Page:History of Richland County, Ohio.djvu/737

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��CITY OF MANSFIELD.

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��Backenstoe, who was born in Mansfield ; they have two children — William, born March 10, 1867 ; James, Oct. 6, 1868. Mr. Potter enlisted in the 3d 0. V. C, Co. E, in September, 1861 ; was in the service about three years and four months, and was in different engage- ments — among them the battle of Stone River. This regiment was noted for its service in this battle. He was taken prisoner at Benton, Tenn.; he was prisoner eleven months — first at Atlanta, second at Libby Prison, in Richmond, third at Belle Island, and from there to Andersonville ; was kept there seven months ; from there to Florence, S.C; was then exchanged at Charles- ton, and came from there to Annapolis, Md.; from there to Columbus, Ohio, and received an honorable discharge. Came to Mansfield, where he has since been engaged in the photographic business, having one of the best gal- leries in the city. He has established a very extensive business, and an excellent reputation, as an artist. He stands at the head of his profession in Northern Ohio, and is prepared to do all kinds of first-class work in his line.

PRITCHARD, W. H., born in Worthington Township, Richland Co., Ohio, July, 1850. After taking an aca- demical course at Greentown Academy, Perrysville, Ohio, he went to college at Denison University, and thence to the University of Wooster, where he gradu- ated in June, 1874. The expenses of his education were paid almost exclusively by the results of his own labor, working summers and teaching winters. In July, 1874, he was married to Miss Sophie Leiter, of Lucas, Ohio, and for four years thereafter he was em- ployed as a teacher — one year as assistant in Greentown Academy and three years as Superintendent of Schools in Shelby, Ohio. He was admitted to the bar in De- cember, 1878, by the Supreme Court at Columbus, Ohio, and immediately thereafter formed a copartnership with Norman M. Wolf, under the firm name of Pritchard & Wolf, and since that time has been enjoy- ing a good and successful law practice. In the spring of 1879, being an enthusiastic Republican, he was active in organizing and was elected chairman of the Young Men's Republican Club of Mansfield. His family consists of his wife and two boys — J. Sample, aged 5 years, and Natscher W., aged 2^ years.

PROCTOR, FRANCIS M., REV., minister, U. P. Church ; was born in Troy Township in 1829 ; he is the second son of James and Margaret (^Mitchell) Proc- tor, who were both old residents of that township ; James Proctor came to Ohio with his parents from Alleghany Co. in 1816, and settled in Troy Township where he lived until four years previous to his death ; he died in Mansfield Oct. 9, 1871, aged 73 years ; Mar- garet (Mitchell) Proctor died March 31, 1837. Francis M. received his elementary education in this county, and graduated at Franklin College, Ohio, in 1856 ; he studied theology at the Alleghany Seminary, and was licensed by the Mansfield Presbytery of the U. P. Church to preach in 1857 ; in the year 1858, a call was made out for him by the Cuylerville congregation under the care of the Caledonian Presbytery of the State of New York, which call he accepted, and was ordained Nov. 9, 1858, and installed Pastor of that congregation, where he remained until February, 1866, when on ac- count of poor health he was compelled to resign his

��charge, and returned to Richland Co., Ohio, where he has since resided, a resident of Mansfield, and has not regained his health sufficiently to engage in the active work. On June 18, 1857, he was married to Miss Lovenia Bowers, of Morrow Co., with whom he has raised six children, two sons and four daughters.

PURDY, JAMES, retired capitalist ; was born July 24, 1793, in Hopewell, York Co., Penn.; his father owned a farm on which he had a flouring-mill, located forty miles north of Baltimore ; the non-intercourse laws of 1808-09 and embargo on shipping in our ports embarrassed his business, reduced his income and the value of his property ; James had been given more than an ordinary common-school education, with the inten- tion of giving him a college course ; he was the oldest son, and a change of the pecuniary circumstances re- quired his personal services ; he was put to work on the farm, in th& mill, and at whatever he would be most useful.

In 1811, his father sold out, and purchased a farm near Canandaigua, N. Y., to which place he removed with his family ; James continued to labor with him until he became of age, and his father's farm was well improved ; he then determined to acquire a liberal education by his own exertions ; to that end he de- voted two years in an academy of high repute in the acquirement of a classical education ; a gentle- man of the bar in Canandaigua tendered him a position in his office on very liberal terms, which he accepted, and entered as a law student, in which position he continued three years, the time required in that State for admission to the bar ; during all this time, he sustained himself by teaching, either common schools or as assistant teacher in the Canandaigua Academy, with some perquisites of the office ; Sept. 5, 1822, he left for Pehsacola ; he stopped at Louisville, Ky., on ac- count of the sickness below; while thus waiting, he be- came acquainted with the effect on society produced by slavery, and determined to settle in a free State ; he crossed the river into Indiana and went to Corydon, where the Supreme Court of the State and the United States District Court were in session, and was admitted to practice in both ; on trial, the location did not suit him, he returned eastward, and May 29, 1823, settled in Mansfield, then a rough, unsightly hamlet, and then the farthest west town in that latitude ; the county was then thirty miles square, sparsely settled, with intelli- gent, industrious and energetic pioneers.

Some years before this time, J. C. Gilkison had brought a printing establishment fo this place, and made an unsuccessful effort to establish a paper; he sold to a Mr. Croswaite, who had also issued a pros- pectus, but failed to get sufficient support, and offered the property for sale; Mr. Purdy purchased it, and gave his note on time therefor, employed J. C. Gilki- son as printer, and issued the Mansfield Gazette; he now discovered that the type was worn out and insuflB- cient to print a respectable paper ; he went to Cincin- nati on horseback, purchased type on credit, and brought it to xMansfield in saddle-bags, the only mode of trans- portation then available.

In connection with his professional business, he con- tinued to edit the paper until 1831, when he sold it to T. W. Bartley, then a young lawyer, since Judge of

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