Lewis Skillings

LEWIS SKILLINGS.

In Green township, about a quarter of a mile from the place of his present residence, Lewis Skillings was born on the 24th of July, 1831. He is a son of Lewis and Anna (Craig) Skillings, and his paternal grandfather also bore the name of Lewis. “He was born near Berlin, Prussia, in 1750 and when a young man he went jto England, whether on a business or pleasure trip is not krowr. While, there, however, he was pressed into the English army without any opportunity of communicating with his family and was forced on board a vessel ta be sent to America to fight for the British in the Revolutionary war. When near the coast of Maine he and a comrade, Mr. Hooper, left the ship and swam ashore, landing in the Pine Tree state. He had previously learned the shoemaker's trade and soon found work at that vocation. While in Maine he became acquainted with Hannah Bladgen, whom he afterward married. We next hear of him as a farmer in the “southern part of Stokes township, near New Sharon, Franklin county, Maine, where some of his children were born. From there he removed to Anson, near where resided Mr. Hooper, with whom he had escaped from the British vessel. His home ordered the road between Madison and North Anson,

Maine. He settled on a farm and while there was killed by a limb of a tree falling upon him, June 23, 1802, and was buried in a cemetery on Sandy river. His wife lived to the advanced age of ninety-four years, passing away in 1857.

They were the parents of seven children, of whom Lewis Skillings, the father of our subject, was the eldest. He was born in 1789, and after his father's death the care of the family devolved upon him and he provided for their support until he was twenty-two years of age. This duty was then assumed by his younger brother, while Mr. Skillings came to the west, landing in Cincinnati in 1810. For a time he was in partnership in the business of shipping produce down the Ohio and Mississippi rivers to New Orleans by flatboat. Later he settled in Springfield township, Clark county, and in Ohio he met and married Miss Anna Craig, a daughter of John Craig, who was one of the heroes of the Revolutionary war and was born February 15, 1758. In 1775 he entered the army and was discharged in 1780. He was a son of Andrew Craig, who was also a soldier in the war for independence, and who was born in Ireland in 1710. In the year 1718 he crossed the Atlantic to America and in the spring of 1776 he joined the colonial forces in order to aid in winning American independence. He died in the fall of that year on the retreat from Canada. The father of our subject became a member of the Methodist Episcopal church on his nineteenth birthday and for twenty years he served as a class leader in the Fletcher church, exercising a strong influence in behalf of Christianity. His wife was born near Onion river, Connecticut, March 29, 1792, and with her parents came to Ohio in 1807, the family establishing their home in Clark county in 1808. Lewis Skillings was a poor man when he arrived in Ohio, but he became wealthy, owing to his careful business management, his perseverance and diligence and his honorable dealings. He was also very liberal with his means, generous to the poor, and at the time of his death he left one thousand dollars on interest for the benefit of Fletcher Chapel, ta be used after twenty years. His political support was given the Whig party and later he became a stanch Republican. In his family were the following children, of whom all reached years of maturity: Mary, who became the wife of James Laybourn; Hannah, the wife of William Mc- Kinney; Sarah, ‘who married Abel Laybourn; John, who died at the age of twenty-five years; Lewis, whose name introduces this review; and Eben, who married Susan Runyon and after her death wedded Phoebe Paulin, while his third wife was Lue Miller.

Lewis Skillings, whose name introduces this record, reared upon the home farm and acquired a fair common school education. At the age of eighteen he began earning money for himself, though he remained at home until twenty-five years of age. In the meantime, with what the had saved, he bought one hundred and five acres of land, constituting a part of his present farm. All of the improvements upon the place he has made and these stand as monuments to his thrift and enterprise. He brought as a bride to his home Miss Martha A. Hammond, their marriage being celebrated on the 2oth of December, 1855. She was born in Harmony township, a daughter of Calvin and Laura (Bennett) Hammond, both of whom were natives of New York and had come to Ohio with their respective parents. After their marriage they settled near Vienna, where Mrs. Skillings was reared to womanhood. Unto our subject and his wife have been born seven children: Fremont married Celia Garlough and died, leaving three children, his widow now living in Springfield; Quincy died at the age of eighteen months; Laura became the wife of Thomas Rowand and is now living with her father; Rolley married Rosa Finch and they have four children; Autice married Claude Rice and is living in Green township; Carrie became the wife of Harley Kirkham and is living in Harmony township; and Nora died at the age of seven months.

A stanch Republican in politics, Mr. Skillings keeps well informed on the issues of the day, but has never been an office seeker. He voted for Winfield Scott in 1852 and in 1856 cast his ballot for Fremont. He is a member of the Free Will Baptist church and is interested in all that pertains to progress and improvement along material, social, intellectual and moral lines. In his business affairs he has prospered and is today the owner of nearly five hundred acres of valuable land. He represents one of the old pioneer families of the county and has borne his part in carrying forward the work of development and improvement, which was begun by his pioneer ancestors, always manifesting the same love for his country and interest in her welfare as was shown by his ancestors who fought for the independence of the nation.

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.

LEWIS SKILLINGS, a i)prominent farmer of Clark County, Ohio, is the owner of three hundred acres of land there, one hundred and twenty-five acres forming the home place in Green Township, while the remainder is located in Springfield Township. He was born in the house on the farm now owned by his brother Eben, on July 24, 1831, and is a son of Lewis, Sr., and Anna (Craig) Skillings.

Lewis Skillings, Sr., was born in Maine, where he lived until he was twenty-two years old, then left home and came to Ohio, where he spent the rest of a long life. He first located in Cincinnati, where he worked on the river for some years, and by hard work and careful saving, accumulating a sum sufficient to give him a start, then came on to Clark County, and bought a farm in Green Township. This first farm is now owned by a grandson, and the one he later bought his son Eben now lives on, and a part of it is owned by Lewis Skillings. There he lived until his death at a good old age. He married Anna Craig, who came from along Onion River, in Connecticut, and they were parents of four sons and three daughters.

Lewis Skillings was born on the old home place and received his educational training in the district schools. He lived on the home farm and followed farming until he was twenty-five years old, when he purchased his present place for $30 per acre. This price was considered enormous at that time, and thei'e were some who thought his bargain a poor one. Time has justified him in his purchase, and today his farm is considered one of the most valuable in this vicinity. He has given his exclusive attention to farming and has met with success.

Mr. SkilUngs was united in marriage December 13, 1855, with Miss Martha Hammond, who was one of eleven children born to Calvin and Laura (Bennett) Hammond, of Vienna, Ohio. They are parents of seven children: Fremont, deceased; (,)quincy, deceased; Laura, who lives at home with her parents; RoUey; 'Autice; Carrie; and Nora, deceased. December 13, 1905, Mr. and Mrs. Skillings celelii'ated their golden wedding anniversary at their home, when one hundred and ten of their friends were present to congratulate them and fittingly observe so uncommon an event. Although work, and hard work at that, has formed a large part of their lives, Mr. and Mrs. Skillings have not shut out the pleasures of life, a fact to which may be attributed much of the happiness of their long union. In 1902 they made a trip back to the home of his ancestors in Maine, going over the ground where they had lived and toiled, and viewing the grave of his grandfather, who had been buried just one hundred years before. However he was not favorably impressed with Maine as a farming or stock-growing state. Mr. Skillings is a Republican in politics and served for a time as school director, although he never desired public office. He is a member of the Baptist Church.

mand, in the southern part of the islands, during the time the treaty was made with Chief Sulu. He participated in numerous skirmishes, but was never injured and in July, 1901, he returned to Springfield. In a short time he was made deputy county surveyor of Clark County, and two years later, in 1903, he became assistant city engineer at Springfield, an office he filled for five years, following which came his appointment as city engineer on January 1, 1908.

Mr. Bahin is a member of St. Raphael 's Catholic Church. He belongs to the Knights of Columbus, the Ancient Order of Hibernians and the Eagles.

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.