Page:History of Richland County, Ohio.djvu/822

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��BIOGRAPHICAL SIvETCHES:

��Township, and was a minister in the Church of Disci- ples. The subject of this sketch was born Feb. 15, 1846, and was a son of Miller Moody. In 1861, he enlisted and went to the front with the 59th N. Y. V. I., and remained in the service three years ; in 1864, he re-enlisted and went in the 178th 0. V. I., and served to the end of the war. He went to St. Joe, Mo., in September, 1865, and secured a position as a clerk in a wholesale and retail clothing establishment ; from there he went to Allegheny City, Penn., in 1867, and learned telegraphy, and followed it at the outer depot till 1870, when he moved to Gallitzin, a place in the State, where he ran trains through the tunnel at that place by telegraph; he went to Terre Haute, Ind., in April, 1872, and surveyed the Middleberry Division of the C. & T. H. R. R. ; he was called home in March, 1873, by the death of his mother, and remained, en- gaging in the livery business, till October, 1874 ; he opened a shoe store in Bellville in March, 1875, and did an extensive business till April, 1880, when he moved to Upper Sandusky and became its leading busi- ness man in this line of trade. Mr. Moody has main- tained a reputation for honesty and veracity throughout his business career. He was the leading spirit of the Bellville Cornet Band during his stay in the village. He was married to Miss Regina H. Christy.

NIMAN, JAMES. He was born in Lancaster Co., Penn., and was brought up near Harrisburg, Penn.; he remained there till the spring of 1837, when he came to Ohio ; he learned the carpenter trade in the East ; at the age of 28 years, he was called to the min- istry in the United Brethren Church ; when 80 years old, he was ordained, and traveled in Maryland and Virginia until he left for Ohio ; he filled the position of a local preacher for a number of years since residing in Jeflerson Township. He settled on a part of Sec. 17; commenced in the woods, and cleared the farm on which he now resides ; he improved his farm, building a house in 1853 and a barn in 1852. Mr. Niman was born March 7, 1801. His companion, Catherine Shive- ly, was born May 20, 1809 ; they were married Sept. 29, 1833, and had four children — Mary Ann, born June 12, 1836; George S., June 7, 1838; Leander J., March 5, 1841 ; Sarah C, July 7, 1846 ; deaths- Mary died Oct. 12, 1854; George, Aug. 4, 1870, and the mother, Aug. 27, 1875. His son Leander was in the war of the rebellion ; he went to the army first in the three-months service, then with the 102d 0. V. I. Leander was married to Sarah C. Rhodes, daughter of Samuel Rhodes, Nov. 26, 1868; she was born March 27, 1848; their children are Cora Vida, born Feb. 18, 1873. and Ellsworth, July 2, 1878. Father Niman died May 7, 1880.

OLDFIELD, JONATHAN (deceased) ; he was one of the first white settlers of Jefferson Township ; he camewith James McClure, in 1808, and assisted in building the first cabin in the township. He was born in Washington Co., N. Y., June 7, 1788, and emigrated with his parents to Ross Co., Ohio, in 1803 ; the fam- ily, a few years later, moved to Pickaway Co. He was married to Elizabeth McClure Feb. 11, 1812, by Esquire Coffinbury, which was the first marriage in the county with its present boundaries. Births : Mary, born Sept. 5, 1814 ; James, July 6, 1816 ; Hugh, Sept.

��26, 1818; Rebecca, Oct. 8, 1820; William, Aug. 8, 1822. Mother Oldfield died Aug. 4, 1824, and Mr. Oldfield married'Nancy Fiddler Oct. 14, 1824. Births: Nathan, born March 11, 1827; Noah, Jan. 2, 1829 ; John, June 15, 1830; Mary Jane, March 5, 1832 ; Ab- ner, Dec. 5, 1834. His father, William Oldfield, was born in 1750.

OLDFIELD, RICHARD (deceased) ; born in Orange Co., N. Y., May 14, 1801 ; came with his parents in 1803, and first to Richland Co., in 1812, and helped to pull corn to feed the Greentown Indians. His wife, Elmina Phelps, was born in Grafton Co., N. H., and came to Richland Co. Aug. 7, 1815 ; they were married Dec. 21, 1824, and, in three days after, moved on a farm two and one-half miles southeast of Bellville, where he lived until his death, Nov. 11, 1872. When they moved, they carried all their goods in their arms and drove the cow ; their children are David P., born Sept. 23, 1825 ; Anna, Jan. 25, 1827 ; Matilda, Sept. 24, 1828 ; James F., June 4, 1830 ; Reuben, June 27, 1832; Cordelia, April 17, 1834; Lovina, March 5, 1836, died May 2, 1830 ; Elizabeth, July 26, 1837 ; Martha, April 26, 1839; AVilliam, June 21, 1841; Mary and Silas, May 23, 1844. William died in the service at Rome, Ga.; Silas was also in the service.

OLDFIELD, ABNER, farmer ; owns the northwest quarter of Sec. 22 ; he was born in Jefferson Town- ship, and was brought up on a farm. In 1857, he fol- lowed threshing, in connection with farming, \^^hich he followed about six years. After marriage, he lived a few years in Jefferson Township, and then went to Morrow Co.; he remained about two years, and then returned to Jeiferson ; he moved on the place he now owns in 1874. Mr. Oldfield was born Dec. 5, 1834. Ann Tinkey was born Nov. 17, 1831. They were mar- ried Aug. 28, 1855. Births : Mary Elizabeth, born June 16, 1856; George, Sept. 24, 1860; Susie V., Oct. 23, 1869. George died July 31, 1879. He united with the Presbyterian Church about eight months before he was called away ; he was an industrious and dutiful son, and exemplary in character. Mr. Oldfield has taken an active part in Christian works, and has superintended Sabbath schools many terms. He united with the church before marriage, and his wife did also. Mr. Oldfield is a charter member of the .Jeiferson Grange.

RIDDLE, MARGARET, MRS., daughter of Abram and Ann Grosser ; Mr. and Mrs. Grosser were natives of Frederick Co., Md., and emigrated to Bellville in October, 1827, and occupied a cabin that stood on the lot now occupied by the residence of John Zent ; they had a family of three children — Henry, Margaret and Zillman ; they occupied the cabin home for about one year, when they bought a lot and built a more comfort- able abode ; ^Ir. Grosser was a carpenter by trade, and, while engaged in getting out timber for a res- idence for Dr. Beach, he was struck by a limb of a falling tree and instantly killed, Dec. 24, 1830. Marga- ret was born April 18, 1827, and was married to James Riddle April 21, 1861 ; Mr. Riddle was among the first to respond to the call for volunteers to suppress the rebellion, and enlisted in Co. I, 16th 0. V. I., in the three-months service, and was commissioned 2d Lieuten- ant ; when his term of service expired, he returned

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