ROBERT FRANKLIN BARTLETT.—Ralph Waldo Emerson has said that "The true history of a state or nation is told in the lives of its people." It is probable that no one will take issue with this and thus is apparent the value of a work of the character of the "History of Morrow County," for it is purposed that in its genealogical department be published true and authentic reviews of the lives and achievements of those good and worthy citizens who have been builders of this great commonwealth. With Robert Franklin Bartlett is presented as one of Morrow county's most prominent and well esteemed citizens, one of the seniors of the legal fraternity as well as patriot who enlisted his services in the cause which he believed to be just at the time of the great civil strife which disrupted the country, and he shed his blood on Southern battlefields.
Robert Franklin Bartlett is a genial, cordial, scholarly gentleman of the so-called old school, a man of fine character, venerated by all. Everywhere known for his upright, honorable Christian life, his influence is one of the most valuable and beneficent in the community and no praise from the biographer can add to the honor which he enjoys. The fine old Buckeye state has furnished her full quota of brilliant men who have reached an exalted place in the affairs of the nation and Morrow county puts forth Mr. Bartlett as a part of her offering to the galaxy He is a native son of the country, his birth having occurred April 8, 1840, in Mt. Gilead, and he is the second in order of birth in a family of nine children, five of whom were sons and four daughters. Three sons and one daughter survive, and Mr. Bartlett is the eldest of this number. The parents were Abner M. and Sarah (Nickols) Bartlett. Concerning the surviving members of the family the following data are entered. Juliaette is the widow of John B. Gatchell and resides in Pomona, California. Her husband served from April 20, 1861, until August 15, 1865, in the Union army and was wounded at the battle of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. She was educated in the Mt. Gilead schools and afterward taught in the county. Albert W. is likewise a resident of Pomona, California, where he is engaged in citrus culture and where he has met with success in life. The maiden name of his wife was Anna Graham and she was originally from Morrow county. Nathan H. is a citizen of Winfield, Kansas, and for a quarter of a century he has engaged in the pedagogical profession. He was educated in the Mt. Gilead schools, in Baldwin University, at Berea, Ohio, and in the normal school at Lebanon, Ohio, from which later he was
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graduated in the class of 1884. He now holds the office of principal of the schools of Burden, Kansas. His wife's name was Cora Bartlett before marriage, but they were not related.
The father of him whose name initiates this review was three times married, and the children mentioned are all of the first union. His second marriage was with Miss Eliza Annett Adams, and three of their children are living at the present time. The eldest, Fred W., is a resident of Trenton, Missouri, where he is a dealer in real estate. He received a practical education and has proved successful in life. His wife's name was Ella Cox. Annette May is the widow of Joseph. Scott, and makes her home in Spokane, Washington. She is a woman of fine capabilities and has filled a number of high positions, fuller mention of her career being made on other pages of this work.
Abner M. Bartlett traced his lineage to the English people. He was born, however, in Delaware county, Ohio, April 16, 1816, and died August 31, 1885. In early life he received a thorough training in a two-fold capacity, that of an agriculturist and a skilled mechanic. Living in pioneer days, his educational advantages naturally were meagre, but he improved his time with self conducted study and he became one of the well informed men of his day and locality. In the matter of politics he was a Jackson Democrat, and remained such until the formation of the Republican party in 1856, and he cast his vote for the first presidential nominee of that party, General John C. Fremont. He was a zealous member of the Methodist Episcopal church. His wife, Sarah Nickols Bartlett, was a native of Loudoun county, Virginia, her birth occurring there January 7, 1819, and she died March 27, 1856. Her parents were Nathan and Sarah (Thomas) Nickols and her father was of English lineage. Her maternal grandparents were Owen and Martha (Davis) Thomas, both of Welsh extraction, and both born in the state of Pennsylvania, the former on May 12, 1754. The father of Owen Thomas was David Thomas, born at London Tract, Pennsylvania, August 16, 1726. He was educated at Hopewell, New Jersey, and in Brown University, of Providence, Rhode Island, where in 1769 the degree of Master of Arts was conferred upon him. He was a Baptist minister and his ecclesiastical duties brought him to Piedmont Valley in 1765 or previous to that date. A champion of civil and religious liberty he suffered severe persecutions. He was a contemporary of Patrick Henry and Thomas Jefferson and was held by both of these patriots and statesmen in high esteem, and as their senior he was venerated by them as the friend of liberty and justice. The death of this worthy man occurred in Jessamine county, Kentucky, July 5, 1796. David Thomas was the son of David Thomas senior who left his native country, Wales, in 1700, and upon arriving in America located at Guinead, Bucks county, Pennsylvania. His son, David Jr., the preacher and
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patriot, was one of the Revolutionary heroes and through him and through Owen Thomas, his grandson, who was a soldier in the Revolution, the subject is elegible to membership in that august organization, the Sons of the American Revolution.
Robert Franklin Bartlett, the immediate subject of this review, received his elementary education in the common schools of the county, and subsequently entered the Mt. Gilead high school. It was his ambition to supplement such training as was afforded by the state, and in October, 1860, he entered the Ohio Weslyan University as a student in the literary department. Soon, however, the tocsin of war sounded and Mr. Bartlett, like so many of the Buckeye state's noble youth, responded to the call, enlisting in Company D, Ninety-sixth Ohio Volunteer Infantry, under Captain William M. Dwyer, at Mt. Gilead, Ohio. He assumed the blue August 2, 1862, and the regiment rendezvoused at Camp Delaware. The regiment, which was at first a part of the Army of Ohio, was ultimately merged with the Army of the Cumberland and placed in command of General A. J. Smith. In November, 1862, they were transferred again to the Army of the Tennessee, Thirteenth Army Corps, commanded by General U. S. Grant. At that time there were about eighty thousand men in the Thirteenth Army Corps.
On Christmas Day, 1862, General Stephen G. Burbridge's brigade, marched from Millikens Bend, Louisiana, thirty miles from Vicksburg, and advanced twenty-eight miles in a southwesterly direction, destroying the railroads and bridges for miles. The first engagement in which Mr. Bartlett participated was at Chickasaw Bayou, northwest of the city of Vicksburg, on December 28 and 29, 1863, in which the Federal army was repulsed. Probably the most important action in which he figured was that of Arkansas Post, January 11, 1863, and it was upon this occasion that he came very near to death. He was acting at this time as first sergeant of his company. The Rebels were engaged in shelling the Federals and the men were lying down to escape the shells, when one burst over Mr. Bartlett and his comrades and killed the second sergeant of Company F, B. F. High, who was just behind Mr. Bartlett. The next shell burst so closely to his head that the concussion injured his right eye and so seriously that he was completely disabled and to this day he carries such memento of the Civil war. That same afternoon the Federals captured Arkansas Post. Disabled as he was Mr. Bartlett remained with his company, and the next expedition was February 14, 1863, to Greenville, Mississippi, the regiment making a two weeks' trip with one weeks' rations, and experiencing much artillery skirmishing. Mr. Bartlett 's regithent and the Sixth Indiana were left at Perkin's Plantation on March 31st, to guard Grant's supplies and they later, on May 28, joined the investment line and assisted in preserving a
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state of seige at Vicksburg until July 4, 1863, when General Pemberton surrendered to General Grant, and of this interesting period of the war Mr. Bartlett has many entertaining incidents to relate. After the seige of Vicksburg the Thirteenth Army Corps was detached from the Army of the Tennessee and sent to join the Army of the Gulf under General Banks, leaving Vicksburg for this purpose August 25, 1863, and going by transports to New Orleans. On November 3, 1863, Mr. Bartlett was wounded in the left forearm and elbow by a gun shot, the engagement being that of Grand Coteau, Louisiana. For some weeks he carried the minie ball in his arm, but the member was finally amputated at St. James Hospital, New Orleans, December 3, 1863. On January 25, 1864, he received his honorable discharge at New Orleans, and returned to Ohio, making the journey via the Atlantic ocean to New York city and thence across country. At Grand Coteau he had his sole experience as a prisoner, but was exchanged the day after his capture. The Rebel and Federal prisoners were housed in a Southern mansion, whose mistress was a Mrs. Rogers, and no matter what uniform was worn, they were equally well cared for by the servants on her orders.
After his return to Morrow county and the pursuits of peace Mr. Bartlett for a time engaged in school teaching, acting as pedagogue for the home school in the winters of 1865 and 1866, in Sunfish district. In the spring of 1866 he assumed the office of deputy clerk in the office of Dr. James M. Briggs and he remained in such capacity until October, 1866, when he was elected clerk of courts. He succeeded himself in 1869 and again in 1872 and each time received the nomination by acclamation in the Republican convention. In 1876 Mr. Bartlett began upon the gratification of a long cherished ambition, beginning the study of the law with Thomas H. Dalrymple in 1877 and in June, 1878, was admitted to the bar. In October of the year last mentioned he removed from Mt. Gilead to Cardington and there spent sixteen and one half years in the practice of the law. In April, 1895, however, he returned to Mt. Gilead, and here resumed the practice begun here so many years before, winning recognition over a wide teritory and enjoying high prestige in his profession both among the fraternity and the laity. His gifts are of the highest character and his legal career is an ornament to the pages chronicling the history of jurisprudence in the state. He has been practically retired since 1909, but still does some office work, many of his old patrons coming to him for legal advice. His pretty hospitable home is situated upon Main street (north) and is one of the most popular abodes in the place.
Mr. Bartlett is a sound and true Republican and cast his first vote for the martyred Lincoln, and is proud of the fact that he has supported every candidate put forth by the "Grand Old Party"
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since that time. In 1865 he was elected a delegate to represent his regiment as a Republican in the State Convention. He is one of the most enthusiastic of Grand Army men and has been a delegate to the national encampment at Milwaukee in 1889, and also to the state encampments at Akron, Sandusky, Cincinnati, Zanesville and Belfountaine. He was a charter member of the James St. John Post, No. 82, Grand Army of the Republic, at Cardington, and at the present time is quartermaster of the Hurd Post, No. 114, of Mt. Gilead. He has served as post commander of both Knights of Pythias, at Mt. Gilead, and of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, No. 194, at Cardington, and in both orders he has passed all the chairs. Although reared a Methodist, both Mr. Bartlett and his wife are members of the Presbyterian church.
Mr. Bartlett wedded Miss Martha M. Miller April 8, 1867, their union occurring at her father's home near Mt. Gilead. She is the second in order of birth in a family of seven children, five sons and two daughters, born to Nehemiah and Rachael (Straw) Miller. Of the number six are still living. Elwood Miller is a resident of Portland, Oregon. His wife previous to her marriage, was Miss Harriet McCurdy. He is an honored veteran of the Civil war, having served for three years as a member of the Sixty-fifth Regiment of Ohio Volunteer Infantry. John F. is a citizen of Wisconsin, where he is engaged in railroad work. He married Philothea Bruck. Parker J., who resides near Mt. Gilead, married Miss Luzilla McCullough. William Edwin resides in Mt. Gilead and is superintendent of its electric light plant. His wife previous to her marriage was Sarah Lucretia George. Melville D. makes his home on a farm one-half mile from Cardington, and is a successful agriculturist and former teacher in the Morrow county schools. He married Miss Emma Adams. Lucinda is the widow of Lemuel H. Breese and a resident of Mt. Gilead, Ohio. Her deceased husband served three years in Company D, Ninety-sixth Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry.
Mrs. Bartlett's father was a native of Washington county, Pennsylvania, born there October 27, 1831, and he died July 5, 1902, at Mt. Gilead. He was a carpenter by trade and later in life a farmer. He received his education in the common schools and politically was first a Free Soiler and later in life a Republican. He was an elder in the Presbyterian church, as were also his father and four of his brothers. Mrs. Bartlett's paternal grandmother's name was Pamelia Harris and her father, George Harris, as well as two of his brothers, were soldiers in the battle of Monmouth in the Revolutionary war. Many a time George Harris saw the great and good Washington and he was one of the brave soldiers to whom the presence of the General gave strength to bear the ordeals of the terrible winter campaign of Valley Forge. Her paternal grandfather, Joseph, was a
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soldier in the war of 1812. For ten years Mrs. Bartlett has been a member of Mary Washington Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution, at Mansfield, Ohio. Her mother was a native of Morrow county, formerly of Knox county, her birth having occurred there December 18, 1817, and her death, July 23, 1862. She was educated in the common schools, was a strict member of the Presbyterian church, and she was known far and wide for her nobility of life. To the local public schools is Mrs. Bartlett indebted for her preliminary education and she was subsequently enrolled as a student in the Young Ladies' Seminary of Mt. Gilead, presided over by Mrs. Spalding. In young woman hood she was a successful teacher in the Morrow county schools for two years and then took up clerical work in the office of the clerk of court, of which her husband was incumbent. His eyesight was poor and for nine years she gave him excellent assistance in the duties of his office. This estimable lady plays a leading role in the many-sided life of the community. She holds Membership in the Women's Christian Temperance Union and she was one of the organizers of the Mt. Gilead Free Library Association, while at the present time being a trustee. She likewise is a valued member of the Ladies' Twentieth Century Club of Mt. Gilead. Both she and her husband are members of the Presbyterian church and are active in its good work.
Mr. and Mrs. Bartlett are the parents of one daughter, Mary Francis, the wife of William A. Jolly, one of Mt. Gilead's progressive and estimable young men, who is engaged in the retail shoe business.
SAMUEL P. GAGE, cashier of the People's Saving Bank Company, of Mt. Gilead, Ohio, was born in Morrow county, Ohio, October 2, 1850, and is a representative of one of the pioneer families of this locality. His parents, William F. and Mary J. (Price) Gage, passed the greater part of their lives in Morrow county. William F. Gage was born in Woodbridge, New Jersey, a son of Phillip and Deborah (Flood) Gage, with whom when a boy he came to Ohio and settled near Sparta, in Bennington township, Morrow county, where he grew to manhood and married. He owned one hundred and forty acres of land in Bennington township, to the cultivation and improvement of which he devoted his energies for many years, up to the time of his death, which occurred in 1898. Politically he was a Republican, radical and enthusiastic, and for years was active in local politics. He was a staunch member of the Methodist Episcopal church, as is also his widow, now eighty years of age. Her parents, John Price and wife, were natives of Pennsylvania. Of the children of William F. and Mary J. Gage we record that J. P., the eldest, is a resident of Kansas ; Samuel P., next in order of birth, is the subject of this
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sketch ; Eliza A. is the wife of William Hunt of Morrow county ; P. W. is a resident of Delaware, Ohio ; and Elsworth is engaged in railroad business at Alexander, Ohio.
Reared on his father's farm, Samuel P. Gage attended district school until he was sixteen years of age, after wihch he was a student at Galena High School and Cardington High School and later spent two years at Lebanon, Ohio, where he took a course in the National Normal University. In the meantime he taught school, beginning when he was eighteen, and by this means paid his own way while he pursued his higher studies. All told, he taught school sixty months, a part of this time being principal of a private school. And his experience as teacher added to the value of his service when he was made a member of the School Board of Mt. Gilead.
In 1873 Mr. Gage built the Central House at Marengo, Ohio, which he operated for eight years, and at the same time filled the office of township clerk. In 1881 he was elected clerk of Morrow county. He was the incumbent of this office two terms, having been re-elected, and served in all six years. Afterward, for a period of six years, he was secretary and treasurer of the Hydraulic Press Manufacturing Company. Then he engaged in banking. For eleven years he was cashier of the National Bank of Morrow County, and at the end of that time he was one of the organizers of the People's Saving Bank Company, which began business April 23, 1904, and of which he has from that date held the position of cashier. At the present writing, 1911, this bank has a deposit of two hundred thousand dollars, and its officers are as follows : Dr. W. B. Robinson, president ; W. M. Carlisle, vice president ; Dr. N. Tucker, second vice president; S. P. Gage, cashier; A. C. Duncan, assistant cashier; and Z. A. Powers, teller.
During his successful business career Mr. Gage has accumulated considerable property, including two valuable farms in Morrow county, one of two hundred and eighty acres in Gilead township and the other, four hundred and forty acres in Bennington township, and residence property at Mt. Gilead and Columbus. He and his family reside in their pleasant home on Cherry street Mt. Gilead. Mrs. Gage, formerly, Miss Alice Sherman, born April 18, 1851, is a daughter of Daniel Sherman and previous to her marriage was engaged in teaching. She and Mr. Gage were married in 1872, and they are the parents of one son, Ralph P., born January 5, 1875, who is a graduate of both the Mt. Gilead High School and Delaware College, he having received the degree of A. B. at the age of twenty-one years. He is now engaged in the practice of law at Los Angeles, California.
Like his father before him, Mr. Gage is an active and influential member of the Methodist Episcopal church. He is a member of the official board, and at the time of the building of
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the Methodist church edifice in Mt. Gilead he served as chairman of the building committee. Fraternally he is identified with Mt. Gilead Lodge, No. 169, I. 0. 0. F., and Encampment No. 59, and in the latter was a member of the board of trustees. Mr. and Mrs. Gage were charter members of the Rebekahs at Mt. Gilead, Ohio, Lodge 352. They have crossed the continent of America twice, visiting their son.
JUDGE LOUIS K. POWELL.—Independence may be cultivated to advantage, but the germ must be inborn and inbred. Some fortunate individuals possess it by inheritance and as a birthright, and they have the strongest and finest brand of it. They are not swayed by every breeze which may be wafted, but they deliberately choose their course and walk with unwavering steps toward their destination. They hold to their principles and their ideals and govern their actions accordingly, paying no attention to the names of sects or parties but closely considering the things or thoughts or policies for which they stand.
Among the foremost of this class which has influenced for advancement the communities of Morrow county stands Judge Louis K. Powell, former mayor of Mt. Gilead and probate judge and long a leading member of the bar. A native of the county, he was born February 6, 1852, son of Evan W. and Elizabeth (Everett) Powell, and was trained in the schools of Franklin township and on his father's farm, his education in these respects alternating with the seasons of summer and winter. At the age of eighteen he realized one of his strongest ambitions by entering Otterbein University, Westerville, Ohio, where he completed a regular course in 1873 and graduated with the degree of B. A. Then he engaged in teaching, but kept his eye on the goal of the law by devoting his "leisure" hours to study in the office of Olds & Dickey. In 1878 he was admitted to practice and immediately formed a partnership with T. H. Dalrymple in the office which he now occupies. Elected mayor of Mount Gilead in 1880, he conducted its public affairs with marked discretion and ability until 1884, and it was during his administration as mayor that the Short Line Railroad connecting the village with the Big Four system was constructed. From 1885 to 1891 he served the county with equal honor in the capacity of probate judge. On his retirement from the bench he resumed practice with characteristic promptness, good judgment and success. In addition to the other positions mentioned he was a member of the seventy-third General. Assembly of Ohio, and is at this writing a member of the Circuit Court for the Fifth Judicial Circuit of Ohio, having been appointed to that position by Governor Harmon to succeed Hon. Maurice H. Donahue, who was elected to the Supreme Court of Ohio at the general election of 1910. In early life and as an official Judge
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Powell supported the Republican party but has since come to believe that the independent or progressive wing of the Democratic party more nearly conforms to his political views than does the Republicanism of to-day. Thus believing, he has had no hesitancy in vigorously supporting the party of his choice.
In 1882 Judge Powell married Miss Carrie Dalrymple, the daughter of his partner, and to them have been born four children, two of whom are living; Herman D., born in 1883, and Roger K., in 1902. The former is a high school graduate and at this writing is employed with a civil engineer corps at Medford, Oregon, of which state he has become a resident.
DR. ROY L, PIERCE, a representative member of the medical profession of Mt. Gilead, Ohio, has been identified with this place since the spring of 1901.
Dr. Pierce is a native of Morrow county, Ohio, born in Chesterville, Chester township, September 15, 1868, and he belongs to a family whose residence in Ohio covers .a period of more than a hundred years. His parents, Clark and Harriet (Lyon) Pierce, both natives of Ohio, the former born in Harmony township, Morrow county, in 1830, the latter, in Knox county in 1833, were well known and highly respected in the community in which they lived ; they died within twenty-four hours of each other, and of the six children born to them the subject of this sketch is the only one now living. Clark Pierce was a Union soldier, and as a members of Company E, One Hundred and Twenty-first Ohio Regiment of Infantry, served all through the Civil war. He was a son of Zabad Pierce. Mrs. Harriet Pierce was a daughter of Daniel Lyon, who was a son of Simeon Lyon and a grandson of Abraham Lyon, the last named a captain in the Revolutionary war. Simeon Lyon, in 1805 came to Ohio from Morristown, New Jersey, and acquired title to a tract of land in the Western Reserve, which is still in possession of members of the Lyon family.
Roy L. Pierce passed his youth and early manhood at Chester-vine in his native county. After his graduation from the Chesterville High School he clerked and later taught school there Deciding to prepare himself for the medical profession, he entered the Ohio Medical University, of Columbus, Ohio, where he graduated in 1896. He began the practice of his profession as an extern of the institution, and took a post graduate course of one year In the spring of 1901 he took up his residence in Mt. Gilead, where he has since been successfully engaged in the practice of medicine. He is secretary of the Morrow County Medical Society and has membership in the Ohio State and American Medical societies.
Doctor Pierce married Miss Laura J. Rhodebeck in October, 1898. She was born in Morrow, county in 1873, and is a graduate
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of the Mt. Gilead High School. Previous to her marriage she was a music teacher. They have had two children, an infant deceased, and Harriet I, born December 1, 1904.
Fraternally the doctor is a Mason, having membership in Chester Lodge, F. and A. 1V1. He is also a member of Mt. Gilead Independent Order of Odd Fellows and of the Encampment, and has passed all the chairs, and is past grand chief patriarch. Both he and his wife are members of the Order Eastern Star, in which she has passed the chairs, and she is also a member of the Rebekah Degree, auxiliary to the I. 0. 0. F., in which she has filled all the offices. Politically the doctor affiliates with the Republican party. He served two terms as coroner. He is a genial, cordial gentleman and affable and of a cheerful, sunny nature, which are prime exponents of success in the sick chamber. He is a lover of fine horses, a bird fancier, and humane by his dog; these are some of his social characteristics.
J. W. GRIFFITH.-It has often occurred to the writer that the metropolitan press does not fully or fairly appreciate the thorough-pervading influence of the country newspapers and the faithful, able and valuable services of country journalists. While none fail to give due credit to the agricultural classes and rural communities as forming the stanchest element in economy of America's world-famed prosperity and general happiness, the fact is often ignored that no one individual has a larger voice in their affairs and is more honored as a wise adviser and strong advocate than the able and faithful editor who, although one of them in sympathies and intimate knowledge of their lives, is still a leader and an inspiration. ,When the country editor is thus adopted into the community as a strong elder brother, affectionate and yet just, and remains bound closely to all its interests from young manhood to old age, as with the Rev. J. W. Griffith, of the Morrow County Sentinel, Mount Gilead, it is an injustice indeed that the entire press of the country should not place a very large account to country jounalism in striking a balance sheet on national prosperity, national patriotism and national stability and progress in general.
Mr. Griffith is a native of Pennsylvania, and since early boyhood has developed in an atmosphere of printer's cases, presses and editorial "copy." After attaining his majority he came to Ohio to take a position with his uncle at Shelby, but the call of the printer soon drew him away from the mercantile field and he applied for a "case" at the office of the Shield and Banner, Mansfield. As there was no vacancy on that paper, he sought work in the same line elsewhere, and fortunately learned from a fellow compositor that a case was idle in the office of the Sentinel of Mount Gilead. So the weary but, persistent youth trudged to the
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county seat of the newly formed county, and was rewarded by securing the coveted work at his beloved trade. That was sixty-three years ago, and since that time the industrious, faithful and able compositor has surely risen to the position of editor and proprietor of one of the most influential and prosperous country papers in Ohio, with a substantial subscription list and a fine mechanical plant.
Quoting the words of one of Mr. Griffith's warm and appreciative fellow journalists : "Brother Griffith has never been sensational as a writer, but is always conservative and thoughtful. He never has to take back today what he published yesterday. He is loyal and true to his friends, and in conversation is entertaining, with a tinge of mirth and charming repartee."
Again, as suggesting characteristics both of editor and his paper, is the following taken from the first number of the thirty-third volume of the Sentinel: "This issue rounds to a close the thirty-second volume of the Sentinel, and on the threshold of the new year it is befitting that we should look back with our readers over the checkered path we have trod together. Thirty-two years! Could the Sentinel speak and tell us of the changes it has witnessed, the trials passed, the triumphs achieved, the friends it has seen pass away or grown gray, as it has grown strong—how the tale would enthrall our breathless attention ! But thirty-two years is not the age of gushing confession, and we cannot expect to hear of its early loves and disappointments, the frolics and vicissitudes of its youth. A generation has passed since its birth, and while its servants and friends have grown older and fonder of the ease earned by a life of toil, it has just arrived at maturity, and rejoices like a strong man to run a race.
"In public life what revolutions the Sentinel has seen. Parties have fulfilled .their mission and passed away like autumn leaves; the cause of freedom rising in the cloud of 'free soil' not larger than a man's hand, has spanned the heavens, and equal rights, casting its shadow over a weary land, has delivered that which was holy and set the oppressed free. The public life of the last thirty-two years has been eventful, charged with potencies for weal or woe to the nation, and the Sentinel, in its place and way, has borne its part without wavering and without regret; and standing now on the eve of another conflict between the old elements of antagonism it draws fresh inspiration from this birthday retrospect, and renews its faith in the policy of honesty, liberty and equal rights before the law and at the ballot box."
JAMES L. MCCAMMAN, who resides at 732 West High street, Mt. Gilead, Ohio, is well known as one of the financially substantial men of Morrow county, where he has spent his life and where his enterprising efforts and strictly honorable dealings have brought him the success he now enjoys.
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Mr. McCamman was born in Gilead township, Morrow county, Ohio, July 23, 1850, a son of John and Henrietta (Kelly) McCamman, both now deceased. In their family were five children, of whom one daughter, Alice, is now the wife of Edmund Wooley and resides in New York state. When James L. was six years of age his parents moved to the farm in Gilead township on which he was reared and which he still owns, this farm comprising a tract of two hundred and ten acres and being situated a mile and a half east of Mt. Gilead. Here his boyhood days were passed, attending district school and working on the farm, and here he continued to make his home until 1901, when he came to Mt. Gilead, since which time he has resided on West High street. For years Mr. McCamman has dealt extensively in cattle, buying by the car -load, grazing them on his broad pastures and then shipping to the markets. From time to time he has made investments, and is a stockholder and director in various enterprises.
Mr. McCamman and his wife have an only daughter, Florence, wife of Robert Ginn, of Indianapolis, Indiana. Mrs. McCamman, formerly Miss Ora V. Powell, was born and reared in Morrow county.
Politically Mr. McCamman is a Republican, though he has never been active in politics, his own personal affairs claiming the whole of his attention. He has fraternal relations with Mt. Gilead Lodge, No. 169, I. 0. 0. F., and Morrow Encampment, No. 59; also he is a member of Charles H. Hull Lodge, No. 195, K. of P., in all of which he has been honored with official position. He and his wife are prominent members of the Methodist Episcopal church of Mt. Gilead and at this writing he is one of its stewards.
JOHN C. WILLIAMSON, prosecuting attorney of Morrow county, Ohio, is a representative of one of the pioneer families of this country and was born on the old Williamson farm near Iberia April 7, 1883. John Williamson, his great-grandfather, came to Ohio as early as 1820 and established his home on a tract of land near Iberia, which has ever since remained in the. Williamson family, now being owned by the heirs of James Williamson,- the father of John C., and who died in 1892. James Williamson and his wife, Mary E. (Denman) Williamson, were the parents of six children, three sons and three daughters, namely: H. Elizabeth, teacher in high school, Edison ; Rosa A., wife of G. W. Struthers, farmer, Iberia ; Caroline J., librarian, St. Louis City Library ; James W., who wedded Miss Marion Hughes, and died at Iberia, January, 1905; John C., and Jonathan D., attorney, Columbus, Ohio.
John C. Williamson was reared near the vicinity of Iberia. He received his early education in the schools of Iberia, and is a graduate of the Iberia High School with, the class of 1899. In 1901 he was a student at Baldwin University, Berea, Ohio, and the
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following year he attended the Ohio Wesleyan University at Delaware, Ohio, after which he spent some time in the school room as a teacher, and later took up the study of law. In the meantime he farmed and made a trip, spending five months in the far west. After his return to Ohio he entered the law department of the State University, where he graduated in June, 1906. That same year he was admitted to the bar and engaged in the practice of law at Mt. Gilead, and in November, 1908, he was elected on the Republican ticket to the office of prosecuting attorney of Morrow county, in which he is now serving, and he was reelected in 1910, by a majority of eight hundred and twenty-six votes.
Mr. Williamson married Miss Anna K. Patton, of Crawford county, Ohio, and they are the parents of two little sons, James W. and John, the former born in 1906, the latter in 1909.
Both Mr. Williamson and his wife are members of the Presbyterian church, and fraternally he is identified with the Masonic Order, being a member of both the Lodge and Chapter at Mt. Gilead, and he is also a member of the Knights of Pythias No. 561, at Iberia.
WILLIAM W. GURLEY is now and has been for thirty-five years past a member of the 'Chicago Bar. He was born at Mt. Gilead, Ohio, January 27, 1851. His father, Judge John J. Gurley, was a native of St. Lawrence county, state of New York, and located at Mt. Gilead in the year 1850, and was an honored and prominent member of the bar of Morrow county until his death April 30, 1887.
When Judge Gurley came to Mt. Gilead he formed a partnership for two years with Thomas W. Bartley, who was afterwards one of the judges of the Supreme Court of Ohio, from February 9, 1852, until February 9, 1859, and with Samuel J. Kirkwood, both of Mansfield, Ohio, under the firm name of Gurley, Bartley and Kirkwood. 'Mr. Kirkwood later removed to Iowa and became governor, and in 1881-2 was secretary of the interior in President Garfield's Cabinet. The mother of William W. Gurley was Anseville Carr Armentrout Gurley. She was one of the most poetic, gentle and amiable wives and mothers that the writer of this sketch ever knew. She was a native of Richland county, Ohio. She died April 2, 1882, and she and husband lie side by side in River Cliff cemetery, Mt. Gilead, Ohio. Our subject has the best reasons to feel proud of his ancestry.
He attended the Union School in Mt. Gilead, and at the age of sixteen years was admitted at the Ohio Wesleyan University, Delaware, Ohio, and was graduated therefrom in 1870, shortly after he became nineteen years of age. The degree of Bachelor of Arts has been conferred on him by his Alma Mater. He was admitted to the bar by the district court within and for Morrow
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county, Ohio, on June 19, 1873, and in Illinois on the second day of April 11, 1875. On May 1, 1876, he became a member of the firm of Cooper, Packard and Gurley, which firm continued for about two years, when the firm of Cooper and Gurley was organized and which remained in existence for about six years. Since the dissolution of the last named firm he has practiced alone. Of later years he has been chiefly occupied with the affairs of corporations. He has for many years been general counsel of the Metropolitan West Side Elevated Railway Company and of the Chicago Railways Company and its predecessor companies.
On October 28, 1878, he was married to Miss Mary Eva Turney, daughter of the late Joseph Turney, of Cleveland, Ohio, late treasurer of the state of Ohio. Of this marriage there were born three children, the eldest, William Turney Gurley, dying in infancy. The second, a daughter, Helen Kathryn, was born September 15, 1890, and is still living. The third, a son, John Turney Gurley, was born December 15, 1893, and died October 26, 1903. The daughter is a graduate of the class of 1909 of the Misses Masters School at Dobbs Ferry, New York.
FINLEY H. FLICKINGER.—Whether the elements of success in life are innate attributes of the individual or whether they are quickened by a process of circumstantial development, it is impossible clearly to determine. Yet the study of a successful life is none the less profitable by reason of the existence of this uncertainty, and in the majority of cases it is found that exceptional ability, amounting to genius, perhaps, was the real secret of the pre-eminence which many envied. So it appears to the student of human nature who seeks to trace the history of the rise of Finley H. Flickinger, a typical American of the best class. As superintendent of the Cardington schools Mr. Flickinger has been identified with educational interests in this section of the state for twenty-five years and his labors have been effective in raising the standard of the schools until the educational system is one of which every citizen of the locality has reason to be proud.
Professor Finley H. Flickinger was born in Crawford county, Ohio, on the 13th of September, 1867, and is a son of John and Amanda (Fralick) Flickinger, both of whom were natives of Ohio. The father was long engaged in farming in Crawford county, where he was respected and honored as one of the most influential citizens in the community. He was summoned to the life eternal in 1890 and his wife is living in Crawford county, Ohio. Finley H. was the first in order of birth in a family of eight children and he was afforded the advantages of the public schools of his native county, being graduated in the New Washington high school in 1887. He was matriculated in the Ohio Northern University, in 1884, in which excellent institution he was graduated
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as a member of the class of 1905, with the degree of Bachelor of Science. He has, a life certificate for teaching in the common schools and also in the high school, having received the former in 1900 and the latter in 1906. The high school certificate was received by examination. Profesor Flickinger has been identified with the pedagogic profession in the Buckeye state for the past twenty-five years; he served as principal at Iberia for six years and in 1903 came to Cardington, where he has since been incumbent of the office of superintendent of schools. For eleven years he was a member of the board of school examiners. He is a man of fine natural intelligence and broad humanitarian principles and he has ever contributed his quota to the progress and development of this section of the state.
In 1889 was celebrated the marriage of Professor Flickinger to Miss Ellen Wagner, of Crawford county, where she was born in 1868. She was educated in the common schools of the county and was graduated in the high school at New Washington, after which she became a popular and Successful teacher in the schools of Crawford county, being thus engaged for three years prior to her marriage. To this union have been born three children, Karl, Eilene and Lucile. Karl was graduated in the Cardington high school and in Bliss College, at Columbus, Ohio.. He is now bookkeeper for the Cleveland Wholesale Provision Company, with headquarters at Cleveland Eilene was graduated in the local high school and remains at the parental home and Lucile is a student in the high school, being a member of the class of 1912.
Professor Flickinger is a member of the Methodist Episcopal church, as is also his wife; and he is a teacher in the Sunday school, of which he is also assistant superintendent His interest in political questions is deep and sincere and he gives an earnest support to Democratic principles, believing that the platform of the party contains the best elements of good government. In a fraternal way he is affiliated with Cardington Lodge, No. 427, Knights of Pythias, in which he is past chancellor. He is also a valued and appreciative member of Cardington Lodge, No. 384, Free and Accepted Masons and of Cardington Chapter, No. 163, Royal Arch Masons. In connection with his chosen profession he is a member of the County Institute State Teachers' Association.
JAMES D. FATE —A public-spirited and altruistic citizen, progressive and prosperous and one of Morrow county's representative citizens, is James D. Fate. It Will not be gainsaid that agriculture is the ruling vocation of the universe, the great basic industry, yielding sustenance to the masses. In the "land of the free and the home of the brave" it seems almost the prime requisite to greatness and renown that a man should pass a part of his life on the farm. The halls of Congress, the counting-houses, the professorial
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chair, in short all of the professions present as their leading representatives men who have spent their early lives amid rural surroundings. Should our American citizen shun public life and prefer the respect only of those who know him as neighbor, his life is still the most independent and wholesome of any and it has been truly said "The farmer is king of the earth."
James D. Fate, 'who is custodian of Morrow county's funds, was a farmer's son.. His eyes first opened upon the romantic scenery of Washington county, Maryland, and the date of his arrival upon this mundane sphere was January 9, 1859. He conies of that sturdy German stock which is of the most valuable of the sources of our emigration and he partakes of the many fine traits which characterize the Teutonic character. In order of birth he is the third in a family of ten children born to John and Margaret (Amick) Fate, eight of the number surviving at the present time. Samuel and Himes reside in Canaan township ; Wason is a citizen of Marion; James D. is of Mt. Gilead; Mary became the wife of H. V. Price and makes her home in Galion ; Elizabeth, widow of Bryant Mills, resides in Edison, as do Charles and John, the younger members of the family.
John Fate, father of him whose name initiates this review, was born in Bavaria, Germany, on January 30, 1833, and he died February 18, 1911, at the age of seventy-eight years and eighteen days. When he was a child of less than four years of age his parents, John and Barbara Fate, concluded to make a trial of new fortunes across the blue Atlantic, and so bade adieux to old associations in the Fatherland. Upon arriving here the family located in Washington county, Maryland, where they lived for a great many years. John Fate was the eldest son of a family of seven children, of whom one brother and four sisters survive, namely ; Joseph, of near Hancock, Maryland; Mrs. Littell, of Pittsburg, Pennsylvania ; Mrs. Richard, of Hancock, Maryland; Mrs. Colbert, of McKeesport, Pennsylvania ; and Mrs. Peter Koon, of Cardington. At the age of twenty-two years Mr. Fate was first united in marriage, the young woman to become his wife being Margaret Amick, of Washington county, Maryland, and ten children were born to their happy union, the names of these sons and daughters having been mentioned in a preceding paragraph. In 1861 the elder Mr. Fate settled in Bedford county, Pennsylvania, and there he and his family resided for over a decade. In 1872 they came to Morrow county, Ohio, and favorably impressed with its advantages, they here made permanent location, They secured land and were soon enrolled among the prosperous farmer folk of this part of the Buckeye state. On May 26, 1894, Mrs. Fate was summoned to the life eternal, and some five years later Catherine Heffelfinger, of West Point, was united with him in holy wedlock. Mr. Fate is thus survived by his wife, eight children, twenty grandchildren, and seven great-grandchildren. Mr. Fate was a zealous member
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of the Methodist Episcopal church and enjoyed the respect of the community in which he had resided for nearly forty years. It has been said of him "He was a manly man ; he was a man of clear conviction and of decided opinions; he was a faithful husband, father, friend, beloved and honored by all who knew him."
James D. Fate was a lad of about thirteen years of age at the time of the removal from Pennsylvania. He continued his studies in the district schools, but the exigencies of farm life made it impossible for him to attend anything but the short winter term. Under the careful supervision of his father he and his brothers became thoroughly familiar with practical agriculture, while through his own efforts he improved his education. It is quite true- of him that he is a self-made and self-educated man, and he has always walked in the paths of rectitude and honesty. Being of a careful and thrifty turn of mind, while still young he succeeded in accumulating a fine estate, consisting of one hundred and sixteen and one-half acres of fine land in Cardington township. In 1906 he abandoned the vocation of agriculture, to which he had previously devoted his energies, and became a member of the well-known firm of dealers in stock, "The Cardington Live Stock Company," comprising the following gentlemen : Messrs. H. L. Eckles, J. E. Coleman and J. D. Fate. The company bought and shipped live stock to the cities of Buffalo, Pittsburg and Cleveland, and the enterprise proved exceedingly successful. Mr. Fate continued a member of the firm until 1909. When he left his father's farm he had absolutely no capital and his present competence he has acquired through his own energy, executive ability and enlightened business methods, and with the cooperation of his estimable wife. There is, indeed, particular pleasure in presenting the record of a man's life when he has had to carve his own way through the rock of adversity and difficulty which lies in the path of the average man. Mr. Fate is an admirable example not only to his own children but also to the rising generation of -what the best methods in business and citizenship will accomplish.
As his companion in life Mr. Fate chose Miss Elenora A. Koon, their marriage occurring March 7, 1880, in Canaan township. To this happy union have been born one son and four daughters, Estella M., who is the wife of Charles H. Bradford, a mechanic of Armada, Michigan. They have two children, Delmar and Vera. Hollie R. resides in Cardington township, where he is a prosperous young farmer. He married Miss Emma Lehner, and they have one son, Ronald Ethel D. is a graduate of the Cardington high school of the class of 1910, and resides with her parents. Two children died in infancy.
Mrs. Fate is a native of Morrow county, her birth having occurred here January 27, 1861, and she is the daughter of Jacob and Mary (Warwick) Koon. She was educated in the common schools and was reared in her home county. She is of fine German
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lineage and is endowed with the tastes and accomplishments of good housewifery, and her career as a helpmeet to her husband and a good mother to her children has been. signally successful. Her father, Jacob Koon, although a native of Pennsylvania, traced his descent to Germany. By occupation he was a farmer; politically he was a Jackson Democrat ; and he and his wife were members of the Methodist Episcopal church. Both Mr. and Mrs. Koon are now deceased.
Mr. and Mrs. Fate are adherents of the faith of the Friends, or. Quaker Society and they live their beautiful faith in their lives, being highly esteemed by all who know them. Politically the head of the house is a Republican and he has ever upheld the principles of the Grand Old Party both in local and national affairs. The first presidential vote cast by him was for Ohio's martyred son, Garfield, and he has supported every Republican candidate since that day. Many times he has been chosen by his people to represent their interests in county and district conventions, and this is as it should be, for his official record stands without a blemish. In 1899 he was appointed real estate appraiser of the lands of Cardington township. Subsequently he was appointed by the secretary of the state of Ohio as a member of the board of supervisors of elections of Morrow county, this being in the year 1904. His election as county treasurer came to pass in 1908 and he was later re-elected to this very important office, of which he is the present incumbent. His services have been valuable and of the most irreproachable character.
Mr. Fate is, a genial and cordial gentleman, strictly honest and upright and beyond reproach both as a business man and a friend. Fraternally he is an honored member of the Knights of Pythias Lodge, No. 427, at Cardington, Ohio. Mr. and Mrs. Fate reside in Mt. Gilead, in their own beautiful and modern residence located on Union street. It is good to look upon and a marvel of convenience, heated by furnace, lighted by electricity and natural gas, and its portals are ever open to the many friends of the owner and his gracious wife.
JOHN S. LYMAN, who owns and operates a fine farm in Franklin township, Morrow county, Ohio, is a native of this county. He was born in Canaan township March 24, 1873, a son of Luke C. and Marion (Garster) Lyman, now residents of Edison, Morrow county, where the father is retired, his active life having been passed as a shoemaker.
Until he was seventeen John S. Lyman spent his winters attending school either at Denmark or Edison, and finding employment on farms or on the railroad in the summer vacations. He continued in this line of work until 1906, when he engaged in farming on his own account in Franklin township. Here he has a hundred acres of land and is making a specialty of raising sheep, in which he is meeting with marked success.
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On November 19, 1899, Mr. Lyman married Miss Mary James, who has borne him four children, of whom one is deceased. Those living are J. B., James Chandler and Mary, aged respectively eleven, seven and two years. Mrs. Lyman was born in Perry township, this county, November 13, 1877, daughter of John and Elzine (Whitney) James, who now reside on a farm near Johnsville Mr. and Mrs. Lyman are members of the Methodist Episcopal church, and fraternally he is identified with Edison Lodge, No. 434, Knights of Pythias, while she is a member of Annona Temple, Pythian Sisters, No. 241, Edison. Mr. Lyman has filled all the chairs in his lodge and is a past chancellor commander. He was C. C. in 1906.
FRANK KERSHNER DUNN is a native of Mt. Gilead, Ohio, and is a son of Andrew Kershner Dunn, a native of Washington county, Maryland, and Emily (Armentrout) Dunn, a native of Richland county, Ohio, and he was born November 13, 1854. He attended the Union Schools of Mt. Gilead, Ohio, and in the year 1869 was admitted to Kenyon College and was graduated from the same in 1873, the degree of A. B. being conferred on him by his Alma Mater. He attended Harvard Law School, and was graduated from the same in 1875, and the degree of L.L.B. was conferred on him.
Our subject's father came to Mt. Gilead, Ohio, in April, 1848, and was present at the first term of court in Morrow county, Ohio, and was one of the foremost members of the bar of Morrow county until his death, April 29, 1890. He was a graduate of Kenyon College in the same class with President Rutherford B. Hayes, and in 1876, while President Hayes was yet governor of Ohio, he appointed Judge Dunn a judge of the Court of Common pleas for the Second sub-division of the Sixth judicial district of Ohio.
Frank K. Dunn was admitted to the bar in 1875, and practiced with his father in Morrow and adjoining counties for three years, and in 1878 went to Charleston, Illinois, where he continued in the practice of the law until 1897, when he was elected judge of the Circuit Court for the Fifth judicial circuit of Illinois, and served as judge until 1903. In 1907 he was elected justice of the Supreme Court of Illinois for the term of eight years, and is now in office.
On June 1, 1882, he was married at Mt. Gilead, Ohio, to Alice R. Trimble, second daughter of James S. Trimble and Margaret (Stroh) Trimble, one of the oldest families in Mt. Gilead, Ohio. Mr. Trimble was one of the most energetic and successful merchants, bankers and grain dealers the village ever had for over forty years. He was born May 25, 1818, at Mt. Vernon, Ohio, and died April 11, 1889, at Mt. Gilead, Ohio. His wife was a daughter of Samuel Straw (or Stroh) one of the pioneers of Knox (now Morrow) county, Ohio, and she died June 14, 1879, and both lie buried side
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by side in River Cliff cemetery, Mt. Gilead, Ohio. The children of Judge Frank K. and Alice R. (Trimble) Dunn are Andrew and Ruth.
HARRY S. CRUIKSHANK, of Mt. Gilead, Ohio, may be pointed out as an example of what a young man of thrift and enterprise can accomplish without initial capital and without financial backing to start an enterprise. Some special mention of him is of interest in this connection and, briefly, a sketch of his life is as follows:
Harry S. Cruikshank was born on a farm in Delaware county, Ohio, in September, 1872, a son of Stephen L. and Mary (Woodland) Cruikshank, natives of Morrow county, Ohio, and Londcr England, respectively. His boyhood was spent in farm work and in attendance at the district school near his home. At the age of eighteen years, with his brother as partner, he began buying hay in Delaware county and shipping to market. They began on small scale, with practically no capital, and by close study of the situation and careful management of the 'business prospered from the very beginning of their undertaking. They went into debt for their horses and hay baler, and it was necessary at times for them to borrow money, but they had good credit and they were careful to keep their credit good. Good credit !—that, they regarded as the key to success. Their partnership was continued four years. In September, 1900, Harry S. came to Mt. Gilead, which has since been his headquarters, and where he is now conducting an extensive baled hay business. In addition to operating at Mt. Gilead he buys, bales and makes shipments at other points, inluding Westville, Prospect and Waldo, Ohio. From these places his annual shipments average in the neighborhood of a thousand carloads.
Mr. Cruikshank has made profitable investments in large tracts of land in Tennessee and Georgia, and at home he is a stockholder and director in the National Bank of Morrow county.
He lives with his family in West High street. Mrs. Cruikshank, formerly Miss Grace Babcock, is a native of Marengo, Ohio. They have two children, Robert G. and Harry B., the former born January 1, 1897—the latter, in April, 1907.
Mr. Cruikshank casts his franchise with the Republican party, and is identified fraternally with the Masonic Order, having membership in Mt. Gilead Lodge, No. 169, F. and A. M. He and his family attend worship at the Methodist Episcopal church, of which he is a member of the Official Board.
STEPHEN S. BARRE.—The enterprising business man and popular citizen whose name introduces this article needs no formal introduction to the people of Morrow county. For some years past he has been quite prominently identified with the financial
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and industrial interests of the town in which he lives, and, always manifesting an active interest in the public welfare, he has risen to a high place in business and social circles and earned an honorable reputation among the leading men of affairs in this section of the county.
Stephen S. Barre, undertaker and furniture dealer at Sparta, was born in Green county, Ohio, on the 24th day of December, 1850, a son of John and Mary A. (Shafer) Barre. The father was a native of Hagerstown, Pennsylvania, where his birth occurred on the 1st of April, 1791, and the mother was born in the state of Virginia, on the 12th day of May, 1818. John Barre continued to reside under the parental roof until the inception of the war of 1812, in which he immediately enlisted, continuing to give service as a most gallant soldier in that struggle until its close. Thereafter he was engaged in sailing for several years and about 1836 he came west to Ohio, locating in the vicinity of Mount Vernon, in which place he owned one of the first frame buildings there erected. He was fifty-four years of age at the time of his marriage, in 1847, to Miss Mary A. Shafer, who was twenty-eight years his junior. She was a daughter of Daniel and Betsy Shafer, both of whom were natives of Pennsylvania, whence they removed to Virginia, where Mrs. Barre was born. Daniel Shafer was a millwright by trade and he came west to Ohio about the year 1830. He settled near Springfield, where he built several mills on the Miami river. John Barre was summoned to the life eternal in 1871 and Mrs. Barre passed away in September, 1905.
Of the five children of John and Mary Barre, Stephen S. Barre, of this review, was the second in order of birth. He was a student in the district schools of his native place until he had attained to the age of seventeen years, at which, time he entered upon an apprenticeship at the carriage trimming trade in Dayton, Ohio, becoming an expert journeyman after a period of, four years. He first located at Cardington, where he remained for a short time, at the expiration of which he came to Sparta, where he was identified with the work of his trade for a number of years. In 1885 his business headquarters were destroyed by fire and he then embarked in the undertaking and furniture business, in which line of enterprise he has been actively engaged during the long intervening years to the present time, in 1911. In connection with his other business he also runs a carriage shop.
On the 1st of October, 1876, was solemnized the marriage of Mr. Barre to Miss Emma E. Bockoven, who was born in Morrow county on the 6th of November, 1859, a daughter of James and Mary (Salisbury) Bockoven, both of whom were likewise born and reared in Ohio. James Bockoven was born on the 31st of July, 1834, and his wife on the 9th of May, 1830. He was identified with agricultural pursuits during his active business career and he is now living in virtual retirement at Sparta. Mr. S. S. Barre