OHIO STATEWIDE FILES OH-FOOTSTEPS Mailing List ----------------------------------------------------------------------- USGENWEB NOTICE: These electronic pages may NOT be reproduced in any format for profit or presentation by other organization or persons. Persons or organizations desiring to use this material, must obtain the written consent of the contributor, or the legal representative of the submitter, and contact the listed USGenWeb archivist with proof of this consent. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by OH-FOOTSTEPS Mailing List ------------------------------------------------------------------------ OH-FOOTSTEPS-D Digest Volume 99 : Issue 71 Today's Topics: #1 Mary ROBINSON Story [Maggie Stewart-Zimmerman <73777.25] #2 CHARLES A. LINN - History of Ohio [AUPQ38A@prodigy.com (MRS GINA M RE] #3 GEORGE WARD LINN - History of Ohio [AUPQ38A@prodigy.com (MRS GINA M RE] #4 JOHN C. RICKENBACHER [LeaAnn ] ------------------------------ X-Message: #1 Date: Tue, 2 Feb 1999 20:56:04 -0500 From: Maggie Stewart-Zimmerman Subject: Mary ROBINSON Story From: Mary Myers Hi Maggie, I promised that I would send this story to you about Mary ROBINSON my great grandmother who immigrated from England in 1869. This is compiled by Tedford Schoonover and written by Tedford and Katherine Schoonover in 1979. I have since researched and acquired additional information. Katherine is also the Great Granddaughter of John and Mary ROBINSON. Ted and Katherine primarily wrote about Thomas ROBINSON. Thomas' sister Eliza was my Grandmother. As quoted: "The history of the Robinson Family in America centers around Tom Robinson who emigrated to Ohio from his native England in 1858, at the age of 19. he landed in New Orleans after a voyage of seven weeks, where he remained for a few months testing out his newly chosen country. he felt depressed over the treatment of negro slaves and their sale at public auctions. Saddened by this he still loved America and journeyed up the Mississippi and Ohio rivers to Norton, Ohio where he settled down to live. His attraction to that particular location was apparently his older brother, Will, who had come over from England at an earlier date. We have only sketch information about Will who remained in Ohio until his death in November 1910 at the age of 80. he married Harriet Ann and they had a daughter, Mary, born in Ashley, Ohio, Jan 11, 1871. They also had a son, Albert, born in Ashley and a daughter Sadie (Durkee) born in Columbus. These items bear more checking. Census records might help. The ROBINSON family in England was headed by John who was born near East Rigton, Yorkshire in 1807. He married Mary CROSSWAIT, born 1816. They spent their lives in the area around East Rigton. The nearby town of Bardsey is also mentioned in records of the family. The father and mother, John and Mary Robinson, remained in England until his death on October 22, 1865. He was a blacksmith and taught the trade to all of his sons. The eldest child, Will, was born in 1830. He evidently emigrated to America at an early age, perhaps as early as 1850, and settled in Norton, Ohio. Tom, their second son, was born in East Rigton on July 31, 1839. Then Josh born in 1848, and records of the next son George are sketchy. Our information is that he married, had a family, and came to America in 1869 in company with his mother and sisters. The other three children were all girls Sarah, born 1847 and died Nov. 8, 1890 probably in the town of Waldo; Eliza, born on May 6, 1854 and married Sylvester BURRIS June 6, 1878 in Iowa; and Elizabeth, married in Ohio to a man named Ephraim Coonfare. and raised a family and lived in Delaware, Ohio. Year of birth unknown and she died August 7, 1924." Their is an excellent record of Toms duty with Company C of the 26th Ohio Infantry Volunteers where he volunteered for duty on June 15, 1861. The rest of the story goes on : "Following the death of Tom's father in October 1865, his mother, Mary, kept the family together in East Rigton until 1869 when she brought them all to the United States. They landed in New York and came on to Ohio where they made their home in the village of Waldo, located about two miles north of Norton. From all accounts, Norton was a thriving community back in those years. But when we visited the area in April 1977 it was just a cross roads settlement with a few homes and one store; a sports establishment to serve fishermen trying their luck in the nearby Olentangy River and Delaware Lake. On the other hand we found Waldo located two miles to the north to be a fine little town. It must have been a difficult experience for the widowed mother to leave her native country and venture so far away to America with what remained of her family. She brought with her three daughters, Eliza, Elizabeth, and an invalid daughter, Sarah; also son Josh. Her other son, George, who was already married also came to America with his family. Josh never married. He lived with his mother until her death and afterwards with his sister, Elizabeth. She married Ephriam Coonfare and they made their home in Delaware, Ohio, some nine miles south of Norton. After becoming established in Waldo, Mary obtained the position of toll road attendant on the road leading from Waldo northward. This was on the main road running north and south between Columbus, Delaware, Marion and on to the northern part of Ohio. On our research trip during April 1977 we found the exact spot where the toll booth was located through the help of an old map in the County Engineer's office in Marion. The old toll road is not State Road 423 and the toll booth was located at a farm road intersection about one mile north of Waldo. Katherine got a great thrill having her picture taken on the spot. Mary ran the toll gate with the help of her daughters. There is a story told of one patron who regularly made use of the road to court a girl who lived north of Waldo but he was not very good at paying the toll fee. She would let him get by on the northbound trip but would insist on him paying up before she would let him through the gate on his return trip home later that night. The 1880 Census for Waldo Twp shows: Robinson, Mary 62 - Housekeeper - born England Sarah 27 - Daughter - at home Thus, it was for a time - Tom and Nancy with their growing family and his mother, Mary, living with her daughters and bachelor son, Josh. Tom as a blacksmith in Ashley and his mother in Waldo about six miles away as a toll road gate keeper." Tom married Nancy Mayfield August 27, 1864. Nancy was the daughter of William and Elinor Mayfield. Another story related concerns James Mayfield brother of William. It reads that Uncle Jim was in the Civil War and was assigned in the White House as a special guard to President Lincoln's son, Tod. A part of the story is that Jim taught Tod to ride horseback. We have tried to verify this story through official records but thus far our efforts have not born fruit. I thought with all of the "roads" you have been telling about you would enjoy this story. Sincerely, Mary M. in Arizona, USA researching Burris, Trout, Robinson, Crosswait (Crosthwaite), Goodall, Waddington at bigj@primenet.com ------------------------------ X-Message: #2 Date: Tue, 2 Feb 1999 22:15:46, -0500 From: AUPQ38A@prodigy.com (MRS GINA M REASONER) Subject: CHARLES A. LINN - History of Ohio HISTORY OF OHIO - The American Historical Society, Inc., 1925 Volume V, page 266 CHARLES A. LINN has the distinction of being the oldest practicing attorney at the Brown County bar. The service he has rendered as a professional man and public official covers a period of over fifty years. Mr. Linn was born at Otterberg, Rhenish Bavaria, Germany, August 31, 1849, son of Charles A. and Charlotte (Spindler) Linn. The family came to America in 1849, and after two years spent at New York City located at Ripley, Ohio, in 1851. His father was for many years a dealer in pork and tobacco. Charles A. Linn, the attorney, was one and one-half years old when he became a resident of Ripley, and he grew up there, he attended private schools. He then entered the Cincinnati Law School, was graduated in 1869 and continuously since that date has been engaged in the practice of law at Cincinnati and Ripley. He served as prosecuting attorney of Brown County from 1870 to 1874. Mr. Linn is a staunch democrat, and in those early days he rode over the county on horseback electioneering for votes. Until recent years he was an active member of the Masonic Order, Independent Order of Odd Fellows and Knights of Pythias. He is a member of the German Lutheran Church. Mr. Linn married at Ripley, Miss Louise Weiand, daughter of of Jacob and Salomine (Kettering) Weiand. They have a family of one daughter and two sons. The daughter, Alice, now teaching in the Lincoln School at Hamilton, ohio, is the widow of Lee A. Edwards, former mayor of Ripley, and she has a daughter, Alice Lee, aged fifteen. The son Allen has become prominent in business affairs, being a silk manufacturer and merchant at Patterson, New Jersey, and New York City. He is married and has three children, named Kenneth, Elisabeth and Helen. The other son, Robert Linn, is the leading life insurance broker at Wheeling, West Virginia, and his family consists of four sons, Robert, Jr., Charles A., Eugene and Francis X. ------------------------------ X-Message: #3 Date: Tue, 2 Feb 1999 22:15:38, -0500 From: AUPQ38A@prodigy.com (MRS GINA M REASONER) Subject: GEORGE WARD LINN - History of Ohio THE HISTORY OF OHIO - The American Historical Society, Inc., 1925 Volume III, page 38 GEORGE WARD LINN. Collecting stamps is a hobby that strikes nearly every normal boy and frequently remains an absorbing avocation in later years. Many interesting and famous persons all over the world have become well informed philatelists, as those who pursue the science of stamp collecting are known. An internationally known dealer in rare stamps and stamp collector lived at Columbus, in the person of George Ward Linn. Mr. Linn began collecting when about ten years of age, and continued it for a number of years as an amateur and gradually developed it into an important business. Mr. Linn was born at Greenville, in Darke County, Ohio, in 1884, son of William McMilan and Belle (Radabaugh) Linn. On his mother's side he is descended from the Ward family. The Wards were among the first settlers of Darke County, and had to protect their pioneering efforts of home making against hostile Indians. William M. Linn, his father, was born at Greenfield, in Highland County, Ohio, and for a number of years was a prominent Ohio journalist. He was editor and publisher of papers at Versailles, Greenville, Wapakoneta and Hamilton, from where he went to Dayton and conducted a general printing business. From Dayton he moved to Columbus in 1893. For thirty years he has been prominently identified with the printing business of the city. This business is now conducted as W.M. Linn & Sons Company. His two active associates are his sons, William J. and Edward R. Linn. The Linn plant is famous for its fine quality of artistic printing. In the Linn family printing is revered as an art as well as a practical business. George Ward Linn learned printing under his father. Samples of very beautiful and artistic books he produced for his stamp business show high skill in the printing art. While earning his living as a printer Mr. Linn became more and more interested in stamp collection, and gradually built up a small business as a dealer until finally he left printing to concentrate his entire attention upon his specialty. His business is known as the George W. Linn Company, and has been conducted under that name since 1904. In the sale and collection of old and rare stamps his business runs into thousands of dollars annually. He makes purchases and receives orders for stamps from practically every country where stamps are used in any way. Some of his specimens have been among the rarest and most highly valued among philatelists, and have brought large prices. He ransacks all corners of the earth for specimens of old, rare and obsolete issues, some of them of much historic interest. He is an active member of the American Philatelic Society, the New York Collectors Club and other national and local Philatelic societies. Mr. Linn married Mayme Julia Phyllis, and they have one daughter and one son, Hazel Phyllis and Ward Roy Linn. ------------------------------ X-Message: #4 Date: Tue, 02 Feb 1999 23:26:06 -0600 From: LeaAnn Subject: JOHN C. RICKENBACHER History of Franklin and Pickaway Counties, Ohio Pub by Williams Bros., 1880 JOHN C. RICKENBACHER The subject of this brief biographical notice, sheriff-elect of Franklin County, was born in Canton Bossel, Switzerland, November 30, 1822. His parents, Jacob and Elizabeth Rickenbacher, were farmers; but as they did not desire their son to follow their own calling, he was apprenticed, at the age of fifteen years, to a tailor, with whom he remained eight years. In 1846, he emigrated to America, landing in New York August 13. On the sixth of October, the same year, he came to Columbus, where he has lived ever since, with the exception of the time he was with the United States army, in Mexico. He enlisted in the spring of 1847, in company B, of the fourth regiment, Ohio volunteer infantry, and remained in the service until honorably discharged, after the declaration of peace, in July, 1848. He was in the engagements at Homaudla, Pueobla, and Atilsco. He enlisted as a private, and was promoted to the position of sergeant. On the close of the Mexican war Mr. Rickenbacher returned immediately to Columbus, and resumed work at his trade. He was employed as a journeyman tailor three years, by N. Burgle, and nine years, by H. Coit & Company. After the expiration of the latter term he went into partnership with C. Hertenstein, with whom he remained for six and a half years, and severed the connection in 1866, only to engage in the same business, merchant tailoring, alone. Politically, Mr. Rickenbacher was an independent voter, until the candidacy of John C. Fremont, when he became affiliated with the party of which he has ever since been an adherent and supporter. He was a strong Union man during the civil war, did much to help the cause, and but for circumstances, too strong to be overcome, would have been found in the fighting ranks. Although having a warm interest in the success of those principles which he deemed right, he took no very active part in politics until 1872, when he was elected councilman from the fifth ward. His term expired in 1874, and he was re-elected, serving two more years. In the spring of 1877 he was elected police commissioner, for a term of four years, but resigned his office, when he accepted the nomination for the sheriffalty. The Republicans of Franklin County paid him the deserved compliment of this nomination, at the convention held August 1, 1879, and he was elected October 14th, following. The subject of this sketch was married, December 6, 1848, to Miss Elizabeth Christina Schafer. The offspring who blessed this union were: Franklina (deceased); William, who is a resident of Mifflin township; Caroline (Shrader), Albert, and John M., who are living in Columbus. About the time that he was married Mr. Rickenbacher became a member of the German Lutheran church, and in later years of the Evangelical church, of which he was one of the leading supporters. Mr. Rickenbacher in his public and private relations has had the warmest regard and highest respect of all with whom he has come in contact. He is a man of simple, quiet tastes, careful and conscientious in business affairs, and of absolutely unsullied reputation and character. His successful career has been, and is, equally illustrative of the worth of honest, manly, personal endeavor, and of the beneficial effects of a Republican form of government, in which the foreigner and the native born, the wealthy and those of humbler condition, have the same opportunities of social or business advancement, and of political preferment. -- -------------------------------- End of OH-FOOTSTEPS-D Digest V99 Issue #71 ******************************************