J.C. Wernecke, son of Diedrich Henry and Frederica Charlotta Lizabeta (Galbernagle) Wernecke, was born in Vorden by Osnabruck, kingdom of Hanover, Germany, December 6, 1818, and was educated in the common schools (Volkschule). At the age of fourteen his ambition was to become a professional teacher, and to obtain the means necessary to prosecute his studies he taught the small scholars, ranging in their ages from six to then years. He was thus enabled to obtain private instruction in music and other branches not taught in the common schools at that time. At the age of eighteen he passed a successful examination and was licensed to teach. Shortly after, a teacher in the seminary received an injury to one of his eyes, and had to give up his place. Mr. Wernecke was invited to fill the vacant chair. Upon inquiry he found that he must take charge of nearly 150 pupils. This was a responsibility he did not like to assume, and as many of his friends were preparing to emigrate to America, he decided to cast his lot with theirs and try what fortunes or misfortunes the New World had in store for him. He accordingly left Germany in May, 1837, and reached New York in July. In August of the same year he went to Savannah, Ga. A short time after his arrival in Savannah he was prostrated by fever, from which he did not recover until the following March. In May of 1838 he returned to New York, remaining a few days in the city. He took a trip up the Hudson to Rondout. At Rosendale he got employment in a cement quarry, where he remained till the spring of 1839, when the company employing him suspended, and he was thrown out of employment. By the advice of a friend in Baltimore, Md., he left New York and went to that city. From Baltimore, in company with Judge John Davenport, he came to Barnesville, Ohio. Finding no employment here, he visited J.F. Bidenhorn at Malaga, Monroe County, Ohio. He had known Mr. Bidenhorn in Germany. "At this time," says Mr. Wernecke, "I had barely fifty cents in the world." Here he attended an English school for a few months, then entered J.F. Bidenhorn's tobacco house. The next year he was so fortunate as to obtain a situation in a store as a clerk. H was taken in as a partner in 1847. In May of 1849 he married Mrs. Sarah Neptune, daughter of Albert and Sarah Lambert. She died in 1858. Five children were born to them, tow of whom died in infancy. The others are Herman A., who married Albertine Werlitz, and is in business with his father at Harriettsville; Charles T., married Jane Finney, and resides in Montana, and William G., married Hester Dickison, and lives in Harriettville.

In the fall of 1849 he formed a partnership with Theodore Beninghaus, and moved to Harriettsville, Noble County, Ohio, where he continues to reside, with his youngest son. In 1858 Mr. Beninghaus died, after which he set up in business for himself.

In 1852 or 1853 Mr. Conrad Shankburg came from the city of New York to clerk for Mr. Wernecke. He married Lydia Jane Neptune, the stepdaughter of Mr. Wernecke, by whom he had three children: Albert, Rupert and Frantz. In 1873 Mr. Shankburg took his two oldest sons to Germany to be educated there. Albert is still at Heidelberg, studying medicine. Rupert came home in 1880. The two youngest sons are now with their father. Mrs. Shankburg died in 1872. In 1880 Mr. Shankburg left Mr. Wernecke, with whom he had been in business for several years, and went to Marietta, Ohio, and engaged in the wholesale grocery trade, and later to Sioux City, Iowa, where he has a prosperous business.

Mr. Wernecke married, in 1860, Mrs. Temperance Ogle, daughter of Butler and Chloe Wells, who died January 19, 1885. By this marriage he had one daughter, wife of A. W. Sutton; she resides in Kentucky.

Mr. Wernecke has 265 acres of fine agricultural and pasture lands near the town of Harriettsville. He has a large and convenient store room in town, filled with a fine assortment of merchandise, and in addition to his fine family residence owns several houses and lots. He has handled every year, since 1849, 250 hogshead of tobacco , and has on hand now (April, 1887) some twenty thousand dollars' worth. In 1870 he laid out the addition to the town of Harriettsville, improving the town very much. He was postmaster from 1856 to 1886. He was an old-line Whig until the organization of the Republican party, with which he affiliated, and with which he has acted ever since. He has long been connected with the Lutheran church, and contributed largely in building the German Lutheran church near Harriettsville, of which he has been secretary and a member of the financial board of the society. He has been school director also, and treasurer of the township for a number of years. His life has been a busy and useful one; by industry and economy he has acquired much wealth. In his varied business transactions he has associated with men of all classes, yet no man is more highly esteemed for his integrity and correct business habits that he.

History of Noble County, Ohio Published by L.H. Watkins & Co. of Chicago 1887
Elk



William Smithberger was born in the Rhine province of Prussia, September 12, 1825. He was the youngest child of Johannes and Anna Maria Smithberger. He had three brothers: Nicholas, John and Peter, and three sisters: Elizabeth, Catharine and Margaret. His mother died when he was six years old. In 1840 his father emigrated to the United States. All the children, except Nicholas, came with him. They came to Pittsburgh about the 1st of August, William being at this time fourteen years of age. In the same year he was apprenticed by his father for a term of three years to James and John Smith, machinists, of Pittsburgh; after served about nine months he learned that a machinist must have considerable capital to set up a shop of his own; that there were other trades fully as lucrative and which required much less capital; he therefore engaged with a cabinet-maker, who failed seven weeks after, his employees losing their wages. In the meantime his father had charge of a flock of sheep belonging to a Mr. Spriggs, who had a slave plantation near Wheeling, W.Va. William visited his father, who advised him to go to Elk Township, Monroe County, Ohio, at which place his father owned eighty acres of land, which he had entered some time before at the government land office. The following spring he came to Ohio, as did his father, brother John and a sister. William helped to fell the first tree and assisted in building a dwelling-house; "then came the hard times," says Mr. Smithberger. "Brother John and I often carried a half bushel of corn to a mill located three miles from us, and ground it by hand. In our straitened circumstances corn bread was a luxery." During the first year on the farm, John married, and William not liking the rough life affored by the backwoods, begged his father to allow him to go back to Pittsburgh; permission being granted, he engaged in the city with Harmer Dennie, as gardner. One day, while walking along the street, he met his old boss of the machine-shop, to whom he had been apprenticed, and endeavored to pass him without attracting his notice; but it seems the recognition was mutual, for coming up he accosted William, inquiring where he had been and what he was doing. William made a clean breast of it, recounted his wanderings and hardships, and finally consented, after many solicitations, to go back to the shop; here he remained until 1847. In the spring of 1847 he entered into partnership in the retail grocery trade with his brother-in-law, Jacob Rothfuchs, the firm being Rothfuchs & Smithberger, on the corner of Seventh and Smithfield streets, Pittsburgh, and continued in the business until 1853. In May, 1849, he married Terrece Fauth, by whom he has twelve children: William G., married Catharine Burkhart, is a farmer and resided in Elk Township, Noble County; Anthony, married Mary Epler, lives in Monroe County and is a farmer; Terrece married Peter Zwick, a Monroe County farmer; Justina married Matthias Zilles, April 12, 1887, a merchant of Lebanon, Monroe County; Thomas J. is in Dakota; Isadore married Terrece Burkhart, is a farmer of Noble County; Adaline A., Martha M., Edward W., John S., Alexander D. and Gregory are still at home. In 1853, on account of failing health, Mr. Smithberger was advised to move on a farm; accordingly in 1853 he came to the farm upon which he has since resided, clearing the land and adding fine improvements as circumstances made it possible, until it is now one of best improved farms in the township. He began packing tobacco in 1861, and has handled about seventy-five hogsheads a year, and has now on hand some $5,000 worth. He has nearly six hundred acres of good agricultural lands, mostly in Noble County, on which are three good dwelling-houses, besides barns, tobacco-houses and numerous other outbuildings necessary to carry on his business and in which to store his grain; he has been engaged in merchandising since 1874; he has a good store-room with a fine selection of goods.

Mr. Smithberger is a member of the Catholic church. He took an active part in building the Catholic church near Harriettsville, contributing liberally of his means to this purpose and in support of its society. In politics he is a Democrat. The esteem in which he is held by the people of Elk Township is evidenced by the numerous positions of trust they have conferred upon him, viz.: School director and member of the board of education since 1858, township trustee, twice clerk of the township, treasurer of the township for five years, assessor of personal property for two terms, and land appraiser of the township in 1870, and justice of the peace for thirty years.

His has been a busy and useful life. A poor boy, without money and without influential friends, by his energy, industry and perseverence he has overcome the many difficulties to prosperity, and attained not only wealth but the respect and confidence of his fellow-men, and now, seated under his own vine and fig tree, he dispenses a free-handed hospitality to all.

History of Noble County, Ohio Published by L.H. Watkins & Co. of Chicago 1887
Elk



David Ales was probably the first settler within the territory now forming Jefferson Township. He lived on the East Fork on the present Joseph Stevens farm. A stream known as Ales' Run, is still called after his name. Ales came from New England. His house was a favorite stopping place for travelers on the old Barnesville and Marietta State Road, and was the only house of entertainment for many miles. He died here. None of the name are now left, but some of his descendants of the third and fourth generations still live in the township.

The inhabitants along the creek were visited with the cholera epidemic, some time between 1830 and 1840. David Ales, who had been down the Ohio River on a boat, was the first victim, dying before he reached home. His wife died soon after, and her death was followed by that of Henry Lowe, Ales' son-in-law, and all his family, Henry Murduck, Charles Clark, William Gray's wife and others living in the same neighborhood. A few had the disease and recovered.

History of Noble County, Ohio Published by L.H. Watkins & Co. of Chicago 1887
Jefferson



Baxton Wells was an early settler and died here. His farm was on the creek below Middleburg. He was large and very strong and of good intelligence. He had several sons and a large number of daughters who were noted for their good looks and lady-like manners. The girls received such names as Lucinda, Dorinda, Malinda, etc., until the supply of "Rindas" gave out, and the last two daughters received less unusual names.

History of Noble County, Ohio Published by L.H. Watkins & Co. of Chicago 1887
Jefferson



Henry Enochs, son of Elisha Enochs, one of the pioneers of the East Fork, was an early settler south of Middleburg. He died in Lawrence County in 1886. His son, William H. Enochs, a brigadier-general in the late war, and now a prominent lawyer of Ironton, Ohio, was born on the farm in Middleburg.

History of Noble County, Ohio Published by L.H. Watkins & Co. of Chicago 1887
Jefferson



John Hall, from New England, settled on the East Fork soon after the War of 1812. He had served as a teamster in that war. He married a daughter of David Ales and lived in the same neighborhood. James S. Hall, his son, is among the oldest residents, having lived on his present farm since 1836. At that date there were very few settlers on the ridges. Mr. Hall, in his younger years used to go to mill in Marietta and Lowell. Marietta was the nearest trading point for all the early settlers, and there they traded maple sugar, deer skins, venison, etc., for salt and groceries. Most of the travel was on horseback. Pack-saddles were used in place of wagons for carrying goods. Except the State Road from Barnesville to Marietta which led via Carlisle, Middleburg and Salem, there were no early roads through the township.

History of Noble County, Ohio Published by L.H. Watkins & Co. of Chicago 1887
Jefferson



George Hupp, of Pennsylvania, of German origin, came to the township among the very first settlers. His wife was Rachel Archer, one of the Archer family who settled in the vicinity of Carlisle about 1810. They had two children when they moved to this locality. One of the characters who frequented this part of the country in early years was an old hunter know as Mull Ryan. Indians had not entirely left the country when Hupp came, and on one occasion Ryan terrified the family by approaching the cabin in the night and giving a loud war-whoop. Hupp seized his gun, and would have soon ended the fun had not Ryan made himself known and begged him not to shoot. George Hupp died early. His children were Nancy, John, Philip and Elizabeth, deceased; Mary, Cynthia, Henry, Rachel and George, living; Daniel, deceased. Henry and George still live in this township. Mrs. Hupp married Peter Karns after the decease of Mr. Hupp and had several children.

George Hupp was born in 1821 and was brought up amid the scenes of pioneer life. He was married in 1843 and located on his present farm in the same year. His wife's maiden name was Elizabeth Grove, and she was born in West Virginia. They have reared eight children, six of whom are living: Susannah C., George W., Harriet J. (deceased), Alfred O., Nancy E., Daniel D. (deceased), John B. and Rachel A. Mr. Hupp has served as township trustee. He is a member of the Methodist Episcopal church, in which his father was an exhorter.

History of Noble County, Ohio Published by L.H. Watkins & Co. of Chicago 1887
Jefferson



William Heiddleston is the oldest man in the township, and one of the few early settlers who are still living. He was born in Scotland, January 1, 1793. After coming to Summerfield and living some years in that vicinity, he came to his present farm about 1832. Mr. Heiddleston says this was then the most thinly settled region between Summerfield and Marietta. In early years he drove a team to Zanesville, Wheeling and Marietta, hauling goods for the merchants of this section of country. The roads were very bad, and he always took an ax along in order to cut out fallen trees from the track, and frequently found a use for it. He married Martha McClintock, whose father, William McClintock, was an early settler near Summerfield. For his second wife he married Miss Cowles. He is the father of fifteen children, ten of whom his first wife bore. Mr. Heiddleston is a remarkably well preserved old man and is still strong both mentally and physically.

History of Noble County, Ohio Published by L.H. Watkins & Co. of Chicago 1887
Jefferson



Thomas Morris and family came from England in 1830, and settled on the farm which John F. Morris, Esq., now owns. Here he had one of the early grist-mills run by horse-power. Andrew Morris, a brother of Thomas, came a little later.

Separate entry
Thomas Morris, whose name is prominently mentioned elsewhere in this chapter, was a native of England, and came to this country with his family, which consisted of his wife and four children: Andrew, Margaret, John F. and Jane, in the early part of 1830. For a few months they stopped in Virginia, where a daughter, Ann, was born to them. Christmas day, 1830, witnessed their arrival in Jefferson Township, then a new and sparsely settled region. Mr. Morris had entered a quarter section of land, the deed of which, signed by Andrew Jackson, is now in possession of his son, John F. On this farm the elder Morris lived until his deceased in 1864. He was a man of more than ordinary intelligence and a leader in all matters. He served in many minor official positions, and was very generally esteemed. His wife, whose maiden name was Jane Fairbrother, was the mother of ten children, six boys and four girls. John F. was born in England in 1826. He and a brother, Arius, are the only sons residing in the county. John F. resides in the old homestead. His is thought to be one of the oracles of the township, having been a resident for over a half century. He married Miss Cynthia Carmichael, a native of the township. They have eight children living.

History of Noble County, Ohio Published by L.H. Watkins & Co. of Chicago 1887
Jefferson



Samuel S. Neptune was one of the pioneers of this part of the township. He located a farm near Middleburg, obtaining his deed from the government. He was a worthy citizen. He married Miss Mary Pickering, a Quakeress, and reared a family of eight children, six of whom are living. Elias P. Neptune, a son, was born in Monroe County, and is one of the thrifty farmers of the township; he owns the Andrew Morris homestead.

History of Noble County, Ohio Published by L.H. Watkins & Co. of Chicago 1887
Jefferson



Andrew Morris was born in Lancashire, England, in 1797 and emigrated to this country in 1829, and first settled near Germantown, Pa., where he found employment at his trade, that of a weaver. He came to Jefferson Township in 1836, and settled on a farm now owned by Elias Neptune, on which he was the first settler, and where he lived until his decease. He married, in 1827, Miss Jane Hampson. She was born in Lancashire in 1807. They reared a family of five children, three sons: John, William and Thomas, and two daughters: Mary A. and Elizabeth. The pioneer life of Mr. and Mrs. Morris was replete with privations and hardships.

History of Noble County, Ohio Published by L.H. Watkins & Co. of Chicago 1887
Jefferson



About 1833 Christian Huffman, a native of Germany, settled on Middle Creek, where he died. His children were: Henry, Charles, John, William, Louisa and Lovina. Charles, William and Louisa (Pryor) are still living in the county. Mr. Huffman was the first of the native German settlers in Jefferson and Enoch Townships. The immigration to the latter township did not begin until 1836.

History of Noble County, Ohio Published by L.H. Watkins & Co. of Chicago 1887
Jefferson



T.B. Tarleton is one of the old soldiers of Noble County. He was a member of Company I, One Hundred and Seventy-sixth Ohio Volunteer Infantry and served with credit until his muster out. He is one of the reputable citizens of Middleburg and a worthy man.

History of Noble County, Ohio Published by L.H. Watkins & Co. of Chicago 1887
Jefferson



A.A. Clymer, one of the prominent business men of Dexter City, was a native of Muskingam County, and came to Noble County when a young man, settling near Caldwell. In 1876 he removed to Dexter City, and in company with Mr. McKee opened a store of general merchandise. In 1878 the co-partnership was dissolved. Mr. Clymer continuing the business until his decease in 1884. Since this time his sons, Charles and G.W. Clymer, hav successfully conducted the business and are considered to be among the most extensive and prosperous merchants in this section of the county. Charles, the senior member of the firm, was born in Washington County, Ohio, and is a young man highly esteemed as a correct and successful business man.

History of Noble County, Ohio Published by L.H. Watkins & Co. of Chicago 1887
Jefferson



One of the conspicuous and familiar names in this section of the county is that of Samuel Hussey, who for many years was known as one of the most successful farmers and stock growers in the valley. He was born in Maine, in 1803, and came to Washington County with his parents when a lad. The elder Hussey was a small farmer and Samuel remained with him, as was the custom in those days, until he had attained his majority, when he commenced life for himself as a farm hand. For a time he was engaged in boating on the Ohio between Marietta and New Orleans. After he abandoned the river he came to Jefferson Township, and bought the farm on which he died. He was a worthy citizen and a successful farmer. He was twice married; his first wife, Miss Elmira Warren, died in 1843. In 1844 he married Miss Marrilla, a sister of his first wife. By the first marriage there were two children, Joseph and Elmira, by the second a son and daughter, Oscar and Jane, both of whom are deceased.

History of Noble County, Ohio Published by L.H. Watkins & Co. of Chicago 1887
Jefferson



John J. Corp was one of the pioneers of this region. He was of English parentage and birth, and came to this State with his parents when a lad of nine years, and settled in Marietta. In 1835 he came to what is now Jefferson Township. While he was not the pioneer on the farm on which he lived so many years, he was in reality the first settler. A man by the name of Doan had entered the land and made some slight improvements, but being unable to "pay out," Mr. Corp purchased his interest and improved the property. Mr. Corp was a reputable citizen and a man of strong religious proclivities. For over a half century he was a local preacher; he died in 1884. A daughter, Mrs. Hutchinson, resides on the homestead.

History of Noble County, Ohio Published by L.H. Watkins & Co. of Chicago 1887
Jefferson



Dexter W. Sullivan, whose identification with Dexter City is given in this chapter, and after whom the place takes its name, was one of the first settlers and a conspicuous person in its history. He is one of those brave, self-sacrificing men who periled their lives to preserve what the pioneers had won. In 1862 he became a member of Company H, One Hundred and Sixteenth Ohio Volunteer Infantry. At the battle of Winchester he was taken prisoner and confirned at Libby and Belle Isle for two months, where he contracted disease which rendered necessary his discharge on June 13, 1863.

History of Noble County, Ohio Published by L.H. Watkins & Co. of Chicago 1887
Jefferson



The life of Richard S. Deal presents an excellent illustration of what can be accomplished by perseverance and economy under adverse circumstances. In 1834 he came to Barnesville, found employment on a farm, where he worked for three years, his compensation for the time being $20 per year. From Barnesville he came to Summerfield, where he ultimately became a dealer in tobacco. Thence he removed to Colorado, Noble County, where he engaged in merchandising and tobacco. In 1869 he came to Dexter City, where he built the first mill, which he operated for ten years. He has been a member of the Methodist Episcopal church for forty years; has officiated as class-leader and steward.

History of Noble County, Ohio Published by L.H. Watkins & Co. of Chicago 1887
Jefferson



The Morgareidge family were among the early pioneers of the county. They came from the State of Maine and settled on a farm adjoining the present site of Dexter City, in 1814. Burnham Morgareidge, who was four years of age at the time the family came to Ohio, died on the farm where he settled. His widow is still living. Their family consisted of nine sons and four daughters.

Parley C. Morgareidge was born November 18, 1837, and has followed railroading and other occupations. He first married Elizabeth Davis, who died in 1874, leaving five sons and two daughters. His second wife was Charlotte B. Magee, who died in 1885, leaving one child, Flora Belle, who died in infancy. January 19, 1887, he was again married to Mrs. Maria Yoemans, of Washington County. In 1861 Mr. Morgareidge entered the service in Company K, Thirtieth Ohio Volunteer Infantry; was mustered out as sergeant at Atlanta, Ga., September 20, 1864. Among other battles, he was in the following noted engagements: Second Manassas, South Mountain, Antietam, Vicksburg and Jackson, Miss. At the latter place he was detailed as sergeant, in charge of Division Commissary, where he remained until mustered out. He is a member of the Methodist Episcopal church, Masonic and Independent Order Odd Fellows organizations, also the Grand Army of the Republic. He is a Republican, and assistant inspector-general of the Grand Army of the Republic in Noble County.

S.S. Morgareidge, son of Burnham Morgareidge, was born in Noble County, in 1847, and has followed various occupations. In 1876 he married Cora M., daughter of E.P. Sullivan. They have one child, Mary A. Mrs. Morgareidge is a member of the Methodist Episcopal church. Mr. Morgareidge is an Odd Fellow, a Mason and a Democrat.

Frederick N. Morgareidge, son of Burnham Morgareidge, was born in Noble County, October 18, 1831. He followed farming until 1862, and in February of that year entered the service in Company K, Thirtieth Ohio Volunteer Infantry. He was in the second battle of Bull Run. October 25, 1863 he was discharged, on account of physical disability, occasioned by sickness. He is a Republican, and a member of the Grand Army of the Republic. He is at present a tinsmith in Dexter City; was postmaster eight years and nine months. Mr. Morgareidge married Rachel Cunningham. Children: Robert M., Salome A., Maggie P. and George W. (deceased), Ohio C., William A., Rosilla A., Rece F., Charles H. and Mary R., living.

History of Noble County, Ohio Published by L.H. Watkins & Co. of Chicago 1887
Jefferson



Henry S. Williams, a native of Maryland, and a machinist by trade, removed from his native State to Cincinnati, and eventually to Noble County, where he engaged in oil production. He enlisted in Company I, Sixty-second Ohio Volunteer Infantry, was chosen second lieutenant and promoted to captain. He was shot in battle, and died five days later.

History of Noble County, Ohio Published by L.H. Watkins & Co. of Chicago 1887
Jefferson



Halsee Williams, born April 3, 1848, is a machinist by trade. In 1871 he married Asenath Webber, who died in 1878, leaving one child - Henry Burton. He married for his second wife Emma Farley. Children: Julia A., J.W. and Frank Howard. Mr. Williams is class leader in the Methodist Episcopal church, is a Republican and an Odd Fellow.

History of Noble County, Ohio Published by L.H. Watkins & Co. of Chicago 1887
Jefferson



In 1827 I.F. Wilson, a native of Virginia, settled near Summerfield. He died March 6, 1883. His son, W.M. Wilson was born in Noble County, September 16, 1843, and has followed farming and milling. In 1862 he joined Company B, Ninth Ohio Cavalry, in which he served until the close of the war. He served under Burnside at Knoxville and Kilpatrick from the battles of Atlanta and Savannah until the close of the war. He married, in 1866, Mary F., daughter of Judge Jonathan Dilley. Mr. and Mrs. Wilson are members of the Methodist Episcopal church. Mr. Wilson has been marshal of Dexter City and is now a member of the town council.

History of Noble County, Ohio Published by L.H. Watkins & Co. of Chicago 1887
Jefferson



Deb Murray