600 - HISTORY OF ROSS COUNTY place. He married Elizabeth Lorbeek. In 1866 John Schmitt and family set out for America. The sailing vessel on which they crossed the ocean was sixty-three days battling with the winds and waves. From New York they moved first to Meriden, Connecticut, but in a short time came on west to Ohio and located at Waverly, in Pike County. There John Schmitt became a substantial farmer and spent the rest of his days. His wife died at Waverly. Their five children were named George J., Jacob, Lena, Margaret and Anna. Nine years of age when brought to this country, George J. Schmitt finished his education in Ohio, and at an early age his muscles were tried out and his constitution inured to the duties of farming. He was reared to habits of industry, and that accounts for his success in life. At the time of his marriage he engaged in the dairy business on a farm two miles from Waverly. Starting with a herd of eight cows, he increased it to twenty, and was one of the leading men in that industry for a number of years. Until 1904 he resided on his farm and gave it his entire attention, but at that date he removed his family to Waverly and continued to superintend his farm. In 1911 he sold his place in Pike County and then moved to Scioto Township, in Ross County, where he bought the farm on which his family now reside in Scioto Township. This is one of the high-class farms in the vicinity of Chillicothe, being situated four miles from that city. There is a large and comfortable house situated pleasantly on the sunny side of a hill and almost surrounded by trees and shrubs. In that comfortable home George J. Schmitt passed away April 30, 1914. On July 29, 1880, he had married Mary Ann Brown. Mrs. Schmitt was born on a farm in Beaver Township of Pike County, Ohio, and her father, August Brown, was also a native of Friedelsheim, Germany, where George J. Schmitt was born. August Brown came to America when quite young. In the old country he had learned the trade of cooper, and he found employment in that work at Portsmouth. Carefully saving his earnings, he was able after a few years to go to Pike County and buy a tract of land half a mile from the Village of Beaver. He set up a shop on his farm, and while the spring, summer and fall were spent in cultivating and looking after his crops, the winter season was devoted to the cooper trade. By that means he lived and provided for his family, and passed away when about fifty years of age. His wife was Elizabeth Blind. She was reared and educated in Germany, and when about twenty years of age came to America, accompanying a friend, a German woman. She died at the age of forty-five. Mrs. Schmitt was one of ten children, namely : Lizzie, William, Mary A., Martin, August, Louis, Catherine, Bertha, Rachel and David. Many years ago Mr. and Mrs. Schmitt became communicants of the First Evangelical Church, and they reared their family in the same faith. Mr. Schmitt was survived by his widow and eleven children. The names of these children, most of whom are now well prepared to take up the serious responsibilities of life on their own account, are as follows : August, Anna, Catherine, Lena, Clara, Lula, John, Ralph. Margaret, Edith and Albert. HISTORY OF ROSS COUNTY - 601 THOMAS HUFF is au old-time business man and professional photographer of Ross County and is now living quietly retired at his home in Massieville. He and the members of his family connection have been closely identified with Scioto Township and other sections of Ross County, and this is one of the honored names that requires something more than passing mention in a history of Ross County. Mr. Huff was born in Huntington Township of this county May 24, 1844. His grandparents were pioneer settlers in Muskingum County, Ohio, where his father, Henry Huff, was born, at the Town of Zanesville. Henry learned the trade of cooper as a young man, and followed it at Zanesville. He died at Cowensville, Ohio, in 1852. Henry Huff married Barbara Ann Selby. She was born in Huntington Township of Ross County, a daughter of William Selby, who was born in Anne Arundel County, Maryland, and came to Ross County among the early settlers of Huntington Township. There he hewed a farm out of the woods. He served in the War of 1812 and was in every sense a patriotic and useful citizen. William Selby married Eva Grim, and both of them died when quite old. At the death of her husband Mrs. Henry Huff was left a widow with seven children, whose names were William, .John, Thomas, Charles, Theodore, Lewis and Henry. Thomas Huff was eight years old when his father died. He soon had to shift for himself, and for some years he lived in the family of William Lockwood. a well-known old-time merchant. at Massieville. While there lie attended public schools and also clerked in the store of Mr. Lockwood. Mr. Huff has an honorable record of participation in the Civil war. He first enlisted in May. 1862, in Company K of the Eighty-eighth Ohio Infantry. His term of service was for three months, and was principally spent on duty at Camp Chase. where at the time a great many Confederate prisoners were confined. Discharged at the end of three months, he returned home, but in the following year, June 29, 1863, enlisted in Company F of the Eighty-sixth Ohio Volunteer Infantry. This time his enlistment was for six months. With his regiment he went south to Tennessee, and arrived at Cumberland Gap in time to witness the surrender of the Confederates who had held that position. He was with his regiment until some weeks after his term expired, receiving his discharge February 12, 1864. Again lie spent a few weeks at Massieville, and again, in May, 1864, enlisted, this time in Company D of the One Hundred and Forty-ninth Regiment of Ohio Infantry. He accompanied this regiment to Baltimore and thence to the Virginia battleground. June 9, 1864, he was wounded, was sent to a hospital in Baltimore, and there remained until he was well enough to be removed to Camp Dennison in Ohio. August 30, 1864, he received his third discharge, this time on account of disability, and was soon back at his place as clerk in a store at Massieville. In 1880 Mr. Huff took up the profession of photography. He operated a gallery at Colton for thirteen years, and after that was at various 602 - HISTORY OF ROSS COUNTY points in Southern Ohio, chiefly Ironton and Jackson, and finally went into business at Chillicothe, where he was one of the most popular men in the profession for twelve years. In 1912 he retired, and is now living at his old home in Massieville. On September 26, 1865, soon after the war, Mr. Huff married for his first wife Mary Elizabeth Rutherford. She was born in Jackson County, Ohio, daughter of Griffith and Rachel (Radcliff) Rutherford. Mrs. Huff died in July, 1885, after almost twenty years of married life. In 1890 Mr. Huff married Mrs. Helen (Stinson) Lockwood. Mrs. Huff was born in Chillicothe May 2, 1841. Her father, Archibald Stinson, was born at High Bank, in Ross County, in 1800. Her grandfather, James Stinson, who was probably a native of Rhode Island, was one of the first pioneer settlers of Ross County. He came to this county when Ohio was still a part of Northwest Territory. He lived on the High Banks until 1801, when he settled in what is now Scioto Township, securing a large tract of land south of and adjoining the present Village of Massieville. His farm was located on the well-traveled highway between Portsmouth and Columbus, and the large log house which he built was opened as a hotel and stage station. In the year before the building of canals or railroads and when all transportation was by wagon or team or stage coach, his hotel entertained innumerable guests, and stood in high favor with the traveling public. Archibald Stinson, the father of Mrs. Huff, was one of a large family of children, and grew up in the old hotel and on the farm, and eventually inherited a portion of the farm estate. He was a successful farmer and placed many improvements on his land, including a set of substantial frame buildings. He lived there until his death in 1876. Archibald Stinson married Silence McCoy, whose name introduces mention of another very prominent early pioneer family of Ross County. She was born in Union Township in 1801, a daughter of John and Margaret (Kerr) McCoy. John McCoy had the distinction of erecting the first building in Chillicothe. The mother of Mrs. Huff died in 1888, having reared seven children, named James K., John, Mary, Margaret, Helen, George W. and Archibald S. Mrs. Huff grew up in Ross County, receiving her education in the district schools. She first married Theodore E. Lockwood. Mr. Huff by his first marriage reared three children, named Dora, Anna and William R. Dora, who married Samuel Eisnawgle, died leaving two children, named Jessie and Nina. Anna is the wife of Richard Glenroy and has a daughter named Florence. William R. has the following children : Lester, Franklin, Wilber and Marjorie. Politically Mr. Huff is a republican, as would be natural considering his effective service to support the Union during the Civil war. While a resident of Colton, President Harrison appointed him postmaster of that village, and he filled the office with credit four years. WALTER S. BARRETT. Noteworthy among the active and progressive business men of Chillicothe is Walter S. Barrett, who is closely associated HISTORY OF ROSS COUNTY - 603 with the mercantile and manufacturing interests of this section of Ross County. A native of Ohio, he was born September 19, 1878, on a farm in Paint Creek Township, Highland County, of English ancestry. He is a lineal descendant in the sixth generation of Arthur Barrett, the founder of that branch of the Barrett family from which he sprung, his lineage being thus traced : Arthur (1), Benjamin (2), Jonathan (3), Levi (4), Jesse C. (5), and Walter S. (6). Arthur (1) Barrett came when but a boy to America, he and his older brother, David Barrett, coming to this country with William Penn, both being members of the Society of Friends. Removing in early manhood from Pennsylvania to Virginia, Arthur (1) Barrett spent the remainder of his years in Frederick County, where his son, Benjamin (2) Barrett, was a life-long resident. Jonathan (3) Barrett, who spent all of his days in Virginia, married Rachel George, a daughter of Ellis and Lydia (Lewis) George, natives of Wales. Levi (4) Barrett was born and educated in Virginia. Following the tide of emigration westward, he became an early settler of Highland County, Ohio, and in Paint Township, on the farm which he reclaimed from the wilderness, he resided until his death, in 1878. He married Delilah Moon, who was born in Highland County, in 1811. Born in Paint Creek Township, Highland County, in 1853, on the same farm that the birth of his son Walter occurred, Jesse C. Barrett succeeded to the ownership of the old homestead, and was there prosperously engaged in general farming for many years. He is now living ing Kansas City, Missouri, an esteemed and respected citizen. He was reared in the Society of Friends, and has remained true to the religious beliefs of his parents. He, married Frances Johnson, who was born in Highland County, Ohio, a daughter of Dr. Silas Johnson, a granddaughter of Moorman Johnson, and great-granddaughter of William Johnson, a pioneer of Highland County. After his graduation from the Ohio Medical College, in 1842, Dr. Silas Johnson located at Danville, Highland County, where he was successfully engaged in the practice of medicine until his death, in 1863. He was a republican in politics, and for a time served as postmaster at Danville, being appointed to the position by President Lincoln. Dr. Johnson married Ann Eliza Cline, a daughter of Charles and Margaret (Peterson) Cline, natives of New Jersey, and pioneer settlers of Clinton County, Ohio. Mrs. Jesse C. Barrett died in 1898, leaving three children, as follows: Walter S., the special subject of this sketch ; Starling, a resident of Columbus; and Vernon, living in Chillicothe, Ohio. When he was a boy of twelve years, Walter S. Barrett came to Chillicothe with his parents, and completed his early education in the Chillicothe High School. He then began his active career in the composing room of the Scioto Gazette, where he became familiar with the art preservative. He was later associated with the Chillicothe Advertiser until the first call for troops during the progress of the Spanish-American war, in 1898. Responding to the call, he enlisted in Company F, Seventh Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry, and was soon trans- 604 - HISTORY OF ROSS COUNTY ferred to the Sixth Company of the Signal Corps. Upon taking the competitive examination, Mr. Barrett was placed in charge of the quartermaster's department, and continued in that responsible position until honorably discharged from the service, April 3, 1899. Mr. Barrett was highly commended, by the War Department for accuracy and efficiency of his accounts, which enabled that department to close the affairs of the company without delay. Returning home, Mr. Barrett was for two years editor of the Greenfield Daily News, resigning the editorship to enter the .accounting department of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Company. In 1905 he resigned that position to engage in the automobile business, with which he has since been successfully identified. Mr. Barrett married, March 2, 1904, Anna M. Meggenhofen, a daughter of Dr. Edward and Louise (Kirk) Meggenhofen, of whom a brief sketch may be found on another page of this volume. Three children have been born of the union of Mr. and Mrs. Barrett, namely : Edward, Frances Louise, and Walter Scott. At the age of nineteen years, Mr. Barrett began his political career as a member of the republican precinct committee. He cast his first presidential vote for William McKinley, and has since served as a delegate to numerous district, county, and state conventions. In November, 1914, he was elected county auditor of Ross County. Fraternally Mr. Barrett is a member, and past commander, of Great Seal Tent, No. 542, Knights of the Maccabees; a member of Old Capitol Council, No. 1626, Loyal Order of Moose ; a member of Chillicothe Lodge, No. 52, Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks ; and of Scioto Lodge, No. 6, Free and Accepted Masons. Mr. Barrett is a member of the Chillicothe Chamber of Commerce ; and a member, and commander of E. U. Wiedler Camp, No. 48, Spanish War Veterans. JOHN H. BLACKER. It is doubtful if Ross County has had a more prominent figure politically in recent years than John H. Blacker, whose success in overturning normal republican majorities and in being elected to important responsibilities in township and county is a matter which local people will not allow to be forgotten. Mr. Blacker has for many years been a merchant and business man and banker in the county, and has many extensive interests in this section of Ohio. He was born in Pickaway County, Ohio, August 7, 1859. His great-grandfather, John Henry Blacker, emigrated from Germany to America in the closing years of the Revolutionary war. After locating in Virginia he married Miss Elizabeth Myers. Grandfather Joseph Blacker emigrated from the Old Dominion State to Pickaway County, Ohio, about 1820, though he was not the first of the family to come to this part of. Ohio, his brother Jacob having located in Chillicothe as early as 1817. Grandfather Blacker was a blacksmith by trade, and for many years followed that vocation in Ohio near what is known as Round Prairie on Deer Creek. In later years he gave his energies chiefly to farming, and he died at the age of sixty-eight. Henry C. Blacker, father of John H., was born in Virginia, but was brought as a child to Pickaway County. He became a farmer and one HISTORY OF ROSS COUNTY - 605 of the large land owners in that county. A man of ability and untiring energy, he was well known not only for his success in business but for his prominence in democratic politics, and he was twice elected to office in Pickaway County. He died in that county in 1902. He married Marian Bowsher, a daughter of Anthony Bowsher, who was a native of Pennsylvania and one of the early settlers in Pickaway County. Marian Blacker died January 2, 1893. She was a member of the Evangelical Church, and a woman of strong Christian principles and character. She became the mother of thirteen children, and eleven of them reached mature years. The sixth in the family of thirteen, John H. Blacker spent his early life on his father's farm in Pickaway County and attended the district schools. At the age of twenty-one he entered the Northern Ohio University at Ada and spent two years in the normal department, after which he sought to apply his learning and taught one term in Pickaway County. In 1881 he passed from the educational to the commercial ranks, and at Clarksburg began clerking in the store of his brother-in-law, E. W. Templin. Four years later he bought out the stock and continued the business energetically and with satisfying success until September, 1888. At that time he formed a partnership with J. M. Gorham, and the two were together in business at Clarksburg until the fall of 1890. In the meantime Mr. Blacker's popularity as a citizen and his genial ability in politics had become a matter of note in that section of Ross County. He had been five times elected treasurer of Deerfield Township. That township was then known as the banner republican precinct of Ross County and it was properly believed that any man who could overcome the republican majority there was an eligible candidate for further honors in county politics. Consequently Mr. Blacker was offered nomination by his party for any one of the three offices of commissioner, auditor or sheriff, and he determined to become a candidate for sheriff. The normal republican majority in Ross County at that time was 300. After a vigorous campaign, Mr. Blacker was elected sheriff by a majority of 135. In 1892 he was re-elected, this time by a majority of 400, though the county gave its support to Harrison for president by a majority of 150. He has been more or less active in democratic politics in Ohio for many years, and in 1896 he was a delegate to the national convention and in 1898 was elected chairman of the Democratic State Executive Committee. Since leaving the office of sheriff, Mr. Blacker has applied himself to the management of varied business interests. He was in the real estate business at Chillicothe for three years, and is an extensive land owner in both Pickaway and Ross counties. He was one of the men who purchased the Harrison Building on High Street in Columbus, a twelve-story office building, and one of the most modern structures in the capital city. In 1907 he became one of the organizers of the Valley Savings Bank at Chillicothe and was elected its first cashier and has been closely identified with the management and detail of the institution ever since. On July 6, 1885, Mr. Blacker married Miss Mary M. Rankin, who is 606 - HISTORY OF ROSS COUNTY a native of Ross County. Their children are Marian, Coit, Neal and Stanley. The last named is now deceased. Mr. Blacker is affiliated with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks. A few items of interest should also be mentioned concerning Mr. Blacker's mother's people. Her father was Anthony Bowsher, a native of Bieber Township, Pennsylvania. His father was also named Anthony Bowsher, and was born either in Germany or in Pennsylvania of German parentage. Anthony, Sr., came to Ohio more than a century ago, accompanied by his family. He arrived in this state in 1813, and acquired a tract of government land in what is now Circleville Township of Pickaway County. His great-grandson, Mr. Blacker of Chillicothe, now has the patent, a piece of parchment, which was issued by the United States Government and was signed by James Madison, then President of the United States, and Edward Tiffin, Secretary of the Interior. On that land Anthony Bowsher made the first improvements, and occupied and cultivated it until his death at the age of sixty-five. He was a man of good education and stood high in the community. He wrote German, and Mr. Blacker now has a record of the birth of all his children written in the German script, and evidently with a goose quill and with "pokeberry" juice for ink. Another fact concerning this early Pickaway County settler that will always have special interest for his descendants was his Revolutionary record. Mr. Blacker also has his certificate granting him a pension of $20 per year for his services as a soldier during the war for independence. This patriot and Ohio pioneer married Christina Maria Reicheldorfer, who died at a good old age. Anthony Bowsher, Jr., maternal grandfather of Mr. Blacker, came to Ohio with his parents, and succeeded to the ownership of the homestead above mentioned, and lived there until his death, July 28, 1861, when he was sixty-nine years four months and twenty-three days of age. The maiden name of his wife was Sarah Reeder, who died August 12, 1834, aged thirty-seven years ten months and nineteen days. JAMES D. WITHGOTT. A rising young attorney of Chillicothe, James D. Withgott has a natural aptitude for his work, and is fast winning for himself a prominent and honorable name in the legal circles of Ross County. He was born on a farm in Pickaway Township, Pickaway County, February 11, 1883, a son of James F. Withgott. His grandfather, Reuben Withgott, was born in Maryland, and came from that state, to Ohio with his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Withgott, in the spring of 1800. Thomas Withgott was accompanied not only by his own family when he journeyed across the country to Ross County, but by Henry and Thomas Bowdle and their families. Settling on Dry Run, in Union Township, he improved a farm from the forest, and there resided until his death in 1836, in the seventieth year of his age. Reuben Withgott embarked in agricultural pursuits as a young man, and having purchased land in Union Township, near Dry Run Church, was there successfully engaged in general farming during his remaining HISTORY OF ROSS COUNTY - 607 years, dying in 1861. He married Sally Bowdle, a daughter of William Bowdle, and she, too, spent her last days on the home farm. Seven children were born of their union, as follows: Jesse L.; James F., father of the subject of this sketch; Thomas M.; Elizabeth, who became the wife of Rev. Reese Wolf, and settled in Iowa, where both died; Margaret married a Mr. Nichols, and lived near New Holland until after his death, when she went to Kingston to make her home with her two unmarried sisters, Catherine and Lucretia. James F. Withgott was born on the parental homestead, on the Egypt Pike, near the Dry Run Church, Union Township, Ross County, March 16, 1835, and was there brought up and educated. A natural mechanic, skillful in the use of tools, he learned carpentry when young, and was busy at his trade when the outbreak of the Civil war occurred. On August 13, 1862, he enlisted in Company E, One Hundred and Fourteenth Ohio Volunteer Infantry, and was commissioned sergeant of his company. In November, 1864, his regiment was consolidated with the One Hundred and Twentieth Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry, and he was transferred to Company F, of which he remained a member until the close of the conflict. He took an active part in many engagements of note, among the more important having been those at Chickasaw Bayou and Arkansas Post, in Arkansas ; the battles at Thompson Hill, Champion Hill, and Big Black River, in Mississippi ; and the siege and capture of both Vicksburg and Graham's Plantation, in Louisiana. He was honorably discharged with his regiment in July, 1865. Returning home, he resumed work at his trade, and as a contractor and builder erected the Methodist Episcopal Church at Brown's Chapel, the Presbyterian Church at State Mills, and the Methodist Episcopal Church at Bourneville. After his marriage he located in Pickaway Township, near the Ross County line, and was there prosperously engaged in farming and stock raising until his death, October 5, 1902. The maiden name of the wife of James F. Withgott was Mary A. Rittenour. She was born in Ross County, a daughter of Isaac Rittenour, and granddaughter of Jacob and Ann (Claypool) Rittenour, of whom further mention is made in the sketch of George Rittenour, on another page of this volume. Isaac Rittenour, a lifelong farmer of Ross County, married Sarah Orr, a daughter of Thomas Orr, and granddaughter of James Orr, the founder of that branch of the Orr family to which she belonged. Born and brought up near Belfast, Ireland, James Orr emigrated to America in 1770, locating in South Carolina, where he was engaged in business for some time. On account of ill health he removed to Virginia and resided in Hardy County, near Moorefield, until 1797. Coming in that year to the Northwest Territory, he was one of the first settlers of Ross County, locating first near High Bank Prairie, and later on Dry Run. He was well educated, an expert surveyor, and for a time taught a private school in the Dry Run neighborhood, where he remained a resident until his death. He married Sarah Eyemon, who survided him, and at her death was buried beside him 608 - HISTORY OF ROSS COUNTY in the Schooley graveyard. They reared four children, Zebulon, William, James and Thomas. Thomas Orr, father of Sarah Orr, was born in Virginia, and in 1797 came with his parents to Ross County. Growing to manhood on the homestead, he became a farmer from choice, and was engaged in his free and independent occupation throughout his life. He married first Rebecca Alexander, who died two years later, leaving one son. He married, second, Mary Jones, who bore him eleven children, namely : Rebecca; Elizabeth ; Thomas ; Sarah, who married Isaac Rittenour, grandfather of our subject ; William ; Jeremiah, Pressley ; Zebulon ; Simeon; Wesley, and Mary A. Of the union of James F. and Sarah Withgott. four children were born, as follows : Cary R.. ; Walter F.; James D., the subject of this sketch, and Reece B. After leaving the rural schools, James D. Withgott attended the Circleville High School a year, and in 1900 was graduated from the Kingston High School. Going then to Ada, Ohio, he entered the Ohio Northern University, and was graduated from the College of Arts in 1904. Three years later, in 1907, he was graduated from the law department of the Ohio State University, at Columbus. Admitted to the bar in June, 1907, Mr. Withgott began the practice of his chosen profession at Chillicothe in October, 1907, and has met with encouraging success from the start, winning a noteworthy position, not only as a lawyer, but as a popular and esteemed citizen. On June 8, 1910, Mr. Withgott was united in marriage with Miss Ethel Marie Steel, who was born in Chillicothe December 17, 1887, a daughter of James G. and Alice M. Steel, of whom further mention is made elsewhere in this work. Politically Mr. Withgott is a republican. Fraternally he is a member of Scioto Lodge, No. 6, Ancient Free and Accepted Order of Masons, and also belongs to Acacia Fraternity of the Ohio State University. While a student at the Ohio State University he was .a member,. in 1906, of the debating team which won the victory in the contest with the competing team of the Indiana University. HENRY RENICK BROWN, M. D. Noteworthy for his keen intelligence and high mental attainments, Henry R. Brown, M. D., holds an important and influential position among the skillful and faithful physicians and surgeons of Chillicothe, where he is enjoying an excellent patronage, his practice being quite large. A native of Ross County, he was born August 10, 1878, in Deerfield Township, which was likewise the birthplace of his father, Austin H. Brown. He is a descendant in the sixth generation of the immigrant ancestor, who came from England to America in colonial days, settling in Delaware, the line of descent being traced through James (2) Brown, White (3) Brown, William White (4) Brown, Austin H. (5) Brown, to Henry Renick (6) Brown. White Brown, the doctor's great-grandfather, was born in Delaware in 1749, on his father's farm. A faithful student, he acquired a good education, and having become proficient as a surveyor, made the first plat of Sussex County, Delaware. He served as a soldier in the Revo- HISTORY OF ROSS COUNTY - 609 lution, and was a conspicuous worker in the early history of the Methodist Episcopal Church in America. He visited the Northwest Territory in 1799, and soon after became a permanent settler in Ross County. From a history of Ross County, which, with Highland County, was published in 1880, we quote as follows : "White Brown, if not actually the first white settler of Deerfield Township, was first in matters of public improvement. He was a man of intelligence and very strong religious belief. He had, in 1781, built a Methodist Meeting House in his native state, it being known as Brown's Chapel. In 1799 he came to the Northwest Territory and explored quite a section, including Ross County. In 1801 he returned to Ross County, accompanied by his sons and slaves (forty in number), which he later freed. He bought 500 acres of land in what is now Deerfield Township, which was then an unbroken forest, and pending the time when it should be cleared his sons and negro servants raised a crop of corn on the land now occupied by the Ross County Infirmary. In 1802 he built a log house on his land, and in 1803 the remainder of his family joined him, and in that year he built a commodious log barn. In that building, from 1803 until 1818, were held the services of the pioneer Methodist Episcopal Church of Deerfield. His son-in-law, Steven Timmons, was the first to preach there. Later Bishops Francis Asbury, Whatcoat, and McKendry, also George and Lorenzo Dow, and the Finleys, father and son, preached there. "In 1805 he erected a saw mill on his farm on Deer Creek, it being the first mill in Deerfield Township. He dammed the stream by felling a tree across it and then filling in with brush. He kept the first silver dollar he earned in this mill. It was a Spanish coin and bears the date of 1781. The initials W. B., and the date 1805, are marked on the face, and it is still preserved by the family. In addition to other interests Mr. Brown engaged in shipping supplies to New Orleans. He was also a member of the first board of township trustees. He was a man of great force of character, well known in his native state as well as in the state of his adoption." He died March 23, 1842; aged ninety-three years. He was three times married, by his first marriage having five daughters, by his second union having a son and a daughter, and by his third marriage having three daughters and two sons. William White Brown, the doctor's grandfather, was born in the State of Delaware, March 22, 1799, but was brought up on the home farm in Deerfield Township, Ross County. Choosing the free and independent occupation to which he was reared, he was engaged in agricultural pursuits in that township until late in life, when he removed to Chillicothe, where he lived retired until his death, May 8, 1866. He married Martha Hough, a daughter of Benjamin Hough, who came from Pennsylvania, where he was born, to Ohio in pioneer days, and subsequently became prominent in public affairs, serving as the second auditor of the state. Of their union two sons were born, Austin H. and Allison L. Allison L. Brown, the youngest son. was born in February, 1835, and 610 - HISTORY OF ROSS COUNTY grew to manhood on the parental homestead. Enlisting in October, 1861, in Company C, Seventy-third Ohio Volunteer Infantry, he was made sergeant of his company. In July, 1862, he was transferred to the Eighty-ninth Ohio Volunteer Infantry, and was commissioned captain of Company B, which he commanded until May 2, 1863, when he resigned and returned home. In May, 1864, the One Hundred and Forty-ninth Ohio Volunteer Infantry, composed of the Twenty-seventh Regiment and the Fifty-fifth Battalion, Ohio National Guards, was mustered into the United States service, and he was at once commissioned as its colonel. Joining the Army of the Potomac in Virginia, Colonel Brown commanded his regiment in its many marches, campaigns and engagements. At the Battle of Monocacy Bridge, July 9, 1864, his regiment distinguished itself by standing and holding back a greater and superior force, thus retarding the progress of the enemy until re-enforcements came in sufficient numbers to prevent an attack on the City of Washington. After the war, the colonel became active and prominent in public affairs, and twice was elected to the state senate. Colonel Brown married Elizabeth Barry, who died December 20, 1890, leaving one daughter, Helena Brown. Austin H. Brown, the oldest son of the parental household, was born in Deerfield Township July 22, 1833, and in addition to receiving a good common school education when young, was well trained in the different branches of agriculture. When he was ten years of age, he and his brother, two years his junior, were presented by their father with a pig and a colt, and with this capital laid the foundation of a partnership that existed until the death of the younger in 1879. In May, 1864, Austin H. Brown entered the United States service as commissary agent on the staff of his brother, Col. Allison L. Brown, and the following August was stricken with typhoid fever, from the effects of which he did not recover until the next January. He was honorably discharged at the expiration of his term of enlistment, and was thereafter actively and successfully engaged in agricultural pursuits until his death, Feb ruary 22, 1903. Austin H. Brown was twice married. He married first, in April, 1867, Eleanor Madeira Burbridge, who was born in 1837. She died February 20, 1883, leaving four sans, namely : William White, John Madeira, Francis Allison, and Henry Renick. His second wife, whose maiden name was Rowena Nye, survived him, and is now residing in Ross County. Laying a good foundation for his future education in the common schools of his native county, Henry Renick Brown continued his studies at Ann Arbor, Michigan, completing the course of study in the high school of that city, and in 1901 being graduated from the medical department of the University of Michigan. Going then to the Upper Peninsula, he was an interne at the Calumet and Hecla Hospital, in Calumet, for a year, and the following year was engaged in the practice of medicine at Mount Savage, Maryland. Coming then to Chillicothe. Doctor Brown has since been actively engaged in his professional work, HISTORY OF ROSS COUNTY - 611 by his skill and ability having won the confidence of the people to an eminent degree, and built up a constantly increasing practice. Doctor Brown married, in 1906, Mabel R. Downs, a daughter of Zimeray F. and Emma (Grubb) Downs, and into their pleasant household four children have been born, namely : Emma Downs, Henry Austin, Jane Caldwell, and William Burbridge. Religiously both Doctor and Mrs. Brown are members of St. Paul's Episcopal Church. The doctor belongs to the Ross County, and the Ohio State medical societies, and to the American Medical Association. Fraternally Doctor Brown is a member of Scioto Lodge, No. 6, Ancient Free and Accepted Order of Masons ; of Chillicothe Chapter, No. 4, Royal Arch Masons ; of Chillicothe Council, No. 4, Royal and Select Masters; of Chillicothe Commandery, No. 4, Knights Templar; of Scioto Consistory ; and of Aladdin Temple, Ancient Arabic Order of the Nobles of the Mystic Shrine. HUGH W. WARNER. Widely known throughout Southern Ohio as an ex-sheriff of Ross County, Hugh W. Warner, of Chillicothe, holds a place of note in political and social circles, and as proprietor of a large and well-improved farm in Twin Township is contributing his full share towards advancing the agricultural interests of this section of the state. A native of South Union Township, Ross County, he was born on the same farm that his father, Abner Warner, was born, and on which his paternal grandfather, Levi Warner, settled in the very early part of the nineteenth century. His great-grandfather, John Warner, was an officer in the Revolutionary war, and a lifelong resident of Pennsylvania, where his immigrant ancestor located on coming to America from England with William Penn. Levi Warner was born, bred and educated in Philadelphia, and as a young man learned the potter's trade. For a number of years during his early life he was in the United States customs service at Wilmington, Delaware. In 1796 he and his father-in-law, John Winder, with their families, started for the Northwest Territory, journeying with teams to Pittsburgh, thence by flatboat to Portsmouth, and from there to Ross County making an overland trip. Locating at High Banks, in the southern part, they remained there a number of seasons. In 1804 they bought a tract of land in what is now South Union Township, and in addition to farming embarked in the manufacture of tile and brick, while working in partnership making the tile that covered the log state house. In 1852 Levi Warner moved to Clark County, where, two years later, his death occurred. His first wife, whose maiden name was Winder, died in South Union Township when her son Abner was an infant, and he subsequently married her sister for his second wife. The Winders and Warners were Quakers, and reared their families in the same religious faith. Born on the home farm in 1820, Abner Warner was reared to agricultural pursuits, and naturally adopted farming as his chief occupation. After his marriage he began life for himself on land adjoining the parental homestead, the land having been a gift from his father. He 612 - HISTORY OF ROSS COUNTY labored with energy and diligence, sparing no effort to make a success in his undertakings, in addition to farming making a specialty of stock raising and dealing, in the latter industry being obliged to drive both his cattle and swine across the mountains to Baltimore, the most convenient market, it often taking weeks to make the trip. At the end of a few years he sold his farm and bought the old homestead on which he was reared, and there resided until his death, in 1906. Abner Warner married Eleanor Anderson, who was born in South Union Township in 1819, a daughter of John Anderson. Her paternal grandfather, Mahlon Anderson, a native of Virginia, and a harness-maker by trade, came to Ross County in 1806, and having purchased a tract of wild land in South Union Township, cleared from the wilderness the farm on which he spent his remaining years, and which is now owned by a great-grandson. He married Rebecca Ryan, who, like himself, lived to a ripe old age, her death occurring at the age of ninety-two years. John Anderson, father of Eleanor, was born in Virginia, just across the river from Harpers Ferry, and as a boy came with the family to Ross County. He assisted as soon as old enough in the clearing of the parental homestead, and having come into possession of a part of it through inheritance, there spent the larger part of his seventy-seven years of earthly life. During the construction of the Erie Canal he took a contract to excavate that portion of it that passed his farm, and as a girl, his daughter Eleanor also helped by driving the oxen for him. He raised excellent crops on his farm, and used to take his extra produce down the rivers on flatboats to New Orleans, where he would sell both boat and cargo, and walk back to Chillicothe. The maiden name of the wife of John Anderson was Rebecca. Justus. She was born in Pennsylvania, which, it is supposed, was the birthplace of her father, _James Justus, who came with his family to Ross County in 1802, settling in Green Township, where he took up land, and spent the remainder of his life as a farmer. Of the union of Abner and Eleanor (Anderson) Warner, six children were born and reared, as follows: John M., Levi Trimble, Hugh W., Ella J., Simeon W., and Abner W. The mother died in 1908, in the eighty-eighth year of her age. John M. Warner, the eldest son of the parental household, was born on the home farm February 10, 1846, and as a boy was well drilled in the various branches of agriculture. In 1876 he began buying and selling cattle, and continued the business for eight years, operating in Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana, and Illinois. The following fifteen years he was superintendent of the Ross County Infirmary, and was afterwards engaged in farming in Union Township until 1905, when he removed to Chillicothe, where he now lives. Since coming to Chillicothe he has served six years as deputy sheriff, and at the present time, in 1915, is court bailiff and probation officer. He is a member of Chillicothe Lodge, No. 52, Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks. In January, 1864, he was united in marriage with Mary Morrison, who was born June 12, 1849, daughter of Jacob and Margaret (Brandt) Morrison. She died in 1907. HISTORY OF ROSS COUNTY - 613 Acquiring a substantial education in the rural schools, Hugh W. Warner was early trained to habits of industry and honesty, as a young boy assisting in the lighter duties of the farm. Attaining his majority, he began life as an independent farmer on land that he rented, as a tenant occupying one farm for twenty-six consecutive years, it having been a well-improved and highly productive estate of 500 acres. Leaving it in 1906, having sold his farming interests, Mr. Warner removed to Chillicothe, where he has since resided, having a pleasant and attractive home. Mr. Warner married, in 1877, Miss Matilda Houk, who was born in Ross County, a daughter of David and Sophia (Winks) Houk. Her grandfather, Philip Houk, who was born in Pennsylvania, of early German ancestry, was one of the pioneer settlers of Pike County, Ohio. He bought a tract of timbered land, and after improving a part of it, sold out and started for Iowa, to there invest his money. He made the intended investment, and it is supposed that he was murdered while making the return trip, as he was never after heard from. David Houk was born on the farm in Pike County, and lived there until 1860, when he located at High Banks, Ross County, where he lived two years. He then purchased a farm two miles north of Chillicothe, and at the end of another two years sold that property and bought nearly 700 acres of rich Scioto River bottom land, seven miles north of Chillicothe, near the mouth of Deer Creek, and was there successfully engaged in farming, making a specialty of growing corn. He then moved to Chillicothe, where he lived retired until his death a few months later. He and his wife reared four children, namely : Emma, Jacob, Hamilton, and Matilda, now Mrs. Warner. Since casting his first presidential vote in favor of Gen. U. S. Grant, Mr. Warner has been an earnest supporter of the principles of the republican party, and has served as a delegate to numerous county, district and state conventions. He has been trustee of Union Township, and in 1894 was elected sheriff of Ross County. Fraternally he is a member of Scioto Lodge, No. 6, Ancient Free and Accepted Order of Masons; of Chillicothe Chapter, No. 4, Royal Arch Masons; of Chillicothe Council No. 4, Royal and Select Masters; of Chillicothe Commandery, No. 8, Knights Templar; and of the thirty-second degree Scottish Rite ; and of Chillicothe Lodge, No. 52, Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks. MRS. ESTELLE (JONES) PURDUM. A woman of culture and refinement, interested in all movements tending toward the betterment of the world, Mrs. Estelle J. Purdum is an ardent advocate of temperance, and an active and prominent member of the Woman's Christian Temperance Union. A native of Ross County, she was born in Liberty Township, which was also the birthplace of her father, Henry Jones, Jr., his birth having occurred February 16, 1824. She comes of honored pioneer stock, her great-grandfather, Thomas Jones, having migrated from New Vol. II-9 614 - HISTORY OF ROSS COUNTY Jersey to Ohio in 1803, bringing with him his family, which included a son, Henry, who became the grandfather of Mrs. Purdum. Thomas Jones made the trip from the Atlantic Coast to Ohio long before the days of railroads and canals, journeying overland, it is supposed, with teams, bringing his wife and children with him, and camping and cooking by the way, as was then the custom. Having purchased a tract of land near Rattlesnake Knob, in Liberty Township, Ross County, he erected the typical log cabin, and on the farm which he cleared from its pristine wildness spent the remainder of his life. Both he and his wife, Elizabeth, lived to a good old age, and reared a large family, their children being as follows : William, Henry, Thomas, Benjamin, Joshua, Caleb, Samuel, Jeremiah, Jacob, Mary and Rebecca. Caleb died in middle life, but all of the others lived long and useful lives, married and reared families. Henry Jones, Sr., Mrs. Purdum 's grandfather, was born in New Jersey, and ere he had entered his teens was brought by his parents to Ross County. From his obituary, written by one of his sons, we learn that he obtained the rudiments of his education in a log cabin, it having been the first building erected in Liberty Township for school purposes, the pupils attending representing at that time thirty-two families. At the time of his death, at the age of four score years, all but two of those families, the Joneses and the Claypools, had become extinct in Liberty Township, either by death or by removal. During his youthful days the nearest mill was ten or more miles distant, and he, with other boys, used to take a sack of grain to be ground, and each boy would wait his turn, sometimes waiting thus a full day and night. Jackson was the nearest point at which salt, which cost $4 a bushel, could be bought, while at the same time corn, which was usually of an inferior quality, sold at 8 cents per bushel, and muslin cost 50 cents a yard. Beginning his career as an independent farmer, Henry Jones, Sr., bought 100 acres of land in Liberty Township, and was there actively engaged in tilling the soil until his death, March 17, 1871. During the later years of his life he suffered greatly from physical infirmities, yet his constant testimony was that his last days were his best ; that his pathway grew brighter ; and that this in many respects was a good and beautiful world, but that there was another and better in reserve for the faithful, and which he expected through Christ to inhabit throughout all eternity. Henry Jones, Sr., married, at the age of twenty-seven years, Rachel Corken, a daughter of Thomas and Grace (Mason) Corken, who migrated from Maryland to Ohio, becoming pioneers of Harrison Township, where they spent the remainder of their lives. Both were consistent members of the Methodist Episcopal Church, and their bodies are buried in the Concord Methodist Episcopal Churchyard. Mrs. Rachel (Corken) Jones died in 1893, at the advanced age of ninety-six years. She was the mother of nine children, as follows : Simpson, Nelson, Henry, Milton, Elizabeth, Rebecca, Rachel, John and Mason. Brought up on the homestead, in Liberty Township, Henry Jones, Jr., obtained his early HISTORY OF ROSS COUNTY - 615 education in a log cabin standing at the foot of Taylor's Hill, on the Londonderry Pike, and as that was before the establishment of free schools in Ohio, it was run on the subscription plan. Making the most of his opportunities, he acquired a good education, and by extensive reading gained a large amount of general information, to his very last day taking an intelligent interest in passing events. He became a farmer from choice, and at the time of his marriage installed his bride as mistress of a log cabin, in which they began housekeeping and in which their four oldest children, including Mrs. Purdum, were born. He was very successful in his agricultural labors, and wisely investing surplus money in land, became the possessor of 700 acres, lying in Liberty and Harrison townships. In the early '60s he built a commodious brick house, surrounded by seven acres of beautiful lawn, in Harrison Township, and there earnest men and women of the church, and those interested in all reform movements, were welcome guests. After the death of his wife he came to Chillicothe to live with Mrs. Purdum, and died at her home December 27, 1912. The maiden name of the wife of Henry Jones, Jr., was Mary Jones. She was a daughter of Thomas and Margaret (Haynes) Jones, and a granddaughter of Rev. George Haynes, the first blacksmith to locate in Chillicothe. She died on the farm in Harrison Township February 8, 1904. Eight children were born to her and her husband, as follows: Estelle F., now Mrs. Purdum ; Gertrude, who was the second wife of J. A. Cuseaden ; Emmeline, who married E. P. Cliner ; Virginia died unmarried ; Alice, who became the first wife of J. A. Cuscaden ; Norris H. ; Josephine married T. M. Hanna ; and Jessie, who married C. V. Jones. Acquiring a very good education in the public schools, Estelle Jones began teaching school in her home district when but fifteen years old. Entering the Ohio Wesleyan Female College, in Delaware, at the close of the Civil war, she continued her studies there two years, after which she was again engaged in teaching until about a year prior to her marriage. Estelle Jones married, October 28, 1868, John W. Purdum, and began housekeeping in Chillicothe, in the house which she now occupies. John W. Purdum, a son of Jesse and Mary (McAdow) Purdum, was born April 16, 1838, in Chillicothe. As a young man he began clerking in the hardware store of D. A. Schutte, and was thus employed until May, 1864, when he enlisted in Company A, One Hundred and Forty-ninth Ohio Volunteer Infantry. Being commissioned second lieutenant of his company, he went with his command to the front during the Civil war and continued in active service until receiving his honorable discharge, August 30, 1864. He then resumed clerking for a time, but was subsequently engaged in business on his own account until compelled by ill health to give up all active pursuits. Retiring permanently then from business cares, Mr. Purdum continued his residence in Chillicothe until his death, August 24, 1911. During the great revival of 1860, Mr. Purdum was converted, and 616 - HISTORY OF ROSS COUNTY united with the Walnut Street Methodist Episcopal Church, of which Rev. C. E. Felton was then pastor. Four children were born of the marriage of Mr. and Mrs. Purdum, namely : Mary, who died at the age of thirty-five years; Henry Jones, Florence, and Norris Willard. At the age of eleven years Mrs. Purdum joined the Concord Methodist Episcopal Church, and on coming to Chillicothe had her membership transferred to the Walnut Street Methodist Episcopal Church, with which she has since been identified, since 1868 having been a teacher in its Sunday school. Mrs. Purdum has always been an earnest worker in the cause of temperance, and at the reorganization of the Woman's Christian Temperance Union in Chillicothe, in 1886, was made its president. In 1891, in Toledo, she was chosen treasurer of the state organization, and served four years. In 1890 she was elected to the state board of trustees of the Woman's Christian Temperance Union, and filled the position four years. Mrs. Purdum believes there is no movement greater than that of the Woman's Christian Temperance Union. Because of her loyalty to the cause, she has often endured the most bitter persecutions, but she is a woman who will stand firm as a rock when a principle is involved, and never was known to falter in a work when she encountered opposition. Self-sacrificing to a fault, her ambition and personal convenience is of secondary consideration when anything is to be done that will advance the cause of the Woman's Christian Temperance Union. Her indomitable energy and perseverance, backed by her strong convictions, lead her to success where many others fail. She is an ardent believer in woman's enfranchisement, and through her instrumentalities suffrage lectures have been delivered in the remotest parts of her county. A friend says : "We have learned through years of closest association in the work of the Women's Christian Temperance Union that in all the successes and defeats, in trying to bring the liquor power subservient to the law, that in all of the pleasant and unpleasant things which white ribboners commonly encounter when laboring for this greatest cause, her soul has never been scorched with malice toward any one, and that her heart is filled with love and charity for all. The atmosphere of her home is the essence of purity and Christian piety. An affectionate and devoted wife and mother, 'the heart of her husband did safely trust in her,' and `her children rise up and call her blessed.' " ALEXANDER STEEL. Noteworthy among the industrious and able farmers who contributed largely toward the development and advancement of the agricultural interests of Ross County was Alexander Steel, late of Chillicothe, where he lived for several years, retired from active business pursuits. A son of James Steel, Jr., he was born on a farm in Ross County, Ohio, in June, 1846, of pure Scotch ancestry. James Steel, Jr., was born in 1807, in Scotland, where his parents, James and Jane (Gladstone) Steel, were lifelong residents. Immigrating to America in 1816, he spent two years in Virginia, from there coming as a boy to Ohio. In 1842 be located in Scioto Township, Ross County. HISTORY OF ROSS COUNTY - 617 Buying a tract of land on the North Fork of Paint Creek, he engaged in general farming, and was there a resident until his death, fifty-six years later, on December 21, 1898, at the venerable age of ninety-one years. He was a man of sterling character, a strong Presbyterian in religion, and an ardent advocate of the temperance cause. On October 3, 1837, James Steel, Jr., married Jane Somerville, a daughter of John Somerville, a well-to-do farmer of Bourneville, who came to Ohio from Scotland in 1808, and during his subsequent life was a man of prominence in Ross County, and active in the Swedenborgian Church, of which he was a member. One of a family of ten children, Alexander Steel was brought up on the home farm, in Scioto Township, and assisted his father in its management for a few years after attaining his majority. He then located in Twin Township, on land given him by his father, and after occupying it a few years sold out, and bought land adjoining the parental homestead. As a tiller of the soil, he met with excellent success, but was subsequently forced to give up active work on account of ill health, and for eighteen months lived in Chillicothe. Again assuming possession of his farm, he managed it for nearly four years, when he again took up his residence in Chillicothe, where he lived retired until his death, in 1911. Mr. Steel married, in 1882, Jeanette Morris Anderson, who was born at Anderson Station, Union Township, Ross County, Ohio, a daughter of James R. Anderson, a native-born citizen of Chillicothe. Mrs. Steel's grandfather, Lewis Anderson, was born, January 4, 1760, in Wales, and in early manhood emigrated to Ohio, locating in Ross County, in Chillicothe. He later bought land at Anderson Station, and was there engaged in agricultural pursuits until his death, July 11, 1846. He married first, April 6, 1815, Isabelle Schwartz, who died in early life, leaving two children, James R. and Jane W. In 1821 he married for his second wife Mrs. Jane Patterson. James R. Anderson succeeded to the ownership of his father's homestead, and was there prosperously engaged in general farming and stock-raising during the remainder of his life, passing away March 16, 1889. The maiden name of his wife was Mary Jane Morris. She was born in Union Township, a daughter of John and Phoebe (Rogers) Morris, and died on the home farm, October 17, 1896. To her and her husband, nine children were born and reared, as follows: John S.; Thomas L.; Mary M. ; Jeanette Morris, who became the wife of Alexander Steel; James; William D.; Louis F.; Margaret M.; and Lincoln C. Mr. and Mrs. Steel reared two children, Margaret; and J. Robert, who married Elizabeth Willick, and now occupies the home farm. Mrs. Steel is a member of the First Presbyterian Church, to which Mr. Steel also belonged. CHARLES F. COPPEL. To have played an effective part in business affairs in one locality for a period of thirty-five or forty years is of itself an achievement that reflects honor and is not unconnected with important service. Such has been the position of Charles F. Coppel at Chillicothe, one of the very successful business men of that city. 618 - HISTORY OF ROSS COUNTY A native of Ross County, he was born November 17, 1846, a son of Christopher and Caroline Coppel. His father was born in Germany and came to America during the decade of the '30s, locating in Chillicothe. He began his career in this country as a farm laborer and for a great many years, until his death in 1874, he lived on the Mathews farm. The mother died in 1882. Of their large family of fourteen children, all but three are still living. Charles F. Coppel grew up in Ross County, attended the public schools, fitted himself by hard work and by learning the lessons of honesty and thrift for a useful career. In 1882 he began business at Chillicothe as a restaurant proprietor, having his establishment close to the site now occupied by the Cincinnati, Hamilton and Dayton Railroad Depot. He has continued in that same line of business now for thirty-four years, and probably has the oldest institution of its kind under one continuous management in Ross County. In addition Mr. Coppel has built up a large local trade in coal and building material. He has extensive yards and a large and commodious warehouse for the handling of these products. His success is also indicated by his home, a large brick residence, that stands on a hillside commanding a fine view in several directions. Mr. Coppel also has a part in farming enterprise and owns a large estate of 1,500 acres and has developed much of it and is still continuing the work of improvement. In politics he has for a number of years maintained an independent attitude. Mr. Coppel married Miss Elizabeth Winter. To their marriage were born four children : Anna. B., wife of A. R. Wolf, who is now postmaster of Chillicothe ; Charles F., Jr., now deceased ; William, who is a clerk in his father's business; and Harry Tobias. ELISHA A. TINKER. An able and skilful attorney, well versed in legal lore, Elisha A. Tinker is successfully engaged in the practice of his profession at Chillicothe, and is also actively interested in public matters. He was born, April 28, 1872, in Trimble Township, Athens County, Ohio, on the same farm that his father, Resolve W. Tinker, first opened his eyes to the light of this world, his birth having occurred in 1844, the farm having then been owned and occupied by Charles Tinker, grandfather of Elisha A. Tinker. Charles Tinker was born in Connecticut, and was about four years old when brought to Ohio by his parents, who settled on wild land near the present site of Zanesville. He grew to manhood amid pioneer scenes, long before the days of railroads and canals, when few, if any, evidences of civilization as now understood existed. Grown to a sturdy manhood, he married, and subsequently moved to Trimble Township, settling on land which his wife had inherited, it being heavily timbered when he assumed its possession. After living for a while in a log cabin, he burned bricks, and erected a brick house therefrom. He cleared a large portion of the land, and was there actively engaged in tilling the soil until his death, in the eightieth year of his age. HISTORY OF ROSS COUNTY - 619 Charles Tinker married Almira Fuller, who was born in Dover Township, Athens County, where her father located on coming to Ohio from Connecticut. The greater part of the state was then in its virgin wildness, the land being owned by the Government, and its dense forests being habited not only by the wily red man, but by wild beasts of all kinds. It is said that just before leaving his native state, Mr. Fuller had sold a cow for sixteen dollars, but had not received the pay therefor, and that he returned to Connecticut for the purpose of collecting the sum due him. In order to do so, he worked his way on a flat boat down the Ohio and Mississippi rivers to New Orleans, where he secured an opportunity to work his passage on a sailing vessel to Connecticut. Collecting his money, he walked back to Ohio, and on the farm which he improved, it being located about six miles from Athens, he spent his remaining years. Brought up on the home farm, Resolve W. Tinker began life on his own account in Trimble Township, in addition to carrying on general farming establishing a profitable business as a cattle dealer, buying in Ohio, and shipping to the eastern markets. Coming to Ross County in 1891, he bought a farm in Concord Township, and established himself in mercantile business at Clarksburg, where he resided until his death, in November, 1904, at the age of three score years. He married Mary F. Martin, who was born in Jefferson County, Illinois, a daughter of Thomas Martin. She survived him, dying in January, 1908, leaving four children, as follows : Lewis M., Elisha A., Resolve W., and Eugene. Laying a good foundation for his future education in the rural schools, Elisha A. Tinker entered the Ohio University, from which he was graduated in 1893. While there pursuing his studies, he had taught school two terms, and after leaving the University he took up journalistic work, until 1895 being associated with the "Athens Herald." In the meantime Mr. Tinker read law, first with Sleeper & Sayre, in Athens, and later in Chillicothe, with Luther B. Yaple. Admitted to the bar in 1896, Mr. Tinker began the practice of his profession in 1897, at Chillicothe, and has continued here until the present time. Mr. Tinker married in October, 1901, Laura Morrison, who was born in Union Township, Ross County, a daughter of William Morrison, and they have one child, Frances Tinker. Since casting his first presidential vote for William McKinley, Mr. Tinker has been actively identified with the republican party, and has served as chairman of the executive committee of the Ross County Republican Organization most of the time since 1903. He has been a delegate to numerous district and state conventions, and in 1905 was elected to the lower house of the State Legislature. Mr. Tinker belongs to the Phi Delta Theta College Fraternity, and is a member of Chillicothe Camp, No. 4111, Modern Woodmen of America. A. R. WOLFE. One of the leading citizens of Ross County, prominent in its business, social and political circles, Adolph R. Wolfe, postmaster at Chillicothe, holds a position of trust and responsibility, and is performing the duties devolving upon him in this capacity to the eminent 620 - HISTORY OF ROSS COUNTY satisfaction of all concerned. He was born, October 10, 1870, in Cincinnati, Ohio, a son of John and Mary (Kroll) Wolfe. Left motherless when a child of six years, he came to Chillicothe to live with his mother's sister and her husband, Mr. and Mrs. Hugo L. Gessner, who cared for him as tenderly and lovingly as though he had been their own son. Educated in the public schools, he remained with his uncle and aunt until twenty-four years old, assisting Mr. Gessner in his business. Turning his attention then to journalism, for which he had a natural taste and aptitude, Mr. Wolfe became a reporter on the Chillicothe Daily News, his salary being $6 per week. Making rapid strides in his newspaper work, he became, at the end of a year, city editor of that paper, and after its consolidation with the Chillicothe Advertiser continued with that paper until April, 1913, when he resigned to accept his present position of postmaster. Previous to that time, in addition to his editorial work, he had assumed the management of the Masonic Opera House, leasing it for four years, and then owning it for a period of ten years, when he sold the property. Mr. Wolfe has been twice married. He married first, in 1901, Miss Alice Thomas, who was born in Clarksburg, a daughter of Archibald and Mary (Norris) Thomas, and sister of James Milton Thomas. She died in early womanhood, her death occurring in September, 1909. Mr. Wolfe married second, in 1912, Miss Anna Coppel, a native of Chillicothe, being a daughter of Charles F. and Elizabeth (Winter) Coppel. Mr. and Mrs. Wolfe attend St. Paul's Church. Having cast his first presidential vote for Grover Cleveland, Mr. Wolfe has since been a consistent member of the democratic party, and active worker in its ranks. He has been a delegate to several democratic state conventions, and has served as a member of the State Central Committee, and as chairman of the County Democratic Committee. Fraternally Mr. Wolfe belongs to Scioto Lodge, No. 6, Ancient Free and Accepted Order of Masons; to Chillicothe Chapter, No. 4, Royal Arch Masons; to Chillicothe Council, No. 4, Royal and Select Masters ; to Chillicothe Commandery, No. 8, Knights Templar; and is a member of the Valley of Columbus Consistory, and of Aladdin Temple, Ancient Arabic Order of the Nobles of the Mystic Shrine. He is likewise a member of Chillicothe Lodge, No. 52, Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks; and of Chillicothe Camp, No. 4111, Modern Woodmen of America. GUSTAVUS SCOTT FRANKLIN, A. M., M. D. A man of talent and culture, with the greatest capacity for earnest and diligent labor, the late Gustavus Scott Franklin, M. D., was for many years one of the foremost physicians of Chillicothe, where the major part of his life was spent, his birth having occurred in this city November 22, 1837, and his death in February, 1901. His father, William B. Franklin, had the family name of "Bussard" changed, in 1831, by the Ohio Legislature, to its present form, "Franklin." He was a son of Daniel Bussard, Jr., and a grandson of Daniel Boussard, Sr. There is a well established tradition that the paternal grandfather of Daniel Boussard, Sr., was born in France, HISTORY OF ROSS COUNTY - 621 having been a Huguenot, and in 1685, after the revocation of the Edict of Nantes, fled to Saxony, where he married the daughter of a burgomaster. Daniel Boussard, Sr., or Bussard, as the name was afterwards spelled, was born, in 1743, in Saxony, Germany, and when five years of age was brought by his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Peter Bussard, to America. He spent the next few years of his life in the eastern part of Pennsylvania, from there moving with the family to the Monocacy Valley, Maryland. After his marriage he settled in Frederick County, Maryland, and there the birth of his son, Daniel Bussard, Jr., occurred, December 2, 1771. William B. Franklin was born, October 29, 1804, in Georgetown, District of Columbia. Scholarly in his tastes and ambitions, he was graduated from Princeton College, now Princeton University, in Princeton, New Jersey, with the degree of bachelor of arts. Deciding to enter the legal profession, he studied law under the preceptorship of Francis Scott Key, author of the Star Spangled Banner. Going to Virginia, he was tutor in the family of John Caile Scott until 1831, when he came to Ohio to accept the position of a teacher in the Chillicothe Academy. Becoming active in public affairs, he was elected county auditor in 1841, and was continued in office by successive re-elections until 1857. He again served in the same office from 1859 until 1863. In 1860 he was appointed registrar at the United States Land Office in Chillicothe, and continued in that capacity for eighteen years. He lived to a ripe old age, dying at his home in Chillicothe. William B. Franklin married, August 25, 1827, at Western View, on the Rappahannock River, Culpeper County, Virginia, Marianne Scott, who was born at Rock Hill, Maryland, January 2, 1803, of Scotch ancestry. Her father, James Caile Scott, was a son of Gustavus Scott, and grandson of Rev. James Scott, the immigrant ancestor. His great-grandfather, Rev. John Scott, master of arts, was born in Dipple Parish, Morayshire, Scotland, and spent his entire life in his native country. Born and reared in Dipple Parish, Elgin, Morayshire, Scotland, Rev. James Scott came to America in 1739, settling in Virginia. For a few years he resided at Dipple, Virginia, on the estate which he had inherited from his brother Alexander, and then removed to Prince William County, where he served as rector of the church at Dettingen Parish until his death, which occurred thirty-seven years later, in 1782. He married, at Rock Hill, Charles County, Maryland, Sarah Brown, who was born August 29, 1815, a daughter of Dr. Gustavus and Frances (Fowke) Brown. She survived him two years, passing away in 1784. Gustavus Scott, Doctor Franklin's great-grandfather on the maternal side, was born at Westwood, Prince William County, Maryland, in 1753. Being sent, in 1765, to Scotland to complete his early education, he studied for two years at King's College, in Aberdeen, and in 1771 completed his study of law at Essex Court, Middle Temple, London. Thus equipped for a professional career, he returned to Maryland, locating in Somerset County, where he became prominent and successful as a lawyer, and influential in public affairs. He was elected a deputy to the Mary- 622 - HISTORY OF ROSS COUNTY land convention, and served as such from June 22, 1774, until December, 1775, and was a member of the Maryland convention of 1775, which elected him as a member of a committee to prepare a draft of instructions for the deputies representing that province in Congress. He was also one of the four delegates from the Maryland convention of 1776 that formed a state constitution. After the adoption of the constitution, he removed to Dorchester County, which he represented in the Assembly from 1780 until 1784, and was appointed by the state as one of the conferees to meet those from Virginia at Annapolis, December 22, 1784, to devise some action towards the improvement of the Potomac River. He served as a delegate from Maryland to the Continental Congress of 1784 and 1785. He was likewise one of the Maryland Legislative Committee that reported in favor of James Ramsey, the inventor of the steamboat, who claimed the exclusive right of making and selling his boats in Maryland. Forces' Archives give many records of Gustavus Scott's work in the Maryland conventions. On April 11, 1776, he was a member of the committee on prizes ; he was one of the committee to prepare instructions for recruiting sergeants, and a member of the committee on the Potomac ferry. When the State of Maryland loaned the United States $150,000, he was one of the three men that endorsed the notes. His death, at Washington, in December, 1801, was a loss to the entire country. He married Margaret Hall Caile. John Caile Scott, son of Gustavus and Margaret Hall (Caile) Scott, and Doctor Franklin's maternal grandfather, was born in 1782, and lived until 1828 in Culpeper County, Virginia, at Western View, having moved there some several years before from Rock Hill, Maryland. Coming to Ross County, Ohio, in that year, he remained here permanently, dying in 1840, on the Mechlenburg Farm. His wife, whose maiden name was Ann Love, was born in 1780, and died in 1832, in Ross County, on the Keys farm. Acquiring his rudimentary education in the public schools of Chillicothe, Gustavus Scott Franklin was graduated from the Marietta College with the class of 1859. He subsequently studied medicine under Drs. David Wills and D. H. Scott, and in 1862 was graduated from the College of Physicians and Surgeons at New York City. Immediately entering the United States navy as a surgeon, Doctor Franklin served on the steamships "Minnesota" and "Onondaga," continuing thus employed until 1868. Returning then to Chillicothe, the doctor was successfully engaged in the practice of his profession until compelled by failing health to retire from active pursuits. A physician of far more than average skill, he was likewise a man of excellent executive and financial ability, and from the time of the death of his father-in-law, Dr. L. V. Foulke, until his own death, he had charge of the Foulke estate, of which he was executor. Doctor Franklin married, in 1870, Mary Steele Foulke, the only child of Dr. Lewis W. and Elizabeth (McCoy) Foulke, of whom a brief sketch may be found elsewhere in this volume. Three children blessed the marriage of Doctor and Mrs. Franklin, namely : Elizabeth N. ; Charles Love, HISTORY OF ROSS COUNTY - 623 of whom a personal sketch appears on another page of this biographical work ; and Marianne Scott. The doctor was a member of the Ross County Medical Society ; of the Ohio Sanitary Society ; of the American Medical Society ; and of the American Academy of Science. He also belonged to the Sons of the American Revolution, and to the A. L. Brown Post, Grand Army of the Republic. DR. LEWIS W. FOULKE. Occupying a distinguished position among the early physicians of Ross County was Dr. Lewis W. Foulke, of Chillicothe, who won distinction not only in medical circles, but in the business and social life of the community in which he lived, having been popular as a man and a citizen, and prominent as a financier. A native of Pennsylvania, he was born in August, 1809, in Carlisle. His father, George D. Foulke, received a liberal education, having been graduated from the Dickinson College, in Carlisle, and from the Medical University of Maryland. Having obtained his early education in the public schools of Carlisle, and by private study, Lewis W. Foulke, following in the footsteps of his father, entered Dickinson College in 1825, and after his graduation from that institution in 1829 entered the Medical University of Maryland, where he was graduated with the degree of doctor of medicine in 1832. For four years thereafter Doctor Foulke was engaged in the practice of medicine in his native state, gaining valuable experience as a physician, and much skill in the art of healing diseases. Coming to Ross County, Ohio, in 1836, the doctor met with success from the first, his rise in public confidence and in professional circles being most rapid, and very gratifying to himself. He continued in active practice in this city until his death, in June, 1887. Possessing marked ability as a business man, he accumulated a large property, and was prominently identified with various organizations. He was a member, and president, of the Board of Trustees of the Chillicothe Cemetery ; was the first president of the Ross County National Bank, and one of the organizers of the Savings Bank Company ; was president of the Ohio Insurance Company ; was one of the organizers of the Chillicothe Gas Light & Water Company, and for many years was an influential member of the Chillicothe School Board. Doctor Foulke married Elizabeth McCoy, a daughter of John McCoy, and their only child, Mary Steele Foulke, became the wife of Gustavus Scott Franklin, M. D., of whom a sketch may be found on another page of this volume. CHARLES LOVE FRANKLIN. Prominently identified with the advancement of the financial and commercial prosperity of Ross County, Charles L. Franklin, of Chillicothe, manager of the estate of his maternal grand- father, Dr. L. W. Foulke, is a man of broad affairs, and a contributor, both directly and indirectly, to the material interests of city, county, and state. A son of Dr. Gustavus S. and Mary S. (Foulke) Franklin, he was born May 1, 1875, in Chillicothe, which has always been his home. Finishing the course of instruction in the Chillicothe public schools, 624 - HISTORY OF ROSS COUNTY he attended the Virginia Military Institute for two years, completing his early education at Marietta College. On the death of his father, he succeeded to the trusteeship of the Foulke estate, and has since devoted his time and energies to its management, and to his own private interests, his business duties being many and varied. He is actively associated with one of the more important financial institutions of the city, being one of the directors of the Savings Bank Company. Fraternally Mr. Franklin is a member of Scioto Lodge, No. 6, Ancient Free and Accepted Order of Masons; of Chillicothe Chapter, No. 4, Royal Arch Masons; of Chillicothe Council No. 4, Royal and Select Masters; of Chillicothe Commandery, No. 8, Knights Templar; of Syrian Temple; of the Cincinnati Consistory ; and of Chillicothe Lodge, No. 52, Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks. WADE J. BEYERLY. A man of high mental attainments, energetic and progressive, Wade J. Beyerly is widely and favorably known not only as a successful attorney of Chillicothe, but as an educator of prominence, having been identified with the schools of Ross and other counties, either as superintendent or principal, for many years. A native of Ross County, he was born May 25, 1861, in Union Township, a son of Andrew J. Beyerly, and grandson of Michael Beyerly, a pioneer settler of Chillicothe. Caspar Beyerly, the great grandfather of Wade J. Beyerly, was born in Germany in 1727, and as a young man came to America, sailing from Bremen, and after a voyage of several weeks landing in Philadelphia. A few years later he left that city, removing with his family to Dauphin County, Pennsylvania, where both he and his wife, Katrina, spent their last years. His sons, Jacob and Caspar, settled in Harrisburg. Several of the children of his son Jacob, and a daughter of his son Caspar, came to Ohio to live, while a daughter, Betsey, married a Mr. Wibely, and located in Chillicothe. Michael Beyerly was born March 14, 1774, in Lower Paxton Township, Dauphin County, Pennsylvania, and as a youth learned the shoemaker's trade, serving an apprenticeship at the time all shoes were custom made. In 1804, accompanied by his family, he came to Chillicothe, journeying with wagon to Pittsburgh, thence down the Ohio River, and up the Scioto, by flatboat. Soon after his arrival, he opened an inn on the site now occupied by the Carson House, South Paint Street, and also established a shoe shop. As there were neither railroads or canals for many years thereafter, all produce was shipped down the rivers on flatboats, and he took several boat loads of flour, grain and pork down the Ohio, Scioto and Mississippi rivers to St. Louis. Prosperous in business, he continued a resident of this city until his death, in 1841. During the War of 1812, he served three enlistments, first as a minute-man, then as a substitute, and the third as a volunteer. He married Anna Miller, who was born in Martinsburg, Pennsylvania, October 6, 1781, and died in Chillicothe, of cholera, September 1, 1833. She reared eight children. Born in Chillicothe, November 11, 1815, Andrew J. Beyerly learned