Hezekiah Kershner

As printed in 1902

HEZEKIAH KERSHNER.

Hezekiah Kershner has been a resident of Clark county since 1828 and since 1848. has five on the street where he yet makes his home, although when he took up his above here his house was practically situated in the midst of a cornfield. The growth of the city, however, has included that place within its limits, and with the public progress and improvement Mr. Kershner has been identified. A native of Hagerstown, Maryland, he was born October 24, 1826, and is a son of Jacob Kershner, also a native of Maryland, who served in the war of 1812. By trade he was a blacksmith and in the year 1828 he brought his family to Clark county. In 1806, however, he had visited this county and had purchased government land three miles south of the present site of Springfield. He became the owner of six hundred and forty acres, which was purchased at the usual government price, but when he removed to the county he sold one-half of this to his brother, Martin. As the year passed he carried on agricucultural pursuits. He saw many changes in the growth and development of the county as it emerged from the wilderness: to a populous residence district, replete with all the advantages of the east, with all of its improvements and its comforts. He was away an industrious man, energetic and diligent, and thus in his business affairs he prospered. He was also a well educated man of his day, was a fine penman and read extensively. He voted with the Democracy, but in anti-bellum days was an Abolitionist, his home being near the famed underground railroad, and by this road many a slave was aided northward on his way to freedom. In religious faith Mr. Kershner was a Presbyterian. He was twice married and by his first union he had three sons: Isaac, William and Jacob, who carried on the farm work, while the father followed his trade, but all are now deceased. A daughter, Mary, died when about twenty-two years of age. For his second wife Mr. Kershner those Catherine Kline, and like her husband, she was of German lineage. She was a widow, having been previously married, and by her first union there were born three children: Henry Albert, who is married and lives with his children in Illinois; Mary Albert, who became the wife of Mr. Lehman, and died in Illinois; and Catherine Albert, the widow of Henry Starrett, who was a shoemaker by trade and was an early settler of Springfield, his birth having occurred in Champaign county, Ohio. Mrs. Starrett now resides in Springfield at the age of eighty-two years. By the second marriage of the parents of our subject five children were born, but two died in early childhood. The others are: Hezekiah, Philip and Leonidas. The last named is a carpenter and is living in Pennsylvania. Philip was also a carpenter and builder and died in Detroit

Michigan. He raised a company for service in the Civil war, became its captain and went to the front with the Second Ohio Regiment. He afterward veteranized and remained with the army until the close of the war, taking part in numerous engagements until wounded and incapacitated for further duty. At the time of his re-enlistment he became colonel of his regiment and in this capacity served until, through his valor and meritorious service, he was promoted to the rank of director general. He was born and reared in Clark county and reached the age of sixty-five years. The father of our subject died upon the home farm at the age of seventy-six years, while his wife passed away at the age of seventy-three. Mr. Kershner, of this review, received a district school education in what is now the Possum schoolhouse. At that time the “temple of learning” was a log building, seated with slab benches and the same kind of desks. After leaving school he worked upon the home farm for a time and in 1842 he went to Dayton, Ohio, where he apprenticed himself to a brick contractor, there remaining for three years, during which time he mastered the trade. He then came to Springfield and worked for Mr. Trimmer, stone and brick contractor, with whom he remained for four months. In 1846 he began contracting on his own account on a small scale. He did his work well, was honorable in all business transactions and thus gradually his patronage increased. He has erected many of the leading blocks of the city, including the Ross shop, the Foos manufactory, the old Zimmerman block and many of the residences of Springfield. He is widely known as a mason contractor, having gained a prominent position in building circles here, although at the present time he is living retired, having in 1898 put aside business cares. His home is at No. 167 West Pleasant street, where he has lived since 1848, having built a home at the corner of Center and Pleasant streets when this locality was surrounded by a cornfield.

In 1849 Mr. Kershner wedded Miss Eliza: Johnson, who was born in Ireland, in May, 1827, and is a daughter of James Johnson, who came to Springfield about 1849, and a sister of James, Robert and Isaac Johnson. Four children have been born unto our subject and his wife, of whom one died in infancy and another, Jacob H., ‘died at the age of nine years. Edwin Allen, a carpenter, now in the employ of the Superior Drill Company, is married and has three children— Harry, Frederick and Robert. Nancy, the daughter, is the wife of Robert Singer, a resident of Columbus.

At the time of the Civil war Mr. Kershner raised Company A, of the Ninety-fourth Ohio Volunteer Infantry and enlisted in 1862. He served for six months and then on account of ill health was obliged to resign. At that time he was first lieutenant of this company and he took part in the battles of Perryville and a number of skirmishes, being in an engagement three days after leaving Camp Pickaway. Mr. and Mrs. Kershner have for about fifty years been members of the Methodist Episcopal church. On the organization of St. Paul's church they transferred their membership to that body. In politics he is a Democrat, save at local elections, when he supports the men best qualified for office He gives to his business his personal supervision and has always lived a quiet home life, caring not for political preferment. As the years have passed his close attention to business, his enterprise and his honorable methods, have been the means of bringing to him considerable success, and with the handsome competence acquired from his own labors he is now living retired in the enjoyment of the fruits of his former toil.

As printed in A Biographical Record of Clark County Ohio (1902). See the original pages. Wording is the original; obvious scanning errors have been corrected, and a few may remain.