History of Fayette County Ohio United States of America

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John Henry Grove, educator, was born in Fayette county. Ohio, July 8, 1848; son of Henry and Margaret Ann (Geffs) Grove, and grandson of Henry and Anne (Reid) Grove, and of John and Tamar (Fossett) Geffs. He was graduated at the Ohio Wesleyan university, A.B., 1870; A.M., 1873; was principal of the high school, Wilmington, Ohio, 1871-74; superintendent of schools, Wilmington, Ohio, 1874-78; principal of the preparatory department, Ohio Wesleyan university, 1878; adjunct professor of Latin, 1879-83, and was advanced to the full chair in 1883. He was school examiner for Delaware city, 1881-96; became school examiner for Delaware county in 1893, and was elected as an alternate lay delegate from the Central Ohio conference to the General conference of the Methodist Episcopal church in 1900. He is the author of Text-Book of Latin Exercises (1885, rev. and enl., 1890); and of contributions to educational periodicals.

From: Twentieth Century Biographical Dictionary of Notable Americans, Johnson, Rossiter, editor

Soldier and Merchant, was born, October 14th, 1828, in Wayne township, Fayette county, Ohio, and is a son of Samuel F. and Aseneth (Nye) Yeoman. His father was of English descent, a native of Onondaga county, New York, where also his mother was born, she being of French and Irish lineage. His father was a merchant, who removed to Ohio in 1814, at first locating in Knox county, and finally settling in Fayette county, where he resided, with the exception of two years passed in Clarke and Warren counties, until his death, in 1858. He was a soldier in the war of 1812, a son of James Yeoman, a revolutionary soldier. He represented Fayette county in the Legislature for one term, and was a Justice of the Peace for many years. Samuel was educated in the common schools. When twelve years old he went into his father's store in Washington, Fayette county, where he continued eight years. In February, 1849, he went to California, overland, and passed two years in the mines. In 1851 he returned to Washington, purchased his father's interests in his store, and continued the business until the autumn of 1853, when he relinquished it to become a dealer in lands, which latter avocation he pursued until 1858, when he again became a dry-goods merchant in Washington, and has since resided in that town, where he has prospered wonderfully, being the proprietor of one of the largest dry-goods houses in southern Ohio. During the early months of the civil war he was Chairman of the Military Committee of Fayette County. He was commissioned Major of the 90th Ohio Volunteers, June 14th, 1862, and recruited four hundred men for that command in Fayette county. He accompanied the regiment to the field in August of that year, and during their service of three years participated with them in the great battles of Perryville, Stone River, Chattanooga (siege and battle), Mission Ridge, Atlanta, Jonesboro', Pulaski, Spring Hill, Franklin and Nashville, besides other lesser engagements and skirmishes. He was promoted to Lieutenant-Colonel in 1863; to Colonel in the fall of the same year, and was brevetted, December 15th, 1864, for gallant and meritorious conduct at the battle of Nashville, under the eye of General George H. Thomas. He was honorably discharged from the service in June, 1865, being mustered out with his regiment at Camp Dennison, and soon thereafter returned to Washington, where he resumed his mercantile pursuits, which had suffered neglect during his absence. In October, 1868, he was elected to the Ohio Senate, where he served two years. In 1873 he was again elected to the upper House of the Legislature, and served other two years. In the fall of 1874 he organized the Dayton & Southeastern Railroad Company, and also the Springfield, Jackson & Pomeroy Railroad Company, and has been President of the former since its organization. He is a Republican in political principle, and a Baptist in religious belief. He was married in 1852 to Susan M., daughter of Colonel John Comley, of Perry county, Ohio.

From: The Biographical Encyclopedia of Ohio of the Nineteenth Century. Columbus, OH, USA: Galaxy Publishing Co., 1876.

Mariner, Soldier, and Lawyer, Stephen B. Yeoman was born, December 1st, 1836, in Fayette county, Ohio, and is the son of Alva and Elizabeth (Cockerill) Yeoman. His father was a native of New York State, and a farmer by occupation, who removed at an early day to Ohio, first settling in Fayette county, and removed subsequently (1837) to Jasper county, Indiana, where he resided till his death. His mother was a Virginian by birth, the daughter of William S. Cockerill, an early settler of Fayette county, and a soldier of the war of 1812. Stephen worked on a farm until fifteen years old, attending the winter schools. In 1851 he absconded from his guardian, and proceeding to New Bedford, shipped on a vessel "before the mast," from which he rose during his eight years of a sailor's life to the positions of second and first mate. He circumnavigated the globe twice, was shipwrecked twice in the south Pacific ocean, and passed twenty-seven months on a whaling vessel. In 1859 he returned home, and became a farm-hand, alternating with study at school, until the outbreak of the civil war in April, 1861, when he accompanied Company F, 22d Ohio Volunteers, as Orderly Sergeant, to Virginia. At the expiration of four months the regiment was mustered out of the service, and he returned home and recruited Company A, 54th Ohio Volunteers (Zouaves), with which he went to Kentucky as Captain. He served with this regiment until January 10th, 1864, when, on account of losing a hand which had been blown off by a cannon shot at the battle of Arkansas Post, he retired from the service. He was an active participant in the battles of Shiloh (or Pittsburgh Landing), Corinth, Yazoo, Vicksburg, and Arkansas Post, besides lesser engagements and skirmishes. On his return home he was appointed a Captain in the Veteran Reserve Corps, and was stationed at Cincinnati until July, 1864, when he was promoted to the Colonelcy of the 43d United States, and with that regiment was in all the latter great battles around Richmond, Virginia, and for some time commanded the 1st Brigade, 1st Division, 25th Army Corps, and was soon thereafter promoted Brigadier-General by brevet. In 1865 he was finally mustered out of the service, and on his return to civil life, engaged in the drug business for eighteen months. In 1866 he was elected Probate Judge of Fayette county, and held the office for three years. In 1870 he retired to his farm in Madison township, Fayette county, where he resided for two years, engaged in agricultural pursuits. In 1872 he returned to Washington, where he was admitted to the bar, and entered upon the practice of his profession, and has since resided there, where he has established a lucrative legal business. He is a Republican in principle, and a Baptist in religious belief. He is a pleasant companion, of genial manners and extensive information, having experienced so varied a life in the last twenty-five years. He was married, 1864, to Cordelia A., daughter of Daniel Wood, an early settler of Fayette county, Ohio.

From: The Biographical Encyclopedia of Ohio of the Nineteenth Century. Columbus, OH, USA: Galaxy Publishing Co., 1876.

History of Fayette County Ohio

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