Joseph Pearson

As printed in 1908

JOSEPH PEARSON, a retired farmer and old soldier, who lives on his improved farm of nine-seven and two-thirds acres, near Catawba, in Pleasant Township, was born February 12, 1827, at London, England, and is a son of William and Elizabeth (Loekhart) Pearson.

William Pearson, father of Joseph, was also born in Tjondon and there learned the trades of cabinetmaker and wagonmaker. He there married Elizabeth Lockart and they had the following children: Joseph; Henry, who was a member of the Seventeenth Regiment Iowa Volunteers, during the Civil War and was killed at Vicksburg; Maria, widow of Owen Davis, who has reached her seventy-ninth year.

is still able to do fine needlework; John, who served in the Civil War as a member of an Ohio regiment, died from wounds received in battle; George, who was a member of the Ninety-fourth Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry, resided at Catawba; Martha, who is the widow of William Shanks, who served in the Civil AVar, a member of the Fortieth Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry; Mary E., who is the wife of John Young, residing in Hardin Coiinty, Ohio; Millie Ann, who is the wife of Edward Gardner; Thomas, who served in the Civil War as a member of the Fourth Regiment, Ohio Vohmteer Infantry; and Samuel, now residing in Kansas, who served with his brother Joseph in the forty-fourth Ohio Volunteer Infantry. This record shows that every son of the family testified to his loyalty to the Union by serving in her defense, several of them to the extent of yielding up their lives.

In 1832 William Pearson came to America, accompanied by his wife and his two children, and they settled for a short time on the farm of his mother, who was then Widow Elizabeth Inman, residing in Harmony Township, Clark County, where she had three hundred and twenty acres. Her first husband, William Pearson, had died in England and she married again and with her husband came as a pioneer to Clark County. While her son, William Pearson, was looking around for land on which to locate, he was offered the present site of the Arcade Building at Springfield, for four dollars an acre. It was then nothing but a swamp and Mr. Pearson judged that Catawba, on account of its better natural situation and of its numerous sulphur springs, its fine dry timbered

AND EEPEESENTATIVE CiriZENS.

soil and its two cross-roads showed indication of being more likely to develop than did its neighboring town. Hence he settled at Catawba, on a farm of three acres, and followed his trade, making many wagons and constructing coffins for the country roundabout. He died from the effects of an accident, falling from his horse, when in his forty-seventh year. He was a man of great strength, and having taken boxing lessons in England he was also one of skill, and was made captain of a light-horse brigade. In friendly contests, he overcame the local wrestling champions. His widow subsequently married Edward Shanks.

Joseph Pearson was five years of age when his parents came to America and was too young to recall the long voyage of thirty-eight days which the sailing vessel required. It was a new vessel and after it sailed for America, William Pearson was employed, as a cabinetmaker, to finish the cabin which required five weeks more to finish after reaching America. He.spent all his time at the work during his journey. Joseph Pearson was i-eared at Catawba and recalls that the Indians and the wolves made him about equally feai'ful through his boyhood. He had but meager school advantages. He worked around on the neighboring farms occasionally but spent a large part of his time in his father's shop, where he became familiar with tools, and probably also learned a great deal listening to the conversation between his father and his customers. From one of these, a local physician, he learned that he could qualify as a clerk on a river boat running between Cincinnati and New Orleans, and after securing the position he filled it for four years. After he returned to Catawba, he operated a cooper shop, and was thus engaged when the Civil War broke out. Mr. Pearson had been in the South and he understood conditions and public feeling much better than did many of his neighbors and he was one of the first to start to recruit a company aroimd his old home. With the men he secured he joined Company F, Forty-fourth Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry and subsequently was sent back to again recruit. On this occasion he secured twenty-one men, one of these being his brother Samuel, and another his brother-in-law, Levi Porter, both of whom had been too young to go at first. Joseph Pearson served all through the long years of the war, taking an active part and always being found at the post of duty. He participated in many of the most important battles of the war but lays stress on that at Winchester, September 19, 1863, when 19,000 of his brave comrades fell.

On several occasions, Mr. Pearson was offered commissions, but was never willing to take more responsibility than that entailed by serving as a sergeant. His first term of service was as a sergeant and when he re-enlisted at Knoxville, Tennessee, he served as commissary sergeant and always performed the duties pertaining to these offices in such a manner as to win approbation. One of the closest friends of Mr. Pearson was the brave Major Evans, the famous Zouave officer. Mr. Pearson was never seriously wounded, although, as stated above, several of his brothers were more unfortunate. The mother was a woman of strong character and during the war she was a member of one of the commissions which worked so unceasingly to secure and send supplies to the soldiers. On one occasion, when called upon to address the meeting she said in reverent mood: "I thank God that I have six sons defending the Stars and Stripes." This noble sentiment was published in the newspapers and when they were read in camp each soldier gave a cheer for the mother who, under the circumstances, could so bravely avow her patriotism. There undoubtedly were six soldiers who were very proud of that sacrificing mother.

While at home on a furlough, in 1864, Mr. Pearson was married to Ann Porter, who survived until after the war, leaving two children — Elta, who married Frank Hendricks, and Anna, who married Hugh Cartmell. His first marriage had been to Nancy Clolden, who died shortly afterward. They had one child — Martin Luther who died aged eight months. His second wife, was Mary S. Palmer, who is survived by five of her six children, namely: Joseph W., a farmer in Hardin County, Ohio; Francis B., who is principal of East High School, at Columbus, and a graduate of Wooster College; Jennie, who married Joseph Keescker and resides in Columbus; Frank, who resides in Champaign County, Ohio; and A. Lincoln, who resides in Kansas. In 1869, Mr. Pearson was married to Sarah Porter, who is a daughter of Benjamin and Elizbeth Porter, and they have one child, Levi, who lives at Anthony, Kansas.

Mr. Pearson has retired from active work on the farm. He is a stanch Republican and has been a leading man in his party in this section for a number of years. He was a member of the Republican Central Committee for sixteen years and for the same length of time was deputy sheriff. He has held many township offices and he was a very useful member of the committee appointed by the county to provide burial for deceased soldiers and to assist their families. He is a valued member of the local Grand Army post, belongs to the Odd Fellows and the Mad River Encampment. For sixty years he has been a member of the Methodist Protestant Church.

As printed in 20th century history of Springfield, and Clark County, Ohio, and representative citizens (1908). See the original pages. Wording is the original; obvious scanning errors have been corrected, and a few may remain.