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WILLIAM ASHWORTH Faithfulness to duty and strict adherence to a fixed purpose in life will do more to advance a man's interest than wealth or advantageous circumstances. The successful men of the day are those who have planned their own advancement and have accomplished it in spite of many obstacles, and with the certainty that it could not have been attained except through their own efforts. This class of men has a worthy representative in Mr. Ashworth, who began life under unfavorable circumstances in a little shoe shop, but to-day occupies a position of distinction in connection with the commercial interests of Miami county. Born in Middleton, Lancashire, England, on the 10th of February, 1836, he is a son of George and Betty (Nutt) Ashworth. The father was a native of the same locality. In the family were three sons: William and Thomas, who were born in England; and John, whose birth occurred in Monroe township, Miami county. In the land of his nativity George Ashworth learned the baker's trade, which he followed in England until 1839, when with his family he came to America, crossing the Atlantic on a sailing vessel, which, after a voyage of six weeks, reached the harbor of Philadelphia. Although not then four years of age, Mr. Ashworth of this review, has a faint remembrance of the trip. The family landed at Philadelphia, but came at once to Tippecanoe City, where they arrived on the 3d of November, 1839. The town at that time was known as Hyattsville. The father learned the shoemaker's trade of William Cutler, under whom he worked for a year. At the end of that time he removed to a farm in Concord township, Miami county, but after two years returned to Tippecanoe City, where he engaged in shoemaking until his death, which occurred July 23, 1849, when he was only thirty- six years of age. His wife, long surviving him, passed away April 3, 1876, at the age of sixty-four years. Mr. Ashworth is familiar with the history of pioneer life in Miami county. At the time of his arrival there were only five house where Tippecanoe City now stands, these being occupied by the Clark, Krise, Shyrock, Favorite and Cottoral families, and Mr. Clark also owned a little store. Mr. Ashworth obtained his education in the public schools, but his privileges were very limited, for when eleven years of age he began work in his father's shoe shop, and was thus employed until the latter's death. In 1853 he went to Dayton, where he served an apprenticeship for two and a half years under J. T. Kinney, a harness-maker, receiving sixty-two dollars for his services during that period. On the expiration of that time he came to Tippecanoe City and began the nursery business upon an acre of ground--his mother's home. His first crop was that of currents and gooseberries, and on four square rods of land he cultivated fruit to the value of eighty dollars. In 1857 he purchased six acres, which was the nucleus of his present extensive farm. Upon this little tract his residence is now located. He increased his farm as opportunity offered, and in connection with the nursery business he engaged in raising vegetables until 1862. On the 24th of August, of that year, Mr. Ashworth enlisted as fifth sergeant in Company D, Ninety-fourth Ohio Infantry, being mustered in at Camp Piqua. By train he went to Lexington, Kentucky, on the 28th of August, and the first engagement in which he participated was at Perryville, October 8. He afterward took part in the battle of Stone River, which began on the 24th of December, 1862, lasting three days. The army then went into camp at Murfreesboro, where he remained until June 24, 1863, when a skirmish occurred at Tunnel Hill. The regiment was attached to the Fourteenth Army Corps, under General Thomas, and their next movement was to flank Bragg at Tullahoma. Not long after this Mr. Ashworth was detailed to return to Miami county on recruiting service, and on the 27th of July, 1863, arrived at his old home, where he remained until November. He then rejoined his regiment and participated in the siege of Chattanooga, after which the troops moved to Grasville, Georgia. In March, 1864, he was sent back to the field hospital in Chattanooga, on account of illness, and there remained until December, 1864, when he rejoined his regiment at Goldsboro, North Carolina, making the trip by way of the water route. He was on the transport Ajax, which encountered a terrible storm off Cape Hatteras. A few days after rejoining his regiment he participated in the running fight with Johnston's army, which continued until the time of Lee's surrender. His command was then near Raleigh, where Johnston surrendered his forces to General Sherman. Mr. Ashworth received an honorable discharge June 15, 1865, and with a creditable military record he returned to Tippecanoe City, where he has since engaged in the nursery business in company with his brother John, under the firm name of W. & J. Ashworth. They own the Fairview Nursery, to which they have added from time to time until the property now comprises one hundred acres. The output of their nursery finds a ready sale on the market, and their shipments are very extensive. Mr. Ashworth of this review has held the office of superintendent of the Cemetery Association since its organization in 1874, and has been a director in the Tippecanoe National Bank from its organization, in 1884. On the 24th of December, 1857, occurred the marriage of our subject and Miss Sarah Wilson, of Monroe township, by whom he had two children, George and John, both of whom died in infancy. Mrs. Ashworth was born in Lancaster county, Pennsylvania, February 22, 1841, the daughter of George and Sarah (Thompson) Wilson, both natives of Lancaster county. They were married in 1834 and came to Ohio in the autumn of 1844, stopping in Clark county, and in 1849 came to Miami county, settling in Monroe township, one mile south of Tippecanoe City, where they resided until his death, May 31, 1867, his wife surviving him until December 17, 1892. In politics Mr. Ashworth is a stanch Republican, and for five terms, or ten years, he has served as a member of the city council, giving his support to many measures and movements which have contributed to the substantial development and welfare of the community. With no special advantages or opportunities to aid him in early life, he has steadily worked his way upward until he has become an important factor in business circles in his adopted county. His life has indeed been a busy and useful one, and he enjoys the esteem of all with whom he has been brought in contact. He manifested his loyalty to the government upon southern battlefields and he is just as faithful to-day to the starry banner, which is the emblem of the republic. Return to the Biography Index Copyright
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