A History and Biographical Cyclopaedia of Butler County, Ohio
Oxford Township: Pages 528 - 532
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* ALLEN, HAZELTIN, SHOOK (Oxford, p. 528)
Ethan A. ALLEN, the last of his family, was born in MA, on th 10th of Nov 1789, & came to Oxford in 1818. On the 10th of Jan, 1820, he married Nancy HAZELTIN. Oxford had been laid out but a few years previously, & he used to recount the fact that he cut wood where many a fine residence or business house now stands, at 25 cents a cord. He afterward engaged in making plows & other agricultural implements, being very ingenious & an adept in the use of tools. He settled on a farm near the village, where he passed his life until a few years since, when he removed to the town, where he resided until the death of his wife in 1876, then removing to the house of Samuel F. SHOOK, a connection by marriage, where he had an excellent home, & continued until his death.

His wife, four children, & 11 brothers & sisters had all been called away before him. In 1839 he united with the Methodist Episcopal Church at Zion.


* [Contributor's note: The entry ALLEN, HAZELTIN, SHOOK on page 528 of the History and Biographical Cyclopaedia of Butler Co. Ohio is in error. The person in question is Ethan Allen Weston and his wife's maiden name was Nancy Hazeltine. The header should be WESTON, HAZELTINE, SHOOK. Unfortunately, I believe the error is in the original manuscript. - Bob Casady ([email protected], 12/10/2001)]

ADAMS, SADLER (Oxford, p. 528)
G. W. ADAMS is a native of Butler Co., having been born on a farm in Oxford Twp., in 1834, & continued there until 20 years of age. He has large business experience, having been engaged in trade during the war period in Springfield, IN. He has brought experience, energy & ability to his aid, & has made a decided success. He is doing the largest trade of any merchant in Oxford. His store is located on the northwest corner of the Public Square. His stock occupies two stories, & his business requires six clerks constantly, & in the busy season, additional help. Mr. ADAMS is in the prime of life, active & energetic, & applies himself closely to affairs; is a member of the Oxford Lodge of Odd Fellows, & also of the Methodist Episcopal Church, & identified with the best interests of the village. His wife is also a native of Oxford Twp., & a member of the SADLER family, who are noticed among the early settlers of this township.

BISHOP (Oxford, p. 528)
Robert H. BISHOP was born in Fayette Co., KY, near Lexington, Aug 20, 1815. He came to Oxford in 1824, & during the same year entered the grammar school, & in Aug 1831, was graduated. The following Fall, after graduation, he went to South Hanover, IN, to attend the Theological Seminary, which opened at that time, & which, after two or three removals, is now at Chicago, IL. The professor of mathematics of Hanover College, having resigned in Feb 1832, Professor BISHOP took charge of the chair for the remaineder of the year. He then returned to Oxford & entered a printing office, having learned the art of type-setting in 1828. In 1834 he began his teaching in Burlington, KY, & then again, in 1835, returned to Oxford, purchased a printing-office & bookstore, which he retained until 1838, when he entered the Miami University as assistant in the grammar department. In 1839 he was married, & in 1841 was elected principal of the school of which he had formerly been assistant. He held this position until 1852, when he was elected a professor of Latin, remaining such until 1873. In 1855 he was elected secretary of the board of turstees, a position he still holds.

BEAUGUREAU, PHILLIBERT, WUILLE (Oxford, pp. 528-529)
Adrian BEAUGUREAU was born in Paris, France on the 27th of Dec 1835, & came to the U. S. in 1843 with his father & family. His father was an artist, & conducted a boys' French & English school, where his son completed his education, subsequently becoming a teacher there, in the same place, of French drawing, & painting. After his father's decease in 1852 he became a special teacher of French, drawing, & painting, having classes in many different schools of the city of Philadelphia, & thus continued until Dec 1861, when he enlisted in the 91st PA Volunteers, & served his full three years. After this he returned to Philadelphia & resumed teaching, being with Professor PHILLIBERT for a while; but after a year sickness & death of an older brother caused him to decide to come to Oxford, & accept a similar position at the Female College, a position he still occupied at the close of its last season. In addition to his scholastic duties he conducts, with the aid of his nephew, Mr. Louis WUILLE, an art emporium in the village, which is not only one of the prettiest establishments of the kind to be found anywhere, but is also the means of fostering & developing art ideas. Professor BEAUGUREAU is not only an accomplished teacher of his native tongue & an excellent instructor in drawing, but he is a natural artist, & takes special pride in that department. His work will compare favorably with any of the best teachers. A large number of instructors in art of the South & West received their education in this line from him.

BONHAM, GERE (Oxford, p. 529)
L. N. BONHAM is a native of OH, born in Elizabethtown, Hamilton Co., Mar 27, 1830. He was brought up on a farm. At the age of 17 he entered a store & clerked for three years, then entering college. After five years, during which his vacations were spent in active work on the farm, he graduated from the Miami University, & soon after took charge of the Lebanon Academy, but after a year sold his interest to the Southwestern State Normal Assn., & took a position as teacher with them. A year after he severed his connection there & became a teacher in the Dayton High School, with which he remained three years, after which he went to St. Louis & established "Bonham's Female Seminary," starting with three pupils in 1859. Within 6 years it grew to a school of 300 pupils, requiring 19 teachers, & he continued in its management until the close of the school year of 1871-1872, when he abandoned teaching, his health being very much impaired. Mr. BONHAM came to Oxford in the Summer of 1872, & purchased his wife's parents' old homestead, which he leased at first, but as returning health permitted, took charge of & has improved it until he now has one of the best, if not the best, improved farms in Oxford Township. Mr. BONHAM is one of the few who have been able so to combine scientific & practical knowledge as to make a success of advanced methods, both as to agriculture & the raising of stock, swine & sheep being his specialty, & quality, rather than numbers, being his object. He was the first breeder in Oxford Twp. to institute pedigreeing his hogs; was also the first to introduce the riding plow & corn-planter. And in many other ways his influence has been felt in elevating the farmers' methods & increasing the intelligence & general tone of the agricultural community. He is the editor of the agricultural department of the Cincinnati Commercial. His enterprise & public spirit make him one of the most valuable citizens of his locality, & he is identified with all important measures for the advancement of the community, whether pertaining to agriculture or education. He is a member of the Presbyterian Chruch, in which he occupies an official position, & is identified with its interests. He married Miss Ellen M. GERE, a native of Northampton, MA, & a dau/o Isaac & Lucy GERE, old residents of Oxford Twp. She is a lady of intelligence & refined culture, whose acquaintance Mr. BONHAM formed while a student at the Miami University. Their family consists of one son, Linn, now a young man. Mrs. BONHAM's mother, who is also a member of the household, is a worthy respresentative of the refinement that graced many of the homes of the pioneers.

BROSIER, RUMPLE, WESTERFIELD, BELL, EMERICK (Oxford, p. 529)
Daniel A. BROSIER was born in Hanover Twp., Jul 4,, 1835. His father, Jonathan BROSIER, was born near Millville, (OH), & was married Dec 16, 1832 to Elizabeth RUMPLE, also a native of this county. He learned the blacksmith's trade, & in 1837 moved to Shelby Co., (OH), saving sufficient to buy 270 acres of land. When the canal was to be dug, he & Mr. WESTERFIELD took a large contract, but through the misconduct of his partner, who had drawn the money, he was ruined. He then removed to IN, afterwards returning to Butler Co. On a trip to the South he sickened & died, & his remains rest near Nashville, TN. He was German Lutheran. There were 7 children: Daniel A., Peter, James, Mary Ann, Sarah J., Margaret E., & Jonathan. Peter is dead. Daniel A. BROSIER has always worked on a farm. He was married Oct 28, 1858 to Maria E., dau/o Michael W. & Matilda (BELL) EMERICK, who was born in this county Feb 22, 1837. They have had 7 children: Alexander E., Frank E., Carrie May, Ida Wood, George E., Amy E., & Charles H.

BEATON, McMILLAN, McFARLAND, ULLERY, BURNSIDE, McCULLOUGH, MILLER (Oxford, pp. 529-530)
Daniel P. BEATON, postmaster at Oxford, is of Scotch parentage. The father, Alexander BEATON, was born in 1809, & marrying Miss Mary McMILLAN, emigrated to this country in 1838, making their residence for a little time at Pittsburg, PA. Thence they came to Cincinnati, & after a couple of years came to Oxford in 1841. Here he established himself in business as merchant tailor, on the south side of High Street. On the 16th of Sep 1843, Daniel P. BEATON was born. When he was but 8 years of age, the father left the family at Oxford & started for CA by the way of Panama, but died on the voyage on shipboard. The youth, thus left fatherless, made good use of the school advantages of his native town, & closed his education with one year in Miami University in 1858-9. He then went to work at the trade of a carpenter, which he followed until after the first year of the Rebellion. In May 1862, he enlisted in the three months' service in the infantry, & served in Western VA, in a company under Captain McFARLAND in the 86th OH. Returning to Oxford in September, he again re-enlisted in Oct, at Camp Dennison, under Capt. William ULLERY, in the 2nd OH Cavalry. The December following the company joined the 9th Army Corps, under BURNSIDE, & was engaged in the campaign in KY. In an engagement at Monticello, on the 9th of Jun 1863, Mr. BEATON received a gun-shot wound in the ankle, & was made an inmate of the army hospital at Somerset, KY. From that place he was transferred to Crab Orchard, thence to Camp Nelson, KY, & was finally & honorably discharged at Washington, D.C., Oct 24, 1864. He was permanently disabled from the effects of the wound, which has made it necessary to make constant use of a crutch or cane. Returning to Oxford, he was employed as clerk for a time in the grocery store of Mr. McCULLOUGH, & since then has held the appointment of postmaster at Oxford by continuous reappointment & with much acceptance to the people. Sep 14, 1866, he was married to Miss Harriet MILLER of Oxford. They have a family of five children.

BONNEY, REED, ABBEY, BUELL, WORSTELL (Oxford, p. 530)
Wales B. BONNEY is a native of Charlestown, NH, where he was born Jun 26, 1799. His father, West BONNEY, finds a line of family descent from Thomas BONNEY, who was born in Dover, England in 1604, & who came from Sandwich, in Kent, England, in the ship Hercules in 1634 or 1635, & who located in Duxbury, MA. The mother's maiden name was Lydia REED--she also being of Welsh-English parentage. In early life the boy Wales, in addition to the advantages offered by the common schools of the day, spent nearly a year in Dartmouth College. In 1816, in company with his parents & an only brother, he came into OH, the family settling on a farm about one mile northwest of the village of Oxford. He soon after entered Miami University as a student, boarding with his parents & taking his hand at the work of the farm nights & mornings, riding to & from school on horseback. There he spent the Summer, & in the Fall returned as far as Chautauqua Co., NY, where he engaged in teaching school until the next Spring, when he took up his residence for several years at Rochester & Brighton in the same State, & while there formed the acquaintance of & married Miss Lucinda ABBEY, whose family were of MA origin. This was in Jan 1829. Two years thereafter Mr. BONNEY, with his family, returned to the home of his parents in Oxford, & there they spent the Winter. The next Spring Mr. & Mrs. BONNEY emigrated to TX, landing from a schooner from New Orleans at Brazoria, near the mouth of the Brazos River, then an insignificant collection of low shanties & huts. Their intentions had been to make that province their future home, but after living there some months they decided to retrace their steps to their Oxford home, & reached that place late in the Fall following, having lost one of their little children while absent.

But the spirit of unrest was upon the subject of our sketch, & in the Spring of 1845, accompanied by two other younger men by the names of BUELL & WORSTELL, he started for an overland trip to Oregon, a hazardous adventure in those days. Joining another party at Independence, the company were some five months on the way before they reached the Dalles on the Columbia River, their place of destination. Arriving there the earlier part of Oct most of the party made this their home the ensuing Winter. But Mr. BONNEY was not yet content. He did not discern his desired fortune in the immediate future. So the following Spring, with no company save a couple of horses, one for the saddle & the other to carry is clothing & provisions, a couple of guns, & a bold spirit, he set out for a return to the States. When crossing the plains he fell in with some Indian scouts in advance of a roving tribe, who took from him his horses, pack of provisions, & one gun. The traveler, however, managed to save one gun & a sack containing a large packet of letters which had been intrusted to his care by comrades & others in the West for loved ones at home. He pursued his lonely way on foot for some three days when he was overtaken by a party of returning Californians, with whom he kept company to the States, & reached home early in the Fall of 1846. He soon after settled in the village of Oxford, which place has since been his residence. Here he has many years been honored by his fellow-citizens in repeated elections to the office of justice of the peace, the delicate & responsible duties of which office he has performed with uniform acceptance to the people. Here a family of 11 children has been born to him, of whom a daughter, Julia, & four sons, Franklin, Oregon, Robert, & Edward, are now living, the sons all being engaged in trade in Louisville, KY, the daughter residing with the parents.

CROWLEY, PURCELL (Oxford, pp. 530-531)
The Rev. Dennis Vincent CROWLEY, rector of St. Mary's Roman Catholic Church, Oxford, OH, is a native of Cork, Ireland, where he was born Sep 25, 1844. Mr. CROWLEY, though a young man in appearance, is old in service. He was early dedicated for the priesthood & began his literary studies at St. Vincent, subsequently pursued philosophical studies at Holy Cross College, Dublin, & completed his theological training at the Catholic University at Louvaine, in Belgium. He received minor orders at the hands of the Papal Nuncio, in the Chapel Royal at Brussels, & was ordained priest at Mechlin, Belgium, Jun 2, 1871. After this he traveled extensively on the continent, spending considerable time in its places of interest, & while at Louvaine was thrown in company with Archbishop PURCELL of the U. S., then just returning from the Vatican Council. A pleasant acquaintance was the result, & it was through the bishop's influence that the young priest was induced to come to America & take a parish within his jurisdiction. His first charge as pastor was St. Aloysius Church at Cumminsville, afterward consolidated with & becoming St. Patrick's Church of Cincinnati, OH, of which he remained pastor a number of years. The following extract from the local press gives a concise summary of his labors while in this field.

"Rev. D. V. CROWLEY, for the past nine years pastor of St. Patrick's Church, Cumminsville, has been called to take charge of the Church at Oxford, Butler County. His farewell to his congregation last Sunday was very affecting. He came to Cumminsville direct from college. This charge, the first of his priesthood, he found in debt $59,000, $38,000 of which has been paid by his fortunate & far-sighted management. He had brought to Cincinnati, as lecturers, some of the most distinguished talent of the U. S. He is the possessor of abilities that, turned to a worldly purpose, would have long since placed him in a position of independence. Father CROWLEY takes leave of his congregation no richer in the world than when he came among them, & now as then, taking no thought for the morrow. His work is an earnest of his faith, & he takes with him the best regards & respect of all who known him."

At his own request for a change on account of illness, he was made rector at Oxford, OH, in Aug 1880, & has within less than a year liquidated more than $1,000 of indebtedness, which he found resting on the Church. Bright, hopeful, & intelligent, devoted to his work, a scholar & gentleman, Mr. CROWLEY can not help but have success & popularity wherever he goes. He has been an indefatigable worker, broad in charity, & abundant in good works.

CHATTEN, DAVIDSON, HOWELL, KENNEDY, SADLER, KYGER, VAN ARNEM, PIERCE (Oxford, pp. 531-532)
John Edward CHATTEN is a descendant of pioneer stock. His grandfather, John CHATTEN, who was native of the vicinity of Wilmington, DE, came to this part of OH in 1811, but in consequence of the War of 1812 returned to the East, & at the close of the war came back in 1814, & permanently located in the southwestern part of Oxford Twp., where he continued to reside until about 1848, when he removed to the vicinity of Hartford City, IN, where he subsequently died. Kenard CHATTEN, a son, was the only member of the family who remained in Butler Co. He was born in Delaware in 1802. He married in 1826, Mary, the dau/o William & Esther DAVIDSON, who came from Westmoreland Co., PA in 1817, & settled on what is now known as the HOWELL farm in the northwestern part of Oxford Twp. They had a family of ten children--6 sons & 4 daughters. Mrs. David KENNEDY & Mrs. CHATTEN, of Oxford Twp., & one son, William, of Clinton Co, IN are now the only known survivors. After his marriage, Mr. CHATTEN settled on a farm in the woods in the north part of Oxford Twp., which he improved & continued to own & operate until his sudden death in Oct 1862, caused by falling from an apple tree. His wife still survives him, residing in a house near the village, built by her husband a short time previous to his death. They had ten children--John Edward, William, James, Benjamin, Martha, Samuel, Mary, Sarah, George, & Margaret. The latter three are with their mother. The 4th, 6th, & 7th named died in youth. Martha married George SADLER, & they now reside in Peoria, IL. William & James are in KS.

The subject of our sketch was born on the farm, in Oxford Twp., in 1827, & grew to manhood during the days of the beginnings of commercial & agricultural improvements, & remembers distinctly the commotion caused by the introduction of steam navigation & railroads. His father introduced the first "endless-chain" thresher used in this vicinity in 1837, & it was then a sufficient curiosity to attract people from a great distance to witness its wonderful workings. Mr. CHATTEN remained on the farm during his youth, & when 20 years of age began to learn the saddler's trade, in Oxford. He married in 1850, Miss Elizabeth, dau/o Daniel & Ann KYGER, who were early residents of Milford Twp. Mr. CHATTEN has been a resident of the village of Oxford since he came to learn his trade, with the exception of about 5 years, one of which was spent on a farm in Morgan Twp., & the other four at College Corner. He has now been a continuous resident of Oxford for a quarter of a century; has a family of four children: George W., the only son, is a resident of IL; Alice, now Mrs. John VAN ARNEM; Ida, & Frank. Mr. CHATTEN helped recruit a company of volunteers in 1862, which became Co. C, 93rd OH Volunteer Infantry, & of which he was first lieutenant, but after about 6 months' service, on account of the death of his father, he resigned & returned home. Mr. CHATTEN still conducts a harness shop, with salesroom attached; is the Oxford agent for the U. S. Express Company; has been a member of the Invincible Lodge, No. 108, I. O. O. F., since 1849, in which he has twice passed the chairs, & has twice represented his lodge in the Grand Lodge. He is an honored & worthy member of the Methodist Episcopal Church, & leader of the choir; is a Republican is politics, having abandoned the Democracy in consequence of the repeal of the Missouri Compromise & the refusal of President PIERCE to protect the well-disposed citizens of KS against the lawlessness of the ruffian pro-slavery element. Mr. CHATTEN's name will be found in the list of officials of Oxford Twp. He has also been the candidate of his party for county office at different times, but always shared the usual fate of Republican candidates in this Democratic stronghold.

COLMERY, SCOTT, McDOWELL, RICE, TOD (Oxford, p. 532)
The Rev. William Wirt COLMERY, D.D., is a native of Chartiers, Washington Co., PA. His father's name was William, also, & the mother's maiden name was Violet SCOTT. The paternal line of descent is supposed to date back to an ancestry in Ireland, although this is not fully ascertained. The ancestors of the mother came to this country from Scotland, as early as 1700, in the person of Hugh SCOTT. The father's calling was that of a farmer, & with an earnest desire for the welfare of his family, his effort was to give all a sound & liberal education, & he so far succeeded in this, that five sons, of a family of eight children, completed collegiate course. The early & preparatory schooling was at select & common schools of the country, the first being where the tutorship was paid for at the rate of $1.25 per term of three months, & before the system of common or district schools had obtained in that section. William W. COLMERY, of whom we write, was the 3rd son, & born Oct 28, 1819, & finished his course of study at Washington College, PA, in 1840. He then taught two years in Clark Co., KY, afterwards taking a course in theology at the New Albany Theological Seminary (since incorporated as the Northwestern Seminary of Chicago). The ancestors of Dr. COLMERY were noted for their interest in education, & especially Christian education. A great grandfather, Mr. J. McDOWELL, was the first to subscribe to the erection of the literary institute, out of which grew Jefferson College, PA, & which was afterwards consolidated with the Washington College. It was while engaged in teaching in KY, & attending a Presbyterian camp-meeting, conducted under the leadership of such men as Nathan L. RICE & others, that Mr. COLMERY was made the subject of converting grace. This was in 1841, & thereafter he was led to feel a drawing toward the ministry. He was licensed to preach by the presbytery of Salem, IN, & soon after accepted the pastorate of the Presbyterian Church in Hayesville, (then) Richland Co., OH. The following year, 1846, he was married to Miss Mary C. SCOTT, of Washington Co., PA, & in the Oct following was ordained to the full work of the ministry in the Old School Presbyterian Church. Here he remained some nine years, preaching also to a neighboring Church at Jeromeville. He was also connected with Vermilion Institute, at the time one of the most flourishing academies of the State of OH.

In 1855 he went to IN & spent some time preaching to the Presbyterian Church of Lafayette. In 1858 he returned to OH, settling with the Church at Lebanon, (Warren Co., OH), where he labored in the ministry for 9 years. At the meeting of the General Assembly in Lebanon in 1864 he was delegated by the Old School Assembly to present the Christian salutations of that body to the Cumberland Assembly, which duty was so gracefully performed that he was soon after made the recipient of the degree of Doctor of Divinity by one of the colleges of the Lebanon Church in 1866, & accepted the pastorate of the Church in Monroe, Butler Co., OH, with which he remained for six years; but his health failing, he removed with his family to Oxford, where he has since resided, preaching as his strength has permitted to Churches in the vicinity.