A History and Biographical Cyclopaedia of Butler County, Ohio
Fairfield Township: Pages 483 - 486
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MORRIS, HINKLE, THOMAS (Fairfield Twp., pp. 483-484)
Isaac K. MORRIS was born in Sussex Co., DE, Nov 21, 1819. His parents were Joseph & Zipporah MORRIS, both now dead. They came here in 1838. Mr. MORRIS has been twice married. His first wife was Sarah HINKLE, dau/o Benjamin & Barbara HINKLE, to whom he was married Dec 26, 1844. His 2nd wife was Mary THOMAS, dau/o Benjamin & Ann THOMAS. He was married to her Jan 3, 1861. By these he had 11 children. Mary Angelina was born Dec 12, 1845; Oliver Perry, Apr 22, 1848; Sarah Jane, Dec 26, 1849; Margaret Isabel, Sep 4, 1852; Joseph Anthony, Dec 12, 1856; Benjamin Lewis, Nov 16, 1862; Clara Edith, Feb 12, 1865; Christina May, May 17, 1867; Zipporah, Jun 2, 1869; Jessie Gray, Jun 24, 1872; & Mary, Nov 12, 1880. When 'Squire MORRIS came to this county, besides his parents, there were 4 brothers & 3 sisters, himself being the oldest of his father's family. Mr. MORRIS, Sen., died in 1846, & the mother in 1852. The two youngest sisters died in 1845, & his brother, L. D. MORRIS, in 1862. One sister & 3 brothers are now living. The sister is in Lee Co., IA; the eldest brother in Fayette Co., IN; & the other two in this county. Mr. MORRIS was a justice of the peace from 1853 till 1859, infirmary director from 1860 to 1864, & justice of the peace from 1872 till 1878. He is a strong temperance man. His father was in the War of 1812.

McCORMICK, GRIFFIN, COOPER, SMITH, FRY, GRAHAM, GUTHRIE, EMERSON (Fairfield Twp., p. 484)
John P. McCORMICK was born in New York City in 1800. He married first Deborah GRIFFIN, born in Westchester Co., NY, about 1802, & died about 1843 in Butler Co. She had 6 children, of whom two are now living. Alexander was born Jul 13, 1824, & is married & lives in Fairfield Twp. Ann Mary, widow of Thomas COOPER, was born in 1826, & lives in Fairfield. Mr. McCORMICK married the 2nd time about 1846, Mary SMITH, widow of Mr. FRY, who was born in Chambersburg, PA, in 1798. They had no children. Mr. McCORMICK moved to OH about 1830, & stayed in Cincinnati & Dayton for a few months, & in 1831 or thereabouts he moved to Butler Co., & settled in Fairfield Twp. He was a paper-maker by trade, & worked at GRAHAM's paper-mill in that township for 10 years, off & on. He then rented a small farm of 20 acres, & commenced to raise broom-corn. He was a member of the Methodist Church, & died in 1871. His wife's father, Mr. GRIFFIN, was in the Revolutionary War. Two of his sons, Benjamin & James McCORMICK, were in the late war. Benjamin was in th 93rd OH Volunteer Infantry, Co. F. He enlisted in 1862, & was killed in 1864, at Laurel Hill. James was in GUTHRIE's Grays. Alexander McCORMICK was born Jul 13, 1824, in Westchester Co., NY, & married Dec 25, 1852, Ann Eliza EMERSON, born in Fairfield Twp. in this county, Sep 4, 1831. They had 6 children, three of whom are living. Edwin was born Feb 7, 1859; John P., Oct 8, 1862; & Algernon S. B., Jan 26, 1866. He rented a small farm of 20 acres, when he was 20 years old, & commenced raising broom-corn, having since made that principal part of his business. He has also learned broom-making.

MAGIE, FLEMMING, GORSUCH, SYMMES, VINNEDGE (Fairfield Twp., p. 484)
Richard MAGIE was born in Butler Co., & was married early in life to Jane M. FLEMMING, by whom he had two children. Henry Franklin was born Feb 14, 1847, & was married 1868 to Laura GORSUCH, born in Monroe Twp., in 1846. She died May 5, 1872, leaving two children, Anna & Lulu. He again married in 1873, to Hannah Catherine SYMMES, widow of George W. VINNEDGE, born Nov 2, 1848. She has one child, Henry W. VINNEDGE. Mr. MAGIE owns & farms 157 acres. He is a member of the Masonic order, being master of Washington Lodge, No. 17, of Hamilton, & is a director of the school board. In politics he is a Republican.

ROGERS, PARKER, MOSER, KAUFFMAN (Fairfield Twp., p. 484)
Daniel ROGERS was born in NJ, Sep 7, 1805, & married Mar 8, 1837, Lydia PARKER, born in NJ, Oct 28, 1812. He had 6 children. William was born Mar 12, 1838; Mary, born Mar 16, 1839, died Jun 29, 1839; Isaac, born May 31, 1840, is married, & lives in Hamilton, where he is deputy sheriff; John Henry, born Nov 14, 1841, is married, & lives in Fairfield Twp.; Elizabeth was born Aug 1, 1843, & is the wife of Henry MOSER, living in Hamilton; James P. was born Jan 31, 1845. Mr. ROGERS came to Butler Co. in 1836, & settled in Liberty Twp. He was in the hardware business in Warren Co., & was captain of a canal-boat for many years. He was a blacksmith by trade, but never carried it on in this county, but followed farming until his death, which occurred Sep 24, 1845. He was a very well-known member of the Methodist Church. His mother came to this county with him. His father was a soldier, who lost his life while defending the Jersey shore from invading English. Mrs. ROGERS came to Butler Co. with her mother in 1835. Their son, William, was out in the late war, enlisting in the Spring of 1862, in the 83rd OH Volunteer Infantry, & serving as a private till the close of the war in 1865. He was discharged in Galveston, TX. The family have an interest in ice-houses in Liberty Twp., operated under the name of Frederick KAUFFMAN & ROGERS.

RUPP, DAVIS, MILLER, BRIDGE, WOODS (Fairfield Twp., pp. 484-485)
Jacob RUPP was the first member of the RUPP family that came to OH. He was born in Prussia in 1804, & died in 1874. His wife, Elizabeth, was born in that country in 1804. He had 11 children, nine of whom are living. John is married & lives in Fairfield. He was born in 1825. Peter was married & lives in KS. Mr. RUPP was one of the first Germans that came to Butler Co. He emigrated to America in 1830, & settled in Hamilton. He brought about $200 with him, with which he bought a lot & loghouse, which he repaired. It was the oldest house in Hamilton, being of two stories, & had formerly been the court-house. It was the building described in the last paragraph of page 35. He worked at day's work, & about 1842 moved to Fairfield Twp., where he purchased a farm of L. DAVIS of 62 acres. About 3 years after he bought 53 acres more of A. P. MILLER, farming the two tracts until his death. He also owned several houses & lots in Hamilton. He was very industrious. He was a member of the German Protestant Chruch. His son, John, ws born in Prussia, Jan 1, 1825, & was married in 1852 to Catherine BRIDGE, born in Prussia, Mar 5, 1829. They had 6 children, five of whom are living. John was born Apr 25, 1854; Jacob, Jan 4, 1857; Erasmus, Jan 7, 1859; George, Sep 10, 1861; Katy, Oct 26, 1864; & Peter, Jul 1, 1860. The latter died Jul 25, 1860. John, the eldest, is married. Mr. RUPP is a member of St. John's German Protestant Church. He has a large quarry, the largest in the county, turning out an excellent quality of limestone. It was opened first in 1844 by John WOODS for the Hamilton Hydraulic, & in 1851 Mr. RUPP bought the farm of 51 acres & the quarry, having owned it ever since. The quarry contains about 15 acres, & over $2,000 worth were taken out last year.

ROSS, WILLIAMS (Fairfield Twp., p. 485)
Henry G. ROSS, superintendent of the county infirmary, ws born in Milford Twp. on the 28th of Jul 1845. He was married Dec 24, 1864 to Kate WILLIAMS, who was born in Zanesville, Muskingum Co., Dec 31, 1841. They have had two children. William Henry was born Oct 19, 1865 & Harry Olby, Jul 28, 1876.

RUOFF, DEINCER, DAMM, NIEDERMAN (Fairfield Twp., p. 485)
Christopher RUOFF was born Oct 4, 1813 in Wittenburg, Swabia, & married in 1841 Margaret DEINCER, born Oct 17, 1818. She came to OH with her father, George DEINCER, in 1837. By her he had two children. Christina, the wife of Charles DAMM, was born Feb 7, 1842, & lives in Fairfield Twp.; Elizabeth, wife of Jacob NIEDERMAN, born Feb 3, 1850, lives in Hamilton, & came to Butler Co. in 1852. He settled in the pork-packing business in Hamilton, & accumulated considerable wealth. He purchased 248 acres in Fairfield Twp., which he farmed, becoming one of the wealthiest citizens in the township. He died Dec 6, 1866. He was also a partner of Peter MURPHY for two years in the distillery at Hamilton. He was a strong Democrat.

SYMMES, RANDOLPH, GASTON (Fairfield Twp., p. 485)
Benjamin Randolph SYMMES is the s/o Celadon SYMMES, an early magistrate of this county, s/o Timothy SYMMES, & nephew of John Cleves SYMMES, the patentee of the lands lying between the Little Miami & Great Miami. His mother was Phebe RANDOLPH. Benjamin R. SYMMES was born in Fairfield Twp., on the 6th of Sep 1802. He was married on the 30th of Mar 1826 to Eliza GASTON, dau/o Joseph & Martha GASTON, who was born Feb 16, 1807. She bore him one son, Peyton Randolph SYMMES, who was born Mar 10, 1833. On her death in that year he again married, this time to Jane PAULLEY, dau/o James & Margaret PAULLEY, who was born Oct 12, 1804. By her he had three children, one of whom survives. Celadon Hutton SYMMES was born Oct 27, 1836; James Rigdon SYMMES was born Jan 8, 1841, & Joseph Erskine SYMMES was born Jun 12, 1845. Peyton R. SYMMES was in the military service from 1861 to 1865. Benjamin R. SYMMES was for 6 years a justice of the peace, treasurer of the ministerial section for 20 years, & postmaster for 22 years & 6 months.

VINNEDGE, VAN CLEAF, CLARK, MASON, SMITH, SPELLMAN, SYMMES, FITTON, SCHLOSSER, CLARK (Fairfield Twp., p. 485)
Franklin Raleigh VINNEDGE was born Mar 18, 1834, in Fairfield Twp., Butler Co., & was married Mar 24, 1858, to Martha Ann VAN CLEAF, born in Liberty Twp., Apr 7, 1840. He had 5 children, four of whom, are living. Incy Ann was born Apr 10, 1860; Thomas Dunmore, Feb 14, 1862; Clara Irene, May, 1864, now dead; Lillie Maud, Apr 10, 1868; & Raleigh Van Cleaf, Sep 2, 1872. Mr. VINNEDGE is essentially a self-made man, receiving no assistance from his relatives. He began business for himself when 25 years old by renting a small farm of 40 acres. He rented until about 1864, when he entered into partnership with W. V. CLARK, in the MASON farm of 187 acres in Fairfield Twp., which he sold in 1866, & in 1867 moved to Port Union, where he went to store-keeping under the firm name of F. R. VINNEDGE, & in the purchase of grain & produce for himself & renting the farm of Hiram SMITH in Union Twp. In 1873 he purchased the farm where he now resides, of 267 acres. He is at present engaged in farming for himself, & purchasing grain & produce with J. V. SPELLMAN & Son of Port Union, under the name of SPELLMAN, VINNEDGE, & Co., & with J. C. SYMMES in Hamilton, under the name of VINNEDGE & SYMMES. In the Lake Erie Ice Company he owns 1/4th of the stock in connection with S. D. FITTON & others, in Union, & also in Fairfield, under the name of VINNEDGE, SCHLOSSER & CLARK. Mr. VINNEDGE has held the office of township justice for four terms, & township treasurer for two years. The latter position he now holds. He is one of Butler County's best citizens, owning considerable property in the shape of town lots in Hamilton & Lockland. In 1864 he cleaned out the Union Township's portion of the Butler Co. ditch, & has also been largely instrumental in grading & building roads. He is a member of the Odd Fellows, joining them in 1867. He has taken all the degrees & has held all the different offices. He was also trustee of Union Twp. two years, & is a member of the United Workmen Society.

VAN CLEAF, VANDERVEER, McFARLAN, KYLE, LONG, SEWARD, VINNEDGE (Fairfield Twp., p. 485)
Thomas VAN CLEAF was born in Butler Co. in the year 1809, on the 9th of Jan. He is the s/o Benjamin VAN CLEAF, who was born in NY, Sep 5, 1765 & died Mar 5, 1830. His mother was Alcha VANDERVEER. She was born Nov 16, 1771 in Monmouth Co., NJ & died Mar 1, 1851. They were married in NJ, & came to OH in 1805, settling in Franklin. The present Mr. VAN CLEAF was brought up to the occupation of a farmer, & was married Mar 17, 1836, by the Rev. Mr. McFARLAN, to Elizabeth, dau/o Samuel KYLE & Martha LONG. She was born Aug 26, 1815. They have had four children. Alice SEWARD was born Mar 7, 1838, & died May 22, 1874; Martha A. VINNEDGE was born Apr 7, 1840; Sarah J. VAN CLEAF was born Jul 8, 1844; & Hannah M. VAN CLEAF was born Jun 19, 1850. Mr. VAN CLEAF's grandfather, Teunis VAN CLEAF, was in the Revolutionary War.

URMSTON, ENYARD (ENYART), STONE, MARTIN (Fairfield Twp., p. 486)
David URMSTON, Jr., was born in this county in 1810. His parents were David URMSTON & Mary ENYARD, the former being from NJ. David was married in 1839 to Nancy STONE, born in 1817, dau/o Thomas STONE, a native of Ireland, & Elizabeth MARTIN. They had 7 children. Mary Ann was born in 1842; Nancy Jane, in 1847; B. E. in 1849; & Emma Frances in 1855. Three children are dead. Mr. URMSTON has served three terms as infirmary director. Thomas STONE, his father-in-law, was out in the War of 1812, & Thomas STONE, Jr. was in the Mexican War as captain.

URMSTON, KENNEDY, BUTTERFIELD, JONES (Fairfield Twp., p. 486)
Edmund Kennedy URMSTON was born in Springfield Twp., Hamilton Co., (OH), Jun 25, 1840. He is the s/o Benjamin URMSTON & Rebecca KENNEDY, who live in Hamilton Co., but were formerly of Butler Co., coming here about 1801. He was married in 1869 to Margaret BUTTERFIELD, dau/o Elijah BUTTERFIELD & Mary JONES. Jeremiah & Mary BUTTERFIELD, the first of the name who settled in Hamilton Co., were the parents of Elijah BUTTERFIELD, who was born there in 1815. With his wife, Mary, Elijah settled on Paddy's Run, near New London, in the Spring of 1842, & remained there until the Spring of 1870. He was elected justice of the peace in Ross Twp. in the Spring of 1850, serving 18 years in succession, & during that time never had a transcript taken form his docket excepting in criminal cases, which were to be decided in higher court, & in one railroad case. All suits were settled by him, or referred to arbitrators, whose decision was always concurred in. He served as school director in the same district for 30 years in succession, & was a successful farmer. To Margaret URMSTON, his daughter, were born 4 children. Benjamin Kennedy was born Feb 17, 1872; Rebecca, Aug 15, 1874; Willie B., Aug 8, 1876; Mary May, Jun 25, 1879. Mr. URMSTON has held the office of township assessor in Hamilton Co., & has been a member of the school board in Butler Co. for 6 years.

WALL, WALLER (Fairfield Twp., p. 486)
Thomas WALL was born in Bristol, England, in 1800. His father, John WALL, & his mother, Phebe WALL, were natives of that country. Thomas came to America in 1832, & was married in Hamilton, (Butler Co., OH), in 1844, to Hannah WALLER, born in this county, in Jun 1810, dau/o Levi & Rhoda WALLER, who arrived in Butler Co., about the beginning of the century. He was in the War of 1812, & Asahel WALLER, the grandfather, was in the Revolution. They had 9 children: William, Thomas, John, Elizabeth, Sarah, Edward, Perry, Salmon, & Louis. Mr. WALL followed the occupations of farmer & brass-founder. He went across the ocean 13 times after first coming to this country, dying Oct 19, 1880, & leaving considerable property.