McKhann, Charles Fremont, MD *PIC*

Posted By: Wally Garchow
Date: 23 January 2003

transcribed from Frazer Wilson's History of Darke County, v. 2, 1914, pp 48-51.

CHARLES FREMONT McKHANN, M. D.

Dr. Charles Fremont McKhann is a prominent resident of Greenville, born at the corner of Main and Vine streets, in that city, July 12, 1856, a member of an old Ohio family. He is a son of James and Margaret E. (Carnahan) McKhann, the former born in Greenville March 3, 1828, died at Chattanooga, Tenn., April 29, 1907, and was buried in Forest Hill cemetery there. The mother was born March 10, 1836, and died July 2. 1858. She was buried in Sharpeye, Darke County, Ohio. The Carnahan family were very early settlers of Darke County, and William T. Carnahan located two miles east of Greenville (coming from Pennsylvania) in 1811. He served in the Second regiment, Ohio volunteers, from April 27, 1812, until April 26, 1813, being one of the three ancestors of Dr. Charles F. McKhann who served in that war and served in the battle of Tippecanoe and Falling Timbers.

Doctor McKhann's ancestry has been traced back for many generations of several lines, one of them to the year 1632, and did space permit we would deal at length with this interesting topic; however, we will give some of the leading facts which are of general interest. His great-grandfather, Azor Scribner, came from New York to Darke County in 1805, and for many years carried on an extensive business with the Indians as a fur trader. One of his eight daughters was the first white child born at Middletown, where he first settled. He spent three years trading with the Indians in Darke County while his family remained in Middletown, and in 1808, as above stated, located permanently. His youngest daughter, Rhoda, was stolen by the Indians, but subsequently restored to her family. His granddaughter, Mrs. Avery, of Greenville, recalls that when a child she heard her grandmother relate that it was her grandfather and Colonel Johnson who shot and killed the Indian chief, Tecumseh, but fear that he might be killed by the Indians led Azor Scribner to tell only his wife of the circumstance. This story is further borne out by the possession of the gun with which Tecumseh was shot, which was owned by the subject of this sketch until quite recently. Azor Scribner served in the War of 1812, under Captain Joseph Ewing, from August 9, 1812, until February 8, 1814.

Another ancestor of Doctor McKhann, on the maternal side, his great-grandfather, Joseph Adams, was a soldier in the Revolution, enlisting in 1782, at the age of thirteen rears. He also served in the War of 1812 from September 26, 1812, until March of the following year. Nathaniel Adams was the father of Joseph Adams, and was born at Braintree, Mass., January 19, 1745. He enlisted for service in the Revolution September 9, 1778. He was first cousin to John Adams and second cousin of John Quincy Adams, presidents of the United States. The Adams family is presumably the oldest in the history of the world, and the branch here mentioned dates known ancestry back over six hundred years to Sir John Ap Adam (the letter "s" being then omitted), who was summoned to Parliament as Baron of the Realm, 1296 to 1307. The fifth generation after this added the letter "s" to the name and it has since been retained. An early member of this family, Henry Adams, married Mary Alexander, daughter of Lord Sterling, came to America in 1632 and located at Braintree. Samuel Adams, brother of Rev. Joseph Adams (father of President John Adams), was the father of Nathaniel Adams, who married Rachael Chambers, of Trenton, N.J., They settled at Frederick, Maryland, and in 1780 removed to Harrison county, Virginia (now West Virginia), where they became owners of a large plantation. Doctor McKhann has in his possession a copy of Nathaniel Adams's will and original of contract and bill of sale of personal property, slaves, etc., dated January 28, 1824.

Rev. John Carnahan was a farmer and Christian minister and in 1830 built a beautiful Christian church, chopping and hewing the logs with his own hands. This building, seven miles west of Greenville, on Winchester pike, was most substantially built and remained standing until 1867, when the present building, known as the Carnahan church, was erected. It was built on his farm where he had six hundred acres for which he paid $800.

The only child born to James and Margaret McKhann was Dr. Charles F. James McKhann married as his second wife, Elnora Moore of Greenville, November 14, 1859. She died at Chattanooga September 27, 1876, and was buried in Forest Hill cemetery there. Two daughters were born of this union, namely: Lizzie, wife of J. Hamilton Cady, of Chattanooga, who has four children, and Ella, wife of William E. Mongar, of Chattanooga, who has six children.

Doctor McKhann was but two years of age when his mother died, and he was reared by his Grandmother Carnahan. When he was three years of age, they visited Clarke County, Iowa, and he was so pleased with the location that he felt a very strong desire to return. It was when six years of age he first, attended school in Iowa, running away from home to get to go. It wwas conducted in a log building, with slab seats, puncheon floors and no windows. After remaining six months in Iowa he returned to Darke County and there attended school in the Carnahan school house about seven miles from Greenville. He assisted in the farm work and attended school until he was ten years old, when he and his grandmother returned to Clarke County, Iowa, and there he remained until he attained his majority, attending school through the winter months. When twenty-one years of age he was graduated from high school at Osceola, Iowa, and at that time had been studying medicine for two years. He worked part of the time as cowboy and read medical books while in the saddle. He was very fond of study and reading and used every opportunity to do so.

Upon his return to Greenville, about 1877, he read medical books under the direction of Dr. John E. Matchett, which course he continued two years. In 1877 he entered Ohio Medical College in Cincinnati, graduating two years later with the degree of M. D. He began practice at Norwood, Lucas County, Iowa, and one year later located in New Madison, Darke County, Ohio, where he became very successful in his profession, remaining ten years. Then, after remaining two years in Greenville, he became much interested in country then being opened up in Florida, and invested in timber land and the turpentine industry. He owned 33,000 acres of land in one piece located in a single county. He now owns several tracts, aggregating several thousand acres of land and scattered in different counties. Since 1884 he has made annual trips to Florida, and sometimes spends as long a time as nine months there, but his permanent home is in Greenville. He owns some of the best business property in the city, including the Weaver block, the finest building of the kind in the city. He is held in high esteem by all and is one of the leading citizens. He is justly proud of his ancestry and is interested in the early history of Darke County, in which his forbears took so worthy a part. He is a Republican in politics and much interested in public affairs. He belongs to no clubs or societies.

Doctor McKhann has been twice married, first, August 29, 1878, to Ida May, daughter of John Fox, a prominent farmer and miller of Darke County, who resided at Fox Mills, three miles west of Greenville, and two children blessed their union Maude Ethel, born July 8, 1879, who was married July 4, 1900, to Rollin F. Cohee, of Frankfort, Ind., and they have a son, Rollin F., born July 26, 1910; and another daughter, Leslie May, born December 25, 1881, who married George O. Palmer, August 14, 1907, and they have a daughter, Mary Frances Palmer, born July 28, 1908, and live at Lake City, Fla. Mrs. McKhann, mother of these children, died May 15, 1885, and is buried at New Madison. Doctor McKhann married (second) June 28, 1887, at Des Moines, Iowa, Mary, daughter of Philip and Lizzie Grassel, of Osceola, Iowa. To this union three children were born: George G., January 23, 1893, attending the University at Oxford; Zerelda Elizabeth, born February 27, 1897, is in the third year of high school, and Charles Fremont, Jr., born December 21, 1898, is in the second year of high school. Dr. McKhann is a supporter of the Christian church and his wife is a Seventh Day Adventist.

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