Page:History of Richland County, Ohio.djvu/898

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��BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES:

��large family had grown up around them, the wilder- ness had disappeared, and in its stead a thriving vil- lage of 2,000 inhabitants, with churches, schools, and all the accessories to make life comfortable, and be- loved hy all, because they were the friends of all. Lit- tle is left for the writer to chronicle here b'ut the deaths of this venerable couple ; Stephen Marvin died, after a brief but painful illness, Aug. 18, 1868, aged 81 years 7 months and 2 days; Sarah B. survived him nearly ten years, she departed this life March 31, 1878, aged 77 years 8 months and 5 days. Most of the children of the deceased have taken up their residences in different parts of the country ; one — Jennie M. Ott — is married and has at present a family of four children, and is living near the old home, while Laura and Emily A. are unmarried, and own and occupy a part of the old homestead,] where the an- nual thanksgivings of the family are held ; Hiram Marvin, the only son resident in the vicinity, after the death of his grandfather, Isaac Marvin, Oct. 12, 1850, located upon the old farm in Jackson Township, re- siding with his grandmother until her death, March 27, 1858; he married Maria Hinman Oct. 22, 1854, and removed to Shelby in April, 1865; he engaged in the drug business with John Kerr, under the firm name of Kerr & Marvin, the said firm building the block they now occupy, in 1869, having carried on a successful business and earned an enviable reputation. Hiram and Maria Marvin have four children living, viz., Sarah Malinda, Laura Caroline, Hubbard Orton and Wilbur Hiram.

MICKEV, HARRISON, retired blacksmith, was born in Orange Township, Richland (now Ashland) Co., Dec. 1, 1819; he is the third son of Robert and Mary Mickey, who emigrated from Westmoreland Co., Penn., in 1817; he experienced all the trials of pioneer life from infancy, and especially so in his case, as there was a family of thirteen children, five daughters and eight sons, all of whom are living except Nicholas, who died in California in 1876, aged 58 years, and have raised families, and deserve especial mention for integ- rity and industry ; in 1834, the "old farm" was sold ; on the 14th of May the family started for their new home, and arrived next day; this farm was located in Madison Township, adjoining the Michael Newman farm on the east ; there, as in earlier years, Harrison helped to clear the farm, and attended school for a short time during the winter; he knew well the value of time, and during the short sessions applied himself with diligence ; a friend visiting the family when Harrison was about 8 years old, as a token of esteem gave him 12i cents, which was his first money, and with which he purchased a spelling book : at the age of 17, he left the farm, and was apprenticed to John Swan- ner, of Mansfield, to learn the blacksmith trade ; dur- ing his apprenticeship he associated himself with a reading club, where he spent his leisure time obtaining useful information and increasing his limited educa- tion ; to use his own term, he graduated in Swanner's blacksmith-shop, with the highest honors of his trade, when 21 years of age ; on Dec. 1, 1840, the day he was 21 years old, he commenced to work in the employ of Albert Minerly and Downing H. Young, in Shelby, in which place he has since resided ; he some time after-

��ward started for himself, but had the misfortune, about the time he was fairly under way, to lose his shop by fire, consuming two sets of tools ; by the aid and kind- ness of his neighbors he was set at work in a short time ; he worked at his trade until the fall of 1852, when on account of physical disability he quit the shop ; after the election of Franklin Pierce, and through the advice of Dr. John Mack, Thomas Mickey and other friends, he applied for the appointment of Post- master of Shelby ; he received the indorsement of every county official, and his application was numer- ously signed by his neighbors, with several prominent men from other States ; this was necessary, as he had rabid opposition from the friends of the acting Post- master ; he was appointed Postmaster about June 1, 1853; he filled the same acceptably to Oct. 1,1860; during this time he acted as Mayor, for nine months, filling an unexpired term ; during the campaign of 1860, the Breckenridge and Lane committee asked him to contribute the sum of $10 for political purposes, but being a Douglas Democrat he wrote a scathing letter, which lost him the position ; the following is the reply, and at the time it probably was more circulated than any document of the campaign :

" Shelbv, Ohio, July 24, 1860.

" Sirs : In answer to yournote of yesterday, demand- ing -f 10 in consideraiton of my official position as Post- master, to aid in making a political canvass in favor of Breckenridge and Lane, I will say that it can in no way be acceded to by me.

" Under the present circumstances, and the manner in which you make the demand, I deem it an insult and an outrage upon every principle of honor, integrity and independence, that ought to characterize the con- duct and actions of every American citizen, be he high or low, rich or poor ; and I cannot do otherwise than treat it as such, without a total sacrifice of the rights of conscience, and a cowardly submission of every prin- ciple of manly independence.

" / therefore spurn your demand as an offered bribe for the paltry place of a few official crumbs.

"I wear no official halter around my neck. I learned the principles of Democracy from my mother's knee ; I have been a Democrat all my life, and expect to die one.

" In 1852, to the extent of my humble ability, I did what I could in contributing to the election of Franklin Pierce and sustaining the compromise measures of 1850.

" To carry out the same principles and measures in 1856, I again did ^hat I could to aid in the election of James Buchanan, to maintain those principles and measures, so just to all sections of the country.

" And now again in 1860, if God spares my life, when a still more dangerous and formidable attack is made upon those time-honored principles of the Democratic party by fanatical disunion factionists, both North and South, and an unholy attempt is made to break up and crush out the only national conservative party — and to that end I am invited to contribute aid.

" I will do all I am able in any honorable way to sus- tain and carry out those principles, and uphold the na- tionality of the Democratic party, in the election of our noble standard-bearers, Stephen A. Douglas and Her- schel V. Johnston. If I cannot do this and longer hold

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