In the books' own words, not ours, with obvious scanning errors fixed. The later printing (1902) is folded below the first. Families often supplied these stories to the publisher, so check key dates.
Born 1840, Sandusky township
From A centennial biographical history of Crawford County, Ohio .. (1902), History of Crawford County and Ohio : containing a history of the state of Ohio, from its earliest settlement to the present time ... a history of Crawford County ... biographical sketches, portraits (1881)
SAMUEL B. KOONS, farmer; P. 0. Sulphur Springs; was born in Sandusky Township, this county, Nov. 17, 1840. He is the son of Abraham and Jane (Mills) Koons. His father was born in Penns3'vania June 16, 1783, and, when a young man, he learned the millwright's trade, which he followed for many years, besides owning a farm. He was twice married, first to Susan Shrader, by which union there were thirteen children, six of whom grew to manhood and womanhood and reared families of their own; they were Margaret, Daniel, John, Charlotte. Susan and Abraham. After about twenty-four years of married life, his first wife died. April 15, 1830, he married Jane Mills, who is his surviving widow; she was born in Maryland July 1, 1812; of her father's family there were seven children left to do for themselves when quite young. Mrs. Koons was taken by a family to rear, and they moved to Pennsylvania when she was about 5 years old. There she grew to womanhood, and, as stated above, was married to Mr. Koons. Notwithstanding he was much her senior, they got along the very best. Two years after their marriage, they came to Ohio, first settling in Richland Co. in the spring of 1832, and, in the spring of 1839, they sold out and moved into Sandusky Township, this county, where they purchased 160 acres, and afterward added 37 more. In the course of time, there were fourteen children born to his second wife, twenty-seven children in his family in all, as his first wife was mother of thirteen, seven of whom died in childhood; but the fourteen of the second marriage are all living and doing well, the youngest about 26 years old. Their names and present residences are as follows: William L., in Fulton Co., Ind.; Annie E., in Crestline, at the millinery business; Mary M., in Kansas — was married to R. Armstrong; he was killed by a runaway team; Sarah J., now Mrs. Moore, of Lansing, Mich.; David S., farming in Hancock Co.; Martha E., is married to Rev. James M. Roberts, a missionary in New Mexico; Samuel B., in this township; Harriet, Mrs. James Stevenson, of Annapolis; Ben. F., is now pursuing his studies at Yale College,
New Haven, Conn.; R. Catharine is on missionary work among the freedmen of Mississippi, and teacher in Tougaloo College, near Jackson, Miss.; R. Porter, is a physician in Kansas; Oliver H., is studying music in Philadelphia; F. Mills, is studying in Oberlin, Ohio; Joanna Is married and living in Illinois. Mr. Koons, Sr., died March 22, 1869, and, after the settlement of the estate and several unimportant changes, Mrs. Koons got herself a comfortable residence in the village, where she Is spending the remaining years of her life quietly and alone. Samuel B. received a common-school education, besides one term in Oberlin; his time beyond school hours was occupied on the farm until Aug. 15, 1861; at that date he enlisted in Co. C, 49th 0. V. I., and participated in several of the deadly engagements of the war, viz., Shiloh, Liberty Gap, Stone River (and at the close of that engagement he was promoted to Sergeant), Chickamauga and Mission Ridge; in the latter conflict, Nov. 19, 1863, he sustained a serious injury by being struck on the back of the head by a piece of wood which formed a partition between the powder and ball in the construction of cannon cartridges, from one of their own guns, which was firing over them. From the effects of this wound he lay insensible for eighteen days. After a month's hospital care, he was able to come home on a furlough, and remained about two months. When his regiment was re-enlisted, he went in the Atlanta campaign as far as Buzzard's Roost; his term of enlistment had then expired, and he was discharged Sept. 5, 1864. He then came home to Crawford Co., and, on Nov. 17 of the same year, he was married to Margaret Stevenson; she was born in Seneca Co. March 27, 1845. For three years, he worked his father's farm, and, in the spring of 1868, they purchased the farm of 71 acres where they now live. Mrs. Koons' parents came to live with them, and here her father died Aug. 16, 1871, but her mother is still with them at the advanced age of 73 years. On account of his wound received in the army, which affects him seriously if he takes the least cold, he draws a pension of $8 per month. They have a family of five children— Clarence A., Virgil C, Sarah J., Maggie M. and Samuel R.
As printed in History of Crawford County and Ohio : containing a history of the state of Ohio, from its earliest settlement to the present time ... a history of Crawford County ... biographical sketches, portraits (1881). See the original pages. Wording is the original; obvious scanning errors have been corrected, and a few may remain.
SAMUEL B. KOONS.
Samuel B. Koons is one of the leading men of Liberty township. Crawford county, and was born in Sandusky township on November 17, 1840, on the farm which is the second one east of his own at the present time. His parents were Abraham and Jane (Mills) Koons, who reared a family of fourteen children, twelve of whom still survive, as follows: Ann E., single,.
a resident of Sulphur Springs; Mary M., the widow of Rev. R. Armstrong, of Cowley county, Kansas; Sarah J., the wife of Frank Moore, of Lansing", Michigan; David, of Leipsic, Putnam county, Ohio; Martha E., the widow of Madison Roberts, of southern California; Samuel B., of this sketch; Harriet L., the widow of Joseph Stephenson, of Missouri; Benjamin F., for the last eleven years president of the State Agricultural College of Mansfield, Connecticut;. Catherine, the wife of Rev. Pope, of Oberlin, Ohio; Robert P., a practicing physician of Lone Jack, Missouri; Oliver physician and surgeon, of Brooklyn, New York; and Francis M., of Toledo, Ohio.
Abraham Koons was born in Philadelphia about 1773 and lived to be. ninety-six years old, dying in 1869. His first wife was Susan Schrader, by whom he had thirteen children, all of whom are now deceased. The father of Abraham was one of three brothers who came from Germany to America at an early day, bringing with them a sum of ten thousand dollars, with which they engaged in the brewery business in Philadelphia, during the Revolution. On the death of Grandfather Koons, the two brothers were made guardians of his children, and when Philadelphia was threatened by the British the Koons brothers converted the property into money and departed and were never located until after the death of Father Koons, and by that time all of the documents pertaining to the case were lost and the children of Abraham never received any share. The latter was but a child at the death of his father and he was bound out to work for a neighbor, but as he was not treated well there he ran away, at the age of seven years, and supported himself in unknown ways until he became a youth old enough to learn the carpenter's trade. After he had thoroughly learned the trades of carpenter and millwright, which were then combined, he worked for a number of years in and about Philadelphia,, and in 1829, learning of the rich lands to be had in ( )hio, he came to Richland county and purchased eighty acres, and pursued both farming and work at his, trade. Seven years later he disposed of his property there to advantage, and located in Sandusky township, in Crawford county. Here he first purchased one hundred and sixty acres and later added thirty-seven acres, and resided in that township until the time of his death, in [869. lie was reared near the Pennsylvania and Maryland line, and after coming to Ohio was often heard to predict that there would be a war between the north and the south, although he might not see it. In early life he was a Democrat, but later, when he came to a thorough understanding of the slavery question from personal observation, he became an ardent Republican. For many years he was a consistent member of the United Brethren church.
Samuel B. Koons grew up on his father's farm and his school opportunities were very limited. His father had large stuck interests and he was obliged to look after them, while his brothers and sisters, coming later, were educated at Oberlin College. When he was about twenty years old the Civil war broke out and with three of his brothers he entered into the service of his county. David entered Company B, of the Eighth Ohio, enlisting as a private and leaving the service as a captain; Benjamin was a corporal in Company H, One Hundred and Twenty-third Ohio; and William, now deceased, was a member of an Indiana regiment. Our subject enlisted on August 15, 1861, in Company C, Forty-ninth Ohio Volunteer Infantry, and was sent from Fort Dennison to Louisville, taking part in all of the battles of the Army of the Cumberland, until the terrible struggle of Missionary Ridge, where he was wounded. The accident happened from the Union artillery, the block between the powder and the ball striking him in the back of the head, on the morning after the taking of Orchard Knob, November 24, 1863. For the succeeding eighteen days our subject lay unconscious in the hospital at Chattanooga, and after thirty days was sent home on furlough, where he remained until March i, 1864. During this time the regiment had become veterans and they were home on furlough, and when they returned to the front one of the most determined soldiers was our subject. When he had reached Buzzards' Roost, his enlistment having expired, he was sent back to Chattanooga, later to Nashville, thence to Jeffersonville. and on September 5, 1864, was mustered out of the service at Columbus, Ohio.
On the following 24th of November our subject was married to Miss Maggie Stevenson, a native of Seneca county, Ohio, the daughter of John Stevenson, who was born in Pennsylvania. The latter came to Seneca county at an early day. Soon after marriage the young couple settled on his father's farm, in an extra house, where they lived comfortably for three years, while Samuel cultivated his father's land on shares, but in 1868 the opportunity came to purchase a desirable tract of seventy-one acres, this being the present home farm, and here the family has since resided.
To Mr. and Mrs. Koons six children have been born, all of them being well known and popular members of society, viz.: Clarence, a farmer of Richland county; Virgil, a letter carrier in Colorado Springs, Colorado; Jennie, at home; Mat, at home; Ray, a teacher in the public schools, at home; and Inez, also a teacher, living at home. Mr. Koons has always been a verv ardent Republican and has been active in work for his party. He has taken an intelligent interest in educational matters and has been a valuable member of the school board for several years, always advocating every measure which has promised to be of general benefit. He is a member of the G. A. R., and bears a fine record for gallantry during his term of service. His standing in the community is that of an honest, upright citizen, who well represents Crawford county.
As printed in A centennial biographical history of Crawford County, Ohio .. (1902). See the original pages. Wording is the original; obvious scanning errors have been corrected, and a few may remain.
The printed record stops around 1902. We trace your line from there down to you, with every source cited.