Orban Grant Alkire

As printed in 1906

ORBAN GRANT ALKIRE, a well-known resident of Mount Sterling, Ohio, and a member of one of the old and honorable families of Pick-, away and Madison counties, was born on his father’s farm in Madison County, Ohio, May 26, 1863, and is a son of Abraham Reid and Mary Jane (Tanner) Alkire, grandson of Abraham and Jennie Martin (Creath) Alkire and great-grandson of William and Elizabeth (Moore) Alkire.

The Alkire family in America was established by Almonas Alkire, who in the time of James I., of England, was a member of Lord Baltimore’s colonizing expedition, which settled in Maryland. Old records demonstrate the fact that in 1626 there lived in Holland a noble family by the name of Algire, which had originally come from Scotland where the family name was Alkirk. From Maryland the Alkires passed to Virginia, thence to Kentucky and finally to.Ohio, where the family has been established nearly 100 years. The early family history has been given at length in the sketch of William Harvey Alkire, brother of our subject, which appears elsewhere in this book.

Abraham Reid Alkire was born on the old Alkire homestead, in Pleasant township, Madison County, Ohio, on February 27, 1830, and died February 12, 1902. He married Mary Jane Tanner, who was born February 22, 1839, and died October 10, 1886. They reared five sons and one daughter, as follows: William Harvey, vice-president of The-Citizens’ Bank at Mount Sterling; Charles Francis; Abraham Scott; Corban Grant; Tully Smith and Lillie Annie, wife of Charles Edgar Zahn. Abraham Reid Alkire was president of The Citizens’ Bank at Mount Sterling from the date of its organization to his death. He married for his second wife Mrs. Flavilla (Coalton) Tenny, January 29, 1889. She died January 16, 1899, aged 66 years, 9 months and 15 days.

Corban G. Alkire was mainly educated at Columbus and is a man of solid intellectual attainments. At the death of his father he came into possession of land amounting to 273 acres, in Madison and Pickaway counties, and owns an elegant home at Mount Sterling.

Mr. Alkire was married at Columbus, Ohio, June 29, 1898, to Clara Liggett, who was born April 22, 1868, at Baton- Rouge, Louisiana, and is a daughter of the late Col. John B. Liggett. Mrs. Alkire has two sisters, Georgia and Kate.

The late Col. John B. Liggett was born at Smithfield, Jefferson County, Ohio, November 25, 1839. Like many other men who have reaped success in other fields, Colonel Liggett was reared on a farm and had only the educational advantages offered by the public schools. On leaving the farm he engaged in a mercantile business in various places until the outbreak of the Civil War. During the war he had a contract with the United States government to supply coal and for some time he followed the river in fulfilling his contracts. At the close of the war he went to Louisiana and for a time was engaged in a coal business there, later removing to New Orleans, where he was very successful in the same line.

Colonel Liggett then came North, established his home at Toronto, Jefferson County, Ohio, and there became connected with th sewer-pipe industry and continued in that business for several years. He then became interested in the Bell Telephone Company and was soon recognized as one of the company’s most valuable employees in this whole section. Important interests were soon placed in his hands and they were managed with skill and efficiency. He became general manager of the Central at Toronto and was noted for his promptness as well as his courtesy. Personally he was held in the highest esteem and many expressions of intense regret were heard at the time of his decease. The mother of Mrs. Alkire still survives and resides with her two daughters at Toronto.

A visitor to Mount Sterling could not help but admire the beautiful home of Mr. 'and Mrs. Alkire, situated as it is in a wealth of flowering loveliness. Winter is turned into summer with them, for flowers bloom for these true lovers of the floral kingdom, within doors as well as out. They have a fine collection of palms and ferns, among which may be seen many fine * specimens. Mr. and Mrs. Alkire are both deaf mutes, but with such beautiful surroundings and with congenial tastes, the affliction seems a light one. Mrs. Alkire was born thus but Mr. Alkire sustained his loss from a severe attack of fever in his childhood. Both enjoyed the educational advantages afforded at the Deaf Mute College at Columbus and are highly educated and also variously accomplished. The atmosphere of their quiet home, with its refined influences, is very attractive.

As printed in History of Pickaway County, Ohio and Representative Citizens (1906). See the original pages. Wording is the original; obvious scanning errors have been corrected, and a few may remain.