicine until 1884, when he suffered a stroke of paralysis, from the effects of which he died, at the age of sixty-two years. He was a physician of marked ability, controlled a representative practice and was uniformly loved and honored for his noble character and intrinsic kindliness. His widow still maintains her home in Urbana, as do her four children, namely: Emma, who is the. wife of George M. Eichelberger; Dr. Charles F., who is here engaged in the practice of medicine; Elizabeth C., who remains with her mother; and William F., the immediate subject of this review. William F. Ring secured his preliminary educational discipline in the south, where he passed his boyhood days, and thereafter continued his studies in the Urbana public schools and the Urbana University, which institution he entered in 1872, completing the prescribed course and being graduated as a member of the class of 1879. In January of the following year he became deputy clerk in the office of the probate judge, retaining this incumbency until October of the following year, when he resigned the position in -order to begin the work of preparing himself for the profession of law, which he had determined to adopt as 342 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. his vocation in life. He was duly matriculated in the Cincinnati College of Law and was there graduated in May, 1882, simultaneously securing admission to the bar of the state. He returned to Urbana and entered upon the practice of his profession, his novitiate being of practically brief duration, since his talents, devotion and energy soon gained him recognition. He is a strong advocate, presenting no case until he has thoroughly summed up the salient points and prepared himself to meet all exigencies, while as a counsel he is safe and conservative. His knowledge of the science of jurisprudence is broad and accurate, and he has won distinction and prestige in his chosen profession. In his political allegiance Mr. Ring is found stanchly arrayed with the Republican party, and though he takes a proper interest in public affairs he has believed his profession worthy of his entire time and best efforts and has never been a seeker for political preferment. He is secretary of the Home Loan Company, fraternally is identified with the Masonic order and the Knights of Pythias, in which latter he has passed the various official chairs, and his religious faith is that of the Swedenborgian church, in which he was reared. On the 15th of June, 1882, Mr. Ring was united in marriage to .Miss Luella Magrew, of Champaign county, and they have two children,---Gertrude M. and Hamilton M. E. ERWOOD CHENEY. judge. Cheney is a native of Champaign county, his birth having occurred in Goshen township, July 2, 1861, his parents being James Henry and Beatrice S. (Tullis) Cheney. His father, also a native of this county, is now residing in Mechanicsburg, and was a son of Jona- CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 343 than Cheney, one of the honored pioneer settlers of this portion of the state. The family name is of French origin and was originally spelled Chene, meaning "oak." The mother of our subject was born, in this county, and her father, Ezra Carter Tullis, was also a native of Champaign county, while his grandfather, Ezra Tullis, was born in Virginia. The father of our subject was a farmer, following that pursuit until his retirement from active business. Thus upon the home farm our subject spent the first fourteen years of his "life and then accompanied his parents on their removal to Mechanicsburg. He is the eldest of four children, the others being Brooke, who died July 2, 1890, leaving a widow, who is now deceased, and one child; Lizzie Rachel, who is the wife of Marion L. Burnham, of London, Ohio; and William Henry, at home. Judge Cheney is indebted to the public school system of this state for the early educational privileges which he enjoyed. He is a graduate of the Ohio Wesleyan University at Delaware, having completed the classical course in 1883, while in 1885 he was graduated in the Cincinnati Law School and was admitted to the bar on the 25th of May of that year. He began practicing in Urbana in 1888, having previous to this time been engaged in settling up the business of the Mechanicsburg Machine Company, while for fifteen months he acted as manager for its successor, W. C. Downey & Company, who have since removed to Springfield, Ohio. After entering upon the practice of law Judge Cheney became a partner of C. B. Heiseman, the relation between them being maintained for five years. In the fall of 1896 our subject was elected probate judge, entering upon the duties of the office February 9, 1897. When two years had passed he was re-elected, so that he is the present incumbent. His legal learning, his analytical mind, the readiness with which he grasps the points in an argument, all combine to make him one of the most capable jurists of this court. and the public 344 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. and the profession acknowledge him the peer of any mind that has ever sat upon this bench. In 1888 Judge Cheney was married to Miss Cora. M. Burnham, of Madison county, Ohio, a lady of superior culture and refinement, who was graduated from the Ohio Wesleyan University in 1884. They have two daughters. Helen and Ruth. Fraternally the Judge is a Knight Templar Mason and also belongs to the Mystic Shrine at Dayton. He has passed all of the chairs in the chapter, lodge and commandery, and his life exemplifies the beneficent spirit of the craft. He holds membership in the First Methodist Episcopal church and is serving as one of its trustees. Honored and respected in every class of society, he has for some time been a leader in thought and action in the public life of Champaign county, and his name is inscribed high on the roll of its leading citizens. MICHAEL GALLIGHER. Michael Galligher was born in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, January 16, 1831, a son of Michael and Henrietta (Lutz) Galligher. The father was born in Millers, Lancaster county, Pennsylvania, and was a son of Michael Galligher, Sr., whose birth occurred in Ireland and who took up his abode in Lancaster county as a pioneer settler, spending his remaining days there. By occupation he was a farmer and in his family were the following named children: John; Daniel; Samuel; Hugh; Michael; Mary and Elizabeth. Michael Galligher, the father of our subject, was the eldest son and was born and reared in Lancaster county. Excellent educational privileges were afforded him and he was graduated in the old Pennsylvania University. Subsequently he studied law in an office in Harris- CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 345 burg with the elder Ellmaker, a noted jurist of that place, and after his admission to the bar engaged in the practice of his profession in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. It was in that city that he was married; later he removed to Pittsburg and afterward to York, Pennsylvania. His wife was born in Baltimore, Maryland, of German parentage. Mr. Galligher died in York, November 16, 1863, at the age of seventy-seven years, and his wife passed away in the same city, March 7, 1850, at the age of forty-two years. Their children were. Caroline, now deceased, Michael, Hen rietta, William, Joseph and Samuel, all of whom have passed away except the subject of this sketch. The father gave his political support to the Whig party until its dissolution, when he joined, the ranks of the new Republican party. In religious faith he was a Roman Catholic, while his wife belonged to the Lutheran church. Michael Galligher, whose name introduces this record, spent the first years of his life in Kittaning, Pennsylvania, to which place his parents removed when he was about a year old, going thence to York, when he was a youth of fifteen years. His early education was obtained in the Kittaning Academy and he afterward pursued. a classical course under a private tutor at Yolk. Later he began reading law under the direction of his father and at the age of twenty-nine years he responded to President Lincoln's first call for troops in the defense of the Union, going on the 25th, of April, 1861, as a member of Company H, Sixteenth Pennsylvania Volunteers. Upon the organization of the company he was elected first lieutenant, and served until July 31, 1861, when he received an honorable discharge by reason of the expiration of his term of enlistment. During that period the command was compelled to cross the Potomac river six times, wading in water up to their necks. Mr. Galligher caught a severe cold and was afterward troubled with hemorrhage of the lungs. Later, however, he assisted in raising the One Hundred and Forty-seventh Pennsylvania Regiment, but about the 346 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. time the organization was effected his ill-health was manifested in the way mentioned and on account of his physical disability he was compelled to resign from further military service, otherwise he would have been elected major. He had been commissioned captain to recruit for the service, with the understanding that he would be major of the organization recruited. He is now a member of the Grand Army of the Republic and also of the military order of the Loyal Legion, being connected with the commandery of Ohio. In 1864 Mr. Galligher came to Urbana and engaged in merchandising, conducting a dry goods store until 1878, with fair success. He had been admitted to the bar in 1868, but by the advice of his physician turned his attention to merchandising, the doctor believing it would prove more beneficial to his health than the practice of law, but commercial pursuits were not entirely to his taste. He had been admitted to the bar in York, Pennsylvania. and ten years later was admitted to prat; tice in the courts of Ohio. In 1866 he was elected a justice of the peace and served for one term, when finding that his official duties interfered with the private practice of law, he declined a further election. In 1878, however, he was again chosen to that position and has continued in it up to the present time, being chosen by popular suffrage at each election. his decisions are ever marked by impartiality and fairness and he has won the confidence of the people. He has likewise attended to his private law practice and has prosecuted many pension and other claims against the United States government. The Major was married on the 13th of December, 1883, to Adelia E. Wicker, and they have a pleasant and hospitable home in Urbana, where their circle of friends is extensive. They hold membership in the Methodist Episcopal church and the Major is a very prominent Mason, belonging to Harmony Lodge, No. 8, F. & A. M., Urbana Chapter, No. 34, R. & A. M., Urbana Council, R. & S. M., Draper Com- CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 347 mandery No. 19, K. T., and has taken the thirty-second degree of the Scottish Rite, belonging to the Ohio Consistory at Cincinnati. He has been worshipful master of the lodge, high priest of the chapter and twice illustrious master of the council. In politics he has ever been an active Republican, having firm faith in the principles of the party, and doing everything in his power to promote its growth and secure its success. He was a delegate to the convention that nominated John C. Fremont in 1856 and has been a consistent Republican ever since, always taking an active interest in all public matters. DANIEL J. HULL. Champaign county figures as one of the most attractive, progressive and prosperous divisions of the state of Ohio, justly claiming a high order of citizenship and a spirit of enterprise which is certain to bring about steady development and marked advancement in the material up-building of the section. The county has been and is signally favored in the class of men who have controlled its affairs in official capacities,. and in this connection the subject of this review demands representation as one who has served the county faithfully and well in pOsitions. of trust and responsibility. He is now filling the office of sheriff, to which he was elected on the Republican ticket by the vote of his fellow townsmen. Mr. Hull was born on a farm in Union township, Champaign county, May N., 1859, his parents, George and Mary Ann (Stout) Hull, both being natives of York county, Pennsylvania, where they were reared and married. In 1851 they 'came to this county and settled in Mechanicsburg, but about two years afterward removed to. Salem town- 18 348 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. ship and subsequently to Union township, where their remaining days were passed. The father carried on agricultural pursuits, but was a blacksmith by trade and followed that occupation for a half century, abandoning it on account of failing eyesight. He met with a fair degree of success in business and bore the reputation of an honest and reliable man. In his political views he was a Republican, but never sought or desired office. Both he and his wife were devoted and consistent members of the Methodist Episcopal church. Her death occurred December 26, 1879, at the age of fifty-nine years, and the father long surviving her passed away at the age of eighty-four years and twenty-. :four days, on the 21st of July, 1901. In their family were nine children, but three of the number died in infancy. Those still living are: Louise C., the wife of John Sigman, of Mutual, Ohio; Dr. William H., of Kokomo, Indiana; Jesse E., of Gallatin, Missouri; George C., of Cushing, Payne county, Oklahoma; Daniel J.; and Winfield S., of Okmulgee, Indian Territory. On the old family homestead Daniel J. Hull remained until twenty-one years of age. He was educated in the public schools and in the Northwestern Ohio Normal University at Ada, Ohio. On attaining his majority he entered the United States railway mail service on the Pittsburg, Fort Wayne & Chicago Railroad, being thus employed for three years. He afterward became a traveling salesman, representing the firth of Hackedorn, Baxter & Company, wholesale cracker manufacturers of Lima, Ohio. Later he was with the firm of Lewis, Fox & Company, of Fort Wayne, Indiana, wholesale cracker bakers and confectioners. Subsequently he represented the Standard Oil Company, for twelve nears traveling in western Ohio from the lake to the Ohio river, and left the road when he went into public office. He was a popular and successful traveling- man, known for his reliability in business and liked for his genial and courteous manner. CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 349 On the 31st of January, 1884, Mr. Hull was united in marriage to Miss Jennie C. Slechter, of Ada, Ohio, and unto them were born the following children : Harry B.; Claudine; Gladys, a bright and interesting child, who died at the of nine years; Dean; and Elizabeth Louise. Mr. Hull has always been a stalwart Republican, doing all in his power to promote the growth and insure the success of his party. For several years he served as a member of the county central committee and was twice elected its chairman. He was never a candidate for public office until 1900, when his name was placed on the Republican ticket as the nominee for sheriff. Being elected, he entered upon the duties of the office, January 7, 1901, and is now filling the position most creditably. He is a member of Harmony Lodge, No. 8, F. & A. M.; Urbana Chapter, R. A. M.; and is identified with Mosgrove Lodge, I. 0. 0. F.; Launcelot Lodge, No. 107, K. P.; the Junior Order of American Mechanics; and Urbana Council, No. 139, United Commercial Travelers. A man of natural ability, he has won success in business, has gained a wide acquaintance among men, who esteem him for his genuine worth, and is justly regarded as one of the representative and prominent citizens of Champaign county. SAMUEL W. HITT. It is an important public duty to honor and perpetuate as far as possible the memory of an eminent citizen one who by his blameless and honorable life and distinguished career reflected credit not only upon the city in which he made his home, but upon the state. Through such memorials as this an individual and the character of his services are kept