My Genealogy Hound

CAPT. SAMUEL A. TODD, a resident of Springfield, who is prominently and honorably identified with the civic life of Clark County, as County Recorder, is a native of this section of Ohio, a fine representative of well-known pioneer families, of this State, and in both his public and private career has shown himself to be a worthy son of the soil. The Captain is a veteran of the late war. He was in the prime and vigor of early manhood, when the civil strife broke out, truly a “time that tried men’s souls,” and he showed of what stuff he was made, by laying aside all personal aims and ambitions, to take his place among the brave fellows who had volunteered to defend the Union, and as a leader of men on many a hard fought battle-field in the terrible years that followed he won a military record of which his State, his fellow-citizens, his wife and children may well be proud.

Capt. Todd was born in Green Township, this county, June 22, 1836, coming of a sturdy pioneer race, from whom he inherited those marked traits of character that have made him prominent in every walk of life in which duty or circumstance has led him. James Todd, his father, was born in Washington County, Pa., his father, bearing the same name, having come to this country from his native Ireland when he was a young man, and settled in that State. He followed his trade of a millwright there until about 1810, when he came to Ohio, and located on what is now known as the Todd’s Fork of the Little Miami River. He was an early pioneer of that section of the State, and worked at his trade there many years, and there his life was brought to a close at a ripe old age. He was a Presbyterian, strong in the faith, and was respected for the integrity of his life. The maiden name of his wife was Mary Brand, and she was, it is thought, born in Philadelphia. She spent the latter part of her life in Warren County.

The father of our subject was a lad of fourteen years when his parents removed to the wilds of Ohio. He learned the trade of a millwright of his older brother, and was actively engaged in it while a resident of Warren County. But the pioneer spirit of his father was strong within him, and he sought a home in the more recently settled region of Clark County, shrewdly foreseeing that artisans of his calling and skill, would be in demand in a newly-settled country, and coming here in 1815, he assisted in building many of the first mills ever erected in this part of Ohio. He carried on his trade many years, but a man of large enterprise, he found time to devote himself to other things, and buying a large tract of land in Green Township, he superintended the improvement of a farm which under his able management, became one of the finest in that locality. He erected one of the first brick houses in that township, and in the last years of his life lived in retirement, having accumulated a handsome competence. December 29, 1863, he rounded out a life, whose record was unblemished, and while his memory will ever be held in respect by his children and children’s children for what he was as a man, he will also be held in remembrance by the county at large as one of its honored pioneers. The maiden name of the mother of our subject, was Elizabeth Garlough, and she was born in Washington County, Md., January 12, 1799. Her parents coming to this county when she was a young girl, she was reared amid its pioneer scenes. She was an adept in all the household arts of those days, used to spin and weave, and make all the cloth worn in the family, and she did all her cooking before the open fire in the huge, old-fashioned fireplace. She lived to a good old age, dying April 13, 1890, in the home of a daughter adjoining the old homestead, where so many years of her life were passed. The father of our subject was reared a Presbyterian, and was true to the faith of his fathers all his days. His mother was reared in the Lutheran Church, but at the age of seventeen was converted from that faith to Presbyterianism, and joining the church of that denomination at Clifton, in Greene County, was a devoted member until her death, a period of seventy-three years. She was the mother of nine children, all of whom grew to manhood and womanhood, namely: Margaret A., John H.; Mary A., deceased; Catherine A., William B., Sarah M., Samuel A., Nancy N., and James. John H., and Catherine are deceased.

The maternal grandfather of our subject, John Garlough, was intimately connected with the history of the first years of the settlement of Clark County, while his father, John Henry Garlough, was the first pioneer to die in Clark County, his death occurring in what is now Green Township in the year 1810, and he lies sleeping the last sleep, in what is now called Garlough’s Cemetery. He and his son were born in Germany by the famous river Rhine. He emigrated to this country in Colonial times, and served with honor in the Revolutionary War, in the interests of the colonists. As a memento of that event, the subject’s brother, James, has a watch in his possession that the great-grandfather purchased of a British officer. During the strife, Mr. Garlough settled in Washington County, Md., where he resided until 1807. He then came to this State, and cast in his lot with the early settlers of Greene County. He spent one year there, and then came to Clark County in 1808, but his life was of brief duration after his settlement in Green Township, his death occurring as before mentioned. The maternal grandfather of our subject was young when his parents came to America, and he was reared and married in Maryland. He was a slaveholder while a resident of that State, but the Constitution of this State forbade slavery, so that he had to leave his slaves behind when he came here to found a new home in 1807. After spending a year in Greene County, he came to Clark County, and was one of the earliest settlers of what is now Green Township. At that time the greater part of Ohio was in a wild, sparsely settled condition, Indians still living here, and the most of the land in the hands of the Government, and for sale at $1.25 an acre. Deer, bear, and other wild animals were plenty, and were often troublesome to the settlers. Mr. Garlough bought eight hundred acres of land, erected upon it a large log house, and at once commenced the task of clearing a farm from the wilderness. He also gave his attention to other enterprises, building a sawmill, one of the first in that section of the country, and made preparations to erect a gristmill, when his life, that bade fair to be of great use in developing the resources of the county, was brought to a premature end by his death, which was caused by an ox goring him. The maiden name of his wife, grandmother of our subject, was Margaret Eichelbarger, and she was born in Maryland, of German ancestry. Both she and her husband were Lutherans in religion.

Capt. S. A. Todd obtained the rudiments of education in the local district school, which was further advanced by his attendance at select schools at Clifton and Cedarville. He resided with his parents until his marriage, and then settled on his father-in-law’s farm, where he remained, carrying on agricultural pursuits until 1858. In that year he established himself in the grocery business at Concord, and in 1860 bought an interest in a black-smith shop, and continued in business there until 1861. The patriotic blood of a Revolutionary grandsire coursed through his veins, and he determined with characteristic loyalty to help save the union of the country for whose freedom his grandfather had fought, and as soon as he could settle his affairs, he enlisted in July of that year as a private in Company F, Forty-fourth Ohio Infantry. He was soon promoted from the ranks to be First Sergeant of his company, and in June, 1862, his gallant service gained him promotion to be Second Lieutenant. Early in 1863 his cool daring in the heat of battle, and his marked efficiency as an officer, his modest bearing, and his habit of doing his duty at whatever cost, all of which had been carefully noted by his superiors in command, raised him to the position of First Lieutenant, and at Knoxville, Tenn., in the same year, he was assigned to the staff of the unorganized brigade, and as First Lieutenant, commanded the Ninth Tennessee Cavalry during the siege of Knoxville, and his brilliant services gained him new honors. He built the line of works around the east side of the city, and whenever practicable led his troops to the onslaught, animating them to brave deeds. After that experience he was assigned to the First Brigade, Third Division, Twenty-third Army Corps, as Assistant Commissary Sergeant, under Col. S. A. Gilbert, and he acted in that capacity until his regiment re-enlisted. He re-enlisted with Company F, Eighth Ohio Cavalry, and was chosen Captain of the company by his enthusiastic comrades, and received his commission, but was not mustered, and on the organization of the regiment, the honor was paid him of selecting him for Major. But Gov. Brough refused to commission him for that position, as he had issued an order in February, 1861, announcing that all promotions would be by seniority in rank. Our subject was with his regiment until November, 1864, when he was obliged to resign from the army on account of disability, as an almost continuous service of three long years and more, with its attendant hardships, sacrifices, and discomforts, had told on a naturally vigorous constitution, and he was honorably discharged at Hart’s Island, in New York Harbor. He returned to his home in Green Township, to his anxious family and many friends who gladly welcomed him in their midst, and paid him the honor due to the hero of many battles.

Being unable to perform any manual labor, the Captain entered Harrison’s Commercial College, and after pursuing a thorough course of study in that institution, he accepted a position as clerk and book-keeper in Springfield, acting in those combined capacities until 1870, and then started on the road to represent the house of Babitt, Harkness & Co., wholesale grocers of Cincinnati, and for nine years traveled in Ohio and Indiana in their interests. At the expiration of that time he engaged in the mercantile brokerage business one year in Indianapolis, and in 1881 returned to Springfield, and shortly after was nominated by the Republican party as Recorder of Clark County, was elected the same fall, was re-elected in 1884, and again in 1887, and is now serving his third term, and is one of our most popular and efficient officials. He is a man of high personal standing, of unblemished reputation, of generous feeling, and fine public spirit, and advances the interests of his native county in whatever way he can. His calm judgment, rare business talent, and wide experience fit him admirably for civic life. He and his amiable wife and family are prominent in religious and social circles; they are valued members of the Presbyterian Church; and the memories of his war days are kept alive by his connection with the Grand Army of the Republic as a member of Mitchell Post, No. 45, and of the Ohio Commandery of the Loyal Legion.

In his private life our subject is blessed with a true wife, to whose influence he owes much happiness. He was married January 3, 1856, to Miss Marietta Wood, a native of Springfield Township, this county, and a daughter of Thomas S. and Rhoda (Morton) Wood. Seven children complete the household of our subject and his wife, as follows: Allie E., William B., Edith, James A., Fred E., Edwin S., and Clinton E.